It is a Presidential election year here in the United States, and while it has become extremely popular in recent years to watch the words we use and be politically correct, some people still find the need to be open, honest, and tell it like it is; Filter’s Richard Patrick is one of those people. Mocking Donald Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again,” Patrick has named the current Filter tour “Make America Hate Again.” A clever play on words, the current run is in support of Filter’s raw new album Crazy Eyes. Beginning the run out in San Francisco, CA on April 13th, Filter joined forces with Orgy, Vampires Everywhere, and Death Valley High. A good mix of some of Industrial Rock’s most known, as well as up-and-coming acts, the high-energy lineup made a stop at Revolution Bar & Music Hall in Amityville, NY on Thursday, April 28th, for an evening of beautiful noise and fun.
Opening up the show was a local group, Lubricoma, who formed in 2007 in Oceanside, NY. No strangers to Revolution Bar & Music Hall, they brought with them a hard Progressive sound. Charlie Adrianus Parks (Vocals/Guitars), John Rivera (Guitars), Nick Formont (Bass), Michael Domanico (Keyboards), and Lou Panariello (Drums) had no problem rocking out the earlier arriving concert goers that gathered in front of the stage as they played. After a couple of songs, Parks earned a few extra screams from the audience when he introduced their next song, “Fuck” before earning even more screaming thereafter. Continuing on, they performed a very familiar song as they did a stellar cover of Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence.” Before ending their set, Parks said, “We are so excited to be playing for Orgy and Filter! Thank you so much!” He introduced the band’s members, and then introduced their final song, “The Dolls House,” one of their original pieces from their debut EP, Watchers Through Storms. Be sure to check the six tracks out to see what Lubricoma is all about.
Next up was Death Valley High with their powerful style of Death Disco. Having formed in 2010, the band is based in San Francisco, CA and they have been very busy, already releasing three full-length albums. Also spending a lot of time on the road touring, in 2011, they won the Independent Music Award for Best Rock Song for “Multiply,” off of their release that same year, Doom In Full Bloom. Touring earlier in 2016 with Orgy, Death Valley High stuck with them for this tour and they were ready to take the fun to the next level.
The stage lighting was a bit darker and the fog machines were kicking up as Reyka Osburn (Vocals, Guitar, Synth), Sean Bivins (Guitar), Huffy Hafera (Bass), and Adam Bannister (Drums) played through their set. Before playing “Warm Bodies,” Osburn demanded the audience to, “Get the fuck up here!” wanting them to come closer to the stage, and many were rather happy to comply. He later took a moment to say, “Thank you Filter for taking us on this tour and Orgy just cause they are awesome.” They closed the set with their high-energy song “DVH – The Movie.” Now gaining the full attention of the audience, as more and more drew closer to the stage, Osburn took full advantage of this by having them join in. Towards the end of the song, he jumped down onto the floor and had everyone joining him in a chant of “Death Valley High” several times. Needless to say, the crowd enjoyed Death Valley High’s first return to the venue in over a year and devoured their action packed performance.
With the stage lights just a little darker and the fog machines pumping even harder, next up was Vampires Everywhere!, who brought their own brand of Industrial Metal. Out of Hollywood, CA, the band initially came together back in 2009 and has three full-length albums out, including their epic 2016 return, Ritual. Led by Michael “Vampire” Orlando, he has kept Vampires Everywhere! going strong despite lineup changes. Joining Orlando on stage, all dressed in dark colors with their arms and necks painted black so you could only see their hands and faces was Matti Hoffman (guitar), Grey Soto (bass), and Joshua Ingram (drums). This would in fact be the first visit of Vampires Everywhere! to Revolution Bar & Music Hall in almost three years, and Long Island was ready to welcome them back.
Opening their set with “Star Of 666,” off their 2012 release Hellbound And Heartless, they set the tone for just how heavy they were going to rock their fans. The floor of the room was now packed and fans were tight up against the stage enjoying the next song, “Perfect Lie.” Moving forward, they performed several songs off of Ritual, including “Truth In You,” “Violent World,” “Black Betty,” and a cover of Hozier’s “Take Me To Church.” With everyone cheering for more between songs, at one point Orlando wondered, “How can you be ready for Orgy? I can’t hear you!” and without hesitation the fans screamed at the tops of their lungs. This led into the final offering from Vampires Everywhere! with 2012’s “Drug Of Choice.” A ruckus performance, Orlando simply said, “Thanks,” before leaving the stage as everyone went wild. Vampires Everywhere! still have a bright future ahead of them and it looks like the storm clouds have cleared for Orlando as he leads the band forward.
Keeping the the ambiance of the lighting and fog, Orgy was up next. Originally formed in 1994, Orgy released their acclaimed debut album Candyass in 1998. Through the years, and a brief hiatus in the mid 2000’s, the band had seen many lineup changes, but has always been orchestrated by Leader Jay Gordon. Always knowing in his heart that he wanted Orgy to continue, one day Gordon told CrypticRock, “It worked out better, so the new band is killer, everybody loves it, and it’s a new day for us.” A valid statement, Orgy has seemed to find their stride with the lineup of Carlton Bost (guitar), Creighton Emrick (guitar), Nic Speck (bass), and Bobby Amaro (drums). In fact, the band is drawing more and more people in as they continue to tour in support of 2015’s Talk Sick. With that in mind, Long Islanders have a soft spot for Orgy as well, since the band has always been so go to them, visiting Revolution Bar & Music Hall time and time again.
Starting off hard and heavy, Orgy wasted no time going into 1998’s “Dissension” followed by two newer songs, “Suck It” and “Come Back.” With the energy level on max, they performed a few favorites from 2000’s Vapor Transmission with “Opticon,” “Suckerface,” and “Fiction.” Closing out their set with a climax, they played two more songs off of Candyass as Gordon jumped off stage to join the fans to sing the song “Stitches.” A track everyone still loves, Gordon returned to the stage to thank everyone for their support before they went into their signature cover of New Order’s “Blue Monday” as everyone moved and screamed along. Wanting more, the crowd hope to see Orgy come back around again soon to offer up old classics as well as new material from their forthcoming EP, Entropy, due out sometime in the near future.
Keeping the show moving along, headliners Filter were prepared to tear up the venue. Also visiting the Long Island area often, in recent years Filter has played everywhere from NYCB Theatre at Westbury in 2013 to The Paramount in Huntington in 2013, to The Emporium in 2015, but they have never played Revolution Bar & Music Hall. A slightly more intimate setting for the band, Patrick told CrypticRock, “I like that. I like intimate and small. Listen, if you want to go to an arena, go to see fucking Justin Bieber. If you want all that sugary sweet bullshit, if you want us to wear costumes and masks and shit, that’s not the band. We are about delivering raw emotion. When people see it right up close or right in front of us, that’s the way we prefer it.” They have been delivering that since Patrick formed the band back in 1993 out in Cleveland, OH, and show no signs of slowing down. While some fans turn to the intense 1995 debut album Short Bus as their cornerstone for Filter, others look to the more accessible 1999 Title of The Record. Whatever one prefers, Filter has done a fine job of delivering one solid record after another over the past two decades, which leads to the latest release of Crazy Eyes. A surprise offering following the more Hard Rock driven The Sun Comes Out Tonight in 2013, Crazy Eyes is more raw and to the bone of a Industrial sounding album. With that said, fans were elated to have a chance to hear the new songs performed in a live setting for the very first time.
Creating a very mysterious atmosphere, the stage lights were brought down even more and another fog machine was brought on stage. With the fog machines now cranking on full blast, in the haze of smoke, the audience could barely see Oumi Kapila (Guitar), Bobby Miller (Keyboards, Guitar, Programming), Ashley Dzerigian (Bass), and Chris Reeve (Drums) come out, but they knew the band was there as they began to play “The City Of Blinding Riots.” Then, in the blaze of smoke, coming out from backstage, Patrick appeared as everyone greeted him with cheers. Yelling at the top of their lungs with Metal-horns raised high, they were brought to new levels of energy as Filter cast off into a full set of their remarkable brand of Industrial Metal.
Taking the fans down memory lane, through the evening they played “Trip Like I Do,” “Take A Picture,” and “Welcome To The Fold.” Even more eye-opening, they rattled out “You Walk Away,” from 2002’s fan-favorite record The Amalgamut, followed by “Jurassitol,” from The Crow: City Of Angels Soundtrack. While the older tracks were plentiful, Filter rightful concentrated on Crazy Eyes and handed the crowd a dose of “Head Of Fire,” “Kid Blue From The Short Bus, Drunk Bunk,” “Your Bullets,” “Pride Flag,” “Nothing In My Hands,” “Welcome To The Suck,” “Take Me To Heaven,” along with “Mother E.”
Through it all, Patrick was very interactive with the fans. At times he would talk about the background of the songs or share some personal things with the audience such as him having extensive back surgery last December, as well as the loss of his father last year. At one point, he got his cell phone and took video of the audience singing along with him, then later took his cell phone out again to Skype with his family, showing his kids all the cheering fans. Patrick did this all while completely giving the fans his all in his vocal performance. Dripping in sweat, he belted out the lyrics with so much passion it was impossible not to get caught up in the moments with him.
Of course no Filter show would be complete until they played their 1995 smash hit “Hey Man Nice Shot,” and everyone went absolutely wild during this song. Seeming to be the final song of the night, Filter left the stage briefly, only to return for an encore that started with “No Love,” from 2010’s The Trouble With Angels, followed by “American Cliché” before “The Best Things.” A well-balanced set, not a soul was dissatisfied with the performance as they exited the venue with hoarse voices from all their screaming.
The Make America Hate Again tour is one jam-packed lineup of awesome talent and overwhelming energy. Each band was able to showcase their individuality, yet they all complemented each other perfectly. The tour continues through many cities in the United States, ending on May 21st at The Roxy in Los Angeles, CA. Make it a point to get out and catch this show, it will not let anyone down.
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