New Yorkers thawed out Saturday January 10th with the aptly named Texas in July, one of the hottest Metalcore bands around. In fact, Long Islanders braved the arctic temperatures to gather, shoulder to shoulder, into Amityville’s Revolution Bar & Music Hall to see these Pennsylvanian natives play this special headlining show. Showcasing their fourth album, Bloodwork, released September 16, 2014 by Equal Vision Records, Texas in July wrapped up a North American tour as direct support for After the Burial in the Fall of 2014 and will jump right into their own sweep of Europe at the end of January. Both starting and ending in Germany, their newest escapade has Betraying The Martyrs, Upon This Dawning, and Make Them Suffer set to join them on the road. Thankfully for fans, their standalone date at Revolution Bar & Music Hall was a chance to catch the band live in action along with direct support from local products Critical Era, Diamond Cutter, and My Kingdom.
Starting was rising stars Critical Era, whom had close to one-hundred fans waiting for the doors to open just to see the Hardcore hazards. Formed in 2014, Critical Era have already made a name for themselves, even though this January night was only their thirteenth show. Backlighted by blue and deep purple stage lights, Critical Era rocked and smashed Amityville with songs from their upcoming album, Anger to Anguish. Both TK and Brian Riffs cranked their axes while Frankie Tanks double stroked his way through the set. With newest member Basshoven on bass, the boys played a high intensity show that whipped the crowd up into a frenzy. With Revolution’s famous starred ‘R’ in the backdrop, vocalist Luca Sin growled at the crowd, his shaggy head of dark hair whipping around as he thundered out crowd favorite “Absense of Mind.” When Sin invited local friend Darren up onto the stage for their last song, the crowd went wild!
Next in line for this three band Long Island run was Diamond Cutter. Announcing this as their last show for a while, vocalist Jo mentioned GS9 RICO act indictment and Bobby Shmurda on their Facebook page as reasons why they may not be seen live anytime soon. Founded in 2012, these self-proclaimed “butthurt inducing Modern Metalists” did say they would be back in March for the Suicide Ruins Tour, possibly with a new vocalist. With Mek PZA and Cyphos on guitars, Steeb on bass, and Byan on drums, the sound of Diamond Cutter bellowed through the venue with a thunderous, head-pounding snarl of instruments and vocals. More than once throughout the set, Jo thanked the crowd for their love and support. Now fans hope to see the return of this promising band.
The last supporting band of the night, but certainly not the least, was the Melodic Hardcore award winners My Kingdom. Also founded in 2012, My Kingdom has risen to fame in a short amount of time, winning the Battle for Mayhem in 2014 and coming in first at the Six Flags FestEVIL Battle of the Bands in 2012. This five piece ensemble consists of Joe Deuce (vocals), Joey Pisani (guitar), John Peters (guitar), Ralph Schubert (bass) and Anthony Casquarelli (drums). They took the stage by storm, coming out screaming and pushing musical boundaries . At first glance, these rather clean-cut guys do not look like much, but the second the music started and Deuce started screaming, the audience knew they had come across some real thrashers. Playing mostly from their sophomoric effort Abandonment, released in December of 2013, these guys brought the crowd at Revolution up yet another notch with thrumming baselines and wild levels of frenzied chaos. Deuce announced a new EP coming out in a few weeks just before playing “Home.” The Long Islanders closed the set with the song “Twelve Years,” an ode to a friend that had recently passed away.
Finally, the time had come for Texas in July to take the stage. Formed in 2007, Texas in July has gone through some recent changes, with original members Alex Good (vocals) and Christian Royer (guitar) deciding to leave the band to pursue other interests. Good was replaced by JT Cavey, while touring member Cameron Welsh has recently joined the band full-time on lead guitar. The change was a positive one for the band and gave them the chance to revamp their sound and image. Along with Chris Davis on rhythm guitar, Ben Witkowski on bass, and Adam Gray on drums, Texas in July have finally gotten the notice that they deserve. The aforementioned Bloodwork debuted eighth on the Hard Rock Albums, eighteenth on Independent Albums, and an impressive seventy-first on the Billboard Top 200 charts. Certainly an impressive step forward for the band, they are now ready to keep that momentum going, and New York fans came out in droves to support one of Metal’s fastest rising bands.
With fast paced guitar riffs, bestial rhythms, and a devilishly melodic harmony, Texas in July made the late Sunday night start worth the wait. Playing popular songs “Nooses,” “Pseudo Self,” and “Bed of Nails,” along with Bloodwork single “Broken Soul,” the band pounded through a set with an emotional and spot on performance. Cavey, seemingly locked into the music, belted out lyric after lyric, having the audience mesmerized at some points, and throwing their bodies around at others. Leaving the crowd high on life and adrenaline, it was easy to see why Texas in July is a band that has withstood adversity, considering their intense approach. Thanking everyone for staying, Texas in July gave the audience their all during encore “Hook, Line, and Sinner,” the most anticipated song of the night.
Texas in July kicked ass, but left the names anonymous on this old night in January. New fans were born and new bonds were formed as song after song ripped through the air at Amityville’s Revolution Bar & Music Hall. The band was humbled by the support and even took the time to exchange personal thanks with those who seeked the musicians out. Deutschland should brace themselves as opening night of European trek for Texas in July kicks off January 30th.
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