All That Remains Cannot Be Stopped J. JERELE, OUT OF THE BLUE
The hardcore headbangers of Columbus suffered a heavy metal overdose when All That Remains stopped by the legendary Newport Music Hall. After a long wait outside in the cold, the fans were ready to be turned loose inside and wreak havoc for what was sure to be a night of intense action from some of the best in the business. Columbus's own Sighlo got the party started with their blend of heavy riffs, solid beats, and melodic vocals. The band was formed in late 2004, and since then have made a big name for themselves in the rock/metal scene in Columbus. They have even gotten to play with such big time bands as Shinedown, Sevendust, and Static-X. Another achievement for the band was having their 2006 EP This Use To Hurt, and their 2007 EP The Start produced by Ben Schigel, who has produced albums for Chimaira, Drowning Pool, and Walls Of Jericho. The crowd sure showed great support for these hometown heroes. Vocalist Tyler Richardson kept the people moving with his strong vocals, and by encouraged those who were drinking to keep hitting up the bar to keep the good vibes going strong. A high point of their set was definitely the sweet riffs and impressive axe spinning of guitarists Vic Yoli and Chris Grim. The crowd enjoyed their set, and it was really cool to see such a great local band get some well deserved recognition by being able to share the stage with such big time bands. If you haven't seen or heard of these guys yet, you're really missing out. Here's hoping that they have many big shows to come. Divine Heresy was next up on the bill. Let me tell you, these guys seriously tore it up. Their style would be considered death metal, yet they still manage to have strong melody in some parts of their songs. The band was formed by former Fear Factory guitarist Dino Cazares, who put the band together with other players who had been in previous bands as well. Seconds into their set, the pit erupted into a frenzy, and stayed strong to the super fast double bass of former Vital Remains drummer Tim Yeung. The speed at which this guy can play the drums is amazing. Dino kicked the show into overdrive with his outstanding solos that went over top the bands lighting fast grooves. Former Nile bassist Joe Payne wowed the crowd with his ridiculously fast headbanging and hair spinning. Vocalist Tommy Vext commanded the crowd with intense screams and a low, surly voice that was very reminiscent of Pantera's Phil Anselmo. The band plowed through their set consisting of songs from their 2007 debut album Bleed The Fifth. Some of the most outstanding songs that they played were “This Threat Is Real,” and “Impossible Is Nothing,” which Vext dedicated to the fellow musicians in the audience as motivation to keep at it, and make something out of their bands. Things got really interesting when he encouraged the crowd to split down the middle and perform the “wall of death” by charging at each other. The pit was a little too crowded for those participating to get a full force charge in, but the spirit was definitely still there when the pit exploded with flying bodies and raised metal horns throughout. After their killer set, the band did a cool and grateful by signing autographs and hanging out with fans for the remainder of the night. Dino and the guys even handed out their own shirts that they were selling to people at their merch booth. It was really refreshing to see a great band like this have so much appreciation and respect for their fans. Cleveland metal group Chimaira were next to take the stage. Once they kicked into their set, there was no looking back for those in the pit. It was awesome to witness yet another brutally powerful set from a band that truly captures the pure energy, technicality, and in-you-face attitude that makes heavy metal so great. The band formed in 1998, and became signed to Roadrunner Records in 2001 after the success of their first EP called This Present Darkness. The band later signed to Ferret Records in 2006. They really attack the listener with their machine gun-like guitars and double bass fueled tunes. The bands heavy sound and searing vocals by Mark Hunter is very reminiscent of other popular metal bands such as Hatebreed. The guys played a solid set that included songs from their 2007 release Resurrection. A high point of the set was at the beginning of the crushing song “Worthless,” in which Hunter told the crowd to imagine someone that they hated, or as Hunter put it, a “waste of life,” and let out all of their aggressions out in the pit during the song. Although I overheard a few die-hard fans complaining about the bands choice of a set list, you could tell from the energy of the pit, and metal horned approval after each song, that almost everyone got what they wanted from this awesome set. When the melodic metalcore headliners All That Remains hit the stage, it seemed like all hell broke loose in the packed house. The band hails from Springfield Massachusetts, and was formed in 1998. Like fellow Massachusetts metal band Killswitch Engage, ATR's sound consists of fast and heavy “death metal” riffs and drums, yet also features clean and very melodic vocals during the choruses. Crowd surfers floated forward and the pit once again exploded into fist-pumping, headbanging chaos as the band tore though old favorites such as “Tattered On My Sleeve,” and “This Darkened Heart.” The guys also ripped through their song “Six,” which has gained a popular following after it was features in the popular video game Guitar Hero II. That song, including others that were played that night, are from the bands 2006 breakthrough release The Fall Of Ideals, which was produced by Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam D. The crowd cheered on as guitarists Mike Martin and Oli Herbert ripped the place a new one with their high speed shredding with such precision and power that it seemed like their guitars were about to start to smoke. Vocalist Philip Labonte shattered some eardrums with his high and forceful screams and soaring melodic vocals. Philip gave the crowd a special surprise when he announced that they would play a song from the bands first release, Behind Silence And Solitude. He went on to explain the need to play this after hearing countless fans requesting to hear older songs from the band. The night came to a powerful end with intense fury of the bands popular single “This Calling.” The whole place was going crazy and singing along to the powerful chorus. The show ended and we all once again felt the freezing sting of the outside air. But for myself and others, it didn't matter, we were still so pumped up and energized from a night of brutally heavy bands that a little cold wind wasn't about to slow us down.