Anyone who thinks that metalcore is a dying trend wasn't at the Nokia Theater in New York City's Times Square on Novermber the 12th, as a packed house of close to 2000 fans came out to see headliners As I Lay Dying, along with All That Remains, Haste the Day, and Through the Eyes of the Dead. As I Lay Dying have been busy supporting their latest release An Ocean Between Us, an extremely solid metal CD that is solidifying their stature as one of Metal Blade's most popular acts. Sea of Tranquility Publisher Pete Pardo was at the show and shares his thoughts on the evening's festivities.

This was one of those rare occasions where the proposed start time actually happened, right down to the minute. As I was busy picking up my press & photo passes at 7:05, you could already hear Prosthetic Records act Through the Eyes of the Dead roaring from within the arena. By the time I made my way into the Nokia, down the escalators, through the various lobby's, got my 'Over 21 to drink' bracelet, and made my way into the main venue room, the band was just finishing up their last song. Twenty five minutes is all they got, and judging by the brief moments I actually saw, the band is as brutal live as they are on record. If you haven't checked out their latest release Malice, and you like brutal death-core, then you are missing out. Hopefully I can catch a full set from these extreme metallers sometime in the near future.

This evening was my first exposure to Tooth and Nail Records band Haste the Day, and I have to admit I like what I saw. Supporting their new album Pressure the Hinges , the boys from Indiana are for the first time out on the road without former lead singer Jimmy Ryan, giving Stephen Keech his first opportunity to win over a loyal fanbase of supporters. Brand new tunes like the title track of the latest CD and "Needles" were mixed in with old favorites such as "Walk On", "Fallen", "Blue 42", and "When Everything Falls", and with my limited knowledge of the music of the band, you could tell that the newer pieces have a more melodic edge to them compared to the older, more hardcore influences numbers. For the most part, the crowd was into their set, and the band seemed to be having a very good time on stage, thankful of sharing the bill with the two influential acts that were to follow.

All That Remains are a band that I've had the pleasure of seeing a few times, and each time they seem like they are becoming quite the well-oiled metal machine. A recent powerhouse gig opening up for Shadows Fall in Poughkeepsie (where they practically blew the headliners off the stage) was the precursor to this gig on the large stage of the Nokia, as the band stormed out on the stage with their hit "This Calling" from their latest release The Fall of Ideals. Normally they save that tune for later in the set, but tonight they brought it out first to set the tone of the evening for them. Ripping into other tracks from the recent album like "Not Alone", "We Stand", "Six", "Become The Catalyst", and "It Dwells In Me", the band also added in some older pieces like "This Darkened Heart" and "For Salvation" to the delight of the audience, especially those on the floor area in front of the stage. Lead vocalist Phil Labonte did his best to incite the crowd into a mosh laden maelstron, and his mix of shouts, growls, and clean melodic styles were spot on througout the entire set. You also have to love the guitar work of Mike Martin and Oli Herbert, who show more than a fair nod to metal and hard rock greats like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Thin Lizzy, with some tasty harmony guitar parts and crushing riffs. By the time the band finished their solid set, it was time for a bit of a breather, as most in the audience seemed to be aware that we were soon to be in store for another ripping performance.

I often times compare both All That Remains and As I Lay Dying, as the two acts are fairly similar in their approach to metal, both featuring excellent guitar players, strong singers, and the two bands are very adept at writing melodic, memorable, and heavy songs. So the booking of this tour was actually a very good idea no matter how you look at it. As I Lay Dying came out to the song "Through Struggle" from their debut CD Shadows Are Security, and from there tore into 14 other tracks from both that release and their latest An Ocean Between Us, giving the crowd a sampling of both crushingly heavy numbers as well as melodic anthems. Brutal pieces like "Nothing Left", "Meaning In Tragedy", and "Within Destruction" mixed well with catchier fare such as "An Ocean Between Us" and "The Darkest Nights". Just as Labonte, As I Lay Dying belter Tim Lambesis covers all the bases, from death metal growl, to hardcore bellow, to pop crooner, adding a great dimension to the band's pummeling metal attack. Another reason why this band has continued to build their popularity is no doubt thanks to the stunning guitar work from both Phil Sgrosso and Nick Hipa, two young guitar studs who know how to wrench some pulverizing riffs, tasty harmonies, and virtuoso solos out of their instruments. Watching the band on stage (and all the other acts this evening) is often times exhausting, as they never stand anywhere for more than a second or two, and with the large size of the Nokia stage, there's plenty of room to roam! It makes for difficulty taking pictures at times, but certainly provides for a respite from the death metal, black metal, and prog based bands that we've seen come through the area in recent times, whose members generally stay planted to one side of the stage or another for most of their sets.

An 'on time' start time meant that this show would be done well before 11PM (especially due to the '16 and over' setup) and I have to say that the audience got their money's worth on this evening with close to four hours of solid and enjoyable metalcore music.

Pete Pardo

Haste The Day
01. Walk On
02. Pressure The Hinges
03. Needles
04. Fallen
05. The Minor Prophets
06. Blue 42
07. When Everything Falls

All That Remains
01. This Calling
02. This Darkened Heart
03. We Stand
04. Not Alone
05. Become The Catalyst
06. Tattered On My Sleeve
07. The Weak Willed
08. The Air That I Breathe
09. For Salvation
10. It Dwells In Me
11. Six

As I Lay Dying
01. Through Struggle
02. Forever
03. Separation
04. Nothing Left
05. Within Destruction
06. The Darkest Nights
07. Distance Is Darkness
08. Meaning In Tragedy
09. An Ocean Between Us
10. Elegy
11. I Never Wanted
12. Comfort Betrays
13. The Sound Of Truth
14. 94 Hours
15. Confined