Where: Vienna / Gasometer / Austria
When: Sunday, 06. 10. 2019
A few years ago it was hard to imagine that one of the biggest metalcore bands could ever come back. Let alone that they’d manage to convince fans to give them a second chance. But apparently As I Lay Dying have some pretty devoted followers, who already got behind them on the first tour after the band returned to stages following years of absence. Now the excitement was even greater, with the band having pulled off a brand new album called Shaped By Fire — a record that shows them in the best possible light, like it was made specifically for the fans.
As I Lay Dying hit the road with three support acts, which turned out to be one too many — none of them had enough time to properly dig into their back catalogue. Even so, the crowd got more than a decent warm-up.
Fit For A King opened the night with enough confidence to get a good chunk of the crowd going. Their set was energetic and the road miles showed. The music itself wasn’t breaking any new ground, though there’s certainly plenty of room to maneuver within metalcore. The band stuck to tried-and-tested formulas — melody wasn’t the main focus here, it was more about crushing, heavily distorted riffs and breakdowns. They gave it everything, with the energetic bassist standing out in particular, throwing in some clean vocals and even taking a walk through the crowd at one point. A solid opener, but a longer set would be needed to make a bigger impression.
Unearth are practically veterans of metalcore at this point. The band has been at it for over 20 years, with a dozen albums under their belt, plus a handful of drummer and bassist changes along the way. Yet Unearth can still absolutely deliver live — their set is packed with energy, technical chops, and sheer impact. They were showcasing last year’s Extinction(s), which got solid responses for its raw, old-school feel. So yes, Unearth served up crushing breakdowns, but what makes them stand apart are those melodic guitars and solos. Unfortunately they didn’t have enough time to run through all the bruisers in their catalogue. For the older fans, My Will Be Done made the cut, but the real anticipation was for the Oncoming Storm material. And This Lying World, Endless, and The Great Dividers hit just as hard 15 years on as they did when the album dropped. The breakdowns pushed the crowd into chaos, and the melody was dialed in just right — not overdone. Unearth remain one of the most consistent metalcore acts around, and they clearly still care about putting on a great live show.
Chelsea Grin, the deathcore outfit from Utah, were supposed to be one of the bigger names in the genre. But somehow they never quite broke through the way Suicide Silence, Whitechapel, or Carnifex did. And on this night it became clear why — the band just doesn’t have a ton of standout ideas. Where they once had three guitarists, they’re now down to one. They ran through most of their hits, with the emphasis mostly on the latest album Eternal Nightmare, recorded by the current lineup. But there wasn’t much that really grabbed you. Musically it felt like everything was riding on breakdowns, which made them come across more like Emmure than any kind of deathcore powerhouse. The whole thing felt incomplete. An extra guitar would’ve gone a long way here.
Even before As I Lay Dying took the stage, people were wondering whether the band could still live up to their old reputation. Many had already gotten their answer the previous year, but now there was fresh material in the mix, so the anticipation was through the roof. As I Lay Dying didn’t hold anything back on this tour. The intro Burn to Emerge exploded straight into the new track Blinded, which was met with instant mayhem from the crowd. The tension built with every song — the band pulled out the older Through Struggle and the brutal Within Destruction. The stage production was impressive too: lighting was dynamic and vivid, and pyro was part of the show on several tracks. One of the highlights came with The Sound of Truth. The crowd singing along was noticeably loud, the moshpit swelled even further. The energy in that room is hard to put into words — the Gasometer doesn’t see nights like that very often.
And the euphoria was far from over. Forsaken dropped next, then the Shaped By Fire cut, then the slightly older The Darkest Nights, and the ever-present An Ocean Between Us, where the crowd belted out the powerful chorus all over again. The band’s form was excellent — the members were locked in tight together, the odd slip-up aside, As I Lay Dying work brilliantly as a unit. The sound could have been better, but the performance more than made up for it. A proper gremlins-in-the-desk moment hit during the brutal Gatekeeper, cutting the band out for a second — but they jumped right back in, which is just what professionalism looks like.
The band touched on their entire catalogue, with the exception of the debut. From Awakened they played the essential A Greater Foundation, and from The Powerless Rise the melodic Parallels. Strikingly, the new songs absolutely thrilled the crowd. My Own Grave — the band’s first new track in six years — rang out across the whole venue. The moshpits never let up. And they could only keep going once 94 Hours hit.
After roughly an hour, it was encore time. After the intro, the band came back with Nothing Left from An Ocean Between Us — an album they drew heavily from tonight, and understandably so, as it remains their most celebrated record. To close it all out, AILD went with Confined from Shadows Are Security, a song that’s been a staple for them forever. One last chance for the crowd to sing the chorus at the top of their lungs — and they absolutely did.
As I Lay Dying put on a brilliant performance, and credit goes to the crowd too, who were absolutely wild from start to finish. Whether this is just the buzz of the reunion or something more lasting — well, judging by this show, As I Lay Dying are unstoppable. The night reignited hope in metalcore, which is far from dead, as long as there are bands like these keeping the scene well above water.
Author: Primož Novak
Photos: Denis Paradiž
