Author: Primož Novak
Photos: Nina Grad
Location: Gasometer, Vienna
Concert date: 03/29/2018
Attendance: 1,500
Ticket price: €40
The concert season is merciless. Slovenia alone has a small sea of gigs, and neighboring Austria has even more. This time the »The Final March« tour rolled into Vienna, with Heaven Shall Burn as the main attraction and August Burns Red, Whitechapel and In Hearts Wake along for the ride. These are pretty popular bands in Austria, which automatically meant a bigger hall. The metalcore and deathcore sensations clearly weren’t just flashes in the pan. The bands have been filling venues in Vienna for more than a decade, so with this lineup too, expectations were high.
Things kicked off with Australian metalcore crew In Hearts Wake, who impressed only a handful of people. The sound was decent, but the performance itself didn’t convince. The music also felt kind of short on real ideas. The band needed quite a few songs before showing any energy, and it looked more like the guys couldn’t wait for the tour to be over. The bassist, who handled the clean vocals, especially seemed fed up with everything. Maybe the band just had an off day, so let’s hope they fix that by next time.
The vibe picked up with the next band, Whitechapel, one of the leading names in the so-called deathcore scene. They’re known above all for a pronounced death metal element, rock-solid live shows and a heavy sound. Whitechapel don’t currently enjoy the best reputation. Last year drummer Ben Harclerode left, the guy who took Whitechapel to the next level. Without him they’ve had to play slower songs, though a fast one or two found its way in. The band was solidly tight despite the new drummer, and the sound breathed well, even if not everything could be made out clearly. The setlist was just as solid, with This Is Exile, Our Endless War and The Saw Is The Law standing out the most, of course. Phil Bozeman also proved he has a truly monstrous growl live. Whitechapel’s set was undoubtedly good, but they’ve proven themselves with better shows before.
Metalcore outfit August Burns Red have really gained recognition over the past ten years. They’re also incredibly hardworking. They tour constantly and put out an album every two years. They’re clearly working hard to avoid fading into oblivion. All those miles on the road showed at this Gasometer gig too. August Burns Red’s chemistry is at a professional level, the music is technically polished, and there’s plenty of melody. Only Jake Luhrs’s vocals have changed a bit in recent years, and when he screams he sounds a little like some kind of black metal. ABR still have that magic of finding a sensible mix of technicality and melody, so they remain listenable. The setlist focused mainly on the last two albums, and among the older songs they wowed with Composure, Empire and closer White Washed. To please everybody, they’d have to be the headliner.
Heaven Shall Burn are old friends of Gasometer. They’ve always delivered there so far, and the Austrian crowd is extremely fond of them. The band opened the set with Downshifter from the current album Wanderer. At first only vocalist Marcus Bischoff walked on stage, then as the playing started a curtain dropped to reveal the rest of the band, and it was clear HSB had once again put together a serious stage show. The lighting was excellent, and flames occasionally burst out at the heavier hits. The new songs didn’t get an especially strong reaction, but with Weapon They Fear from the album Antigone the crowd went properly wild. The band always serves up its best-known tracks, but there’s the occasional surprise too, like The Dream Is Dead from the album Antigone. Alongside the new stuff, the staples Counterweight, Combat, Voice of the Voiceless, Profane Believers and Hunters Will Be Hunted got played. HSB always manage a sensible mix of crushing songs and melodic ones. Of course there was a cover or two, which is standard practice for HSB. Black Tears by Edge of Sanity is still in the set, and the crowd responded well. The crowd joined in with moshing the whole set, there was no shortage of circle pits, and a »wall of death« or two dropped as well. So an HSB show is still a proper party. The band’s form also held at a decent level. Marcus’s vocals act up a bit now and then, and instrumentally things click with the odd slip-up. After more than an hour came a break, and the band returned with the punchy Endzeit, one of their best-known songs. For an epic finish they played Valhalla, a Blind Guardian cover.
It was hard to be disappointed by the Heaven Shall Burn, August Burns Red, Whitechapel and In Hearts Wake show. The bands threw a proper party, though it took some serious stamina to keep up. Definitely a gig we’d be happy to see again.
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