June 22nd marked the second time I would be returning to The Ironworks in Pittsburgh. What I expected, and what happened that night, were two totally different things. I had only seen War of Ages once before this night, and the other bands were first timers. War of Ages was opening that show, for a huge crowd in a bigger venue, with As I Lay Dying being the headliner. This night? Not so much. The venue topped out at maybe 20-25 people being there. Quite literally the smallest show I’ve ever been to. Despite that, the show was great, so let’s take a closer look! The opening band was no one in the tour poster, but personal friends of mine, With All My Strength. They’re based in my hometown, and have a straight forward metalcore sound similar to Bury Tomorrow, without the British accent. Despite the tiny crowd, their performance was still well done. Check them out on youtube to get a better idea of their sound.
Letter To The Exiles did not play this night for unknown reasons, so Leaders followed. A metalcore/hardcore band from California, they did pretty well. Nothing ground breaking, but heavy none the less. I feel bad having to see them perform for such a small crowd, but they still gave it their all.
The Overseer was next. They sport an almost Underoath esque sound, with a lot of dissonance and emotional vocal emphasis. Not a bad set, despite receiving an unremarkable album score from our review site. Though their sound is similar to the Solid State juggernaut, they could use a little more variation.
Going into this show, I hadn’t listened to Onward To Olympas in a long time. But I brushed up the day before, and got excited for their set. They’re a metalcore band from Charlotte, North Carolina, and do it very well. I was big fan of their previous album “This World Is Not My Home”, but for whatever reason, never gave their new album, “The War Within Us” a proper listen. After giving their all for a small set, I bought a shirt of theirs. When Kramer Lowe, their vocalist, tried to give me change, I told him to keep it. And as a sign of gratitude, he gave me a copy of their new album. I took it home and gave it a proper listen, and I regret not getting into it before.
War of Ages closed out the night, and it was apparent that the very few people who came to the show, came for these guys. Their set was inspirational, strong, and even humorous at times, as though they were playing music for their family. They asked before they started their set “Should we just start playing, or do an epic walk on first?” We cheered for a walk on, of course. Their set saw the playing of songs from Return To Life, Eternal, and Arise & Conquer. Musically everything was spot on, and everything was fantastic. As previously said, I only wish they got to play for a bigger crowd. However, like family, we were all still there to cheer them on, and their set was well worth the small crowd.
This tour just started on this date, so if you can catch it at any point, do so. These Facedown Records bands do a stellar job, and should be given a good show for their efforts. This particular tour actually promotes an organization with Facedown Records, called More Than Sound, who’s sole purpose is to help people, no matter who they are, or what they might need. Give them a helping hand if you can, and support the bands on tour as well.
