strHESS Tour Review

Strhess Tour 2005
Review

StrHESS Tour
Bleeding Through
Darkest Hour
Zao

Misery Signals
Fight Paris
Logan Square Auditorium
7/22/05

Reviewers: Sharita Lumpkin & Karma E. Omowale

“Strhess Tour Proved To Be A Cool, Wicked Treat on a Hot Summer Night!”

On July 22^nd, 2005, the second annual Strhess Tour, sponsored by Strhess Clothing, the hardcore inspired clothing line by artist Derek Hess hit Chicago’s Logan Square’s Auditorium. Last year’s lineup was pretty impressive; it consisted of Shadows Fall, HIMSA, As I Lay Dying, and Remembering Never. For an Indie tour, it has garnished a lot of success and steadily gaining more respect in the Industry. As for this year’s exciting and energetic bill, it proved to be chock-full of talent with the likes of Bleeding Through, Darkest Hour, Zao, Misery Signals, and Fight Paris, such a delicious bill of melody and brutal hardcore. Victory Record’s Martyr AD was originally scheduled to perform tonight’s show however; considering the band decided to call it quits months prior, it was not a shock to find the band had dropped off the bill all together, in which we were still disappointed. The upside down frowns quickly turned to smiles as tonight’s performance more than made up for it.

Lineup: Kevin Phillips - Vocals; Matt Tanner - Guitar; Neil Warren - Guitar; Jason Krutzky - Drums; Champ Champagne - Bass

First up on tonight’s bill was Atlanta’s bad boys of hardcore, Fight Paris, performing to a nearly packed audience at the Logan Square Auditorium. The crowd was fired up and ready to get their asses kicked…unfortunately, Fight Paris fell short of this goal. No one was seemingly moved by their performance. According to the Trustkill's website, Paradise Found, the band’s new release, was described as “ballsy, cock-rockin’ music”. The song titles certainly fit the motif, “Fuck Me Stilettos”, “Balls Deep”, “100 Proof Woman”, and “Southern Comfort”. One could say it is ballsy, and others can call it downright noisy.

Some of their tunes had some catchy hooks but at times, it was hard to discern one instrument over another. We tried with and without earplugs and it did not seem to matter. During their performance, a fan was seen putting his fingers into his ears. On a positive note, they have a lot of heart, are very personable and approachable dudes with tons of stage presence, this will serve them well in the future but the aforementioned attributes was still not enough to save the band’s fate tonight. Even though the audience gave the obligatory clap after each song, they continued to play all thirty minutes of their set. These young musicians remained unfazed by the blanketed stares given by the predominately under 21-year old crowd.

Surely, there must be a reason as to why this quintet got a record deal. It might have been that their members are physically appealing or that the “powers that be” felt they should go in a different direction. Whatever the case may be, the record label is ballsy for signing this band. Let’s hope for Fight Paris’ sake they get better before they become another music tragedy. Their hearts and balls are in the right place, now comes the undoubting task of refining their skills.

Fight Paris Setlist: Fuck Me Stilettos, Better Than Elvis, 100 Proof Woman, Rock N’ Roll Soul, Complete Heat, Balls Deep, Destroyer.

Lineup: Kyle Johnson - Bass; Jesse Zaraska - Vocals; Ryan Morgan - Guitar; Branden Morgan - Drums; Stuart Ross - Guitar

After Fight Paris left the stage Misery Signals appeared to pick up the pieces and rescue the audience’s dwindling attention. Still touring in support of Of Malice And Magnum Heart, the band got the crowd going during their short thirty minute display. Born from the ashes of underground hardcore favorites like 7 Angels 7 Plagues [guitarist Ryan Morgan and bassist Kyle Johnson] and from the tragedy ridden band Compromise [Jesse Zaraska] makes up the current configuration of Misery Signals. This band offers melodic guitars, shrieking vocals, and intense hitting riffs together to build one very solid yet underrated band. Rounding out the lineup is Ryan’s brother Branden on drums and Stu Ross on guitar.

Tonight, the crowd got treated to great performance from one of hardcore’s best. Audience members sung along with Zaraska, moshed, and crowd surfed to show their appreciation for their set. As always, Misery Signals gives the masses exactly what they want; hard rockin’ riffs, anthem like vocals, and an energetic performance. The kids wanted a swift kick in the pants and that’s exactly what they got!

Sorry no photos were taken of the band, we were conducting an interview with Fight Paris however please click here for photos of the band during the Strapping Young Lad headlining tour.

Lineup: Dan Weyandt - Vocals; Scott Mellinger - Guitar; Russ Cogdell - Guitar; Jeff Gretz - Drums; Shawn Koschik - Bass

Before Zao took the stage, the crowd was able to take a short needed breather considering Misery Signals’ set rendered the audience breathless. After the take five was over, Pennsylvania’s faith-based band Zao hit the stage. Zao is currently touring in support of their latest album, The Funeral Of God off Ferret records. Like their label mates Misery Signals, Zao have earned their title as one of today’s most unheralded bands in hardcore. Forming in the mid nineties and amid a plethora of lineup changes, the band’s heavy brand of music has remained popular amongst hardcore fans. They have a very dedicated and loyal fan base. With songs like, “I Lay Sleepless In My Grave”, “Breath of The Black Muse”, and “The Lesser Lights of Heaven” you can tell that vocalist’s Dan Weyandt’s deep heart felt vocals and thought provoking lyrics are probably more than average hardcore kid can understand. Yet and still, the crowd appreciated their set, moshing and crowd surfing to every tune.

Zao Partial setlist (not in order): Breath of the Black Muse, Truly Truly (This Is The End, I Lay Sleepless In My Grave, The Lesser of Heaven.

Lineup: John Henry - vocals; Kris Norris - guitar; Mike Schleibaum - guitar; Ryan Parrish - drums; Paul Burnette - bass

When Zao left the stage, Darkest Hour came out to wild cheers and applause, in which after what we witnessed, we can understand the audience’s excitement. DC based Darkest Hour is led by lead singer John Henry, Ryan Parrish on drums, Mike Schleibaum on guitar, Paul Burnette on bass, and Kris Norris on guitar. Undoing Ruin, the band’s brand spanking new release off Chicago based Victory Records has received great reviews and earned the band the title of one of the most anticipated releases of the year. In essence why should it not be? Devin Townsend responsible for the infamous Wall of Sound and notorious frontman for Strapping Young Lad produced the album. Not to mention this band has worked with the likes of Tomas Lindberg [ex-At The Gates frontman], and they had the distinction of recording their previous CD (in which Lindberg’s vocals appears on the title track) Hidden Hands of a Sadist Nation with famed producer Fredrik Nordström at Studio Fredman, in Gothenburg, Sweden.

If you didn’t know any better one would have thought they were the headliner. They came out with a guns a blazin’! They clearly stole the show in our eyes. This band is comprised of accomplished musicians, to the tune of guitarist Kris Norris further honing his craft by going to music school. DH is not your normal run of the mill metalcore/hardcore bands that follow the classic formula; they are far ahead of the fold. They infuse Swedish metal with hardcore to make it their own only indigenous to Darkest Hour. As for their sound tonight, which reigned supreme, Norris and Schleibaum displayed their masterful, superior guitar work and solos. Parrish and Burnette create an amazingly tight rhythm section. Henry’s vocal performance was moving. The audience never stopped moshing. In our interview with Norris, he expressed concerns in regards to crowd response never wanting to hear the band’s new material; this trend seemingly came to a halt. Surely the band is happy with this development. When Henry introduced their new single “Convalescence”, the crowd erupted.

Coming off the heels of gracing the second stage of Ozzfest 2004, Darkest Hour will be around for a long time to come as they have obviously come into their own. This band will continue to wow and dazzle crowds for years to come, just make sure you see this band next time they roll through your port.

Darkest Hour Setlist: With A Thousand Words, An Epitaph, Sound The Surrender, The Patriot Virus, Convalescence, The Sadist Nation.

Lineup: Brandan Schieppati - vocals; Marta Petersen - keyboards; Scott Danough - guitar; Derek Youngsma - drums; Brian Leppke - guitar; Ryan Wombacher - bass

Brandan Schiepatti of Bleeding Through (Photo: Erika Kristen Watt)

Finally yet importantly tonight’s headliner was Orange County’s Bleeding Through. All night the entire band restlessly buzzed around the venue in attempts to blow off steam all the while graciously meeting and greeting their fans. By the time BT took the stage, the crowd was more than warmed up thanks to Darkest Hour, Zao, and Misery Signals. The lights dimmed and the jam-packed manic stricken crowd rushed to the front of the stage. The opening snippet of “Love Lost In A Hail of Bullets” piped through the PA and the masses erupted. A loud yelp came from our camp as well. The song began and all hell broke lose. Immediately a pit began. At first it was like the parting of the Red Sea, then the pit became larger soon the entire middle expanse of the floor was consumed by the monsoon of flailing horn throwing, leg kicking, bodies. The band emitted just as much energy.

In true form, frontman, and screamer, Brandan Schieppati jumped up and down like a human pogo stick. He was happy to see the kids in the front jumping off the stage to dive back into the crowd from whence they came. However, for one poor and unfortunate kid, he stayed up there a little too long for Schieppati’s liking. He stopped and busted the kids chops. He grabbed the kid, asked him his name, rank and serial number. The crowd ate it up! The kid responded as a buff Schieppati retorted, “Is this your first hardcore show?” The kid countered, “No” The singer then turned to the kid as he felt compelled to break down the rules of the proper time frame and fine art of stage diving. The band was on and sounded sharp, a far better performance from the first time we saw the band back in December 2004 during the MTV2’s Headbangers Ball Tour (featuring Cradle of Filth, Arch Enemy and genre mates, HIMSA). Schieppati dedicated “Wings of Lead”, the last song of the night to his mother, Gloria, whom made the trek from the suburbs to watch her baby do his thing on stage and wow the crowd. At the time, Ms. Schieppati was located in the back of the venue but she was still in clear sight of her son where we could see him at all points in time. She beamed with excitement as he made the announcement.

Offering a glimpse into their new album entitled The Truth in which famed producer Rob Caggiano was called on again to provide his masterful talents on the effort, by performing several songs from it. From what we heard, it was pretty good as we are looking forward to hearing the rest!

Bleeding Through Setlist: Love Lost In A Hail of Bullets, Sweet Vampirous, Number Seven With A Bullet, New song, Saviour Saint Salvation, Revenge I Seek, She’s Gone, New Song #2, Wings of Lead.

2005 STHRESS Tour Dates: Bleeding Through, Darkest Hour, Misery Signals, Zao, and Fight Paris

7/8 Philadelphia PA @ The Trocadero
7/9 Worcester MA @ The Palladium
7/10 New York NY @ BB King's
7/11 Baltimore MD @ Ottobar
7/12 Pittsburgh PA @ Rex Theatre
7/13 Detroit MI @ St. Andrews Hall
7/14 Cleveland OH @ House Of Blues
7/15 Chicago IL @ Logan Square Auditorium
7/16 St. Louis MO @ Mississippi Nights
7/17 Omaha NE @ Sokol Underground
7/18 Denver CO @ Cervantes
7/20 Seattle WA @ El Corazon
7/21 Portland OR @ Meow Meow
7/22 San Francisco CA @ Pound SF
7/23 Los Angeles CA @ Avalon
7/24 Anaheim CA @ House Of Blues
7/25 San Diego CA @ Soma
7/26 Las Vegas NV @ Roadhouse Casino
7/27 Tempe AZ @ The Clubhouse
7/29 San Antonio TX @ White Rabbit
8/1 Nashville TN @ Rocketown