“These shoulders are too weak to carry any more.“
All photography by Dan Ayres– contact Dan prior to any use. Words by Joe Edwards.
There are few little reminders better than music for pondering the fabled line, “where have the years gone?“. When you see a poster online that a record was released a decade ago, or in the case of Still Remains and Of Love And Lunacy, two decades, that feeling of a lifetime ago of discovering them via the likes of Kerrang TV and Scuzz in the UK, then pottering down to a HMV or Virgin Music shop to grab the CD to hear the full thing, is an icon of the time. For many, continuing to be seen as one, Still Remains headed out on tour across the UK to celebrate twenty years of the album that saw them become a staple of 2000s metalcore.
Eschalon
Dual vocals were the order of the bill, with our good friends in Eschalon sporting a Volume-esque setup, featuring Brad and Max fronting their tech-metalcore sound. Given the rough time constraint of opening fifteen minutes after doors at 18:45 on a Thursday, it felt like a rushed opening slot that had most of us hurrying to get there on time. The early start did not see Eschalon falter, and my word, they are a band that go heavier live. Each aspect of their sound is just amped out, and each of them just seems to have fun going as hard as they can.
Moving through their growing discography, the likes of “Denial” and “Delirium“, Eschalon ensured that those who made the effort to get there early were rewarded. With one hell of a light setup, packed with strobes and colours, it added to the intensity that Eschalon look to present in their live performance. As the crowd grew with their set progressing, it was evident that the Cambridge unit had captured the crowd’s attention and showed how impressive a live act they now are.
Devil Sold His Soul
The melodic sounds of Devil Sold His Soul followed, a band who have been around nearly as long as Still Remains themselves, and who have an immaculate discography with the likes of the recent Loss and the EP Belong ╪ Betray. Mixing up their setlist each night meant for a lottery of which tracks onlookers would get to see live, and this did perhaps show on the quality side, given Devil Sold His Soul did seem as drilled or as in full flow with their set as the rest of the line-up. Some of the vocals did not fully come across as on point, however, especially on the harsher side at times.
A full crowd ensured that Devil Sold His Soul were well received, and besides the minor nitpicks, they put on a grand performance. Given the pacing and length of their tracks, it can perhaps be more challenging to keep an audience going. Yet many had their eyes fixated on the grandiose and emotive sounds of Devil Sold His Soul, who offered up another imposing yet different sound on a line-up that showed different facets of the metalcore spectrum.
Still Remains
Going into these shows with acts from the 2000s always has a certain air to it; many, such as My Chemical Romance and Linkin Park, are large affairs, which are often quite unappealing to watch. Seeing one of your favourite bands from your formative years in nosebleed seats isn’t for everyone. So with Still Remains, it felt slightly surreal to see one of those as if you would any other band, up on the stage and reach away. The crowd evidently felt the same, with many chanting along and mic-grabbing throughout the set.
This was a band who were enjoying just being able to do this and being able to feel that energy from the crowd. Moving through classics of “The Worst Is Yet To Come” and “Stay Captive“, which the crowd more than duly sang along to, is joyous to still see being embraced. Their new track “The Wound and the Weapon” saw itself in a live setting too, and it’s evident with this that Still Remains have still got it, sounding as good as they ever have. As the metalcore scene currently wrestles with itself between the modern and revival scene, Still Remains are an act that remains impressive as they ever were and one that should continue to get their flowers as one of the classics of 2000s metalcore.
Still Remains are currently on tour, with dates in Leeds on Thursday 20th, Manchester on Friday 21st, and 22nd November in Sheffield.