Clearly still riding quite high on the success of last year’s The Sin and The Sentence, Trivium have been hitting the road near constantly since the album’s release. This latest ‘mini-tour’ stretching through the second half of July brought them back out with Fit for an Autopsy and Bad Omens. One that hit Poughkeepsie, NY on a Friday night (the last date that brought all three bands together no less), drawing an impressive turnout of fervent metalheads.
Up first was the one local act, Another Day’s Armor, who proceeded to warm-up an already quite packed venue. The New York City-based alternative metal act wasted no time showing what they were made of, offering a solid combination of catchy, rock-based hooks with heavier, metalcore-esque elements of driving riffs and harsh vocals. It’s a successful formula, and with only two available singles out at the moment (with an EP on the horizon), they still had little trouble winning over the audience. Plenty of energy and movement on stage as well, so when said EP hits the streets, the band will be hitting the ground running with little difficulty.
First of the nationals was Bad Omens, an act this scribe hadn’t really had much prior knowledge of before. Fitting in with the evening’s slant towards the more modern side of the genre, the first impression was that the band sounded much heavier in the live setting than a few singles on YouTube would give them credit for. That said, the music was rather catchy with a Bring Me the Horizon type vibe to them (hence the heavier live feel was beneficial on a more personal level). A 30-minute set of songs like “Glass Houses,” Exit Wounds,” and “The Worst in Me” further pumped the crowd (with even a large, open balcony turn out) as the band jumped and grooved along.
Easily the heaviest band on the billing, Fit for an Autopsy continue to get better with age. The deathcore act has grown a more individual set of wings with each release but stomping old cuts like “The Jackal” and “Still We Destroy” are thunderous in the live setting, fitting right in with a batch of cuts from the band’s last release, The Great Collapse (including a rousing closer in “Heads Will Hang”). Having “Flatlining” (from the 3-way split with Thy Art is Murder and The Acacia Strain) was the icing on the cake. Fit for an Autopsy know how to work the crowd, and with punishing breakdowns, it didn’t take much to get the pit moving with plenty of energy. Considering the abrasion level of their music, their ability to hit different types of tours at this point speaks to their presence and overall sound.
Lastly, Trivium hit the stage just past 9:30 to play an intense 90-minute set that pulled from all eras of the act. Jumping right in with the title track from The Sin and The Sentence and “Throes of Perdition,” The Chance crowd was packed and ready to move. Referencing the number of times that the band had played at this particular venue over the years, guitarist/vocalist Matt Heafy even complimented the crowd for their energy as something he hadn’t seen in previous shows. While the band favored their most recent album a bit with the set, there was a healthy dose of In Waves and Ascendancy cuts to provide some balance, along with modern favorites like “Strife” and “Until the World Goes Cold.”
Heafy would continue to praise the crowd as the night continued, with the urge to do better than the tour’s best night (North Carolina?) and encouraging them to ‘keep the heads banging’ with charm. From the balcony setting, the band’s sound was spot on and plenty of energy with on-stage interactions between Heafy, Paolo Gregoletto, and Corey Beaulieu to aid in the performance. Audible singing along from the crowd was heard with tracks like “Down from the Sky” and “The Heart from Your Hate” when the band dipped into some of their catchier material, and on the heavier end, such as the excellent “Sever the Hand” and “Inception of the End,” they were more than happy to thrash along. With one of the stronger turnouts this scribe has seen at The Chance, it was a memorable evening with a band that seems to be at a current high water mark in both stage energy and studio material.
Trivium on Facebook
Fit for an Autopsy on Facebook
Bad Omens on Facebook
Another Day’s Armor on Facebook