04/24/23
WAVE, Wichita, KS
A stirring crowd of excited metalheads stuffed themselves into the indoor space at WAVE for a titanic show consisting of three of the biggest names in contemporary metal music. On the second leg of their 20-Year Anniversary Tour, August Burns Red and company didn’t let the dreary rain outside keep them from putting on a kickass show.
The opening act of the night was an iconic crew of Scottish headbangers in the Glasgow-based metalcore outfit Bleed From Within. Celebrating their first run ever in the United States after over a decade of cultivating a sizable American following with their impressive catalog of tightly constructed records, Bleed From Within savored every second on stage. A sentiment clearly shared by the extremely enthusiastic audience. Fans of As I Lay Dying, Phinehas, or the other two bands on this bill will feel right at home with their work. The most recent effort in their catalog, “Shrine”, sees them delivering the hearty, muscular metalcore that fans know and love.
Next up was a familiar favorite of mine that had me a little bit star struck: Dayton, Ohio’s own The Devil Wears Prada. Bringing a more melodic, atmospheric sound than their break-neck screamo output in the early days of their career, TDWP (or “tid-wap” as the other scene kids from the 2010’s likely referred to them) are now a model of musical evolution and growth. They haven’t lost their tight melodies or affinity for perfectly timed breakdowns, but they have grown into a much more expansive heavy metal outfit with thoughtful writing and an exploratory spirit. Fans that remember TDWP’s earlier output weren’t left wanting, though. The band played a healthy balance of old and new. If you’re a fan of Miss May I or the most recent two releases by The Plot In You, the new album “Color Decay” by the Devil Wears Prada may just be right up your alley.
Myself and a few other fans in our late 20’s/early 30’s did feel a bit of sting when Devil Wears Prada frontman Mike Hrancia referred to their seminal album “With Roots Above & Branches Below” as their “old stuff”.
As much as I love to celebrate the musical evolution displayed by the previous band, there is something to be said for consistency and reliability, especially when combined with an unwavering passion for the fans that love it. August Burns Red is the model for that consistency and reliability. Don’t mistake those qualities for being boring or stale, though. ABR is anything but. Their tightly wound technical proficiency and aggressive, charging style feels fresh & exciting, and it showed with the same level of passion being brought to songs old & new. 20 years in, they appear every bit as excited and passionate as they ever were. August Burns Red truly is, as their merch attests, “angry music for happy people.” That angry music can be found in their 2023 album “Death Below”, which is streaming on all major music platforms.