04/01/23
Barleycorns, Wichita, KS
The scene at Barleycorn’s on April Fool’s Day 2023 was an interesting one for a guy like me that drifts through the Wichita music scene quite a bit. I’ve been to plenty of metal shows, but there was a spirit at this particular show that I’d never felt before. I never felt unwelcome, but it did feel like I was at someone else’s party. A party where O.G. metalheads and punk rockers of a different generation came together to have fun and forget the world. By all accounts, everyone did just that.
The night started with a Looney Tune of a punk rock band from Dodge City, a familiar favorite of the crowd: The Merkins. Taking pages out of the old-school punk rock playbook, the Merkins play with such irreverent energy and love for what they’re doing that you almost feel as though they’d be playing the same were the crowd not in the room. With profanity-laden lyrics and openly antagonistic shenanigans, the Merkins are just trying to have a good time setting off Conservative alarm bells. They were a blast to watch and right up my alley!
Next up on the docket was Sin & Scar. While not exactly my cup of tea, Sin & Scar reminded me of the likes of All That Remains or Shadows Fall with their heavy riffing and clean melodies. Despite ending with a peculiar rendition of “Rolling in the Deep,” the crowd seemed to really enjoy them.
Following in the third spot was Topeka-based death metal troop Sinfool. Some bands wear their brand on their sleeves, while others don’t. Sinfool is absolutely the former. From their costumed guitarist donning a mask & kilt covered in pentagrams to their black humor quips between songs, this band is about what they’re about. Stylistically, they reminded me of early technical death metal bands. Fans of Nile, Mortification, or Dying Fetus will surely be pleased.
The penultimate act was the melodic metal band Witch Cradle. Referring to themselves as “the least heavy band of the night”, you would not know that by the total commitment and rock-solid energy they were putting out. With excellent clean vocals and ambitious musicianship leading the charge, Witch Cradle primed the audience perfectly for the headlining act.
That headlining act did not disappoint. Love Like War stirred the crowd into a frenzy. Though I imagine it didn’t take much, given how many people in attendance knew every word to every song, I’d say this crowd was ready to be stirred into a frenzy. The theme of the night seemed to mostly be confidence and stage presence. Love Like War was no exception. With their fearless leader (lovingly referred to as Chewie) working the crowd when he wasn’t melting their faces, there was a real sense of comradery and community created by their set.
