When I first saw that Every Time I Die was playing Vegas I immediately spit out the mouth full of beer I was consuming and frantically searched for the show details. And when I then read they were playing the small Eagle Hall I said to myself “holy fuck balls” and popped boner after boner. But that’s another story.
Presagers was the perfect fit for starting out this epic night of mayhem. The local metal/hardcore act is on a hot streak, having recently opened for The Ghost Inside at OMD, and culminating here in an opening spot for Every Time I Die. They kicked off their set with a short intro of “My Own Summer” by Deftones which got us in the mood for the heavy jams, and despite a slight technical problem at their start, the band got into their groove of hardcore metal riffage. This was my first time seeing Presagers with their two new guitar players, and the guys perfectly bounced harmonized licks off each other as if they’d been doing it for 10 years. Accompanied by growling vocals and sharp drumming, the Vegas natives set a great pace for the shenanigans to come.
LA alt-rock quartet The Eeries hit the “stage” next, with their long hair and plaid flannel reminiscent of late ’90s grunge. Apparently the band arrived to the venue late which explained why frontman Isaiah Silva was sporting an all-so-attractive pajama outfit. Hot off their self-titled EP released late last year on Interscope Records, The Eeries proceeded with their powerful rock ‘n roll anthems “Cool Kid” and “Love You To Pieces.” With the addition of slide guitars and organ effects pedals, they gave the unsuspecting crowd a healthy dose of alt-rock that would bring a tear to any nostalgic 30-something’s eye. They ended with a series of giant-sounding power chord hits and a burst of stage energy that proved they were worthy of even the heaviest of shows.
Marmozets were the definite “wild card” of an evening already quite diverse. Hailing from merry old England, their set began with a petite young woman who picked up the mic and screamed “Hi. We are Marmozets.” What followed can only be described as beautiful chaos. The band is made up of two sets of siblings, the Macintyres and the Bottomleys who collectively weigh about 100 lbs – and their brutal assault of off time post-hardcore riffs and gut wrenching screams snapped the clueless show goers out of their between-sets lull right away. They rocked the Eagle Hall so hard the drummer split open a finger and painted his drum set red.
The Marmozets’ amazing performance ended with the hardest of the hard which got the energetic crowd hardcore dancing in no time. Kids all through the small venue started punching and kicking at invisible enemies (I’ll never understand hardcore dancing. Give me a good ole mosh pit any day). I don’t recommend many bands, but Marmozets are absolutely worth checking out.
And now for the pièce de résistance. Before Marmozets could even exit the floor of the dimly lit Eagle Hall most of the remaining audience (whom were either pushed back from the hardcore excitement or at the bar chugging the last of their domestic beer) were up front eagerly awaiting the headlining shitty dudes. Every Time I Die, now with former Underoath and Norma Jean drummer Daniel Davison, entered the room to an enthusiastic crowd and checked their tools of sonic savagery.
As the room filled with feedback and anticipation, frontman Keith Buckley informed the crowd “This is gonna be fuckin’ awesome. We’re Every Time I Die. This song is call ‘No Son Of Mine.’” Everyone, including myself, immediately went completely ballistic, screaming louder than the PA every word to songs we knew all too well.
After playing a few more crowd favorites (let’s face it, they’re all favorites) Keith explained how they play Vegas often, and they sometimes leave our city feeling unfulfilled. The big stages and barricades cause a disconnect from the audience… but not this time. Oh no sir. And with that they started in with the next jam and continued to pummel each and every ETIDiot who in return screamed and pushed and moshed to the blaring noise we love so much. The crowd pushed closer and closer to the front until there was no distinction between crowd and band. The insanity nearly knocked a few amps over, and a girl’s glasses were smashed, but this didn’t stop the band from perfectly executing their take on hardcore punk.
I basically turned into a giddy fan girl during their cover of “Tourette’s” by Nirvana, and with a hyped audience of moshers and crowd surfers Keith and brother/guitarist Jordan Buckley surfed as well – all while playing their songs with amazing accuracy.
They ended their set with “Moor” from From Parts Unknown. The eerie intro of piano and vocals is just the kind of unexpected turn we’ve oddly grown to expect from the hardcore godfathers. The band finished, laid down their instruments and exited to a crowd screaming “ONE MORE SONG!” They happily returned and gave the hungry crowd the dessert they craved by playing “Wanderlust” with a cherry on top…or so I heard. I had to leave for a graveyard shift at work after they played “Moor.” Fuck off.
-Chris Duggan
Every Time I Die photo by Tyler Newton, taken at the House of Blues in 2014
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