This past Friday, Boston hardcore act Vein played their first show in Seattle. This was a very special treat for the Seattle hardcore scene. Along on the Vein tour lineup were Judiciary and Fuming Mouth.
Doors opened at the Vera Project at 7:30 PM, welcoming the large crowd. Concert goers were talking with each other about how crazy the show was going to get. Boy were they right! Even before the first band came on, you could just feel an intense vibe in the room.
The first band up were Seattle locals Groundfeeder. The band came out to an anxious audience and they got the crowd moving. The bands sound seemed heavily influenced by the Deftones. The vocalist even had a voice synthesizer like the one Chino Moreno would use live. Throughout the set the band showcased some rambunctious stage antics. The guitarist would throw his guitar up in the air and try to catch it. He also jumped off one of the speaker set ups next to the stage. The vocalist performed an entire song in the crowd. Then stirred the audience into body-stew when he asked them to show him what they’re made of. The band shows a lot of potential and is definitely a band to check out on a bill.
Next up was Judiciary from Texas. The crowd gathered close to the stage and then made it clear that not many people were going to be standing there much longer. As soon as the first note hit, the floor split into and a huge mosh pit that opened up from side to side. The bands vocalist started pacing back and forth across the stage, while hyping up the crowd. The half hour set was full of brutality and hard hitting riffs. Towards the end of their set they announced they will be releasing their first LP later in the year. This band knows how to throw down and puts on one hell of a show. They are a must see band for any fan of hardcore.
The Vein tour brutality grew as the night progressed!
The third band on the bill was Fuming Mouth from Boston. The band had an almost thrash style feel to their sound but, they had hard hitting riffs as well. One of the most interesting things that I noticed was their drummer played a blast beat during a slower part but, the blast beat seemed almost slow as well. It was the oddest thing was how it blended together with the other instruments perfectly. While the bands sound didn’t match traditional style hardcore, it sounded extremely heavy and it got people’s attention. If these guys play a show near you make sure to check them out.
Finally, the moment the crowd had been anxiously waiting on from the Vein tour. The main event, Vein! With an already rowdy crowd, the band was about to send the crowd into maximum overdrive with their high energy set. Many audience members were standing up front wearing their Vein wind breakers just waiting for the band to start. As soon as the set began, the crowd once again split the floor in two and ran straight at each other like gladiators going to battle.
The mosh pit looked like a scene straight out of the movie Road House. Vocalist Anthony DiDio ran back and forth across the stage while getting in the faces of the audience member and sharing the microphone with them. Throughout the set many audience members were stage diving as well as jumping towards the vocalist to sing along with him. The half hour set came to a close with their song “Ripple”.
Vein puts on an insane live show. But one thing I noticed was their fans. Their fan base is rabid and matches their live energy. The fan interaction reminded me of the live shows of The Dillinger Escape Plan. They are absolutely devastating live and they are a must see for any fan of hardcore and heavy metal alike.
Vein will be on tour later in the year with Angel Du$t, Turnstile, and hardcore heavyweights Every Time I Die. Tickets for that tour are selling quick so get them while you can.
