Hometown Hardcore: Hatebreed (Dying Fetus, Code Orange) Live @ Toad's Place
[HATEBREED takes the stage at Toad's Place.] |
Hometown shows are, simply put, some of the most energetic
and passion-filled concerts I have ever seen. If you’ve ever been in attendance
at one of these rare events, you know exactly what I mean: for perhaps one night
on a fifty-city tour, a band finds themselves playing in front of their home
crowd – who show up in force. I’ve survived a few. However, there is nothing
(and I mean nothing) anywhere, at
all, EVER, that can match the intensity of a Hatebreed concert in New Haven,
CT. What happens when you combine the most reckless, skull-stomping hardcore
band in the world with one of the most timeless venues in America? Follow me
through the tangled one-way streets of the Elm City….
Toad’s Place has achieved an almost legendary status in many
music circles. Aside from being a major outlet for local musicians since the
mid 70’s, Toad’s has played host to an incredible number of famous acts through
the years – in fact, far too many to list on this simple concert review. A
simple walk around the dimly lit, dark interior of the small club reveals their
proud history: concert posters with faces of Billy Idol, U2 and Snoop Dogg line
the upstairs walls while the downstairs hallways hold the names of dozens more artists
and bands who have chosen to grace this small New Haven stage over time. Yet
for all this splendor, Toad’s is an extremely simple concert venue. In fact, I
would go as far as to say that it is even a bit divey. The ceilings are low,
the walkways are crammed, and there seems to be an overriding aura of grime and
grease that pervades the whole scene – a testament to its years and years of
stumbling patronage. The building itself is not built for live music – that is
to say, there is no acoustics or architectural amplification at all. To account
for this lack of natural sound resonance, Toad’s simply added more artificial
noise: three massive towers of speakers stare menacingly at the crowd from the
ceiling. The sound here is absolutely deafening. I have heard others complain
about this dingy feeling (or losing hearing for three days post-concert), but
it has never bothered me. Concerts are about sweat and mess, and Toad’s
embodies that spirit exceptionally well. On no single night is it more powerful
than when New Haven’s own Hatebreed take the stage.
This tour was due to be an absolute slaughter form the
start. Hatebreed was hitting the road to celebrate the 20th
anniversary of their debut album Satisfaction
is the Death of Desire and the 15th anniversary of their
sophomore album Perseverance – both
widely considered to be metalcore classics. To celebrate, they would play both
albums in their entirety. Hatebreed would be joined by vulgar slam metal
veterans Dying Fetus and the new kids on the hardcore block, Code Orange – both
excellent choices for brutal, moshy support. Naturally my friends Luke and Zak
were beyond excited to attend this show as a trio. We headed to the
battleground on a cold December evening with anticipation in our hearts. Earlier
that day, the show had sold out. It was going to be heavy, rowdy, and crowded –
that’s for sure.
[CODE ORANGE smashes Toad's Place with their new hardcore groove.] |
Code Orange seem
to be the heir apparent to the modern hardcore throne. Their music, like
Hatebreed’s, fuses hardcore, punk and metal into a slamming sound that makes
you want to rip floorboards out of the ground. 2017 has seen extensive touring
for the band – supporting acts such as Gojira, Trivium, and Meshuggah has
helped these five kids from Pittsburgh (and I say kids intentionally – they are
all very young) and their heavy tunes
garner a lot of attention. The title track from their latest album Forever was recently nominated for the
2017 Grammy for best metal performance. Luke, Zak and I were especially excited
to see them play live because we missed them open the show for Gojira this past
October – our Code Orange fix was more than two months overdue. At Toad’s, we
witnessed an excellent performance. Code Orange’s music is sludgy and slower
than most of what I personally listen to. Though they slice through 3 or 4
minute tracks like a hot jackhammer through butter, their songs never achieve
any breakneck speeds. There are no screaming guitar solos or furious riffing –
instead, the music is heavily driven by the calculated, slow-tempo
slams of
drummer/vocalist Jami Morgan. This drum/vocal performance was a real highlight
of the show for me and something I have seen very few times before. While Morgan
sticks away song after song with intensity and dexterity, he delivers screamed
vocals from behind the drum set as well. His attention to detail –demonstrated
by this left-brain right-brain multitasking – is quite impressive. He takes
time in between songs to shout out classic hardcore babble to the crowd: his
cheers of “Get off of your fucking feet right fucking now!” “We are Code
fucking Orange! Move this place!” are enough to start a riot in the small
venue. The rest of the band chugs away with equal passion. Tracks such as
“Bleeding in the Blur” bring guitarist Reba Meyers to the microphone to deliver
some gristly clean vocals which do not detract from the intensity of the music
at all.
Interestingly, Code Orange’s stage equipment also includes a full synthesizer, played intermittently by the band's newest addition, guitarist Dominic Landolina. In between concrete-solid breakdowns, Landolina hops on the synth to deliver creepy, wobbly electronic vibratos that give the band an eerie transition from song to song. Orange-beareded bassist Joe Goldman looms over the crowd, screaming sans-microphone into the hundreds of fists in the air. He is quite a sight on stage – sporting black jeans and a simple white wife beater, he often crosses the entire stage in three or four gigantic steps, firing up both right and left sides. The pit absolutely loved it, and Luke and I had a lot of fun slamming and kicking around for a few songs. Though Code Orange’s image and music is hardcore to the core, they truly got a handful of metalheads on their feet. “My World” was absolute bloodshed. I am very glad I was finally able to see thing youthful, hungry band play live. I have a feeling that they will soon be a household name in the metal community.
[Jami Morgan on vocals and drums.] |
Interestingly, Code Orange’s stage equipment also includes a full synthesizer, played intermittently by the band's newest addition, guitarist Dominic Landolina. In between concrete-solid breakdowns, Landolina hops on the synth to deliver creepy, wobbly electronic vibratos that give the band an eerie transition from song to song. Orange-beareded bassist Joe Goldman looms over the crowd, screaming sans-microphone into the hundreds of fists in the air. He is quite a sight on stage – sporting black jeans and a simple white wife beater, he often crosses the entire stage in three or four gigantic steps, firing up both right and left sides. The pit absolutely loved it, and Luke and I had a lot of fun slamming and kicking around for a few songs. Though Code Orange’s image and music is hardcore to the core, they truly got a handful of metalheads on their feet. “My World” was absolute bloodshed. I am very glad I was finally able to see thing youthful, hungry band play live. I have a feeling that they will soon be a household name in the metal community.
Without listening to a second of their music, I bet you know exactly how Dying Fetus sounds – and no, your parents will not like it. The group (primarily a trio) formed in Maryland in the early 1990’s and has been on a tear of vulgar devastation ever since. Their brutal brand of death metal is characterized by up-tempo blast beats and complex technical arrangements. Sections of a Dying Fetus song can go from fast-paced guitar gallops to crushing, slow riffs in a matter of seconds – a testament to the musical craftsmanship of lone original member, John Gallagher. Gallagher is an extremely proficient guitarist whose fingers sweep up an entire fretboard with ease. Sections of songs like “Invert the Idols” and crowd-favorite “Shepherd’s Commandment” are great displays of this intense technical ability (which of course, looks effortless in the hands of Gallagher.) What is more impressive, however, is that he also performs vocals while playing. His unintelligible grunt (more of a guttural dog bark) has become synonymous with the band’s music. He is accompanied by equally proficient bassist Sean Beasley, who also frets away at an incredible pace. Beasley, who barely moves the entire show, seems to play on autopilot from under his mane of
[My (awesome) WWI themed Dying Fetus long sleeve.] |
By the time Dying Fetus had cleared the stage, the sold-out venue had truly begun its descent into claustrophobia. The small GA floor had grown significantly more crowded since Code Orange left the stage, and Toad’s begun to take the form of the perilous sweatbox I am more familiar with. A walk to the bathroom (once a simple task) was basically incomprehensible at this point – unless you fancied a half-hour struggle. Closer to the stage, the crowd packed tighter and tighter together and the anticipation of brutality was drawn as tight as a rubber band– soon, there was to be an insane release.
[Toad's Place crowd photo courtesy of @hatebreed Instagram.] |
Once the lights cut to black, that notorious hole in the center of the crowd expanded and grew to enormous size – it would not disappear for the remainder of the night. From the first moment the five members swarmed the stage, the crowd went absolutely ballistic. It was nuts– I have to speak so frankly – the mosh pit literally erupted only seconds into their first song. Just as the room had begun to shake and pulse with the explosive riffs of “Empty Promises,” frontman Jamey Jasta stands center stage and is clearly visible for the first time. “Stop! Stop! Woah!” He commands. The music is suddenly cut off as quickly as it began. Apparently, he had noticed a fan lose their footing and fall to the ground in the sea of fists and fury. “Pick’m up! Get’m up! You good? Good? Okay!” He declares, smile on his face. The band laughs it off as well – another fan barely escapes a brutal fate at the Hatebreed concert. They regain form and quickly roll into their second tune, “Burn the Lies”, and the show continues as if nothing has happened. This was one of the most miraculous things I have ever seen at a concert. Of course, I have seen a front man stop a show to tell the crowd to help out their fellow fan who may have fallen or lost footing…but during the energy and intensity of the first song? Less than two minutes into the show, Hatebreed had stopped playing to help rescue a fan who surely would have been injured had they remained in a compromised position. That’s unheard of. One perspective says that Jamey is a cognizant and caring frontman. Another perspective says that the show at Toad’s was out of control. I think it was both.
This hiccup did nothing to stop
the epic machine that was already rolling at full-steam. Hatebreed continued
seamlessly, opening with the first four tracks off of Satisfaction. As Jasta delivers his trademark hardcore drawl at breakneck
pace, founding member and certified shredder Wayne Lozniak rips away at riff
after riff on a gorgeous black Les Paul. Because most of Hatebreed’s music
follows the same simple song structure, it is amazing that Wayne is able to
mentally distinguish between the hundreds of Hatebreed songs – “Before
Dishonor” has this breakdown and
“Puritain” has that breakdown, and so
on and so forth. Because the music itself does not show an immense amount of
artistic variation, it takes a fair amount of skill to be able to memorize and
perform 20 nearly identical songs without a single mistake. Periodically, he
steps to the microphone to deliver some of Hatebreed’s classic gang vocals with
sheer ferocity. Frank Novinec, the newest member of the band (if you consider a
16 year member new…) matches Wayne’s guitar intensity while also offering
several subtle head-nods at the crowd. While the two guitarists remain silent
and steadfast most of the show, bassist and founding member Chris Beattie is
extremely energetic. He offers the head of his bass to the crowd several times,
pulling his instrument away from the hundreds of screaming fans just in time to
deliver another crunchy Hatebreed bassline.
[ From L to R: Chris Beattie, Jamey Jasta, and Wayne Lozniak.] |
About halfway through the show,
Jamey and the band stop to address the crowd and thank them for selling out
their hometown venue. He briefly speaks on the significance of this show – each
band member is from the surrounding area and grew up attending shows at Toad’s
Place themselves. Though Hatebreed played several shows at Toads while they
were a local band, Jamey reminds the crowd that the roots of Hatebreed run much
deeper - through the skateparks and neighborhood basement shows found all over "the 203". At the end of the day, they are just a handful of guys from
Connecticut that know how to make some kick-ass hardcore music. Jamey also
offered a heartfelt tribute to “Dimebag” Darrel Abbott of Pantera – one of the
most celebrated guitarists in metal music history – who was tragically murdered
while performing on stage 13 years ago this very night. The crowd roars – an
absolutely deafening blast of sound, and Hatebreed rips into the crowd-pleaser
“Last Breath” – dedicated to Dime. Crowd interactions such as this are
extremely common at Hatebreed shows, which is something fans truly love. Jasta
is excellent at firing up his audience. Every crowdsurfer (including myself
during “Looking Down the Barrell of Today”) gets a high-five or a fist bump
from Jasta himself, even if he must stretch out over the crowd for it.
More than ninety minutes later,
the crowd has not relented a single bit. Feet still fly through the air, circle
pits expand and contract to encompass almost all of the standing room, and sweaty, satisfied fans scream along with every word. As the setlist grows and the night
begins to wind down, Jamey pauses a final time to introduce all of the
Hatebreed members on stage – also giving their Connecticut hometown, much to
the pleasure of the fans who revel in knowing that these performers might have
lived down the block from them. As a special treat, Hatebreed brings out
ex-guitarist Sean Martin (who played guitars on Perseverance) for several songs. Martin hasn’t lost a beat. He
joins his friends on stage and chugs through the final three classic Perseverance tracks with ease.
Though hardcore
music has never truly been my cup of tea, you have to give credit when credit
is due – and Hatebreed deserves a lot of it. Their music, while simply
structured and breakdown driven, is stompingly heavy and surprisingly catchy. Their
jaunty, upbeat riffs will break the neck of even the most elitist death metal
aficionado while crowd-favorite songs ignite adrenaline in diehard fans. Despite the misleading name (originally taken from a Misfits song), their
lyrics remain indomitably positive. Hatebreed seeks only to inspire personal power and
determination in their fans. This ability to make the (sometimes slighted)
hardcore music genre appealing to metalheads of all musical interests is mainly due to the
charisma and relative celebrity of their beloved frontman, Jamey Jasta. Jasta,
a New Haven native, is a metalhead to the core – which is probably why fans
from so many different metal backgrounds are familiar with him and the Hatebreed
music. He has toured the world
extensively with Hatebreed and his solo project, Jasta. He also hosts the
popular metal podcast “The Jasta Show”, which has featured guests such as Ice
T, Kirk Hammett, Jesse Leach, and Rob Halford. I met him at a live taping of
this podcast this April and was able to speak to him candidly and I must admit
that, for all of his celebrity, Jamey remains approachable and humble. I highly recommend "The Jasta Show" to anyone who is interested in the modern metal scene and quality, uncensored journalism.
[My (super cool) autographed copy of Satisfaction.] |
Hatebreed has long since left behind the days of being a local band. Currently, we would be talking about a band that headlines major festivals across the US and abroad – even having played in countries such as
Indonesia, South Korea, and Russia. Despite this worldwide acclaim, Hatebreed still makes a choice to stop at Toad’s Place on their multi-city romp across
the States. To me, this a very special statement. To this band, fans are far
more important than big city ticket sales. They want to play their tunes where
they know they will be loved. New Haven - their original meeting point and home base - offered an absolutely ideal location. I also have to compliment the tour managers and promoters on the
choice of bands. This lineup was ridiculously heavy and even crossed genres
while keeping every listener interested. I was very pleased to note that there
were fans of all three bands in the crowd that night – and I am sure that the
Code Orange and Dying Fetus merch tables did exceptionally well. However, no
matter which band you came to see, this was decidedly a Hatebreed concert.