Concert Review: Slow Your Troll and Know Your Role Tour

Concert: Slow Your Troll and Know Your Role Tour
Bands: Veil of Maya, Upon A Burning Body, Volumes, Gideon, The Last Ten Seconds of Life
Date/Venue: 1/23: Lawrence, KS @ The Granada

Being that it was my first time at The Granada, I had no idea what to expect. I’d heard stories, I’d seen pictures but never experienced this venue first hand… needless to say, I’ll never forget it. It looks small from the outside, but you step in and it’s almost like an inside arena! 3 tiers, curving around to the stage where the majority of the crowd was… and it was far from empty! Fans lined every wall, signaling it was going to be a good night. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, I was unable to get into the venue until shortly after The Last Ten Seconds of Life’s set so, of course, I was forced to miss their set. After everything was straightened out, I got inside and got up near the stage, where Gideon was setting up.

Setlist:
“Calloused”
“Prodigal Son”
“Kingdom Minded”
“Still Alive”
“Savage”
“The Limit”
“Survive”
“Bad Blood”

“Calloused” began with guitarists Daniel McCartney and Tyler Riley bringing it in while vocalist, Daniel McWhorter, got the crowd fired up. By the time McWhorter screamed “CALLOUSED, COLD, OUT OF CONTROL”, the crowd was moving but not as much as one might expect, sadly. Their set was filled with energy as they plowed through songs like “Prodigal Son”, “Kingdom Minded” and more.. but the crowd really went insane after McWhorter finished a short speech about the struggles we face in life and how we must fight to survive, leading into… you guessed it “Survive”, which (if you’ve picked up the album), contains a guest vocal spot from Beartooth’s Caleb Shomo, which guitarist Tyler Riley took over with ease! Overall, their set was pretty intense and I enjoyed the hell out of it but there was still much more to come! Despite the small amount of crowd participation during their set, it was far from disappointing!

As Gideon left the stage, vocalist McWhorter went over to the merch table where he stayed for the majority of the time, meeting fans, signing items/body parts and slinging merch. One of the most anticipated sets of the night was up next… LA’s Volumes!

Setlist:
“The Mixture”
“91367”
“Erased”
“Neon Eyes”
“Pistol Play”
“Vahle (ft. Lukas Magyar of Veil of Maya)”
“Edge of the Earth”
“Wormholes”

After a sound check that seemed like forever, Volumes took the stage, filled with energy and ready to destroy the crowd that lay before them. While the rest of the band was on fire, it was dual vocalists Michael Barr and Gus Farias that really blew my mind! Being that I’ve never seen a band with dual screamers, it was truly a sight to behold. Each of them performed their parts masterfully, not losing a single bit of intensity or aggression in their voices throughout their entire set! The energy that encased their set and resonated into the crowd is something that was ALMOST unmatched throughout the rest of the night. The surprise in their set came with Lukas Magyar, new vocalist for headliners Veil of Maya, took the stage for a clean vocal part on “Vahle”, an incredibly emotionally charged song that saw quite a few tears shed throughout the crowd from what I could see. Their set ended with a immense throwback to the old days, “Edge of the Earth” and “Wormholes” which sent the crowd into a destructive pattern that didn’t end until they left the stage! By far, one of the most impressive sets of the night. Up next was Upon A Burning Body, representing the good ol’ Lone Star State!

Setlist:
“Red Razor Wrists”
“Pledge Your Allegiance”
“Mimic”
“Once Upon A Time in Mexico”
“Intermission”
“Middle Finger to the World”
“Scars”
“Bring the Rain”
“Texas Blood Money”
“Sin City”
Encore:
“Turn Down For What (DJ Snake cover)”

The infamous suits walked out on stage and vocalist Danny Leal proclaimed “LAWRENCE, KS WAKE THE F**K UP!”, as “Red Razor Wrists” started in. One of the most energetic sets of the night, the crowd didn’t stop moving once during their set which included fan favorites, “Texas Blood Money”, which included a ton of crowd participation, as well as “Sin City” and the final song in their set, their cover of DJ Snake’s “Turn Down For What” which got the crowd moving the most they had all night, to that point! Also included in their set was the newly added “Bring the Rain” which was, honestly, one of the most impressive performances of their set! They make me incredibly proud to be from Texas and, after their set, I met bassist Rey Martinez who hung out to sign things and chill with fans… one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met! He signed my newly obtained copies of Red. White. Green and The World Is My Enemy Now, gave me a hug, shook my hand and told me thanks for the support. An act I’ll never forget, it’s sadly not often these days that you see that type of kindness from bands of their caliber! There was one set left in the night, Veil of Maya’s… no one knew what to expect from new vocalist Lukas Magyar’s performance… but they were soon to find out!

The final set of the night… Veil of Maya took the stage in all their progressive metal/tech-death glory. New vocalist Lukas Magyar, now changed from his previous shirt when he performed his guest spot with Volumes, took on a completely different form. I had never seen any of these bands live but I’ve got to say, being that I’ve been a fan (albeit not a big one) of VoM prior to this show, I walked away with a new appreciation for their live show. Between the incredible vocal delivery, the insanely technical guitar parts, the blast beats that blew the crowd away… I was sold and I can say I won’t miss their set again. I wasn’t a huge fan of “Phoenix” when it dropped as a single earlier this month but the live version is a million times better! It was an incredibly intense experience from start to finish. The crowd went most insane when they decided to play “Subject Zero” which was second to last in their set. I will never doubt Veil of Maya again after seeing what Lukas can do live with them and I, for one, am incredibly excited to hear their new material!

Overall, it was a night I’ll never forget in a venue that I hope to return to plenty in the future! I’ve got to thank everyone who made this possible, including Wyatt McLaughlin (guitarist from TLTSOL) and Brittany Harbert who saved the day when things went haywire in the beginning. Thanks to you guys, I was able to get in and enjoy one of the best metal shows I’ve ever witnessed! If you haven’t seen this tour yet, you only have 1 week left to do so! It’s an experience NOT to be missed!

Jan 24th: Omaha, NE @ Sokol Underground
Jan 25th: Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
Jan 28th: Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction
Jan 29th: San Francisco, CA @ DNA Lounge
Jan 30th: Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst
Jan 31st: West Hollywood, CA @ The Roxy

***All photos provided by Ethan “TheBeard” Newell***