Photos and Review: Chris Besaw
DEVILDRIVER made a stop on their current tour in support of their new record Outlaws Til the End to Rochester, NY on November 1. They brought a few killer bands along with them to help round out the evening; Raven Black and Jinger.
This is not my first time seeing Raven Black live. In fact, I had been looking forward to catching them live again since the last time they played in Rochester. I was impressed with the band’s horror comic-sequel costumes and stage props. They also crank out some eerie and melodic punk metal music. For those who are not yet familiar with this band, they are originally from Los Angeles, CA only recently moving to Michigan. The band is fronted by the very talented and spooky Raven who has no problem filling the room with her intense and thunderous vocals. I really admired their set. Raven Black played a very nice mix of songs including some of my favorites, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Scars,” and “13.” If you have not had a chance to see them I would suggest checking them out because they are an act that gets better each time you see them.
Next up on the stage was a band I had not seen yet. Based on the excitement from the crowd, I was able to guess that I was in for a treat. Jinger, the Ukrainian metal band, led by front woman Tatiana Shmailyuk seems to have a very strong following not only in Rochester, NY but also in the United States. From the moment the band stormed the stage, the crowd erupted into a furious mosh pit and no wonder with the incredible combination of guitarist Roman Ibramkhalilov and Eugene Kostyuk on bass backed by Vladislav Ulasevish’s thunderous drums! Front woman Tatiana interacted with the crowd between songs and thanked those who come out and support live metal music. One song that resonated with me was the track “Words of Wisdom.” Other songs that were highly intense were “Ape” and “Pisces.” Not to sound like a broken record but I must say I did enjoy seeing this band and would encourage you to check them out if can, you won’t regret it.
It didn’t take long before the band everyone was waiting for hit the stage. After the intro, both the band and crowd exploded into a mass of fury that I haven’t seen in a while. DevilDriver fronted by Dez Fafara (Coal Chamber) ripped right into “Ruthless,” followed by “Hold Back The Day.” The fans were treated to two cover songs, “Whiskey River” originally by the legendary outlaw Willie Nelson and “Sail” by AWOLnation. I must admit their metal version of the AWOLnation song was incredible and moving. I love how they put their own spin on it. Very brilliantly done!
The brutal musical assault never let up the whole time the band was on stage. Dez and band took time to thank the crowd for coming out and supporting them over the years. Seeing there was not going to be any encore tonight front man Dez warned the crowd this is your last chance to throw-down. They ended their set with the massive track “The Mountain” The pit had erupted to every inch of the floor, I couldn’t believe the sea of people moving. It was great. The night came to an end. The band took their bows thanking everyone once again. Thank you for a great show in Rochester!
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