Concert Review: ERRA with Vianova and Chamber in Columbus, OH
ERRA
A beautiful Saturday evening in Columbus Ohio, following a Buckeyes beat down against Kentucky State was capped off with ERRA Celebrating the 10-year anniversary of their critically acclaimed 2016 album “Drift” and simultaneously touring their most recent album release “Silence Outlives the Earth” from March of this year. ERRA have curated a beautifully crafted setlist to honor the occasion by only playing songs off those two albums…mostly (capped off with “Snowblood” from their self-titled album). Highlights from both albums as well as a couple live debuts from each that haven’t been played before such as “Sleeper” (Drift) and “stelliform” (SOTE) were pleasant surprises to the delight of many as the experts at their craft continued to show why they are amongst the most well respect and highly regarded musicians in their genre. As most fans and even casual listeners are all too familiar with, Jesse Cash’s remarkable ability to play some of the most intricate timing rhythms and furious lead tapping all the while singing the most powerful chorus’s ever produced never ceases to amaze; like on songs such as “gore of being”. Clint Tustin also has the daunting task of keeping up with Jesse with at times making it look easy while also having his own moments to shine where he takes the lead on playing some of the most complicated guitar solos in their discography. A perfect balance of rhythm, melody and precision from these two guitar titans is one experience you won’t forget. Vocalist JT just continues to get better and better as the years go on as he continues to sound more and more like the albums live. Conor Hesse on Bass is equally as impressive a player as he has an almost nonchalant yet joyful expression when playing. As a bassist it’s crazy sometimes how overlooked they can be at points but if you watch Conor alone, you’ll be blown away as many of his parts mirrors the guitar playing exactly, including the crazy tapping sections from songs such as on “gore of being”. With those bridge cables for strings; one could only imagine the strength and technique one must possess in their fingers to conquer those riffs and make it seem effortless. Truly an underrated master at his craft. And last but not least, Alex Ballew (AKA Billy Blackjack) on drums absolutely holding it down to the point where he almost feels taken for granted as one of the absolute kings amongst his peers. All in all, if you aren’t aware then you should be. ERRA is truly the pinnacle and absolute measuring stick when it comes to upholding the standards of modern progressive metalcore music as they continue to excel and even still push the boundaries of masterful songwriting. Lyrics, riffs, grooves and raw emotion is fused together in the best of ways by truly some of the best of people in their respective genre today. If you’ve never seen ERRA live, I heavily implore you to stop doing a disservice to yourself and experience the exquisite musical masterclass in person for yourself.
VIANOVA
“What genre is Vianova?” “YES!” Good luck getting a definitive answer for these German superstars that seems to have mastered the art of blending black with white, soft plus hard, light and heavy, funky jazz and… thall???
Over the past year they have exploded in popularity mostly in the states while they have already been a moderately well recognized band in Europe; they have finally made the journey to America earlier this year. After being the opening band for Thornhill on the “Mercia tour”, they have already boosted into the well-deserved direct support slot for the Drift Outlives the Earth tour. This band has something for quite literally everyone from the groovy/funk/jazz sections making you want to dance like you’ve teleported to a George Michael music video all the way to the back breaking, earth shattering breakdowns as if you fell through a portal into a “Humanity’s Last Breath” album artwork. Classifying Vianova into a genre or subgenre feels daunting and almost like a disservice. Vianova is simple. Vianova is art.
CHAMBER
The hottest band out of Nashville right now came about swinging. In stark contrast of the newly and widely accepted flavor of “modern metalcore”; self-appointed “psychotic mosh metal” Chamber brings back the raw and ruthless aggression with tracks from their latest album “this is goodbye…” which feels refreshing amongst the current state of modern metalcore as they pummeled the ears of the crowd with their schizophrenic guitar riffs and chaotic drums. Watching the crowd divided by spin kickers and those trying to headbang along to the music, which was an equally as golden as you can see the faces of confusion as people were trying to find the “1” beat.
Their last album “this is goodbye…” has been on constant repeat for me since it was shown to me and it has been my absolute go-to album to put on while in the gym. The album is packed with shots of adrenaline such as the motorcycle rev in “surveillance” or the final breakdown in “parting gift” that empowers you with the strength to get the that one extra rep in. My best description I can give this music is “Sophisticated Caveman Music”. This band is 1000% worth your time, and I hope you take the time to give their most recent album a spin…or ten.
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