On Saturday, April 13th, Hatebreed rocked the stage at Bogart’s in Cincinnati, Ohio for their 25th-anniversary tour.
For a show that started at 6:30 pm on a Saturday, the venue was packed with a sea of people dressed in black. Kicking off the music was Ringworm, a hardcore band from Cleveland, Ohio. They brought so much energy to the stage, they drained it from the audience. Anytime they asked, “how’s everyone feelin’ tonight?” they were met with a noise that could barely be classified as loud. They were understandably annoyed to always have to repeat the question. Despite the lackluster audience, Ringworm was nothing short of spectacular. Lots of energy, powerful vocals, and brutal guitar is exactly how a night of metal music should start.
Next up was Fit For an Autopsy, a deathcore band from New Jersey. This band’s music is as brutal and dark as the current events they base their lyrics on. Aggressive guitar and forceful drums blended with a powerful message were exactly what the audience needed to match their energy to the band on stage.
The third act of the night was Cro-Mags, a well-known hardcore band from New York. I can’t imagine John Joseph (singer) knows what it means to sit still. I mean that in a good way of course. Like most hardcore bands from New York, Cro-Mags greatly combines aggressive, high energy, loud in your face music with a dash of PMA on top. They were even cool enough to invite a young audience member, Hayden, on stage with them.
Fourth up was Terror, a hardcore/punk band from Los Angles. The lineup just keeps getting better as the night goes on. Terror embodies exactly what one usually thinks of when you think of a hardcore band from LA; anti-fascist, anti-racist, pro fast paced, make your ears bleed music. Think ‘Sick of it All’ but a bit more straightforward with their lyrics. I wouldn’t be surprised if the world record for crowd surfers was broke during their set. Definitely a highlight of the night.
Finally, the band most people came to see, Hatebreed. Twenty-five years as a band is definitely worth celebrating. I wouldn’t be surprised if Jamey Jasta’s (singer) face hurt the next day from all the smiling he did. Due to a two hour drive back home I did not stay for their whole set. Not enough good words can be said about what I did get to see though. Appreciation for their fans was expressed often and the audience harnessed that into loud singing and moshing all over the place.
If you get a chance to see this anniversary tour, do it. A lineup this stacked shouldn’t be missed.
All photos by Tiffany Detzel
HATEBREED
TERROR
CRO-MAGS
FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY
