The Cool Tour: Live Review

1. By Tyler Crooks

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July 31st 2010, The Palladium, Hollywood CA: When I arrived at the Hollywood Palladium for the Los Angeles date of the 2010 "Cool Tour", I didn't know what to expect. I decided not to listen to any of the bands beforehand so I could go in without any preconceived opinions about any of the bands playing, with the exception of As I Lay Dying. After fixing a situation that would have otherwise hindered a small portion of this review, I decided to venture into the venue to check out the music. What I heard disturbed the living hell out of me.

The first band to come out was called "War of Ages", and from the get-go, they were exactly what you'd expect to see at a hardcore festival; very standard, very bland. Most of their songs sounded the same and didn't really wow me in the least. I figured it was just because it was an opening band, shrugged it off and decided to just watch. I honestly ignored most of their stage banter and waited for the next band to come on, hoping that this wasn't a precursor of things to come.

The next band, "The Cancer Bats", were pretty much on the same level as "War of Ages". Still nothing spectacular, and honestly, they were annoying. Their singer made a point of telling everyone where they were from(spoiler: ITS CANADA!) every time he said their name. From a technical standpoint, they were pretty alright, their guitarists definitely had chops, but seemed to be in the wrong genre for originality, because they sounded pretty much the same as the band before them. They also threw a cover into their set because "people probably didn't know who they were". The cover? The Beastie Boys classic "Sabotage". People seemed to be really into this band, so maybe there was something about them that I didn't immediately notice, but they just didn't really click with me.

The next band to play was "Architects". They were a bit different vocally, but musically the same as the other 2 bands. Their singer sang clean a good portion of the time, which was a somewhat refreshing change, but other than that, everything was about the same as everything else. I can't really say much else about them because it's already been said. They were nothing to write home about. There was a fight during their set which was pretty cool, other than that, nothing exciting.

The 4th band up, "The Acacia Strain", was truthfully one of the worst bands I've ever encountered. Not in a musical sense, but the way they carried themselves onstage and spoke to their crowd. Their singer was full of incredible angst and unbearable aggression. He basically told the entire crowd to beat the hell out of each other and to feel the hatred that he feels and that he is "an incredibly miserable human being". They seemed to just bring bad vibes to the show and make everyone ultra-violent. Their music followed the same structure and sound as the bands that went on before them. Their fans were equally idiotic. I can handle moshing, I can handle slam pits, and I can handle crowd surfers, but these people took those elements and turned them into a horrible abomination of what they should be: fun. This was in no way shape or form any kind of enjoyable experience and really made me want to leave the show. By this point, I was getting pretty pissed.

The next band up was "Blessthefall". I can't say anything about their stage presence and overall live show because I decided to sit their set out and let myself calm down. I did however listen to the entirety of their set, and they were quite annoying. They had a few mishaps onstage; feedback during songs, malfunctioning microphone, little things that just make the performance more annoying. Their bassist has his levels too high and it sounded like his amp was on a setting that I can only describe as bowel loosening. Couple that with the fact that their entire performance was covered in a layer of screaming teenage girls, everything just sounded horrible.

The next band up, "Between the Buried and Me" were pretty interesting. Their sound wasn't terrible, and they seemed to be really tight in their performance. By no means am I a die-hard fan of their music, but they were far more tolerable than the bands that played before them. I can only describe their sound as "hardcore Dream Theater". I say that because they were very technical, and their songs were incredibly long. 4 songs covered about a 40 minute set. Their guitarists really surprised me. They could actually play without being too repetitive and bland. One of the guitarists reminded me a bit of Pettrucci with his style of playing. I was somewhat impressed with them, and hoped that the show followed in this fashion and that the other bands were just here for filler.

"Underoath" hit the stage next. They had good energy and really powerful stage presence, but their sound was exactly the same as all the other hardcore bands. I made it halfway through their first song before falling backwards and hurting myself badly. I managed to limp over to one of the bars at the venue and sat there doubled over in pain for awhile before watching them again from a distance. The band seemed a bit preachy and decided to tell everyone that they perform every night in the name of Jesus Christ. I have nothing against Christianity or Christians, but I don't go to shows to be preached to. Their overall performance was alright. They had a very tight and well-thought out sound. They aren't a band I would go out of my way to see, but they weren't awful. I enjoyed their closing song and decided to work my way up to the barrier after their set.

Finally, the last band hit the stage. "As I Lay Dying" opened with "94 Hours". The crowd went ballistic during their set, including the gentlemen in front of me, who absolutely lost their minds when they came onstage. As I Lay Dying was the best band on the entire tour, hands down. Their sound was incredible, and all of their songs were very melodic, unlike the rest. I was thoroughly pleased with their set, and really enjoyed the drum solo that was performed in the middle of their show. They stuck to playing most of their older material, save for a couple of new songs. Their stage presence was pretty amazing, as they carried themselves in a very professional and appreciative manner. Their singer thanked the crowd several times and reminded us all that we have a lot to be thankful for. Amazing that just a few hours ago, another band was on preaching their hate to people, and here these guys are preaching their love and message of appreciation to everyone. It really pleased me. They ended the set with "Confined", and left the stage with no time for an encore. The timing sucked, but they gave a great performance.

After attending this show, I have to say, I absolutely detest the new breed of "hardcore". The crowd just seemed like a bunch of pissed off, angst-filled, hateful individuals with no respect for personal safety, personal space, or much of anything, really. The violence and hatred just makes it seem like a bad scene to be in, and I personally don't see how anyone could see anything positive in it. It seems to me like these bands have to fit some kind of cookie cutter mold to be able to be considered cool within the hardcore scene, and that's just not my thing. Musical diversity is a great thing, and this show really offered none, with the exception of BTBAM and As I Lay Dying. Perhaps I'm wrong. Maybe there's something there that really captivates and enthralls people and makes them happy. But I can't see it. I understand that heavy metal has never really been the happiest of genres, but you shouldn't go out of the way to make your fans turn into hateful individuals. All in all, the Cool Tour was just a bad time. If you're a fan of this music, by all means, go and have fun. But if you're a casual listener of the hardcore genre, stay at home. You probably wouldn't enjoy the show.

2. By Taylor Younani

Arriving at the Hollywood Palladium at about 2:00 pm on July 31st, I had to say that I was more than prepared to spend my entire day surrounded by metal heads from around the city for a day of good old fashioned metal. However, I wasn't too sure how to feel about the day's lineup, considering the fact that bands such as "Blessthefall" and "Acacia Strain" were on the same bill. It was indeed a "cool" tour.

The day was opened by a band called "War of Ages". Personally, I had been a fan of almost every band on the bill, but out of all of them, War of Ages definitely showed the best potential for a killer live show. Their sound would have to be similar to All That Remains or even the latest sound from August Burns Red. Having never seen them before, I was quite anxious to see what the band could do, and how the crowd would react to the breakdowns the band had to offer. Their energy was just as I had seen in their music videos! The crowd was going nuts, and the band maintained the intense energy you would expect from musicians in a "hardcore" band. To be completely honest, it was a complete shame that this band had to upon up for the next couple of bands.

The band to follow "War of Ages" was known as the "Cancer Bats". I am not quite sure why the Cancer Bats were on the same bill as any of the bands that day. They were more punk than anything else. Their songs were boring, repetitive, and didn't sound anything like their studio recordings. The singer must have mentioned that the band was Canadian at least 10 times. The whole thing was a joke. To top it all off, they covered a Beastie Boys song which was taking the bad and making it worst. I noticed a ton of Cancer Bat fans in the audience, but even some of them were going to sit down in the corner during the set. Overall, I was very unimpressed.

Yet another band to tremble in the presence of "War of Ages" was a band of British pretty boys named Architects. This band sticks to the normal "metalcore" sound, and I really didn't see anything unique about them. There really isn't much to say about them other than that they were better than the Cancer Bats.

The fourth band to play was called "The Acacia Strain". This was the one band on the bill that I wanted to see more than any of the others, with the exception of the mighty BTBAM. I was truly blown away by their performance. The Acacia Strain were able to take fairly complex, yet slow guitar parts, and add in a ridiculously heavy rhythm section to produce an incredibly intense sound. Their singer, Vincent, brought the cutthroat energy that the bands lyrics represent to his stage presence. He was angry, ugly, and violent. The audience mimicked Vincent's aggressive nature through their massive pits and hardcore dances. I have been too many hardcore shows in my day, but never have I seen so many people letting loose and going crazy in the pit. After their set I had the pleasure of meeting Vincent, who was actually an extremely nice person, claiming that the lyrics and stage presence were only for show, and that he actually loves life and everything in. What a great way to end my Acacia Strain experience!

Following the Acacia Strain was a band known as "Blessthefall". Having seen this band in the past, at the time I wouldn't have called myself a fan. Since seeing them open for August Burns Red last year at the Key Club, their sound has changed in a completely new way that has, in my opinion, changed the band for the better. Their new singer, Beau, brings a new energetic vibe to their stage performance, and manages to keep himself busy even when he is not singing. For many, this was a completely misplaced band. I have to admit, it was strange going from Acacia Strain, to Blessthefall, to BTBAM, especially when each and every Blessthefall song has a breakdown somewhere in the mix. I noticed that much of the crowd were unimpressed by their performance, however I thought that their musicianship and overall performance did their name proud. It seems as though their post-hardcore music just wasn't being played in the right place.

As great as the Cool Tour was, I honestly don't think I would have attended had it not been for the next band, "Between the Buried and Me". Having already seen the band 3 times, I knew what to expect. Each and every time I have seen the band they opened with "(B) The Decade of Statues", a fantastic crowd pleasure to kick start their 45 minute set off. Like always, the band manages to bring the audience to an all new level of rowdiness. Whether it be the circle pits or hardcore dancers, it seems as though everyone at the Palladium partook in the madness, including myself. In my opinion, the songwriting and musicianship of the band members surpassed everyone of the night, which was clearly evident by the look of awe on many of the audience members faces. Finishing their set off with the sixteen minute epic, "White Walls", guitarists Dusty and Paul brought the song to a close with their outstanding sweeps and melodic solos. No matter how dreary or unimpressive the other bands were during the day, Between the Buried and Me made the whole day worthwhile.

The band to follow BTBAM is one that I truly had little interest in seeing. "Underoath" is a band made up of many talented musicians however I have never been able to enjoy them. No matter how many times I have tried to listen to them, they just never did it for me. I thought that their live performance might have changed my mind. However out of all of the bands during the day, I disliked their performance out of all of them. Underoath was so unbelievably loud that each song sounded like nothing more than feedback from the sound system. Having seen some of the loudest bands around (Iced Earth, Lamb of God, Slayer, etc.) this band truly outdid all of them, but in a very, very bad way. I spent most of their set with tissue paper in my ear or in the lobby waiting for the band to leave the stage. I am sure that for an Underoath fan, the bad did great, however for anyone else, their performance was enough to leave the show without even seeing the headliner.

The final band of the night was "As I Lay Dying" a powerful metal band from San Diego, California. I noticed that before the band played, many of the people in the audience had already left. However the fans that remained were the true As I Lay Dying fans that would truly make the show enjoyable. The band brought an extremely high amount of energy to the show, especially their front man, Tim Lambesis, who made sure to cover every inch of the stage during the performance. Seeing as though this was not a normal headlining tour, the band was only able to play 12 songs, however each song brought with it extremely heavy riffs and amazingly melodic choruses. The audience was truly going insane, however it wasn't until the final song for everyone to truly let loose. With the help of Lambesis, the crowd split into two and proceeded to follow through with a "Wall of Death" to end the night. It was truly a great way for an outstanding band to end the day.

After reflecting on the day, I could safely say that I had been to better shows. Had it not been for the efforts of bands like As I Lay Dying or BTBAM, this show would have been a forgettable one. No matter, having only paid 15 dollars for the show, I would have to say that I got my money's worth. The Cool Tour brought with it many different subgenres of the metal world which allowed for people with many different tastes to have a good time at the show. When all is said and done, I would have to say that I enjoyed my day at the Hollywood Palladium. Although I didn't enjoy a couple of the bands during the day, I had the opportunity to listen to some great music and meet some awesome people in the process.

Set lists:

War Of Ages

Through the Flames
Desire
Collapse
Stand your ground
Consumed by fire

Cancer bats

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Sorceress
Sabotage (Beastie Boys Cover)
Hail destroyer

The Acacia Strain

See You Next Tuesday
Balboa Towers
Pity
Angry Mob Justice
Jonestown
JFC

Architects

Follow The Water
Aesthetic Perfection
Numbers Count For Nothing
Dethroned
Hollow Crown
Early Grave

Blessthefall

To Hell and Back
Guys Like You Make Us Look Bad
A Message To The Unknown
God Wears Gucci
Skinwalkers
Witness

BTBAM

(B) The Decade Of Statues
Obfuscation
Disease Injury Madness
White Walls

Underoath

Returning Empty Handed
Breathing In A New Mentality
It's Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door
Anyone Can Dig a Hole but It Takes a Real Man to Call It Home
Emergency Broadcast: The End Is Near
Writing On The Walls
New Song
Everyone Looks So Good From Here
Desperate Times, Desperate Measures
In Regards To Myself

As I Lay Dying

94 Hours
An Ocean Between Us
Anodyne Sea
Beyond Our Suffering
The Sound of Truth
Within Destruction
Drum Solo
Vacancy
Condemned
Nothing Left
Through Struggle
Confined

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