{"id":2920,"date":"2016-12-23T00:11:39","date_gmt":"2016-12-23T08:11:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/articles\/?p=2920"},"modified":"2016-12-23T00:11:39","modified_gmt":"2016-12-23T08:11:39","slug":"show-stealers-of-2016-7-support-acts-that-outperformed-their-headliners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/articles\/2016\/12\/23\/show-stealers-of-2016-7-support-acts-that-outperformed-their-headliners\/","title":{"rendered":"Show-Stealers Of 2016: 7 Support Acts That Outperformed Their Headliners"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Andrew Bansal<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"showstealers2016\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Around this time of the year we celebrate the best albums, shows and new bands of the 12 months gone by, but also equally deserving of the recognition are bands that not only played in front of audiences that were in attendance to see someone else, but ended up superseding the efforts of their respective headliners and stealing the show. I witnessed many such instances in 2016, as the habit of going to shows early enough to catch all bands on the lineup (and never caring or asking for set times) is deeply ingrained in me. Here are the seven best show-stealers of the year, in chronological order<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Yidhra (supporting Conan & Serial Hawk) @ Complex, Glendale CA 3\/20:\u00a0<\/strong>Los Angeles based stoner doom masters Yidhra have often served as the ideal local opening act for national and international bands coming through town, but on this occasion, Yidhra stood out as the best band of the show, by far, as they were in fact the only band to showcase any kind of musicality and structure to their heaviness, while the other two bands were busy turning it up\u00a0as loud as they could and shaking the foundations of the venue but failing to make anywhere near as much of an impact as Yidhra did early on in the evening. Los Angeles is lucky to claim Yidhra as a “local band”, as they showed here that they’re very much on par and in some cases better than bands from afar.<\/p>\n

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Yidhra<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Unleash The Archers (supporting Anvil) @\u00a0Pub Rock, Scottsdale AZ 6\/4:\u00a0<\/strong>Hailing from Vancouver BC,\u00a0female-fronted melodic death\/power metal band Unleash The Archers opened for Anvil this year, and UTA outclassed their fellow Canadians by quite some margin, as anyone and everyone who\u00a0saw the two bands on this tour was left wondering why it wasn’t the other way round, and why UTA did not headline instead. They’re the better band and they drew a much larger audience to the shows by themselves. Led by the soaring\u00a0vocal highs\u00a0and compelling stage presence of Brittney Slayes and well backed by the skillfully crafted musicianship of her band mates. After\u00a0UTA’s spectacular set, there was no hope in hell for Anvil.<\/p>\n

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Unleash The Archers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He Whose Ox Is Gored (supporting Ghost Bath & Underling) @ Complex, Glendale CA 7\/15<\/strong>: Seattle-based progressive sludge\/doom\/post-rock group He Whose Ox Is Gored opened this show, at a venue they’ve headlined in the past, and with seemingly minimum effort but maximum output, they easily turned out to be the most dynamic and memorable band of this event. They created quite the atmosphere with their dark, tense, psychedelic passages and established a strong grip on a visibly stunned audience early in their set. They only went from strength to strength with each song, showcasing all of their repertoire within the short time allotted to them, and\u00a0made a long-lasting impression,\u00a0much more so than the bands that followed. He Whose Ox Is Gored left this audience floored.<\/p>\n

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He Whose Ox Is Gored<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ghoul (supporting Carcass & Crowbar) @ The Roxy, West Hollywood CA 7\/24:\u00a0<\/strong>Northern California crossover thrash marauders Ghoul have been known to take no prisoners and leave nothing but sheer devastation in their wake, and this being another instance wherein a band that previously headlined a venue returned as an opening act, Ghoul showed why they’re one of the most entertaining live bands in existence, and neither Carcass nor Crowbar were able to come close to matching them. Obviously playing a shorter set than they would as a headline act, Ghoul packed the intensity and theatricality of a full set into the 30 minutes they got here at the Roxy. Fast and deadly precise tunes accompanied by humorous gore theater and lots of stage blood instigated non-stop circle pits and left the crowd wanting more from Ghoul, and made the following two bands’ sets feel like yawnfests in comparison.<\/p>\n

Read more on Page 2<\/em><\/p>\n

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Ghoul<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

Power Trip (supporting Terror) @ Union, Los Angeles CA 7\/28:\u00a0<\/strong>When it comes to thrash\/speed metal, Dallas, Texas group Power Trip have developed a reputation of being the fiercest of them all in their eight-year career\u00a0thus far, specially through the tours they’ve done since\u00a0the release of their 2013 debut LP ‘Manifest Decimation’. On this summer 2016 tour supporting hardcore band Terror, Power Trip stepped on stage in Los Angeles, (which also happens to be the headliners’ hometown) with only one aim: total destruction. They were completely\u00a0in the zone right from the outset and\u00a0the speed and ferocity of the music played on stage was matched in full by that of the mosh pit. Terror were not flawed in their performance by any means, but\u00a0were\u00a0simply faced with an insurmountably daunting task of following a Power Trip set, which absolutely no active band on the planet can do.<\/p>\n

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Power Trip<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Blade Killer (supporting Steve Grimmett’s Grim Reaper & Thrust) @ Complex, Glendale CA 11\/22:\u00a0<\/strong>Los Angeles based traditional metal quintet Blade Killer always choose\u00a0the right shows to play and the right bands to open for, this being another such occasion for them, as they provided local support for a show at Complex featuring\u00a0Steve Grimmett’s Grim Reaper and Thrust. Plenty of horns and fists were raised high,\u00a0as\u00a0this mostly denim-and-leather clad crowd was very much in approval of Blade Killer and their righteous old-school metal tunes. But a set that was initially perceived as an ideal start to the show eventually ended up being remembered as the best part of it, Blade Killer standing out as far better than the rest in terms of the quality of musicianship, energy level and stage presence. As much as\u00a0musical talent, it takes courage for a new, young band to pursue a musical style whose fans would much rather prefer to remain stuck in the nostalgia of\u00a0the ’80s and listen to and watch the same old bands over and over, but Blade Killer make the impossible seem possible, and show how it’s done.<\/p>\n

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Blade Killer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Enforcer (supporting Dark Tranquillity & Swallow The Sun) @ Grove of Anaheim, Anaheim CA 11\/30:\u00a0<\/strong>Swedish traditional metal stalwarts Enforcer started the year touring\u00a0North America and ended it doing the same, opening for their fellow countrymen Dark Tranquillity and Finnish doomsters Swallow The Sun for the latter. If one were to seek the living, breathing embodiment of heavy metal perfection, Enforcer would certainly be it, whether it be in the music, the dress sense, the mannerisms or the crowd interaction. Enforcer is everything a metalhead loves about metal and\u00a0their live show brings it forth on stage in a manner unmatchably captivating and undeniably impressive. Vocalist\/guitarist Olof Wikstrand, guitarist Joseph Tholl, bassist Tobias Lindqvist and drummer Jonas Wikstrand were all at the peak of their powers at this Anaheim show, individually and as a group, the impact of their short yet perfectly orchestrated set so indelible that it not only made Swallow The Sun look and sound like the most boring band on earth, but also vastly outdid Dark Tranquillity’s efforts. Despite performing to a new audience, Enforcer reigned supreme and emerged triumphant.<\/p>\n

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\"Enforcer\"<\/a>
Enforcer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Andrew Bansal Around this time of the year we celebrate the best albums, shows and new bands of the 12 months gone by, but also equally deserving of the recognition are bands that not only played in front of audiences that were in attendance to see someone else, but ended up superseding the efforts … <\/p>\n

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