By Andrew Bansal
July 27th 2013, The Joint, Los Angeles CA: It was a fairly long time ago when I last saw Canadian metal band Into Eternity perform on an LA stage, as main support act to Iced Earth at the Wiltern in 2008. Ironically, their then vocalist Stu Block joined Iced Earth a couple of years ago and has been touring worldwide with them ever since, while Into Eternity were left stranded, looking for a new vocalist and attempting to start anew. It finally happened for them recently as touring vocalist Amanda Kiernan became the full-time singer and currently they are on a short US tour running into some Canada dates. The tour included a comeback LA gig at the Joint last night. Being such a different band now as compared to 2008 with a female lead vocalist and a new drummer, I really didn’t know what to expect from Into Eternity but went to check out the show anyway, and I definitely do not regret doing so.
Unfortunately I had to miss out on the three local openers Krokodil, Cruelty Exalted and Mutalisk this time, but right before they came on and rocked the place, their touring support act Abnormal Thought Patterns, a San Francisco Bay Area based instrumental three-piece progressive metal band, took the stage and warmed up the small but extremely enthusiastic crowd rather nicely. It took a song or two for people to get into what this band was trying to do, but once that happened, it was a smooth set for everyone involved. These three guys presented some sweet jams up there, very dynamic with technicality, shred and melody, but very metal at its core. They had no bassist at this show as their bassist is recovering from some sort of injury, but I thought the band adjusted well enough to make up for the absence of bass. They sounded solid and I particularly enjoyed watching the drummer do his thing. Impressive set, overall.
abnormalthoughtpatterns.com
facebook.com/pages/Abnormal-Thought-Patterns/160108597365964
At around 11.30, right on schedule as opposed to some other bands that have taken forever to grace us with their presence on this Joint stage in the recent past, Into Eternity began their set and put on quite a face-melting performance that rendered everybody awe-struck. The new singer connected with the audience straightaway and came across as a truly natural musician and performer both with her singing and her stage moves. She pretty much extended the stage for herself by turning the adjoining bar into a catwalk. She said she’s been a fan of the band since long before joining them, which was evidently clear from the manner in which she handled all the songs. It was great to see the band play a full headline set, with lots of older songs combined with a couple of the new singles that were released recently with Amanda on vocals. The new stuff sounded massive and intense. Despite the vocalist change, the core of the band still remains the same with founding member Tim Roth on guitars and backing vocals, Troy Bleich on bass and Justin Bender on guitars being a stable songwriting team for well over 7 years now which has helped still keep the band’s musical identity, and the quality of their musicianship was there for everyone to hear and see.
There is no doubt that Into Eternity is back with a bang and as a group still has it in them to move forward and achieve the success they so far haven’t been able to. I expected nothing from them and they absolutely blew me away. I am extremely grateful to the local promoter Church Of The 8th Day for bringing Into Eternity down for us Los Angeles folks. If you aren’t familiar with the new incarnation of Into Eternity and are wondering whether or not they are worth your time, you should take my word for it and decide to check them out because they are by no means your average, cheesy female-centered metal band.
intoeternity.net
facebook.com/intoeternityweb
Set List:
1. Speak of the Dead
2. Splintered Visions
3. Sandstorm
4. Severe Emotional Distress
5. Shallow
6. Elysium Dream
7. A Black Light Ending
8. Surrounded by Night
9. The Fringes of Psychosis
10.Frozen Hell
11.The Incurable Tragedy Part One
12.Fukushima
13.Beginning of the End
14.Timeless Winter
Remaining Tour Dates:
7/28 – San Francisco, CA – Thee Parkside *
7/29 – Portland, OR – Branx *
7/30 – Vancouver, BC – The Biltmore **
7/31 – Seattle, WA – Studio Seven **
8/01 – Kamloops, BC – The Blue Grotto **
8/02 – Red Deer, AB – The Vat Pub **
8/03 – Edmonton, AB – Pawn Shop **
* = with Abnormal Thought Patterns
** = with Untimely Demise