Review & photos by Andrew Bansal
December 14th 2013, The Roxy, West Hollywood CA: Based out of Fort Collins, Colorado, technical death metal band Allegaeon have been around since 2008 and after self-releasing their debut EP in the same year, they got signed to Metal Blade Records and have put out two full-length studio albums since then. Now, they’re working on the follow-up to their 2012 release ‘Formshifter’, and in the lead-up to that whole process, they began a North American headline tour in Denver CO on November 30th and as part of the final stretch of this run, they visited the Roxy in West Hollywood last night. I saw them a little over two-and-a-half years ago when they played the House of Blues, I remember them putting on an impressive show back then, but somehow I lost track of their progress since then and wasn’t quite sure what was in store at this particular gig. Nonetheless, I decided to check it out and ventured to the Roxy on what appeared to be an unusually quiet Saturday evening on the Sunset Strip.
Doors opened at around 7:45, but the opening acts didn’t quite pique my interest, and as a result it turned out to be a long, long wait before Allegaeon took the stage, at 15 minutes past midnight. The turnout was depressingly bad for this show, which was understandable to an extent because Allegaeon is not Roxy headliner material yet, but the local openers didn’t draw any kind of crowd either and the whole notion of local ‘support’ was rendered pointless. It’s safe to say that Allegaeon would have preferred to play a much smaller venue, but the moment they took that stage, they came across as absolute professionals and didn’t let this strange vibe deter them whatsoever.
Led by vocalist Ezra Hayes, the band brought insane amounts of energy onto the stage and instantly got this small crowd involved, as circle pits were kicked into motion and heads were banging. Ezra and his band mates used the entirety of the Roxy stage to their advantage to move around as much as they could, and they managed to get their sound nailed down perfectly, with guitarists Greg Burgess and Mike Stancel laying down some solid riffs and sweet harmonies which showcased their technical ability and at the same time lent a touch of catchiness to the music which was easy for the audience to enjoy. Aside from the band’s guitar work and the energy levels, Ezra’s vocals were another standout feature of the performance. Unlike numerous extreme metal vocalists, he presented a style of vocal delivery that’s impossible to categorize as ‘cookie monster’, as he sang in a register lower than the norm and added a dimension of expression to the sound. A real connection between the band and the audience could be felt, as some fans in the front row were seen handing beers to Ezra in gratitude of the good times the band was providing for these people.
Allegaeon put on a very engaging and entertaining show here at the Roxy, and even though the show would have been crazier at a smaller venue, the band seemed to enjoy headlining this big stage and despite the turnout, it’s fair to say they made the most of it, and next time they come back around these parts, a bigger turnout would be expected. This set was an apt representation of Allegaeon’s brand of technically skilled yet melodically catchy death metal.
Visit Allegaeon on the web:
facebook.com/Allegaeon
twitter.com/Allegaeon