By Andrew Bansal
April 9th 2015, House Of Blues Sunset Strip, West Hollywood CA: Hailing from geographically very distant corners of the United States but undergoing a similarly strong comeback phase in resurrecting their mission of carrying the flag for American modern heavy metal, Florida’s Nonpoint and Alaska’s 36 Crazyfists embarked on a tour together in early April 2015 and rolled through Los Angeles for a gig at the House Of Blues Sunset Strip last Thursday April 9th. Fans of both bands came out in large numbers to show their support and bask in some straightforward modern heavy music.
Promptly at 9:15, 36 Crazyfists hit the stage for a 45-minute set that they played with much conviction and purpose. This band had disappeared into obscurity for the past few years, as the year 2010 was the last time I saw them perform in this town. They released their aptly titled sixth album ‘Time And Trauma’ via Spinefarm Records in February 2015, and based on their live renditions of tunes off of it such as ‘Sorrow Sings’, ‘Also Am I’ and the title track, it’s clear that 36 Crazyfists’ comeback is genuine and timely as this is some of the strongest material they’ve written till date. Singer Brock Lindow carried himself excellently on stage and was well supported by his three band mates, and together, despite portraying a very modern metal style, 36 Crazyfists are able to do so with a classic four-piece vocals-bass-guitar-drums setup. Lindow also ensured that he mentioned words of gratitude towards the venue, where the band is most probably performing for the final time. ‘Sorrow Sings’ was the heaviest tune and the highlight of the set in my opinion, but overall it was great to see 36 Crazyfists alive and kicking again.
Shortly after, at 10:20, headliners Nonpoint took the stage in front of a packed House Of Blues and made everyone’s outing to this event worthwhile with a high-energy set. Singer Elias Soriano and his band mates’ unending bouts of energy are infectious in their impact on the audience. But besides the straightforward, easy to appreciate heavy music, the most standout feature of Nonpoint’s style is the cleanliness of Soriano’s singing, which is such a refreshing break from the generic, talentless cookie-cutter growls employed by vocalists of most modern metal bands. For that matter, both Nonpoint and 36 Crazyfists can be proud to have been able to exhibit real singing talent for all these years. And just like 36 Crazyfists, Nonpoint have laid down some solid material on their latest album, the 2014 release ‘The Return’ via Razor & Tie. Even though the older fan favorites from Nonpoint’s back catalog garnered singalongs and strongly positive reactions from the fans, tunes from the new album were also well received.
All in all, Nonpoint and 36 Crazyfists combined to put forth a tremendous representation of the sub-genre they have been pursuing for so long, and fans of this style attending any of the remaining shows on this tour can be guaranteed of an enjoyable evening.
36 Crazyfists North American Tour Dates:
4/14 – Austin, Texas – Red 7*
4/16 – Lubbock, Texas – Jake’s Back Room*
4/17 – Abilene, Texs – The Silo*
4/21 – Little Rock, Ark. – Juanita’s*
4/24 – Destin, Fla. – Club La*
4/28 – Chattanooga, Tenn. – Track 29**
4/30 – Dallas, Texas – Trees
5/01 – San Antonio, Texas – Alamo City Music Hall
5/02 – Houston, Texas- Bayou Music Center**
5/04 – Mobile, Ala. – Soul Kitchen**
5/05 – Birmingham, Ala. – Iron City**
5/06 – Louisville, Ky – Expo Five
5/07 – St. Louis, Mo. – The Firebird
5/08 – Milwaukee, Wis. – Eagles Ballroom**
*With Nonpoint
**With Five Finger Death Punch
36 Crazyfists Headline Tour Dates:
5/09 – Lansing, MI – The Loft*
5/10 – Joliet, IL – Mojoes*
5/12 – Cleveland, OH – The Agora Theatre and Ballroom*
5/13 – Trenton, NJ – Championship Bar*
5/14 – Springfield, VA – Empire*
5/15 – Lemoyne, PA – The Champ*
5/16 – New York, NY – Webster Hall**
5/17 – Hartford, CT – Webster Theater**
5/19 – Montreal, QC – Bar Le Ritz PDB**
5/20 – Ottawa, ON – Mavericks**
5/22 – Toronto, ON – Hard Luck**
5/23 – Kokomo, IN – Centerstage Bar and Grill**
5/24 – Des Moines, IA – Vaudeville Mews**
5/25 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
5/26 – Salt Lake City, UT – In The Venue**
5/29 – Seattle, WA – Studio Seven**
5/30 – Spokane, WA – The Hop**
*With Toothgrinder
**With Toothgrinder and Sleepwave