{"id":14650,"date":"2017-02-05T22:32:17","date_gmt":"2017-02-06T06:32:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/gig_reviews\/?p=14650"},"modified":"2017-02-05T22:32:17","modified_gmt":"2017-02-06T06:32:17","slug":"raising-horns-symbolic-alchemy-aghori-and-ever-rock-san-diego","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/gig_reviews\/2017\/02\/05\/raising-horns-symbolic-alchemy-aghori-and-ever-rock-san-diego\/","title":{"rendered":"Raising Horns: Symbolic, Alchemy, Aghori & And Ever rock San Diego"},"content":{"rendered":"

Review by Sebastian Vazquez & Chris McFly, photos by Chris McFly<\/strong><\/p>\n

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January 28th 2017, Brick By Brick, San Diego, CA: <\/strong>The highly anticipated CD release of Symbolic\u2019s fifth\u00a0album was held at San Diego’s metal hub, Brick By Brick, featuring local support\u00a0acts And Ever and Aghori, and Tijuana, Mexico\u2019s Alchemy.<\/p>\n

Symbolic\u2019s newly released record ‘5ive’ is an expression of the power prog metal quintet’s new approach in delivering shorter, streamlined songs that grab striking attention and leave you wanting more. ‘5ive’, one could say, is a dramatic turn in their sound in comparison to previous releases like ‘Xenatopia’ and ‘Nevertime’, as those records were concept pieces and featured longer songs, ranging from 7-11 minutes in length, with progressive elements in time signature changes and the like. One could also say that ‘5ive’ encapsulates the band’s original timbre, a culmination of many years of fine-tuning their sound and in my opinion, it is their best record to date. The band\u2019s finesse in the ability to reproduce their distinguished sound without making any overwhelming changes to their style is impressive enough. The band was about to present all of this new material at this album release show.<\/p>\n

By 8PM, the Brick By Brick\u2019s crowd was piling in as a number of dedicated local fans from all over San Diego slowly packed the venue to see the performance of ‘5ive’ in its entirety. The band\u2019s draw count was impressive enough for less than a handful of local acts, demonstrating San Diego\u2019s growing and loyal fan base coming out on a Saturday evening in anticipation of Symbolic\u2019s set.<\/p>\n

First up was And\u00a0Ever<\/strong><\/a>, a four-piece band with their hard-hitting sound and message of Christian faith. The quartet wasted no time as they were able to bring their signature sound of heavy metal paired with lovely harmonious vocals that truly captivated the crowd. A great addition to the already amazing line up, And Ever definitely held their own and were an amazing start to a great show. This female-fronted, faith-based metal outfit is surely to continue making waves in the San Diego metal scene.<\/p>\n

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And Ever<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And Ever set list:<\/strong>
\n01. Intro: Renew My Tarnish
\n02. Dark End Heart
\n03. Forgive
\n04. Ashes of Clarity
\n05. Everlasting
\n06. Surrender
\n07. Sleeper
\n08. In the Sky
\n09. Illuminate
\n10. Synthetic<\/p>\n

The second band on the bill overwhelmingly changed the tone of the evening, in a good way, by delivering to the crowd a fast-paced raw metal sound, similar to the likes of Judas Priest and Accept. Tijuana-based traditional metal group Alchemy<\/strong><\/a> has been rapidly\u00a0making its mark on the scene as they recently even opened up for Megadeth last year, and frequents Brick By Brick in support of bands that are similar to them in musical style, and Alchemy always draws\u00a0a great crowd. Vocalist Carlos Yeme, clad in leather, brought up the energy with his high-flying kicks, cartwheels, and death stares while delivering power vocals. Their tune ‘Fake Illusions’ changed the dynamics to a slower, Sabbath-type feel that led to the traditional metal canon of fast galloping and power chords. The following song ‘To Live and Die’ opened up with a melodic solo and really showcased guitarist Jonathan Duran\u2019s talent. The band played with genuine enthusiasm and an infectious ambiance that left the audience head-banging and raising metal horns and fists. The vocalist\u00a0introduced the song ‘Killer of Dreams’, highlighting the current political climate in the United States and delivered a feel-good message reciting, \u201cDon\u2019t listen to the dream killers. Because YOU\u2026 are the best.\u201d The band closed out the evening with an original piece titled ‘Motor Be Thy Head’, a tribute to heavy metal legend Lemmy Kilmister.<\/p>\n

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Alchemy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Set List:<\/strong>
\n01. Nameless
\n02. Fake Illusions
\n03. To Live and Die
\n04. Faith
\n05. Through the Night
\n06. Killer of Dreams
\n07. Motor Be Thy Head<\/p>\n

More Alchemy photos:<\/strong><\/p>\n