Fri Jul 15th - Light The Torch, whom are currently on tour as Avatar's support act, made a special headline appearance at Chicago's Bottom Lounge on Friday evening. Originally set in late May to be Light The Torch & OTEP, the latter had to withdraw from the concert, and the evening would now be supported by Moon Tooth & The Callous Daoboys, with the show opening with Chicago locals Synovial & Face The Fire.
Face The Fire would be kicking off the show. As a reviewer that strives to be as truthful as possible, I will admit that I am not familiar with the band and had not heard any of their music prior to the performance. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see much of the performance thanks to a combination of good ol' Chicago traffic on a rainy Friday night and the venue starting the show earlier than the scheduled time, making it difficult for me to offer a standard review of the band. I did succeed in taking a few pictures before the set ended, which you can see below. Ultimately, support local music! Go check these guys out!
The night's second act would be Synovial. You've undoubtedly seen this band on your Instagram feed a few times if you've been following us for a while. The five-piece prog metal band, from the Northwest Suburbs, kicked off their set with the 2018 single "525". Over the years, the band has worked diligently to polish its sound, which combines clean and harsh vocals that are expertly matched and executed with melodic and nuanced riffs to match the fierce yet accurate drumming. After performing their most recent single, "Neibolt," the band debuted a brand-new song, "Desert Hours," which has me really excited to hear what the band has in store for the release of their next album. This song seems to be the band's next step in the development of their own unique sound. They got the crowd going once more with "Meanwhile," a fan and personal favorite, as they finished out their set before exiting the stage to a chorus of applause from their loyal hometown following.
The Callous Daoboys, a band from Atlanta, Georgia, would be another I was unfamiliar with and would take the stage next. This was by far one of the more unique performances I've ever seen, complete with a "Everytime We Touch" dance party intermission. The seven-piece "mathcore metalcore" band obviously has stage presence; I spent the majority of the performance frantically switching between band members because I don't believe any of them stopped moving at any point. However, that's a nice problem to have at a metal gig. Since I usually adhere to the standard metalcore/deathcore genres, this is a newer sound to me. Since they don't actually sound like anything I've heard before, I find it difficult to describe the band's sound or make a comparison. How many metal bands actually have an electric violinist, after all? I would encourage any metal lover to at least check them out and attend a set if they are scheduled to perform in your area as it is sure to be a blast!
Moon Tooth, a New York band from Long Island, would perform next. They are yet another band that I had never heard of before the concert (I had purchased my ticket in May when it was announced as LTT & OTEP), but they have a strong rock sound that I could see myself jamming to and adding a few of their songs to my playlist, including "The Conduit" & "Carry Me Home." Vocalist John Carbone even jumped off the stage to play a song in front of the crowd in the pit, demonstrating the band's strong stage presence. It was a high-energy set, and I'm confident that most rock fans would like one or two of these guys' tracks.
None other than Light The Torch would bring the evening to a close. the band kicked things off with "More Than Dreaming" from their 2021 release "You Will Be The Death Of Me" before ripping into "Calm Before The Storm" from their prior 2018 release "Revival." The band was led by vocalist and metal legend Howard Jones, formerly of the 3-time grammy award nominated Killswitch Engage, while being backed by Francesco Artusato (ex-All Shall Perish), and Ryan Wombacher (Bleeding Through). Growing up, I was a huge fan of Killswitch, All Shall Perish, and Bleeding Through, so it's been wonderful to watch this trio find success as Light The Torch. The last time I had the privilege of seeing the band live was in 2019 on the Sirius XM Octane Accelerator Tour, and I can confidently state they have not lost a step. This will be my second opportunity to do so. Howard Jones, whose vocals are among the most well-known in the metal genre, never ceases to wow listeners with his smooth transition from his distinctive clean voice to his incredibly stunning high & low screams that he sprinkles throughout. They kept their performance going with "Let Me Fall Apart", "The Death Of Me", "Living With A Ghost" and "Become The Martyr", which they just recently dropped a music video for. The band sounded fantastic on all fronts, with Francesco shredding lick after lick with ease and precision and Ryan Wombacher putting down crisp bass lines and providing superb backup vocals to complement Howard. "Lost In The Fire," "Virus," "The Safety Of Disbelief," and "Wilting In The Light" were the band's final four songs before "Die Alone" brought the performance to a close.
With only a few weeks remaining on their July support run, the band will head south for a few dates before heading north to Canada for a few shows, as well as hitting a few dates in California before wrapping up on July 31st in Tucson, AZ. If you see a local date, make sure to get some tickets and show your support; you'll be in for a great show!
- Nick B.
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