Shared Article from David Rubene and Langen Goldstien
After pushing my way through the young crowd that was less than helpful when it came to creating a path for me to get out, I found myself leaving show number one of the night and being dumped onto the street of Saint Paul and hustling to get down the block in time to catch at least the last two bands at the Druid album release party. Although I felt like I was part of something, it didn’t feel like home at The Palace Theater. That changed the second I walked into The Amsterdam Bar & Hall. I was instantly greeted by friends from the metal scene that I hadn’t seen in a couple months. Although exhausted, I felt a sigh of relief as I walked into the venue side of Amsterdam and heard the sweet sounds of the local metal scene.
Inflict opened the night. It was impressive to see the high-level of energy that kicked right in from the beginning. These guys did not hold back one bit and clearly smashed their way through the great set. Crowd reaction was definitely engaged and it didn’t take long for a mosh pit to form.
Next up, Hailing Andromeda took the stage. These guys turned up the volume with aggressive rhythms and a set that included highly melodic guitar riffs combined with serious breakdowns. Even though there were some technical difficulties, their set was a crowd pleaser and got people moving.
After a quick stage change, King of Tyrus jumped into their set. Up to now, the bands set the tone and mood for the evening … and did so brilliantly. However, as the saying goes, ‘the shit just got real’! In just a few bars into the opening the song, the crowds exploded. King of Tyrus completely mastered a full instrument only set with huge impactful power despite the absence of frontman Josiah Prosser. Though I had covered King of Tyrus at this year’s Top Secret Metal Fest, these guys have really stepped up their game. Musically solid to the core. Once Josiah returns, they will certainly be on my list to cover live.
Time Keeper instantly whisked me away from my sing-a-long world that I had been in for the past couple of hours and into a world of aggression (the good type) and raw emotion. Their set was intense and in your face without coming off as hostile or dangerous. That vibe matched the crowd. Although there were plenty of people kicking and swinging their way through the pit that opened up in the audience, nobody was trying to hurt anyone and every kick to the butt of a fellow audience member was all in good fun. I couldn’t help but have a giant cheesy smile creep across my face as I watched all this go down. Sure, Hippo Campus may be a local band that sold out the huge venue that is The Palace Theater, but here I was watching Time Keeper play to a surprisingly large audience full of people that were there to support the bands, not just watch. It was heart warming to say the least.
Following Time Keeper’s short set was a much anticipated performance from local metal band Druid. I’ve watched these guys grow over the past couple of years and have been saying that they will be the next big thing to break out of the local scene since day one. Last night was just a good reminder of why I think that and almost reassured me that my thoughts on these guys are correct. They blasted into their set with a sense of force and power that I had never seen them have before. I instantly leaned over to my buddy standing next to me and all I could say was, “Holy. Shit.” My jaw was on the ground throughout their short yet powerful set. Not only was their energy higher than I had ever seen before, their sound was cleaner than I had ever heard before. Vocalist Noah Lecuyer seemed to attack every word with a sense of precision that I had never heard him have before. Every note played by the other four members was played right where it belonged and was played with a sense of conviction. Everything about Druid’s set from the music to their stage presence was methodical without coming off as fake or rehearsed. It just wet to prove that, as I suspected since day one, Druid is just one of those uber talented bands that has “it”.
After playing through their quick set, the audience was left pleading with the band for one more song. Noah explained that they literally had nothing else to perform but, if the audience wanted, they could go into a bit of a jam session with just one epic breakdown. The crowd (myself included) honestly didn’t care what we got, we just wanted more. The band obliged and ended the set with an improvised breakdown that lasted minutes. As the music faded out and the “after show mosh” wound down, I found myself a little bummed that I didn’t just spend my whole night at Amsterdam for this show. I had everyone telling me what I had missed and I was honestly super bent out of shape having missed some of the other great local bands that this metal scene has to offer.
