photos by Vito Ingerto
The Fillmore Minneapolis was on fire Saturday night when co-headliners The Devil Wears Prada and Fit For A King brought the Metalcore Dropouts to the Twin Cities Saturday night, the last stop on the tour. Adding fuel to the flames were Counterparts and Avoid.
The epic night of metal mayhem started off with an electrifying set by Seattle based AVOID. The url for their website is avoidkicksass.org, so that should give you some idea of the energy the band brought. There couldn’t have been a better choice to get the evening started. Avoid totally captivated the very crowded Fillmore, at one point frontman Benny Scholl jumped off the stage and over the barricade. Check out their latest release, Cult Mentality on ThrillerRecords.
Up next and keeping the night heavy were Ontario based hardcore rockers Counterparts. Rock solid drumming along with strong melodies that are heavier than a semi full of Viking refrigerators, Counterparts punished the crowd, but weren’t as engaging as Avoid. The faithfulat the Fillmore were fully engaged though, drawn in with lyrics relating to struggles with addiction and loss. And a massive mosh pit had everyone dodging errant elbows.
Co Headliners Fit For A King had the air of aristocracy about them as the just destroyed the Fillmore on Saturday night. “End (The Other Side)” hit the crowd like a snow shovel to the forehead. The set was full of acrobatics, both on the fretboard and from the 3 strategically spaced platforms on the stage. “Breaking The Mirror” and “The Price Of Agony” seemed to hit the Fillmore audience the hardest of the set, those on the rail knew every word to “Breaking The Mirror”.
There was no way The Devil Wears Prada could possibly bring as much energy as the first 3 bands, could they? Oh yes they can, and they brought more electricity than 5 nuclear generating power plants. A shirtless Guiseppe Capoluto waived to the crowd as he mounted his drum kit. Opening with the dynamic “Exhibition” off of their latest release Color Decay, the band was greeted to chants of Prada! Prada! Prada! Strobes and red lights bathed the band on their 2 tiered stage. Vocalist Mike Hranica, guitarists Jeremy DePoyster and Kyle Sipress occupied the front of the stage, while Capolupo, keyboardist Jonathan Gerig and bassist Mason Nagy held court on the riser. Highlights of the set included “Watchtower”, “Chemical” and “Sacrifice” and ended the set with a killer “Hey John, What Is Your Name Again”
The Metalcore Dropouts lineup truly highlights the current pinnacle of the Metalcore scene, and they brought that head banging goodness to a diverse and appreciative audience at a packed Fillmore Saturday night.
