Syx, Inflikt, Candiria, and American Head Charge 1/28/05 @ Ash Street Saloon in Portland, OR
By Robin Steeley and Elana Siau
It’s another rainy night in Portland and as a result, the crowd seemed to trickle in at first at the Ash Street, but by the time the bands started, it was packed. Opening tonight’s show are two Portland bands that are both coming close to infamy in the Pacific Northwest music scene, each in their own right. Syx is on first and they have an enormous hardcore sound from the very first note. The music is controlled yet effortlessly delivered and remains strong from beginning to end. They play songs from their debut album as well as their latest “A Cold Breath of What it Takes” including the melodic crusher “A Letter to Divide”. They are so solid in their delivery that their devotion to the stage and their performance is readily apparent.
After the set change, the mighty Inflikt explode onto the stage with their unique blend of cold metal fury. With a focus on dynamics and melody, the band has a crushing sound that is powerful and dependent on perfectly blended guitars, a low punishing bass line, ferocious drums and the amazing vocal talents of LB William. They play crowd favorite “Bloodstains” as well as the equally punishing “So Render” and my favorite “I Let Go” which is a vicious anthem that reaches out, grabs you by the guts, and moves you….violently.
The crowd is wall to wall dense and the room is heavy with anticipation as Brooklyn’s Candiria finally takes the stage and dives right into “A Temple of Sickness”, an impressive song that immediately saturates you with their brand of unique hardcore. Their trademark sound is in evidence again with “Blood”, a heavy punkish groove with East Coast influenced vocals and slow driving breakdowns. Also included is “Dead Bury The Dead”, a melodic song with a mix of furious love/hate vocals. They end their set with “Signs”, which starts strong with powerful, deliberate drums mixed with complex timing and tuned down bass that shakes you from the inside out. Candiria is crushingly heavy with solid breakdowns, switching from melodic to extreme heaviness seamlessly. They have an energetic stage performance, with excellent vocals, impeccable instrumentation and a huge presence.
Headlining the night is none other then Minnesota natives American Head Charge, a band that has maintained a steady stream of successes since their debut album War of Art. They open tonight with “Wrapt” a steady thrashy groove with heavy breakdowns and dominant vocals. Next is “Pledge Allegiance”, hard out of the gate with good time changes and the keyboards tying it together. “Reach” has nu metal tinged vocals that lead into a heavy chorus with strong industrial influences. They also played “Loyalty”, a marching drive with powerful drums and melodic vocals. I also really loved “Suspect”, which has an infectious intro, followed by macabre keyboard riffs and a climactic ending. Tonight’s crowd favorite is “Violent” an industrial blending with crunchy guitars and a warped keyboard melody. They close the night with the song “Erratic” off their new release. This band is always an intense performance to watch with their high intensity rock charged anthems, flawless timing, and impressive delivery. Be sure to pick up their new album titled The Feeding in stores February 15th, 2005.
