Happy Halloween, ghosts and goblins. Time for some metal treats on this frightful night. Wanted to make sure I got a slick spot since it is the last time the spirited holiday will land on a Saturday for about a decade, so the people will be out tonight. Scored a meter across the street from Inbound Brewing, buck an hour and no event spike prices. Score.
Few folks hanging outside the doors at Fillmore but got in swiftly without much of a wait. Drifted past the merch tables, loving the prices I was seeing. $35 for a tour t-shirt, and only $65 for a high-quality hoodie with front and back printing. The lines were steady throughout the night for good reason. Mood of the audience before the opening act was calm but positive. Decent amount of costumes spotted including a happy gnome, Blue Power Ranger, a scary clown, the Scream guy, and our founding father himself, George Washington.
Ando San was up first in the foursome. Poked around albums of his before the show to get a little taste of his style before seeing him live. He does NOT disappoint. Since it was Halloween, my claws were crossed band members would feel festive and dress up. My wish was granted, seeing Ando San slink onto the stage with an oversized swashbuckler’s hat complete with feather plume, another guitarist donning a cool skeleton mask bomber hat combo and leather jacket. Lit up with green and pink lights, got to grooving right away. They have such a unique sound, creating a blend of genres that was a jack-of-all-trades mix so easy to savor. If hip hop and djent had a child, Ando San would be the outcome. Being a fan of fancy and intricate guitar, plenty of that was illustrating each tune. Thanking the crowd profusely for “showing up early,” Ando San made the most of his 30 minute set, setting the pace and creating a robust bedrock of good feelings for the rest of the evening.
Very shortly after Ando San exited, Greyhaven hopped in to fill the stage. The group from Louisville, KY brought their blend of metalcore and post-hardcore with a flurry of energy. Staying on point with the Halloween theme, the band all donned skeleton suits with face paint. The band played a seven song set with the majority off their “Keep it Quiet” album. Having not been familiar with them before this tour, many in the audience were clearly familiar as the band received a very warm reception and started the first pits of the evening. Singer Brent Mills asked the crowd to give the rail security some exercise and encouraged some crowd-surfing, which Minneapolis obliged. Greyhaven definitely had headliner energy. Would one hundred percent see these guys again, really impressed me.
Ne Obliviscaris was 3rd up. Originating from Melbourne, Australia, the progressive sextet showed there are levels to this stuff. Having had the privilege of seeing them in a smaller venue roughly a year ago, these guys are simply so good and meant for bigger stages. It was great to see every band member have enough room to roam and jump around versus being cooped up on a small stage, trying to avoid bumping into each other’s equipment. Their presence and sound filled the Fillmore. Ne Obliviscaris won the Halloween contest on this night. Both guitarists sported Squid Games masks, bass whiz Martino Garattoni had the mask of the night which was an awesome realistic T-rex looking dinosaur. Lasted only one song though. Clean vocalist/violinist Tim Charles was probably mask runner up with his Phantom of the Opera style mask. What a voice this guy has. When not directly singing, Tim’s violin playing sings in its own way, and there is plenty of violin to go around. Adds a very haunting, dynamic element to their sound.
Harsh vocals were provided by James Dorton (also of Black Crown Initiate). Absolute beast. The band sounded as great as last time, if not better. I would highly suggest if you see these guys on a bill, whether or not they are the headliner go give them a watch. “Intra Venus” was their standout song of the set for me. With those in attendance now warmed up plenty, it was almost Periphery time.
To finish up this ghoulish night was Washington DC’s Periphery. Active since 2005, these guys have been around the block. Considered by many to be flagship bearers of the djent style within progressive metal, they have definitely crafted their own unique, standout sound within the metal world. Having seen them last time opening for Spiritbox at the Armory, I was left craving more. The Fillmore would get its fill for sure with Periphery playing 12 songs. Touring their latest album released this year, “A Pale White Dot” the band played five songs from this album which I had been wanting to hear. The band came out donned in vampire capes and ripped right into the familiar “Scarlet”. Shoutout to guitarist Mark Holcomb for taking it a step further and going for the King Diamond face paint. Those familiar with the new album knows Will Ramos from Lorna Shore did vocals on “Subhuman” which was included in their set tonight. Vocalist Spencer Sotelo amazingly handled Ramos’s parts of this song. Heaviest song of the night by far.
For those in the audience who enjoyed Haribo gummy bears, Periphery made it a point to throw out many gummy bears during their set from their buckets kept on stage. Always makes a show that much better when you know the band is having a great time, as evidenced by all the smiles seen. Can’t talk about Periphery without mentioning Misha Mansoor. Always great to see him shred live. As a huge Meshuggah fan myself, always love hearing his Meshuggah-influenced solos. I feel like I say this a lot when it comes to metal but the technical talent on display tonight was a pleasure to see. Shout out to Jake Bowen who rounds out Periphery’s triple threat guitar team and drummer Matt Halpern. You would think Matt was doing a drum clinic but nope that’s what he actually plays for Periphery songs.
A great show was had. No better way to close out a Halloween night.
