Sounds of the Underground - Tinker Field. Orlando, FL

This was the second year of the Sounds of the Underground tour and you couldn’t beat the line up. This line up was very diverse and it worked out well. Most fans would not be able to see these bands if it weren’t for tours like this. It was fun.

Through he Eyes of the Dead started off the day and were great. Their drummer has one of the fastest double basses I have heard. Brutal. They came out and just tore the place apart.

Taking the stage second was HORSE the band. One of the most fun bands ever. Nintendo-core’s finest always deliver live. It was tough taking pictures of them because they were all over the place. From “Cutsman” to “Birdo”. They sounded great. Go pick up their new ep “Pizza”.

There were a few bands on this tour I had seen before and the Chariot were one of them. Granted it had been over a year since I last saw them perform, they still had it. Vocalist Josh Scrogin is a good front man. The entire set he was throwing the mic stand everywhere and catching it and belting out some of the days best screams. They are far better live than on cd. Check them out.

I watched about five minutes of Evergreen Terrace. So I am not going to talk about their performance.

Terror. I don’t like Terror. It’s odd because I love hardcore, but they just don’t do anything for me. They have a very energetic live show (as most hardcore bands do) and they sounded good. I just won’t be picking up any of their cd’s.

The mighty Behemoth. WOW. These guys don’t play the United States very often so it was great to see them. I also got to meet them. They’re quiet guys. One of the most devastating performances I have seen. The most diverse band of the day, and by far the heaviest and fastest.

I had heard stories about GWAR performances but I never really let it sink in that they have such a crazy live show. Well, I should have believed everything I had heard because they were crazy. From killing the president to the Pope, GWAR destroyed the crowd. Of course they sprayed the crowd as well.  Their show will have you head banging and at the same time laughing because you're having so much fun. They had a huge turnout of fans. Seeing GWAR is something ever metal fan should do.

Who else likes to kill things and sing about it? Cannibal Corpse do. I really enjoyed their set. They were able to play about 100 songs in their 30 minute set. Just kidding. Joking aside they were brutal. Not a whole lot of movement going on stage. The crowd really didn’t know how to react to them.

Trivium had the crowd in the palm of their hands. For the first song the vocals weren’t turned on but the crowd really didn’t care as they were louder than the band probably would have been. They finally got the vocals going and the set was great. Playing a little longer than the earlier bands they were able to go through their hits like “Like Light to the Flies”, “Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr” and “A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation”

Another one of those bands that do not get to play the states often, In Flames. Touring in support of their latest release, Come Clarity, they did not disappoint. As the direct support band they got to play a 45 minute set and every second of it was amazing. They sounded absolutely perfect. Everything was crystal clear. Awesome stage presence. They have a light show that’s pretty cool too. Unfortunately there was no flash photography during their set. That was the only downfall.

As much as I love As I Lay Dying I have no clue how they ended up with the headlining slot on this tour. They are great live, but are much better in a smaller, intimate venue. They are one of the better bands I have been able to see but they just didn’t have it this night. Their stage presence was good and they sounded great, but it was just really hard to get into it. It was a long day and we left after about five songs of theirs.

Overall it was a great day. No band really disappointed. Take some time and listen to all of these bands, even Terror. You might like them.