August Burns Red, Spite, Brand of Sacrifice & Crystal Lake
November 12, 2023
London Music Hall, London, ON
Canadian Beats Passport
Metalcore legends August Burns Red have embarked on a North American tour to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their classic album Rescue & Restore. For support, August Burns Red has assembled an all-star lineup of metalcore acts that are at their prime. Opening the show was Crystal Lake, Brand of Sacrifice and Spite. On November 12th, 2023, this amazing tour made a stop at the London Music Hall in London Ontario.
First up was Japan’s Crystal Lake. This metalcore band has experienced quite a shake-up in recent times. Their previous vocalist Ryo Kinoshita was a very popular vocalist in the metalcore scene but left the last year due to an illness that made large-scale touring incredibly difficult. Since his departure, those shoes have been filled by John Robert Centorrino, previously of Last Ten Seconds of Life. This was their first time back in Canada in many years and they certainly made an impression. John Centorrino did an excellent job and fits in the band perfectly. The crowd went nuts during every song. There was plenty of moshing and crowd surfing as Crystal Lake played a tight set list consisting of their bigger singles like “Apollo,” “Lost in Forever,” and “Mephisto.”
Canadian heavy hitters Brand of Sacrifice were up next and they absolutely crushed. Their sound is very polished and produced and they replicate this sound perfectly in the live setting. Layers of synthesizers, choirs, and electronic breaks are thrown into the deathcore formula with a sense of flow that isn’t displayed too often. Their setlist consisted of the popular songs from all their releases and thus, was hit among the crowd. The vocal prowess of Kyle Anderson can not be understated. His live performance is on par with his recorded efforts which is very impressive. Brand of Sacrifice is one of my favourite bands from the Canadian deathcore scene and seeing them on an upswing is a very inspiring. Every time they tour, they climb the ladder and get shows and larger crowds. Brand of Sacrifice might be my favourite performance from this show. Their sound is wild and seeing such chaotic and weird music on a large stage is so cool. We can definitely expect to see more of them as time goes on.
Spite is a band that exudes angst and attitude. All the way from California, Spite is an absolute heavy-hitter combining wild vocals, hooky guitars, and an angry, chaotic energy. The impression I got is that a lot of the crowd was incredibly enthused to see them play. The crowd reaction they got was one of the better responses of the evening. Lots of concertgoers were crowd surfing and moshing through their set and the room felt very energetic. Their set list was a nice combination of songs from all their previous releases. It was great to see songs from their latest record Dedication To Flesh, which is my favourite of theirs. Spite is such a delight to see live because their songs are very heavy but their simplistic approach to songwriting is all killer with no filler. Their songwriting is generally pretty short too which helps their set move quickly and feel energetic. The stage presence of all members was fun to see and made the experience an absolute treat. The last time I saw Spite was at a small venue in Buffalo, NY. It’s great to see this band play a larger stage to an audience that they deserve.
Last, but certainly not least, was the legendary August Burns Red. Their performance was exactly as advertised. The Rescue & Restore album was played in full with some fan favourites at the end for safe measure. Their stage was set up with an interactive light show with their iconic “U” flaming logo in the centre. It’s really cool to see this kind of music with such a professional stage setup and light show. The whole visual aspect really helps sell the performance and adds an extra layer of flare. This will have been the 3rd time I have reviewed August Burns Red this year and all my previous praise still applies here. They are remarkably consistent live. Every time I see them play, their stage looks epic, their stage presence is entertaining and confident, their sound mix is very clear and well-produced and they perform very tightly. This show is exactly what you think it is and I think that’s great. I don’t have much to say other than August Burns Red have cemented themselves as legends for a reason. They’re great. You know they’re great and if you are a metalcore enjoyer, you’ll love their live show.
