The Trespass America Festival made a stop this past Tuesday at the Uptown Ampitheatre here in Charlotte to the delight of thousands of metal fans who came ready and eager to rock out. Since Charlotte was not on the itinerary of some of the larger tours this summer, people were stoked about this show and rightly so. Trespass featured a fantastic lineup of up and coming bands with the powerhouse Five Finger Death Punch headlining the show.
Kicking things off were the Detroit thrashers, Battlecross, who have found recent success as their single “Push,Pull,Destroy,” has climbed to the top of the liquid metal charts. Their live show proved to be just as energetic as their music. Lead vocalist, Kyle “Gumby” Gunther led the band through a frenzied set which woke up the sparse but appreciative crowd.
God Forbid kept the action going with their own brand of New Jersey metal. Veterans of the touring circuit, vocalist Byron Davis worked the crowd like a seasoned pro and Doc Coyle was absolutely in beast mode on lead guitar.
American deathcore band Emmure was up next. I have never seen the band live and I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect but they put on one hell of a show. Emmure brings a new twist to the metal genre incorporating rapping and a tremendous amount of breakdowns to create a very unique sound. The current lineup sounds tight and seems to have suffered no ill effects from the departure of the Lionetti brothers in 2009. Lead vocalist/rapper Frankie Palmeri proved to be a crazy frontman, leaping around the stage like an Energizer bunny and pumping up the crowd at every opportunity.
The crowd had gotten noticeably larger as Pop Evil took the stage. Although I like the band, I thought this was a strange addition to the more hardcore lineup of Trespass. But the crowd didn’t seem to mind as Pop Evil ran through a great set featuring their hits, “Hero,” “Monster You Made,” and “Last Man Standing.” Lead vocalist Leigh Kakaty is a commanding presence on stage and Matt DiRito put in an outstanding performance on the bass guitar climbing up on the speaker cabinets and handling his instrument like a chief.
The giant silver T’s being brought out on stage were a sure sign that Trivium was up next. Led by lead vocalist/guitarist Matt Heafy, Trivium is in my opinion one of the most underrated metal bands out there. I won’t try to classify their sound as they incorporate everything from thrash, groove metal, and old school heavy metal into their music. Let’s just say this, it’s great heavy metal. From the first note to the last, they performed like true metal masters. By the end of the set, heads were banging and fists were pumping.
The KSE signs were coming out in the crowd as the metal band from Massachusetts, Killswitch Engage, was due up. This is the point in the evening when the fans started becoming rowdy and it only got crazier as the night progressed. Amidst red lighting and blinding strobes, KSE blasted through a terrific set. Original vocalist Jesse Leach is back and in top form and Adam Dutkiewicz is an absolute madman on lead guitar. Highlights of the set included “My Curse” and the Dio cover “Holy Diver.”
Of course, the highlight of the night and the band that most people came out to see was Five Finger Death Punch. Teasing us with a recording of “100 Ways to Hate” while lights flashed on and off, the band came out and tore into “Under and Over It.” The audience was into it immediately with a sea of middle fingers in the air for the “F you” parts of the song. Ivan Moody is an amazing frontman getting the audience involved and fist pumping all night long. He encouraged fans to open up a circle pit and not to worry about the security guards. Several children in the audience were brought up on stage during “White Knuckles” and introduced as the future of heavy metal along with a quick game of Ivan Says.
The next part of their show featured a drum solo by Jeremy Spencer where the drumriser moves to the front of the stage. Jeremy came out in full skeleton costume and mask to perform an amazing solo. Afterwards, Ivan came out and dedicated “Far From Home” to the late, great Dimebag Darrell as he pointed to the sky. An acoustic version of “Remember Everything” was also featured with only Ivan and guitarist Jason Hook along with an audience sing-a-long. Five Finger Death Punch gave it everything they had and maybe even a little bit more. They closed out an amazing set and a terrific night with “The Bleeding” which was dedicated to all the men in the audience who ever had their heart broken by the woman in their life.
A spectacular night of music was over as fans left the arena hotter, sweatier, and happier than when they arrived. Music is a powerful force and a great metal show can unite the audience and make them feel part of something larger than life. The Trespass America Festival did just that.
Five Finger Death Punch Setlist:
100 Ways to Hate
Under and Over It
Burn It Down
American Capitalist
Hard To See
Coming Down
Bad Company (Bad Company cover)
White Knuckles
Drum Solo
Far From Home
Never Enough
Remember Everything (Acoustic)
War Is The Answer
Encore:
The Bleeding
We would like to thank Steve Karas from SKH Music for allowing BackstageAxxess to review the festival.
