Trinity Of Terror Part III – Live at The Nashville, Municipal Auditorium : The Three Musketeers of metalcore bring the terror to Nashville, TN.
Written By J. Smith
Photos By Alma Reed
Though some consider it the most picturesque of seasons, autumn has always brought with it the promise of winter, i.e. the season of death. As such, it’s a fitting time for a tour such as Trinity Of Terror, a union of some of the biggest names in American metalcore/post-hardcore that has now reached its third installment, kicking off on Halloween of all days, and soldiering on until just prior to the winter solstice. But this time around the combined forces that would bring this horror-themed concert extravaganza to Nashville, would also take on a different likeness, almost akin to that of The Three Musketeers. Naturally such an analogy is to be expected given the tour’s name and the fact that good things tend to come in threes, but the significance of this particular piece of literature is applicable primarily because the actual number of protagonists would be four, as those whom flocked to The Nashville Municipal Auditorium, on November 30th, 2022 would soon learn.
Not long after dusk had fallen and the cool of the evening was in the air outside, California’s veteran metalcore mainstays Atreyu took the stage as the honorary fourth member of the post-hardcore trinity, and brought a dynamic fire to the stage in line with their role of D’Artagnan. Though by no means a youthful upstart in comparison to the company they were keeping on this tour, this quintet’s performance was marked by an energetic exuberance with an artful edge, while generally forgoing any fancy stage gimmicks apart from the obligatory light show. Kicking off their set with a brilliant rendition of the A cappella intro to their latest studio LP “Strange Powers Of Prophecy”, which would immediately be chased by a driving performance of the mid-paced, bottom-heavy title track “Baptize”. Subsequent bangers from their 2021 studio album “Save Us” and especially the rousing fist-pumper “Warrior” would showcase this folds masterful blend of clean and dirty elements, with Brandon Saller doing a stellar job of filling the shoes vacated by former front man Alex Varkatzas a couple years ago, but it would be vintage anthems from the mid-2000s heyday of the style in “Ex’s And Oh’s” and “Right Side Of The Bed” that would truly bring the house down.
At roughly 7:30 pm the stage would be commandeered by Boston natives Ice Nine Kills, whose blend of happy-go-lucky antics and stage show theatrics made them the Porthos of the gang. As the de facto first headliner they pulled no punches in bringing the visual aspect of the tour’s theme to the masses in spades, complete with an assortment of samples and references to noted Hollywood films as Psycho, Evil Dead and The Crow, and utilizing the jumbo-size screen behind them for a lot more than just displays of their logo and shots of the band. Helmsman Spencer Charnas proved a highly effective ringleader of this carnival troupe of performers, taking every opportunity to work the stage and amp up the audience, while the rest of the band’s black formal attire and animated motions were a marvel unto themselves. The execution factor was an exercise in effortless precision, as highly kinetic and flashy anthems like the pummeling opener “Funeral Derangements”, the tuneful yet fierce “Stabbing In the Dark” and the utterly infectious banger of a power ballad “A Grave Mistake” were among the standout moments of a set that continually elicited a raucous response.
At just shy of 9 o’clock the mood would take on a decidedly technical and more overtly metallic character with the entry of Ohio-born turned Hollywood darlings and the Aramis of the evening Black Veil Brides. Though it can’t be stated often enough that there were no slouches taking the stage this evening, this five-fold metalcore regiment definitely stole the show in terms of impact and technical prowess. The stage set up was a bit less overtly theatrical compared to the preceding act, but with a continual bombardment of smoke, elaborate light displays and an elaborate montage of visualizations painting the screen behind them, this was very much a visual display. The barrage of signature riffs blared out by Jinxx, the blurring lead work of Jake Pitts and the mad-thrashing kit work of Christian “CC” Coma rivaled the handiwork of the most impressive adherents of the old Gothenburg scene, while vocalist Andy Biersack commanded the audience’s attention all but to a fault as riveting entries from their catalog like “Coffin”, “Shadows Rise” and “The Legacy” carried the hour and showcased a vicious yet somewhat more cerebral take on the theme of the evening.
The energy level in the air was so thick by the time 10 pm rolled around that it could be cut with Michael Myers’ butcher knife, but it all would explode like a MOAB when show closers Motionless In White, the serious musketeer Athos, arrived with a thunderous bang. Though he brought the same level of good natured enthusiasm to his interactions with the crowd, vocalist Chris “Motionless” Cerulli was by far the most intense presence of the evening, often rivaling his most visceral dirty sung parts when shouting to the audience, while the rest of the band gesticulated and thrashed about so energetically that they seemed a troupe of marionettes being worked by a puppet-master on crack, and this doesn’t even begin to describe the mayhem that was occurring in the pit. The aggressive onslaught of pounding grooves and pummeling breakdowns was tempered with an extremely well-rounded and methodical set of melodic hooks that were realized seamlessly by Motionless, guitarist Ricky “Horror” Olson and bassist Justin Morrow during the chorus sections of noted fan favorites like “Sign Of Life”, “Werewolf” (which was preceded by the harrowing voiceover of Vincent Price originally featured on Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”) and “Another Life” in spite of doing the equivalent of an hour long workout on stage.
As the evening horror attractions set to music drew to a close, one came away with the feeling that the space time continuum had been manipulated, resulting in Halloween being extended from its place near the center of autumn onward towards the looming entry of winter. Indeed, when faced with the fact that most individual members of the bands that donned the stage and the spectators beholding their handiwork were largely in the throes of middle age, questions like “Where does the time go” were likely being contemplated by most in attendance. It was the perfect union of like minded artists that had their own unique twists on the same common style, hence the continual “All For One, and One For All” talk that stands as the best analogy for the sense of camaraderie that had ruled the evening. But whether one wishes to make comparisons to the works of Alexandre Dumas or the horrific imagery of Clive Barker in describing it, this was a night of festive songs with irresistible hooks, and thankfully Benjamin Willis didn’t have to show up to literally give them to the audience.
ICE NINE KILLS
https://www.facebook.com/IceNineKills/https://www.instagram.com/iceninekills/
https://www.youtube.com/user/iceninekilled
BLACK VEIL BRIDES
http://blackveilbrides.nethttps://www.facebook.com/Blackveilbrides
https://www.instagram.com/blackveilbrides/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDdKEz8e7m5g-hXg42-HBQg
MOTIONLESS IN WHITE
https://www.motionlessinwhite.nethttps://www.facebook.com/motionlessinwhite
https://www.instagram.com/motionlessinwhite/
https://www.youtube.com/user/motionless1234
NASHVILLE MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM
https://www.nashvilleauditorium.com
https://www.facebook.com/nmauditorium/
https://www.instagram.com/nmauditorium/#
https://www.youtube.com/user/nmamkting
TRINITY OF TERROR TOUR