by Out of the darkness of the Tonic Lounge in Portland on Monday, April 6, 2015, came the local band Proven to open the show for Nonpoint, 36 Crazyfists, and Scare Don’t Fear.
Proven is exactly that. They are a tried and true hardcore metal band that has been around Portland since 2005. This band brought metallic hardcore back to its roots in a huge way. The blistering guitar riffs, combined with thundering bass and drum beats, laid the ground for vocalist Marc Halvorsen to bring the crowd to their feet. Bobby Thomas (guitars, vocals), Josh Tipton (guitars), Karl Whinnery (bass), and Josh Rommel (drums) round out the line up for this chest-thumping, pit-starting hardcore band.
Scare Don’t Fear, a rap metal group from Providence, RI was up next. The hardcore metal crowd from Portland could be heard voicing their skepticism about the upcoming act. After the sheer onslaught of hardcore metal that Proven had just released, the Portland crowd was ready to rock. The skepticism was cut short when Scare Don’t Fear hit the stage. Their hip-hop verses and unclean vocals complimented each other in a big way. The crowd was jumping, moshing and singing along with the band’s cover of Eminem‘s “The Way I Am.” Band members Chris Jungles (vocals), Frankie Screamz (vocals), Larry Ohh (beats, keyboards), Ryan Grandmaison (bass, backing vocals), Jeffery Braunreuther (drums), and Tom McNamara (guitars) had a very tight sound with incendiary guitar riffs and thundering drums.
36 Crazyfists, hailing from Anchorage, AK came out to a revved-up audience with energy so intense two fights broke out at the front of the stage. The pit was raging and with beer-soaked floors, it quickly became more like an ice rink. Everyone, in true metalhead fashion, picked up the downed moshers and made sure they were OK. Brock Lindow (vocals), Steve Holt (guitars), Mick Whitney (bass), and Oregonian Kyle Baltus (drums) delivered a blistering performance that brought the temperature in the room to nearly unbearable. This band’s hard driving vocals and brutal breakdowns kept the crowd wanting more.
Finally, it was Nonpoint‘s turn to take the stage. Nonpoint is no stranger to the Portland area. They have been on several tours through the Pacific Northwest and they have the fans to prove it. Elias Soriano (vocals), Robb Riverra (drums), Rasheed Thomas (guitar, vocals), Adam Woloszyn (bass), and BC Kochmit (guitars) opened with “Mindtrip”. Soriano, known for his jumps and slinging dread locks, had very little room to move on the small stage at the venue. That did not stop Nonpoint from delivering an incredible show. At one point during their set Soriano had to actually ask to crowd to be careful and not push onto the stage. The small, sold out venue, was packed to capacity and rowdy as ever.
Nonpoint, 36 Crazyfists, Scare Don’t Fear are out supporting the Misery & Company Tour 2015 through April 24, 2015.
Check out more photos at Negative Image Photography
All photos by Charla Stephenson
