Lineup: Everyone Dies in Utah | The Overseer | Bleach Blonde | Vice on Victory | The Quiet Side | Carev Dvor

Review by Ryan Getz

The Overseer have been making waves in the underground hardcore/metalcore realm since their signing to Solid State Records in early 2012. I was curious to see how their massive, Underoath-inspired sound would translate to the small, grungy environment of Kobo. The band sounded great and made the most of the lackluster attendance. I blame it on the Monday night placement of the show, along with the overlapping 2013 NCAA basketball national championship in Atlanta. This didn’t faze the guys in the least – there was a carefree vibe throughout the set, marking a stark contrast from the brutality of some of their songs. Anthony Rivera is a flawless heavy vocalist, and didn’t let up from “Secrets” till the end. Abishai Collingsworth continues to progress in his live prowess behind the drum kit, and this time around seemed to be having the most fun of the 3 times I’ve seen the band perform. Clean vocalist/guitarist Darren King (not to be confused with the MUTEMATH drummer) and bassist Bradley Riggs powered through the set as well – impressive considering Riggs was battling an illness that night. The band was enjoyable, and cemented my impression of them as part of the revival of great groups on Solid State Records.

Columbus’ Carev Dvor opened the evening pretty early, asserting midway through the set that “it doesn’t matter if we’re playing to 10 or 10,000 people.” This metalcore group, who recently shared the stage with Memphis May Fire and landed a gig with Chunk! No Captain Chunk in the near future played on point and were unashamed of their message of Christian faith to boot. This young band has big ambitions and we’re paying attention.

The other two locals, The Quiet Side and Vice on Victory played satisfactory sets leaning toward the pop-punk side of heavy music. The former still has a ways to go in growth, but seemed to have fun onstage, throwing in an obligatory cover of “Sugar, We’re Going Down.” Vice on Victory, another young band with a sizable following in Columbus already played set of rock along the lines of Envoi, Submission Red, and Fireflight. Their guitarist was quite animated, adding entertainment value to their set.

The other two bands on the tour, Bleach Blonde (Rise Records) and Everyone Dies in Utah (Equal Vision Records) delivered sets of Risecore pop and synth laced metalcore, respectively. The former’s vocalist has a weird voice that falls into a “love it or hate it” category. Personally, it didn’t do much for me but the rest of the band was on point. Everyone Dies in Utah gave a passionate performance that even had some personal, hardcore-inspired choreography thrown in. It was a weird vibe following up the straightforward passion of The Overseer, especially in the sparsely filled room. With a strong following online though, the band has potential to go far.