Metalcore band Silent Planet puts on a banger of a show on their SUPERBLOOM Tour with support from Thornhill, Johnny Booth, Aviana, and Soulkeeper.
The evening gets off to a powerful start with the deathcore metal of Minneapolis-based band Soulkeeper. Led by the raspy vocals and screams of Eric Roberts, wicked beats of Tom Jefson on drums, ground-shaking bass of Edwin Melendez, and the crushing riffs by Scott Gilmore, they have the early arriving crowd whipped up into a frenzy including a mosh pit on the floor. Eric makes use of the riser up front often and Edwin rocks out, spinning and kicking out his leg. Their set includes all nine songs from their EP Holy Design such as “Holy Design.” “Three Parts Disdain,” “Zero Point,” “Time Out of Mind,” “Hyperfine Transition,” and “Gorgeous.” It is quite an intense start that has gotten the fans amped up for the four bands yet to come.
Next up is Swedish metalcore band Aviana led by vocalist Joel Holmqvist. He is backed by three masked musicians – Death on guitar, Fear on guitar, and Dark on drums. Their set includes five songs from their 2022 album Corporation such as “Rage,” “Illuminate,” and “Oblivion.” “My Worst Enemy” from their 2019 release Epicenter has the fans moshing and headbanging with its aggressive beats and squealing guitars. They have a heavy sound that is mostly fast-paced with a mix of gravelly and clean vocals. Some songs lean toward a more melodic pace but are still brutal. During “Oblivion,” one of the guitarists gets on top of a speaker at the side of the stage. They wrap up their set with “Anomaly” and “Obsession,” the former having a more atmospheric vibe with clean, soaring vocals. The fans love it, applauding and cheering loudly as the band exits the stage. Hardcore New York band Johnny Booth keeps the energy high and the fans rocking with a blistering set. Lead singer Andrew Herman is a wild man as he works the stage from side to side and whips the crowd into a frenzy with harsh vocals and screams. Their songs are somewhat chaotic at times and Adam Halpern on guitar, Nick Martell on bass, and Scott Owens on drums hit hard. They lead with “2040” from their latest album Moments Elsewhere and follow that up with four more songs from the same album – “The Ladder,” “Ring Light Altar,” “Collapse in the Key of Fireworks,” and “Full Tilt.” “Collapse in the Key of Fireworks” has a rapid pace that has the floor moshing. During “Ring Light Altar,” Andrew is going so hard that he falls off the riser and rolls on the stage before quickly hopping back to his feet.Before “Full Tilt,” Andrew tells the crowd, “If you don’t come to me, I’m coming to you.” It does not take long for the fans to start crowd surfing. “Asymmetrical” from the 2019 album Firsthand Accounts is a thrasher with wicked beats and fast guitar, yet also has more coherent vocals and guitar passages. They close out their set with “Deepfake” from their 2022 EP Storyteller. It is yet another punishing hardcore song that finds Andrew first in the pit singing with the fans up front and then getting on top of the crowd and surfing. Their set may be short, but it has certainly kept the crowd fired up.
Melbourne-based rockers Thornhill continue the killer night of music with an awesome set. Lead vocalist Jacob Charlton commands the stage as he engages the crowd in every song. They lead with “Arkangel” from their 2022 album Heroine, which gets the crowd singing along. “Viper Room” has a more straight-ahead rock vibe to it and features the drumming of Ben Maida, catchy riffs of Ethan McCann, and the low end of Nick Sjogren on bass. The next song, “Coven” from The Dark Pool, starts out with heavy guitar and then transitions into some soft, soaring vocals before the harsh vocals and heavy riffs take over. It is probably their heaviest song tonight and has the crowd going crazy. “Lily & the Moon” features some great beats and guitar, Jacob’s soaring vocals, and some softer vocals by Ethan. It has the crowd singing along.Several of their songs including “Raw” and “Casanova” get the crowd bouncing and waving their arms. Before “Where We Go When We Die,” Andrew from Johnny Booth gets the crowd to split and then starts a giant mosh pit. The song itself goes through several tempo changes including some pummeling on the drums by Ben. Jacob even gets the crowd waving their hands from side to side. Judging by the crowd’s reaction, they are having a great time. It is surprising that Thornhill has not received a bigger following in the United States. Their music rocks hard but the lucid vocals make them much more radio-friendly. Be sure to check out all their music.
The time has come for headliner Silent Planet to take the stage. As they walk out, the fans let out loud cheers. Their set includes the whole SUPERBLOOM album plus some choice cuts inter-weaved from The Night God Slept, Everything Was Sound, and Iridescent. They lead off with “Offworlder” and “Collider” which find bassist Nick Pocock and drummer Alex Camarena providing the groove, while Mitchell Stark tears it up on guitar. Vocalist Garrett Russell is barefoot and very active on stage, making frequent use of the riser. They are backed by a screen that shows cool images throughout their set. After “Panopticon,” Garrett lets the crowd know this is their biggest Michigan show to date. Following “Euphoria” and before “Dreamwalker,” he also gets the crowd to pass a friend named Jason from the back of the floor to the front. The fans are having a blast and are fully engaged.“Antimatter” gets the crowd singing along and waving their arms, while “Panic Room” gets lots of moshing and crowd surfing going. Following “:Signal:” and “Anunnaki,” Garret says that they first played in Michigan at a hookah lounge nine years ago, and that show included a local band Spirit Breaker whom he gives a shout-out to. They play “Native Blood” and then go into “Interstellar” which is a cool instrumental jam that has Garrett playing guitar with the other musicians. It starts a bit mellow and then progressively gets harder with some atmospheric sounding guitar by Mitchell, and Alex smashing the cymbals. They wind it down with “The Overgrowth,” “Nexus,” and then “SUPERBLOOM.” Afterwards, they bring out a cake for Nick and the crowd sings “Happy Birthday.” Following a brief exit, they return to the stage and Andrew announces the song “Trilogy” and exclaims, “I think you know what to do.” This gets a huge circle pit going and Garrett even joins in on the fun by crowd-surfing while still singing. The crowd loves it and lets out huge cheers. Before leaving, Garret says, “Thanks so much Detroit. We’ll see you soon.”
What a great night of hard rock and metal by all five bands. In a time when major acts command $100+ even for nosebleed seats at arenas, it is awesome when you can see five talented bands for under $40. It’s a tough market for up-and-coming bands, especially the heavier metalcore and deathcore bands. Hopefully, these bands will continue to put out great music, grow their fan base, and move on to bigger venues on future tours. Try to catch this tour if it comes to a city near you. You will not be disappointed.SILENT PLANET
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