BY DREW SINCOCK
Memphis May Fire started off their Remade In Mistery Tour in Charlotte, NC with a sold-out show at The Underground (capacity 700) with From Ashes To New, Rain City Drive, and Wolves At The Gate. This entire show was high energy from start to finish, every band left it all out there.
Wolves at the Gate was the first band of the night to hop on stage. I wouldn’t be too quick to put this post-hardcore band into a genre-restricting box, between their unforgettable melodies packed with raw emotion and their ability to combine so many elements into their music they are much more than “just another post-hardcore band”. This was my first time seeing them live and they blew me away, especially Nick Detty’s unclean vocals. I’ll be keeping a closer eye on these guys to catch them on their next run. In the meantime, they just released their new album Eulogies on March 11th (via Solid State Records) which you can find here. You can also find them here on Instagram.
Lineup: Steve Cobucci (rhythm guitar, clean vocals), Ben Summers (bass guitar, backing vocals), Nick Detty (unclean vocals), Joey Alarcon(lead guitar), Abishai Collingsworth (drums)
For the second band of the night, we have Rain City Drive (formerly Slaves), fronted by Matt McAndrew, the runner-up of The Voice season 7. The band pairs the melodic-pop vocals with their heavier riffs and what they end up with is something really special. Even with their music on the lighter side of the lineup tonight, the crowd didn’t love them any less. They gave quite the show and I would love to catch them again. You can pre-save their self-titled album Rain City Drive here, releasing July 15th ( via Thriller Records). You can also find the band on Instagram here.
Lineup: Matt McAndrew (lead vocals), Weston Richmond (lead guitar), Felipe Sanchez (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Collin Vieira (bass), Zachary Baker (drums)
Since From Ashes To New has begun they’ve endured many lineup changes over the years but their journey started in Lancaster, PA in 2013. They have come quite a ways since, seeing Billboard charting levels of success. Their top-charting songs include “Through It All”, “Crazy”, and “Panic” which reached all-time highs of 6, 3, and 11, respectively, on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. This was my second time seeing From Ashes To New perform live, the first being in 2018, and they’ve done nothing but improve since from their musical composition to their heavy-hitting lyrics through their last 3 studio albums. Between Danny Case’s mix of clean and unclean vocals paired with Matt Brandyberry‘s fiery rap flows, the band ends up with a really refreshing sound that stands out among today’s nu-metal and rap-rock bands. You can find their latest music video “Heartache” here (directed by JosiahX). You can also find the band on Instagram here.
Lineup: Danny Case (clean vocals, unclean vocals), Matt Brandyberry, (rap vocals), Lance Dowdle (lead guitar), Mat Madiro (drums)
From Ashes To New’s Setlist: Panic / Land of Make Believe / My Fight / Broken / Heartache / Broken By Design / My Name / Scars / Crazy / Nothing / Through It All
Memphis May Fire hit the stage next to close out the night and their frontman, Matty Mullins, was all smiles, all night. The metalcore band originated in Denton, TX in 2006. Since then the band has released seven studio albums and two EPs to date. Their latest album Remade In Misery was released June 3 (via Rise Records). Memphis May Fire gave the crowd everything they had to kick off the first night of their tour, especially Jake Garland on the drums. The show was everything you could have asked for, except for maybe a few more mosh pits. You can find the rest of the tour dates along with their setlist below. This is definitely a tour you don’t want to miss. You can find their latest album Remade In Misery here. Also, check them out on Instagram here.
Lineup: Matty Mullins (Lead Vocals), Kellen McGregor (lead guitar, backing vocals), Cory Elder (bass), Jake Garland (drums)
Memphis May Fire’s Setlist: Blood & Water / The Deceived / Left for Dead / Legacy / Somebody / Your Turn (live debut) / Make Believe / Prove Me Right / Miles Away / No Ordinary Love / (drum solo) / Vices (with Danny Cage from From Ashes To New)