With Halloween nearly here, masked metallers Mushroomhead coming to The Rave in Milwaukee, Wisconsin fits well with the theme of the creepily-decorated venue. Attendees pour into the lower level of the multi-story venue, with plenty of faces painted for the occasion. The signature water drums already mounted at the front of the stage don’t leave much room for the opening acts, but they are thankfully able to work around it, with standing platforms behind the drums.
Mind Incision started the night heavy, immediately hyping up the crowd with heavy riffs and breakdowns from the get-go. They asked the crowd if they wanted things to get heavier, receiving cheers of support from the early attendees that had been eager to get a barricade spot. After several heavy original tracks, they slowed things down and brought out flashlights for a track that was less heavy, in comparison to the rest of the set. Their cover of Korn’s “Blind” got the energy back on track, and kicked off the first mosh pit of the night. It really helped the crowd work up a sweat and start the night off right.
Industrial rockers There Is No Us hit the stage in near-darkness, only illuminated by a few pulsing light bars. The atmosphere was just right for their mix of metal and industrial, with more than a few punk riffs and elements to boot. The crowd was hungry for more aggressive tracks, and vocalist Jim Louvau immediately jumped from the stage to the barricade to rile up the crowd even more. The variety of the tracks, from the electronic elements, harsh vocals, and chugging riffs made for a set that easily worked alongside more traditional metal acts. Towards the close of their set, they also brought out a cover, with “Killing in the Name Of” by Rage Against the Machine also managing to start a mosh pit.
Texas metalcore group Upon A Burning Body has made their origins front and center, and even so live, as vocalist Danny Leal ran onto stage waving a Texas flag, nearly hitting the roof of the basement venue. They kept the mosh pit going constantly, with action happening during every song, with the pit hitting the peak during “B.M.F.,” where Leal encouraged the pit to grow even larger. “Sin City” got the crowd screaming and singing along to “Life sucks and then you die,” a short break before moshing commenced again.
“Extermination” saw one of the wildest pits of the night, as the brutal drops washed over the crowd and made them go crazy. While they did put on a fantastic performance, and the crowd was loving every minute of it, they felt a bit out of place on the lineup. I would more so expect to see them on a tour of this size as the headliner, but with more metalcore and deathcore acts to accompany them.
The time of the night hits for the long-awaiting drums on stage to be uncovered, revealing the Mushroomhead graphics, featuring art from their latest album, Call the Devil. The water drummers took their places, as the multiple members filled the stage, with vocalists Steve Rauckhorst and Scott Beck jumping to the front as the group immediately, kicking things off with “12 Hundred.”
Vocalist Jackie LaPonza joined the fray early in the set for “Fall in Line,” the first of only two tracks off of the new album. LaPonza jumped into the crowd early, walking across hands to the center of the pit, where she performed a good deal of the song. The energy in the room was electric, and the turnout was very good considering the Sunday night show slot and having a popular rock group performing at the same time just one floor above.
“Qwerty” got the crowd bouncing and jamming to the upbeat chorus, and then singing along to the loud “FUCK YOU” of the pre-chorus. Classic tracks “Sun Doesn’t Rise” and “Solitaire/Unraveling” made appearances early on, and the more recent “Seen It All” and “Heresy” remain on the setlist. Not much had changed since the previous tour, with only two new songs added to the slightly-adjusted setlist, however the rabid fans moshed and cheered throughout the night, just excited to experience the show, whether it was carrying a singer through the crowd, or getting soaked by the drums in the front.
