Concert Satiates SLC Hardcore Fans

Tattoos, piercings, and skull-and-crossbones motifs seemed to be the trend for the October 8th concert at Bert Murdock's Music Store in Sandy.

Hardcore music bands Tamarlane, It Dies Today, Martyr A.D., Walls of Jericho, and headliner, Bleeding Through, performed together in the intimate, dimly lit, basement room of the music store.

Tamarlane, the only local band of the evening, aroused every ear when they got the show started with a set of aggressive, yet melodic songs.

The second band, hailed as It Dies Today, promoted their newest CD, "The Caitiff Choir," with a no-mercy storm of violent vocals, harmonious guitar, and drum rhythms heavy as thumping anvils. The band's vigorous front man, while pacing the stage and jumping up and down to the music, ignited the mosh-pit into a hardcore-dancing arena. Straight-edge kids and hardcore fans alike kicked their legs and flung their arms, violently and relentlessly in rhythm to the growling songs.

Fans began to display a tendency to shed clothing as the thick heat accumulated in the room, which was the size of about two and a half classrooms put together. Packed as tightly as a box of crayons, the sweaty audience shoved fans, crossed arms and tapped toes as they waited for the next band.

The brutal force of Martyr A.D.'s fast-paced, chaotic hardcore music startled the awaiting crowd, causing it to split red sea-style into two opposing forces that attacked with all strength as soon as the band played the first breakdown. The end of Martyr's set left audience members exhausted, but excited as they waited for female-fronted band, Walls of Jericho.

Playing fourth, Walls of Jericho came with angry, distorted vocals and ceaseless drumming, which kept the crowd riled up throughout their entire half-hour performance. The energetic front woman entertained all concert go-ers with her on-stage, hardcore-dancing freak-outs.

The scene-wide popular hardcore band, Bleeding Through, took the cake with an annihilating, headliner performance. Their show included crowd somersaults, an old Danzig cover, and a charismatic stage presence. Bleeding Through's music rallied the fans into a star-struck stupor as they head-banged and hardcore-danced throughout their performance. At one point, lead vocalist Branden Schiepatti's cordless mike disappeared, only to be tossed back on stage a minute later. The concert ended when Bleeding Through closed with a finalizing, virtually flawless encore.

The concert, with all of its pros, still had a few minor faults. The vital sound speakers were not on stands, which resulted in diminishing sound waves as they traveled to the back of the venue. Also, some technical difficulties resulted in microphone failures during the performances of Tamarlane and It Dies Today.

However, every mistake proved forgettable because the concert quenched the fans' absolute thirst for an all around good hardcore show.