I go to an insane amount of shows. This is one of the many perks of doing what I do with Metal Nation. Some shows feel more like “work”, and some shows I am somewhat looking forward to. Then there are shows where I am counting down the days to an experience I am beyond excited for, like the Revolution Concert House on July 10th in Boise, Idaho, with Jinjer, Entheos, and Crystal Lake. I have seen Entheos and Jinjer before, but the two of them together were next-level amazing. Add in Crystal Lake from Japan, and it was a magical night. The crowd was all very in tune with each other and with the bands. This is not uncommon in metal shows, but it was more unified than “normal”. Everyone participated, everyone sang along, and everyone had a killer time at a show I am sure won’t be forgotten anytime soon.
To set the night off on the right pace, Entheos took the stage. I have a huge love for Entheos for so many reasons. The dynamic married duo, Chaney Crabb (vocals) and Navene Koperweis (drums, multi-instrumentalist), are a power couple who work their asses off on their craft, and it is clear in their music and performances. You may recognize Koperweis from bands Animals as Leaders and The Faceless, with whom he has worked. Adding to the mix, Michael Stancel on guitar and backing vocals, and Scott Carstairs on guitar and backing vocals as well, then you have a recipe for a killer show. As soon as they started their set, the crowd immediately responded. They demand your attention just by being them. They started the night with the song “All For Nothing” and tore the roof off the place. They also played fan favorites, “I Am The Void” and “An End to Everything”. Crabb marched up and down the stage while morphing her vocals from fries to gutterals to clean singing, and everything in between. Stancel complemented this perfectly, his harsh vocals matching Crabb’s energy. She has continued to master her vocal range to an extremely impressive degree over the years. They forced their way into the people’s hearts and made a huge impression, making for a perfect beginning to the night.
Next was Crystal Lake, all the way from Japan. The energy these guys presented was chaotic and intense. Every member brought the ferocity times ten. I feel like I got a cardio workout just by watching them. They have had different vocalists during this leg of the tour after parting ways with John Robert Centorrino, and the Boise show brought Wade Walters, vocalist for the band Secrets, to the stage. He had great enthusiasm and essence that really brought the show some electricity. They played “Watch Me Burn” and “Apollo”, some supporter favorites. “YD” Miyamoto (lead guitar), “TJ” Taji (rhythm guitar), Mitsuru (bass), and Gaku Taura (drums) moved in every which way throughout the entire set. Spinning in circles, banging drums from lifting his arms to the sky, kicking and punching, and a light show that reminded me of seeing Meshuggah. It was quite the spectacle and a good way to segue into the headliner, Jinjer.
I have been a gigantic Jinjer fan for many, many years now. Tatiana Shmayluk is in a league of her own with her vocal range. I looked it up; she is between 3 and 3.5 octaves, and, to be honest, I was surprised it wasn’t more, because she is a wizard at altering and transforming her voice. Roman Ibramkhalilov plays complex, progressive parts while calmly and impressively showcasing his talents. He maintains in the pocket and is enjoyable to watch. I have a difficult time taking my eyes off Eugene Abdukhanov on bass every time I see them live or even in videos. There is something about the way he performs that is really intriguing to watch, and I cannot put my finger on it. He moves with a groove that you can tell is one with the music. Vladislav “Vladi” Ulasevich on drums is just a beast. He plays his heart out and blasts his way directly to your soul. This quartet is one of the most talented musicans out there, and you can tell they love what they do. With the devastation in their home country, Ukraine, it is wonderful to see them use their platform to raise awareness and showcase their love for their country. This was an interesting experience for me this time around, and I am unsure why it happened to be THIS time I saw them, but I kept thinking of my friend who passed in Ukraine. He was a military man who chose to go to Ukraine at the beginning of the war and help civilians learn how to fight back. He sadly passed away while over there, and his photos and videos flooded social media and the news as his body was posted everywhere. While it was clearly horrific, I can’t help but think about his bravery in helping his fellow people during a crisis. This is coming together as people, regardless of where they live, to protect their fellow human. This is what the metal community is all about, loving and protecting one another, whether it is in the pit or out in the “real world”, and this is something Jinjer stands for.
The light show was monumental. Ulasevich was on a riser, with the screen behind and below him, creating one continuous image. Every song brought new imagery that matched the feeling or the lyrics. Shmayluk seduced her way across the stage with a smile, a sway here and there, some turns, and in-your-face aggression. She is a master of stage performance and is thrilling to watch. They played many songs off of the latest album, Duel, which makes sense since this was a Duel tour. They also played crowd favorites “Judgment and Punishment”, “Teacher Teacher”, and, of course, what brought them infamy, “Pieces”.
Every moment of the night felt perfect. Every person left with a smile on their face and non-stop chatter about what they just experienced. As a woman, one of my favorite parts of this is that two of the three bands had women as leads, and that wasn’t the topic; instead, it was just about how incredible the sets, music, and performances were, without the segregation. We are getting there, ladies! Thank you for leading the way so we can feel united just by being your impressive, talented selves. What a beautiful night.
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