Dark Star Media Brings The Heat With Punky Metalcore Gig
Heavy Metal Shows are alive and well on the East Coast
Born out of Baltimore MD, Dark Star Media is an event planning company that specializes in party events, and they really know their stuff when it comes to metal shows. So I catch wind that they’re putting on a show with a banger of a lineup and I’m in, no hesitation. I arrive a bit before doors and get to see the inner workings of load in and set up and the energy is already buzzing. The venue is a roomy club with an emo rock vibe called Angels Rock Bar. The two female barkeepers are donned in fishnets and booty shorts and a bra. To fit the vibe, they’re adorned with some silver chains and winged eyeliner. They’re totally badass and I’m here for it.
At 7 pm, the doors are open and the venue floods with metal heads of all ages. The audience starts forming around the stage area, which is just a few inches off the ground and there’s no barrier. (If you’re not hip to what that means, it’s a sure sign that you’re in for a hell of a fun and potentially rowdy show.)
8 pm rolls around and Without The Accent takes the stage. This four-piece punk metal group hails from Annapolis, MD so they’re not far from home. These guys have been bouncing around the tristate area for the past year, and recently gained a new second guitarist in the process. Their most recent single, “Riot” dropped a few months ago and it for lack of better words..fucking rocks.
They start their set with “Another Story”, a song they released in the early fall of 2022 that SLAPS. It’s upbeat and catchy, and the perfect blend of alternative and heavy. It’s been stuck in my head for days now. The vocalist, Andrey hops around the stage without missing a beat while whipping his hair around vigorously. Without the Accent’s set continues, and their energy only grows until they leave the stage. This is definitely a band to keep an eye on.
Next up is Ocean of Illusions, a deathcore ensemble all the way from New Jersey. Back in March of last year, they dropped “Unrecognizable”, a 9-song album that’s 29 minutes of pure kick ass. They just finished running all over the upper East Coast and graced Baltimore with a killer set. The stage lights are red, the strobe lights are flashing and the fans are jumping along to the beat. Vocalist Zachary Howard has long dreads that rhythmically swing as he helicopters his head around with an attitude. His tongue is out and he’s grinning from ear to ear, he’s loving this just as much if not more than the crowd is. They tease on their Instagram that they have some cool announcements coming soon, you can keep up with them here.
Set For Tomorrow is next, and I had squeezed my way over to the bar after the last band’s set ended. I’m parched and the bar is slammed, but the band starts playing and I damn near trip over my own feet trying to get back to my spot at the front of the stage. This is not a band I’m familiar with, and I’m hooked immediately. Their genre? Metal. Their sound? Electric. Their stage presence? My favorite of all the bands on the bill. Bassist Brendan McGlathery does several impressive high jumps off the drum set platform, kicking his legs and swinging his bass through the air. The audience is going nuts and I am too. Set For Tomorrow is dropping a brand new single on January 27th called “Vile Minds”. You can presave it by clicking here.
Now it’s For Fear Itself’s turn to go on, and the crowd is hungry for more. All show long they’ve been circle pitting and windmilling about, and they’re not done yet. For Fear Itself is a four-man nu-core group from Baltimore, so they’re right at home here at Angels Rock Bar. Frontman Tim Selden’s hair is past his shoulders (long hair and metal music go together like peanut butter and jelly if you ask me) and it yo-yos about as he stomps back and forth on stage. This band is H-E-A-V-Y! The music is aggressive in the best way, every song feels like you could kick someone’s ass to it. The other three band members are playing their respective instruments like their life depends on it. Seriously, I wouldn’t be surprised if the guitarist’s fingers were bleeding. For Fear Itself plays their last song and starts hyping the crowd for the headliner, Sanctuaries. They make sure to have the crowd give it up for each band that played before them and then they leave the stage. The guys just dropped an EP called ‘Continuum’ in January of last year, which you can stream here.
Last but certainly not least, it’s time for Sanctuaries to make their live debut. That’s right, they’ve never performed live before. Another Baltimore-born group, Sanctuaries is a 5 piece metalcore band with all the kick of each band that played before them. Hard to believe it was their live debut, they gave it their all and then some. I’m ready to rip as they start to play, and suddenly the music abruptly stops and guitarist Kylen Rankin grins and grabs the mic, shouting “Oh, hi Mark!”, a classic quote from the movie ‘The Room’ that got a collective laugh from the crowd. Sanctuaries had a trippy rainbow visual projecting behind them as they ripped around the stage. Not only did these guys scream and thrash, but they also took a minute to get a little deep with us. Kyle slowed it down and told the crowd about how he had just recently buried his best friend, and wanted to dedicate their next emotional tune to him. They don’t want to send the crowd home crying though, so they bust out one more song and damn near tear the roof off the place. Sanctuaries is so new that you won’t find any of their music streaming…YET. You can keep up with them over on their Instagram page, though.
And that’s it, the show comes to a close and the bands are among the crowd, chatting and hugging. Everyone is saying their goodbyes and pouring out of the venue. I don’t know if it’s like this everywhere, but hardcore shows in my area are so homey. If someone falls down, they get picked up. Everyone is a friend and the security you feel at these shows is so comforting. Seriously, they’re like the Olive Garden of concerts. When you’re there, you’re family. I recommend you keep an eye on Dark Star Media, they know how to put it on and show you a night you won’t soon forget.
See the full gallery of the night here!
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