After the events that transpired two years ago, we welcome a new breed of metal. Borne from the fruits of As I Lay Dying‘s arduous labour Wovenwar are comprised of 4/5ths AILD, joined by singer Shane Blay from Oh, Sleeper the band have been defiant in the face of adversity. Given a rebirth from the pigeonholed As I Lay Dying sound the band are able to be their own entity entirely. The good thing about seeing a band in their infancy is that you know all the material! Having released their debut album Wovenwar this is arguably the band’s first time to prove themselves to us UK fans.
[date]29th May 2015[/date]
[venue]The Underworld[/venue]
[city]Camden Town, London[/city]
[support_bands]As Lions[/support_bands]
Though before we’re able to see our heroes return we are treated to a set from British new comers As Lions, very much in the vein of the headliners tonight, though a lot younger. As you will see later on, Wovenwar perform with a sense of ease that only veterans would pertain, however this doesn’t mean that As Lions aren’t a great warm up! With singer Austin Dickinson scrambling on monitors to deliver the larger than life choruses the musicianship is admirable, it’s waking up The Underworld though unfortunately no match for tonight’s main event. Nevertheless a good choice for support before the boys from the Metalcore mob take to the stage!
Lights dim and intro’s roll as our Wovenwar cohorts slowly emerge, though it’s when singer Shane Blay decides to appear that the crowd goes truly wild. It’s easy to see why! Ripping straight into opener “Dead To Rights” the singer is both incredibly talented yet also charismatic, never before have I seen such a grin when sounds like “Profane” a hurtled back to the singer. Not to mention his vocal range this evening is on point, hitting notes as the singer does on the record, there can be a stark contrast live. Live, bands test their mettle and with Blay you can tell though we may be in the age of trickery, there are no smoke and mirrors here. In fact the same goes for much of the band this evening, performing a stripped back set. A very much back to basics approach, having first played the decidedly smaller Barfly the band have now returned after their Euro stint with Sylosis to a much larger Underworld. Which tonight is busier than I have seen in the past.
Nick Hipa’s signature triplet riffs emerge and were treated to yet more material from the new album. With bassist’s back up vocals working in tandem with Blay to create some melodious lines , one of Wovenwar’s aces in the hole. Causing track likes “Tempest” to reverberate throughout the walls of The Underworld. It’s worth mentioning that the band do not perform any of As I Lay Dying‘s previous material choosing to stick solely to the new Wovenwar sound. A commendable move since some bands play songs like that to ensure their fans remain until the end of the set. With drummer Jordan Mancino’s drums coming through like the powerhouse he is we’re moved into an absolutely anthemic “Matter Of Time” along with “Prophets” where our frontman becomes a instrumentalist as well! Not content with just using his versatile pipes the singer emerges with an axe worthy of both Hipa and though perhaps not quite as skilled as the two!
Wovenwar are very much a sound that echoes our modern times, with the pastiche of Metalcore the band have evolved to include a more mature sense of song writing and tonight it shows. It makes for a fantastic sense of unity, it’s clear that tonight the band are working in perfect harmony. It can be incredibly difficult to change from an archetypal sound from a classic band to being, well, a new comer. Tonight Wovenwar play with identity, with musicianship that is air tight despite the fact that the band haven’t been playing together long their rhythm is iron clad. Having had a lot to prove since their inception, gaining new fans and perhaps losing old the band tonight know exactly where they are and most importantly where they want to be. Finishing with a defiant cry of “All Rise” the age of As I Lay Dying is dead and gone and we welcome our new heroes Wovenwar.
Wovenwar’s brand new album of the same title is out now via Metal Blade.
