“Counting all the assholes in the room, well, I’m definitely not alone.”
-Volbeat, “Still Counting“
Metal shows are sometimes just so fucking lovely.
Excuse the sailor’s tone, but something had to offset the odd descriptor. Yet, it still stands. Volbeat, along with Halestorm and The Ghost Inside, provided metal fans and hard rockers an evening full of heavy emotion, precision and rhythm Thursday at Ball Arena in Denver.
Relocating to Colorado from a state where metal music was a standard and large tours were well aware of the loyal following and constitently awarded said following with annual dates, it was hard to fathom the amount of available seats last night. Yet, metal isn’t for everyone; it’s kind of like Nebraska.
However, for all the other assholes that were in the room, there was a sense of togetherness that is common at metal shows.
Quick disclaimer: People from Nebraska cannot be considered assholes from the above paragraph transition. That’s on the person who made that Freudian connection. Sorry, Nebraska.
For fans in attendance last night, all three acts shared their unique journey from tragedy to resilience to progress.
The Ghost Inside
In 2015, The Ghost Inside was involved in a disastrous crash just outside of El Paso, Texas. The band’s tour bus and a tractor-trailer collided, killing both drivers and hospitalizing five others. Lead singer Jonathan Vigil, guitarist Zach Johnson and drummer Andrew Tkaczyk were among the injured, Tkaczyk losing one of his legs.
Last night not only highlighted the band’s perseverance, it showed that people are capable of the extraordinary. If any fans were unaware of Tkaczyk’s situation, it was unnoticeable based on his performance. It wasn’t until Vigil shared the story toward the end of their set that people unfamiliar with the band’s history realized what they had witnessed.
The Ghost Inside, formally A Dying Dream, has been around since 2004 building a solid catalog of heavy melodies. After the accident, the California metalcore act returned to making music in 2018, subsequently releasing their self-titled album in 2020. Last year, the bad released their sixth album, “Searching for Solace.”
Powered by tracks “Wash It Away” and “Earn It,” “Searching for Solace” delivers a heavy and emotional grouping of songs. With the addition of cryptic instrumentation in tracks such as “Cityscapes” and “Breathless”, The Ghost Inside offers some parity but doesn’t stray from the sound they have developed.
Their energy on stage was a precursor for the remainder of the night.
Halestorm
By now, Halestorm is a household name in hard rock. The band is established enough to play arguably its most well-known hit, “I Miss the Misery”, early in the setlist. It was too bad for all the fans still at the merch stand or beer line, but well done on Halestorm’s part to engross the crowd immediately before showcasing the remainder of their collection.
The Pennsylvania group was formed by siblings Arejay and Lzzy Hale. Both with musical backgrounds forming at a young age, the Hales began performing original music together as preteens.
And they never stopped, much to the benefit of the rock community.
It’s easy to boast what Lzzy Hale has meant to music, especially being a dominant female in a male-saturated genre. Halestorm is much more than that narrative, however. The band has consistently produced powerful releases. They aren’t just a female-led rock band, they are a constant act that is well-known domestically and internationally.
The band’s sixth studio album, “Everest”, is set to release on Aug. 8 and the crowd was privileged to live versions of the upcoming tracks, including “Rain Your Blood On Me” and “Darkness Always Wins” – which may just end up being their greatest hit. Calm down, now, give it time.
The progression from piano to distortion and back, complemented by Lzzy Hale’s perfect tone and dark lyrics, Arejay Hale and Josh Smith’s steady beats, and Joe Hottinger’s precise solo make “Darkness Always Wins” a complete song.
But that’s what Halestorm does. They make complete songs and perform them perfectly, which was apparent throughout their entire set. Well, Arejay Hale did have a drumstick mishap, but even that seemed to be met with grace.
Though a headliner in their own right, there was still one more act on the bill.
Volbeat
The Danish rockers may just be the most rhythmic metal band out there. Yes, that can be a controversial statement for hardcore metal fans to swallow. There are other rhythmic metal bands, of course; however, it is Volbeat’s consistency and dedication to their style that puts them a step ahead.
Volbeat seamlessly blends genres that others may never have thought to combine. Their sound is heavy and fast, there is no denying such, but when infused with glam, pop, punk, rockabilly and odes to vintage rock ‘n’ roll, it creates a sound unfamiliar to traditional metal production.
This take on composition was on full display last night when lead singer Michael Poulsen shared how Johnny Cash was an inspiration after performing a quick rendition of “Ring of Fire,” but has been part of their catalog for some time.
From their covers of “I Only Want to be With You” and “My Body” to original cuts like “Pelvis on Fire” and “A New Day” to more mainstream releases such as “A Warrior’s Call” and “Shotgun Blues,” it exhumes a style that assures genres can progress without losing their nuanced sound.
This take is also no easy task and requires immense skill.
Poulson, along with bandmates Jon Larsen, Kaspar Boye Larsen and touring guitarist Flemming C. Lund defined precision as they executed the shifts in musical stylings without making these shifts apparent.
If they weren’t emphatically moving around stage, the band members in front would stand wide-legged with guitar necks in the air, synchronously tapping and strumming each string with precision, nodding their heads to the infectious beats Larsen pounded from the platform a level above in the background. It was, well, lovely, to be honest.
Volbeat also performed a slew of songs from their new studio album, “God of Angels Trust,” which was just released on June 6, including singles “By A Monster’s Hand,” “Demonic Depression” and “Time Will Heal.”
“God of Angels Trust” meets expectations. The hits are heavy, the riffs are rhythmic and the entire album exemplifies their versatility. That Cash sound can be found at the start of “In The Barn Of The Goat Giving Birth to Satan’s Spawn in a Dying World of Doom,” glam ballads “Acid Rain” and “Time Will Heal” balance out the heaviness, and notes of rockbilly are present on “Better Be Fueled Than Tamed.”
Sorry, that last sentence sounded like a bottle of wine.
Volbeat’s humbleness was on display last night as well. As Poulson thanked the crowd multiple times with his Danish accent, the appreciation for their North American following was genuine.
There were moments of emotion as Poulson shared personal connections to songs, but also that aforementioned (way back at the beginning of the article) togetherness. Poulson brought all the kids in the pit on stage during “Still Counting,” allowing the youngest fans each a strum of his guitar as the track came to a close.
At what age is it OK to refer to people as assholes, even if endearing?
That’s besides the point.
The Greatest Of All Tours Worldwide
Black leather pants claimed seats, fans donned fresh apparel acquired in the concourse, and, though the arena wasn’t full, enough people came to shine their phone flashlights in unison, run and bump into each other on the floor, and release scattered streams of secondhand smoke into the air.
So fucking lovely.
The Ghost Inside shared their tragedy and resilience, Halestorm cemented their reputation and Volbeat proved how music is always progressing.
A great show worth seeing.
Remaining dates on the “Greatest Of All Tours Worldwide” can be found here.
Carl Lawrence Knauf 