The Summer Rapture Tour started obliterating venues when it kicked off last month in Stanhope, NJ and will continue across North America and Canada. The lineup consists of veteran New Jersey progressive metalcore band Sentinels, who are out in support of their latest album Unsound Recollections released on Stay Sick Records in 2019. This album is brutal from start to finish and shows the musical talent and aggression that is staple of the Jersey metal scene.
Hailing from Bangkok and on their first ever U.S. tour, Defying Decay’s newest album Metamorphosis is out on CB Entertainment. The album has produced three very solid three singles and videos for their songs “Ghost”, “Judas Kiss” and “Let It Rain”.
Slovenia’s Within Destruction brings true slam metal intensity with their 2018 album Deathwish, the bands third album with German label Rising Nemesis.
Since the original lineup of drummer Navene Koperweis, singer Chaney Crabb, bassist Evan Brewer and guitar player Frank Costa, Enthoes has had numerous changes to the band. Now, they have a core of musicians that will make extraordinary music in the future with newest member Tim Walker on bass and Travis LeVrier on guitar.
Conquistare is the follow up to 2017’s Dark Future, the last album to feature founding member and long time bassist Evan Brewer as well as the bands second guitar player Malcom Pugh. Chaney Crabb’s vocals lend a thunderous roar has been revered in the metal world since her viral audition video for Veil of Maya.
Betraying The Martyrs have endured success from the very start of their career in 2008. The band has toured on some of the most successful summer festivals with some of the biggest names in metal like Slipknot, Slayer and Anthrax.
Fans have been eagerly awaiting bands fourth studio album Rapture, due out in September as the follow up to 2017’s The Resilient. BTM’s live show is surely what sets them apart from a lot of other bands in the genre.
Aaron Matts commanding stage presence has every concert goer inciting absolute insanity throughout their set. The bands interaction with the fans created some of the highlights of the show, including Aaron helping fans crowd surf around the venue and ended up using one kids shoe as a mic holder on stage, Victor crowd surfing while ripping backup vocals or Steeves and Valentin being served drinks from a couple of ladies up front while they play bone crushing breakdowns.
A big surprise to people was Fronz, frontman for Attila, had been catching the show from the balcony above.
The Summer Rapture Tour will run in the states until July 28th, then Betraying The Martyrs will head back to Europe for the second leg of the tour through September 30th. Be sure to pick up Rapture out on September 13th on Sumerian Records.
For tour info, tickets and merch, go to www.betrayingthemartyrs.com.
Review and photos by Rob Cella