Soil / Rock City / Nottingham
A trip on a Sunday evening into Nottingham and to home from home Rock City, for the visit of SOiL on their 2024 “All Scars Set” tour. A nice line up of four bands, with very different sounds and personalities lies ahead.
First up are American nu metal band The Union Underground from San Antonio, Texas. In 2000 they released the studio album “An Education in Rebellion” which featured the hit single Turn Me On 'Mr. Deadman'. In 2002 they released the song Across the Nation which became internationally well known when it was picked up by the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) as the theme song for RAW, and it was used up to 2006.
The current line up consists of founding member Bryan Scott (lead vocals & rhythm guitar), Todd "Taz" Osterhouse (lead guitar & backing vocals), Bones Elias (drums) and Ilyn Nathaniel (bass & backing vocals).
As they hit the stage, the light panels flare up, bathing the stage in bright light as they dive into the opening track Drivel. It’s a powerhouse of a track setting the scene for whats to come, with heavy hard riffs backing up Bryans vocals.
The pace is unrelenting through Killing Fly as well and the place is on fire. The atmosphere feels electric already. The pace slows somewhat with Bitter which has an altogether slower, darker almost brooding feel to it.
The energy levels are at max again for fan favourite Turn Me On ”Mr Deadman” which delivers some crazy powerful riffs and deep bass lines. Bryan’s performance is mesmerising as he rushes round the stage.
Of course, the last track had to be their anthemic Across the Nation which draws huge shouts and cheers from the crowd. Everyone is up and dancing, shouting out and singing along to their favourite. It builds to a crescendo and leaves the crowd gasping for more. A thoroughly enjoyable set.
Next up is Nonpoint from Fort Lauderdale in Florida who are Elias Soriano (vocals), Robb Rivera (drums), Rasheed Thomas (guitar), Adam Woloszyn (bass) and Jaysin Zeilstra (guitar). Formed back in 1997 by Rivera and Soriano, they released two independent demo albums in the 1990’s, followed by their major label debut album “Statement” in 2000. Over the years, Nonpoint have released 11 albums, with their most recent “X” released in 2018. The band tours extensively and has had their music featured in various video games, movies, and soundtracks.
In 2021, Nonpoint set up their own independent record label, 361 Degrees Records.
The large early doors crowd are already hyped up thanks top The Union Underground, and as the air thickens with clouds of thick smoke you can feel the energy levels rising to the next level.All dressed in matching Nonpoint tees the crowd erupts.
Starting off with Breaking Skin from the 2014 album “The Return” its dominated by heavy riffs and powerhouse bass. Soriano is a ball of energy, never static for more than a few seconds, commanding the stage around him, whipping up the fervour further. With lots of reds and silhouette lighting, the band cut a dramatic presence on stage.
Next up is a more recent number Chaos and Earthquakes from “X” (2018) which is as fast and powerful as before.
Another track from “X” Dodge Your Destiny brings the full intensity of their sound to bare, with it’s heavy and groovy sound. Again the drumming seems to shine through the mix perfectly as it drives the intensity onwards.
Perhaps my favourite was Alive and Kicking taken from 2005’s “To The Pain”. The whole set has been incendiary, the whole band, almost as one living entity, in perfect sync, delivering a blistering riffs and lines, and this one seems to sum them up perfectly. With his dreads swirling Soriano delivers a crushing performance, the lights go into overtime matching the fast beats and the crowd are on the edge.
Nonpoint are a powerhouse of a band, one that gives 110% with every performance they deliver.
Now its the turn of (həd)p.e. to take to the stage. Another nu metal band but crossing genres and influences mixing in punk sensibilities, elements of reggae and rap. The name stands for ‘Higher Education Planet Earth/Planetary Evolution’ and they were formed in 1994 in Huntington Beach, California. Currently the line up is Jared "M.C.U.D." Gomes (lead vocals), Jeremiah "Trauma" Stratton (drums), Kurt "Kid Bass" Blankenship (bass) and Nathan Javier (guitar).
To date (həd)p.e. have released fourteen studio albums, one live album and three compilation albums, and has sold over 700,000 albums worldwide.
The lighting turns darker, with soft blue tones as (həd)p.e. hit the stage and they dive into
No Way Out from their 2023 album “Detox”. Gomes spits out the vocals with a sense of grit and determination against the intense riffs, delivering a heavy vibe that feels well suited to the dark and smoky environment. There is a heavy sense of defiance and rebellion in their material, and the crowd are pushing their fists into the air in the chorus sections.
Its been quite an incredible night so far, with the crowd absolutely on the edge throughout. Its rare you have a show where all the individual elements (bands) all seem to be a hit, but tonight is one of these rare moments. The levels don’t drop one iota with Peer Pressure with its intense sentiment and message to break free from the norms society expects. With Gomes delivering the lines with aplomb, able to mix from harsh to melodic and mellow., the crowd are chomping on the bit. This continues through
Killing Time from 2000’s “Broke” with it’s powerful riffs delivered with a raw intensity.
We have a brief respite from the chaos and frantic energy with Sophia from 2006’s “Back 2 Base X”, which has a slower almost haunting melody to it, which has the effect of elevating Gomes’s vocals more so you can take in the full soulful delivery. It is a showstopping moment, showing how versatile a band (həd)p.e. truly are.
As the set comes to a close with Bartender another track from 2000’s “Broke” and Renegade from 2009’s “New World Orphans”, the crowd go crazy. Perhaps one of their most well known tracks everything all comes together perfectly. The lighting flash to the beat with crushing guitars and pounding rhythm the atmosphere is just insane.
At this point, you would very happily go home satisfied. A fantastic night all round….. but crazily….. there’s still more to come !
A chance to grab a drink and calm down before SOiL head out to headline. I last saw SOiL back in 2019 here at Rock City as part of the support bill with Static-X. An American alt-metal band formed in 1987 in Chicago, Illinois. Frontman Ryan McCombs left the group in 2007 to be replaced by ex-Diesel Machine vocalist A.J. Cavalier who recorded two albums with the band before the return of McCombs on a tour commemorating the tenth anniversary of their landmark album, Scars.
The current line-up is Ryan McCombs (vocals), Adam Zadel (guitar), Tim King (bass) and T.J. Taylor (drums).
For one last time, the house lights dim and the smoke pours out again across the stage as SOiL kick things off with Breaking Me Down from the iconic 2001 album “Scars”. As you would expect from SOiL, its raw, powerful and intense right from the off and Ryan is a striking figure with his baseball hat and iconic retro looking mic (Shure 55). With a foot up on the monitors, Ryan snarls and delivers the lyrics with a raw intensity and edge.
The anthem Wide Open is a huge hit with the crowd and the whole band feels like one, working in unison. The guitars are sharp and precise the drums thunderous and bass heavy and deep driving the heart of the track along.
With Understanding Me the lighting shifts to green and the atmosphere changes, becoming darker and more intense. A real highlight is Unreal which is heavy. Its one of those that builds in intensity as the track develops, the crowd eagerly along for the ride.
The One is an absolute banger of an anthem, one which has the packed house singing along in unison with Ryan before the atmosphere shifts yet again, to something darker and intense with Black 7 it’s heavy and booming and Ryan delivers some fierce and raw vocals expressing the raw emotion of the song perfectly.
No SOiL show would be complete without the hit Halo, and the house goes wild with a pit in full force and surfers heading over and into he pit, keeping security on their toes. The vocals are chanted back at Ryan and the place feels at one – together, and Ryan takes the opportunity to step down on to the barrier and sing close up with the fans, fist bumping and encouraging even more euphoria.
As the set draws to a close, SOiL give us their very unique, and heavy take on the classic Black Betty and the crowd just laps it up, singing and bouncing. Finally we end on Pride which comes form their 2004 album “Re*de*fine”. And what an end it is. Summing ujp the whole night,. Its raw intensity and driving beats and fuzzy riffs just drives the crowd to one more level of intensity.
An incredible experience. SOiL were outstanding as headliners, a set that delivered the intensity and raw energy the crowd needed. But what tops off the night is the support, and in The Union Underground, Nonpoint and (həd)p.e., SOiL struck gold !
An amazing night that left everyone breathless !
