Asking Alexandria: 10 Years in The Black

Asking Alexandria w/ Born Of Osiris, I See Stars, After The Burial, Upon A Burning Body
Showbox SoDo, Seattle, WA
10.25.16

It was a special night at Showbox SoDo in Seattle, as Sumerian Records’ “10 Years in The Black” tour kicked off. Anticipation in the room for headliner, Asking Alexandria, was palpable.

Kicking off the evening under a cover of darkness was San Antonio, Texas’ Upon A Burning Body. They have changed a few members, and their look, from slick suits to torn jeans and black t-shirts. The played a pretty fast, condensed set of their Texas-style deathcore. Pretty non-existent lighting throughout the set made them hard to see from the photo pit, let alone from out in the crowd.

After The Burial brought their crushing, neck-breaking 8-string sound to the stage next. They played a few new tracks from this year’s Dig Deep, but the set was just not long enough, as I would have loved to hear a few more songs from In Dreams, but with three more bands, it wasn’t enough time for them to showcase every trick they have. Such a high energy set from the Minnesota “Djent” quartet.

Michigan’s I See Stars were the “electronicore” band I was most excited to see. They have such a unique pop sound mixed with metal core that I felt they were going to be the highlight of the evening for me. Sadly, due to first day of tour issues, set up took much longer than expected. They had to cut their set by a few songs but what was delivered was what we all wanted to hear. Front man Devin Oliver has such a unique voice, and it was a very high energy set, with the band playing much from their 2016 release Treehouse. I need to see a headline set from these guys, but even their abbreviated set was so much fun.

The Chicago based death core band, Born Of Osiris, really delivered live. Front man Ronnie Canizaro and keyboardist/vocalist Joe Buras really played well off each other. The gave a pretty intense set tonight, but again not enough time for each band. Maybe it was opening day insanity but everything felt way too short for such a killer lineup.

“Guess who’s back and better than ever?” That was the question on everyone’s mind with the first show debut of original Asking Alexandria front man Danny Warsnop. Anyone following the band knows the turmoil and media war of words that had transpired during Warsnop’s original departure almost a year and a half ago. They’ve subsequently released an incredible album, The Black, with new vocalist Denis Stoff, however it seems just prior to this tour kicking off Wrasnop had returned to the fold and this was to be his first show back.

The setlist excluded all songs from The Black and concentrated on material that band had not played in several years. “Dear Insanity,” “Somebody Somewhere,” and closer, “A Single Moment Of Sincerity,” were some highlights that haven’t been heard in some time.

Warsnop and the band sounded fantastic. You would never believe that there was so much tension in their break. Their interactions on stage with each other and with the crowd were all smiles and hugs. Looks like things are back on track, as Warsnop looked and sounded better than ever.

If you get a chance to see this “10 Years in The Black” tour you won’t be disappointed. Sumerian Records have quite a diverse line up of bands on this run and seeing a reunited Asking Alexandria was a force to be reckoned with.

Asking Alexandria Set List
Welcome
Dear Insanity
To The Stage
Dedication
Someone, Somewhere
Run Free
The Death Of Me
Moving On
The Road
A Prophecy
Not The American Average
Encore
The Final Episode (Let’s Change The Channel)
A Single Moment Of Sincerity