On Monday April 25, Rochester New York fell prey to one of Sweden’s most notorious metal bands. Amon Amarth kicked off their 2016 Jomsviking North American tour on April 17. Joining them on their voyage are fellow Swedes, Entombed A.D. and American thrash metal band, Exmortus.
The line outside the venue stretched the entire length of Water Street and then some. Some concert goers went as far as dressing in viking armor, helms and bracers in support of Amon Amarth’s musical theme.
Setting the pace for the evening was Sourthern California quartet, Exmortus. Their performance was enthusiastically received by the crowd throwing up their “horns.” The band consists of Jadran “Conan” Gonzalez on vocals/guitar, guitarist David Rivera, bassist Michael Cosio and Mario Moreno. Their set list for the evening was as follows: “Rising” “For the Horde” “Foe Hammer” “Death to Tyrants” “Moonlight Sonata (Act 3)” and “Metal is King.”
With the crowd already hungering for more, Entombed A.D. was next to take the stage. Consisting of Lars-Göran Petrov on vocals, Olle Dahlstedt on drums, Nico Elgstrand on guitar and Victor Brandt on bass, the Stockholm based band’s heavy riffs added fuel to the fire, as crowd surfers began making their way towards the front of the venue towards waiting Security. The band’s set list for the evening was in support of their February 26 album release Dead Dawn with songs such as “Dead Dawn” “Stranger Aeons” “Second to None” “Midas In Reverse” “Living Dead” “The Winner Has Lost” “Revel in Flesh” “Wolverine Blues” and “Left Hand Path.”
With the venue at near capacity, the fans were ready battle when Amon Amarth time came to slay the crowd. The stage was set with a giant viking helm emitting smoke with the drum kit perched atop between it’s horns. With their new album release, Jomsviking, which has dominated the charts around the globe, the band took the stage like a storm starting things off with the song “The Pursuit of Vikings.” The performance was met with more crowd surfing, chanting, fists in the air and horns raised enthusiastically. With frontman Johan Hegg sporting a drinking horn on his side and decorated leather bracers on his arms, he appeared as a viking warrior straight of some epic story. Backed by guitarists Ted Lundström and Johan Söderberg along with bassist Olavi Mikkonen and new drummer Tobias Gustafsson, the show raged on through the night with songs from the new album along with some old favorites. The set list being, “The Pursuit of Vikings” “As Loke Falls” “First Kill” “The Way of Vikings” “At Dawns First Light” “Deceiver of the Gods” “Cry of the Black Birds” “One Against All” “Thousand Years of Oppression” “Destroyer of the Universe” “Death in Fire” and “Runes to My Memory”
cover began, the audience started to thin out for a fresh beer or cigarette during what was sure to be the break of an already stellar set until they heard the opening riff to this Let it Be classic. People began sprinting back inside to be part of the action and as the cigarette flames were extinguished outside, a new fire started within. Since the last time Turkuaz ignited the Brooklyn Bowl flame in 2015, the band’s sound has evolved through hard work, relentless touring and attention to their craft. Ask any die-hard Turkuaz fan and they will tell you that the band gets better every time you see them in Brooklyn. Smiles covered the group’s faces as they proudly sang the symbolic lyrics “Everybody had a good year, everybody let their hair down, everybody pulled their socks up, everybody put their foot down.” Oh, yeah!
upon 
member was placed under the spotlight during 
Wandering into the large building, hundreds of glorious beings milled about, most of which standing like a rippling ocean of rhythmic movement at the base of stage. And just as stood there in awe of the spectacle, you heard a noise above you and looked up, only to realize there was a full balcony of music freaks overhead. Sure, there were two full sets of music, roaring like a freight train across the spectrum of the band’s career, making musical stops ranging from reggae to hip- hop, gypsy to nitty-gritty blues. And yes, it a performance that sent a chill through your body, where you raised your arm and could see the goose bumps emerge. But, that wasn’t what the evening was about, at least for those in the band and their inner circle.
And as I stood there on the side stage, watching my musical brothers take their final encore for may be awhile, I was struck by how loud the standing ovation was from the enormous crowd. It wasn’t surprising, it was more so awe-inspiring, this never-ending roundabout circle of passion and energy shooting back and forth between the band and the audience — the essence of what music is, always and forever. Lucid chose “Whiskey Dreams” for their encore, a song whose word ricocheted around the depths of my heart when the lyric “we are them, and they are us…” catapulted out of the speakers, tying a bow on a career that, to at least myself, still
(guitarist/vocalist Gruskauskas’ vocal range truly shines on this track). The trio from Boston also featured classic cover of Les Claypool’s 
This group has become outstandingly popular; having been to several of their shows, they never seem to disappoint. Since their formation in 2013, they have created a beautiful fan base and evoke a sphere of jam and funky madness. On this night, they pumped the smoky carnival air with tunes such as “Regal Krad”, “Moon Boots”, “Uh Oh I Slipped My Disco”, “Rango”, “Mister Sam”, “Plibt”, and “Entree The Giant”. It is pleasing to witness how they have progressed over the years and it is an honor to watch them continue to grow into galactic flowers.
Space Carnival meshes funk, progressive rock, and high-energy disco all while melting brains and hearts. They have a unique rhythm and spatial sound which all keep their fellow dancers afloat and on their toes. They performed covers throughout the night along with their fresh jams to keep the spacey flow going. Stay tuned as they are currently recording their debut album Drawn In By The Sun.
Following Space Carnival, Jimkata settled the night in the most perfect way, allowing the audience to cool down and sooth to the smooth moves of soft soundwaves. This night was about the promotion and celebration of their newest album In Motion. This band is much more than what they seem; their anthemic-synth-washed rock n’ roll and pop take you through the night and underground on a happy rollercoaster with sweet melodies and charming hooks. One can feel the emotional energy that emanates from their gentle tunes. It has an adventurous, continuous flow of undulating waves.
On this night of the tour, Evan Friedell (guitar/vocals), Aaron Gorsch (synth/guitar), and Packy Lunn (drums) collectively embraced their listeners with a fresh perspective of feeling. Their music lures you with emotion and hits your body with the beat. The crowd cheered to some of their hits such as, “Wild Ride”, “Innocence”, “Won’t Let You Down”, “Jumping Out of Airplanes”, and “Ride The Wave”, all from their most recent album.
Slothrust finished up a month long tour at Baby’s that night and closed out the show. Their tour hopped all over the country, including five showcases at 
They closed their set with 
There was an anticipatory energy crackling through the Capitol as the New Deal started the evening smoothly. The unique blend of catchy and accessible electronic rock served as an excellent warm up as the crowd settled in; swelling to a size that would worry the fire marshal as the opening act concluded. Giving a salute to one of the many gods to grace the same stage, the Disco Biscuits kicked it off in style with Frank Zappa’s “Pygmy Twylyte.” Zappa can lubricate anyone’s mood, and the song clearly got it going perfectly as the crowd brimmed with positive energy. “Spraypaint” always being a pleaser, the set promised to be an uplifting one as bassist Marc Brownstein had everyone feeling mellow for the transition into “Rainbow Song”. Maintaining the upbeat theme immaculately, “Spectacle” was followed promptly by a thundering “Helicopters” introduction that had everyone singing along. The set concluded with keyboardist Aron Magner’s crushing organ outro for the set-closing end of “Spraypaint”.