Taste More Chaos
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Metalcore act Atreyu left an impression due more to more memorable songs and a mix of melody and range in frontman Alex Varkatzas’ assault. Familiar material like “Right Side Of The Bed” were highlights, and new material like “Ex’s And Oh’s” suggested Atreyu look to continue with a more accessible approach as opposed to devolving into another bland, Ozzfest second stage, growlcore group.
And while Atreyu staved off devolving for another album, Orange County’s Thrice demonstrated their continual strive to evolve towards a more respectable, sensitive, pretentious art-metal outfit. Hardly Tool or Fantomas, and not even on the same level yet that Deftones have in the past reached, Thrice showed that they’re at least trying to incorporate smarter elements into their canon. The group get points for pairing catchy hooks alongside sinister riffs and still holding their own in an arena setting. Crowd-pleasers like “The Artist In The Ambulance” stood out as highlights of the night, while newer and more ambient material like “Red Sky” proved Thrice could just as well do a bill like Taste Of Chaos as they could alongside an act like Muse.
The night’s headliners Deftones turned in a capable, but not particularly surprising set. The group have been away from the road for a good year or two now, and haven’t released a record since their 2003 self-titled effort. It left them with a lot of expected hits and standards, including the likes of “Be Quiet And Drive,” “Change,” and “7 Words.”
Which makes a certain amount of sense at a festival setting like Taste Of Chaos geared towards ADD-driven teenagers. But at the same time, when the Deftones emerged, they were hailed as artistic and melodic. Part of that praise that’s been left off in recent years is “compared to other popular bands.” But, at the end of the day, part of what made Deftones really great was that the aforementioned “other popular bands” included the god awful likes of Limp Bizkit and Papa Roach. Now, with most of the nu-metal class of ’99 (thankfully) M.I.A., Deftones’ catalogue has to stand a little bit more on its own. And while their material hasn’t suffered per se with age, it certainly hasn’t improved. The group is expected to release a new record sometime this spring or summer. Which is fortunate, as a Deftones greatest hits performance is only so great.
In the halls of the UIC, venders and organizations ranging from PETA to Hot Topic to Alternative Press to indie clothing companies all vied for any attention they could get from the night’s generation of Myspace junkies. And as long as (horrifically named) trends like screamo exist alongside partnerships between the Warped camp and entities like Hot Topic and Myspace, high schoolers will respond and do their part to keep their end of the cycle going. And the idea of marketing and pandering to angst and image in the modern rock arena will continue unabated well into the next set of profitable ventures. After all, isn’t that what it’s really all about?
— Jaime de’Medici
Category: Live Reviews, Weekly
