The night was ripe for mayhem, walking into the Long Beach Arena to someone pinned on the floor by 4 security guards apropos for an evening at Taste of Chaos. Due to a series of unfortunate events, I was unable to catch such acts as Idiot Pilot, MUCC, DespairsRay, and The Underneath. However, I walked into the last song of Bullet For My Valentine, which set the tone of musical rage for the evening.
BlessTheFall took the side stage, jutting forward into the audience for a more intimate experience with their inciting antics. A group of shaggy haired youngsters who originally emerged as a Phoenix high school wonder, showed up to Taste of Chaos as a seasoned hardcore act. Armed with immaculately synchronized headbanging, fierce dual guitar riffs, and a lanky lead screamer, topping the set off with a somersault into the crowd.
With the singers shirt off by the end of the first song and guitarists adorning the stage on front speakers and even behind the drummer, Atreyu served as a powerhouse of activity. Churning out hits like Bleeding Mascara, their new song Falling Down, and Love Is Illness, all had concertgoers passionately singing out the choruses. Over the manic wailing of the guitars, the drummer, Brandon Saller, exercised his multi-tasking abilities as he lent a hefty portion of the vocals. Awed that the Long Beach crowd delivered not only 2 pit circles, but aggressively forged 4, Atreyu should expect such a warm welcome in returning near their old Orange County stomping grounds.
As KROQ DJs prepped the crowd for the next act, the Avenged Sevenfold set was groomed for live DVD footage, shooting a rowdy pre-show video of the crowd and implementing a countdown clock to build anticipation. When the timer had run out, the headliner came forth with a literal pyrotechnic bang. The stage turned into a fiery metalcore dungeon, equip with flares soaring into the domed ceiling and a row of monstrous fireballs sure to be found in hell. Along with the angry chants of Almost Easy, angst ridden love songs like I Wont See You Tonight, Part 2, and the troops tribute Gunslinger, Avenged Sevenfold also invited an enthused fan from the crowd to sing a Pantera song. Another uncontained female admirer threw her panties onstage with a note for the bassist: I wish you would bang me like you bang your bass. But Taste of Chaos reached its climax with the confetti filled encore, A Little Piece of Heaven, featuring a devilishly morbid animated video. I was slightly put off by the depiction of necrophilia at first, but shortly came to terms with the illustrated poeticism it bore for the songs content.
Amidst merch tables selling BlessTheFall shirts with the tagline, Girls Dont Poop, and those shuffling out of the arena, unanimously dressed in black, there was lingering glee beneath the hardcore exterior of the attendees. After witnessing the riotous sound and fury of the evenings performers, everyone seemed pleasantly satiated after indulging in a Taste Of Chaos.
