Hardcore Bands Thrash State House

On Sunday afternoon, the State House brought back the iconic Sunday matinee show, a staple of the hardcore scene since the ​’80s. Anchored by Buffalo, N.Y.’s Buried Alive — a highly influential late-’90s band — the show boasted a stacked lineup of unique bands, mostly newer and younger than the headliners.

The show kicked off with a pair of Connecticut bands whose inceptions lay two decades apart. Newcomers Almighty Watching brought a groove-oriented brand of hardcore influenced by some of the more creative ​’80s groups like Bad Brains and Absolution. Playing songs from the band’s January released Doubtless 7‑inch, the New Haven-based five-piece ripped through a short set of impressively written material loaded with unexpected tempo shifts and clever song structures. The crowd reacted accordingly, opening up a pit that never faltered until the show’s conclusion. 

“We’re Divided By Hate, from the year 1997,” the second band’s vocalist, David Cassolino, announced as the band took the stage. Coming from the same Connecticut scene that spawned titans like Hatebreed and 100 Demons, Divided By Hate played songs from its demo and East Coast Empire Records released EP, Sediments Of Shame. The band brought it back to the late ​’90s, when hardcore intertwined with death metal and thrash, forming the roots of what would later be called metalcore. With pounding double kick drum and Slayer-esque guitar riffs, the Connecticut veterans reminded the crowd how creative and wide-reaching that time was.

Following the locals was Age Of Apocalypse, from New York’s Hudson Valley. Touring on their freshly released, soon-to-be-classic full length Grim Wisdom, the band played their intriguing blend of metal and hardcore to an engaged crowd. While frontman Dylan Kaplowitz’s mostly sung vocals brought to mind the gothic stylings of ​’90s alt-metal heroes Life Of Agony — or even those of long-lost upstate New York legends Section 8 or Withstand — the band locked in on cleverly melodic yet brutally heavy riffs. Their nostalgic yet completely modern take on the style impressed both the younger and the older audience members.

Long Island’s Sanction brought a style of breakdown heavy metalcore next, which whipped the audience into a complete frenzy — perhaps too much so. With every song devolving into a quarter-time mosh section, the band’s set was plagued with fights, but they persevered, carrying on through the scrums. Those that didn’t lose their cool were treated to a set of absurdly heavy and chaotic songs. The band concluded its set with a fiery breakdown and vocalist David Blom’s microphone swinging wildly through the air.

While Age Of Apocalypse and Sanction had been on a weekend-long stint with headliners Buried Alive, Pain Of Truth — who released a split with Age Of Apocalypse last year — joined for them for the New Haven date.

“A lot of these tracks were written with Connecticut in mind,” Pain Of Truth vocalist Michael Smith told the audience. The influence of CT bands like Hatebreed, 100 Demons and Death Threat was certainly felt as the band played its ultra-heavy take on hardcore. Coming from Long Island, the band also drew heavily from New York’s more urban sound, with Smith’s delivery bordering on rap. With plenty of sing-alongs and mosh sections, the set was ripe for crowd participation. It even had a communal vibe with guest vocalists popping up to join for a verse before stepping back off the stage and rejoining the pit.

“It’s been twenty-three years,” Buried Alive vocalist Scott Vogel said, referencing how long it had been since the band had last played in Connecticut. Since the Buffalo-based group disbanded in 2000, the frontman has spent time leading the current hardcore scene with his band Terror, but Buried Alive’s sole full-length album, The Death Of Your Perfect World — released in 1999 on Victory Records — remains a huge influence on the current state of hardcore. The vocalist’s positive between-song banter and calls for never-ending energy created an environment of fun as the band pounded away on its brand of metallic hardcore. The technical skill and sheer intensity matched that which the band gave back in 1999, proving why Buried Alive is as relevant as ever.

“Perfect show, perfect stage, great vibe,” Vogel declared.