I was very excited for this show because Arch Enemy is one of my favorite bands. The last time Arch Enemy was in North America was 10 years ago, so I was looking forward to seeing them perform for the first time! I traveled to Atlanta, Georgia to see Arch Enemy, Trivium, While She Sleeps, and Fit For An Autopsy. Now, the tour was coming to Charlotte, North Carolina at the Fillmore, but I wanted to see them perform at the famous Masquerade. This venue is very well known not only to metalheads, but to all. There are actually three venues within the Masquerade: Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory. Heaven (where this show was hosted) is the biggest venue. It was very impressive, too! It was very spacious with a lot of room for a lot of people. My only complaint concerns the wood floor in front of the stage. Spilled (and dropped) drinks means a wet and slippery mosh pit. I fell a couple of times. But it was still a great time, regardless! If you ever get the chance, I would defiantly try to see a show at the Masquerade.
The first band that played was Fit For An Autopsy. I really, really like this band. I saw them on After The Burial’s ‘Carry The Flame Tour’ and I was impressed by them. They are groovy and have some jamming songs! They played some of their famous hits such as “Heads Will Hang,” “Still We Destroy,” and “Black Mammoth.” The crowd was (just) okay. There was one crowd surfer and a couple of mosh pits. I was in the front for them and I was jamming! But the people around me weren’t jamming at all. Metal Lesson #666: If you are in the front for the show, and you’re just standing there with your arms crossed, not jamming at all, go to the back. Anyway, I got to meet the lead singer of Fit For An Autopsy, after their set, and he is a super nice guy! The next band to play was While She Sleeps. I have never seen (or listened to) this band, but they were really good live! They interacted with the crowd the entire time and they also joined the crowd on some occasions. The crowd got into this band more and there was more interaction and energy. They also played some of their well-known songs such as “You Are We,” “Brainwashed,” and “Silence Speaks.” Trivium was the third band to play and I’ve seen them once before at the Carolina Rebellion of 2016. Like at the Rebellion, I was really impressed with them during the show at the Masquerade. The light show was really good and the band was all up in the crowd and interacting with them. And the crowd, during Trivium, was LOUD! You could barely hear the singer because everyone was singing along. The mosh pits were very impressive (I broke my finger in one of the pits), and I crowd surfed during their set. They were so much fun to watch and I was jamming the whole time. They played “The Sin and the Sentence,” “Until the World Goes Cold,” and “In Waves” along with many more. Arch Enemy headlined the show in Atlanta. They and Trivium are co-headlining the show and they alternate in each city who is the last band to perform. I was very excited when they came out; they put on a phenomenal live show. The singer was interacting with the crowd and she was very energetic. The whole crowd was into their set and were jumping around the entire time. There were a lot of pits, crowd surfers, and a lot of people just having a good time singing along with the band. The light show was also amazing and was very nice to watch. I got to meet Arch Enemy before the show, and they are really cool. They were super nice and it was great to meet one of my favorite bands. Among the many songs they played were “War Eternal,” “As the Pages Burn,” and “Nemesis.” This was one of the best shows that I have ever been to. If you ever get the chance to see Arch Enemy, Trivium, While She Sleeps, or Fit For An Autopsy, do it! I promise you won’t regret it!
The Saw
