The Red Tape Tour took over the House of Blues Friday night with headliner Nonpoint, NYC based Madame Mayhem, Zero Theorem out of LA and, filling in for Hyro the Hero at this stop, hometown favorites Devil’s Envy. These guys (and gal) are about halfway through a 22 city tour but if you think they are running out of steam you are WRONG.
Zero Theorem opened the show with raw vocals and hard bass lines that had the crowd hooked from the first note. It was my first time catching this band and there was definitely a FFDP/Ivan Moody vibe, but also with their own unique sound. Self-described as “groove metal with big melodies and progressive material mixed in”, Zero Theorem had the crowd roaring with their song “Area” and kept that momentum going with “Becoming” and “You”…by the end of the set the crowd was pumped and ready for Madame Mayhem.
I’m the first to admit that I’m a sucker for female rockers, so I was really looking forward to Madame Mayhem’s set and I was not disappointed. Strong drums and hard-hitting rhythms provide the perfect backdrop for Madame Mayhem, allowing her to show off her classical vocal training and rock-star presence…..Ms. Mayhem OWNED the stage! Her energy gripped the audience, allowing her to connect with each person through her lyrics and pulse-pounding show. From “The War You Started” to “Broken” to “Monster”, Madame Mayhem made sure that we knew who she was and that she was here to ROCK our worlds and left the crowd pumped for Devil’s Envy.
Next up was the hometown band, Devil’s Envy, and the crowd was READY. Devil’s Envy always hits the stage hard and this night was no different. With their pure metal sound, these guys aren’t afraid to leave it all on the stage with songs like “Alter Ego”, “Dead Inside” and a sneak preview of their not yet released single “Ghost”. Fans weren’t afraid either, opening the center of the floor for a raging mosh pit (Thank you security for letting these guys mosh without breaking it up!).
Just when we thought it couldn’t get better, Florida’s own Nonpoint took the stage and kept the mosh-pit churning. I’ve been listening to Nonpoint since the late 90’s but amazingly have never caught them live. After almost 20 years you might expect them to slow down. You might… if you weren’t a fan. Real fans know that Nonpoint will NEVER slow down – this shit is in their blood. The guitars hit hard with the opener “Miracle” and brought music from all twelve albums including “Fix This” with an almost ethereal (if shredding guitars can be ethereal?) sound from their most recent album, X. The set was full of old and new music keeping fans hopping and horns up till their final, and possibly most mainstream and known song, “Bullet with a Name” from their 2005 album, To the Pain. In regular “we are one of you” fashion, they closed the show by taking a selfie with the crowd and sharing all over social media.
The Red Tape Tour has 10 more shows (in 8 states) over the next three weeks – if they are in your neighborhood, GO CHECK EM OUT! You can thank me later! Enjoy photos from the show at the House of Blues, Orlando. All photos copyright and courtesy of Chris Cornett Photography.
