When you bring a metal show to Las Vegas, you can be certain the crowd will show. Elijah‘s “The Lowest Tour” is no exception. Featuring support form Royale Lynn, Of Virtue, and Never Easy, Elijah made sure to support all sides of the metal community, bringing a variety of styles to the stage. For his first headline tour, he was sure to make it unforgettable.
Coming from a grungy, almost Deftones sound, Montreal-based Never Easy had the task of getting the crowd up and moving at show open. While I don’t feel they had the best stage presence, you can tell they are devoted to their craft. As musicians, they sounded wonderful, with that grimy, grubby ambiance that makes you feel like just kinda staring at your shoes and feeling the music. Overall, they were quite enjoyable.
Now, what I was looking forward to was our next set from Of Virtue. I have been listening to these guys for a few years, and was no stranger to their sound. What I was not expecting was the pure, unadulterated emotion and energy they brought. I have been to my fair share of smaller venue shows, and these guys did the absolute best possible job expressing themselves that they could on such a small stage. I would say on par with seeing bands like Sleep Theory and Wind Walkers, and would even go so far as to say they are on the level of Story of The Year. With personal experience fueled lyrics, duets, and harmonies that put K-pop artists to shame, Of Virtue was a shining star of the evening, not to be missed.
Artists switching genres is nothing new. It’s as common today as changing a guitar string. Sometimes that change is for the worse. In the case of Royale Lynn, her little black heart has come out to play in the most metal of ways. Coming off the release of her most recent album, Black Magic, Royale Lynn is out here trying to put us all under her spell, and definitely succeeding. I think what gets me the most intrigued is her unique sound. It’s heavy and metal for sure, but you can hear her country roots in every song, and it works so well. The twang meets the heavy. Not sure what I mean? Listen to the song “GREED;” that will clear all confusion. Power poses were her signature all over the stage. As a member of the audience, you knew just who was there to put a spell on you. I can say she was an absolute joy to rock with.
For the third time in a year now, I have had the pleasure of seeing Elijah perform. The artist I saw last year would be in complete awe of how far he has come and how amazing he has become, such a short year later. I don’t even know where to start with this. Stage presence? He commanded your attention. Sound? Emotion and feeling in every note and word. Heavy does not even begin to describe it. I have said it before, Elijah is born to be on the stage. The growth has been exponential.
This set, like each I have seen before, was non-stop movement, energy, and madness from the very start. While playing a lot of songs from his recent album release, Lowest, he still threw in the crowd favorites at the perfect time to keep the energy moving perfectly. His crowd interaction was great, throwing high fives to so many people – including my camera lens – and at one point even jumping down to mosh with the crowd. I have yet to experience a set of his where I’m not thoroughly impressed.
Honestly, if I could see another date on this tour, I would in a heartbeat. Everyone involved made it a complete joy.
“The Lowest Tour” is on until the end of the month. I suggest you make it out to the location closest to you!
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