ERRA whiplashes Grand Rapids with Currents, Caskets, & more

Grand Rapids was loud and lit up when The Silence Follows Tour showed up. The bands that performed that night made sure to embed everything into your soul in such a way you can never forget.

The first band onstage was Aviana, a group from Sweden that did not come to play around. Imagine Sleep Token waking up one day and deciding they wanted to be like Starset — but much angrier. That’s who Aviana is. Lead singer Joel Holmqvist came onstage wearing a large, dramatic cape, which made me think the band had some lore behind it. The other band members were masked and went by names: Dark, Fear, and Death — adding exponential mystery to them. Death and Fear (guitarist and bassist), in particular, brought a ton of energy to the stage, constantly spinning and keeping the crowd engaged. Already there was a mosh pit and crowd surfing!

Aviana did eventually play one “slow song”, but I promise you, it wasn’t even close to slow.

The second band onstage was Caskets; I’ve seen these guys before, so I was really excited to see them again. I still left feeling blown away. The emotional feel of the music was so noticeable — tortured and haunting… like there is genuine pain behind it. In particular, “Make Me a Martyr” is so cathartic; I literally had to ask myself who hurt vocalist Matthew Flood while taking it in live. His screaming doesn’t come across as aggressive or angry; it feels raw, broken, coming from a place of real pain. At the same time, the band brought a lot of energy to the stage. I couldn’t keep my eyes off these guys!

The third band to perform was Currents… and they were just as aggressive Aviana. Their breakdowns are so intense, like impending doom, which matches their very dark music. Guitarists Ryan Castaldi and Chris Wiseman sounded otherworldly while frontman Brian Wille kept the entire room’s attention.

And bassist Christian Pulgarin didn’t stop moving whatsoever.

One minute, he was spinning; another, he was jumping.  At one point near the end, he even played while sitting on someone’s shoulders! I didn’t even see how he got there!

The last band onstage was ERRA and, just like Aviana and Currents, these guys are aggressive, if not more so. They’ve got their guy J.T. Cavey with the dirty vocals while guitarist Jesse Cash belts out the clean. Around the fourth or fifth song, Jesse got to perform by himself. Coming after Currents, who had an almost intergalactic feel, ERRA’s performance felt much more forceful, direct, and powerful.

All four bands did not slow down the entire night. Whether screaming into the mic, trying to slap music in your face, or throwing their body into the music, it was one intense night. I have no idea how the crowd was able to keep up, but for sure, each band made it difficult to not be moving and moshing around. If you want a hardcore metalcore concert, make sure to check out this one in a town near you!

Photography by Kayla N. Rising

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