Perhaps it was the complicated song structures, perhaps the female-factor - it's nice to see a girl up there for a change! - but Long Island's own Regarding I were impressive. Getting ready to release their six-song EP on One Day Savior entitled …and the Ties That Bind Us, which came out a few days after the show, vocalist/guitarist Rachel along with her three male counterparts tore up the joint. Playing a blend of screamo/emo that, in the same song, can go from bludgeoning to light and airy in a heartbeat, followed by some well-placed hardcore breakdowns, makes for some extremely lush, dynamic soundscapes. There is a feeling of immediacy in their songs, from Rachel's vocals that could give any of the male growlers out there a run for their money to the canon-like guitars that are simply fierce, as exemplified throughout "In Your Absence." And a song like "Dissolve," which starts out quite delicately and light but then gets harder as the song progresses showcases the band's versatility wonderfully and the frontwoman's vocal range as well. The disparity between her guttural hardcore howling and beautiful, ethereal singing adds much to the band's sound, in effect conveying sheer emotion that is complemented expertly by the drastic ebbs and flows of the instrumentation.

Hot Cross took the stage next and enmeshed the crowd in their diverse, chaotic sound. With fierce, intricate dual guitar work, jarring drumming and urgent, screamed vocals from the frontman, who couldn't be confined to the stage and had to get out and shout amongst the crowd, this band out of Philadelphia played offerings from their latest release, their debut LP Cryonics. I had wanted to see Hot Cross play at ABC No Rio about a month prior, but unfortunately didn't make it, so I was happy to get the chance to finally see them and was not disappointed. I don't even know what genre this band falls under because their music is comprised of so many elements, but they have been termed "technical-punk-metal" by their record company Level-Plane if that helps at all. No matter what, they have a complex, moody, intelligent sound that fuses hardcore with light flourishes of melody. Unfortunately, however, for as hard as the music got, the crowd just didn't move or seem to get into it. Pity.

Pennsylvania's This Day Forward are madmen. Well, especially vocalist Mike Shaw. This guy was out of control, just lost in the music and the moment. Jumping off the stage to sing with random people way in the back, causing the pit (yes, amazingly there was a pit! Usually the kids at these shows just stand around no matter how hardcore and vicious the music is…) to explode. And the place was packed for this band. There is no doubt that TDF is the reason why many people came out to the show. Sweaty. Violent. Lovely. Anyway, Mike was everywhere, even going off stage right down the hall - perhaps even outside. I really have no clue - couldn't see over that way, but it was rather funny. I must say I had a smile on my face during this set, especially when the frontman came over to where I was standing (by the huge mess of mirrors on the wall) and started looking at himself in the mirror, leaning on it, singing/shouting with this look of disbelief on his face. Yeah, very entertaining; you just didn't know what this character was going to do next - or who's back he was going to sing into. Don't ask…

And this is to say nothing of their blend of metalcore and emo, mixing the brutality of hardcore and metal with melody at just the right moments. All I know is that the crowd was loving every minute of it, singing along to the impassioned screams of the vocalist all the while his band mates were just rocking out and jumping all over the stage. TDF played songs off various albums, like "White Picket Defense System" off their newest record, their debut for Equal Vision and third full-length overall, In Response, as well as "Disintegrating Eden" from 2000's The Transient Effects of Light on Water, and off the Kairos EP, a tune called "Sunfalls and Watershine." And despite the fact that the band hadn't played on Long Island in a while - or perhaps because of it - they received a very warm reception.

By the time New Jersey's Armor For Sleep hit the stage, the crowd had lessened a bit, but diehards crowded the stage. Vocalist/guitarist Ben Jorgensen, who oddly had a baby doll's arm sticking out of one of the back pockets of his jeans, quickly revealed that he was feeling a bit under the weather, and when the four-piece ripped into their first song "Dream to Make Believe," it was apparent he was struggling with his vocal duties. But, you have to give the guy credit for showing up and sticking it out for an entire set. Their poppy emo sound was a bit of a contrast from the other four acts, as their songs are calmer, yet still full of emotion - no screaming (thankfully for Ben) or hardcore breakdowns here. What we did get, however, were about seven songs off the band's debut full-length entitled Dream to Make Believe.

The frontman seemed quite astonished that many of the kids knew their songs AND even stranger - the words! Maybe he's humble, maybe naïve - they were the headliners after all - whatever, the crowd was definitely into their mellower vibe. Likewise, during the entire set, the band and the crowd were just extremely laid back; it was a nice atmosphere, almost as if the kids had given all they had during This Day Forward and now just wanted to relax and groove to the less-abrasive stylings of Armor For Sleep. The heartfelt "Being Your Walls," the more upbeat "My Town," and the crowd-pleaser "The Wanderers Guild" were a nice way to close out an afternoon/early evening full of harder-edged rock. By the end of the set it was apparent Ben didn't have much left in his voice to go on, especially during the slow "Slip Like Space" and the finale, the finest offering on their album "All Warm." Before this song he even asked the kids to help him out with the words because he was "dying." It was a nice instance of unity between band and fans.

Click here for more photos from this show.

www.armorforsleep.com
www.thisdayforward.com
www.level-plane.com/hotcross