Affiances most recent tour has been to support Protest the Hero, the Contortionist, and the Kindred. Luckily we were able to catch them at Pittsburgh’s own Mr. Smalls located in Millvale. Affiance is coming from straight out of Cleveland Ohio, so it was expected that there would be some wise crack jokes being rival cities and all. This was all out of good spirit though, so do not be getting the wrong idea on that matter.
With the Architects dropping out of the tour, Affiance actually moved up on the lineup to be the second band playing. Affiance didn’t get to play a very long set, but for the six songs they were able to play, they made it worthwhile! They opened up very strong and the intensity from them just kept increasing from that point on. Starting off with “Kings of Deceit” was a very nice start, followed by “Peace of Mind” and “We the Machines”. Right before their third song, a huge circle pit opened up right in the middle of the whole floor. It was the first real pit of the night and it never stopped for the rest of their set. “Righteous Kill” and “You Will Be Replaced” came up next right before a quick little intermission. As soon as the intermission was over, Dennis called of the warriors up to the front for their final song “Call of the Warrior”.
Affiance has brought up their game quite a lot within the past year or so and without a doubt, it is showing. They have a solid mix of tight, heavy, highly technical riffs with some real sick beats. Even the pitch of the vocals improved a lot since their first album. Affiance seems to be that band that you really have to keep an eye out for if they keep it up like this. Touring with Protest the Hero has really helped them broaden their horizons lately; being introduced to all of these new locations and people helps spread the word about them. Affiance is getting two thumbs up for this show without question.
Setlist:
1. Kings of Deceit
2. Peace of Mind
3. We the Machines
4. Righteous Kill
5. You Will Be Replaced
6. Call to the Warrior
All photos ©2013 Mike Mendlowitz and Pittsburgh Music Magazine