Christmas Burns Red is packed with such an incredible line-up that it spans two nights. Welcome back for night two. If you haven’t checked out the night one review you can read it here. Night two was filled with more energy, more bands, more colors, more fans and the Unofficial Official Christmas Burns Red Pit Tree. What’s that you might be asking? Find out below.




Kaonashi
Kaonashi came all the way from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to join the Christmas Burns Red line up. Kaonashi has a unique storytelling element to their music that translates pretty well to a live setting. The band self classified themselves as ‘emo mathcore’, but I would add a little prog rock and slam poetry into their description as well. Vocalist Peter Rono got the crowd hopping and the pit spinning to songs like “You’ll Understand When You’re Older”, “Humiliation Ritual” and “Coffee & Conversation”. “Humiliation Ritual” is exactly what goes through my brain when I’m walking around the city.






Signs of the Swarm
Christmas Burns Red had another band from Pittsburgh in its line up with Signs of the Swarm. Forming in 2014, Signs of the Swarm is exactly what I think of when I hear someone say deathcore – low guttural growls, heavy slow riffs with blast beats, but Signs of the Swarm add in more melodic undertones and timing changes to their songs. The pits were going full force for their entire set, but really amped up for “Tower of Torsos”.








The pit was also filled with some characters. The Unofficial Official Christmas Burns Red Pit Tree and Shadow Sonic were spotted throughout the evening. I later found out that Shadow Sonic was actually Spider Kid that I had met during the Hollow Bodies 10th Anniversary Show with Blessthefall.
Galactic Empire
As Galactic Empire took the stage the crowd lit up with the burning blades from the many lightsabers that were welded by members of the pit. Ok, they were the little retractable flashlight lightsabers, but it was still cool. Galactic Empire is definitely a must see live band. Their playing is tight, their renditions of Star Wars songs are incredible and their stage presence is fun to watch. What could be better than running around a circle pit while “Cantina Band” is playing? Maybe forming a wall of death for “The Imperial March”? I’ll leave that decision up to you.











Kublai Khan TX
Kublai Khan TX somehow slipped under my musical radar, but I’m glad I got to see them live. I’m now a new fan. Metalcore is taking a more technical and melodic turn, which is great, but it’s nice to hear a band like Kublai Khan TX stay true to metalcores roots. They have a style much like All Out War or Hatebreed, but with their own twist. Vocalist Matt Honeycutt took a phone call from Santa after they finished “Antpile” and told the crowd they were going to play it again, only harder this time. In true hardcore fashion, they played it again and harder this time. The crowd loved it. Throughout their set of songs like “Swan Song”, “Theory of Mind” and “Eyes Up” the two pits merged into one giant mega pit. It was pure chaos that was safely padded by the venue’s carpeted floor.






Between the Buried and Me
What can I say about Between the Buried and Me that hasn’t already been said. They are a monumental band in the heavy music genre. They’re like the Pink Floyd of metalcore. On night two of Christmas Burns Red, Between the Buried and Me took us on a journey through their entire “Colors” album. It’s hard to believe that album came out in 2007. Between the Buried and Me played through it flawlessly and this set was definitely the highlight of many fans nights. The seamless transition between the album’s eight tracks makes it feel like one giant song.









August Burns Red
Fans lucky enough to attend both nights of Christmas Burns Red were graced with another set from the founders and organizers of this event. On night one we were given the gift of “Rescue & Restore” with a few bonus songs in our stocking. On night two we got a setlist of songs that included a sampling from almost every album. “The Truth of a Liar”, “Meddler” and “Invisible Enemy” started off the set. The first Christmas cover was “Little Drummer Boy” followed by an unexpected surprise during “Endorphins”. Josh McManness, vocalist for August Burns Red before Jake Luhrs took the reins, joined the band to sing through the song. The set continued its way through “Ghosts”, “Meridian” and “Paramount”, to name a few, and ended with “Frosty the Snowman” and “Marianas Trench”.












Overall the festival was an amazing experience. The layout of the venue was well thought out, which sounds like a weird thing to focus on, but it really made for a great event. You were able to get into a merch or food line and still listen to and see the show. The line up this year had some of the biggest names in heavy music, but they seem to outdo themselves year over year, so I’m not surprised. Keep your eyes peeled around July of next year to prepare yourselves to attend Christmas Burns Red 2024. The Pit Tree demands it!