Photos and Review by: Tiffany Denzel
Edited by: Abby McNatt
On the night before Independence Day, the bands Thornhill, Wind Walkers, Invent Animate, and Northlane brought their own fireworks to the sold-out crowd at The Roxy in Cleveland.
First up for the night was Thornhill. What a way to start the night! These guys brought such a fun performance from the first note. Their music was a great mix of dance, yet atmospheric metal. The stage happened to be quite close to the crowd and the band was constantly high-fiving the front row. Those beyond the front row could be seen jumping around and moshing. Make sure to catch these guys live sometime, they are such a blast!
Next to take the stage were Wind Walkers. These guys did a great job of keeping the crowd’s excitement going. Just like Thornhill before, they did lots of jumping around on stage and high-fiving the front row. There were a few heavy tunes played, but most of the set was metal-meets-pop. Be sure to check them out for yourself next time they come around.
Third to perform was Invent Animate. Based on the screams coming from the audience, you would have thought these guys were the headliner — and I can definitely see why! Heavy breakdowns mixed with electronic tones that are beautifully melodic. Their stage presence was amazing as well. The whole band was constantly moving around and interacting with the crowd. Invent Animate is a band that should be on everyone’s ‘must see’ list.
Now for the main event, Northlane. They opened their set with my favorite song, “Carbonized” and the crowd loudly started singing along. We were treated to a good mix of old songs and some new tunes from their latest album Mirrors Edge. Their electronic metal sound is so mesmerizing and myself and the rest of the crowd could not get enough. Everyone in attendance showed their appreciation by ramping up their moshing and some even started crowd surfing. I cannot recommend seeing this band live enough and luckily there are still plenty of dates left on this US tour!
