The Roxian Theatre offered an international metal delight when Imminence brought The Return of the Black tour to Pittsburgh. Leading the charge with Imminence were bands Jiluka and Landmvrks.
Kicking off the evening was the Japanese visual kei metal band-turned electro-gothic metal band Jiluka (that was a mouthful, but I needed all of those words to describe Jiluka’s sound). Their music is fast and surgically precise, while also chaotic. Their orchestral pieces fit in with the electronic onslaught and insane tipping riffs and basslines beautifully. Somebody took Cradle of Filth, Skrillex and Nobuo Uematsu, tossed them into an AI blender, baked that mash-up at 400 degrees for 30 minutes and Jiluka was the result. They are literal machines on stage and in their recordings—the show is amazing and not something you’re used to seeing from an opening act.
The next band of the night was the French metalcore band, Landmvrks. I’ll be honest, when I saw Landmvrks hit the stage in jeans, t-shirts and ball caps, I was wondering how they were going to hold up among two very theatrical bands. Jiluka and Imminence have an incredible stage set up that really immerses the audience in their musical worlds, but Landmvrks come at you with everything they have and don’t take their foot off the gas until the set is over. There was a short minute where vocalist Florent Salfati performed without the band, but they were right back at it without missing a beat shortly after—it was a nice chance to catch your breath. Landmvrks mixes modern metalcore with old school hardcore breakdowns and even hip-hop on some of their tracks. Their song, “Blood Red,” actually switches between English and French during the rapping verses. While a lot is going on musically, Landmvrks masterfully blends all of the elements while giving the audience an incredible show.
If you paid attention to the title of this review, then you’ll know it was time for Imminence to take the stage. Imminence has come a long way since their last time in Pittsburgh. They’ve released 3 albums, gained an insane amount of fans worldwide and earned their spot at The Roxian Theatre, which is 5x the capacity of the venue they played in Pittsburgh previously. All in just over a year.
Imminence’s stage setup was masterfully put together—it felt dark and solitary, then bright and open when the music called for it. Band members were hidden when they weren’t the main focus of the song, and spotlights shot across the stage to highlight their performances. Incense was burning on stage and at their merch booth, which added another sensory layer to pull you into their world.
Imminence played an 18-song set featuring mostly tracks from their album, “The Black,” like “Come Hell or High Water“, “Death By A Thousand Cuts” and “The Black“. Fan-favorites from the album “Turn The Light On,” included “Erase”, “Paralyzed” and “Infectious”. The setlist weaved the audience through highs and lows, both emotionally and energetically. The whole performance was a work of art. It felt very similar to the last time I saw them, but with the obvious additions to the production. It can be very emotional to hear the full band playing a heavy breakdown, and everything turns off, leaving vocalist and violinist Eddie Berg on stage to perform a somber violin solo. Nobody pulls that off like Imminence does, and I don’t think anyone even tries.