Knocked Loose, The Black Dahlia Murder, Drain Throw Down At GLC

Knocked Loose rolled through GLC Live at 20 Monroe on Thursday, November 7, with special guests The Black Dahlia Murder, Drain, and Militare Gun for a night of Hardcore and Metal.

 

MILITARIE GUN

 

Unfortunately, coming from Detroit during rush hour traffic, we didn’t catch Militarie Gun’s set. We did, however, catch them at the start of the summer on tour with A Day To Remember, so we can tell you that they have unmatched energy and a flawless delivery, as well as being a band we didn’t want to skip (Michigan roads had other plans). Check out their setlist from this run here. We missed some bangers that we saw at the previous set date, like “Do It Faster” and “Very High.”

 

 

DRAIN

 

 

 

 

 

 

We walked in right when Drain kicked off their set, and let me tell you, we were running down the street to make it into the venue because Drain is a big favorite at ACRONYM ZINE. Sammy Ciaramitaro yelled into the mic a salutation before kicking it into high gear, starting the set with “Feel The Pressure,” followed by “Watch You Burn” and “FTS (KYS).”

 

 

Ciaramitaro beckoned the crowd to get rowdy, which set off a wave of crowd surfers and pits, a perfect fit for their particular brand of show. We caught them at Riot Fest in 2023 and on tour with Neck Deep in 2024, and the band’s ferocity breeds an epic draw that few Hardcore bands can still pull off when at a venue with a photo pit and security. Without those, we’re absolutely sure stage diving would be involved. Instead, Ciaramitaro came to the crowd, as GLC Live at 20 Monroe made sure to put a road case down in front of the stage to ensure he could get there safely (the stage is really tall), and flung his front half into the people riding the rail.

 

 

The bands’ infectious behavior and hard style have created this phenomenon for many that once you see your first Drain show, you become lowkey obsessed, and that’s exactly where we landed after our first time seeing them. We’ve now made it a mission to make sure they’re covered every time they come to town by a member of ACRONYM ZINE, because when you see a crew that can hold your attention and make you feel like every twist and turn something insane will happen, you can’t help but watch.

 

 

 

 

THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER

 

 

Wildly enough, this is the first time that ACRONYM ZINE photographed this legacy Detroit band (hailing from Waterford, Michigan). A semi-last-minute edition to the lineup, The Black Dahlia Murder brought the Metal to the rock show, creating a vibe drenched in deep red lighting and a whole lot of intensity. Despite there being a crazy interesting tonal shift between the previous band, Drain, we can’t state enough that this band deserves the hype between their legacy.

 

 

When it comes to the current lineup, many will cite how the band has gone through significant changes, namely their lead singer. According to Wikipedia, “Currently, the band consists of lead vocalist Brian Eschbach, bassist Max Lavelle, drummer Alan Cassidy, and guitarists Brandon Ellis and Ryan Knight. The Black Dahlia Murder has undergone various lineup changes, with Trevor Strnad and Eschbach remaining the only constant members, until the former’s death in 2022, which then saw Eschbach take over lead vocals and Knight (who was the band’s lead guitarist from 2009 to 2016) replacing him on rhythm guitar.”

 

 

They plowed through the set, starting with two tracks from their newest album ‘Servitude’ which dropped in September of this year: “Evening Ephemeral,” and “Panic Hysteric,” followed by “Statutory Ape,” and of course, brought out someone in an ape costume wearing a BDM jersey to hype up the crowd. At one point, the ape walked up to one of the photographers in the pit and posed for a few shots, before patting her on the head and walking off into the darkness. Check out their full setlist here:

 

 

 

 

 

KNOCKED LOOSE

 

 

Knocked Loose is one of those bands you’ve got to see to believe because everyone talks about how brutal they are, and how the fans react to their potency, but you truly don’t know until you see it firsthand. Their setup adds to the overall mood of the set, with trees aligning on either side of the stage, followed by the iconic cross that they have on their album cover for their latest, ‘You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To,’ which has now brought in a GRAMMY nomination for the song “Suffocate” featuring Poppy.

 

 

 

Their current lineup consists of Brian Garris on vox, Issac Hale on guitar, Nicko Calderon on rhythm guitar, Kevin Otten on bass, and drummer Kevin “Pacsun” Kaine, and boy, do they know how to bring it. Within the first three songs, fans were flying in droves over the sea of people crowd surfing, and a video of the show that made the rounds from Photographer Veronica Ann of the intensity of the Wall of Death that amassed shortly after those first 3.

 

 

 

 

Their technical style and fervor on stage were almost difficult to capture between the flashing lights and high-energy movement from the band members, putting on a visual display as well as a musical one. Garris has strength and forcefulness in his delivery that draws you to him specifically, and I caught myself more than once just pausing to take it all in. Hale, contributing backup vocals, matched this while playing his instrument to perfection, and headbanging all the way while doing it.

 

Knocked Loose has been a bucket list concert for many Hardcore fans, and it’s easy to see why. Along with the first few songs, “Thirst,” “Deep In the Willow” and “Mistakes Like Fractures,” the band delivered a well-rounded catalog that alternated between previous releases and those of their new album. They also delivered a 5-song encore which featured their GRAMMY nom song, as well as “Sit & Mourn” as it’s closer.

 

If you’re into Hardcore, we suggest checking them out, they’re worth the listen, and even more worth catching live. See the full setlist here:

 

 

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