The metal industry is rife with record labels both new and established. One of the standouts is Sumerian Records, with many bands of varying subgenres under their umbrella. In celebration of Sumerian’s 10th anniversary, the ’10 Years in the Black Tour’ launched in late October and has been filling venues every night since.
First up was Bad Omens, a metalcore outfit out of Los Angeles, California. While only having been on Sumerian’s roster since 2015, Bad Omens has gained a huge following and are making quite a name for themselves. Their set was short and sweet, closing out with fan favorite, “Glass Houses”. The guys were on point and I’m looking forward to watching them evolve and earn more success.
Up next was Upon a Burning Body, a deathcore group based in San Antonio, Texas. With four studio albums under their belt, UABB is a bit more experienced and tore up the stage. Unfortunately for us, press obligations made us miss a portion of their set, but they definitely made an impression on the crowd which was already visibly worn out.
After completing our obligations, we re-entered the room with After the Burial already in progress. Luckily, it was just in time for my favorite, and possibly their most recognizable song, “Lost in the Static”. After some slight technical difficulties, the song went off without any further glitches and got the crowd worked up and security on their toes. The crowd surfing picked up through “Collapse”, and “Anti-Pattern” and security increased during “A Wolf among Ravens”. Seemed they suddenly wanted to enforce the ‘No Crowd Surfing’ restriction that everyone had ignored up to that point. Good luck with that!
Following ATB was I See Stars, an eclectic array of musicians out of Warren, Michigan. I See Stars has released all five of their studio albums through Sumerian Records and is one of the first bands to be labeled “electronicore”. Whatever their label, they have a unique and aggressive sound that translated well in a live setting. The room really started jumping for their signature song, “Running With Scissors”. It was about this time we noticed security marking the hands of the crowd surfers as they left the front pit area. It appeared as though they were trying to limit how many times a person made it to the pit area. I’m not really sure if they reached their intended goal.
Next up was Born of Osiris, a deathcore speedboat straight out of Hades. Actually hailing from the suburbs of Chicago, Born of Osiris (BOO) has been with Sumerian for several years, having released four studio albums and one EP in that time. Hitting the stage like an atomic bomb, BOO shredded through “Bow Down”, “Empires Erased” and “Goddess of the Dawn” in quick succession. Each member exhibited the talent and musicianship that fans have enjoyed their entire careers. Despite the attempted restrictions, the crowd surfing continued as BOO rumbled through their set. Closing out with “Abstract Art”, “Machine” and “Follow the Signs”, Born of Osiris gave a passionate performance full of energy and aggression. Can’t wait to see them again!
The headliner for Sumerian’s 10 Years in the Black tour was poised to take the stage. On a side note, it’s always interesting to hear what music is played between sets. While waiting for the final band, we were subjected to piped in pop songs by Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga. It was slightly disturbing. Finally, Asking Alexandria hits the stage with a nifty light show backing up Ben, Danny, James, Sam and Cameron. The crowd was stoked to see Danny Warsnop back with the band as the chanting started before they even came on. It hit its high point during the opener, “Welcome”, and continued through “Dear Insanity” and “To the Stage”. Danny’s vocal style is much different than Denis Stoff’s and the fans loved every minute of it, headbanging and crowd surfing through “Someone, Somewhere”, “Run Free” and “The Death of Me”. The band was in sync and gave the impression that they were quite enjoying themselves. The energy level never waned and hit a fever pitch when the band re-emerged for the encore. “The Final Episode (Let’s Change the Channel)” and “A Single Moment of Sincerity” were presented flawlessly and left the fans wanting more.
Sumerian Records is a standout label in the metal industry as evidenced by the amazing line-up for this tour. Each band put on a spirited performance which showcased their respective styles and talents and rocked the faces off of everyone in attendance.