I do believe that Trivium likes Lubbock...a lot. Sure, all bands tell you that you kick ass; it's part of the show. There was just something very earnest and honest in the way they kept the crowd rocking from beginning to end.

The night started with hardcore out of Big Spring, Texas. Violent Vendetta immediately grabbed the crowd by the nuts and put on a pro show.

Next up was Residue out of Austin. The band has more of an alternative lean, but the crowd grabbed onto the monster riffs and technical expertise and loved them as well.

Trivium prefaced their set by playing Iron Maiden's Run To The Hills over the PA before launching into their own set. Every song was clean, tight and kickass and each song seemed to bring the crowd up a level. When the band played their first radio hit ever, Until The World Goes Cold, the place just went nuts. Bodies and horns were just flying everywhere.

The band then rocked their way until a very deserved encore. The band finally made their exit as Motorhead's classic Ace of Spades came over the PA.

Let me just say this: All three bands raised the bar for concerts in their respective areas. Violent Vendetta showed how a local band could be taken VERY seriously in front of a huge crowd. Residue showed that there are many ways you can kick ass. And Trivium showed that they are more than ready to take things to the next level and carry the torch for working mans metal across the globe.

*A special shout-out to the sound crew. The sound was as close to perfect as it gets with each instrument in every band getting its proper place in the mix (which was especially important for Corey Beaulieu's amazing melody lines).

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