AGNOSTIC FRONT, DEATH BY STEREO, WEST OF HELL

Rickshaw Theatre - October 19, 2012

The show opens with West Of Hell, Vancouver’s own Chris Valagao on vocals, who, quite possibly has the best set of Metal pipes in the city. Valagao and crew got the crowd head banging in no time with their tight set of Testament-meets-Iron Maiden thrash/power metal.

Next up was Southern California’s Death By Stereo, who tore through their fast paced set to the hyped circle pit with their mix of hardcore, punk and metal. The highlight of their set was the Slayer cover “Raining Blood” to the delight of the entire audience.

As Agnostic Front, the godfathers of New York hardcore took to the stage, you could literally feel the energy in the air quickly building.
Finally exploding as guitarist Vinnie Stigma broke into the opening chords of “The Eliminator.” Playing through a set nearing two hours of classics spanning their thirteen-album career. From their early “Victim In Pain” and “Cause For Alarm” releases, through to their most recent “My Life My Way” album. The crowd of punks, hardcore kids and metal heads showed their appreciation on the dance floor with a mosh and sing-a-long that would not let up for a second.

AF thanked SNFU, Wendythirteen, and Vancouver’s hardcore and punk scene. Stigma got the crowd to sing happy birthday for SNFU vocalist Mr. Chi Pig who was celebrating his 50th birthday that night.

All in all, a crazy and great show, celebrating Agnostic Front’s 30 years as one of the most influential hardcore bands ever, and it was obvious to all that AF hasn’t lost a beat since their last visit here five years ago. It was also great to see that Vancouver still knows and loves real hardcore.

-Jason Kolins