Navigating my way through a packed House of Blues, on Thursday, April 16th, 10 minutes after doors opened the entire building was full. There was a mix of nervous excitement. August Burns Red are known for their otherworldly production and stage presence. Their co-headliners, The Amity Affliction are legends in the genre in their own right as well. However, many longtime listeners have been unsure if their live show hits the same, featuring new singer Jonny Reeves. Joining these two legendary acts were rising stars Boundaries and newcomers, accompanying The Amity Affliction from Australia, HEAVENSGATE. To calm any of those skittish readers, that thursday night was one of the best shows I have ever been to.

HEAVENSGATE kicked off the night for an incredibly rowdy crowd with a blast of energy. They took the tension in the air and weld it as a weapon, combining soaring riffs with breakdowns. They began their set with one of their bigger songs “RAIN.” They continued their 25-minute set playing other highly-recommended tracks such as “OBLIVION,” “RATKING,” and my favorite “GINSICK.” A favorite moment of mine occurred later in the set, when the band had the sold-out crowd put up their cell-phone lights and wave them with the band. That had to be a spectacular sight for this newer act from halfway across the world. Their un-paralleled energy and tight sound proved they were deserving of not only that crowd reaction, but also of a spot on this incredible lineup.

Boundaries continued the chaos and turned it up to 11 with an unforgettable performance. These metalcore veterans have been around for a long time but within the past two years their popularity exploded. They opened with their newest track “Skies cast amber black” to a roarious welcome. Finally showcasing the incredible production backline on the stage, the breakdowns in “my body is a cage” hit ten times harder. I along with a massive portion screamed along to “Realize and Rebuild” with tears in my eyes. They performed other bangers such as “A Pale Light Lingers,” “I’d Rather Not Say,” “Turning Hate Into Rage,” and closing with “Easily Erased.” Hardcore-infused metalcore is the newest hot thing in the music scene and Boundaries does it better than anybody else.

The Amity Affliction followed with an impressive hour-long co-headlining set. They are one of those veteran acts that has the “Old Amity” versus the “New Amity,” again, if I can quell any fears, they play it all, and they play it well. Vocalist Joel Birch had an unreal stage presence while bassist and clean singer Jonny Reeves hit all of the notes while the crowd’s singalong engulfed his voice. They kicked off their performance with “Kickboxer,” my favorite album by them has always been Misery, so I was unbelievably ecstatic to finally hear “Drag the Lake” live. For fans of the “old Amity” they played “Open Letter,” “Like Love,” “Chasing Ghosts,” “Death’s Hand,” while closing with their defining track “Pittsburgh.” I got into these aussies later into their career and I only knew of them as an emo-influenced band and I was astonished how heavy they can get. They put on one hell of a show.

August Burns Red are legends of metalcore and they closed the night in a spectacular fashion. They took the production backdrop and cranked it up to 1000. They provided an unmatched lightshow with their decades-spanning setlist. These guys have been around forever, yet they move around with more energy and purpose than I have seen in hungry bands at dive bars. Vocalist Jake Luhrs sounds just as good as ever. Their career-spanning set featured a variety of crowd-favorites, such as opening with “The Meddler” and continuing with favorites like: “Back Burner,” “Behemoth,” “Exhumed,” and my favorite: “Mariana’s Trench.” They closed the star-studded night with the monster of a track known as “White Washed.” If this once-in-a-lifetime tour package hits your state, support touring music and leave entertained. See Boundaries before they become too big for it to still be cool to like them.