On Tuesday April 28th veterans and legends of Metalcore August Burns Red played at Channel 24 in Sacramento. If you listen to metal there is no way you haven’t heard the name August Burns Red. They have stood the test of time and continue to put out amazing music which not a lot of bands can do. This night was no exception they had security working overtime with the amount of crowd surfers.
The First band to draw out blood was Heavensgate a metalcore band based out of Australia. The band is still fairly new in the music scene with the earliest EP being in 2023 and latest ep coming out last year in October 2025. I didn’t know anything about Heavensgate coming in but describing them for the first time would be metalcore low tuned guitars with heavy chugs, in your face vocals. The stage and lights were very dark and eerie which fit the aesthetic but did make it hard to photograph lol I will definitely keep an eye out on this band.
The next act was Connecticut Metalcore band Boundaries.They have a new album coming out on July of this year it will also be their first album under their new label Sumerian Records. Boundaries has been around for a while but this was the first time I have seen them live and they did not disappoint. The show had a lot of energy and the lighting was awesome its easy to see why they have been able to have longevity in their career. I became a fan and look forward to listening to their new album in July.
Third band on the lineup is Australian Metalcore The Amity Affliction no strangers to the metal scene. They just released their latest album “House Of Cards” their first album with new singer Jonny Reeves. The band was the topic of conversation when they split with old vocalist and cofounder in 2025. It was uncertain if the band would proceed or how they were going to find a replacement that would be able to sing their iconic choruses. They found a replacement and immediately went on tour, I was fortunate enough to see them live when he just joined. He did a good job but could tell it was still something new, fast forward to this show and he sounds more confident and to his own. This band has come along way and still retained what made them special in their live shows, you can’t see them and leave without having at least one song stuck in your head.
Last but not least is one if not the most consistent metalcore band August Burns Red. They have been a band since 2003 with the same lineup since 2006 and are still making new music with their new album “Season Of Surrender” coming out June 4th. Anyone who listens to metalcore knows who the band is but if you haven’t you are in for one hell of a show. If I were to describe the band on first listen it would be staple metalcore guitars with catchy harmonies and leads and a powerhouse screamer leading the band (I could hear him screaming without the microphone even over the instrumentals). For as long as the band has been around their show has never lacked energy. If you could rate their performance it would be a 10/10 in terms of production, performance and energy. A memorable moment of the night would be when they invited anyone who hasn’t crowd surfed before to do it! There had to be well over 20 bodies going forward, security for sure had their hands full. Of course overall I could be biased as they are one of my favorite bands and this was a bucketlist band to photograph.
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