By Jennifer Russo

A sea of teenagers and twenty-somethings with their cell phones on vibrate buzz throughout The Palladium on a Friday night.  The Coors Light sign above their heads encourages them to “Break Through the Music” and the sky blue paint peels off the old ceilings like an Irish guy a week after a sunburn.

First to take the stage is A Skylit Drive.  I’d never heard of them before, but became an instant fan as their energy overwhelmed the small stage.  The drummer had obviously had an IV out back with Red Bull in the bag and was tattooed and pierced on every visible inch of his body.  He attacked his drums with vengeance and his tongue seemed to stay out of his mouth more than in.  The singing/screaming combo introduces their new song, “‘X Marks the Spott,” by telling fans that if “…they’re not throwing up all over the guy next to you because this song is so sick, by all means don’t pick up our album.”  Judging from the merch table, though, believers thought the song was indeed sick.  A tug-o-war between two young girls starts next to me since they both caught the same drumstick at the same time.  Security takes it and hands it to one of them, causing the other girl to pout for a good 20 minutes until the music starts playing again.

Animals as Leaders surprised me with their 2 guitarists and one drummer.  I expected the singer to come out fashionably late, but there was none ~ late or otherwise.  My first thought was that this wouldn’t go over well with such a young crowd, but when the fast-fingered riffs on two 8-string Ibanez guitars and the complex drum beats kicked in, the fans clapped in rhythm. The music is intricate and detailed and reminiscent of Dream Theater’s complexity and ethereal quality.  I question if there’s a fault line under Worcester as the bass drum shakes the entire building.

With Thursday came out next to roaring applause from their huge fan-base and floods of surfers start crawling on heads and shoulders towards the stage.  The singer swings the mic chord and almost nails a photographer’s camera and the rest of the band can’t seem to stay in one place for more than a millisecond.  The energy stays from the first song to the last with a heartbeat-like drum at the end which increases pace like a climaxing musical orgasm.

The piece de resistance, Underoath’s set, certainly didn’t disappoint.   The large screen behind them flashes random videos like a sequence out of The Ring and Spencer’s dreads take on a mind of their own as he starts dancing across the stage.  An ocean of horns and peace signs fly above the heads in the crowd as Chris Dudley acts the crazy mad hatter on the keys, shaking his head around like an enraged Chris Farley.  Fans sing along to all the words, not missing a beat when the music cuts out.

If anyone asks me, overall the show was fast paced and a great start to the weekend.  I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but.

Underoath is now making their way through Europe and Asia, but to get more information and hear some of their latest news and music, visit their official webpage at:
www.underoath777.com

Check out the other bands on their websites, too:
A Skylit Drive – www.facebook.com/ASkylitDrive
Thursday – www.thursday.net
Animals as Leaders – www.facebook.com/animalsasleaders

Photo by Jennifer Russo