Although things had gotten a bit messy on the second day of Inkcarceration Festival, the venue and all in attendance had the opportunity to clean up in time for the third and final day of music and ink. The roster of bands throughout this massive event proved that a little rain didn't necessitate their names becoming Mud, but the weather conditions on Sunday, July 16th, 2023 at the historic Ohio State Reformatory would prove fair for one final day of ground-stomping. True to the ongoing theme of modern rock and metal hegemony at this three day concert and tattooing extravaganza, the lion's share of acts that would take the stage adhered to the tropes set forth by the post-grunge era where all things nu-metal and hardcore were the order of the day. There was still a healthy degree of variety to be found despite few showing from the genre's old guard.
Among the various bands that would kick off this final hurrah of modern rock bombast in the open July air would be nu-metal newcomers Fame On Fire, reprising most of the obligatory anthems that they've been using to draw heavy views via online streaming over the past few years. Led by a familiar blend of punchy grooves, industrial electronic elements, and a raucous vocal performance to anyone with even a fleeting familiarity with Linkin Park, the early foray that would round out their set would be an exercise in moving bodies and concise songs. For his part, lead singer Bryan Kuznitz functioned as a highly effective impresario, making full use of the stage as he worked the crowd. Guitarist Blake Saul, drummer Alex Roman and bassist Paul Spirou kept themselves respectably animated as they pounded out the musical backdrop through their instruments. Points of interest would include the ultra-infectious "Ketamine," "Welcome To The Chaos," and set closer "Plastic Heart," but for the most part this was a brief set that kept the energy level high from start to finish.
The biggest surprise of the three days came in the form of an up-and-coming metal band from Scranton, Pennsylvania, named Traverse The Abyss. Comprised of six young guys that are unmistakably hungry to make a dent in the music scene, their stock in trade is a punishing mixture of guitar riffs served up by guitarists "Iron" Mike White, Jamie Macheska and Justin Coe, growling vocals courtesy of front-man Eric "Abyss" Ross (who's voice sometimes reminded me of Will Ramos's demonic register), and the unyielding backbone section of drummer David "Goblin" Wilczewski and ever-moving bassist Nick "Big Shits" Cotillo. Besides sounding absolutely spot-on, the other factor that made their performance memorable was the level of energy they injected into it. Not only they bounced around the small Reformatory Stage like captive animals that are left out of their cages, but ventured to play into the audience, enacting a totally raucous response and the subsequent crowd surfing madness, one that extended into a humongous circle-pit around the stage itself, and the merch tent in front of it. These guys might have come out of nowhere for many in attendance, but they surely made enough of an impression and gained scores of new followers during the process. Certainly a band to keep a close eye on.
The next noteworthy appearance would belong to Texas metalcore adherents Crown The Empire, and they'd take things into a more complex and outwardly aggressive direction, though maintaining the same general theme of post-millennial modernity. Lead vocalist/keyboardist Andrew "Andy Leo" Rockhold would be immediately forthcoming about a misadventure with some grocery store sushi a few hours before the set and a subsequent bout of food-poisoning backstage, but in soldier-like fashion he and the rest of the band pushed through their set and managed to turn plenty a banging head in the process. Featuring a sound steeped in 2000s metalcore and melodic hard rock stylings, but also dabbling in more progressive territory, there would be a few more bells and whistles thrown in by guitarist Brandon Hoover, bassist/backing vocalist Hayden Tree and recently acquired drummer Jeeves Avalos to complement the obligatory mix of clean and unclean vocalizations. Nevertheless, blistering metallic entries like "DOGMA," "The Fallout," and recently unearthed industrialized beast "Immortalize" kept the hooks coming in an accessible fashion and rode high via a forceful performance by the whole quartet.
Keeping the already well-established hardcore air of the day firmly in place but with their own unique take on it, Tuscaloosa, Alabama natives Gideon would turn the aggression and energy factors to the maximum upon taking the proverbial reins. Looking like a group of country and western artists, complete with lead screamer Daniel McWhorter rocking a signature cowboy hat and correspondingly rustic attire, one might have expected something stereotypically southern in character out of this fold. But for those that came to this festival as pre-existing fans, the textbook mode of pummeling aggression that could have come from any corner of the continental U.S. during the early 2000s was not surprising. Having largely planted their flag on eschewing tradition and the melodic designation their brand of metalcore was saddled with early on (pun intended), the approach taken was decidedly heavy-ended, relying more upon the grooving thrash quality of 90s forerunners like Pro-Pain, but translated into an early Hatebreed-like context, with McWhorter's signature shout being consistently deep and forbidding, while recent banger entries like "MORE POWER MORE PAIN," "Too Much Is Never Enough," and older ones like "Bad Blood," kept the corresponding musical content raw and to the point.
The metalcore wave would continue on its upward crest with the entry of Ocala, Florida melodic mainstays Wage War. These metallers ushered in a more standardized take on the style in line with the well-rounded, sometimes thundering and sometimes melancholy approach of the 2010s era that birthed them. Led by the fierce, bleeding from the lungs harsh baritone growl of helmsman Briton Bond and bolstered quite heavily by the thrash-happy riff work of guitarists Seth Blake and Cody Quistad, their set would garner the most kinetic crowd response of any of the acts thus far, with crowd-surfers painting the area surrounding the stage as Bond proceeded to steal the entire show with an off the hook display of head-banging and other physical movements tantamount to a one-man mosh pit. The visual display on stage proved to be no slouch either, featuring a massive backdrop featuring the band's logo as they beat the airwaves into submission with a brutal set of meaty, down-tuned metallic monsters with menacing entries like "Low," "Stitch," and "Manic" being among the standouts.
As the afternoon progressed, the dominance of modern metallic mayhem would be dialed back to more of a post-grunge meets alternative metal roar with the arrival of 2000s darlings Flyleaf. Having recently reformed and reacquired the services of iconic and original front woman Lacey Sturm, they've been on a noted upward trend of late after Sturm turned in a rather impressive showing at last year's Blue Ridge Festival under her own name, and all of the instrumentalists of the original lineup have subsequently reprised their roles, albeit with a different ratio of hair on their heads relative to their faces. The passage of just over 20 years since their inception has done nothing to dampen their energy level, with the rhythm section consisting of bassist Pat Seals and drummer James Culpepper being particularly animated on stage, while guitarist Sameer Bhattacharya couldn't help but resemble the stage demeanor of Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello between his movements and unique guitar setup. But when all was said and done, this would be Lacey's time in the sun, and though familiar classics like "I'm So Sick", "All Around Me," and "Fully Alive" didn't really call for much crowd-surfing, the roaring response from the audience was no less palpable, with many a female attendee holding up copies of Sturm's book "The Reason" as the tunes played on.
The tides of modernity would be return with the arrival of the original masters of the visual spectacle set to rock/metal themselves Gwar, and the corresponding theatrical antics would find a highly receptive audience among the throngs of body art enthusiasts. It didn't matter if one was familiar with the more than 30 years of elaborate satirical lore behind the mutant aliens that were rocking stage, between the blaring odes to various styles of rock and the endless depictions of cartoonish violence that were topped off by the band's penchant for beheading world leaders in effigy on stage, the overwhelming sea of cheers and laughs found a participant in every single solitary soul in attendance. Led by the over the top crowd work and singing of Michael Bishop under the moniker of Blothar The Berserker, this troupe of costumed pranksters brought their musical chops to bear in an equally masterful fashion relative to their theatrical side, with standout moments including obvious picks like "Hail, Genocide!", "The Cutter", "Ratcatcher", and an extremely well-received cover of AC/DC's "If You Want Blood (You've Got It)" to the expected visual of blood being sprayed to the four winds.
Some of the elder acts appearing on this third day's roster would be British-born grunge adherents Bush, and despite only helmsman Gavin Rossdale remaining of the original lineup that rocketed this outfit into prominence in the mid-90s, they easily demonstrated why they remain among a very select few from the original scene that managed to continue producing music and remain relevant. The performance turned in was nothing short of fantastic, with Rossdale still sporting his signature brooding and raspy voice like he was on the first tour supporting Sixteen Stone, and de facto new guy and drummer Nik Hughes putting his whole body into making a raucous showing from behind the kit. The obvious picks from the band's smash debut in "Everything Zen", "Machine Head" and "Comedown" would draw the most boisterous response from the crowd, though newer offerings in the opening crusher "Identity" and the punchy rocking nod to Black Sabbath "Blood River" were almost as well received.
A somewhat mellower and melancholy tone would be struck with the arrival of Knoxville, Tennessee post-grunge mainstays 10 Years, and with a massive and consistent back catalog upon which to draw since their 2001 debut, a strong showing was all but a foregone conclusion. Through their highly polished and methodical presentation that was about as far from the metalcore-infused chaos that ruled the earlier part of the day as could be, it would have likely gone without notice to those not already engrossed in the band's 20 years plus career that guitarists Brian Vodinh and Matt Wantland were the only original members of the fold and that the entire rhythm section was built out of session musicians as the whole fold worked as a highly cohesive whole in bolstering front man Jesse Hasek's bellowing, melancholic voice, taking many occasions to move to a more intimate part of the stage while security fended off crowd-surfers from all directions. Heartfelt anthems like "I Remember", "Novacaine" and the closing banger "Wasteland" all made impressive splashes with attendees, though it would go without saying that the band's gothic reinterpretation of Nirvana's "Heart Shaped Box" would turn the most heads.
With the onset of dusk now hanging above the open air of the Ohio State Reformatory, the modern metal wing of the day's festivities would strike back hard with the entry of groove-infused metal titans Lamb Of God. The audience was soon privy to one of the most riveting and intense displays of the day, and were offered proof of why this Virginia-raised juggernaut is often lauded as the mighty missing link between the hegemonic days of Pantera and the subsequent rise of the metalcore side of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal coin. Though front man Randy Blythe would approach the mic to the dreary opening of "Memento Mori" minus his signature dreadlocks, he would prove no less menacing or ferocious as the crowd witnessed an explosive transition from a haunting ballad to a pummeling thrasher, spearheaded by the Darrel Abbott-like riff assault of Willie Adler and Mark Morton. Combined with the brutal battery of John Campbell's bass work and drummer Art Cruz punishing task behind the kit, a labyrinth of bludgeoning anthems from the likes of "Resurrection Man", "Omens" and "Desolution" were among the standouts that led to a fiery conclusion with fan favorite "Redneck", leaving the crowd in a state of battered euphoria.
The metal bona fides of this final day of tatted sonic tumult, the de facto kings of theatricality in an alternative metal context, the carnival of horrors troupe from the Midwest dubbed Slipknot, would take on the gargantuan task of bringing this 3-day extravaganza to a thunderous conclusion. Led by the aggressive voice and costume-clad ringleader of this circus of terror Corey Taylor, this eight person ensemble plus a now recurring ninth mystery person providing media, sample and keyboard support work, proceeded to deliver a grueling 16 song slough with all the usual visual bells and whistles on full display, showing zero signs of wear and tear in their performance after more than 25 years of taking their twisted take on a metal Broadway showcase on the road. Whether it was the array of stage high jinks that went along with anthems of discontent like "The Heretic Anthem" and "People = Shit", or the aggression with a general sense of rage embodied in classic entries like "Psychosocial", "The Devil In I" and "Purify", the joining of modern groove/thrash riffs with an array of peripheral gimmicks had no shortage of standout moments. The true fever pitch would not be released until the encore performance of signature bangers "Duality" and "Spit It Out" put a permanent shine on this coup de grace of metallic fury.
As the mighty roars of the crowd began to give way to a more subdued sound of discussion and reflection among the masses about their experiences through this 3-day weekend of tattoos and decibels and the smoke of the pyrotechnics began to dissipate, one could almost hear the distant echoes of what had transpired on stage throughout the festival. Though heralded as a combination of artistry within the geographical context of a prison sentence, there was a triumphant sense of freedom and victory that hung over the air as the crowds began to disperse and head home for a few hours rest before returning to their respective weekly grinds. It was a veritable smorgasbord of everything that has rocked hard for the past 30 years, and even those who didn't come to get inked up on the outside came away with something permanently etched on the inside of their persons.
