Due to some of Cleveland’s finest weather (sarcasm) there was, in fact, no BBQ at Peabody’s last Friday. Some of the city’s finest bands were in attendance though. To me this show exemplified the subtle evolution of the Cleveland metal scene we’ve seen in recent times.
As the neanderthalic sounds of the last generation’s tough-guy metal fades away, and the monotony of the death-core scene becomes so much that if you’ve heard one break down you’ve heard ’em all, a melodic youth movement has really begun to come to power.
Every act had some emphasis on singing with the exception of Ruled by Reason, whose ever-present melodic guitar leads make them one of the defining bands in the scene. It’s clear that the talent being cultivated in Cleveland right now is not interested in rehashing the ideas of their forefathers. I’m sure the waves crashing onto the freeway off Lake Erie would have been enough to scare ticket sales away in a lot of places, but the loyal following of these talented young bands persisted. With the patio all but deserted due to howling winds and a wet, bitter cold, the crowd was shoulder to shoulder and every band got to do their thing for a full room.
