Fans Rage at Emmure Show 1/27

by Max Giffin

The front doors of the Summit Music Hall in Denver were busy as security continuously kicked out angry hardcore fans on January 27^th. With dozens being expelled for unruly behavior, the show that night was undoubtedly the most violent event the Summit has seen in 2013. So why was everyone so riled up that evening? Emmure, Victory Record’s hardest metalcore band, was shaking the roof with heavy breakdowns and dissonant cords.

Emmure has sometimes been labeled deathcore. With the combination of their aggressive style and sometimes murder-themed lyrics, it’s no surprise. Technically, however, the band falls more under a heavy branch of metalcore. They’re also considered nu metal for the raps they occasionally incorporate into songs. Vocalist Frankie Palmeri doesn’t care how people define his music though. On the subject, he said, “It’s not really a concern of mine; we’re just lucky enough to make music that we enjoy, and if people want to lump us in with whatever hardcore subgenre they want to create it’s totally cool with me. I don’t want to put much thought into what separates us; we kind of just do our own thing.” Regardless of what they’re classified under, anyone can agree that Emmure’s music is brutal.

Palmeri took the stage wearing a snapback hat and a black windbreaker. He stared dead into the audience as he let out screams that made the floor tremble, and it was clear he meant business. Live shows are very important to Emmure. Palmeri reflects, “I think our live performance is part of our written music because we want to create songs that when we go and play live, they translate well. It’s really a big deal for us to write songs that we can go on stage and when we perform, be really excited about playing”. The violence of the music carried over to the crowd as the band played, and Summit security hand their hands full dragging people out of the crowd. Fans thrashed relentlessly in a blur of face and knuckle tattoos and mosh pits exploded, a new one opening with every breakdown. Many would find this kind of environment frightening, but for Emmure fans it was just what they’d come for. Heavy metal music is a release. It’s the one place where people can throw their fists around and let out all their suppressed anger. In many ways, it can be therapeutic. The crowd was there to get angry, get loud, and get wild with Emmure tearing up the stage.

Category: The Rock, Metal