At the merch table just outside the doors that enter into the Egyptian Room at Old National Centre in Indianapolis, Blessthefall displayed a t-shirt that read, “In My Metalcore Era”. Yes, I bought the shirt.

Even though my days of wearing band tees on every day that ends in “y” have mostly come to an end, my love of the scene that led to the creation of this website and the development of incredible friendships blossoming from a vibrant community have carried on. On this night in Indy, it was celebration for everyone who shares those sentiments. Headbanging optional, but strongly encouraged.

Hard rockers NERV and Thousand Below kicked off the night, both on a recent climb in popularity with new tunes to share. NERV’s set closed with their 2018 breakthrough “Bad Habits” while Thousand Below leaned into 2022 albums Hell Finds You Everywhere with the title track as a set highlight.

I had come to terms with the fact that I had likely seen one of my favorite bands, blessthefall, for the final time. That is, until their triumphant return last year with single “Wake the Dead”. The Phoenix metalcore stalwarts are not only riding the wave of this return with more new music, they’re pulling out a collection of hits and deep cuts on this tour, which serves both longtime fans and relative newcomers.

To put it bluntly, the band sounded fucking amazing. Bassist and unclean vocalist Jared Warth can still bring the house down with his gutteral screams. Guitarist Eric Lambert can still shred his way through sick solos, as he did at the end of “Promised Ones”. And lead man Beau Bokan is still just as full of energy on stage as he was during all of those sweaty summers on Warped Tour.

The band ripped through a setlist that included mainstays like “Hollow Bodies”, “What’s Left of Me” and “Hey Baby, Here’s That Song You Wanted” while adding in some fun surprises like “Cutthroat” and “Youngbloods” – the latter of which completely set the room off during it’s brutal mid-song breakdown.

Still, the night belonged to Australian metalcore act and headliner Polaris, who happen to be making their own return of sorts. It was just last summer when the stunning news broke of the passing of lead guitarist Rian Siew just in advance of the release of the band’s third album, Fatalism.

A European tour at the start of the year saw the band take the stage once again, followed by this American trek focused highly on Fatalism. And rightly so – the album is arguably the band’s best work. “The Crossfire” opens the set with fury, while “Overflow”, “Nightmare”, “Inhumane” and others all make their on stage debut.

Vocalist Jamie Hails lays it all on the line during his performance, digging deep to capture the passion and aggression of the songs. Seeing him develop into one of metalcore’s premier frontmen has been a joy, as is seeing Polaris perform these new tracks.

At one point during blessthefall’s set, Bokan pointed out the surprising number of young fans in the crowd for this Saturday night show, including a young girl celebrating her 10th birthday and a boy who left his dad’s shoulders to crowdsurf to the front of the stage. Bokan’s comments on the future of metalcore being in good hands couldn’t be more true. Nevertheless, this current era is still worth celebrating.

by Kiel Hauck

Kiel Hauck is the editor in chief at It’s All Dead. Over the past decade, he has been a contributor for multiple online and print publications and was most recently an editor at PopMatters. Kiel currently resides in Indianapolis, IN with his wife and their imaginary pet, Hand Dog. You can follow him on Twitter