Author: cryostar1177

Hard. Heavy. The swirl of heavy rifts dominated Delmar Hall as Russian Circles brought their brand of instrumental metal to St. Louis with Primitive Man on their 2026 North American Tour in support of their new album: Nine.

Primitive Man took the stage first. Static, chaos, and doom were brought to the scene. Deep and guttural, Ethan’s long and low vocals reverberated through the air while the band was lit in a multi-colored kaleidoscope of chaos. The effect caused literal confusion in my brain as I listened…you didn’t know where to look or how to escape.

After a brief respite, Russian Circles took the stage, and the wizardry began. Swirling riffs enthralled the gathered headbangers, and the band worked a magical snare, pulling everyone deeper into the pervasive rifts, entering their minds and taking over. For the next hour, the music ebbed and flowed, pulsing over the crowd as lights danced on stage. Ending with heavy-favorite “Gnosis,” the band retired back into the depths, and the crowd left dazed. The spell had been lifted.

The band has kicked off the second half of their tour with this stop. Find them in your home town and see this show to be enthralled and witness the magic.

Primitive Man Set List

Russian Circles Set List

Every time an English punk band rolls through, it’s just miles beyond everything else. Lambrini Girls are no exception. Raw. Having Fun. Deeply embedded in their own vibe. This show was everything I expected…and more.

Big Girl, another raw, glittery punk band out of Brooklyn, opened up the night. They did a great job warming the crowd up and getting some energy moving. This is a band that bears watching in the future.

Big Special – it was a BIG night – was up next. The duo from Birmingham, England (Midlands-style, folks) brought their drum-heavy act in with a bang (pun intended) and kept things rolling. The energy these two brought was phenomenal. It was my first time hearing them, and I left wanting more. Their unique style of spoken word/punk mix is something to behold.

All this was a precursor, though, to the Lambrini Girls. Within the first three songs, Flora was already in the crowd and circle pits were going. Crowd surfing was encouraged, and the raw, jagged sounds of the girls stoked the energy higher. Sixteen-ish songs later, and everyone was nearly exhausted as the constant energy never ended. These women are going places.

Make sure you catch their North American Tour before they had back home.

Manicured.

Metalicious Tour stopped through Delmar hall and everyone was out to embrace bimbocore! Scene Queen brought high energy Wargasm and Bailey Spinn on her tour into St. Louis ramping up energy in the Loop.

Bailey Spinn opened the tour up, a unique blend of rock ‘n roll. She did a great job of stirring the crowd with some ethereal vocals and hard rock chords. Definitely someone we should be looking for good things from in the future.

Lights dimmed…red lights turned on…and Wargasm entered the stage. This was my 2nd time seeing this ball of energy on the stage, and I was just as impressed. Brining their particular brand of punk and EDM, bounding around the stage, and leaning into the crowd, they grabbed life by the hair and threw it around. This band really deserves to headline a tour, and with any luck, they will come through St Louis when they do!

At long last, the crowd grew quiet. Pink lights dazzled on stage with some inflatable drinks, a couch, and a skeleton…patiently waiting for the Queen to skip on to stage. Starting with “Manicure,” Scene Queen hopped, skipped and jumped across the stage, mixing her self-branded bimbocore voice with heavy growls, churning the crowd and egging them on. At one point, she even brought Wargasm on stage with her, doubling down on the energy. Not a soul would leave that venue with an ounce of energy remaining.

There are more stops up next for the Metalicious Tour; if you love high energy and some new takes on core and rock, plan to attend!

Thar be whales here! The flying variety! Gojira, the absolute masters of French Metal descended to St. Louis the best of causes: a concert to benefit Operation Food Search, a local food outreach program. All proceeds from the event benefitted the organization, who also had a presence at the concert! The Sovereign, once again asserting why it is a reigning venue in the St Louis area, hosted the sold out event, selling in less than 2 hours.

Opening for Gojira was Columbia, Missouri veteran band, Locked Shut. They brought their distinct flavor of core to the stage and set the crowd in motion for what was to come. A few songs later, both levels of The Sovereign were frothing and ready to go!

After a brief intermission, Gojira took the stage with a vengeance. You could say they were…Born for One Thing. Covering a variety of albums over their long history, including Flying Whales, Silvera and Amazoni…all the way to a three-song encore that included “Mea culpa (Ah! Ça ira!)”, a traditional cover they brought to the world’s attention at the Paris Olympic Opening in 2024. Ending with “The Gift of Guilt,” I couldn’t think of a better way to close out this phenomenal set. C’est Magnifique. 90 minutes of grifting metal to benefit the fight against food insecurity! You can see both bands at the Louder than Life tour next!

Locked Shut Setlist

Gojira Setlist

Purged in fire!

The Rock Orchestra brought the Arena of Fire tour to St Louis Music Park last Friday with haunting renditions of well-known rock and metal songs. The arrangements and costumes were done to a T, bringing the gothic feel to the St Louis stage. This time, though, they brought fire; pyrotechnics were used in nearly every song.   

Starting with Zeppelin and running all the way through System of a Down and Metallica, the orchestra covered everything in between.  My favorites were easily Korn’s “Freak on a Leash” and The Cranberries’s “Zombie.” So much feeling and action on the stage…and fire. So, so much fire. While the music drove the show, and the singers carried us through the night, it was the Fuel Girls that brought the heat with their pyro performance! They were fantastically complimentary to the show’s outstanding flow and vibe.

Catch this tour before it heads back to Europe!