Author: cryostar1177

Metal…to the core. Served up for your ears to feast on at The Pageant, Jinjer brought their North American Tour through St Louis last week to the delight of death and metalcore fans alike.   

Opening for the tour, Entheos blanketed the crowd with death metal thunder as lead singer Chaney Crabb leaned towards the crowd, growling her dark vocals. A quick 30-minute set primed the crowd, ending with cell phone lights bathing the stage in a dying light. 

Japanese metalore band, Crystal Lake, was up next. High energy doesn’t even start to cover them and their gutteral vocals, high kicks, spins and abounding thrashes.  Drummer Gaku Taura took the cake, though, as he reveled in the heavy beat this deathcore band brings.   The energy was engaging and the songs something else. Crystal Lake are definitely a band that I will be listening to in the future.

At last, Jinjer took the stage in front of a light wall. Drummer Vladislav Ulasevich hammered away with the bands heavy sound.   Tatiania sauntered on stage, swaggering, and taunted the crowd, enthralling them. They kicked off with “Duel,” the title track of their latest studio album – one steeped in a rich Ukrainian history. While other songs from their four previous albums were included, Duel would lead all night long, showcasing the band’s continued presence as cultural ambassadors for their country. Be sure to catch Jinjer on their tour before they head back to Europe, as only a few more dates remain. 

What a purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-fect night with Kittie coming to town to kick off their Legacy of Fire Tour! 30 years of metal as these Canadian metal goddesses took the stage at The Pageant treating us to some monster songs from their history.   

Spellblade opened with sludge metal mixed with shoegaze vibes, and the quartet had fantastic energy and great set. We’re looking to hear more from this local(ish) band in the future.

Then Texas stormed on stage and GORE rocketed through! Texan Metalcore ruled the venue with their “emotional gore” sound, as the weight of the heavy riffs intersected with emotional lyrics, and vocalist Haley Roughton thrashed on stage in a flowing, long black dress. The juxtaposition was magnificent as the band provided a great sampling of their two EP’s. Definitely worth a listen to in and outside the venue.  

Finally, those goddesses took stage. Kittie toured us through “Brackish,” “Vultures,” “Burning Bridges,” and more as they hit songs from 6 of their 7 albums (Funeral for Yesterday) for the ravenous fans to hear. All in all it was everything I had hoped, having waited many years for their return to the 314 area code.

Rise up! World Tour coming through! Godsmack brought the Rise of Rock tour through Hollywood Casino Amphitheater, and, to the joy of thousands, proceeded to blast the top off the venue.  

Dorothy kicked off the night with some bluesy, southern rock,   getting the crowd engaged and moving around. Lead singer Dorothy Martin engaged with various members, pointing them out and motioning as she sang. The band got into the groove quickly. It was my first time hearing the band live…and I will definitely be back for more!   

Up Next: Stone Temple Pilots! Like a comfy set of clothes, they slipped on the stage, and instantly, you were sitting back, enjoying SoCal rock like it was the 90s all over again.   Everything you could want to hear from them, live and on stage, sounding like new. From “Dead & Bloated” to “Vasoline” and “Interstate Love Song,” and even my favorite, “Crackerman,” got some play time.   

Then the curtain came up, and Sully & Godsmack took the stage. Legends rose…and rocked! They covered the bases through 15 songs, including a 4-song (yes, 4-song) encore! New stuff from Lighting Up the Sky was in the mix, as well as older stuff from the self-titled Godsmack and everything in between that you’ve loved listening to for decades.   Sam “Bam” Koltun (Dorothy, Faster Pussycat) made his hometown debut, as well, as Godsmack’s touring guitarist, eating up every moment in front of the home crowd!  The night ended with “I Stand Alone” and an exhausted crowd.       

Set lists are below:

Dorothy Set List

Stone Temple Pilots Set List

Godsmack Set List

It was time for the Qveendom to gather! Isle of Qveen Tour made a port of call in St Louis last week with the Qveen herself, accompanied by Thot Squad, taking the stage at the Pageant.   

It was my first time seeing Thot Squad, having only heard of her courtesy of her work with Qveen Herby on the The Fool, I was quite impressed. She got the crowd moving and jumping with her rambunctious lyrics and antics on stage. Taking a couple breaks in between, getting undressed and letting her hair down, (even climbing speakers to get out with the crowd,) she reeled the Qveendom in, priming them for Herby to take stage.

Herby, herself, took stage behind a white canvas, backlit to silhouette her as she sang, quickly moving to her ship coming in, the SS Qveen.   Chakras where aligned, and the hip started hopping. Treated to a full tour of her discography, the audience got 24 song plus a 3 song encore — don’t ever say she doesn’t treat her fans right! She had them screaming, yelling, hooting, and asking for more. The highlight was her performance of “The Fool” where she was joined on stage by Thot Squad, both bouncing around at the full height of whimsical. Always a treat when she steps through, Qveen Herby did not disappoint this time either.

All dressed in red with everywhere to go, Vana’s Lady in Red Tour came through Saint Louis last weekend at Delmar Hall. Bringing a veritable bevy of new talent to the stage, the crowd was spurned to a frenzy with each passing set.  

RedHook, straight from Australia, started the night off with a quick set of metalcore. Lead singer Emmy Mack energized the crowd and the heavy riffs of guitar reverberated through the hall.  

As soon as their set ended, Deadlands took the stage, setting fire to the air and pushing Kasey’s raw vocals into everyone’s heads. Their NY style of metalcore caught with the crowd, driving home heavy bass beats and dropping thicc guitar riffs.   

Chandler Leighton took stage for a bass heavy but down-turned breath to catch up. Big vocals from this amazing artist kept the crowd enthralled and staring at the stage.   

Finally…the lights dimmed and Vana stepped out. Pink doused the hall, and the brutal breakdowns started. Mixing contemporary, almost pop-like lyrics with heavy drums and guttural guitars, she engaged the crowd and got them moving. Going from sultry and seductive to rage and power in massive swings as she switched between verse and chorus pushed the jumping crowd even further, keeping control and pulling their strings as she went. She is a bright future for metal as it continues to merge with other influences.

Puscifer and Dave Hill stopped by The Factory in St. Louis on April 30, 2026 on the Normal Isn’t Tour. Take a look at photos from the show.

It was a night of pent up emotion thrown into the ether, screaming to be released! I See Stars took the stage in St. Louis after amazing performances by Diamante, Until I Wake and Mothica. The night built in waves.   Diamante started us off, shining in sparkling light with a short set of six songs of her signature rock sound and dazzling voice, giving the night a strong push before handing off to Until I Wake.  

Until I Wake quickly took the stage, bringing their hard hitting and grinding metal sound to the night. The crowd continued to build and push, incited by Cody Jaimson’s lyrics and onstage performance.   Eight songs pounded the night, mostly from Inside My Head, leaving the fans clamoring for more, before ceding the stage to Mothica. 

Mothica may have been my favorite of the night. The twelve songs, were a a fantastic introduction to her library of music, but more importantly, she took time between songs to connect with the crowd.   Her history, her trials and what drives her as an artist. With her arms splayed like moth wings flapping as the night drove on, the crowd gobbled it up. She mixed strong vocals and thematic design to give the audience a breather before receding to the dark, and I See Stars took the stage.

With that, I See Stars initialized and pounded the stage. A great mix of songs, mainly from The Wheel, Treehouse, and New Demons, brought the crowd into a writhing ruckus as smoke and lights filled the stage and floated through the crowd. “Ten Thousand Feet” started their set off, and things didn’t slow down from there. Bright lights and dazzling antics brought energy and life to the stage and crowd. The crowd returned to a calm state only after the band closed out the night with “Anomaly.”