Oxford Zodiac
15.05.06
It was almost exactly one year ago today that Still Remains took to the Zodiac’s stage as the opening act of the annual Roadrunner Roadrage tour, alongside a then little known act by the name of Trivium. For the most part it was a less than enthralling affair, the band appearing utterly shell shocked – stunned into a half hour set of uninspiring metal-by-numbers drivel performed with all the visual energy of a week old corpse.
It’s such memories that will in fact work in their favour, because tonight Still Remains are in sensational form. Blasting forth with the keyboard-tinged savagery of ‘To Live and Die by Fire’ the band lay out their intentions with hardly a pause for breath, throwing themselves around the stage like rag dolls. Front man TJ Miller in particular is in fine form, his deep-throated roars cutting through the air like a hot knife through butter, no more so than when placed against the Scandinavian backdrop of a bludgeoning ‘White Walls’.
The most impressive fact, however, is that not once does the energy dwindle throughout their hour-strong set; a factor no doubt aided by keyboard maestro Zach Roth regularly storming across the stage, banging his head to the chugged breakdowns of ‘Kelsey‘ with enough force to floor even the hardest of guvnors in their own local.
If a year on the road can make this much of a difference, then the thought of where Still Remains may find themselves in 2007 is a truly terrifying prospect. Make sure you wear clean pants.