'Twas the night before Christmas Eve and all through the house, the Virginia Beach metalcore band Honour Crest were causing quite a stir! They were headlining a Christmas show at Shakas with supporting bands A Wake In Providence, Heroes, Blame The Season, Loss of Reason, and Fall of a Sparrow. Although a small crowd was present, that didn't stop Honour Crest from tearing up the stage and getting everyone to finally wake from the zombie-like mood that seemed to have control of people from the start of the night.
One thing that really sticks out to me about this band's live performance is how intimate lead vocalist Lucas Borza is with the crowd and obviously, the crowd's response. Opening their set with "Flux", I could have sworn I was seeing a game of human Jenga. Preparing for the chorus to commence, people were piling on top of each other for their chance at singing a word or two into the microphone. These kids were ruthless and I loved it. Even with a small crowd, these kids still managed to make stage diving work. From all of the Honour Crest shows I've attended, stage diving is a must. The fuel this band has to energize the crowd is unbelievable.
Aside from the ruthless energy of the crowd and Honour Crest's ability to provide fuel to the fire, Lucas Borza and Chad Orange's vocals compliment each other seamlessly. Seeing the constant shift between the two vocalists was a pleasure to hear. Their vocal spectrums are not far off from each other, and knowing they can pick up any point of the song and make it sound great is definitely a plus. There's plenty of shows I've been to where other vocalists try to pick up parts that they didn't have on recordings that sounded god awful, but as expected from Honour Crest, they pull it off. The band also performed a brand new song titled "Allergen" for the first time. The song was quite different from what I've heard on Metrics, and I embraced and enjoyed it. From what I have heard live, their sound has matured in the three month span since Metrics was released. I definitely cannot wait to get my hands on the song when it is released.
Nearing the end of their set, Honour Crest performed their single "Horcrux" off of their most recent album Metrics. Here again the game of human Jenga began as the chorus dropped. Borza held out the microphone giving everyone the few last chances to belt out the lines "We cannot give in, no matter what they will tell us our hearts were made to withstand". As Honour Crest finished up and were headed off the stage, fans weren't going anywhere and demanded they play another song. For those who do not attend Virginia Beach Honour Crest shows, playing their cover of Inspector Gadget is a must according to avid show goers. Though the band did not have the synths to go along with the cover, fans did not have a problem humming the tune to start off the song.
At the end of the day, it all boils down to the fact that Honour Crest puts on a great show and have awesome stage presence. Respectively, Lucas Borza, Chad Orange, Jimmy Dillon, Cory Beaver, and Zack Fitzpatrick are great musicians who make sure their talents don't go unheard on the stage. They will be heading out on tour with Along Came A Spider and The Bella Donna. Check out their Facebook page to see the dates. If they are coming to a town near you, do not pass up to opportunity to have a great time!
To get an idea of what their set is like, check out this video of Honour Crest performing "Flux" live. Videos don't do this band enough justice, so I highly recommend you see them live!