Avatar and Gemini Syndrome bring the apocalypse to Indy
Avatar and Gemini Syndrome gave Indianapolis fans a night to remember when they played the Vogue Theater recently along with Cheyenne, Wyoming natives First Decree and local talent Soulsik on the Hail The Apocalypse tour.
Soulsik got the night started off before First Degree took the stage at 9pm. Lead singer Travis James took every opportunity to connect with the crowd, often leaving the stage to stand on the barricade in order to get as close as possible to fans. First Decree’s debut album, This Is Our Rise, dropped August 21st and the band certainly left a positive impression on their new fans in Indianapolis as they played many of the tracks.
Gemini Syndrome was up next. Drummer Brian Steele Medina stood atop as the rest of the band joined him one by one before launching in to their song “Pleasure & Pain,” off 2013’s Lux. The crowd was fully engaged and locked in with the band from the very first note of “Pleasure” and stayed fired up all the way through the end of their final song, “Stardust.”
A young couple decked out in jumpsuits and painted faces took advantage of The Vogue’s large open floor and ballroom danced right alongside a handful of moshers during the emotional “Mourning Star” making for quite a unique sight- it’s certainly not every day you see people moshing and ballroom dancing side by side, but it made perfect sense during Gemini Syndrome’s set.
At long last Swedish shock-rockers Avatar took the stage, much to the delight of fans. Starting things off with “Queen of Blades” Johannes Eckerstrom made his way to the front of the stage wearing his signature velvet jacket and top hat while carrying a cane for added effect.
For the first few songs there wasn’t much in the way of lighting, but a large “AVATAR” light lined the back of the stage and shone through a thick blanket of smoke that covered the stage, making the band members appear as eerie silhouettes.
Guitarists Jonas Jarlsby and Tim Ohrstrom met up at the center of the stage during “Paint Me Red,” instruments held high, giving fans a great view of the intricacy behind the guitar hook and blistering solo of the popular track.
One of the most impressive elements of the show was just how in to the show the fans were. Nowadays it seems many fans are a bit jaded and detached, and much has been said about fans choosing to watch the show through the screen of the smartphone instead of living in the moment, but Avatar’s crowd was the exact opposite. There was a small handful of fans who had their phones out, but standing at the back of the crowd at the end of the set I mostly just saw a sea of fists and devil horns, which was a welcomed surprise.
There are only a handful of dates left on the Hail The Apocalypse tour before the Avatar crew packs up and heads back overseas, so if you’re on the East Coast you’ll definitely want to make sure you make it out to a show- this is one experience you don’t want to miss out on.
-Ashley Adcox
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