Senses Fail / The Bled

The long-awaited Montreal debut of Tucson metal-core band the Bled came in fine form at Rainbow. Their performance was solid but it wasn't nearly as exhilarating as their last record. The Bled's recordings are original and exciting while being psychotic and melodic. Their live show was by all means strong, but it didn't do anything more than the expected, whereas their album turned heads within the first few notes. With such an original recording, I expected the unexpected from their live show, but was sadly disappointed. Surprisingly, emo youngsters Senses Fail proved more enjoyable than I had anticipated. The band was tight and sounded even better with the decorative drum and guitar loops that filled out several songs. Vocals were dead-on, with screams and back-ups hitting every note despite all the musicians flailing around the stage. Musically, the band isn't tremendously original, but they strike a chord with listeners, as was evident by the solid turnout. Young fans came out in droves to support the band, who are probably about the same age as the band themselves. Although bands in this genre are a dime a dozen, Senses Fail hold true based on their solid sense of melodic songwriting and intelligent lyrics. Senses Fail have successfully made the jump from Thursday-copy cats to headlining band with tremendous ease.