Dr. Acula, Legend, Delusions, Bermuda, Adaliah and Impale the Betrayer at Ground Zero

For those who haven’t been to the new Ground Zero, it has moved their operation next door, cleaned the spot up, put a fresh coat of black paint on the wall and are regularly delivering face melting shows. Tuesday July 24th the scene is set for a night of devastation.

Hailing from Oxnard, California, Bermuda is a wall of pure testosterone. Bermuda’s new album ‘The Wandering‘ is a terror filled stroll through a field of blast beats and “jun jun juns”. The drums in this album are relatively technical and would cause most percussionists to instantly get arthritis. Industry standard growling and booming vocals of frontman Corey Bennett insist that it is highly unlikely that this manly man has ever watched an episode of Oprah or tasted the sweet kiss of a fuzzy navel. Or maybe not, though he’s screaming his head off, the lyrics are dark manifestations of anger and pain in the relationship department. For instance, “Severing the ties is like severing heads. It’s your unkept words that put you in this grave. Fade away before you’re forced out. Your true self exposed. Bare the pain of the knives buried in my back. I’ll slit your throat with them and carve traitor in your name.” from the song ‘Parasitic‘. There’s an obvious barbarous but heartfelt and human reaction to the ugliness of life in general.

Adaliah are a band with a reputation for playing ear-fragmenting metalcore with melodic overtones scattered about. Riding high on the crest of their new album, ‘Broken Families‘ which was released on June 5th, this Florida sextet are surely “bringing the sick mosh”. Breakdowns galore are systematically placed throughout the album, accompanied by ultra-heavy guitar and heart-palpitating double bass. These guys are an exact fit for the evening.

Tragic Hero records‘ prized Delusions bring a bit more continuity to the lineup. Described as melodic hardcore, Delusions have worked and toured hard to grace Spartanburg with their presence and are deserving of attention. Respective fans of the genre will surely feel the need to move around and shake things up when these New Jersey boys hit the stage.

Inarguably the highlight of the night, Dr. Acula are the stars of the bill. Victory records signed deathcore heroes, Dr. Acula have been nose to the grindstone since 2005. Two EP’s and four full-length albums later, these guys still deliver a reckoning to their audiences. Tumultuous swells of thick drop-tuned guitars meshed with tongue-in-cheek lyrics provide a heavy hand of cognitive dissonance. Dr. Acula’s set will surely remove the super serious attitude that is so prevalent in metal. Dr. Acula features two vocalists that move fluidly between hip-hop reminiscent staccato and hardcore styles. Fans of brutal breakdowns also known as “pit ninjas” will be in for a treat.

,/center>

Ground Zero is still running strong with cheap shows, cheap drinks and good times. This many bands for only $10? That’s a steal if I’ve ever heard of one. Doors are at 7:00 PM.