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I WANT TO BE DEAD WITH MY FRIENDS! / I WANT TO BE DEAD WITH MY FRIENDS! / WIDE-EYED, BRILLIANT, DYNAMIC REST, I WANT TO BE DEAD WITH MY FRIENDS!,” Keith Buckley vigorously shrieks in the opening track off Every Time I Die’s sixth full-length,
Ex Lives. I suggest adorning your manliest mustache and hard-soled dancing shoes, as the New York outfit’s epic, technically-intricate hardcore breakdowns and Southern metal tirades will immediately open up the pit at their Tampa date. The video for the aforementioned “Underwater Bimbos from Outer Space” showcases destruction, warfare, and the mentally ill, the perfect imagery to compliment Every Time I Die’s signature sound – a chaotic yet beautifully organized series of gritty screams layered over dueling, rhythmically complex guitars and heavy pounding drums. Joining ETID on tour is the Acacia Strain, a hardcore-influenced metal band from Chicopee, Mass. Lead vocalist Vincent Bennett’s throaty screams don’t break for choruses, and every song features an apocalyptical climax. This lineup -- which also includes Hundredth, Vanna and No Bragging Rights -- will bring mayhem and metal sure to tear the walls down.
— Shannon Kelly