Live review from 19th Anniversary Party:
1)#celebration
2)你講你愛我
3)蕪鳴
4)怪物育成計劃
5）56kbps
6)It’s okay
encore (in case )
7)不羨仙
A sense of chaos pervades metalcore group Yusobeit’s antepenultimate set. Turtleneck-clad lead singer Elvis, aka Yu, begins the performance with a yoga-like ritual before unleashing an anguished roar as an electronic synth track kicks in.
Melodic verses bookended by growling; angry rhythms; hardcore breakdowns; serrated electronic programming; all these elements combine to create the patchwork of industrial metal with elements of screamo that defines Yusobeit.
Bizarrely, much of the set has an overly loud drum click track throughout. What seems like a stylistic choice for the first track it appears in quickly becomes a probable sound error as the irritating, woodpecker sound persists throughout.
Elvis is undoubtedly a gifted showman, but drummer MC steals the show. Dressed in a golfing jumper and bucket hat, he stands up to rap while keeping the rhythm driving.
Fourth track 怪物育成計劃 brings some variation to the set as a poppier number with rolling toms before 56kbps leads the descent back below the surface of the primordial soup, with reptilian screams, barking and shouts “jump! jump! jump!” that whip up the crowd.
It’s hard not to recall Hoobastank’s The Reason for the final song It’s Okay. Vocals are softer and more evocative of Chino Moreno’s brooding, plaintive style, and rumbling drums and bass underpin verses that intensify in emotion as the song plays out.
Overall, although Yusobeit seem to have all the individual elements in place to be a truly gripping live band, sound inconsistencies — the strange metronome and a guitar almost inaudible throughout the set –regrettably make for a lacklustre experience.
-El Jay
