Sworn Enemy – Lament – at Blackthorn 51 – Queens, NY

From the moment Lament’s lead singer Jon Scondotto took the stage and instantly threw his mic stand off it, the ”fourth wall” was shattered. Lament was ready to challenge. They were tightly focused and precise. Their second performance in 22 years, they made it count with tight, powerful songs.

 

Their post-hardcore pace was unrelenting as they moved between songs without pause, their energy building. They roared into classics like “INRI” and “Irreversible” and slid new material like “Morse Code” and “Space Above” between established tracks like “New Low” and “Starving You”. 

Scondotto sang with haunted energy, ranging around the stage like an animal. The audience didn’t know what to expect. He crouched in the shadows, he hung his body at the front of the stage and he fluidly jumped down to the audience and approached people before leaping back. Moment to moment, his movements mesmerized the crowd.

The effect was clear. Hesitant at first, Lament had them slam dancing by their last song “L.M.T.” When they left the stage, everyone had become a fan. Expect to see more from Lament this year!

Rolling off their US Tour with Biohazard, Sworn Enemy dominated the stage next. An Abrams tank, lead singer Sal Lococo stationed himself at the front of the stage and shelled the crowd. From the first ballistic note, kids were slam dancing for their lives. Sworn Enemy pounded the club and pulverized earplugs with heavy riffs and dominating vocals. 

The audience feasted on 14 songs such as  “Sworn Enemy”, “As Real As It Gets”, “Scared of the Unknown”, “Destroy” and “No Apologies”. It was insane. A petite woman poised to attack Lococo from the pit. He dropped his mike and let fans sing into it. Bodies flew everywhere. And guitarist Jeff Cummings’ hair did 360s. After the last salvo of “I Hate”, the band thanked their fans and smiles broke out all around the room.  

A haunting performance by Lament and a full body count from Sworn Enemy gave fans what they had been looking for. They had won a war.

         

  More photos of the show can be seen HERE

-Gabriel Barbaro-
Big Wheel Contributor

 

 

 

 

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