Twenty-two years is a long time to hold your breath. Connecticut’s 100 Demons put out their second album in 2004, went quiet, and this past June returned with Embrace the Black Light on Closed Casket Activities — 12 tracks, 37 minutes, their first new record since the Bush administration. After a spring and summer run that included a stop in Albany, the fall brings them to Montage Music Hall in Rochester on Thursday, October 15.
About the Show
After Dark Presents has built the bill with DRAG HC and With Teeth as support. Embrace the Black Light was recorded at Silver Bullet Studios in Burlington, Connecticut — produced by Greg Thomas (END, Misery Signals), engineered by Chris Teti, and mastered by Will Putney of Graphic Nature Audio. The current lineup features Pete Morcey on vocals alongside Rich Rosa, Rick Brayall, Jeremy Braddock, and a returning Sean Martin, who rejoined the group for this record. Martin carries a dual history in Connecticut hardcore: he has performed with both 100 Demons and Hatebreed, the two acts most identified with that late-1990s scene. Guest vocals from Colin Young and Taylor Young of Twitching Tongues and God’s Hate appear on “Cold Wind Of The Crossroads.”
Morcey described the recording process as deliberate: “Writing and recording this last record was an experience like no other. We were able to take our time and carefully craft every single song on this release.” That patience registers on the record. Ghost Cult Magazine gave Embrace the Black Light a 9/10, with reviewer Tim Ledin writing “killer tracks, no filler, no holding back, just a sonic beatdown while catchy Metalcore riffs infect your earholes.” Ledin singled out “The Nightmare” as a strong opener with dark atmosphere and “Werewolves at the Wall” for its guitar work and chorus, while noting the band “captured the best aspects of their previous two releases and fused them together.” The Deathwish release page calls it “the most fully realized record of their discography.” That kind of critical landing after a 22-year gap isn’t something the scene hands out on reputation alone.
Venue & Logistics
Montage Music Hall is a 400-capacity club on Chestnut Street in Rochester’s Finger Lakes region, operated by Rocent Events. Doors open at 6:00 p.m., show at 7:00 p.m. The event is 16-and-over with ID; patrons under 16 are admitted with a parent or legal guardian.
Tickets
Tickets start at $27.63, on sale since September 25. Buy tickets