A Concert for Die Hard Fans of Road to the Golden Gods.
The Road to the Golden Gods Tour, presented by rock magazine Revolver, brought long-awaited bands to northern New Jersey. Stone Sour rocked the house and even gave a preview of their new and upcoming song, “House of Gold and Bones, Part 2.” Hell or High Water warmed up the crowd leading to an anticipated performance by In This Moment. Fans were pleased to see old favorites combined with new material.
Montclair was the third stop on the first-ever Revolver Road to the Golden Gods tour. At 8 p.m. sharp, the lights dimmed and smoke poured from a well-lit stage as opening band Hell or High water took to the stage, initiating a spectacular night full of rock and heavy metal. Hell or High water, a side-project of Atreyu’s drummer Brandon Saller, wasted no time to get fans pumped up for the main events.
Although Stone Sour was the main event, there were a lot of fans there to see In This Moment. Front woman Maria Brink proved to be more than a pretty face when dazzling the eager audience. Mounted on what seemed to be a stage platform and holding onto two skull lined poles, Brink delivered a high energy and seductive show that would win over a new a fan any day. Brink’s stage presence, along with her powerful vocals brings a new and fresh quality to heavy metal.
Headlining band Stone Sour, whose fifth record album, House of Gold and Bones: Part 2, comes out April 9, rocked the house. The band kicked off their set with “Gone Sovereign” as amped-up fans crowded the general standing area. Lead singer, Cory Taylor, greeted the screaming crowd, as most hands went up in the air when asked who had attended Stone Sour concerts before.
Dave Mendez from Rahway, N.J. enjoyed seeing Stone Sour for the first time: “I came with my brother Edwin who has seen them before, but I would definitely come out to see them again, especially when it’s so close in Montclair.”
There was a well-balanced mixture of hardcore heavy metal, like Hell and Consequences, and softer songs, like Through Glass and their second album. Fighting a cold, Taylor dedicated the song “Say You’ll Haunt Me” to fans that have been with the band since day one.
Road to the Golden Gods’ fans were pleased to see drummer Roy Mayorga back behind the drums after recovering from a stroke he suffered in back in 2011. Johnny Chow joined the band as the touring bassist, alongside guitarists Josh Rand and James Root. The band closed the show on a high note, playing the heavily charged song “30/30-150.”
“[Taylor] was the best lead singer I have ever seen,” said Frank William from Woodbridge, N.J., after the concert.
Even though the venue was not as crowded as it could have been, the devout and rowdy Road to the Golden Gods fans that attended were overwhelmingly pleased. The lively crowd of concert goers sang along with fists in the air to almost every song.
After the Wellmont, the Road to the Golden Gods Tour is headed to Freedom Hall in Lancaster, Pa.
Most concert goers parked on side streets, that way avoiding having to pay for steep parking garages. Feli Meklenburg, from Fairwell, N.J., was very impressed with the concert, as well with venue surrounding area: “I would absolutely come back to a concert here. You go get some food, walk around the pretty area and see an awesome concert,” stated Meklenburg.
Various diverse restaurants line up the surrounding area, including Ah’Pizz and Mediterranea. For a lively bar and restaurant atmosphere, Just Jakes is located off Bloomfield Avenue on Park Street.
Coming to the Wellmont next are metal/rock band Opeth on April 19.
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