Metalcore at its finest: CHAOSBAY and ELWOOD STRAY in Leipzig

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A good concert triggers exactly two specific feelings afterwards: Absolute euphoria about the concert and the good music on the one hand, and a fatalistic sadness that the concert is over on the other. One of the bands that can create exactly such emotions are CHAOSBAY. Last weekend they made a stop in Leipzig at the Moritzbastei. They were supported by ELWOOD STRAY. Without wanting to spoil the article too much, I can already say that all who were not there, really missed something!

Huge thanks to lightinmirror.de for once again being the absolute best!

ELWOOD STRAY

But before we talk about the headliner of the evening, I want to say something about the supporting act from Essen: ELWOOD STRAY. In the run-up I listened to a few songs of the metal and hardcore band, of course, to know what to expect on the evening. In production, their songs captivate especially with an energetic songwriting that invites you to rock out.

It gave me particular pleasure then that they managed to transport this energy onto the stage as well. There was absolutely no need for singer Maik prepare in advance. From the moment he catapulted himself onto the stage (I can’t describe his performance any other way) he showed 200% energy, which was absolutely contagious. The rest of the band couldn’t quite keep up, but that was simply because they were playing instruments and didn’t have the same freedom of movement.

Musically, it definitely picked me up and especially the penultimate song of their much too short set, Uncertain Me, really did it for me! So if you like hard shouts, fast guitars and catchy melodies, you should definitely check them out. If you don’t like it, you can recommend it to people you don’t like!

The only real criticism I have is that the set was too short. If I haven’t lost count, ELWOOD STRAY played a total of seven songs. In addition, they also raced through their set. This is where I would like to see two more songs in the future, if possible. Alternatively, I’d also take more interaction with the audience, especially when you start ten minutes earlier than planned anyway. 

All in all, however, I can summarize the performance of the Esseners with one word: BLEGH!

CHAOSBAY

f you follow this blog, you know (or at least suspect) that CHAOSBAY occupy a special place in my esteem. But this is due to the simple, as completely true, fact that I simply find their music awesome. It was like that almost 10 years ago and it’s still like that in 2023. So it was no question that if CHAOSBAY were around again, you would find us there.

The four guys from Berlin opened the evening with my favorite from the current album: Passenger. The audience was already well fired up and the joy about the performance of the Progressive Metalcore group triggered joyful emotions in the Moritzbastei, which I would almost describe as euphoria. Here nobody stood still anymore!

While the first notes of Lonely People sounded, I noticed once again how well thought out the stage show of this band is. The additional LEDs were perfectly programmed and the sound was again excellently mixed. It is such supposedly small things that, in my view, make the difference between a hobby band and a professional band that wants to (and can) aim high. Add to that the irrepressible joy of playing that CHAOSBAY demonstrate in every single song.

The set as a whole I liked very much and contained a good mixture of songs from the albums Asylum and 2222 and the EP Boxes. It’s always mystical for me how CHAOSBAY manage to guide their audience through all emotional ups and downs and don’t lose any momentum, on the contrary. The more you approach the end of the concert, the better the mood gets.

But the humorist of the evening for me was, how could it be otherwise, Alex, who could certainly make a happy fan very happy with a broken pair of print pants, which he threw into the audience! 

But the evening also brought back a lot of nice memories. For example the song Mediterranean, which always reminds me of the hot summer day in Eschwege, when we were allowed to visit the band during the video shoot for this song. Or also Amen, a song that for me was a major manifestation of the conviction that this band would go far. 

Of course, I can only speak for myself as to what triggers such associations, but if you risked a glance into the audience, everyone must have had their fun. From Mosh Pit to Wall of Death, there was an enormous amount going on here!

I was a bit sad, however, that no song from Vasilisa was played until towards the end. However, the band still counteracted this with Secret King (Creeping). Although I have the impression that this album is always treated a bit stepmotherly, but as good as the songs may be, they can not keep up with the newer material so well, so I think this is a justifiable decision. 

But I was a bit surprised by the fact that Jan put away the guitar for the last songs and performed „free“, so to speak. I had never seen that before with CHAOSBAY.  But it didn’t do any harm to the mood and so the evening unfortunately ended way too fast with the last song, the cover of Message in a Bottle. It’s tearin’ up my heart a bit that they don’t play the cover I would like to hear, but that’s complaining on a high level!

In summary, I can say that it was once again an absolutely brilliant evening with outstanding music. If you are thinking about seeing CHAOSBAY live in the near future, you should definitely do it! This concert definitely won’t have been the last for me!