Concert Review: Every Time I Die Plays Garden Amp

It was the 18th of November; little did I know it would be the final show to ever see Every Time I Die perform live. The band announced their departure on social media this week due to a rift between members of the band and singer, Keith Buckley. Every Time I Die was one of the trail blazing metalcore bands from Buffalo, New York. Over twenty years in the music industry has come to an end.

The show was in Garden Grove, California at the Garden Amp. The full line up was Ignite and Every Time I Die. It was a gloomy night, standing in the Santa Ana winds to enter the venue. I heard the drums pound and the cage rattled. My heart was racing and a thousand of thoughts were going through my mind. It was a similar feeling as if you were entering a Halloween maze. I did not know what to expect inside. Before I knew it, I was in a sea of people while making my way towards the pit area.

Ignite performed right before Every Time I Die. The crowd went berserk for the Orange County natives. Ebullient yet merciless energy filled the arena once they hit the stage. A circle pit formed at the bellow tone of singer, Eli Santana. It was the final act and the center packed up quick during sound check to the point I was pushed on multiple directions. I ended up facing the stage which was the best spot to be drop kicked into a mob of elder emos. The lights became dimmed with shades of red, it was time.

Every Time I Dies opened up with “Dark Distance” from their newly released album, Radical (2021). The set list was compacted with classics throughout the years such as “We’rewolf,” “Buffalo 666” and “Ebolarama.” People kept jumping off of the platform until the closing track, “Map Change.” It was by far the most stage dives I have ever seen in the history of live shows. The band was back and better than ever so I thought. They played their last show on December 11, 2021.

Every Time I Die will live on in our core memory. Check out the recent album, Radical, now streaming.

Every Time I Die was Keith Buckley (singer), Andy Williams (guitar), Jordan Buckley (lead guitar), Clayton Holyoak (drums), and Stephen Micciche (bass).

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Post by Christine Rios