All the way from Sydney, Australia, Metalcore band Polaris kicked off their North American tour at the Cornerstone in Berkeley, CA accompanied by blessthefall and Thousand Below.

To warm up the night - Thousand Below took the stage with their blend of heavy melodic riffs and emotional lyrics that captivated the audience. They introduced new songs, including their latest single ‘Wrong Again’ - the crowd was loving their performance and the energy was starting to build in the room. 

Their set was followed up by my personal favorite, blessthefall, metalcore veterans who have been in the scene since 2004. The crowd welcomed them with such excitement - after a 4 year-long hiatus, we were all happy to see them back on stage. Frontman Beau Bokan commanded everyone to start jumping, and the crowd followed suit as he bounced around the stage, singing . They performed a mix of old favorites like ‘Cut Throat’ and ‘Wake the Dead’ and we were introduced to their latest single - ’Drag Me Under’ along with the announcement of a new album being on the way. Watching blessthefall perform is truly such an experience, from their amazing stage presence and the lighting to the way they animate the crowd. 

The moment that everyone was waiting for - Polaris took the stage, and they did not disappoint. They started their explosive set with ‘The Crossfire’ - the mosh pit was out of control and expanding by the second. Smaller pits began to form throughout the crowd - but not for long. Vocalist Jamie Hails prompted a wall of death - and the crowd did not question it, as the song erupted, the crowd collided and the night continued with powerful riffs and breakdowns. Halfway through the set, they took a moment to talk to the crowd and reminisce of their late bandmate Ryan Siew, and dedicate a song to him. The crowd shared their sentiments with Polaris and applauded them. But this did not slow anyone down - the night continued and the energy intensified song by song. They closed out the night with a fan favorite ‘inhumane’ and the crowd erupted in applause once their set was over. 

These bands delivered such intense performances to the Cornerstone that I’m sure will leave a lasting impression on everyone who was in attendance.