Outlawed From Canada

Fans intimately pressed their bodies against the stage, some forced to lie on it as the crowd pushed from behind. Sweat drenched every person and surface within reach while riskier fans bobbed in the black hole of the mosh pit, gasping for air.

Mohawk Place turned into distilled discord Tuesday night when Atlanta metal band, Attila, dominated the venue. The band is currently on The Sick Tour with British metal outfit Chelsea Grin, but was denied access into Canada due to frontman Chris "Fronz" Fronzak's prior criminal record.

However, Attila was booked for Mohawk Place only three days before the performance.

"I hit up my friend Adam Fabozzi [vocalist of local band My City, My Secret] to see if he had contacts to book a show for us while the rest of our tour went to Canada," Fronz said. "His manager runs After Dark [Entertainment] so short notice was no problem for us. Plus, we love playing in Buffalo."

Local openers Visions of an Empire,Currents,and Don't Be A Hero were ecstatic to open for Attila, even on such short notice.

"Our lead singer said we had a show booked with Attila for Tuesday and I could not believe it," said Jeffrey Fisher, keyboardist for local band Don't Be a Hero. "I [was] excited to be playing with them tonight and, of course, to gain more fans."

Throughout the night, Attila performed songs from their albums Rage and Outlawed to appease the crowd. They also played "Soda in the Water Cup," a song from their first EP, Soundtrack to a Party.

Fronzak demonstrated his vocal range as he nailed the high and low screams throughout the set. His incorporation of rapping while screaming, a talent seldom seen in the hardcore music scene, has matured as well.

"Our sound definitely changed since Soundtrack to a Party," Fronzak said. "We matured as a group, my voice became stronger, but we still kept it heavy for the die-hard Attila fans.

Fronzak's band mates had no problem matching his intensity. The group came together sporadically throughout the night to show off their synchronized head banging skills, and the crowd joined in.

Guitarist Chris Linck and bassist Chris Comrie shredded on their instruments, as their fingers effortlessly blazed through their bass lines and solos. Drummer Sean Heenan and second guitarist Nate Salameh commanded the left side of the stage with pounding drum beats and aerial kicks.

Attila's vulgar and sexist lyrics may be criticized, but Tuesday night's crowd responded with mosh pits and massive amounts of screaming. The fans had no problem singing along to lyrics, "Yell if you just don't give a f***," and "Payback is a b****."

"I come up with our lyrics from personal experiences," Fronzak said. "Most of my ideas come from my f***ed up mind."

When fan favorite "Payback" started to blare from the speakers, it was impossible to hear Fronzak's grimy vocals. Keith Kuzara, singer for local band, My City, My Secret, surprised the crowd when he joined Fronz on stage for the popular track.

"I planned to do vocals with Fronz," Kuzara said. "I'm good friends with all the boys and Fronz was totally down for it when I made the suggestion."

Attila exited the stage after performing the acclaimed, "Jumanji," but returned to the stage when the crowd's desperate pleas for an encore resonated offstage. "Make It Sick" closed the show on a highly energetic note, making the last-minute production a success.

"This was the best show I've been to in a while," said Ethan Morgan, 20, of Buffalo. "After Dark [Entertainment] pulled everything together so fast and it was a great turnout. The locals were killing it too, getting the crowd energized."

Attila will play at The Bamboozle Festival in May and will embark on The All Stars Tour this summer with Michigan band, I See Stars.

Email: arts@ubspectrum.com