Concert Review: Downswing / Oakheart / Ghostxship / Edict / Concrete Holiday Toy Drive @ Empire Underground, 12/2/2023

The metal heads of Albany held their annual toy drive at Empire Underground last Saturday with great success. During the drive, local bands filled the line-up. Albany natives and heavy, hardcore band Concrete opened the show with thundering vocals from Lenny Fletcher. Before starting their set, a moment was taken to dedicate the show to RJ, a member of the metal community that was recently lost. While they weren’t the only band to pay tribute to RJ, it was a wonderful reminder of how close the community is. The heavy guitar riffs complimented Fletcher’s intense growls and caught the attention of the crowd. Although their set was short, Concrete did a stellar job at setting the vibe and getting the headbanging started.

Frequent visitors to the area, heavy hardcore band Edict came in like bats out of hell. Lead vocalist, Joe Krewko, never stopped moving through the entire set. Guitarist George Radford entered the pit mid-set while Krewko flew back and forth across the stage. Krewko stayed almost exclusively at the front of the stage while the mosh pit picked up below him. As the toys stacked higher on the donation table, so did the anticipation for the next band in the lineup.  

Accompanied by big, festive blow-up ornaments, Ghostxship came on heavy and hard. Santa and Frosty bounced with the best as the bands drummer, Chris Smith, drove the set with bassist Kyle Howe. Frosty made an appearance up front with the lead singer during the last song, as the crowd took turns with the microphone along with Frosty the blowup snowman.

Thanks to Ghostxship people were primed and ready to go crazy in the pit by the time the Glens Falls band Oakheart took the stage. Bringing their slower tempo and powerful metal core to the stage. Drummer Tristan Marler showed his festive cheer with a Santa hat as guitarist Brian Crosby encouraged the crowd to come closer as the band launched into their first song. The band brought head banger after headbanger as the crowd bounced off one another in the pit. 

The event’s headliner, Downswing, started off the set with the strum of a guitar slowly welling up as guitarist Anthony Salvaggio screamed at the crowd to keep the pit going. Band members spun around in circles as vocalist Harrison Seanor jumped between clean and rough vocals. Downswing’s faster post-hardcore/metalcore sound was a hit with the crowd as audience members pushed up against the stage and threw fists in the pit.

The night ended with the toy drive table overflowing with toys to be donated and happy concertgoers braving the cold on their way to their cars. The show was yet another example of the metal community coming together and, this time, helping kids in need.

Photo Gallery by Hilary Crannage-Gallina