Over the last year, I have had the pleasure of photographing almost 100 different artists, I have attended almost 40 different concerts, and on the 8th of December, I was given the opportunity to photograph one of the most iconic metal tours of 2022. The Trinity of Terror Tour boasts a triple-headliner from three phenomenal metalcore/hard-rock bands and a different opening act for each leg of the tour. I was there for Lamb of God’s Omens tour, I saw The Metal Tour of the Year featuring Megadeth, I photographed Judas Priest, and I even got to photograph a massive Ghost concert, but this tour easily made its way to the top. The Trinity of Terror is made up of Motionless in White, Black Veil Brides, and Ice Nine Kills. This was the third leg of this tour, and on this leg, the opener they brought along was none other than the hard rock legends Atreyu. Each one of these bands has played a huge role in shaping today’s current metalcore/hard rock genres. These bands are at the forefront of exploring and pushing new boundaries both sonically, and visually. Their performances are consistently setting the bar higher and higher, and I hope to see more bands following suit in the near future.
Atreyu began their show with a countdown starting from 10. When the clock hit zero, the band emerged and jumped right into “Strange Powers of Prophecy/Baptize” off their latest album Baptize. The first thing that I thought when they hit the stage was how well Brandon Saller performed as a full-time vocalist. One thing that I am always worried about is how well a vocalist can perform live. I have been to shows where vocalists sound nothing like their recordings and it is extremely disappointing, to say the least. I am happy to say that this is not the case with Atreyu. Saller’s vocals were on point from beginning to end! The crowd was singing along, chanting, clapping, and throwing their arms up at all the right parts. I felt like it was 2008 again and we were at a party at my best friend’s house (we used to blast a lot of Atreyu back in the day). Bassist Marc McKnight, and his gloriously luxurious beard, accompanied Saller as their extreme vocalist, providing a perfect juxtaposition that added just the right amount of “edge” to this metalcore ensemble. Atreyu took us back in time with some of our emo/scene kid anthems such as “Right Side of the Bed”, “Exes and Ohs”, and (my personal favorite) “Bleeding Mascara”. I loved every moment of their performance and I really hope to see Atreyu on tour again soon because this band still has so much to offer. They closed out their set with another of my favorites “Blow” and took off backstage.
After a few moments of stage prep, the screen which acted as a backdrop for the stage went black and the words “Motionless in White is coming online…Initiating Bangover Sequence…”. Motionless in White came out one by one, each dressed in their own unique style. Justin Morrow in his full white face paint and black body paint from the neck down, Ricky Olson in a simple black button-up adorned with silver half-inch studs, Ryan Sitkowski in his signature bio-mechanical mask, and finally Chris “Motionless” Cerulli in his white face paint with dual jagged strikes through the eyes and biomechanical gloves that ran from fingertip to shoulder. MIW opened with the bangin title track off their 2019 album Disguise. The crowd went wild for these guys, and rightly so! There was so much to appreciate that I found myself forgetting to take photos. Their microphone stand was a machined metal skeleton made of gears and rotating/articulating parts. The band was joined on stage numerous times by the heavy metal dance troupe “The Cherry Bombs”. Each time these talented performers made an appearance their roles had changed, during “Slaughterhouse” they came out in full body tights with biomechanical designs on them and they used angle grinders to shoot showers of sparks across the stage by running the grinder against a metal belt around their waists. During “Werewolf” they were dressed as werewolves in red leather jackets and performed the dances from the music video while the video itself played on the giant backdrop behind the stage (Chris was also wearing the red leather jacket from the music video which I thought was awesome). During other songs, they came out waving flags or throwing roses to the crowd. These women elevated this performance by miles! The band themselves were flawless in their execution and they kept that crowd screaming and wanting more. Everything about MIW was great that night, from the images/videos that played on the backdrop to the Cherrybombs additional roles in the performance. This night was shaping up to be one for the books and it was only halfway over. When MIW was finished, the stage went dark leaving only a flashing phrase left on the stage’s backdrop…” Motionless in White has signed off…” and with that, we were onto the second headliner in this Trinity of Terror.
Black Veil Brides have been such a massive sensation in the alternative world since their first EP release in 2010. It has been amazing watching their continued upward trajectory since that day. Vocalist Andy Biersack has been such a staple in the scene that it’s difficult to picture a time before his influence had reached every corner of the globe. I remember seeing this band on the smaller stages of Warped Tour and to see them playing in arenas brings me nothing but pure joy. When BVB came out they jumped straight into “Crimson Skies”, one of the heavier songs off their 2021 album The Phantom Tomorrow. What I’ve always loved about seeing BVB is that they give off such a rockstar vibe onstage. When Jinxx and Jake Pitts go back-to-back for a guitar solo on the center riser it takes me back to days of seeing music videos from bands like Guns n’ Roses, Metallica, Def Leppard, and so on. While BVB didn’t have any accompanying actors/special outfits they really didn’t need them. They have always been a very good live band, and tonight was no exception. They powered through some of their biggest songs like “Knives and Pens”, “Fallen Angels”, and “Scarlet Cross”. The crowd was singing along with each and every song. This band has helped so many people overcome the struggles in their lives, myself included…It’s always hard to not tear up during a BVB set solely because of how much they have helped me and others battle demons that nobody else sees. Turning to the crowd, I could see that I wasn’t the only one having a deeply emotional response to this performance and it brought back that sense of community that I really love within this scene. No matter what you’re going through, you’re not alone. There are people out there just like you that are going through similar, if not the same things, you’re experiencing, and bands like BVB used their music to help bring us together and find solace within our community of like-minded individuals. Black Veil Brides closed out their set with most popular (and most fitting) song; “In the End”.
When Ice Nine Kills came onto the stage I had no idea what to expect. The stage was filled with fog and the screen behind them displayed a dark and haunted-looking wood. The band came out dressed in black tie attire and creepy-looking animal half-masks. Vocalist Spencer Charnas came out in his mask brandishing a rusty shovel and they blew straight into the brutal yet catchy “Funeral Derangement”. During the song, a woman came out dressed in a blue undershirt and yellow overalls the video screen showed a vehicle approaching them and at some point, she ended up lying on the stage as if the vehicle had struck her and Spencer used the shovel to bury her. Each song had not only a story in its words, but there were different actors/characters and outfits that accompanied each song. During “Wurst Vacation” there was a man with the severed head of a bull over his head, and he was wielding a chainsaw. Spencer ended up in a butcher’s apron and slaughtered a man with a cleaver onstage. When they played “Hip to be Scared” a drunk man came out on stage, Charnas knocked him out, cut his head off with an axe, and threw the severed head across the stage. During “IT is the End” a small boy dressed in a yellow raincoat came out holding a paper boat and a red balloon on a string while Spencer danced around him wearing red a red clown wig and mask. EVERY song had a performance that went along with it. The story of every song was played out on the stage that night and it was by far one of the most phenomenal performances I have ever seen at a concert. This was so much more than just a concert. I would pay to see this performance over and over and over again if I could. INK closed out their night by playing an encore of “Welcome to Horrorwood”, and that was that…this amazing concert had come to a close and it was back to reality…
I have been to so many concerts in my short time here on earth, and while there are some that blend together, there are some of them (like this show) that I will never, ever, forget. The Trinity of Terror Tour has been one of my favorite ensembles I’ve ever seen live. Whoever put this tour together chose these bands perfectly. Each band was such an ideal fit that I really don’t think that it could’ve worked out any better than it did. I know that this tour ends on December 12th, 2022, but I am hoping that there will be a 4th leg so more people can have the chance to catch this trio before it’s done for good. If the tour doesn’t make another round, all I can say is that catching each of these bands whenever and wherever you can is an absolute must! I for one will be on the lookout for tour announcements from every one of these bands because simply put, one time was just not enough!
