Punk/Hardcore legends American Nightmare returned to Atlanta this past weekend, their first time since playing the inaugural and second annual Wrecking Ball ATL two years running. They brought with them DC’s Protester and Atlanta’s own Abuse of Power.
Abuse of Power kicked things off for the night. They are riding off the 2017 release of their EP When Then Becomes Now on Boston’s Triple B Records.
As a native Atlanta band, they have garnered enough attention within the community to be able to make treks overseas as well as greater America, covering many of the prominent Hardcore Fests that take place throughout.
Their set was well put together. Cohesive, quick, and to the point. They covered songs that appeared on their newer EP as well as their first demo from 2016. The sound that they make can best be compared to Hardcore of the late 80s/early 90s, think Minor Threat, Cro Mags, or even early Agnostic Front.
The crowd was certainly engaged during their set, as was to be expected for a local band playing a bigger show.
Next up was Washington, DC’s Protester. They are currently touring in support of their most recent release, 2017’s Hide From Reality on Trash King Productions.
Their sound is a bit grittier, faster, and more urgent. Almost a 90s Boston Hardcore vibe, but also rooted in the early DC sound.
The crowd was once again very receptive to Protester, who were in turn, very thankful. The band gave shoutouts to Atlanta Hardcore and Atlanta Straight Edge, while also espousing their love for the city of Atlanta as a whole.
Last up were American Nightmare. Hot off the heels of their just released self-titled LP out on Rise Records. This is their first studio recording in over 15 years and was one of the most anticipated Hardcore Records in quite some time.
They ripped through a sonically seamless set, playing many of the songs off of their earlier work as well as peppering the set with newer material such as “The World is Blue”, the first single for the new LP.
The crowd at that point was at a fever pitch, singing along to not only the classic material but also to the new songs that were just released mere weeks prior.
They closed out the set with an encore of “We Are” off their Background Music LP, which led to a decent blowoff for the crowd with stage dives and pile-ons to cap off another Masquerade classic.
Written and shot by Peter Sigmund.
