May 24

May 24 Show Review: Escape The Fate Celebrate 12 Years of Their Self-Titled Album at Goldfield

Escape The Fate
w/ The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Violent New Breed, Nvrless, Beauty is Betrayal
Goldfield Roseville
Roseville, CA
May 13th, 2022

Photos and Review by Jared Stossel

I know that I’m getting older. Day by day. But I’m now reaching a point where I’m seeing anniversary tours for albums coming to venues, and it was only several years ago that I was attending the tours of these same artists when said albums were being released. While I may be at the point that I’m starting to need Dr. Scholl’s inserted into my shoes that I can stand for all five hours of a show (!), my love for this music hasn’t waned. This time around, I got to seeEscape the Fate, a band who have been through an amalgamation of lineup changes over the years, celebrating the twelve-year anniversary (!) of their self-titled third album.

I remember attending the tours back in 2010 and 2011 to support Escape The Fate. At the time, I recalled being underwhelmed, not entirely thrilled with the new direction they were taking as a band. The influences that were so present on their masterpiece of a sophomore album, This War Is Ours, were still there, but it was veering into radio-rock territory, which wasn’t as appealing to me as an eighteen-year-old who felt like he knew everything about the world (spoiler: he really fucking didn’t). Songs from Escape the Fate grew on me far more as the years went by, but I’ll always remember that period as a period of great transition for the Las Vegas, NV rock act. It was strange hearing these songs played front to back after so many years, most notably because only two members of the band’s current lineup actually played on Escape The Fate: vocalist Craig Mabbit and drummer Robert Ortiz (the only member to have played on every single Escape the Fate release in the band’s existence). With that being said, the current incarnation of the band put on an excellent show in celebration of the album.

The show was opened by two up-and-coming acts: Sacramento metal act Beauty is Betrayal and Arizona-based nu-metal/alt-rock act Nvrless. Both acts got the crowd warmed up before the first of the touring support, Violent New Breed, took the stage. Violent New Breed may be a newer act in the scene, but the band’s bassist and backing vocalist, Max Green, is a name that is incredibly familiar to longtime Escape The Fate fans. Why? Green was one of the founding members of the band, playing on and off with the band throughout their first several albums. The band put on a great show, and Green looks and sounds better than ever.

Other than the headliner, the standout act for me was The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. The Florida-based rock act, who have also had a fair share of lineup changes incurred over the last decade, sounded better than I’d ever heard them. While the band were in top form throughout nearly every song in their set list, the biggest moments came during the sing-along invoking “Face Down” and ultimate love song “Your Guardian Angel”, taken from their acclaimed debut Don’t You Fake It.

Escape the Fate took to the stage not long after Red Jumpsuit, and brought forth an entertaining headlining set. While the band did play through the Escape The Fate album in its entirety, they included two songs from their recent effort Chemical Warfare (“Lightning Strike” and “Not My Problem”), the showstopping closer “One For The Money” (from Ungrateful) and “Broken Heart” (I Am Human). The best moment, though? The inclusion of two This War Is Ourstracks: “Ashley” and the battle-epic “This War Is Ours (The Guillotine II)”, which brought Max Green onstage to scream along with Mabbit. I knew that was some form of drama that came along with the lineup changes, and it warmed my heart to see these guys together on stage after so many years having an absolute fucking blast. A lot of things have changed, but eventually, we all find our way back to one another.

Escape The Fate Set List
Escape The Fate
Choose Your Fate
Massacre
Issues
Zombie Dance
Gorgeous Nightmare
City of Sin
Day of Wreckoning
Lost in Darkness
Prepare Your Weapon
The Aftermath (G3)

Encore:
Lightning Strike
Not My Problem (with Ronnie Winter of Red Jumpsuit Apparatus)
Ashley
Broken Heart
This War Is Ours (The Guillotine II) (with Max Green of Violent New Breed)
One For The Money