Enabler seems to have found a new home at Error Records. The DIY venue/record store has been a home to the local alternative scene since it opened, and though its new Urbana location seems less suited as a venue, that hasn’t stopped them from hosting local metal and punk acts as much as possible, and it certainly didn’t stop Enabler. The popular hardcore sludge-punk trio took on Error Records this past Tuesday in a home town stop for the band’s new bassist and owner of the venue itself, Nathan Landolt. Joined by some of Champaign-Urbana’s heaviest heros, including Orator, Heel Turn, and 50 Year Storm, this meelee of music came close to crushing the venue altogether.

Tyler Alan Day of Orator

Orator kicked the show off with a flurry of hardcore metal riffs. The mix of seven and six string noise rock distortion with pounding drums and bass left bodies throbbing and ears ringing. Featuring members of Krelboyne, this sludge rock quartet is known for being loud, fast and tight.

Heel Turn took off next, a band new to the scene but not lacking in skill. This metal-punk hybrid featuring members of Roberta Sparrow and Vice Dolls played fast and loose, conveying emotion in a way only loud music is capable.

50 Year Storm then delivered and audible beating to the crowd in the best possible way. With dual guitars and hardcore vocals, the band played in a thrashy punk style equivalent to a brutal episode of Battle-Bots, leaving the crowd ready and waiting for more.

50 Year Storm

Enabler then took the stage, launching straight into a sonic assault infused with elements of punk and metalcore. The guitar, bass, and drum based trio delivered gutteral vocals and crushing riffs with the likeness of a human hurricane. In spite of how recently he joined the band, Nathan’s bass makes them no less rabid in their ferocity.

Jeff Lohrber of Enabler

In the wake of their new release, La Fin Absolue Du Monde, Late last Spring, the hardcore trio brough together a mix of both old and new tunes. From their latest album opener, “Close My Eyes,” to older tunes like “False Profit,” this band is giving new meaning to the word shred.

If you had the misfortune of missing out on Enabler, be sure to look out for the next time they come through C-U. The now 1/3 local band is sure to be back.

Orator