Serving as one of the largest heavy metal tours of the year, Mastodon and Gojira team up for the Mega Monsters Tour, which made its way to Houston on April 28th.
Regardless of the heavy weather warnings, all the Houston metal heads came together to 713 Music Hall. It was a packed house, and everyone was prepared to get their mosh on. Starting off the night was opener Lorna Shore, a well-known deathcore band from the streets of New Jersey. Lead singer Will Ramos made sure that the crowd was warmed up, as he and the band encouraged circle pits and crowd surfers throughout the set. The band played many hits, including the “Pain Remains” trilogy.
Up next was Atlanta based heavy metal band Mastodon, who played an incredible set full of fun visuals, powerful vocals and vibrant energy. Fans were excited for the band, and everyone cheered as soon as they came out to plug in their instruments. Guitarist Brent Hinds wore a George Strait tee, which definitely showed his Texas pride and got the fans riled up. They performed hit tracks like “Megalodon,” “Aqua Dementia” and “Iron Tusk.” They ended the set with “Blood and Thunder,” where the band expressed much gratitude for Houston’s energy during their performance and stating that they love visiting our lovely city.
Closing out the night was Gojira, who came to Houston exactly a year before this show as an opening act for Deftones at White Oak Music Hall. A lot of fans in the crowd first saw Gojira at the Deftones show, and it’s great to see how the French heavy metal band has taken on a headling spot on the bill. Once the band came on, the stage was filled with ominous smoke as they began to play “Born for One Thing.” Fans at the barricade were headbanging like crazy throughout their set, and mosh pits formed at many different spots in the general admission areas. Gojira performed fan favorites like “Grind,” “The Art of Dying” and “Flying Whales.” The highlight of the night was the mesmerizing drum solo performed by band drummer Mario Duplantier, as his perfomance included a fun skit of making fans cheer. Overall, the tour was a huge success for all metalheads alike, and fans left extremely content with the show’s lineup and production.
I'm a full-time music journalist/photographer from Houston, number one Paramore fan and Husky dog owner. I have a B.S in Radio-Television-Film from UT Austin and a M.A in Mass Communications from the University of Houston, which makes me smart! On top of being an avid concert-goer and movie fanatic, I love bonding with others over the power of local music and media.
