REVIEW: IKILLYA, Lies Beneath, Prostitution at The Meadows | 03.28.2024

Show Reviews

Apr 2

Written By

NYC Metalcore outfit IKILLYA played their first show in seven years last week at The Meadows in Brooklyn. It was a one-night-only celebration of the band’s history, with members of various tenures taking their place on stage to perform their contribution to the band’s two albums.

Joining IKILLYA for this special evening were Lies Beneath, Prostitution, and Animarum.

THE SHOW

As is not traditionally my character for shows, I was running late and arrived during the middle of Prostitution's set missing unfortunately Animarum's set completely. Walking in during the middle of set is like tuning into a conversation in the middle of a sentence. There's a strong subconscious desire to join the fellow crowd members in their metal-induced trance as soon as possible. In the case of Prostitution, my immersion was nearly instantaneous.

Prostitution blend blackened metal and progressive metal in a unique and powerful way that lures you in from the moment you hear them. My original plan was to just watch and enjoy them and break out the cameras before the next set, but after a few minutes of listening I just had to capture the energy ringing forth from their amps.

I'm looking forward to catching Prostitution again in the future to enjoy the entirety of their set. In the meantime, I'll just be blasting their newest record, Luxury Tax, that was released last year.

Next up was Lies Beneath. As anyone knows, the job of a supporting act is to warm up the crowd – in that vain, Lies Beneath poured gasoline on the crowd and their riffs lit the match. From start to finish, Lies Beneath delivered one face-melter after another.

Frontman Nick Serr's grungy edged vocals showcased a versatility that met the band's hard hitting melodies everywhere they landed. I was blown away by their performance and impressed by how well the members complemented one another musically; they were a single unit, and a powerful one a that.

When I moved to New York City, Jason Lekberg, frontman of IKILLYA, was one of the first people that I met. In turn, IKILLYA was one of the first local acts to which I was introduced and subsequently blown away by. Their music became a part of my personal history, so it felt extra special to have the opportunity to celebrate IKILLYA's own.

I certainly wasn't the only one. The Meadows was filled with fans that had their own connection and appreciation for IKILLYA's music made clear by the excitement in their cheers.

IKILLYA's performance re-visited the extensive list of headbang-inducing anthems on the band's first two albums, Recon and Vae Victis. The evolution told through the band's music was furthered by Jason Lekberg's storytelling in between songs. Combined with the visual of changing bass guitarists and drummers for some of the songs, Lekberg took us on the journey of IKILLYA, self-reflection, and gratitude.

It was great to experience an IKILLYA live performance if only once more. Lekberg and drummer Andrew Maciejewski's new project, Nefariant, is a change in sonic direction but with just as much passion and heart behind it. As IKILLYA developed a storied history during their tenure, so too has (and will) Nefariant. I look forward to following along.

THE SHOOT

This being a one-off show, I don't have notes that will necessarily helpful for shooting these bands on future tours, but I'll take this opportunity to note how much I'm enjoying editing in color.

With every show I'm finding no shortage of stress-inducing color corrections, but with that stress comes growth. I'm starting to "see" the color more and the resulting decisions that I make feel increasingly intuitive. Do I still re-edit the photos in my head every time I look at them? Yes, of course, but I'm coming around to realizing that will always be the case.

It's important to remember that there are a countless number of stylistic approaches to editing an image, Being in the mood for a different eating style doesn't mean the existing one was a bad choice. In the same way that the photo captures a moment in time, the editing style captures how the image speaks to the editor in that moment, and in turn how the editor wants the image to speak to others.

Anxiety tends to be my shadow so this taking this to heart is easier said than done, but I think it is important to remind oneself of this as often as necessary. Being an artist is an ongoing journey no matter the chosen medium. Rather than striving for the unattainable "perfect edit" every single time, embracing the process and recognizing that practice is necessary for growth will, if nothing else, lead to a better and more productive headspace.