For those who may not be familiar, SiM wrote the opening for the highly popular anime Attack on Titan. Their song The Rumbling is the intro to season four of the show, and was met with huge popularity when it was released. There was no way I’d miss being able to hear it live, so I got tickets for their Silver Spring, MD date.
Oh do I love you The Fillmore in Silver Spring. Out of all the venues I’ve been to over the years, The Fillmore in Silver Spring has got to be my favorite. From the employees handing out water to people at the barrier during shows, to the general atmosphere, to the multiple times I’ve been able to meet band members after a show. I’ve only had good experiences at The Fillmore in Silver Spring and I highly recommend catching a show there if possible.
Crystal Lake
Photo From Crystal Lake Instagram
Crystal Lake is a band from Tokyo, Japan who formed in 2002. Their music “. . . draws from hardcore and metalcore influences” and each song is a unique experience. They have 276,504 monthly listeners on Spotify and 95K followers on Instagram.
I had little knowledge of Crystal Lake before hearing them live, having only listened to one song of theirs, but man was I hyped for their set. From what I had heard before seeing them, I knew they’d be a great band to start off the night and I was right.
Their mix of hardcore and metalcore got the crowd up and moshing. After the show I had the chance to talk with one of the members and I must say, the passion that he and his fellow bandmates show on stage are there off stage.
Check Out Crystal Lake on Spotify!
Within Destruction
Within Destruction is a band from Slovenia that has been making waves for their “animetal” sound. The best I can describe animetal would be songs that sound like they could be the opening to a gritty action/mecha anime.
Within Destruction has 131,158 monthly listeners on Spotify and 106K followers on Instagram.
Photo From Within Destruction Instagram
Having listened to a bit of their album Yokai I had an idea of what I was getting into with Within Destruction. What I didn’t know was how intense their set would be. Now, in no way was this my first metal show, and this wasn’t my first time being in and around the pit, but this was something different.
Mini-pits, walls of death, everything and everyone came together during their set. Within Destruction was the perfect sound to continue the night with their high-energy playing and stage presence.
Check Out Within Destruction on Spotify
Fame on Fire
Hailing from Florida, Fame on Fire is an American rock band formed in 2013. They mix hip-hop, heavy sounds, and rock into one sound. They currently have 1,150,388 monthly listeners on Spotify and 78.3K followers on Instagram.
Photo From Fame on Fire Instagram
Unlike SiM, Within Destruction, and Crystal Lake, I hadn’t heard a Fame on Fire song before seeing them live. I’m going to be honest, as much as I love seeing bands I already know live, I love seeing bands I don’t know live.
Not knowing what to expect with Fame on Fire, I was surprised how much I enjoyed their set. It was very different from Crystal Lake and Within Destruction given that some of their songs were a little more chill then the other two, but they still brought the energy.
Check Out Fame on Fire on Spotify
SiM
SiM is a band hailing from Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan. Their music is a combination of “. . . heavy metal, alternative, hip hop, ska, reggae, dub and punk with rebellious lyrics and songs with attitude.”
As I said before, they performed the opening for season four of Attack on Titan as well as other anime like Shingeki no Bahamut: Genesis, Shingeki no Bahamut: Virgin Soul, Kengan Ashura, and Attack on Titan: The Final Season. Despite having multiple songs be chosen for anime openings, they are more than just an anime band. They have 1,623,190 monthly listeners on Spotify and 176K followers on Instagram.
SiM puts on a show. Having never seen them live before, I had no clue what their stage presence would be like and let me tell you, it was INSANE. The sheer enjoyment and energy from the crowd, the powerful lyrics from SiM and just the excitement of finally seeing them live after seven months of waiting.
Getting to hear The Rumbling live brought me back to 2014 when I first discovered the show. Yes, season four wasn’t even an idea back then, but the sheer fact that I was there experiencing The Rumbling with hundreds of other fans was just unthinkable.
It’s a night that I’ll think back on for years. If you’re able to, go see them even if you know nothing about SiM. You’ll leave hooked.
Check Out SiM on Spotify
