Last night at the Leopard Lounge in the Town Ballroom concert venue was one of the best metal shows I’ve ever been to.

Djent guitarist Jason Richardson (ex-All Shall Perish, ex-Chelsea Grin, ex-Born of Osiris) and fellow metal drummer Luke Holland (ex-The Word Alive) performed to a pumped up crowd at the Leopard Lounge in Buffalo along with local jazz act The Reign of Kindo and Las Vegas based post-hardcore band Stolas. As I said in my interview article with Richardson, “He released his newest album, I, in mid 2016 and embarked on his first solo tour with Polyphia and Covet on the Lit AF Tour back in February.” This is his first headlining tour under his solo project along with Holland. Holland first joined The Word Alive in 2012 after the band saw his many drum remix videos on his YouTube channel LukeHollandDrums. He made the decision to leave TWA in 2016, surprising his fans. His YouTube channel has over 374 thousand subscribers and has done drum remixes of songs from artists and bands like Chris Brown, Paramore, Animals as Leaders, Kendrick Lamar, and many more, gaining over millions of views.

The show was originally scheduled to be at the Waiting Room but was suddenly changed to the Leopard Lounge. No explanation was given to the sudden change.

Richardson and Holland started off their set with “XV,” the second to last track on I. Throughout his set, Richardson worked his magic and his fingers to the bone, shredding his heart out on songs like “Omni,” “Fragments,” and “Retrograde.” They ended their set playing the banger “Hos Down.”

Throughout Richardson and Holland’s set last night, you could tell the audience was having the time of their lives. Heads were banging, people jumping in place, and smiles were stretched from ear to ear on nearly the whole crowd as they were amazed by Richardson’s shredding skills and Holland’s drumming technique. I was as star struck as the rest of the crowd.

After their set, I interviewed a few members of the crowd on what they thought about the concert they just saw.

“[Jason’s] a great guitarist, man,” Jared Hill of Buffalo said, “very diverse, instrumental music.” Not only did he enjoy Richardson’s electrifying set, he also enjoyed the second band, The Reign of Kindo. “I would say that The Reign of Kindo was a great choice to add onto their tour. They’re very ecliptic…”

Connor Gray, also from Buffalo, loved Jason’s set. “[It was] fucking amazing,” Gray said with a smile on his face. He also added, “Luke Holland is a god.”

Chris Gould from Buffalo thought that Richardson’s set was awesome. “It made me feel like I’m in a video game, honestly,” Gould said, “It was crazy…probably one of the best musical shows I’ve ever seen.”

Some of my favorite tracks Jason played last night included the carnivalesque “Mirrors,” ranging from terrifying circus music that would fit perfectly for the soundtrack for It, and the final song “Hos Down,” which ranged from enchanting and beautiful to aggressive and dark, and that country twang interlude was hilarious.

Overall, Jason’s set last night was incredible and was probably one of the best metal shows I’ve seen since GWAR’s set at Warped Tour this summer. Jason’s skill is impeccable, his fingering and chugging is superb. Luke’s drumming was also fantastic. Watching him bang on his DW custom kit and Meinl cymbals was jaw dropping. If you’ve never seen them play together, go find the closest date of their tour and go to it. Holy hell, what a show.

The next date of Jason and Luke’s tour is Friday, August 25 at Loving Touch in Ferndale, MI.