Soil
Special Guests: (hed)p.e. + Nonpoint + The Union Underground
Venue: SWG3, Glasgow
Date: 12th November 2024
Review & Photos: Dave Buchanan
There’s nothing like seeing a bunch of bands that you saw 20 over years ago to make you feel old as fuck. But, y’know what, I don’t even care. I’m a nu-metal fan! There, I said it. No shame. Tonight see’s this nu-metal extravaganza roll into Glasgow, with a handful of veteran bands that are keeping the genre (and the Sabbath Dream) alive. If you know, you know.
The Union Underground
First up, and a band I never thought I’d ever see – San Antonio quartet, The Union Underground. Armed with only 1 album (for now), and a JNCO jean-pocket full of attitude, the band waste no time with foreplay, and kick right into the driving groove of Drivel. Weirdly, the sound is great?? What is this witchcraft? Where’s the obligatory, appalling first-band-of-the-night sound?
The band continue the momentum of their opener and take us back to the glory days of 2000, with the grungy tones of Killing the Fly, before busting out the first big gun of the night. That’s right, all aboard the South Texas Deathride! I must admit, I was not expecting The Union Underground to be as good as they are. Out of the 4 bands on the bill, The Union Underground probably had the longest period of downtime (2002-2016), but you wouldn’t know it! These guys are playing with a fire that you can tell is genuine, they sound tight and from the sounds of things, it’s not gonna be long until album two makes an appearance. Which we get a sweet taste of tonight on the closing track, but not before they get the crowd absolutely jumping with Turn Me On “Mr Deadman”. An impressive set from a band who clearly are not done making us appreciate the heyday of the early 2000s. 
(4 / 5)
Nonpoint
It’s been a couple of decades and a few more grey hairs since I saw Nonpoint last, and whilst a few of the members may have changed since then, the band’s energy and passion has not! From the get-go, the Floridian quintet are all about setting off an explosion of energy on stage. Frontman Elias has his mic stand held high, as he coaxes the crowd to join them in the chaos of Breaking Skin.
I remember Nonpoint always being a band that had their shit together when the time came to perform, and tonight is no different. Each track feels well rehearsed, with the synchronised jumps and backing vocals all hitting the right spots. Elias Soriano still has a tone and style that sets him apart from many other vocalists in the genre, and it’s great to see him still having as much fun as he did all those years ago in The Cathouse.
Musically, the band are tight, and OG drummer Robb Rivera has everyone locked in and bouncing to the groove, while guitarists Rasheed & Jaysin keep the riffs flowing steadily. My only issue, OK two issues, are the guitars aren’t nearly loud enough in the mix, so the impact of some parts feels a touch underwhelming, as does the actual set list itself. Development and Recoil are, arguably, two of the strongest albums Nonpoint have, yet the set tonight is completely devoid of tracks from either release. The finale of Alive and Kicking into Bullet With a Name is a strong double-punch, but I couldn’t help but think what could have been had their set been tweaked. 
(3.5 / 5)
(hed)p.e.
Huntington Beach, California, genre blenders (hed)p.e. have been on my list to see for such a long time, but unfortunately our timelines just never matched. Tonight, the quartet put on a performance that highlights exactly what I’ve been missing all these years. Funk, punk, rap, nu-metal, hip-hop, you name it, (hed)p.e. can do it, and they deliver it with absolute class.
The band look and sound as slick as it gets, flowing from one hit to another, with the short-sharp punk chaos of Peer Pressure feeding seamlessly into the absolutely epic Killing Time. The crowd are fully onboard by this point, and the funky ride the band take us on mid-way through the set only gets them more in the mood. Jared serenades us with his Melodica (not a euphemism) and the band are joined on stage by Elias from Nonpoint for a rendition of Get Up Stand Up by Bob Marley.
Realising they have more time on stage than expected, the band then give us an extended version of Bartender, with added Melodica from Jared, and then deliver a final KO of Renegade to bring things to a close. It’s nuts to think (hed)p.e. just put on such a killer set, and didn’t even play tracks like Blackout or Waiting to Die! All the more reason to go see them again, when they return on a headlining tour, I suppose. 
(4.5 / 5)
Soil
And with that, it’s time for Soil to take the stage, and deliver their biggest (and best?) album in full. Having seen the band back in 2013, albeit with a very unwell Ryan McCombs on vocals, I had an idea of what to expect from a band that have been playing the mighty Scars album for over 20 years now. Tonight they deliver everything I knew they were capable of; high energy, tight riffs, a thunderous rhythm section and thankfully, Ryan is back to his best, delivering gutsy growls and husky melodies.
One thing that that’s been massively apparent tonight is how much fun these bands are still having this far into their career. Every single band gave it their all tonight, and had a blast doing it. Soil are no different, in fact, Tim (Bass) and Adam (Guitar) might be the happiest looking metalheads in the venue. And why wouldn’t they be? Their band is still going, stronger than ever, selling out massive venues and doing what they love in front of thousands of fans.
From the opening notes of Breaking Me Down, the rock star moves are in full-flow, with high-kicks, horns and pointed Devil tongues getting plenty of action tonight. Tracks like Wide Open and Understanding Me sound huge, with drummer T.J. Taylor providing a forceful groove for the already lively crowd to bounce to. Ryan McCombs continues to impress, not just vocally, but as a frontman, too. He’s a natural when it comes to creating a bond with the crowd, and when he has the whole room singing back the chorus of Two Skins at him, it’s plain to see the connection he’s made.
The only small misstep for me was the end of the set. Let’s be honest, Halo is their best song, and most well-known, so it feels right that it should end the set. Instead, we get Halo, closing the main set, then an encore of Black Betty and Pride. Both good songs, but it did feel slightly anticlimactic to me. That being said, the crowd still seemed to love every second of it, and with Scars album nearing a 25-year anniversary, I’m sure they will return to do it all again soon. (4 / 5)
