Eidola Mends the City of Angels on the Eviscerate/Mend Tour
There’s something about an art deco venue paired with post-hardcore and progressive math rock that feels inherently harmonious. At the iconic El Rey Theatre, Eidola delivered a performance that was both destructive and restorative. The intimate setting provided just enough room for close artist engagement while still allowing space for feral pit activity.
The Eviscerate/Mend Tour arrived in Los Angeles as a two-night event, showcasing the full breadth of the band’s dynamic catalog. On Night 2, the entirety of Mend was performed in full. Sonically lighter and more progressive than its heavier counterpart Eviscerate, Mend still delivered intricate guitar work and shattering breakdowns that kept the energy surging. Supporting the evening were the shoegaze-infused soundscapes of Astronoid and the genre-blurring metalcore force of Nerv.
Astronoid deserves immediate recognition for crafting a visual atmosphere that transformed the venue into a galactic wash of starry blue light, perfectly mirroring their ethereal yet driving sound. Opening with ‘Embark’, the band launched the night into hyperspace. Brett Boland’s vocals intertwined seamlessly with Casey Aylward’s mathematically complex guitar riffs, blending technicality with melodic momentum. Highlights like ‘Eyes’ and the closing track ‘Third Shot’ showcased the quartet’s signature fusion of dreamy thrash and synth-laced progressive rock, maintaining an unyielding intensity throughout their set.
Nerv followed without hesitation, detonating into a crushing breakdown with ‘CHAOS!’ Dillon Jones’ piercing vocals cut through Jordan Grokett’s destructive riff work and Tyler Clark’s thunderous double bass patterns, instantly igniting the pit. ‘FAKE!’ and ‘Bad Nature’ sustained the ferocity, with Scott Buchanan’s supporting vocals amplifying the latter’s angst-filled brutality. ‘Low’ proved to be a crowd favourite, its hook echoing back from nearly every corner of the venue. The back-to-back punch of ‘PANIC!’ and ‘LOW!’ demonstrated Nerv’s seamless balance between blistering breakdowns and rapid-fire progressive elements. Closing with their breakout EP title track ‘Bad Habits’, the Sacramento-based band left the crowd hungry for more and hinted at new music on the horizon.
A blend of mysticism and emotional profundity defined Eidola’s headlining performance, reinforcing why this two-night Los Angeles stop was unmissable. Frontman Andrew Wells addressed the audience with clarity: “There will be pockets for bursts of pits, but also time for healing. LA, let’s do this!” The statement perfectly foreshadowed the evening’s ebb and flow.
They opened with ‘Prodigy’ immediately setting the venue in motion as hyperwave synths and progressive guitar mastery from Sergio Medina, Matthew Dommer and Skyler Caporicci took center stage. As promised, Mend was performed in sequence, including live debuts of ‘My Father’s House’, ‘A Pearl in a Dead Sea’ and ‘Renaissance’. ‘Kaleidoscope’ stood out as a defining moment, with Matthew Hansen showcasing extraordinary technical precision through intricate fills and dramatic tempo shifts that elevated the track’s complexity.
The final stretch of ‘The Faustian Spirit’, ‘Godhead: Final Temple’ and ‘Revelation: The Infinite Beauty of Oneness’ transformed the venue into a whirlwind of circle pits and synchronized crowd surges, the floor of the El Rey trembling beneath the weight of collective energy. For the encore, Eidola returned with ‘Loti’ and the fan favourite ‘Humble Ledger (Gnostic States)’, closing the night in a euphoric haze of lights and the signature progressive grandeur that has cemented their devoted following.
The Eviscerate/Mend Tour thrives on duality, balancing sonic heaviness with moments of levity and introspection. It invites the audience to both eviscerate and mend together before the final curtain falls. Eidola continues their North American run through March 28, so be sure to catch them in a city near you.
