MORNING AFTER: THE SEPARATION/LOCKSTEP

Granted, it's a few days late, but better late than never (plus, it took a few days for me to get the videos up).

xDelegatex opened the night and lived up to all the hype they've built for themselves over the past month. Joe came out ready to put on a show and even though they were the first band, they got the crowd moving and warmed up. As these young guys get a few more shows under their belt, they'll be one of the best new things to come out of Salt Lake in a while.

The Current was next and since 75% of the band played in the late, great xReflectx everyone was pumped before they even took the stage. Mike Turley seems to have grown as a vocalist in his downtime and the rest of the band seems to have found a nice, early groove for writing songs. It's not exactly the same as xReflectx, but they share similar influences, and The Current sounds like a slightly more mature version. The future is bright for this band. Oh, and they covered an Inside Out song. Good way to earn points early on.

To A Close has been around for a while but never get the recognition they deserve. Their songwriting skills and musicianship are better than a lot of veteran bands for being relatively young. They bring a lot of energy and professionalism to their set and are keeping the Salt Lake style of hardcore alive and well.

Lockstep (made up of former Gather drummer and bassist) had a rough week before the show. After spending two days in an Oklahoma City jail for shooting off fireworks (yes, the police in Oklahoma City arrested everyone in the band) they got out just in time to make it to the show. Unfortunately, they were one guitarist short but it mattered little. Lockstep's dark, fast Integrity-style music had everyone moving. If their lead guitarist had been there to add solos to the mix, the Basement might not have survived past the night.

The Separation, one of California's best bands closed out the night. Their dark, aggressive 90s-influenced hardcore was the perfect end to the night. Their epic songs and crushing style left everyone waiting with baited breath for their next run through town.

More videos from all the bands can be found in the Video Archive.