Cane Hill In Concert
The members of Cane Hill make no secret that they often indulge in a debauched rock 'n' roll lifestyle. In fact, vocalist Elijah Witt freely admitted that an altered state of mind informed the creative process of the band's second album, 2018's Too Far Gone. Yet from this askew perspective came a focused album formed from sonic brutality: metallic riffs that sting like a snakebite, desperate vocal growls, and lumbering grooves. Appropriately, the record's lyrics drip with emotional pain and the tough realization that actions have consequences.
The New Orleans-based group — whose name was inspired by a psychiatric hospital in England — coalesced from the remnants of multiple rock bands. They cut their teeth locally before emerging in 2014 with a debut single, "Sunday School," and a record deal with Rise Records. A 2015 self-titled EP served to tide fans over until the release of their 2016 debut, Smile, a testament to leering Southern rock boogie and unchecked nu-metal aggression.
Since that time, Cane Hill has maintained a breakneck touring and recording pace. After the release of Too Far Gone, which peaked at No. 1 on Billboard's Heatseekers Chart, the band issued a live album — Live from the Bible Belt — and prepped the early-2019 EP Kill the Sun, which boasts a decidedly contemplative, stripped-down approach.
Cane Hill also embarked on their first headlining tour in 2018 after spending years in the trenches opening for heavyweights like Bullet For My Valentine, Asking Alexandria, Motionless in White, and Of Mice & Men. The time spent honing their sound paid off.
Live, the group is a fierce presence that modernizes the amped-up punk/metal hybrids of the 1990s, what with its windmill headbanging and muscular, gruff singing. That Cane Hill linked up with '90s heavy heroes Sevendust for a 2019 U.S. tour is perfect, as both possess an outsider-metal aesthetic that is enormously appealing.
