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Jun 21, 2024 By Sean Stroud Photography by Sean Stroud Web Exclusive

Two months after its release, Eidola kicked off their Eviscerate album tour in Texas and brought a swarm of swancore staples with them. After hitting the state capital, their next stop was Trees in Deep Ellum. The album is undoubtedly some of their best work, but the picture of Sergio Medina clenching a guitar in his teeth from last year’s Swanfest in Philadelphia was even more of a reason to show up.

Sani Bronco started the night off with “La Araña” and “Wild Best Friend” from their newly released self-titled EP. What started in 2019 as a solo endeavor from frontman David Medina has grown into a five-person group effort whose sound is an eclectic blend of indie folk and rock that he dubs “adobe rock,” likening the architectural style to their music.

Medina has an earnest approach to all of his lyrics and vocals that goes along perfectly with the groovy sounds and grounds the group. “When I die, I’m gonna live in the gutters of Heaven,” he sings on “Adobe Rock.”

Wolf & Bear took the stage next and launched into “INDIGO.” The band’s vocalists worked together in perfect harmony to dominate the stage; Marcus Cisneros’ voice soared high above the driving guitars then Tyler Watt broke through with his gnarly screams. It feels like guitarists Cameron Nunez and Louie Baltazar have the world in their palms when they seamlessly transition from choppy, stabbing chords to a more fluid and funky chorus.

The crowd erupted when Andrew Wells joined in for “THERE’S NO DUST IN THE CITY,” another track off the band’s latest album, Bloodletter. They closed out with “Deleto,” a fan-favorite from their 2019 EP, then “Twisted Tongues” from Everything Is Going Grey.

Next up was Royal Coda, a swancore super group made up of Kurt Travis (Dance Gavin Dance, A Lot Like Birds), Sergio Medina (Eidola, Sianvar, Stolas), Steffen Gotsch and the genre’s progenitor, Will Swan. They played songs ranging from 2018’s self-titled EP to their latest album, To Only A Few At First. There’s a nice contrast between their more aggressive and intense older tracks like “Numbing Agent” and the more pop-forward nature of their more recent releases.

The president and vice president of Blue Swan Records both rocked the show, but in very different ways: while VP Medina circled the stage and jumped off the kick drum like a madman, Swan picked a spot and stuck to it, pumping out chords like he was on a deadline.

Texas-native Joel Turcotte is sitting in for Joseph Arrington (A Lot Like Birds, Sianvar) as he has in past tours. It’s certainly not an easy seat to fill, but Turcotte does nothing less than impress; he murdered every song and kept the crowd entertained in between tracks with his drum set rendition of the 20th Century FOX tune and the heavily-requested PornHub theme. The band played an extended version of “Breathe Correct” that found Kurt Travis crowd-surfing while Turcotte played a two-minute drum solo. They ended with the explosive “Cut Me Under,” an older tune that taps into Travis’ scathing side while the rest of the band wails out on their instruments.

Eidola entered the stage to a barrage of applause and screams and dove into “No Weapon Formed Shall Prosper,” which features some of Matthew Dommer’s most brutal vocals. Wells continued to sing his heart out on “Counterfeit Shrines,” a throwback from their 2021 album, The Architect.

Where other groups find success in chaos, Eidola finds theirs in cohesion; at any point in a song, every instrument compliments each other and works toward the same goal: elevating the vocalists’ performance. Of course, the band sounds amazing alone, but Wells and Dommer are like the team’s star players: if they’re on the court, they’re getting the ball. Medina’s riffs are expansive and Matthew Hansen is livid on drums, but they never stray far enough to draw away attention like Matt Mingus or Swan would on any Dance Gavin Dance track.

The audience went from enraged to entranced for the more lowkey “Loti,” a slow-burn off 2017’s To Speak, To Listen about ignoring the doubters and becoming a better person. “Ziggurat” was next, featuring some of Medina’s nastiest riffs and one of the band’s most powerful choruses.

Eviscerate, the first half of a double album, showcases Eidola in its prime. With the second half slated to release later this year, post-hardcore fans have plenty to look forward to.