It is always exciting, and very rare, when a band decides to kick off their tour in St. Louis. It is moreso, when the band is theatrical goth rockers September Mourning. They were completely unknown to me, when I first saw them as the opening act for Huntress back in 2016. Not only did I enjoy the theatrics and concept of this performance, but their music was powerful and anthemic. I had to see them again. 
Vocalist September, noted to me in conversation after the show, she had intended to pay tribute to fallen Huntress vocalist Jill Janus during their set, but in the excitement of adhering to their closely choreographed opening night set, overlooked it. This was the only detail missed in what was a brilliant, tight and bombastic performance.
September Mourning is a multimedia crossover project, which combines comic books with music. Specifically, their albums have a companion graphic novel co-written and illustrated by the legendary comics creator Marc Silvestri which details the adventures of September Mourning, a white-clad grim reaper, who executes her duties with empathy, and does battle with the evil forces of Fate. Her bandmates are fellow reapers codenamed Wraith, Stitch, Riven and Shadou.
The live performance songs are interspersed with visual segments depicting scenes and narrative from the comic. September Mourning tore through their set with energy and precision, as September’s intricate and haunting melodies sometimes wafted over a bedrock of furious rhythm and at other times drove powerful fist pumping anthemic choruses.
If you are looking for a band to compare them to sonically, goth metalers Lacuna Coil, Nightwish, and Delain are a good starting p
oint, but really September Mourning has a very unique sound. Nowhere is this more evident, ironically, than on their lone cover of the Ben E King classic “Stand By Me”. Lyrically, this song matches the narrative of an empathetic grim reaper giving souls a second chance, so perfectly, it had to be included on the album. They have made it their own, and the result is so much more powerful than the original. I was glad they included it in their set, which was a non-stop barrage of rockers. Highlights, included thunderous renditions of “Skin and Bones”, “Children of Fate”, and crushing set closer “20 Below”. My only regret was the omission of “Superhuman”, which is my personal favorite September Mourning track.
oint, but really September Mourning has a very unique sound. Nowhere is this more evident, ironically, than on their lone cover of the Ben E King classic “Stand By Me”. Lyrically, this song matches the narrative of an empathetic grim reaper giving souls a second chance, so perfectly, it had to be included on the album. They have made it their own, and the result is so much more powerful than the original. I was glad they included it in their set, which was a non-stop barrage of rockers. Highlights, included thunderous renditions of “Skin and Bones”, “Children of Fate”, and crushing set closer “20 Below”. My only regret was the omission of “Superhuman”, which is my personal favorite September Mourning track.
This is a performance which begs to be seen at the arena level. I truly love what September Mourning is doing, and hope they are able to continue to grow their audience.
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