BY MAUI CABRAL IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DESIRE... FIRE! Yo, House Of Protection is in the Carolinas. Let me give you a little backstor...
BY MAUI CABRAL
IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DESIRE... FIRE!
Yo, House Of Protection is in the Carolinas.
Let me give you a little backstory: this duo was once in one of my top 5 favorite bands. I saw Fever 333 back in 2021 on the Knotfest tour stop in Raleigh NC. I was beyond impressed by their performance, energy, lyrics, and what they stood for.
Unfortunately, they separated back in 2022. All of the members went on to do their own thing. I continued to follow all 3 members individually. Although, I was upset that they separated, I was still very glad that I was able to at least see them once. A performance I truly can NEVER forget.
See, Fever 333 was the kind of band that you can listen through and face just about any emotion: rage, sadness, or hell even being alone. Truly an incredible trio.
In 2024, House Of Protection was introduced to the world. The guitarist/vocalist Stephen Harrison and drummer/vocalist Aric Improta created the House Of Protection. When I first heard the music it just radiated that old-school punk/metal. I mean shit, that old pair of Vans in my closet were ready to pop back out!
They released some of the wildest hits like "Brain Dead" with Architects, "Pulling Teeth," and of course my absolute favorites at this time, "Afterlife" and "Fire."
Man, these guys were creative. They stood out all over again to me. The music videos had so much to look at, motorcycles on the Wall Of Death while they performed right in the middle!? I mean come on, how can you not tune in?
Let’s get to the show. House Of Protection and Poppy. Phew. A banger combo.
I walked right up to the merch table to grab a couple of memorabilia items. A vinyl signed by the guys! Then I saw the coolest shirt, From the video "Afterlife," there was Cassaundra Monique’s shirt (Who let me tell you, is one of the raddest people I've had the honor of speaking to, As she messaged the guys ahead of time let them know I was wanting to shoot the show, and rooted for me to do so! So major shout out to Cassaundra!) dressed up as a dominatrix from the Video. That was the one!
Moving along to scoping out the venue, it was filling up pretty well. I just knew undoubtedly that it was going to be a wild show.
As the intro started, so did the mindset of let's kill it.
Scream a lie loud enough
And someone will believe
It may seem fairly obvious
But I don't think you'd agree
Please refrain from thinking
It's what got us in this deep
Yeah there a pattern from the past
But it lives and dies with me
"Pulling Teeth" was the introduction to the intense setlist we were about to mosh to. Second was "Learn To Forget." Leave it to Stephen to grab his mic and guitar, jump off the stage, and climb his way into the crowd, with a massive circle pit around him shredding on the guitar! Man that was a sight to see, it was badass!
Third was "Being One." We slowed it down just a tad which allowed me to get my vibrantly colored photos! Fourth was "Fuse." Yeah, I said fourth, I was having such a good time that I forgot I had to get out of the pit until midway through the song lol. Security was okay with it, and later I found out that so were the guys. I stood in the crowd a bit to just witness such a powerful performance. Not one dull second. We were all hooked.
Shortly after their set, Stephen and I talked a bit, shared a big ol hug, and thanked each other. One, for coming out and shooting for them and two, for allowing me the honor of doing so. Man, I couldn't stop but feel so humble the whole three-hour drive back home.
House Of Protection, you'll have me at any North Carolina show. Guaranteed.
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- JOSH "MAUI" CABRAL
Hey! I'm Maui. Originally from Queens, New York, now making Raleigh, NC my new home. I'm a touring photographer and Nomadic Motorcycle Rider, obsessed with seeing the world through different lenses!
Read Maui's posts here
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