DeKALB — Meth, Greet Death, Quilt Club and Livid delivered an unbelievable night to remember Feb. 1 at the Rockness Sound Studio in Rockford in a genre-mixed show.

Meth, the headlining band from Chicago, is a perfect fusion of mathcore, drone, noisecore, ambient and even a dash of black metal that made for a tortured and visceral live experience.

Meth left the crowd in complete darkness, the stage a menacing red in contrast to the clear blue lights that lit the stage for the other three bands. What ensued was pure chaos. Abrasive music, stage diving and consistent mosh pits left Meth’s lead vocalist Seb Alvarez bloody in the face. Even at the show’s most extreme moments, smiles could be seen throughout the crowd.

Greet Death, of Flint, Michigan, is a shoegaze band with a nice touch of heaviness. Quilt Club, of Rockford, is best described as alternative. Livid, of Kenosha, Wisconsin, blends straightedge powerviolence with hardcore.

Unfortunately, there were issues with the sound system when it came to picking up the vocals for a majority of the bands, but that didn’t stop anyone from having a good time.

Both Greet Death and Quilt Club led the more relaxed section of the show. Greet Death is the heavier of the two, but its music and performance never became too intense for the average alternative music listener. Quilt Club impressed with methodical instrumentation across five different members. Greet Death and Quilt Club already make quality music, and their live performances allowed for a relaxed and psychedelic atmosphere easy to fall in love with.

Opening band Livid was perhaps the heaviest of the lineup, only having two members. Pummeling guitars and massive drum hits rattled the crowd.

Their musicianship is hulkling, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the whole street heard Meth and Livid shaking the Rockness to its core.

This show at the Rockness consisted of nothing but talented groups who are only going to get better with time. Whether it’s the caustic soundscapes of Meth, the relaxing tunes of Greet Death and Quilt Club or the violent hardcore of Livid, this Midwest bill of bands made for a night that will surley be remembered by all in attendance.