Oh god, I love Protest the Hero. I love them so much, so very much, so when I found out they were touring I knew I had to go see them. I got my ticket in advance and everything, which is a bit of a rare thing for me to do. There was no way I was missing this show, even though I had class that conflicted with it. Well fuck class, I went to go see Protest the motherfucking Hero. However, I had to sit through many bands to experience their awesomeness. Was it worth it?
Well I'll tell you something right now, waiting in line for this show was arguably the most fun I've had waiting in line. I meet up with my friend Joe at about 6:30, and there's half an hour to kill, and I turn around and see a kid, probably no older than fifteen, puking his guts out on the sidewalk. Even better, his throw-up was neon red... nasty shit. So, for the next half hour myself and the others around me watched as people walked by, and every time they stepped in the vomit we would cheer uncontrollably. It was extremely fun. So fun, in fact, that once the line started moving I heard cries of "aww now we have to go to the show." We actually ran into the kid later and found out why he was throwing up. Apparently six percs and two blunts of hydro don't mix very well. Who knew?
The first band I had to sit through was a local band from Jersey called NoN-StoP! If the way they spelled their names and their ridiculous outfits (school uniforms) were a warning of anything, it was of their overly generic music. NoN-SToP! play a thrash that sounds a bit like crossover thrash. Hear them for yourselves here. Listening to them now I like them a lot more than I did when I saw them live. They just didn't have much stage presence and everyone was so psyched for Protest that no one really gave them much attention. They weren't super awful or anything (except for the horrendous backup vocals), and I would much rather of had them not play and have Protest play a longer set, but what can you do? They do get kudos for having a hot singer though.
Next up was Tesseract, who recently have been getting a lot of press do the success of their album One. What they were doing under Maylene and the Sons of Disaster I'll never know, but they put on a decent show. As I was telling my friend, Tesseract is one of those bands that relies so heavily on precise tonality and sound that their live shows will never be as great as their albums. Such was the case this night, as they were good, but their sound was a bit too muddy to stand up to their albums. During their set the dancers decided to show up though, they went absolutely nuts for those polyrhythm breakdowns. I decided not to take anyone's shit and was knocking em down left and right, but just when I felt I had made a dent in the number of dancers, Maylene and the Sons of the Disaster took the stage.
And the dancers went absolutely nuts. Holy shit, I've never seen so much hardcore dancing for a band that isn't even considered "core." These guys are straight southern metal, but whenever those drums slowed down arms and legs started to fly. I tried my best to knock as many of the dancers off-balance as I could, but what is one man against fifteen or twenty? I did get compliments on my work though, showing that people do want to rebel against these assholes, but oftentimes feel they are too outnumbered to do anything. Well that's what this website is for people. Anyways, Maylene put on an alright show, but I was too focused on taking out dancers to really appreciate it. My friend said it was ok, and I never really liked Maylene, so I'm assuming I didn't miss much.
Next up, after a brutally long sound check, was Protest the Hero, and man what a show did they put on. They started with "C'est La Vie" and played numerous songs off their new album including "Dunsel" and "Sex Tapes." I was up in the front headbanging and singing the words, so I didn't go in the pit much, but from what I saw it was a nice mix of dancers and those trying to take them out, so I was proud other people were doing my work for me. When I did go in the pit it was a blast though, and it was irresistible during songs like "Sequoia Throne" and "Bloodmeat."The band also played many songs off of their Kezia including "No Stars Over Bethlehem" and my personal favorite "Turn Soonest to the Sea." That song was the highlight of the show with everybody singing along to it, I'm glad to have experienced it. Overall Protest the Hero absolutely killed it and were full of energy, and it was totally worth sitting through the three other bands to see them. If you have a chance, check them out live immediately!
Showing posts with label Show Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Show Review. Show all posts
Monday, May 9, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Show Review: Rotting Christ, Melechesh, Hate, Abigail Williams, Lecherous Nocturne, I Am the Trireme, Hadean Reign & Centralia, March 10th in Trenton, NJ
Happy Monday, everyone. Sorry about leaving you guys high and dry for articles the last few days, this show was actually the cause of that. Y'see, it was on a Thursday night, and the following weekend was the more or less mandatory recovery period for a really good show, so here we are. This review isn't going to be as long as it should be, because as per usual I ended up missing a couple of the bands, but I'll do my darndest. There's still plenty to talk about though, so let's get this underway.
After a little bit of parking confusion (yeah, Trenton sucks for parking, by the by), we got to the Championship Bar and Grille just in time to catch the first band, Centralia, wrapping up their sound check. I'll be honest, I had my doubts about this band at first, because they're old school, traditional black metal (basically Burzum wannabes), and the fact that their corpse paint was done with permanent markers didn't help either, but they actually turned out to be pretty fun. They were well aware that they were the first band of the night playing a tiny venue in the middle of the ghetto, so they didn't take themselves too seriously and just had fun with it, which made it more fun for everyone else. Many laughs were had, from the Sharpie corpse paint, to the frontman throwing his guitar and kicking over a bunch of drums at the end of their set, to all the between-song joking (my personal favorite was "This next song is called 'Satan's Dick Cheese'"), and they got to open up for a bunch of other rad bands, so in the end they still get bragging rights. Oh yeah, and I don't know how much this counts for but their bassist is a girl, so that's cool too.
After the scattered gear was cleared off the stage, Hadean Reign was up next. I'd heard a couple songs from these guys online and they were pretty cool, so needless to say I was quite interested to see them live. Unfortunately, their set ended up being pretty much the lowest point of the whole night, but not because of their music. They played just fine, but what I didn't realize was that while they do have cool riffs and solos, Hadean Reign also has a tendency to play breakdowns (and an occasional slam, but that's okay), and a few dancers showed up to do what they do best: make everyone else uncomfortable. When there weren't breakdowns the music was actually really heavy, but inevitably a breakdown would start and the same two kids would start cartwheeling and spin kicking, eventually running into both me and Mr. Mosh Rebellion himself. At first things seemed a bit tense because the one dancer got pushed away violently and eye contact was made, but the next time it happened I was the one who got kicked, and that's when the kid apologized and put up the white flag, showing that he was one of the few cool dancers who didn't want to hurt anyone. Maybe my pacifist stoner nature rubs off on others, who knows? After that the rest of the set went without a hitch; no fights broke out, the dancers started minding their surroundings more, and everyone was happy. Despite the breakdowns Hadean Reign still played some crazy shit, they're definitely worth checking out.
Next up was the band that I seem to be unable to shut up about lately, I Am the Trireme. The last time I saw these guys they totally killed it, so I had high hopes for them this time around. They didn't get quite as strong of a reception this time, but they still played great, and like last time they got the first real pits of the night going, even if it was only briefly. The highlight of their performance, at least in my opinion, was immediately after they played "I Am Many", when vocalist Jay Briscoe apologized to the audience for the obscene amounts of breakdowns in that song. I'm pretty sure a few kids actually got offended by this and walked out, but the rest of us laughed, cheered and applauded enthusiastically. If you want a taste of I Am the Trireme's stellar live performance, check out the video of them performing "Beyond the Waking World" and "I Am Many" here. Seriously, watch this video and tell me these guys don't have the potential to be the next Dimmu Borgir. Sadly the video cuts out just before Jay's apology to the crowd, but you still get to hear those two badass songs ("I Am Many" starts at 2:38).
After IATT wrapped up, it was time for the big bands to take the stage, and first up was Lecherous Nocturne, by far the heaviest band on the bill. From the second they started playing, it was nothing short of pure annihilation. They ripped though songs like "Just War Theory", "The Divine Wind" and "We Are As Dust" with ease, wowing us all with their insane riffs, furious blasts and throat tearing vocals. There wasn't really much moshing to speak of (this was a constant problem the whole night actually), but when they played their last song their vocalist Jason Hohenstein got the crowd worked up with something they called "Blood For Plastic". The objective was simple: mosh like a motherfucker nonstop for the entire duration of the song, and whoever the band deems worthy at the end wins a free CD. Needless to say a lot of people got into it at first, but it quickly came down to me and two other not-exactly-small gentlemen duking it out. Unfortunately my cardio isn't exactly up to snuff, so despite my valiant efforts I ended up throwing in the towel and someone else got the CD, but I'm still proud of myself for trying and going further than almost everyone else. Later on that night I actually got the opportunity to hang out with and talk to a few of the guys from the band, and as it turns out they're all very level-headed, laid back, funny guys with lots of great advice, be it about touring, playing your instrument or just life in general, so if you ever get the chance to talk to them be sure you do, they're great guys.
Once Lecherous Nocturne wrapped up to well-deserved enthusiastic applause, there was a heightened sense of excitement in the atmosphere, because it was Abigail Williams' turn to play. After an extremely drawn-out sound check, they finally started playing, and from the beginning to the end they absolutely killed it. As per usual there wasn't much moshing, save for Jay and Joe from I Am the Trireme doing their best to get a pit going throughout the set, but the crowd response was still enthusiastic to say the least. The band didn't play much from the In the Shadow of a Thousand Suns album, sticking primarily to the newer material, but that didn't do anything to hinder the deafening applause and chanting from the crowd. Ken Sorceron also worked the crowd really well between songs, talking about how it was Abigail Williams' first time playing in Trenton and how much better the vibe was than other venues like the Crocodile Rock in Allentown (and he's kinda got a point, it's pretty much impossible to find weed there if you don't already have any). After what felt like hours of headbanging and horn throwing, the band finally wrapped up to a thundering chant of "One more song, one more song". Sadly the time restraints didn't allow for an encore, but they still kicked plenty of ass and set the bar high for the rest of the night.
After Abigail Williams finished, it was high time for a smoke break and some fresh air, so we ended up missing Hate's set, but to be perfectly honest, other friends later remarked that they didn't play that well, and the band members were all corpse painted up so I didn't have very high expectations for them anyway. No disrespect to Hate of course, but it is what it is.
We did however make it back in plenty of time for Melechesh, a band that I was positively giddy with excitement for. Of course when I say we made it back in plenty of time, I mean they took so fucking long setting up and sound checking that we could have waited a good half hour more and not missed a single thing. But when they finally did start playing, the place was an absolute madhouse. They had the most pits of the night by far, and those who weren't moshing were either fist pumping (the cool way, not the gay Jersey Shore guido way) or headbanging like there was no tomorrow, myself included. The crowd response was so enthusiastic that Ashmedi himself remarked that it reminded him of the old days in the underground, which was naturally met with more cheering and an enthusiastic pit once the next song started. They played songs from all throughout their discography, which was good for me because I really only know a couple songs from their newest album The Epigenesis, so I got to experience more than just "Grand Gathas of Baal Sin" firsthand (although they did play that song as well, and it was awesome). By the time they wrapped up the whole band was all smiles just like everyone else, because there was an unmistakable feeling that we had all just made history together, our generation finally getting a taste of what the underground was like back in the good old days. Make no mistake, a Melechesh show is an absolute must-see.
After another break outside (complete with another deep, intimate conversation about life on the road with Lecherous Nocturne), I went inside to catch Rotting Christ's performance, but at this point exhaustion and headaches were starting to make their presence known, and whoever mixed the band's sound didn't do a very good job so they kinda sounded... well, I hate to say it, but terrible, so we ended up deciding to beat some of the traffic and head home. Maybe next time, RC. Either way, it was a great show, and many fond memories were made that night. I'll definitely be going back to Champs the next chance I get, and you should too if you're in the area. Check out all the bands I've mentioned here too, I may not have liked every single one of them but there's definitely a little bit of something for everyone on this lineup, so don't just take my word for it. Take care everyone, tune in for more later.
-BK
After a little bit of parking confusion (yeah, Trenton sucks for parking, by the by), we got to the Championship Bar and Grille just in time to catch the first band, Centralia, wrapping up their sound check. I'll be honest, I had my doubts about this band at first, because they're old school, traditional black metal (basically Burzum wannabes), and the fact that their corpse paint was done with permanent markers didn't help either, but they actually turned out to be pretty fun. They were well aware that they were the first band of the night playing a tiny venue in the middle of the ghetto, so they didn't take themselves too seriously and just had fun with it, which made it more fun for everyone else. Many laughs were had, from the Sharpie corpse paint, to the frontman throwing his guitar and kicking over a bunch of drums at the end of their set, to all the between-song joking (my personal favorite was "This next song is called 'Satan's Dick Cheese'"), and they got to open up for a bunch of other rad bands, so in the end they still get bragging rights. Oh yeah, and I don't know how much this counts for but their bassist is a girl, so that's cool too.
After the scattered gear was cleared off the stage, Hadean Reign was up next. I'd heard a couple songs from these guys online and they were pretty cool, so needless to say I was quite interested to see them live. Unfortunately, their set ended up being pretty much the lowest point of the whole night, but not because of their music. They played just fine, but what I didn't realize was that while they do have cool riffs and solos, Hadean Reign also has a tendency to play breakdowns (and an occasional slam, but that's okay), and a few dancers showed up to do what they do best: make everyone else uncomfortable. When there weren't breakdowns the music was actually really heavy, but inevitably a breakdown would start and the same two kids would start cartwheeling and spin kicking, eventually running into both me and Mr. Mosh Rebellion himself. At first things seemed a bit tense because the one dancer got pushed away violently and eye contact was made, but the next time it happened I was the one who got kicked, and that's when the kid apologized and put up the white flag, showing that he was one of the few cool dancers who didn't want to hurt anyone. Maybe my pacifist stoner nature rubs off on others, who knows? After that the rest of the set went without a hitch; no fights broke out, the dancers started minding their surroundings more, and everyone was happy. Despite the breakdowns Hadean Reign still played some crazy shit, they're definitely worth checking out.
Next up was the band that I seem to be unable to shut up about lately, I Am the Trireme. The last time I saw these guys they totally killed it, so I had high hopes for them this time around. They didn't get quite as strong of a reception this time, but they still played great, and like last time they got the first real pits of the night going, even if it was only briefly. The highlight of their performance, at least in my opinion, was immediately after they played "I Am Many", when vocalist Jay Briscoe apologized to the audience for the obscene amounts of breakdowns in that song. I'm pretty sure a few kids actually got offended by this and walked out, but the rest of us laughed, cheered and applauded enthusiastically. If you want a taste of I Am the Trireme's stellar live performance, check out the video of them performing "Beyond the Waking World" and "I Am Many" here. Seriously, watch this video and tell me these guys don't have the potential to be the next Dimmu Borgir. Sadly the video cuts out just before Jay's apology to the crowd, but you still get to hear those two badass songs ("I Am Many" starts at 2:38).
After IATT wrapped up, it was time for the big bands to take the stage, and first up was Lecherous Nocturne, by far the heaviest band on the bill. From the second they started playing, it was nothing short of pure annihilation. They ripped though songs like "Just War Theory", "The Divine Wind" and "We Are As Dust" with ease, wowing us all with their insane riffs, furious blasts and throat tearing vocals. There wasn't really much moshing to speak of (this was a constant problem the whole night actually), but when they played their last song their vocalist Jason Hohenstein got the crowd worked up with something they called "Blood For Plastic". The objective was simple: mosh like a motherfucker nonstop for the entire duration of the song, and whoever the band deems worthy at the end wins a free CD. Needless to say a lot of people got into it at first, but it quickly came down to me and two other not-exactly-small gentlemen duking it out. Unfortunately my cardio isn't exactly up to snuff, so despite my valiant efforts I ended up throwing in the towel and someone else got the CD, but I'm still proud of myself for trying and going further than almost everyone else. Later on that night I actually got the opportunity to hang out with and talk to a few of the guys from the band, and as it turns out they're all very level-headed, laid back, funny guys with lots of great advice, be it about touring, playing your instrument or just life in general, so if you ever get the chance to talk to them be sure you do, they're great guys.
Once Lecherous Nocturne wrapped up to well-deserved enthusiastic applause, there was a heightened sense of excitement in the atmosphere, because it was Abigail Williams' turn to play. After an extremely drawn-out sound check, they finally started playing, and from the beginning to the end they absolutely killed it. As per usual there wasn't much moshing, save for Jay and Joe from I Am the Trireme doing their best to get a pit going throughout the set, but the crowd response was still enthusiastic to say the least. The band didn't play much from the In the Shadow of a Thousand Suns album, sticking primarily to the newer material, but that didn't do anything to hinder the deafening applause and chanting from the crowd. Ken Sorceron also worked the crowd really well between songs, talking about how it was Abigail Williams' first time playing in Trenton and how much better the vibe was than other venues like the Crocodile Rock in Allentown (and he's kinda got a point, it's pretty much impossible to find weed there if you don't already have any). After what felt like hours of headbanging and horn throwing, the band finally wrapped up to a thundering chant of "One more song, one more song". Sadly the time restraints didn't allow for an encore, but they still kicked plenty of ass and set the bar high for the rest of the night.
After Abigail Williams finished, it was high time for a smoke break and some fresh air, so we ended up missing Hate's set, but to be perfectly honest, other friends later remarked that they didn't play that well, and the band members were all corpse painted up so I didn't have very high expectations for them anyway. No disrespect to Hate of course, but it is what it is.
We did however make it back in plenty of time for Melechesh, a band that I was positively giddy with excitement for. Of course when I say we made it back in plenty of time, I mean they took so fucking long setting up and sound checking that we could have waited a good half hour more and not missed a single thing. But when they finally did start playing, the place was an absolute madhouse. They had the most pits of the night by far, and those who weren't moshing were either fist pumping (the cool way, not the gay Jersey Shore guido way) or headbanging like there was no tomorrow, myself included. The crowd response was so enthusiastic that Ashmedi himself remarked that it reminded him of the old days in the underground, which was naturally met with more cheering and an enthusiastic pit once the next song started. They played songs from all throughout their discography, which was good for me because I really only know a couple songs from their newest album The Epigenesis, so I got to experience more than just "Grand Gathas of Baal Sin" firsthand (although they did play that song as well, and it was awesome). By the time they wrapped up the whole band was all smiles just like everyone else, because there was an unmistakable feeling that we had all just made history together, our generation finally getting a taste of what the underground was like back in the good old days. Make no mistake, a Melechesh show is an absolute must-see.
After another break outside (complete with another deep, intimate conversation about life on the road with Lecherous Nocturne), I went inside to catch Rotting Christ's performance, but at this point exhaustion and headaches were starting to make their presence known, and whoever mixed the band's sound didn't do a very good job so they kinda sounded... well, I hate to say it, but terrible, so we ended up deciding to beat some of the traffic and head home. Maybe next time, RC. Either way, it was a great show, and many fond memories were made that night. I'll definitely be going back to Champs the next chance I get, and you should too if you're in the area. Check out all the bands I've mentioned here too, I may not have liked every single one of them but there's definitely a little bit of something for everyone on this lineup, so don't just take my word for it. Take care everyone, tune in for more later.
-BK
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Show Review- Dead Walk the Earth, Her Virgin Womb, I Am the Trireme and Thrown Into Oncoming Traffic- February 26th in Wilmington, Delaware
You know what, fuck this whole "no articles during the weekends" thing. We're not Metalsucks, I'm feeling quasi-productive for once, and last night's show was too damn good to just sit on, so from now on I say if something's worth writing about, I'm not gonna wait until Monday to put it up. On that note, let's get it on.
Last night, I went to a little place called Mojo 13 out in the suburbs of Wilmington, Delaware to catch a bunch of cool local bands. I'll confess I wasn't expecting much, because the whole lineup was just local bands, no big names. Recently this tiny venue has somehow been booking surprisingly big bands to play there (I've seen Goatwhore and Cattle Decapitation there, and Dying Fetus is scheduled to make an appearance in a couple months), but this time it was just the local heroes playing for all their friends and local supporters. Basically, I knew the bands would play great, but I wasn't sure a whole lot of people would show up or if they would be energetic. Little did I know this would end up becoming one of the best local shows I've ever been to, possibly second only to Internal Fear's farewell show last month.
Things were looking a little slow when Atlantic City deathgrinders Thrown Into Oncoming Traffic took the stage, but as soon as they started playing they had everyone's undivided attention. Despite there only being about a dozen people watching them, they played their lightning-fast, impressively technical songs with all the energy and enthusiasm of a band playing to a sold-out venue. They were short one guitar player, but everything still sounded just fine, and the vocalist's between-song bantering kept everyone laughing and in good spirits, so nobody made any fuss about it. The only real disappointment was the lack of any moshing, but that could just be attributed to the "first band of the night" curse that seems to plague just about every local show that ever happens. If you're looking for some really good, fast, experimental deathgrind, be sure to check these guys out. They're not your average Jersey band, that's for sure.
Next up was the Philadelphia/southern New Jersey based melodic blackened death outfit I Am the Trireme. Now I'll admit, I'm slightly biased towards these guys, since I've been friends with them for a good couple years now, back when they were just another slightly above-average deathcore band. They've always been pretty good, and have taken more influence from bands like Abigail Williams and Enfold Darkness than Winds of Plague or the various other poser outfits out there, but over the last year or so they've completely abandoned the 'core aspect all together, replacing the breakdowns and pig squeals with blast beats, powerful synth orchestration and unapologetic blasphemous themes. They may be young, but make no mistake, these guys hate Jesus with every fiber of their being and aren't afraid to show it, but they also have plenty of fun doing it. More people started to show up and show interest in them about halfway through their set, so the energy level was definitely turned up a notch, but they really sealed the deal when they got the first pits of the night going. If you get the chance, be sure to pick up a copy of their new EP Unholy Divination, which I will be reviewing later in the week. If their live show is any indication, it's going to raise some eyebrows.
Next on the list was a band that has actually made something of a name for themselves, especially in this area: Her Virgin Womb. They've only been together for a few years, but in that time they've put out a very good EP, The Methods of Killing, and have played with several big name death metal bands. They're not exactly super popular, but they're definitely the most widely-known band on this bill. As such, I was surprised to see that there had been a significant lineup change, with a new guitarist and vocalist being brought on board. Her Virgin Womb has always had a very distinct sound, like a mixture of old school death metal and slam, and I was interested to see how this new lineup would affect their sound. As soon as they started playing, it was obvious that this wasn't the same Her Virgin Womb that I'd come to know, but I actually mean that in a good way. This band has always been really good, but the newer, younger lineup they have now made them sound like a more modern death metal band. No disrespect to their old members, but the change really seems to have revitalized them, and that's saying something, because nobody thought they needed to be revitalized in the first place. The crowd mirrored their newly found energy with consistent moshing, lots of headbanging, and a few people even tried to coax them into an encore after their last song. Sadly there was no encore, but they did play a great set, and I'm looking forward to plenty more good shows with this new lineup.
After Her Virgin Womb, I decided to step outside for some fresh air, and as a result I pretty much missed the next band's entire set, but from what I heard they sounded pretty decent. I believe the phrase I jokingly used while talking to Alec Pezzano (guitarist for I Am the Trireme) was "They sound like Crowbar, except like eighty years younger and with a better vocalist", so there you go.
The last band of the night (at least while I was there, there might have been one more afterwards) was Dead Walk the Earth, whose vocalist is none other than Andrew Derosier, aka Dr. Satan, aka the guy who we did our first interview with. Until last night I had only seen a few YouTube videos of Dead Walk the Earth's shows, so I didn't quite know what to expect. However, I did know that Andrew is a very charismatic, energetic frontman, so no matter what the music sounded like or how many people were there, he would make it fun for everyone else. Luckily, I didn't have to worry about any of this, because as soon as they started playing their first song, the place turned into a madhouse. There were huge pits, brutal riffs and slams, hilarious between-song jokes and bantering, and at one point a random old man showed up to watch the show (and I suspect to get as close to a couple really hot girls standing next to him as he could). I can't be sure, but I believe he was somebody in the band's grandfather or something, but either way he was very good-natured about everything that was going on, even though to say he was out of his element would be the understatement of the century. His presence gave the whole set a sort of surreal comic relief; no one had the slightest clue what the fuck he was doing there, but we all just went with it and laughed, just like he was just going with it by being there. After a while the band finally wrapped it up to enthusiastic applause and cheers, and I decided to head home before the splitting headaches and exhaustion could take their toll on me.
Speaking of wrapping up, before I do just that with this review, I'd just like to ask a question, to no one in particular: why the hell are there so many smoking hot girls in Delaware??? Seriously, this is like the fourth time I've gone to a show there and noticed a relative abundance of extremely attractive girls, they must be putting something in the water down there. Hit me up girls, I'm a nice guy I promise. I'm telling you guys, you wouldn't think it, but Delaware really is the place to go for good metal shows. The bands are great, the venues are very minimalistic and laid back, and the guy-girl ratio is almost a perfect fifty-fifty, and the girls all seem to be mad sexy, or at least really funny and cool. Be sure to check out all the bands I've mentioned, and if you're in the area both Thrown Into Oncoming Traffic and Dead Walk the Earth will be playing with Dying Fetus at this same venue on Friday, April 15th. That is by far the biggest band Mojo 13 has ever gotten to play there, it's going to be the show to end all shows. Take care guys, see you soon.
-BK
Last night, I went to a little place called Mojo 13 out in the suburbs of Wilmington, Delaware to catch a bunch of cool local bands. I'll confess I wasn't expecting much, because the whole lineup was just local bands, no big names. Recently this tiny venue has somehow been booking surprisingly big bands to play there (I've seen Goatwhore and Cattle Decapitation there, and Dying Fetus is scheduled to make an appearance in a couple months), but this time it was just the local heroes playing for all their friends and local supporters. Basically, I knew the bands would play great, but I wasn't sure a whole lot of people would show up or if they would be energetic. Little did I know this would end up becoming one of the best local shows I've ever been to, possibly second only to Internal Fear's farewell show last month.
The last band of the night (at least while I was there, there might have been one more afterwards) was Dead Walk the Earth, whose vocalist is none other than Andrew Derosier, aka Dr. Satan, aka the guy who we did our first interview with. Until last night I had only seen a few YouTube videos of Dead Walk the Earth's shows, so I didn't quite know what to expect. However, I did know that Andrew is a very charismatic, energetic frontman, so no matter what the music sounded like or how many people were there, he would make it fun for everyone else. Luckily, I didn't have to worry about any of this, because as soon as they started playing their first song, the place turned into a madhouse. There were huge pits, brutal riffs and slams, hilarious between-song jokes and bantering, and at one point a random old man showed up to watch the show (and I suspect to get as close to a couple really hot girls standing next to him as he could). I can't be sure, but I believe he was somebody in the band's grandfather or something, but either way he was very good-natured about everything that was going on, even though to say he was out of his element would be the understatement of the century. His presence gave the whole set a sort of surreal comic relief; no one had the slightest clue what the fuck he was doing there, but we all just went with it and laughed, just like he was just going with it by being there. After a while the band finally wrapped it up to enthusiastic applause and cheers, and I decided to head home before the splitting headaches and exhaustion could take their toll on me.
Speaking of wrapping up, before I do just that with this review, I'd just like to ask a question, to no one in particular: why the hell are there so many smoking hot girls in Delaware??? Seriously, this is like the fourth time I've gone to a show there and noticed a relative abundance of extremely attractive girls, they must be putting something in the water down there. Hit me up girls, I'm a nice guy I promise. I'm telling you guys, you wouldn't think it, but Delaware really is the place to go for good metal shows. The bands are great, the venues are very minimalistic and laid back, and the guy-girl ratio is almost a perfect fifty-fifty, and the girls all seem to be mad sexy, or at least really funny and cool. Be sure to check out all the bands I've mentioned, and if you're in the area both Thrown Into Oncoming Traffic and Dead Walk the Earth will be playing with Dying Fetus at this same venue on Friday, April 15th. That is by far the biggest band Mojo 13 has ever gotten to play there, it's going to be the show to end all shows. Take care guys, see you soon.
-BK
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Show Review: Deicide, Blackguard and Neuraxis, February 18th in Philadelpha, PA
I know I probably should have put this up yesterday, but better late than never right? So anyway, last Friday I journeyed once again to good old Killadelphia (accompanied by the gentleman that runs this little blog thingy), this time to see the legendary Deicide. Despite some confusion on the way over we made it to the Trocadero in plenty of time, and we used that time to meet up with a couple other dudes and pick out a spot to wait for everything to get underway.
This tour was also supposed to include Pathology and Belphegor, and we knew right off the bat that Belphegor wouldn't be playing tonight, but as soon as the first band started playing we also found out to our dismay that Pathology wasn't able to make it either. I was extremely disappointed, because Pathology is one of my favorite slam bands, but that disappointment was short lived as Neuraxis took the stage and immediately began lighting the place up. Since it was the beginning of the show there was a surprisingly small amount of people for the majority of their set, but the band still played great, and a huge pit was immediately opened up by one particularly energetic individual (cryptic hint: you're probably going to be hearing from him sooner than you think). I'll confess I don't know too much of Neuraxis' material, but they played very well and had extremely energetic stage presence, so I can personally attest that they put on a great show. Well done boys, well done.
On the other side of the spectrum, none of us were particularly interested in seeing Blackguard. Maybe we were confused as to why a pirate metal band was on tour with a bunch of death metal and black metal bands, or maybe we just felt gypped because we missed two of the bands we wanted to see the most but they got to be the main support, or maybe it was a combination of the two, but either way we actually sat down in the back for Blackguard's set. Nothing against them, they're just not my particular cup of tea, and my friends obviously agreed with me. Although for what it's worth they were energetic, more people showed up and there was some moshing, so it's not like they played a bad set. I can think of worse.
After a while, Blackguard cleared off and made room for the band that everyone was there to see, and when Deicide finally took the stage the place was just as packed and loud as we've come to expect from the Troc; the all too common phrase "now that's more like it" is a pretty accurate summation. Without any hesitation whatsoever, they immediately opened with "Homage For Satan" (which coincidentally is my favorite Deicide song), and the pit positively exploded. The band played for a good hour and a half at least, most likely to make up for lost time what with two bands being MIA, playing songs from all throughout their discography. Whether it was an old classic or a track from their new album To Hell With God, the band sounded just as heavy and refined as they do on CD, and the crowd response was warm and energetic to say the least. The pits weren't always huge, but they were consistent, and even a few not-unattractive ladies took a stab at it. Although as always, everyone was too worried about hurting them to really get into it with them, so they were undoubtedly disappointed. Seriously guys, if the girls are getting in the pit they know the risk they're taking, let them have fun. Don't be a pussy. Anyways, after a nice long set filled with blast beats and Jesus-hating, Deicide said their goodbyes and called it a night. I would have loved to see Pathology and/or Belphegor, but it wasn't a bad show by any stretch of the imagination either.
Right, now that the review's done, I'd like to talk about one more thing before I call it a day. Remember how I said nobody wanted to mosh too hard with those girls? Well I noticed something else at the show that I think also needs to be mentioned, and it's pretty much the exact opposite. Here's the thing: if you're a loud, obnoxious, angry drunk, DON'T GO IN THE FUCKING PIT! It's one thing to mosh really energetically, but if you're running around tanking people and sending them flying just because you can, then you're just as much of an inconsiderate asshole as any dancer. Moshing is very physical, yes, but it's also supposed to be fun, and fun doesn't involve getting wasted and being a piece of shit to everyone around you. And another thing, giving someone a high five and a bro hug after you send them tumbling head over heels doesn't make everything alright either, you're still a douche. There's nothing wrong with having a few drinks and going nuts, all I'm saying is be considerate to everyone else when you do.
Well that's that folks, tune in tomorrow for more cool shit. Make sure you share this with your friends on Facebook or Twitter, and don't forget to make an account and follow us, remember that we have something special for you if we get that number up to fifty. See you tomorrow, and stay brutal.
-BK
This tour was also supposed to include Pathology and Belphegor, and we knew right off the bat that Belphegor wouldn't be playing tonight, but as soon as the first band started playing we also found out to our dismay that Pathology wasn't able to make it either. I was extremely disappointed, because Pathology is one of my favorite slam bands, but that disappointment was short lived as Neuraxis took the stage and immediately began lighting the place up. Since it was the beginning of the show there was a surprisingly small amount of people for the majority of their set, but the band still played great, and a huge pit was immediately opened up by one particularly energetic individual (cryptic hint: you're probably going to be hearing from him sooner than you think). I'll confess I don't know too much of Neuraxis' material, but they played very well and had extremely energetic stage presence, so I can personally attest that they put on a great show. Well done boys, well done.
On the other side of the spectrum, none of us were particularly interested in seeing Blackguard. Maybe we were confused as to why a pirate metal band was on tour with a bunch of death metal and black metal bands, or maybe we just felt gypped because we missed two of the bands we wanted to see the most but they got to be the main support, or maybe it was a combination of the two, but either way we actually sat down in the back for Blackguard's set. Nothing against them, they're just not my particular cup of tea, and my friends obviously agreed with me. Although for what it's worth they were energetic, more people showed up and there was some moshing, so it's not like they played a bad set. I can think of worse.
After a while, Blackguard cleared off and made room for the band that everyone was there to see, and when Deicide finally took the stage the place was just as packed and loud as we've come to expect from the Troc; the all too common phrase "now that's more like it" is a pretty accurate summation. Without any hesitation whatsoever, they immediately opened with "Homage For Satan" (which coincidentally is my favorite Deicide song), and the pit positively exploded. The band played for a good hour and a half at least, most likely to make up for lost time what with two bands being MIA, playing songs from all throughout their discography. Whether it was an old classic or a track from their new album To Hell With God, the band sounded just as heavy and refined as they do on CD, and the crowd response was warm and energetic to say the least. The pits weren't always huge, but they were consistent, and even a few not-unattractive ladies took a stab at it. Although as always, everyone was too worried about hurting them to really get into it with them, so they were undoubtedly disappointed. Seriously guys, if the girls are getting in the pit they know the risk they're taking, let them have fun. Don't be a pussy. Anyways, after a nice long set filled with blast beats and Jesus-hating, Deicide said their goodbyes and called it a night. I would have loved to see Pathology and/or Belphegor, but it wasn't a bad show by any stretch of the imagination either.
Right, now that the review's done, I'd like to talk about one more thing before I call it a day. Remember how I said nobody wanted to mosh too hard with those girls? Well I noticed something else at the show that I think also needs to be mentioned, and it's pretty much the exact opposite. Here's the thing: if you're a loud, obnoxious, angry drunk, DON'T GO IN THE FUCKING PIT! It's one thing to mosh really energetically, but if you're running around tanking people and sending them flying just because you can, then you're just as much of an inconsiderate asshole as any dancer. Moshing is very physical, yes, but it's also supposed to be fun, and fun doesn't involve getting wasted and being a piece of shit to everyone around you. And another thing, giving someone a high five and a bro hug after you send them tumbling head over heels doesn't make everything alright either, you're still a douche. There's nothing wrong with having a few drinks and going nuts, all I'm saying is be considerate to everyone else when you do.
Well that's that folks, tune in tomorrow for more cool shit. Make sure you share this with your friends on Facebook or Twitter, and don't forget to make an account and follow us, remember that we have something special for you if we get that number up to fifty. See you tomorrow, and stay brutal.
-BK
Monday, December 20, 2010
Show Review: Job For a Cowboy, Skeletonwitch, A Life Once Lost and Misery Index- December 17th in Philadelphia, PA
Last Friday, my good buddy and I made the trek up to the First Unitarian Church to catch the Philly stop on Job For a Cowboy's latest jaunt. Neither of us had ever been to the church before, but we had both seen JFAC in the past, so we were interested to see how everything would play out.
Trap Them was supposed to be the first band of the night, but they had to drop off the tour for reasons of their own, which was no skin off our noses. They're fairly lame anyway, and that just meant we got to see Misery Index that much sooner. While it seemed kind of unfair to have a band as accomplished and seasoned as MI play first, before all the younger bands, that didn't stop them from bringing the heavy. This marks the third time I've seen Misery Index, and thus the third time they've kicked their fair share of ass. When the grooves and blasts got going, they looked as furious as they sounded, plowing through songs like "The Carrion Call", "Traitors", "Conquistadores" and more with ease. A few people moshed, but for the most part the crowd stuck to the basic head banging and horn throwing. When they wrapped up, they invited anyone who was willing to help them break down their equipment, and this allowed yours truly to meet and chat with their drummer, one Adam Jarvis, who incidentally is a very nice fellow. Good on ya, sir.
Next up was A Life Once Lost, the one band on the bill that I knew would attract the dancers, and lo and behold I was right. I discreetly made my way to the back of the venue for these guys, and sure enough, as soon as the mandatory "What the fuck is up, we're A Life Once Lost, let's fucking do this shit" sounded, about three or four kids started hyping up by hopping around like kangaroos. As expected, their performance was energetic due to the relative simplicity of the music, and the only moshing that happened was the same handful of dancers doing their thing. However, no fights broke out, and as far as metalcore goes ALOL isn't that bad, plus they played the one song I knew/wanted to hear, so it wasn't that bad. I give them a solid six out of ten.
Alright, so now that we'd gotten the breakdowns out of our system, the next band on the bill was the complete opposite, brimming with solos and nostalgic thrash riffs. I had no sooner worked my way up to the front of the stage when Skeletonwitch started off with a bang, and I immediately got sucked into a small but dense and enthusiastic pit that just didn't seem to end. Needless to say, the crowd response for this band was extremely warm, and rightfully so. These guys are a perfect throwback to the glory days of metal, combining all the best elements of thrash and melodic black metal. It's all about beer, headbanging and Satan-worshipping for Skeletonwitch, and there was plenty of all three (which was ironic, seeing as the venue is literally a church basement). Good moshing, a few stage divers, shredding solos and enough windmilling hair to make anyone dizzy; these things are all in a day's work for Skeletonwitch. Bravo gentlemen, bravo.
Last but certainly not least, after taking their sweet time setting up and soundchecking, Job For a Cowboy dove headlong into their set and didn't look back once. Now I must admit, I don't listen to JFAC much on CD, but they are a whole different monster on stage. Despite a dismal performance at the 2008 Mayhem Festival, I have seen this band three times now, and they have since proven themselves to be one of the most commanding live bands I've seen in years. Although there were a number of hardcore kids present throughout their set, there wasn't a single flailing arm or spin kick, and the pits, stage dives and crowd surfing were nonstop. For whatever reason there was a fill-in for guitarist Bobby Thompson, and bassist Brent Riggs was completely absent. Fortunately this didn't really affect their sound or performance at all, although it was very difficult to hear Mr. Not-Bobby-Thompson's leads over everything else at times. Regardless, they powered through their set nicely, playing gems like "To Detonate and Exterminate", "Unfurling a Darkened Gospel", "Knee Deep", "Bearing the Serpent's Lamb", "Entombment of a Machine" (complete with everyone screaming like an idiot and loving it, including me), and closing with "Embedded". Incomplete lineup notwithstanding, it was a very solid, commendable performance. This particular tour is pretty much over and done with, but if you do get the opportunity in the future to see Job For a Cowboy I highly recommend you do so, I know I certainly will.
All in all this one is definitely going down in the books as a good show. From making new friends, watching said new friends get really drunk and proceed to buy and don Skeletonwitch booty shorts, laughing about throwing change into the pit for A Life Once Lost just to see what would happen, meeting various members of Misery Index, Skeletonwitch and Job For a Cowboy, and giving JFAC drummer Jon "The Charn" Rice money as a donation for weed (I made him very happy), I think it's safe to say we had a blast, and I can't wait for the next one.
-The Baby Killer
Trap Them was supposed to be the first band of the night, but they had to drop off the tour for reasons of their own, which was no skin off our noses. They're fairly lame anyway, and that just meant we got to see Misery Index that much sooner. While it seemed kind of unfair to have a band as accomplished and seasoned as MI play first, before all the younger bands, that didn't stop them from bringing the heavy. This marks the third time I've seen Misery Index, and thus the third time they've kicked their fair share of ass. When the grooves and blasts got going, they looked as furious as they sounded, plowing through songs like "The Carrion Call", "Traitors", "Conquistadores" and more with ease. A few people moshed, but for the most part the crowd stuck to the basic head banging and horn throwing. When they wrapped up, they invited anyone who was willing to help them break down their equipment, and this allowed yours truly to meet and chat with their drummer, one Adam Jarvis, who incidentally is a very nice fellow. Good on ya, sir.
Next up was A Life Once Lost, the one band on the bill that I knew would attract the dancers, and lo and behold I was right. I discreetly made my way to the back of the venue for these guys, and sure enough, as soon as the mandatory "What the fuck is up, we're A Life Once Lost, let's fucking do this shit" sounded, about three or four kids started hyping up by hopping around like kangaroos. As expected, their performance was energetic due to the relative simplicity of the music, and the only moshing that happened was the same handful of dancers doing their thing. However, no fights broke out, and as far as metalcore goes ALOL isn't that bad, plus they played the one song I knew/wanted to hear, so it wasn't that bad. I give them a solid six out of ten.
Alright, so now that we'd gotten the breakdowns out of our system, the next band on the bill was the complete opposite, brimming with solos and nostalgic thrash riffs. I had no sooner worked my way up to the front of the stage when Skeletonwitch started off with a bang, and I immediately got sucked into a small but dense and enthusiastic pit that just didn't seem to end. Needless to say, the crowd response for this band was extremely warm, and rightfully so. These guys are a perfect throwback to the glory days of metal, combining all the best elements of thrash and melodic black metal. It's all about beer, headbanging and Satan-worshipping for Skeletonwitch, and there was plenty of all three (which was ironic, seeing as the venue is literally a church basement). Good moshing, a few stage divers, shredding solos and enough windmilling hair to make anyone dizzy; these things are all in a day's work for Skeletonwitch. Bravo gentlemen, bravo.
Last but certainly not least, after taking their sweet time setting up and soundchecking, Job For a Cowboy dove headlong into their set and didn't look back once. Now I must admit, I don't listen to JFAC much on CD, but they are a whole different monster on stage. Despite a dismal performance at the 2008 Mayhem Festival, I have seen this band three times now, and they have since proven themselves to be one of the most commanding live bands I've seen in years. Although there were a number of hardcore kids present throughout their set, there wasn't a single flailing arm or spin kick, and the pits, stage dives and crowd surfing were nonstop. For whatever reason there was a fill-in for guitarist Bobby Thompson, and bassist Brent Riggs was completely absent. Fortunately this didn't really affect their sound or performance at all, although it was very difficult to hear Mr. Not-Bobby-Thompson's leads over everything else at times. Regardless, they powered through their set nicely, playing gems like "To Detonate and Exterminate", "Unfurling a Darkened Gospel", "Knee Deep", "Bearing the Serpent's Lamb", "Entombment of a Machine" (complete with everyone screaming like an idiot and loving it, including me), and closing with "Embedded". Incomplete lineup notwithstanding, it was a very solid, commendable performance. This particular tour is pretty much over and done with, but if you do get the opportunity in the future to see Job For a Cowboy I highly recommend you do so, I know I certainly will.
All in all this one is definitely going down in the books as a good show. From making new friends, watching said new friends get really drunk and proceed to buy and don Skeletonwitch booty shorts, laughing about throwing change into the pit for A Life Once Lost just to see what would happen, meeting various members of Misery Index, Skeletonwitch and Job For a Cowboy, and giving JFAC drummer Jon "The Charn" Rice money as a donation for weed (I made him very happy), I think it's safe to say we had a blast, and I can't wait for the next one.
-The Baby Killer
Monday, November 29, 2010
Show Review: Cannibal Corpse, Dying Fetus, Vital Remains and Devourment- November 20th in Philadelphia, PA
Last Saturday, the most brutal tour of the year made its way to good old Philly. I had seen all the bands on the bill at least once in the past, but never together at one show, so I knew tonight was going to be something special, and believe me friends, it was. Despite getting hopelessly lost on the way to the train station (thanks to the jerkoff who stole my GPS over the summer), I still made it to the Trocadero in plenty of time, and you could literally feel the anticipation as soon as the doors opened.
After a brief sound check, Devourment took the stage to thunderous applause and started things off beautifully. They sounded beefy and clear, and their set was comprised of songs from all three of their full lengths, including "Serial Cocksucker", "Fucked To Death", "Choking On Bile", "Fed To the Pigs", and closing with the classic "Baby Killer". What caught my attention the most during their set was their stage presence. While everyone knows that Devourment's music is awesome and they play their songs very well live, they're not known to be too energetic onstage, but this was not the case here. Mike Majewski and the gang were all moving around headbanging, rocking out, smiling and having a grand old time feeding off of the energy from the crowd. Their bassist Chris Andrews even went so far as to dive into the crowd after the last song, adding to the high spirits.
Despite the incessant chanting of "One more song," Devourment then cleared off to make room for Rhode Island God-haters Vital Remains. At the last Summer Slaughter tour these guys had a painfully short set, so I was really excited to see what they could do with more time. Ironically enough they only played four songs this time, but since VR are pretty much the Dream Theater of death metal with their eight-minute songs, this didn't seem to bother anyone too much. The lead guitar was a little low in the mix so it was hard to hear the solos, but they still rumbled through "Icons of Evil", "Devoured Elysium", "Hammer Down the Nails" and "Dechristianize" like it was nobody's business. In all honesty, this was probably the weakest band of the night and they still killed it, which should give you an idea of how good the show was. I've heard a lot of people complain that Vital Remains isn't the same without Glenn Benton on vocals, but if last night is any indication, they're kicking ass and taking names just fine without him. Let me tell you something: if you want to see the true power of metal, go to a Vital Remains show and watch as hundreds of people go completely silent, bow their heads and hold their horns up high while the venue goes dark and "O Fortuna" blares over the PA, all while the band is onstage looking up at the sky with genuine hate in their eyes. It's scary.
Next on the roster was Dying Fetus, and this is where things really started to get interesting. Both of the previous bands were very well received, but as soon as these guys started playing it was a madhouse. Their setlist was pretty long since they were the main support, and they used this opportunity to play a surprisingly large number of very old songs, going all the way back to their first couple EP's; songs like "Vomiting the Decaying Embryo" and "Eviscerated Offspring" to name a few. However, they still played plenty of their newer, more well-known songs like "Killing On Adrenaline", "One Shot One Kill", "Your Treachery Will Die With You" and "Homicidal Retribution", and they closed as always with their 70-second claim to fame "Kill Your Mother Rape Your Dog". I've seen Dying Fetus twice before this, and I'm still amazed at how much chaos the crowd manages to bring in just over one minute. As with Devourment, these guys were also much more energetic than usual, which only contributed to the frenzy.
So after Dying Fetus walked off to extremely enthusiastic applause, after what seemed like hours the lights dimmed one more time, and when Cannibal Corpse walked onstage the applause sounded more like an arena than the tiny Trocadero. They wasted no time and dove right into a set that spanned their entire twenty-plus year career. For all the old school fans, there were classics like "A Skull Full of Maggots", "Gutted", "Staring Through the Eyes of the Dead" and "Devoured By Vermin", and for the younger, more recent inductees, there plenty of newer songs like "Evisceration Plague", "Priests of Sodom", "Shatter Their Bones", "The Time To Kill Is Now", "Make Them Suffer", "The Wretched Spawn" and more. They played for a solid hour and a half, and although it was exhausting, neither the band nor the crowd slowed down one bit. We all anxiously waited to hear what song they would play next, and Corpsegrinder's between-song bantering kept everyone laughing and ready to start the pit up again at a moment's notice. And speaking of pits, when they finally closed with the classic duo of "Hammer Smashed Face" and "Stripped Raped and Strangled", the pit literally enveloped the entire floor of the venue; the sight of close to (if not more than) a thousand people moshing their hearts out at once is something that simply cannot be put into words. See for yourself.
When all was said and done, we all left knowing that great memories had been made. Making new friends, reconnecting with old ones, seeing and meeting the bands that inspire you, smoking a fat one and/or pounding back a few gulps of the hard stuff with good people, and just forgetting all your troubles for a few hours; it's all in a day's work for metal. This is the kind of show where the whole world shrinks to nothing but you, the crowd and the band, and there's nothing but the euphoria of the moment and the anticipation of the rest of the show. This is what we live for, and this is what those trendy, attention-whoring idiots will never be able to take away from us, no matter how hard they try.
Defend the fucking faith brothers and sisters, I love you all.
-The Baby Killer
After a brief sound check, Devourment took the stage to thunderous applause and started things off beautifully. They sounded beefy and clear, and their set was comprised of songs from all three of their full lengths, including "Serial Cocksucker", "Fucked To Death", "Choking On Bile", "Fed To the Pigs", and closing with the classic "Baby Killer". What caught my attention the most during their set was their stage presence. While everyone knows that Devourment's music is awesome and they play their songs very well live, they're not known to be too energetic onstage, but this was not the case here. Mike Majewski and the gang were all moving around headbanging, rocking out, smiling and having a grand old time feeding off of the energy from the crowd. Their bassist Chris Andrews even went so far as to dive into the crowd after the last song, adding to the high spirits.
Despite the incessant chanting of "One more song," Devourment then cleared off to make room for Rhode Island God-haters Vital Remains. At the last Summer Slaughter tour these guys had a painfully short set, so I was really excited to see what they could do with more time. Ironically enough they only played four songs this time, but since VR are pretty much the Dream Theater of death metal with their eight-minute songs, this didn't seem to bother anyone too much. The lead guitar was a little low in the mix so it was hard to hear the solos, but they still rumbled through "Icons of Evil", "Devoured Elysium", "Hammer Down the Nails" and "Dechristianize" like it was nobody's business. In all honesty, this was probably the weakest band of the night and they still killed it, which should give you an idea of how good the show was. I've heard a lot of people complain that Vital Remains isn't the same without Glenn Benton on vocals, but if last night is any indication, they're kicking ass and taking names just fine without him. Let me tell you something: if you want to see the true power of metal, go to a Vital Remains show and watch as hundreds of people go completely silent, bow their heads and hold their horns up high while the venue goes dark and "O Fortuna" blares over the PA, all while the band is onstage looking up at the sky with genuine hate in their eyes. It's scary.
Next on the roster was Dying Fetus, and this is where things really started to get interesting. Both of the previous bands were very well received, but as soon as these guys started playing it was a madhouse. Their setlist was pretty long since they were the main support, and they used this opportunity to play a surprisingly large number of very old songs, going all the way back to their first couple EP's; songs like "Vomiting the Decaying Embryo" and "Eviscerated Offspring" to name a few. However, they still played plenty of their newer, more well-known songs like "Killing On Adrenaline", "One Shot One Kill", "Your Treachery Will Die With You" and "Homicidal Retribution", and they closed as always with their 70-second claim to fame "Kill Your Mother Rape Your Dog". I've seen Dying Fetus twice before this, and I'm still amazed at how much chaos the crowd manages to bring in just over one minute. As with Devourment, these guys were also much more energetic than usual, which only contributed to the frenzy.
So after Dying Fetus walked off to extremely enthusiastic applause, after what seemed like hours the lights dimmed one more time, and when Cannibal Corpse walked onstage the applause sounded more like an arena than the tiny Trocadero. They wasted no time and dove right into a set that spanned their entire twenty-plus year career. For all the old school fans, there were classics like "A Skull Full of Maggots", "Gutted", "Staring Through the Eyes of the Dead" and "Devoured By Vermin", and for the younger, more recent inductees, there plenty of newer songs like "Evisceration Plague", "Priests of Sodom", "Shatter Their Bones", "The Time To Kill Is Now", "Make Them Suffer", "The Wretched Spawn" and more. They played for a solid hour and a half, and although it was exhausting, neither the band nor the crowd slowed down one bit. We all anxiously waited to hear what song they would play next, and Corpsegrinder's between-song bantering kept everyone laughing and ready to start the pit up again at a moment's notice. And speaking of pits, when they finally closed with the classic duo of "Hammer Smashed Face" and "Stripped Raped and Strangled", the pit literally enveloped the entire floor of the venue; the sight of close to (if not more than) a thousand people moshing their hearts out at once is something that simply cannot be put into words. See for yourself.
When all was said and done, we all left knowing that great memories had been made. Making new friends, reconnecting with old ones, seeing and meeting the bands that inspire you, smoking a fat one and/or pounding back a few gulps of the hard stuff with good people, and just forgetting all your troubles for a few hours; it's all in a day's work for metal. This is the kind of show where the whole world shrinks to nothing but you, the crowd and the band, and there's nothing but the euphoria of the moment and the anticipation of the rest of the show. This is what we live for, and this is what those trendy, attention-whoring idiots will never be able to take away from us, no matter how hard they try.
Defend the fucking faith brothers and sisters, I love you all.
-The Baby Killer
Show Review: Nile, Ex Deo, Psycroptic and Keep of Kalessin- November 12th in Seattle, WA
So the night started with two local bands, one was a bunch of middle aged drunk men who played something like groove-metal, not sure why they were on the bill but luckily we missed most of their set. Then the lead singer didn't want to get off the stage so they turned everything off. Then the next local band was pretty okay, definitely a step up. They were something like black metal if I remember right, some cool riffs and some people started to move. They played for about twenty minutes and then Keep of Kalessin was up. (Pathology should have been up, but were in a van accident and couldn't make it).
I've never listened to the band or even heard of them, but they kind of sounded like Amon Amarth. Their website says "the best live band from Norway," but to be honest I didn't see the big deal. There was really nothing special about them to me, but they do what they do well. A mosh started, and with a show like this, there were no dancers anywhere and if they were to show up, they would be killed. So they played for a half hour and next up was a band I was there to see- Psycroptic!
I've never listened to the band or even heard of them, but they kind of sounded like Amon Amarth. Their website says "the best live band from Norway," but to be honest I didn't see the big deal. There was really nothing special about them to me, but they do what they do well. A mosh started, and with a show like this, there were no dancers anywhere and if they were to show up, they would be killed. So they played for a half hour and next up was a band I was there to see- Psycroptic!
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| Psycroptic |
They started with and mostly played songs from Ob(servant), with the exception of "Lacertine Forest" and a new song that sounded pretty badass. "Ob(servant)" was the best song of the night for them in my opinion. I got super stoked for that and started the pit, such a good song. Then they ended with "Initiate" and that was that. I was pretty pissed at the amount of people moshing for them compared to Keep Of Kalessin, since Psycroptic had about half the people for some reason. One thing that sorely disappointed me was the lack of Jason Peppiatt. His vocals are so unique but fortunately for him and unfortunately for us he had a kid, nonetheless congrats to him! So since he has unique vocals, his replacement (Zdenek Simecek of Godless Truth) sounded lacking (he was good, but not as good), mainly because he didn't really do anything but lows. And seeing as this was the last tour cycle for Ob(servant), it'll be a while til they come back.
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| Psycroptic |
The next band was Ex Deo. Not a lot to say about them either, damn near every song had the same equation: Sound clip, chant start, fast part, and slower epic ending. So for the first song I was like "yeah, this sounds pretty rad," but it got old quick and to the point where me and a friend just chanted for the whole song. Not a band I would go out of my way to see again.
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| Nile |
Then the headliners, Nile! Longest sound check ever, but it was worth the wait. They started with "Kafir!" and it was crazy good, just as the rest of their set was. More than half their set consisted of songs from Those Whom The Gods Detest. The bar emptied and all the drunk people came in to mosh. I got to the stage again so I yelled the words along with Karl, very fun band. My friend made his way to the bathroom and apparently there was a guy who got his teeth knocked out, their pit is no joke! For sure the most people in the pit the whole night. No encore or anything, but Karl stood around to shake hands and whatnot. Pretty good show, just wish they were with better bands.
-King of Those Who Know
-King of Those Who Know
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| Why do kids hardcore dance? Not even Karl Sanders knows |
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Show Review: Suffocation, The Faceless, Through the Eyes of the Dead, Decrepit Birth, and Fleshgod Apocalypse - November 13th in Allentown, PA
Last Saturday, my four buddies and I made a two hour trip to the Crocodile Rock to see the final stop of one of the most epic tours of this year. Things started out pretty slow due to the seemingly endless slew of medio-core local openers, with the exception of the Jersey band Grimus. I had seen these guys once before at a local show in Delaware, and while they are very breakdown happy, they have a very talented drummer, and they hate the douchebag tough guy dancers just as much as we do. Before one of their songs the vocalist even went so far as to go on a rant against them, saying "This song goes out to all the tough guy assholes out there who come to shows just to ruin it for everyone else. Go fuck yourselves!" Funnily enough, there was a group of about six or so dancers flailing it up for their set the whole time, and after he said this they all stopped and looked around like they were confused as to whether or not they should have taken offense to what had just happened, but once the breakdowns resumed they went back and did their thing.
Later, after what seemed like an eternity of sound issues, Fleshgod Apocalypse took the stage, and they decimated from beginning to end. Theatrics was the name of the game for this band, from beginning their set by blaring Beethoven's Fifth over the PA to the tattered conductor's suits they wore as their stage garb. However, they didn't sacrifice musicianship by any means. I had high expectations for Fleshgod, because their recorded material is nothing short of incredible, and they met those expectations beautifully. Both of the songs I wanted to hear the most, "Embodied Deception" and "Through Our Scars", were played, as well as several other songs from both their Oracles CD and their new EP Mafia. The only drawback to their set was how goddamn LOUD they were. Far be it from me to complain about a death metal show being too loud, but when I have a headache and I haven't even started headbanging yet, something's not right. But even still, they played great, and I got to meet their bassist Paulo Rossi when I bought one of their shirts. Nice guy.
Next up was one of my favorite live bands of all time: Decrepit Birth. This was my fifth time seeing them, and I swear they only get better every time. They're one of the few tech metal bands that not only play their songs almost flawlessly live, but also have very energetic stage presence at the same time. Their set list was actually switched up from other times where I've seen them; there were the usual suspects like "Diminishing Between Worlds", "The Infestation" and "Symbiosis", but they also introduced two songs from their new album Polarity that I had never heard them play before- the title track and "Metatron". As per usual, the crowd reaction was great. There weren't pits for every song, but when they did get going they were intense, and vocalist Bill Robinson doing his signature stage dive didn't help matters either. As an added bonus, when they played one of their songs from their first CD, Derek Boyer (Suffocation's current bassist) came out and did guest vocals, culminating in Robinson accidentally hitting him in the head with his microphone, to everyone's amusement. If you ever get the chance to see these guys in concert, do it. You will not be disappointed.
Unfortunately we missed Through the Eyes of the Dead, and the fault was partially our own. After Decrepit Birth started unloading and TTEOTD was preparing to load in, we noticed that more hardcore kids were starting to make themselves known, and also we were long overdue for a joint break, so we decided to sit them out. However, their new CD is top notch, so if they played any songs from it I'm sure they were awesome. The next time they're playing at a show I'm at I will definitely stick around for them.
After that, we made it back in just in time to see The Faceless wrapping up their sound check. The Faceless is another band I've seen multiple times, and like Decrepit Birth, they only seem to get more awesome every time, perhaps even more so because the first time I saw them they weren't very good at all. Before Planetary Dualitycame out, these guys sounded sloppy and uncoordinated, like they knew how to write and record complicated songs but not necessarily play them to an audience. However, that phase is long gone, and The Faceless are now just as impressive on stage as they are on CD. Their set was surprisingly short but still had all the essentials such as "Planetary Duality Pt. 1 & 2", "Xenochrist", "An Autopsy" and "Pestilence", as well as a new song from their upcoming album. The new song was a bit more melodic than one would expect from these guys, but it still had plenty of killer solos and riffs, so I'm interested to see where they're going to take things.
Last but certainly not least, after a long night of very talented bands, the death metal legends Suffocation took the stage to deafening cheers and applause. The crowd seemed to have thinned out a bit by this point in the show, but that didn't dull the intensity of their set one bit. After twenty plus years, these guys still know how to make everyone else before them look stupid and work a bunch of tired-out kids into a frenzy. Just when I thought everyone was going to stop moshing and assume the "headbang a lot, throw the horns and scream the words" phase, Frank Mullen would command someone to start it up again or to get a circle pit going for the next song, and they obliged every single time. Even I couldn't contain myself at one point and jumped in for a round despite my considerable headache. They played songs from all throughout their discography, opening with "Liege of Inveracity" and going right into songs like "Entrails of You", "Funeral Inception", "Blood Oath", "Infecting the Crypts" and many, many more. Another thing that many old school bands seem to fall victim to is lack of stage presence, but Suffocation don't slack there either. Frank, Terrance, Derek and crew all look like they're still having the time of their lives even though they've been doing the exact same thing for two decades. The highlight was when they brought all the vocalists from the other bands on the tour on stage at once to do guest vocals for "Funeral Inception", inciting yet another frenzy from the crowd.
Finally, after at least a dozen songs, Suffocation called it a night, and we all headed for home feeling deeply satisfied (splitting headache, fatigue and extreme thirst notwithstanding). We made new friends, cheered as a tiny, unassuming kid managed to fend off a dancer hell bent on fighting him, defended and won back the pit from the dancers for The Faceless and Suffocation, almost smoked out Bill Robinson, and basically made it a night to remember. Leave your comments below and share your experiences if you went to this tour or have seen any of these bands play at some point.
- The Baby Killer
Later, after what seemed like an eternity of sound issues, Fleshgod Apocalypse took the stage, and they decimated from beginning to end. Theatrics was the name of the game for this band, from beginning their set by blaring Beethoven's Fifth over the PA to the tattered conductor's suits they wore as their stage garb. However, they didn't sacrifice musicianship by any means. I had high expectations for Fleshgod, because their recorded material is nothing short of incredible, and they met those expectations beautifully. Both of the songs I wanted to hear the most, "Embodied Deception" and "Through Our Scars", were played, as well as several other songs from both their Oracles CD and their new EP Mafia. The only drawback to their set was how goddamn LOUD they were. Far be it from me to complain about a death metal show being too loud, but when I have a headache and I haven't even started headbanging yet, something's not right. But even still, they played great, and I got to meet their bassist Paulo Rossi when I bought one of their shirts. Nice guy.
Next up was one of my favorite live bands of all time: Decrepit Birth. This was my fifth time seeing them, and I swear they only get better every time. They're one of the few tech metal bands that not only play their songs almost flawlessly live, but also have very energetic stage presence at the same time. Their set list was actually switched up from other times where I've seen them; there were the usual suspects like "Diminishing Between Worlds", "The Infestation" and "Symbiosis", but they also introduced two songs from their new album Polarity that I had never heard them play before- the title track and "Metatron". As per usual, the crowd reaction was great. There weren't pits for every song, but when they did get going they were intense, and vocalist Bill Robinson doing his signature stage dive didn't help matters either. As an added bonus, when they played one of their songs from their first CD, Derek Boyer (Suffocation's current bassist) came out and did guest vocals, culminating in Robinson accidentally hitting him in the head with his microphone, to everyone's amusement. If you ever get the chance to see these guys in concert, do it. You will not be disappointed.
Unfortunately we missed Through the Eyes of the Dead, and the fault was partially our own. After Decrepit Birth started unloading and TTEOTD was preparing to load in, we noticed that more hardcore kids were starting to make themselves known, and also we were long overdue for a joint break, so we decided to sit them out. However, their new CD is top notch, so if they played any songs from it I'm sure they were awesome. The next time they're playing at a show I'm at I will definitely stick around for them.
After that, we made it back in just in time to see The Faceless wrapping up their sound check. The Faceless is another band I've seen multiple times, and like Decrepit Birth, they only seem to get more awesome every time, perhaps even more so because the first time I saw them they weren't very good at all. Before Planetary Dualitycame out, these guys sounded sloppy and uncoordinated, like they knew how to write and record complicated songs but not necessarily play them to an audience. However, that phase is long gone, and The Faceless are now just as impressive on stage as they are on CD. Their set was surprisingly short but still had all the essentials such as "Planetary Duality Pt. 1 & 2", "Xenochrist", "An Autopsy" and "Pestilence", as well as a new song from their upcoming album. The new song was a bit more melodic than one would expect from these guys, but it still had plenty of killer solos and riffs, so I'm interested to see where they're going to take things.
Last but certainly not least, after a long night of very talented bands, the death metal legends Suffocation took the stage to deafening cheers and applause. The crowd seemed to have thinned out a bit by this point in the show, but that didn't dull the intensity of their set one bit. After twenty plus years, these guys still know how to make everyone else before them look stupid and work a bunch of tired-out kids into a frenzy. Just when I thought everyone was going to stop moshing and assume the "headbang a lot, throw the horns and scream the words" phase, Frank Mullen would command someone to start it up again or to get a circle pit going for the next song, and they obliged every single time. Even I couldn't contain myself at one point and jumped in for a round despite my considerable headache. They played songs from all throughout their discography, opening with "Liege of Inveracity" and going right into songs like "Entrails of You", "Funeral Inception", "Blood Oath", "Infecting the Crypts" and many, many more. Another thing that many old school bands seem to fall victim to is lack of stage presence, but Suffocation don't slack there either. Frank, Terrance, Derek and crew all look like they're still having the time of their lives even though they've been doing the exact same thing for two decades. The highlight was when they brought all the vocalists from the other bands on the tour on stage at once to do guest vocals for "Funeral Inception", inciting yet another frenzy from the crowd.
Finally, after at least a dozen songs, Suffocation called it a night, and we all headed for home feeling deeply satisfied (splitting headache, fatigue and extreme thirst notwithstanding). We made new friends, cheered as a tiny, unassuming kid managed to fend off a dancer hell bent on fighting him, defended and won back the pit from the dancers for The Faceless and Suffocation, almost smoked out Bill Robinson, and basically made it a night to remember. Leave your comments below and share your experiences if you went to this tour or have seen any of these bands play at some point.
- The Baby Killer
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
King of Those Who Know Show Review: Cattle Decapitation w/ Devourment, Knights of the Abyss, Burning the Masses, and Son of Aurelius October 28th in Seattle, WA
Please welcome another new writer (and old timer apparently) to our midst, King of Those Who Know. Expect more show reviews and blog posts from him in the future.
So the night starts out with local opener Bloodhunger from Tacoma. Not too many people there except the bar, but they were ridiculously good. Usually I'm up to date with local bands but they got by me, and man do I regret it. I definitely think anyone who likes any kind of metal to check them out! They play about half an hour set and some more people start coming in.
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| Devourment |
Next up is Son Of Aurelius, another band of whom I've never heard. Apparently they have a new vocalist. A young band that brings a lot to the table if you like tech death. Some people start getting into them, some headbanging going on and some moshing, not much though. People were more watching then moving, with good reason cause these guys were good!
Another young band is up by the name of Burning the Masses. I've listened to these guys a little on last.fm but just never got into them, for some reason I just assumed they were a lame deathcore band, not a good misconception! The place now has maybe 50 people on the floor, lots in the bar, a pretty good turnout for a Thursday night. A lot of young people showed up for this show, so at least there are young people who know what good music is. These guys go up and shred and I just watch. Now theres a pretty good pit going, with one or two hardcore dancers. These guys played like one breakdown and of course they hardcore dance.... right next to the pit. So a hardcore dancer hits a mosher in the face and theres almost a fight, but security and other moshers break it up. That was the only time my eyes were off BTM, they had great harmonies and straight riffin just about the whole time. A great band that people should check out if they like bands like The Faceless.
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| Devourment |
Now Knights of the Abyss is up. They have talent, but I think they were on the wrong tour. It couldn't have been easy to follow the other acts, cause they just seemed boring to me. No moshing or headbanging for the most part. I was right in front of the stage so I looked back to see the same kid dancing just about the whole time, but no one cared because these guys just didn't cut it. Great talent, but the other bands just had my expectations raised too high for these guys.
Next up is Devourment, their first time ever in Seattle. They were one of the most heavy, brutal, crushing death metal acts I have ever seen. It was
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| Cattle Decapitation |
like a bulldozer over everyone, just fast crushing riffs and blast beats. It was almost indescribable. They were a great live act, everyone was moving for these guys, I got into a few pits, almost everyone on the ground was either headbanging or moshing. The live experience was great, this is the true meaning of "heavy." On a side note I think its funny and great that the Hardcore dancers left after KOTA.
Finally the headliners: Cattle Decapitation! I got right in the middle of the stage for these guys, the anticipation was great, made even better by the Terminator song played in the dark. Everything about this band was great; one of the most insane guitarists I've ever seen, the bassist was matching a lot of it. The drummer was amazing, and Travis was in my face for most of the show. The performance was complete with his spitting all over the place and catching it. A live performance that can't be described through words. Everyone was moving for these guys too, just good fun moshing. If you have never seen these guys, I recommend that you go out of your way to see them. They played a lot off the Harvest Floor and some older stuff. After they walked off everyone started to chant "Encore! Encore!" They came out again and Travis asked "you guys want another? how about two more?" then he thanked us for staying for all the bands. He said their next song was "The Decapitation of Cattle" and it was about a second long, then he said seriously thanks for coming out and the next song is "The Recapitation of Cattle" and that song lasted about a second and that was it. Very funny guys that are truly in a league of their own. The only performance I've seen better than this was The Dillinger Escape Plan.
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| Cattle Decapitation |
So the tour's just about finished but I highly recommend that you go to see these bands when they come through your town.
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