Stone Sour – Pop Evil – Stolen Babies: Live at The House of Blues, Boston, MA

Posted on February 14, 2014 by News Team

Although it has nearly been a year since their last album release, Stone Sour visited fans in Boston on January 22^nd. They brought the post-grunge Pop Evil, and eccentric Stolen Babies with them. The diverse lineup worked well and the audience was in for a night of great music.

Many fans braved single digit temperatures to be at the House of Blues when the doors opened. This allowed openers Stolen Babiesplayed to a large audience. Their latest album was 2012’s Naught and they are currently working on a follow up. The group has recently become a three piece, but the loss did not hinder their performance. Their usual strangeness was present in songs such as ‘Spill’. Lead singer and accordion player Dominique Persei commanded attention with her surprising vocal range and sense of style. Their set may have flown by but viewers were left with either feelings of awe or confusion long after the members left the stage. Presumably not many had seen a band with an accordion playing such a large role at a rock show before.

Rockers Pop Eviltook to the stage with the place nearly packed. They seemed a bit out of place since many of their songs are played in arena and sports related settings, but the audience was enthusiastic nonetheless. The band’s overall sound is best described by their own name: mostly a radio friendly pop sound but with a tinge of heaviness. Their latest album was 2013’s Onyx. Singer Leigh Kakaty’s vocals are comparable to that of Scott Stapp or Chad Kroeger, for the uninitiated. The group kept the energy going throughout their set by playing anthems such as ‘Last Man Standing’. At one point they even did a brief and cheesy cover of Survivor’s ‘Eye of the Tiger’.

The venue was finally full and waiting in anticipation before Stone Sour hit the stage. Fans went crazy as soon as Corey Taylor came out. The band began by playing ‘The House of Gold & Bones’, appropriate since it is the name of their two part release, double-album which they completed last April. A wide range of their material was played including some of their biggest songs: ‘Inhale’, ‘Through Glass’, and ‘Bother’. The only cover they did was Alice in Chains ‘Nutshell’.

Anyone who has ever seen Taylor’s other and more recognized band, Slipknot, can tell Stone Sour’s live presence is far more toned down. The show focuses mostly on Taylor which is a shame since the band is comprised of talented musicians including James Root, who is also from Slipknot. For some songs, it was just Taylor on an acoustic guitar. The encore consisted of two songs, ‘Gone Sovereign’ and ‘Absolute Zero’. Although the show may have left something to be desired in terms of presentation, it was nice to see a different side of Taylor. Here’s hoping he will come back to Boston after the next Slipknot album is released.

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Stone Sour on Facebook

Pop Evil on Facebook

Stolen Babies on Facebook

Words by Melissa Campbell

Photos by Evil Robb Photograpy

Amon Amarth- Enslaved- Skeletonwitch: Live at the House of Blues, Boston, MA

Posted on February 7, 2014 by News Team

By the end of this year, I will be looking back at all of the great shows that have come around in the year 2014. I can guarantee that the evening of February 1^st, at the House of Blues Boston will certainly be one of the first I touch upon. On this evening, the Boston crowd was treated with stand out acts: Skeletonwitch, the almighty Enslaved, and one of the biggest metal bands out there today, Amon Amarth. By the end of this show, I was dehydrated, tired, broke, but oh so very happy with the beating my body, specifically my ears, had taken.

To start off the show with a bang was Ohio’s own black/thrash five-piece, Skeletonwitch. Personally, I knew with an open slot, and a new album out, we would probably see a good selection of newer material. About half of the set was of new material, but boy did they pick out the best tracks! My favorites out of the new tracks were ‘I Am of Death (Hell Has Arrived)’ , ‘Beneath Dead Leaves’, and the ever epic, ‘Burned From Bone.’ The Boston audience was also treated to some older tunes such as the classic, ‘Beyond the Permafrost’, ‘Crushed Beyond Dust’ , and the closer, ‘Within My Blood.’ Even with a shortened set having to be the opening act, Skeletonwitch provided proof as to why they are one of my favorite bands today and they should be yours as well! Just when some thought it was safe to go grab a quick beer or hit the merchandise tables, Enslaved was quickly set up and ready to go.

As Enslaved was walking out to the stage with their intro sample playing, I heard someone behind me say something to the effect of “oh yeah I looked up this band, they are boring.” Let’s just say after the next 45 minutes, they had quite a different opinion of the legendary Enslaved. Of course with such long, wonderfully created songs, you don’t quite get a lot of songs from such a “short” set. Enslaved was able to play six songs for us that night and quite honestly, save one song I still am dying to see performed live, I really can’t complain at their selection! Enslaved’s newest release, RIITIIR, was quite the spectacle after it became available and still grows on me to this day. We fortunately got to hear two very good tracks off of the album. The feverish Boston head-bangers got ‘Death in the Eyes of Dawn’ to open up the set and then got the album-titled song, ‘RIITIIR’ halfway through the set. Even if there were only two newer tracks played, this gave room for some previous favorites like ‘Ethica Odini’ and the usual closing song, ‘Isa.’ It was also a treat to hear an absolute classic, ‘Allfaðr Oðinn’ from the year 1993 (which very well may be older than a portion of the fans in attendance)! Overall, Enslaved has proven the test of time and I do not see them slowing down by not even the smallest of margins. I did get a chance to mention to keyboardist/clean vocalist, Herbrand, over a beer down the street that the next time Enslaved makes their way through Massachusetts that we must hear the amazing single, ‘Roots of the Mountain.’ He seemed to agree with my plea. As if there is any doubt that I would make it to the next Enslaved tour, but this moment certainly cements it.

Finally, it was time for the Swedish Viking Metal Titans, Amon Amarth to make their way to the stage and literally bring us to the might feasting halls of Valhalla to speak of the many tales in Norse Mythology. Before we get into the amazing set that was, I have a slight tale of my own regarding Amon Amarth and Enslaved earlier that day. It quickly became shared throughout the internet that on the very day this tour had come through Boston, that a few members from Amon Amarth and Enslaved were seen at the Boston Bruins hockey game in the newly created, special edition Amon Amarth Hockey Jerseys! These have been on sale throughout the tour and of course, I had to get one. Now back to the show. Starting off the night was the newly made music video song from Amon Amarth’s latest album, ‘Father of the Wolf.’ During this intro, Johan Hegg (vocals) had come out wearing his recently obtained Boston Bruins/Loui Eriksson jersey which led to a hug pop to kick off the set! Since this was the headlining tour for the new Amon Amarth album entitled Deceiver of the Gods, all in attendance were very excited to hear the new material live and did the five Vikings from Sweden ever deliver. Some tracks included ‘Shape Shifter’ , the album title ‘Deceiver of the Gods’ , ‘We Shall Destroy’ , and ‘Warriors of the North.’ Personally I was hoping for ‘Under Siege’ but it was not meant to be. Amon Amarth had made up for this ever so small discretion by playing classics like ‘Death in Fire’ , ‘Free Will Sacrifice’, ‘Destroyer of the Universe’, and ‘The Last Stand of Frej’. Just when it appeared Amon Amarth was going to set sail back to Scandinavia after the single ‘War of the Gods’, they returned for a two song encore to ensure even the greediest of the Bostonians at the House of Blues last night went home happy. The encore consisted of the huge single, ‘Twilight of the Thunder God’ and then wrapped up the night with the sing-a-long ‘The Pursuit of Vikings’. Something about that last song’s opening riff just really gets everyone fired up and it gets me every time I have the pleasure of seeing this band play. Overall, this tour was exactly as I was hoping for. Getting to meet the bands afterwards and enjoy a beer with Herbrand was just icing on the cake after what a great show and overall experience I got to share with some close friends. In all honesty, I wish House of Blues had canceled their rave night that evening so all three bands could have played longer sets or maybe even had a local opener start the show off. At this point, however, I am just being greedy at what was already an early candidate for Show of the Year.

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Amon Amarth on Facebook

Enslaved on Facebook

Skeletonwitch on Facebook

Words: Tim Ledin

Photos: Hillarie Jason Photography

Norma Jean – Vanna – Ken Mode – The Greenery: Live at TT The Bears

Posted on February 6, 2014 by News Team

The Greenery, hailing all the way from California, brought the Cali hardcore scene to Boston. With raw energy behind every song, Matt Lanners demanded everyone’s attention with every word he screamed. What a great way to start off a show with such a killer lineup. Following closely was the noise/sludge group KEN Mode, who have been well-respected on the strength of their recent releases. Having heard so much about this band, I was glad I was given the opportunity to review a show with them on it. The music was a bit slower than any of the other bands on the bill, but a great mix none the less. The drummer and bassist stole the show with not only being about to perform flawlessly, but the way they perform is entertaining in itself. Definitely a band worth checking out if they ever roll through your city!

Boston’s very own, Vanna took the stage with a sort of force to be reckoned with. The energy they have during the set from beginning to end never dropped and the crowd fed off every bit of it. Not one body was standing still. Vocalist Davey Muise was sharing the microphone with anyone who wanted to scream the lyrics with him. He jumped into the middle of the floor into the crowd and had everyone swarm around him while he spoke heart felt words to everyone in the room. They always put on a great show regardless if it’s a small intimate venue, or catering to thousands of kids every day at Warped Tour.

Ending this crazy night was Georgia’s Norma Jean. Ever since the release of Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child, Norma Jean was one of those bands who perfected the metalcore genre. From the moment they took the stage to the end was a non-stop shit show. The crowd was screaming along to songs such as ‘Bastardizer’ and ‘Wrongdoers’. The venue went nuts , with people crawling on stage and jumping on top of each other to get a chance at the microphone during ‘Memphis Will Be Laid To Waste’. During the last song, vocalist Cory Brandan Putman was climbing on top of the side speakers, to jump off from, but was cut short due to the security not allowing such a move. Regardless, the show was what I expected it to be, not one disappointed face leaving the venue.

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Norma Jean on Facebook

Vanna on Facebook

KEN Mode on Facebook

The Greenery on Facebook

Words and Photos by Meg Loyal of Meg Loyal Photography

ASG- Live At The Satellite, Los Angeles CA

Posted on January 28, 2014 by News Team

The Scion AV free shows at the Satellite have been a treat for rock fans who are seeking out new music. This month’s edition with North Carolina’s ASG became a treat for stoner rock fans who were seeking out another opportunity to see these guys rock.

Fresh off of their tour with Weedeater, ASG’s somewhat intimate yet wild beer flinging crowd kept the show interesting. Their music is straight forward, riff oriented stoner rock and chock full of it. Promoting their latest release Blood Drive, the crowd was largely up front, despite the crowd wasn’t exactly packed but still enough people in attendance to make the show anything but dull.

Band vocalist Jason Shi’s delivery came across strong and kept the momentum going very strong. ASG’s riff rock driven sound worked well with the indie oriented crowd surrounding the Satellite, while slinging beer and a mini mosh pit erupted during the band’s set. Fans rocked out along with Shi and fellow guitarist Jonah Citty’s tasty guitar riffs, keeping the momentum alive and rarely letting up.

While their fanbase may not be the largest, ASG put on a powerful show that gave stoner rock fans their fill. They are an act who is super underrated and have yet to reach their fullest of potentials or exposure. Hopefully a bigger tour is in the horizon for these guys and bigger opportunities do occur for them, as they do deserve it.

ASG on Facebook

Scion A/V on Facebook

Rei Nishimoto

Corrections House – Live At The Echoplex, Los Angeles, CA

Posted on January 22, 2014 by News Team

Super-groups have become a dime a dozen aspect in the music world, where players from well recognized bands team up to create music in a variety of ways that allegedly differ from their point of origin. Corrections House is that rare project where four personalities brought together spoken word pieces and experimental rock and metal into an experience beyond what many could truly comprehend.

Corrections House features Mike IX Williams (Eyehategod vocalist), Scott Kelly (Neurosis guitarist), Bruce Lamont (Yakuza saxophonist) and Sanford Parker (Minsk bassist/noted producer who handles keyboards and extra percussion). Their live set consists of their entire Last City Zero CD, along with “Hoax The System”, which closed the set.

The foursome had an interesting set up, as Williams’ lyrics came from his book Cancer As A Social Activity, as he recited lines from it in between songs. The show operated as part experimental metal show and part spoken word set, which blended well and his words were quite powerful yet grim. Lamont and Kelly both traded vocal lines at times with Williams, adding to their atmospheric vibe to their sound. Plus Parker playing the multi-instrumentalist role switching from keyboards to percussion gave them a cold industrial-esque vibe on top of their already darker overtone.

Despite only having a limited amount of material, Corrections House still managed to resurrect a powerful live show and left quite an impression. The four members bring a lot to their overall sound and made it quite the interesting experience. Hopefully this won’t be the end and future material is in the works, either musically or through future writings by Williams or any of the other members. This is something fans of dark, experimental music should not miss as it is unknown how often they will be bringing Corrections House onto the live circuit.

Corrections House on Facebook

By Rei Nishimoto

Protest The Hero – The Contortionist – Affiance – The Kindred: Live At The Palladium

Posted on January 10, 2014 by News Team

I had my apprehensions about seeing Protest The Hero. It’s true. Laugh all you like, but try being absolutely surrounded by prog nerds, and the only longhairs among them are the obviously going to Berklee. The rest also go to Berklee, but don’t look like it. Fine institution, I’ll rib them as I please. Trekking to the Palladium and back in the midst of a snowstorm was no picnic, so if you’re reading this and live in a place without snow and a much more efficient transit system, feel free to lord it over me.

Arriving just in time to catch The Kindred’s set, I couldn’t help but smell something amiss. Was it their front man attempting to be Tommy Rogers of Between The Buried And Me fame, or someone near me not rigorously applying deodorant out of consideration for their fellow showgoer? If you guessed the former, you’re correct, though it would be nothing short of erroneous to not mention that there were some ripe fellows in this lot come to spectate. Talented group of lads, yes, but originality was severely lacking. The inclusion of a song with a sort of call and response and the front man’s getting off the stage to “mosh” with the crowd was charming enough, but I wasn’t exactly won over, having heard many a prog band of their type in all my Palladium-going years.

And to stack on yet another dry slice of derivative sourdough was Affiance. In light of their having convinced themselves that they’re something worth noting in the post-2007 era of progressive metalcore, their singer did boast some pretty sweet range, so that much at least was nice to hear. Otherwise, it was a series of by-the-numbers riffs and breakdowns that make the sober man wish that he could conjure a 40 oz of something vile and intoxicating to dull the edge of having heard it all before. I may sound harsh, but you had to be there to see/hear it for yourself.

We were promised Architects, and they failed to come build as per the contract. We were promised The Contortionist as well, and they couldn’t make it due to being given a fierce snowjob by Mother Nature in return for being talented in the cold season. Hell, even the night’s honorees in Protest The Hero showed up just in time to load in their gear after Affiance finished, so that’s how close we were to being strung out and in need of more noodles.

Now is as good a time as ever to admit that I’ve not been keeping up with Protest The Hero since the phenomenal Fortress, chock full of melody, technicality, and even a breakdown here and there to get the blood moving. I was mentally unready for them to mentally fellate me with the j-rock leaning soar of ‘Mist’ and the techy yet tasty Star Trek themed ‘Clarity’ from their killer new album Volition (Razor And Tie). I fell asleep on this band for a while, but Rody’s live back cracking by a professional chiropractor in the crowd sure as hell woke me up. Oldies, but goodies ‘Sequoia Throne’ and ‘Bloodmeat’ from the aforementioned Fortress made appearances, but sadly no ‘Blindfolds Aside’, which was the song that turned people (myself included) on to them many aeons ago in the first place. All present even got treated to Rody attempting (and failing) freestyle rapping. Let’s hope these influences make themselves plain on Prote$t Tha Hero, Yo’s next studio effort.

Braving the snow and cold was worth it to rekindle my long lost and embrace love of some of prog metal’s , but can someone please tell the heavens to turn up the global thermostat? You’re not kvlt.

Protest The Hero on Facebook

The Contortionist on Facebook

Affiance on Facebook

The Kindred on Facebook

The Worcester Palladium on Facebook

Words: Sean Pierre-Antoine

Slayer – Gojira – 4ARM: Live At The Tsongas Center, Lowell, MA

Posted on December 23, 2013 by News Team

Although Slayer has gone through a lot in the past year, they went on tour to prove that they still got it. The tour was pitched as being a bit of a throwback tour where classic tracks off of their first few albums would be played. Supporting Slayer were the French prog/death metallers Gorjia and the Australians 4ARM.

4ARM were the newest band on the bill and one that not many attendees knew of. The unsuspecting crowd was fairly blown away by them. They are the kind of band that is nothing, but pure metal. 4ARM crushed all with songs like ‘Submission for Liberty’ and ‘Raise a Fist’. At this point in time, the Tsongas Center was mostly empty but those on the floor were right against the stage and rocking out. Their set only lasted six songs; just enough to give the audience a taste of their potential and to make them interested.

Gojira is a name that has grown bigger over the past few years. Those who are not familiar with the music are at least familiar with the name and reputation as a solid metal band. Although different in nature from 4ARM, Gojira much more powerful. They are less thrash and more technical. This showed in the audience’s slow headbanging to songs such as ‘L’Enfant Sauvage’ and ‘The Axe’. People continued to trickle in but no one seemed in a rush to hear them which was a bit of a disappointment for such a great and talented band.

By the time Slayer came on stage, everyone was going wild. It was disheartening to see that much of the arena was still empty. The venue had trouble selling tickets but none could seem to pinpoint whether it had to do with the venue’s location, high ticket prices, or the band lineup changes. No matter. Those faithful fans who still believe in Slayer and their music despite all that had happened over the past year found a way to be there that night.

As promised, Slayer reached back into their history and started off their set by playing the title track off of 1985’s Hell Awaits. Gary Holt and Paul Bostaph fit right in with Tom Araya and Kerry King, which comes as no surprise considering both have played with the band in the past. They had no problem playing the material they had not been a part of. Such classic tracks included: ‘Necrophiliac’, ‘The Antichrist’, ‘Die by the Sword’, ‘Seasons in the Abyss’, and of course ‘Raining Blood’. The only cover they played was Exodus’s ‘Strike of the Beast’, a nod to Holt being a member of the band. Their encore consisted of ‘South of Heaven’ and ‘Angel of Death’, where a banner commemorating Jeff Hanneman was displayed. The audience showed their love for the old music through the set by going as wildly as they could. There were even multiple instances of wheel chair bound crowd surfers! It just goes to show that true Slayer fans will always find a way to have a great time.

Slayer on Facebook

Gojira on Facebook

4ARM on Facebook

Words: Melissa Campbell

Photos: Hillarie Jason Photography

EyeHateGod – Fistula – The Confrontatin: Live At The Presidents Rock Club, Quincy MA

Posted on December 19, 2013 by News Team

I’ve only been to the President’s Rock Club thrice, and I can already say this venue has seen a lot of hilarious shit go down between patrons who are too drunk to care that they’re too crazy to be allowed outside. And Quincy is such a sketchy (read: down-to-earth) place that one could (and did) spark up a fat blunt in front of the door. I met with Rob Williams, (in)famous for his drum talents in foundational Weymouth fastcore crew Siege (83-85), and will forever remain in my mind the guy who was swinging like an enraged welterweight during Fistula.

Now may be a great time to mention that aside from The Confrontation, there was no other band that I had heard anything from that I had enjoyed. Fistula were surprisingly okay, but since local sludge bands aren’t normally my bag (sorry, Grief), I just had to make do and bear, and also avoid being moshed upon. They were kind enough, however, to follow Buzzov*en’s example and throw in some fast hardcore sections, so it was like a calming salve on a festering heroin needle wound.

So the main reason why I showed up was Eyehategod, and understandably, just about the entire audience was zooted in some way shape or form. It was painfully apparent who wasn’t by a complex equation factoring in how close they were standing to the band and how bored they still managed to look even though they were knee deep in ignorance. Mike IX Williams‘ first words to the crowd were, and I quote: “I’m fuckin’ loaded”.

A.A. isn’t for everyone, see. So after making it plain that he hated the fact that there was “football on the thing” (a crowd member said Eyehatesports, ha), the band revved up the trademark ear-piercing feedback that whines miserably with the genre, and instantly a pit formed. Several minutes of this passed, and though pictures fail to capture how Williams truly appeared before the crowd, it was highly evocative of the image of a voodoo swamp priest on the outskirts of their hometown of NOLA, mixing up a foul concoction, awash in his own filth and spilled vodka, preparing for a ritual of bloodletting, sexual deviancy, and foul language. Joey LaCaze (RIP) should have been here to witness this spectacle of brutality and scoffed in the face of sobriety with a building full of people who reconstituted liquor for blood.

Oh, how beautiful the words ‘White Nigger’ sounded on Williams’ foul tongue, and how frighteningly evil the guitars crunched and trudged through murky breakdowns and soggy blues-made-metal riffs, as the bass intros for ‘Shop Lift’, the ‘Sister Fucker’ duology, ‘Dixie Whiskey’, and a lot of other steaming, similarly fetid and feral creations for people who hate music with an ear for music sometimes. If The Melvins were Satanic instead of silly, this would be them. All that separates us from becoming animals is a thin veil of strong, cheap alcohol, recreational drugs, boredom, and ‘Six Pack’ by Black Flag.

Josh from Anal Cunt, however, has no such boundaries to keep himself from punching people in the head on slight provocation by a fellow degenerate (this being Mike IX himself), and I was (un)lucky enough to see this. From the creeping slums of Revere to the sickened wastes of Quincy, hang yourself. Eyehategod doesn’t care about your birthday.

EyeHateGod on Facebook

Fistula on Facebook

Livver on Facebook

The Confrontation on Facebook

Words by Sean Pierre-Antoine

Photos by Chris Small of CWS Photography

Death Angel – 3 Inches of Blood – Revocation – Battlecross: Live At The Middle East, Cambridge, MA

Posted on December 12, 2013 by News Team

On the same day where the streets of Boston were filled with thousands of people for the World Series Championship parade, the after party took place just up Mass Ave at the Middle East Downstairs Night Club. The great thrash titans, Death Angel, came to break down the walls of the Cambridge venue with some help from Battlecross, the local heroes in Revocation, and. Normally, Revocation would play before Battlecross but they switched spots in the lineup as the tour was stopping in Revocation’s home town of Boston. With that said, it was time to get down and grimy with the blue-collar five piece from Detroit.

Battlecross hit the stage and boy do they ever hit it hard. Kicking off the set was my favorite off of the debut album entitled ‘Man of Stone.’ This song does a great job of showcasing all of the different sides of the band. You get the groovy riffs in the chorus, the thrashy bits in the verses, and then the bone-crushing breakdown to close out the song. The Boston crowd was treated to a handful more songs ranging from both albums. Specifically, off the new album, ‘Beast’ made its way onto the group’s set list for this specific tour which is arguably one of the band’s heaviest songs to date! And as most fans could guess, ‘Push Pull Destroy’ was to be the last song of the evening which is always a crowd favorite especially when lead singer, Gumby, tossed the microphone into the crowd to finish off the last few lyrics of the song. Battlecross continues to impress me each show that I see them play and have made a fight to claim my favorite “new” band.

Up next was the technical death metal foursome, Revocation. Having just seen them a few months ago at Summer Slaughter, I was ever so slightly disappointed that they didn’t change the set list up all that much. Having said that, the set list was still a good mixture of songs ranging over three LPs and one EP so I really couldn’t complain all that much. The boys from Boston played new album favorites such as ‘The Hive’, ‘Fracked’, and the hit single ‘Invidious’ to demonstrate what their self-titled, newest album is all about. Fan favorites ‘Dismantle the Dictator’ and ‘No Funeral’ capped off the night for Revocation but to a usual loud ovation. Personally, my favorite moment from this, and most Revocation shows, is how deafening any venue becomes during the gang vocals on ‘Dismantle the Dictator’. Every time I get to hear the crowd sing along with David Davidson, “Overlord! Overthrown!” just really sends the greatest chills up my spine. I don’t know about everyone else, but I think it’s time for Revocation to have a headline tour at very minimum in North America.

Just when the Middle East thought it had enough, 3 Inches of Blood arrived to continue the beat down. As always, I was able to watch someone see the five-piece masterpiece for the first time and it usually involves the phases of 1) shocked facial reaction at Cam Pipes amazing vocals, and then 2) the inability to stand still. The instant classic, ‘Deadly Sinners’ was the loudest moment of the night as the whole Boston crowd was singing along (or should I say, tried to keep up to the vocal range of Mr. Pipes). The set list as a whole was also very impressive as they managed to play some goodies off of the newest release such as ‘Metal Woman’, ‘Leather Lord’, and the salute to Dio tune, ‘Look Out!’ But it did not stop there as Boston got to also hear some old singles as well such as ‘Demon’s Blade’, ‘Crazy Nights’, and the ever popular ‘Goatrider’s Horde’ 3 Inches of Blood never disappoints to make their fans bang their heads, mosh around like warriors, and try to sing far too many octaves out of their own vocal ranges. So to sum all of that up, 3 Inches of Blood yet again try to steal a show and, if it wasn’t for our headliners, they might have pulled it off.

After a quick beer break, it was time for the main event, one of the pioneers of thrash metal back in the flesh, the almighty Death Angel! Having just released a new album, ‘The Dream Calls for Blood’, the Middle East Night Club was anticipating a slew of new tunes to accompany some classics… which is exactly what they got. To be accurate, we were treated to a total of seven new songs off the album which included (but not limited to): ‘Left for Dead’, ‘Son of the Morning’, ‘The Dream Call for Blood’, and ‘Caster of Shame’. We also got to see some past album favorites such as ‘Relentless Revolution’, ‘Claws in So Deep’, ‘Sonic Beatdown’, and ‘Truce’. Additionally, true Death Angel classics like ‘Mistress of Pain’, and ‘Evil Priest’ found their way into the set list and stirred the whole club in to an absolute frenzy where not many people were standing still and that goes for the soundboard guy in the back too! Even I found my way into the pit to let out some aggression with other long haired and bearded metal brothers of all ages. After what seemed like hours of non-stop thrash goodness from the Gods themselves, it was time to wrap the night up with ‘Thrown to the Wolves’. And yes, there was one last hair raising moment left during the chorus as all chanted along in between Mark’s vocals which even now as I jot this down and relive the moment in my mind, my hair is raising yet again. All in all, the whole night was like that for me for each band.

Every band playing that night had their own ways of standing out from each other, but they each were connected by what Death Angel has done for the genre of thrash metal. This tour easily ranks up in the Top 5 shows I have gone to this year which says a lot especially with how successful big name tours like Rockstar Mayhem and Summer Slaughter can be. But let’s be honest here for a moment, wouldn’t you want to be up close and personal with the band in a poorly lit basement of a dance club? If you said yes to that question than you get just how amazing this night was for multiple generations of metal heads that showed up that night. The only question I have left… is where the hell is this Thrashumentary DVD that Death Angel promised? Besides that, I am one happy metal head and you should be too if you were lucky enough to participate.

Death Angel on Facebook

3 Inches of Blood on Facebook

Revocation on Facebook

Battlecross on Facebook

Words: Tim Ledin

Live Photos by Masterphelps

Between The Buried And Me- The Faceless – The Contortionist – The Safety Fire: Live At The Worcester Palladium

Posted on December 12, 2013 by News Team

How does one classify Four Loko? It’s certainly not beer; it tastes far too good for that. It’s not vodka; it’s got the telltale fizz and lack of gasoline aftertaste. It’s certainly not whiskey because it doesn’t taste like hellfire. I’ll just say that it’s the blood of Dionysus and leave it at that. Boy, is it good. Especially if you haven’t eaten, then it just goes straight to your damn face. So in the entirely wrong mindset I went to see Between The Buried And Me. In a familiar moment of brilliance I realized that every band on this tour has the word ‘the’ in their name. Wow. The definite article is king. Some grammarian make a punny joke about that. I digress. This show was also the kickoff night for the 10th Annual Rock and Shock Festival The Palladium puts on.

There was no question about my attendance with this one right here. I had the funds, I had the time, and I still have a huge space in my heart for these North Carolinian wizards whose music is like off-Broadway musicals meets Opeth meets Pink Floyd meets Cave In meets João Gilberto meets Dream Theater if they were good meets Botch meets Freddy Mercury. It’s a clusterbomb of influences that all somehow manages to make writing twenty minute songs excusable in my mind.

But for the openers, because a good review is chronological, should the universe allow me to experience it in such a fashion, and it normally does. The Safety Fire from London (like you didn’t assume they were already, because I sure did and I was right) were an okay primer for what was to come. They play a relatively inoffensive kind of prog metal meets metalcore and some poppy-esque sensibilities. This we call ‘djent’, usually, but some people would rather me not. If I see a duck, I’ll have to call it a hang-glider, which I suppose is technically correct if you feel like a duck while hang-gliding. Don’t be obnoxious to wildlife.

After that little musical handy wrapped up, The Contortionist, now officially rollin’ [blunts] with Mike Lessard of fellow progressive and high-minded –in both ways– Last Chance To Reason, stuck entirely to their mind-blowing new album, Intrinsic (eOne), which just about raised the bar on everything they’ve done on Exoplanet, which was marvelous in its own right. It’s like if elevator music were heavy, but in the best way one could possibly mean it. Simultaneously light, airy, and melodic, yet crushing at a moment’s whim, without the gaps and awkwardness that could come from a lesser band trying to transition from asteroids colliding to doing heroin on an armchair. Hearing ‘Cortical’ live was just too good of a treat, and I hope that while they bring back the oldies on future tours, they keep dazzling my ears with their introspective steaze.

The Faceless have dropped into odd territories with their latest album, Deconsecrate (Summerian), and have essentially become the fat fedora atheists (FFA’s) that one oft encounters vomiting pseudo-intellectual babble onto a forum somewhere, and making themselves hard to agree with even if you share their general viewpoint. I’m all for hailing science, but I wouldn’t write a song or make a shirt about it. But despite this, I’ll always still hold a soft spot for The Faceless on the basis that their first two releases were just sooooo good. And ‘The Eidolon Reality’ was a pretty killer track before it was fucked with until the chorus was so unrecognizably cut up by the dull blades of an overzealous audio technician that it is now the audio equivalent of Joan Rivers’ face. And in that statement I believe I am somehow implying that there was ever any good to be found in JR’s mug to begin with. Other than that, I just found myself patiently appreciating the actually heavy parts of the new songs and reveling in nostalgia during ‘Coldly Calculated Design’ and ‘Xenochrist’, but still sad to see a band I once obsessed over become just an auxiliary band that will play second hurdy-gurdy to something I’m actually stoked on.

And how could one not be stoked on Between The Buried And Me, who are probably one of the three metal bands out of North Carolina that aren’t sludge or doom? Busting out the entirety of Parallax 2: Future Sequence (Metal Blade)? Why yes, I’ll come down and peep that right quick. There’s no such thing as a ceiling when it comes to BtBaM’s sound. It will always continue getting weirder, and the concepts progressively more spacey. They are spacemen. At least I say they are. It’s a marvel that they do this without prolonged exposure to LSD and/or shrooms or just really potent weed. Regardless of nonexistent narcotics, they’ve still got grandiose compositions swirling around in their collective head, with enough artistry as warrants growing a scraggly beard and maintaining a mellow aura despite the music being a mad mix of progressive death metal, hardcore, and cosmic soft rock textures that would send any lesser man cackling into a garret. Scoff with thinly veiled derision if thou may, but taking this whole (awesome) new album to the face in a live setting has just reminded me how much I love these guys. From the metalized surf of ‘Bloom’, to the power-bombing breakdowns of ‘Telos’, the epic headbang territory of closer ‘Silent Flight Parliament’, etc. etc. I’m going to not nerd out, here. It was a good show (great show, even), and we’ll leave it at that.

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Sean Pierre-Antoine

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Category Archives: Concert Reviews: USA