The names Anthrax, Black Label Society, and Exodus together on one bill should speak for itself as an absolute dream team lineup for the metal scene.
Tag Archives: Live Reviews
CONCERT REVIEW: Sleep Token – Northlane Live at Albert Hall, Manchester
Albert Hall is a grandiose venue epitomising Victorian-era design, with a high ceiling and ornate plasterwork, and some rather excellent acoustics. My last trip here to see Wardruna was absolutely magical. Walking in about half an hour before the first act Northlane and the venue was already almost entirely filled with dense fog, showcasing pink purple lights and little else, and a room overflowing with excited chatter. Tonight was to prove a night of contrasts the versatile venue was filled with warm tones and cold air
CONCERT REVIEW: Heilung – Eivør – Lili Refrain Live at 013
This tour package is one of the many that were postponed from the pandemic, originally expected in early 2020, but now two years later, Heilung finally returns. Sadly, not with the original support of Gaahls Wyrd, but bringing the equally if differently impressive Eivør, and Lili Refrain. Tonight is a night with a theme of mythic vocals and the gods of old.
CONCERT REVIEW: Misthyrming – Kringa – Ritual Death – Nubivagant Live at Gebr De Nobel
Happy new year! Time for the first show of this very fresh and unsullied year, and what better show than the opening night of the new album tour for Misthyrming. Having almost silently dropped one of the best black metal albums of 2022, Með hamri, in December, Misthyrming are doing a small tour through Europe. They are joined by Kringa, whose 2022 album All Stillborn Fires, Lick My Heart! should also feature high on the black metal 2022 lists, Ritual Death and Nubivagant. As the candles are lit and the skulls put out on their little tables, we’re in for a good evening’s entertainment.
CONCERT REVIEW: Royal Thunder – Spotlights – Boozewa Live at Saint Vitus Bar
1-5-23, St Vitus, Brooklyn, NY
This was a hell of a show from start to finish and the best way I could have started the 2023 year if you want to quantize it that way. Boozewa (ˈbooze-ˌwä), features members of Backwoods Payback, hailing from West Chester, PA started the night off. Good lord, riffmas stayed late this year and treated Brooklyn with a healthy heaping of head-banging, fun time signatures, thick bass, and caveman drums.
CONCERT REVIEW: God Forbid – Bleeding Through – Nora – Shai Hulud – Living Wreckage Live at Starland Ballroom
What year is this!? At the Starland Ballroom on the night of this show, it might have been 1999, as much as it was 2023. Minus the fashion trends of the time. It was a time capsule of metalcore that just aged up to musical perfection with God Forbid’s second reunion show in five months, and Bleeding Through back from hiatus as well. The opening bands included Living Wreckage, which features members from Shadows Fall and Anthrax, plus Shai Hulud, and Nora.
CONCERT REVIEW: Killswitch Engage, Rivers of Nihil, Unearth, and Lybica at the Starland Ballroom
It was a chilly night in December at The Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ for the sold -out Holidaze Rager 2 tour featuring Killswitch Engage, Rivers of Nihil, Unearth, and Lybica. As the parking lot quickly filled up and fans lined up, it was evident we were all about to experience a high-energy show to match the anticipatory buzz of the crowd. The venue has a maximum capacity of 2500 people, and it certainly felt that way as the night developed.
CONCERT REVIEW: W.A.S.P. – Armored Saint Live at The Regency Ballroom
A seasonably cold night in the Bay Area was heated up considerably by old-school, razor-sharp American Heavy Metal riffs on this late November night. All the usual suspects were out in their finest vintage shirts bought on ebay and secondhand spikes and leather as W.A.S.P. made their long-awaited return to North America on their 40th Anniversary tour. The crowd was extra-hopped up (pun intended) from the second I got on line outside the venue. Clearly, people were pre-gaming at nearby watering hole spots like Tommy’s Joynt, The Cinch Saloon, or Harper and Rye.
CONCERT REVIEW: Trinity Of Terror Tour III – Motionless In White, Black Veil Brides, Ice Nine Kills, Atreyu Live at Nashville Municipal Auditorium
Let’s be real—You don’t get to do a tour three times without it being a damn good tour. The Trinity Of Terror, comprised of horror metal icons Ice Nine Kills, Black Veil Brides, and Motionless In White, hit the road together for one more time.
CONCERT REVIEW: Rivers of Nihil – Fallujah – Allegeaon Live at The Asylum, Birmingham
Originally set to feature a very different line-up, the Faces of Death Tour was forced to undergo an almost complete overhaul a few months ago when, for a variety of reasons, Archspire, Black Crown Initiate and To The Grave were all forced to withdraw. With their replacements announced in August, the show was back on with the three new supports eager to prove their worth.