Archive: reports
Displaying records 121 - 140 of 739 1 2 ... 5 6 7 8 9 ... 36 37 Last
Primordial Wields Lightning Over London
The Islington Assembly Hall in North London is quite an interesting little place. Standing for almost a hundred years, the venue has hosted everything from community meetings to dances to tea parties and now hosts a number of live shows throughout the year. Amusingly for a venue with such innocent events taking place in its history and with the motto "Deus per Omnia" above the stage, it's become a great place to witness black metal, having hosted such bands as Rotting Christ, 1349 and Moonspell. This past Sunday, another of black/pagan metal's most beloved bands took to the stage, as Primordial brought their "Heathen Crusade" tour back to the English capital, four years on from their last visit.
Opening the show was Luxembourgish dark folk band Rome, an outlet for musician Jérôme Reuter, which to date has released fourteen albums. While there's very little to say with regards to stage presence, which features Jérôme along with a drummer (possibly Patrick Damiani) simply performing the songs, saying "thanks" now and then and moving on, there's definitely something to their music. It should be made clear that Rome isn't a metal band, they're more in line with dark folk music, which served as a fine opener for the night's lineup. An interesting listen, which provided enough intrigue to stave off the boredom many metal fans can feel when confronted with something they can't headbang to. More...
Ministry Holds Mass At The Fillmore New Orleans
The Fillmore was brimming with excitement. Though Corrosion of Conformity and The Melvins are fairly regular acts in New Orleans, Ministry is not. The industrial outfit’s last visit to the Crescent City was back in 2015. Though the Melvins were not able to make the show, we found out as COC was playing, the show was no less thrilling.
Corrosion of Conformity, complete with guitarist and vocalist Pepper Keenan, had the amazing skill of making that big venue and wide stage feel really small. We were transported to an old, small, smokey bar somewhere in the backwoods of the deep south as they started into their set that began with “Bottom Feeder,” “Paranoid Opioid,” and “Shake Like You.” Woody Weatherman was deep into his guitar and seemed not to even notice anyone else was in the room with him. Mike Dean would get on the mic to help emphasize Pepper’s vocals, but he was also deep in the groove with Woody.
“You guys want to hear some heavy shit.” Asked Pepper to which the audience enthusiastically responded. They ran through their slow, groovy, whiskey-drenched hits “The Door,” “Vote With a Bullet,” and “Wiseblood.” “How many of you guys like to boogie woogie.” Pepper said before launching into COC’s very popular bangers “Born Again for the Last Time,” “Albatross,” and “Clean My Wounds.” Corrosion of Conformity was able to play all of these great songs because The Melvins were not in attendance.
Before Ministry came out, a foreboding chain-link fence was brought out to the stage. It would separate the band from their audience for most of their show. The lights dropped out, and the colors of the Ukrainian flag splashed across the stage. Ministry made it clear that they stand with the brave people of Ukraine during this current onslaught.
_-_03-24-2022/Ministry/Ministry_7021.jpg)
The band powered onto the stage, seeming like wild animals thrown into a cage. They viciously launched into “Breathe,” “The Missing,” and “Deity.” Al Jourgensen spent very little time behind his glowing green cross-laden podium and instead menaced the audience from behind the fence. He would grab onto it and shake it, nearly toppling it at times.
Al also spoke about the band’s history between songs and explained why he wanted to revisit some of their early records for this tour. To explain one aspect of Ministry’s creation, they performed “Supernaut,” a Black Sabbath cover as spacey visuals illuminated them and a sound bite talked about how youths are doing acid. Two more non-Ministry songs came after, this time from the band Pailhead that Al played with in the 1980s: “Don’t Stand In Line” and “Man Should Surrender.”
Al finally picked up a guitar of his own for “N.W.O.” as visuals of flags from many nations flooded the stage. You could feel the floor tremble when people saw their favorite flag and would jump with joy upon seeing it.
Cesar Soto and Monte Pittman’s guitars were tight and precise. Razor sharp. Roy Mayorga’s drums were prominent and clean among the churning guitars. The juxtaposition of this precision with COC’s bluesy, soulful sound was so interesting. This was a lineup where you used both sides of your brain to take it in.
Paradise Lost And Moonspell Decimate Manchester
As some (mostly British) people will be aware, this week, the grey and frowning island of the United Kingdom has been bleaker than usual over the last few days after being battered by Storm Eunice. With howling winds, pouring rain and temperatures that would make polar bears think twice, this was the perfect setting for the greatest pairing of Gothic icons since Robert Smith played for Siouxie And The Banshees, as Paradise Lost and Moonspell rolled into Manchester for a dream lineup.
Unlike some fortunate venues, there was no Alunah opening tonight, so instead there was plenty of time for people to join a queue (as we Brits love to do!) and pick up merchandise before Portugal's darkest musical export Moonspell took to the stage. As one might expect, there was a strong showing from their most recent effort, "Hermitage," which included the opening number "The Greater Good," as well as mid set numbers "The Hermit Saints" and "Apophthegmata." These new cuts were received well but it should come as no surprise that staples like "Opium" and "Extinct" were greeted with a significantly warmer response. More...
Live Concert Report: 2021 Josefstadt (Day Three)
Josefstadt ended less than a week ago, and the festival already seems like a lifetime has passed since. It doesn’t hurt that I’ve flown halfway across the world during that week and reentered an entirely different life. Anyway, as promised, you can find some photos from the third and final day below.
For my day one report, click here.
If you wish to view/download a much higher resolution of any photo, just click on it before viewing/saving. More...
Live Concert Report: 2021 Josefstadt (Day Two)
Day two of Josefstadt has ended. Before we get into some photos from the day, I wanted to touch on a couple of issues from my day one report.
By late afternoon on day two, there were no signs that fire had ravaged part of the food area on day one. New tents were in place, new signage, new cooking equipment, and everything was back to normal. I’m not sure how such a quick renewal can take place, but someone made it happen.
The sound/lighting booth that I mentioned as being a viewing obstruction on day one was moved back quite a bit for day two. There were still hundreds of people with little or no view behind it during the Marduk and Hypocrisy sets though.
Now for some day two photos.
I felt like Truchło Strzygi had the best performance of the day—very lively and entertaining. Smiles from ear to ear all across the audience.
Kids get in free!
The above photo was taken from the previously mentioned bar area that serves as a balcony of sorts for the Octagon stage. Best view in the house, but, unfortunately, only 15 or so people can fit.
The day three update won’t happen for a few days, as I will be too busy traveling, but it will happen. I promise. I’m really looking forward to Azarath and Mgla today.
More photos (and I mean dozens more) will eventually be posted here.
Live Concert Report: 2021 Josefstadt (Day One)
Day one of the Josefstadt (aka Mini Brutal Assault) Festival is history. Were it not for Covid, this would be a five-day festival, with more than two stages, and several times as many bands. However, I can’t complain as this is still one of the largest metal festivals (if not the largest) that has taken place in the past 18+ months.
The layout is different than it was last year and, of course, very different from Brutal Assault. The large Sea Shepherd stage for Josefstadt is where the Obscure stage was for 2019 Brutal Assault. Fortunately, it isn’t enclosed like Obscure was. I felt somewhat claustrophobic in the Obscure tent in 2019. The Octagon stage is the same as it was for Brutal Assault with the twist that it is opened up to a bar within the fortress. Although a major improvement, the area can still be too crowded and difficult to get in and out of.
There is no large video screen like there is for Brutal Assault. This wouldn’t be a big deal if it wasn’t for the fact that the sound and lighting tents are very wide and not that far from the stage. If you aren’t in front of them, you can’t see the stage, which is why the video screen would be nice. Sound quality is excellent (unless you are in the photo pit between speakers) like it is for Brutal Assault.
And now some photos. More...
Live Concert Report: Vader tours Poland
When MetalDays 2021 was cancelled a few months back I found myself with a free week in Europe. I scanned the concert calendars each week to see if anything would materialize, and finally Vader announced a series of shows in Poland. Poland had always been on my radar as a place I wanted to visit so I began to plan.
Originally, I planned to see Vader in Poznan and then Sunnata the following night in Warsaw before continuing my journey to the Czech Republic. However, Sunnata’s show in Warsaw on July 31 was postponed so I was left with an open Saturday night in Poland.
Nothing else was announced so I ended up going with Vader on back-to-back nights. Vader wasn’t playing alone. They were playing with four other bands so I became familiar with them as well. Gruzja (and KAT, but to a lesser extent) also became interesting to me. Clairvoyance and JAD were the two other bands on the bill.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a band on back-to-back nights, doing essentially the same set, in different cities. Turns out, the second night isn’t nearly as great as the first. I could have, and probably should have, predicted that. Maybe I did. Again, I had an open night so this seemed like something I shouldn’t miss.
Friday night in Poznan began Friday afternoon at the soccer stadium for the local team. I love stadiums, have been to dozens, and have toured, on a more formal basis, at least a half dozen as well. So that’s what I did before the gates opened since the concert venue was just outside the stadium. Vader came to the stadium to eat before the gig so I got to meet them as well.
Poznan crowd
I think we were supposed to stay a meter and a half away from each other and wear masks. Neither of those things happened. Covid-19 is really low in Poland right now so those rules seemed a bit odd—especially since this was an outdoor event. The show was fairly normal in that there was a mosh pit, crowd surfing, people standing, etc.
Gruzja in Poznan (July 30, 2021)
The sound quality was not great, especially near the stage. Near the mixing booth the quality was good. Gruzja and Vader were both excellent in my opinion. Gruzja seemed to attract the younger crowd, KAT the older crowd, and Vader was for everyone.
Gruzja in Poznan
I left during the KAT set as the last trams were about to finish for the evening, and I didn’t want to be stranded. I knew I could see the entire KAT & Roman Kostrzewski set the following evening as the start times were much earlier in Warsaw.
Vader in Poznan
If you haven’t heard of KAT, and are wondering why Vader was opening for them, you are probably not alone. They’ve been around since the late 1970s and were/are huge in Poland. They were/are so big in Poland, that there are actually two versions of the band these days (similar to Venom or Queensryche). However, they have never toured outside of Poland and probably have very little following elsewhere in the world. The version of KAT at these events was with the original lead singer, Roman Kostrzewski. His vocals are very unique so I’m not sure how the other version of KAT is getting along without him. Tim “Ripper” Owens is their vocalist I hear.
Roman Kostrzewski of KAT
Flash forward to night two. I took a three-hour train from Poznan to Warsaw. Note for anyone taking a long-distance train in Poland: Bring your own toilet paper! Anyway, back to the show.
Everything in Warsaw was bigger, much bigger. The stage was probably four times the size as the one in Poznan. The sold out crowd was also several times larger. Despite this, there were only two (extremely slow moving) beer lines. You could easily wait over an hour to purchase a beer! The toilet situation was also bad. Eight porta potties and that was it. No urinals. No one peeing in the bushes. Several of the doors on the porta potties were broken so intruders were common as well. I’ve never seen a worse situation at a planned event like this. I felt especially bad for the ladies.
Massive beer line building before most of the attendees have even arrived
The grounds in Warsaw were also a mess. I don’t think concerts are normally held at this location outdoors. There is an arena nearby that normally holds indoor shows, but that is closed due to Covid. Walking could be hazardous. One step would be on a hard rock and the next would be in quicksand. The benches were mostly wobbly or broken. Sound was, again, not good at all near the stage. I spent most of my time near the mixing booth for OK sound quality.
Food isn’t a necessary option at all concerts—especially if only a band or two are playing and there are nearby eating possibilities with in-and-out privileges. However, this was a five-band concert (over six+ hours) with no nearby food stalls or restaurants or in-and-out privileges. There were zero food offerings--not even a polish dog or some French fries.
I’m not sure what the organizers were thinking. They lost out on a ton of beer and food revenue (not to mention customer satisfaction) by not having food options, more beer lines, and faster moving lines. Maybe this is normal in Poland? I don’t know, but I didn’t see anyone complaining. If this was in Denmark or the USA, people would have been outraged.
Gruzja on the bigger Warsaw stage
As expected, I was a little less enthusiastic about the bands in Warsaw as I was with the Poznan show. This probably had as much to do with the beer situation as it did with the fact that the element of surprise was gone for me, having just seen these performances less than 24 hours prior. Vader seemed to have a lot more pyro going on in Poznan than in Warsaw too. That may have been because they played before dark in Warsaw and after sunset in Poznan.
Vader's set in Warsaw begins (photo taken from my spot in the beer line--55 minutes after I began standing in said line)
When darkness came on the scene in Warsaw so did the bugs. I’m not kidding. Mosquitos by the thousands descended on the crowd shortly after KAT hit the stage and began ravaging everyone’s flesh. I needed some food, some beer, a place to pee, and relief from the swarm of locusts so I split—once again missing the second half of KAT’s set.
Vader and Gruzja will be at Josefstadt in less than two weeks. I’m looking forward to a more comfortable environment there.
Vader in Warsaw - July 31, 2021
2021 Metal Magic Festival (Part Three)
One last take on the 2021 Metal Magic Festival… After this, I won’t clog the MetalUnderground airwaves with anything more from the festival, but I will occasionally post a photo or two, and sometimes with a story, here going forward. Parts one and two are here and here.
Now that I have had a week to reflect on the festival, my biggest regret is that I didn’t watch more bands in their entirety. My other biggest regret is that I didn’t spend enough time talking to new and old friends. So, if I had to do it all over again, I would need this festival to happen twice more—once to see all of the bands from beginning to end and once to miss all of the bands and just sit and talk with the wonderful metalheads who visit this festival every year.
Next year’s festival dates have been announced as July 7-9, 2022. The 2022 Metal Magic Festival will be back at the place where it was held in 2017-2019. The ground has been improved so no more drunken trips over the holes in the ground made by cows. Also, it’s the week before the 2022 Gefle Metal Festival, another small metal festival that shouldn’t be missed. Some years they are on the same days.
And now for the promised "dozen photos or so"…
Illdisposed bassist Onkel Kusse
Crocell frontman Asbjörn Steffensen
Afsky’s sound check was enough to give me chills
Altar of Oblivion
Turbocharged giving a shout out to my home country
Wokeh’s Tiago Dias
Traditional humor and horror in the Metal Magic prop department
Ultra Silvam
Slaegt
Hadron
Helvetets Port providing the background music for someone’s dinner
Evil warning the crowd to “take care of your balls”
Drukner
Furious Trama
Denial of God
Dead Void
Gabestok
Dusk @ 2021 Metal Magic Festival
2021 Metal Magic Festival (Part Two)
The promised “much more thorough review” may never happen, given my time demands and my already fuzzy memory of all of the events that happened at this year’s Metal Magic Festival.
However, I will promise one more post with a dozen photos or so when I have the time to find those photos.
For now, the words of Ronnie Ripper of Turbocharged will sum up my thoughts on the subject.
”Another MMF completed! And there is nothing just "another one" about it, it's been two years and it's in the middle of a worldwide madness that has halted life as we know it, still the grand masters of everything worth living for has succeeded to not only put our little shitty band back on a stage, they have also pulled off the event of the year with no gunpowder spared! Salutes go out to everyone who made Metal Magic Festival the most precious happening on earth yet another year! Life would be shit without you folks, stand tall and keep the spirit alive! Massive thanks from the bottom of my heart!”
The set from Turbocharged was far from shitty. They furiously cranked out a shit ton of covers that had the audience moving, shaking, and smiling—just like Ronnie was as he roamed the grounds of the festival site during all three days.
Metal Magic Festival crowd
Crocell on the indoor stage
Pot of gold at the end of the rainbow
Manoj Ramdas (AKA Viron Vortex) waking up the Friday crowd
Slægt on the indoor stage
Ronnie Ripper and Turbocharged on the outdoor stage at 2021 Metal Magic Festival
2021 Metal Magic Festival
Yesterday, and for the next two days, perhaps the largest metal festival in the world for the past 16 months is taking place in Fredericia, Denmark. The 2021 Metal Magic Festival features two stages, 28 bands, and hundreds in attendance. All attendees must show proof of being fully vaccinated or a negative Covid test.
The venue is a new one this year, with a much larger indoor stage than either of the two prior locations. The lighting and sound indoors is really spectacular, but the audience members must be seated.
This quick overview will be expanded into a much more thorough review, with dozens of photos, when I have some downtime. For now, I must sleep and then get on to day two of the festival.
Metal Magic Festival organizer and guitarist of DemonGrinder, Martin Jørgensen
Wokeh on the indoor stage
Rob Coffinshaker conjurs up a sunset
Live Concert Report: 2021 Metal Aid (Night Two)
For day one, click here.
Night two of 2021 Metal Aid at Amager Bio in Copenhagen, Denmark saw a few more people in the seats despite a UEFA Euro 2020 match, featuring Denmark, happening simultaneously. Between bands I noticed a number of Metal Aid attendees checking their phones for score updates. Alas, even with an early Danish goal, Belgium came back to defeat the Danes 2-1. Everyone was better off focusing on the music.
Night two consisted of Demolizer, Withering Surface, Slægt, and Artillery. Withering Surface and Artillery have been around for decades, while Demolizer and Slægt are on the younger side. Slægt has actually existed for a decade now, even though the members of the band are still in their 20s. The current lineup has been active for six years.
Demolizer got the crowd going with their brand of thrash metal. Young and old seemed to enjoy their energy and spirit. While there were moments of crossover and punk, I was pleased that they were more in the thrash category than what I was expecting.
Withering Surface were next. After a farewell concert in 2005, Withering Surface disbanded. In 2019 they reformed, wrote a new album which was released in 2020, and were booked to play a number of shows, including 2020 Copenhell and Metal Magic. Covid-19 wiped out most of those opportunities, or at least postponed them, so Metal Aid was their first performance in front of a crowd this large in over 15 years. They did get in a few small gigs in 2020 before Denmark went back into lockdown.
They will be at the 2021 Metal Magic Festival in a few weeks. When Michael H. Andersen, the vocalist for Withering Surface and co-owner of Mighty Music along with many other metal titles, asked the crowd how many had seen them at the 1999 Roskilde Festival, not many hands went up. Some of the youngsters in the crowd probably weren’t even born yet. Perhaps one or two were conceived at the 1999 Roskilde Festival. Nergal, of Behemoth, would not be surprised if such a conception were to have occurred.
If you are a fan of Melodic Groove Metal and haven’t heard Withering Surface before, check out their old stuff or their 2020 album, “Meet Your Maker”.
For me, and several others that I spoke with, the highlight of Metal Aid was Slægt. Since 2017 they have been one of my top ten favorite bands, and I don’t see them falling off that list anytime soon. Their last two albums and a 2019 EP are fantastic. Their live performances are always outstanding, energetic, and smile producing. Don't be surprised if they release a new album of material in 2022.
I’ve been lucky enough to see them five times now, even though they have yet to tour the USA. When they visit a town near you, don’t miss it! I would love to see a Slægt world tour with bands like Cloak and Tribulation. Slægt will also be at the 2021 Metal Magic Festival where I will happily see them for the sixth time.
Last, but not least, was the mighty Artillery. It’s been over 30 years since “By Inheritance” frequently made its rounds in my college CD player, but the surviving members continue to impress and deliver the goods.
I saw Artillery at 2016 Copenhell, but I was so jet-lagged and tired that I didn’t make it through more than a song or two before heading home to get some sleep. Artillery went on at Copenhell a 1:15 a.m., and my first act of that day was Solstifir, a full 12 hours earlier. On this evening, at Metal Aid, I was able to relax and enjoy their entire set.
Overall, Metal Aid delivered on the promise of emergency assistance to metal bands and fans alike. Going forward, the metal community can anticipate a return to concerts and festivals that we have so desperately missed during the past 15 months.
Live Concert Report: 2021 Metal Aid (Night One)
“Many, many years ago on a distant shore
Men did gather secretly beyond a hidden door
They travelled long and travelled far
Dark into the night
Yes, this is the place they've chosen
To build the metal site”
No, Metal Church was not one of the bands at Metal Aid 2021. But their lyrics, above, summed up this event for this photographer and reviewer.
Maybe it hasn’t been “many, many years”, but my last live metal show was 2019 Brutal Assault which is more than 22 months ago—certainly the longest drought for me in the past 40 years (when I went to my first concert). I know my situation is not unique.
Travelling long and travelling far was certainly the case as I flew about 6,000 miles combined between three flights and 20+ hours. When I showed my Covid-19 vaccine certificate to security at the door, the guy next to me said something like, “Wow, you came all the way from the USA for this?” I told him I am dedicated.
Capacity at Amager Bio was reduced from over 1,000 standing individuals to a few hundred sitting metalheads. Most would have preferred the former, but with three compression fractures in my spine, I was more than happy to sit for most of the four and a half hours of music.
Night one consisted of Svartsot, Heidra, Ethereal Kingdoms, and Lotan. Svartsot is the only band I had heard of before this mini festival was announced as Svartsot was scheduled to play at Copenhell 2020 and 2021, both of which were cancelled.
Lotan kicked things off. Again, I wasn’t very familiar with the first three bands and didn’t have high expectations based on minimal listenings beforehand, but all three exceeded expectations. I heard some grumblings about Lotan’s performance from some audience members, and maybe the long interval between shows for me reduced my critical ear, but I enjoyed their short set more than I thought I would.
Ethereal Kingdoms were next. They aren’t in my favorite genre of metal (think Nightwish or Within Temptation, although sometimes heavier with very occasional death metalish vocals/growls). Some sort of story seemed to be unfolding during their set. A bloody heart emerged near the end, but the front row was spared any sort of GWAR or Watain blood bath.
A neighbor at the show told me I would really like Heidra as they would feature more of the Scandinavian spirit. He was correct. Heidra was excellent in their presentation and delivery. Combine Amon Amarth, Finntroll, and Alestorm in your head and out pops something similar to Heidra.
Finishing off night one was Svartsot. Like the rest, Svartsot was way better live than I was anticipating. My seat was particularly amusing as I was right in front of Hans-Jørgen Martinus Hansen who alternated between Irish whistles, the mandolin, bagpipes, and his beer throughout the set.
The sound at Amager Bio was perfect. I wandered around the edges and sat in the front row, and the mix sounded great in all locations which isn’t normally the case—especially at indoor venues.
I do have high expectations for night two as seeing Artillery and Slægt were my main reasons for buying a ticket for Metal Aid. A few tickets remain for tonight, but they may be gone before showtime. The other bands tonight are Withering Surface and Demolizer.
Moonspell: Bringing Halloween Home
In the age where livestream shows are becoming the closest thing we have to going to gigs again, the audience has an idea of what to expect. Normally, viewers think that they'll be tuning into a glorified rehearsal, where the band sound tight, but with no one around to cheer. While this does give a more intimate atmosphere (who wouldn't want to hang out with their favourite bands while they run through tracks?) there are plenty of fans who miss the spectacle of a live performance. If ever there was a band that wasn't going to half ass their livestream though, it was Moonspell.
Originally meaning to take place on Halloween night, the Portuguese metal ambassadors were forced to move their show back by a few days, though naturally, it proved to be worth the wait. Those who logged in were treated to a vast selection of songs from the extensive Moonspell catalogue, from their debut "Wolfheart" to their sophomore classic "Irreligious," to the epic concept album, "1755." Appropriately enough for the beginning of the show, it was "Vampira" and "Wolfshade (A Werewolf Masquerade)" which kicked things off. It's been twenty six years since "Wolfheart" hit the shelves but these songs definitely haven't lost their bite or their spirit and sound as fresh as ever, something which can be said of any of the classics and gems brought out on the night. More...
Armored Saint Livestreams A Metal Masterclass
It certainly feel strange to be writing a gig report in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has of course, all but vanquished hope of attending concerts this year and maybe even next year, but nevertheless, some bands have been able to overcome this obstacle and deliver the live experience to fans in their own home through livestreaming. One such band who refused to be denied the opportunity to deliver live renditions of an album they're rightly so proud of, was California's own heavy metal heroes, Armored Saint.
With their new album, "Punching The Sky," released last month through Metal Blade Records, it would have been a crime if fans weren't able to hear the new material in a live setting and so, despite not having an audience, the Los Angeles quintet took to the stage of the famous Whisky A Go Go on October 10th and performed with a passion which would have fooled anyone into thinking the legendary venue was packed to the rafters.
Naturally, the set relied heavily on "Punching The Sky," opening with "Never You Fret," the first of four songs to make their live debut, followed shortly after by "Pay Dirt" from the "Revelation" album. John Bush was in fine voice as always and even got a laugh when turning to the camera, cupping his ear and shouting the live cliche, "I can't hear you!" Those familiar with the new singles, "End Of The Attention Span" and "Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants," were no doubt happy to hear these future live staples performed for the first time as well, in addition to other new songs "Missile To Gun" and "On The Way."
Of course, the classics can't be ignored either and those who tuned in were treated to everything from "Can U Deliver," from their debut full length, "March Of The Saint," to the infectious "Left Hook From Right Field" from 2010's, "La Raza." It was certainly a varied set, with only "Punching The Sky" being represented by more than one song, but it was a fun one, containing other classics like "Reign Of Fire," "Isolation" and "For The Sake Of Heaviness."
All in all, this was an excellent performance from Armored Saint, one which gives hope to fans worried that a live show can't replicate the quality of a live DVD or album. The only thing missing was a room full of rabid fans, as there's no doubt they would have gone absolutely crazy for this performance.
Armored Saint frontman John Bush and bassist Joey Vera each spoke to Metal Underground recently about "Punching The Sky." You can listen to both interviews below. More...
Vader's North American 2020 Tour Destroys Arizona
Vader’s 2020 North American tour is so laden with death metal, it (insert your favorite witty metaphor here…)!!! But in all seriousness, Vader’s supporting act entourage consisting of Abysmal Dawn, Hideous Divinity and Vitriol, is everything a true fan of underground death metal lover could wish for in a tour package. The second date of this death metal mini festival made a stop in Mesa, Arizona recently and even though it’s early in the year, I’m pretty sure I’ll remember to include this specific show when the time arrives to write up my personal “Best of 2020” end of the year lists.
After the only local supporting band finished its short set, Vitriol, the self-described extreme metal band from Portland, Oregon, was able to get the crowd at Club Red to take notice of them immediately. The dual vocal stylings, along with the chaos that ensued onstage, showcased Vitriol as a gritty no-bullshit death metal quartet. Vitriol made the most of their half-hour allotment and by the end of their set, it was very noticeable change how much of the crowd had relocated closer to the stage.
Hideous Divinity from Italy followed Vitriols flawless set. Their style of technical death metal was a mind jolt that the crowd craved on this night chock full of complimenting death metal sub genres. Hideous Divinity was tight, full of kinetic energy and their vocalist, Enrico “H.” Di Lorenzo, looked like he wanted to tear the head off anything that would cross him while he was in the moment. I had never heard of Hideous Divinity before tonight, but their version of death metal prowess will result in me listening to their recorded discography for sure.
Next up from Los Angeles, California, was Abysmal Dawn. This veteran band with more of a traditional death metal style, has been around since 2003. By the time they took the stage, the venue was really starting to fill up. Abysmal Dawn took advantage of this and played an intense set comprised of material from their four full-length albums released to date. To the crowd’s delight, the band announced that their Season of Mist label debut would be released in April of this year.
The time had finally arrived for Vader’s return to Arizona. It has only been three years since their last visit, but it felt like an eternity. Vader is in a class by itself when it comes to death metal, and tonight, they laid waste to Club Red. Setting the tone with “Silent Empire,” Vader ripped through a setlist that blanketed their 30 plus year existence. The precision that Vader nails each and every note is rarely matched within the metal cosmos. They are masters at their respected instruments and vocalist/guitarist Piotr Wiwczarek is one of the most underrated front men in all of heavy metal. At one point he mentioned about the storms they had to go through to get to Arizona and that they brought that storm onstage with them. The rabid crowd roared at this. When Vader finished their encore, there were diehards screaming for another round.
Will Vader continue to make more albums and tour into their 40 year of existence? I wouldn’t bet against it. Vader shows no signs of slowing down and judging by the quality of supporting bands they take on tour with them, they will continue to tour well into their golden years… More...
Jinjer And The Agonist Storm The Thekla
There's been no shortage of awesome tours this year. We've seen thrash legends combine forces, bands from different sub-genres unite and pairings as black and heavy as dark matter. With all these having come and gone, it's exciting to have had one more rumble through the UK, as Jinjer and The Agonist took their European tour to this divided island to unify head bangers. Fortunately, when they came to Bristol, they took the show to the perhaps the best venue in the city, The Thekla, a boat with the grit of old school venues yet the romance of the water.
Opening the show this evening was Space Of Variations, who hail from historically fascinating Ukrainian city of Vinnytsya. Much like their countrymen and headliners Jinjer, the band is pretty hard to define, combining metal, rock, hardcore, rap and some electronic influences. The best way one could describe their sound is Madball meets The Crystal Method. Sometimes having so many different sounds can be too much for a band to pull of live, but this quartet were absolutely superb from start to finish. Frontman Dima Kozhuhar is a particular highlight, radiating with intensity throughout the set, without coming across as trying too hard. Not everyone got to the show early tonight, but those that did will know that the latecomers missed out big time. Hopefully there's big things in store for Space Of Variations. More...
Morbid Angel/Watain/Incantation Heat Up Arizona
After standing in a healthy-looking line outside of Club Red in Mesa, Arizona, I stepped foot inside just as Incantation was finishing their sound check. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like Incantation has been playing third fiddle on some prominent extreme metal tour packages as of late. I’ve written about their solid, yet mundane, sets several times but for the purpose of this Road Report, I’m going to skip over them and start with Watain’s set.
If you’ve been living under a rock during the past few weeks and haven’t checked a metal blog or your Facebook feed, Watain experienced a significant setback before their United States winter trek started. Pelle Forsberg, one of band’s two guitarists, was denied entry by immigrations officials when entering the United States for the tour. Long story short, vocalist Erik Danielsson is taking on bass duties and bassist Alvaro Lillo is playing guitar during this tour.
Did the last-minute changes in the instrumental duties impact Watain’s performance? Not. One. Bit. Watain burned through what I considered a “best of” set that included such favorites as “Sworn to the Dark”, “Reaping Death” and going way back into their vault with “On Horns Impaled.” The pleasant surprise of the setlist however was a cover of GG Allin and The Murder Junkies’ “Fuck Off, We Murder.” This was the perfect choice of a cover tune in regards to the recent chaos they’ve had to endure.
With the headliner up next, I have to admit, this was the first time that I’ve seen and listened to the Steve Tucker version of Morbid Angel. I have heard friends rave about this version of Morbid Angel, so I opened both my mind and ears in order to temper my expectations as “cautiously optimistic.” Trey Azagthoth is still in the line-up, so it still should sound like Morbid Angel, right? Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for my Altars of Madness loving ears…
This next part is difficult to write because Morbid Angel is one of my favorites, if not my FAVORITE death metal band during the era of their first three albums. This current version of Morbid Angel just sounds empty to me, it’s not the same band at all. I’m sure there are reasons why they didn’t play anything off their masterpiece Altars of Madness, but playing a couple of songs off the lackluster Blessed Are the Sick album just didn’t do it for me. The fierce bite that Morbid Angel used to be known for is missing. There’s no movement on stage and that equals no excitement. At least Trey stills shreds…
To end this Road Report mercifully, I’ll just say that this tour package is definitely what heavy music fans in the deserts of Arizona needed to get through this Tuesday night, and Watain was the venom this tour needed to inject some excitement into it.
Lacuna Coil Unleashes The Black Anima In Bristol
It's truly wonderful how many bridges can be built in the realm of metal music. People from all walks of life and countries join together to celebrate the music we love and have a good time and tonight was no different. Three bands from across mainland Europe have come together and put together a tour that no one lucky enough to attend will soon forget, as Lacuna Coil, Eluveitie and Infected Rain joined forces to give headbangers one hell of a show, which was demonstrated perfectly on a cold night in Bristol.
Opening the night, almost as soon as the door opened, was Moldova's own, Infected Rain. After being independent for a while, the band released their first album through a label this year, the superb, "Endorphin," the doors are swinging open for this powerful quintet. Many opening bands struggle on a tour such as this to win over the crowd, but Infected Rain did so with incredible ease tonight. Frontwoman Elena "Lena Scissorhands" Cataraga possesses amazing talent, delivering one of the most flawless vocal performances I've ever seen, while working the crowd to perfection. It was a relatively short set, but a memorable one, which is sure to have won over plenty of new fans. Next time Infected Rain are in the UK, it's sure to be one which will see them perform in front of many of their own fans. More...
Moonspell And Rotting Christ Enchant London
Despite it being Halloween tomorrow, everyone seems to be focused on Christmas already. For metal fans in London however, Christmas came early, despite an eight month wait, as Moonspell and Rotting Christ stormed into the capital to lay waste to all in their path. Both bands initially made their name with black metal releases but have evolved into some of the more unique bands in extreme metal, utilising Gothic and world music influences over the course of their careers to forge two amazing legacies. When it was announced that the two would be embarking on an extensive European tour together, it was something which simply could not be missed.
Opening the night was Silver Dust, a Belgian group very much focused on visuals. The band makes full use of a mirror like video screen they've brought on stage, which includes a guitarist Tiny Pistol dueling with an on screen phantom, trading off parts of the famous Bach composition, "Toccata and Fugue in D minor." The whole performance is very much like a circus show, complete with with vocalist Lord Campbell in full ringmaster mode, sporting a top hat and everything. As for the music itself, it's good. Very good in fact. They might not win over many of the black metal fans in the audience, but for those who appreciate showmanship, catchy tunes with a Gothic twist and something completely different, Silver Dust are a must see. A wonderful way to kick things off. More...
Life Of Agony Airs The Sound Of Scars In London
Alternative metal is a tag that's been given to some of the best bands to arise from the nineties. From Living Colour to Faith No More and everything in between, this loose tag has been placed on groups which may not sound like the archetypal metal band, but bring it just as hard. One such band to be classed as such is Brooklyn's own Life Of Agony, who released three stellar albums in their initial run, before returning with a new album, "Broken Valley" in 2005. Now in their third stage, the new album, "The Sound Of Scars" proves that the band are as good as, if not better than they ever were. Of course, any album release means shows and I was fortunate enough to be in London for the opening night of the trek.
Opening the night was Doyle, the eponymous band of Misfits guitarist Doyle von Frankenstein. If truth be told, I've never been a Misfits fan, but I'm always willing to check out a band in a live setting. I'm glad I did, because Doyle and his crew have put together some really cool songs, bridging the horror punk background with metal to create something interesting. The first thing that catches one's eye when they take to the stage is Doyle himself, who is still in immaculate shape and has his stage get up perfect. The man himself is joined by some top quality musicians too, particularly drummer Wade Murff who was an absolute beast behind the kit, while bassist Brandon Strate kept the ship steady throughout. More...
Displaying records 121 - 140 of 739 1 2 ... 5 6 7 8 9 ... 36 37 Last