I've been neglecting this blog, and I'm not sure why. Wait, I know why. I'm lazy. And forgetful. Yeah I think that's it. Well the hell with that I say! New year, new gigs. I'm going to start from scratch this time. In fact, I'll start with the final gig of 2010 that I attended.
#0.5
Thunderlip
White Tiger and the Bed of Roses
Salvacion
The Dielectrics
@ the Soapbox (Upstairs) 12/31/10
I'm only counting it as 0.5 since it was technically last year, but ran over into 2011.
This show was pretty rad. Very crowded, and just an overall vibe of "let's party and rock and roll!" And that's just what happened.
I only caught the last half of the Dielectrics set, but they did just fine. Their new song, which they closed with, was pretty rad. Good punk/rnr. They're still a band to me though that I'd prefer to see with other awesome bands instead of by themselves.
Salvacion is a five piece now, Nick taking on frontman duties with Chris Millard coming back on as guitarist. They did a pretty damn good job. Very entertaining stuff from the guys who definitely love their old school metal/70s hard rock. One thing of note other than the expanded lineup was two "Salvacion girls" who were dressed in cut up tees and dancing like they were having the time of their lives. Or like hoochies. I'm not quite sure. Either way, something you don't see every day.
White Tiger did a damn good job, just good solid rock n roll with a bit of a similarity to the Bronx at times. Matt's a great dude if you ever get to meet him, and his venue Reggie's kicks ass too, even if it IS 21+. Carlos from Salvacion (somehow) drummed on the last song, and I say somehow since the guy probably drank more than anyone that night but still did a pretty good job at it.
I hadn't seen Thunderlip in over 4 years (last time was opening for Doomriders/Coliseum, which was also the first time I used my camera for show photos). I wish I hadn't waited so long. To put it lightly, they kicked ass. Chuck's one of the most entertaining frontmen in NC, this time draping himself in Christmas lights and an Elvis jacket while wearing a diaper which seemed to be made of only duct tape. The crowd was going bonkers for most of the set and they played for what felt like an hour, which is pretty crazy for a (sort of) local band. For the last song, they invited everyone onstage who could get on. Most obliged, including the previously mentioned Carlos, who hoisted Chuck onto his shoulders for most of the song. Very entertaining stuff.
#1
Common Enemy
Crows Foot
No Tomorrow
S.O.L.
@ The Opera Room/Soapbox (Downstairs) 01/02/10
Well this started off as an odd one, but turned out awesome thanks to the folks at the soapbox. This was originally scheduled to be at the Opera Room, which hasn't hosted a loud show since 2008's Kontatto/Stinkbom/Pavlichenko gig. That one was fun, but ended badly due to the punk kids and the jocks/marines next door feuding over silly shit outside.
S.O.L. had a LOT of technical difficulties for their first few songs and by the time their 4th song was done, we were informed the cops had been called due to noise complaints from the people behind Opera Room. Thankfully, some phone calls were made and the show was moved to the soapbox downstairs. All was well, minus Opera Room receiving a ticket for noise, which I'm sure will be fixed soon.
When everything was set up again, S.O.L. played a few more songs (including one with a rather ODD mosh part. I had to look around to make sure I wasn't the only one who noticed that). Not bad heavy punk, most interesting thing is that their guitarist is handicapped but still shreds and sings too.
I was expecting to hate Crows Foot based on not being huge on some live footage I saw, but I was completely wrong. Very angry/heavy crust from Florida with a tiny female vocalist. If I had more money I would've bought a 7".
Common Enemy fucking ruled. Just awesome skatepunk/thrash similar to Bones Brigade/Suicide Machines/Municipal Waste. I've always been on the fence about their vocals, but the new guy wasn't bad at all, at least live. The folks who knew who they were went off for em. Again, would've bought something if I had more money.
No Tomorrow did another awesome job like always. I know some people are going to disagree with me, but I like the fact that their fanbase in town is a bit more diverse now. More fun to be had with circle pits. They dusted off the "Police Bastard" cover in honor of the whole clusterfuck with Opera Room.
Damn good pair of shows, nice way to kick off 2011.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Sunday, October 3, 2010
New stuff
Wow I almost forgot about this blog.
Shall have to update soon.
Tonight is Blacktusk, No Tomorrow and Salvacion @ the Soapbox. So, uh, I'm pretty sure this is going to be fun.
Yeah that's it.
Shall have to update soon.
Tonight is Blacktusk, No Tomorrow and Salvacion @ the Soapbox. So, uh, I'm pretty sure this is going to be fun.
Yeah that's it.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
#64-#69
#64
The Black Dahlia Murder
Skeletonwitch
Toxic Holocaust
Trap Them
Oceans Over Monuments
@ The Soapbox (Upstairs) 11/01/09
This one fucking ripped. I thought it was weird that OOM were chosen to open this, but they won a "Battle of the Bands" prior to this, where the prize was an opening slot on the gig. The highlight of their set this time was actually two guys in gorilla masks moshing with each other for a song or two. Quite amusing. Trap Them fucking brought the house down as I expected them to, and they played a few new numbers as well from their upcoming Southern Lord 12". When they closed with "Mission Convincers," Ryan McKenney swung the mic wrong and bopped himself in the head, almost falling onto the audience. I don't think this band can disappoint me. Toxic Holocaust were on fucking fire, as they managed to easily top their performance at the Napalm Death show. That smoke machine certainly helped. Joel Grind is fucking nuts, but a hell of a good frontman. Skeletonwitch are touring off of their just released "Breathing the Fire," and played a few excellent numbers from it. It's almost unfair how every time I've seen these guys, they steal the show from the headliners playing after them. First it was Dying Fetus, then Darkest Hour, and now BDM. Glad they're getting more exposure and popularity. Be glad to see them again with Iron Age, Howl and Mortal Man in Feb. BDM were really good too, though it seemed some of the crowd left after the 'witch were done. And as tight as they were, it just seemed that every opener before them were just tighter and more exciting. I admit I went off when they played "Christ Deformed" and "Statutory Ape." After the show, I went to cookout for a quick bite to eat while feeling the effects of a "Bangover."
#65
Salvacion
Beard of Antlers
@ Reggie's 11/14/09
A real last minute show for us, but it turned into my favorite BOA show by far. Getting to do TWO songs now certainly helped. I got pretty hammered after we played, so I can't recall much about Salvacion's set other than it was very "rocking."
#66
Thanks for Nothin' Fest day 1:
Mobile Deathcamp
Mortal Man
Critical Assault
Weapon of Choice
Thou Shall Burn
Dim the Darklit
Wrathlord
Children of the Reptile
Exhume the Martyr
Nemesis of Reason
@ Lucky's Pub 11/27/09
This was a long one that was mercifully saved by the last two bands of the day. I missed NOR, and should have missed Exhume the Martyr. COTR were cool, very traditional sounding metal, but a little sloppy. Admittedly, they don't have a lot of gigs under their belt so that gives them a little time to improve. Even though they busted out a Slayer cover this time (Disciple btw), Wrathlord actually bored me. Dim the Darklit aren't nearly as bad as they used to be, but there is still a LOT wrong with them. I only saw a snippet or so of Thou Shall Burn but that was enough. How is it that EVERY band that comes out Fayetteville is fucking awful? I missed Weapon of Choice, but from what people were saying, it sounds like I didn't miss much. I really don't like Critical Assault, so I actually went next door to do Karaoke at Slick and Red's. Yes the place sucks, but I'll take this form of bad singing over theirs. I did one song, then went back to Lucky's only to see these asshats covering "Nymphetamine" by Cradle of Filth! They went to the trouble of getting a very uncomfortable looking woman to do backup vocals for them, and she covered Liv Kristine's part of the song. Awkward to say the least. Band still sucks though. Mortal Man finally came on and fucking killed it, though they should have played longer if you ask me. I know most people wouldn't give them a chance due to them featuring an ex-member of Gwar, but Mobile Deathcamp were actually really fucking tight like the last time they played. All the older metalheads lost their minds when they did their "Emerald" cover and most people seemed to really dig em. Glad they played to more than 10 people this time.
#67
Thanks for Nothin' Fest Day 2:
The Classic Struggle
Acirema
Death of an Idol
Wake Up Burning
Oceans Over Monuments
Pyrates
Storm the Gates
A Sunset Mourning
Venger
Gorenivore
Enuresis M.D.
@ Lucky's Pub 11/28/09
If Day 1 was all about the metal, this day was more about the metalcore and mosh. Enuresis were atrocious, but they're just starting off so it's somewhat forgivable. That Kids Like Us cover seemed rather unnecessary though. Gorenivore were actually pretty cool despite their ridiculous name, very old school sounding death metal. I missed Venger and made it a mission to skip ASM, who I can't fucking stand. Storm the Gates and Pyrates dropped off due to reasons unknown. OOM did a good job, but it seemed like most of the young crowd just didn't want to mosh for them. Stupid scene drama. Wake Up Burning were very tight for their style of metalcore, probably the most pleasant surprise of the two day fest. DOIA is going to be big, mark my words. They seemed a tad bit more moshy this time, but it actually helped them to be honest. Kids went OFF too. Ironically, Acirema went on next but seemed like they didn't want to be there. Apparently someone had slashed their tires on the way to the show, so I can't blame them for their unpleasant moods. New frontman is good, but not great. TCS closed out, and while they were good, they seemed to attract more "tough guys" this time around than usual, so it seemed to affect most of the crowd's decision to want to mosh. Oh well.
#68
Gollum
Predecessor
Beard of Antlers
Pavlichenko
@ Lucky's Pub 12/04/09
Oy vey two days in a row of this? Wasn't sure if my voice was up for it, but it seemed to do just fine. Pavlichenko had some bad technical difficulties, and their bassist was sick so it forced Daniel and Chris to do most of the vocals. Good, but obviously could have been better. I was kind of amazed by how many people were out there this time, and about how we were well received. Heck even my mom came out to this one! The new Predecessor is nothing like the old one, but that's a bit of a good thing. The new band with Mr. Kyle Watts (former guitarist of the Hottness) on vox is a lot groovier with more emphasis on songwriting it seems. I dug it. I was exhausted after they finished, so I ended up going home and missed Gollum. Sorry guys.
#69
Pavlichenko
Tournament
Beard of Antlers
@ The Soapbox (Upstairs) 12/05/09
The lack of a turnout was a major bummer, but I still had fun. Several bands scheduled to play dropped off, including Wall and Banal. We did alright, my voice gave out for a bit during "my" 2nd song, but I recovered pretty quickly. Tournament were really rad, check em out if you like bands like Torche, Coliseum and Fight Amp. Bought their LP but haven't listened to it yet. Pavlichenko were good, but you could tell they were a bit tired. Jeremy's (bass) vocals seemed to heal though, as he did a few parts here and there this time. The highlight of the whole show was a drunk/coked out girl up front screaming for them though.
That does it for 2009's gigs. I'll assemble a top 10 sometime soon, and probably start over from #1 now that the new year has begun.
The Black Dahlia Murder
Skeletonwitch
Toxic Holocaust
Trap Them
Oceans Over Monuments
@ The Soapbox (Upstairs) 11/01/09
This one fucking ripped. I thought it was weird that OOM were chosen to open this, but they won a "Battle of the Bands" prior to this, where the prize was an opening slot on the gig. The highlight of their set this time was actually two guys in gorilla masks moshing with each other for a song or two. Quite amusing. Trap Them fucking brought the house down as I expected them to, and they played a few new numbers as well from their upcoming Southern Lord 12". When they closed with "Mission Convincers," Ryan McKenney swung the mic wrong and bopped himself in the head, almost falling onto the audience. I don't think this band can disappoint me. Toxic Holocaust were on fucking fire, as they managed to easily top their performance at the Napalm Death show. That smoke machine certainly helped. Joel Grind is fucking nuts, but a hell of a good frontman. Skeletonwitch are touring off of their just released "Breathing the Fire," and played a few excellent numbers from it. It's almost unfair how every time I've seen these guys, they steal the show from the headliners playing after them. First it was Dying Fetus, then Darkest Hour, and now BDM. Glad they're getting more exposure and popularity. Be glad to see them again with Iron Age, Howl and Mortal Man in Feb. BDM were really good too, though it seemed some of the crowd left after the 'witch were done. And as tight as they were, it just seemed that every opener before them were just tighter and more exciting. I admit I went off when they played "Christ Deformed" and "Statutory Ape." After the show, I went to cookout for a quick bite to eat while feeling the effects of a "Bangover."
#65
Salvacion
Beard of Antlers
@ Reggie's 11/14/09
A real last minute show for us, but it turned into my favorite BOA show by far. Getting to do TWO songs now certainly helped. I got pretty hammered after we played, so I can't recall much about Salvacion's set other than it was very "rocking."
#66
Thanks for Nothin' Fest day 1:
Mobile Deathcamp
Mortal Man
Critical Assault
Weapon of Choice
Thou Shall Burn
Dim the Darklit
Wrathlord
Children of the Reptile
Exhume the Martyr
Nemesis of Reason
@ Lucky's Pub 11/27/09
This was a long one that was mercifully saved by the last two bands of the day. I missed NOR, and should have missed Exhume the Martyr. COTR were cool, very traditional sounding metal, but a little sloppy. Admittedly, they don't have a lot of gigs under their belt so that gives them a little time to improve. Even though they busted out a Slayer cover this time (Disciple btw), Wrathlord actually bored me. Dim the Darklit aren't nearly as bad as they used to be, but there is still a LOT wrong with them. I only saw a snippet or so of Thou Shall Burn but that was enough. How is it that EVERY band that comes out Fayetteville is fucking awful? I missed Weapon of Choice, but from what people were saying, it sounds like I didn't miss much. I really don't like Critical Assault, so I actually went next door to do Karaoke at Slick and Red's. Yes the place sucks, but I'll take this form of bad singing over theirs. I did one song, then went back to Lucky's only to see these asshats covering "Nymphetamine" by Cradle of Filth! They went to the trouble of getting a very uncomfortable looking woman to do backup vocals for them, and she covered Liv Kristine's part of the song. Awkward to say the least. Band still sucks though. Mortal Man finally came on and fucking killed it, though they should have played longer if you ask me. I know most people wouldn't give them a chance due to them featuring an ex-member of Gwar, but Mobile Deathcamp were actually really fucking tight like the last time they played. All the older metalheads lost their minds when they did their "Emerald" cover and most people seemed to really dig em. Glad they played to more than 10 people this time.
#67
Thanks for Nothin' Fest Day 2:
The Classic Struggle
Acirema
Death of an Idol
Wake Up Burning
Oceans Over Monuments
Pyrates
Storm the Gates
A Sunset Mourning
Venger
Gorenivore
Enuresis M.D.
@ Lucky's Pub 11/28/09
If Day 1 was all about the metal, this day was more about the metalcore and mosh. Enuresis were atrocious, but they're just starting off so it's somewhat forgivable. That Kids Like Us cover seemed rather unnecessary though. Gorenivore were actually pretty cool despite their ridiculous name, very old school sounding death metal. I missed Venger and made it a mission to skip ASM, who I can't fucking stand. Storm the Gates and Pyrates dropped off due to reasons unknown. OOM did a good job, but it seemed like most of the young crowd just didn't want to mosh for them. Stupid scene drama. Wake Up Burning were very tight for their style of metalcore, probably the most pleasant surprise of the two day fest. DOIA is going to be big, mark my words. They seemed a tad bit more moshy this time, but it actually helped them to be honest. Kids went OFF too. Ironically, Acirema went on next but seemed like they didn't want to be there. Apparently someone had slashed their tires on the way to the show, so I can't blame them for their unpleasant moods. New frontman is good, but not great. TCS closed out, and while they were good, they seemed to attract more "tough guys" this time around than usual, so it seemed to affect most of the crowd's decision to want to mosh. Oh well.
#68
Gollum
Predecessor
Beard of Antlers
Pavlichenko
@ Lucky's Pub 12/04/09
Oy vey two days in a row of this? Wasn't sure if my voice was up for it, but it seemed to do just fine. Pavlichenko had some bad technical difficulties, and their bassist was sick so it forced Daniel and Chris to do most of the vocals. Good, but obviously could have been better. I was kind of amazed by how many people were out there this time, and about how we were well received. Heck even my mom came out to this one! The new Predecessor is nothing like the old one, but that's a bit of a good thing. The new band with Mr. Kyle Watts (former guitarist of the Hottness) on vox is a lot groovier with more emphasis on songwriting it seems. I dug it. I was exhausted after they finished, so I ended up going home and missed Gollum. Sorry guys.
#69
Pavlichenko
Tournament
Beard of Antlers
@ The Soapbox (Upstairs) 12/05/09
The lack of a turnout was a major bummer, but I still had fun. Several bands scheduled to play dropped off, including Wall and Banal. We did alright, my voice gave out for a bit during "my" 2nd song, but I recovered pretty quickly. Tournament were really rad, check em out if you like bands like Torche, Coliseum and Fight Amp. Bought their LP but haven't listened to it yet. Pavlichenko were good, but you could tell they were a bit tired. Jeremy's (bass) vocals seemed to heal though, as he did a few parts here and there this time. The highlight of the whole show was a drunk/coked out girl up front screaming for them though.
That does it for 2009's gigs. I'll assemble a top 10 sometime soon, and probably start over from #1 now that the new year has begun.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
#52-#63
Again, I'm probably gonna be rushing through a few of these. Sorry.
#52
Gollum
Mortal Man
Dim the Darklit
@ Reggie's 08/28/09
Pretty fun one, even Dim the Darklit were better than usual (and that is saying a LOT). I still say that once Mortal Man releases an official demo, this town's music scene is done for. They're not gonna be able to compete. Gollum were good, but I've seen them so many times I'm kind of sick of it.
#53
Down
The Melvins
Weedeater
Haarp
Evil Army
@ House of Blues 09/04/09
My friend David reminded me about this one. Even though it was kind of expensive, and I still hate the House of Blues, I decided to bite the bullet. Good thing I did because this turned into one of my favorite shows of the year. Evil Army were a good start that probably confused a lot of Down's stupider fans, playing a good mesh of horror punk and thrash. It did get a little old admittedly, but they were better than I thought they'd be. Phil even introduced them, as he did the next band, Haarp. Incredibly heavy and evil sludge/death/doom. The singer spent most of his time on the HoB floor. Cool. And of course, the almighty Weedeater, who were thrown on at the last minute, tore it up. They were right up the crowd's alley. It's weird seeing these guys on a big stage as opposed to the Soapbox or Reggie's. I had never seen the Melvins before, but had always wanted to. For this tour, it was technically Melvins/Big Business, which was even better. They were amazingly tight and just all around awesome. I wish they had played a little longer, but I know now that whenever they tour next, I will NOT miss it. No excuses. And finally, it was time for Down. I hadn't seen Down in 7 years (Ozzfest 2002 was the last time) and had a better knowledge of their material now. They played pretty much everything I wanted them to play. Phil sounded awesome, Pepper, Jimmy and Kirk did spectacular jobs, and the two bassists they had rotate (Rex was out for reasons I can't remember) were great too. For the encore, they brought out Big Business and Dixie Dave from Weedeater for a jam at the end of "Bury Me in Smoke." Undoubtedly one of the best encores I've seen in a loooong time.
#54
Pavlichenko
@ The Soapbox (Downstairs) 09/06/09
Pavlichenko played for free. It was part of a DIY weekend thing the soapbox put on. They admittedly weren't in top shape that night, but it was still fun.
#55
Patriot
Death of an Idol
Oceans Over Monuments (sans singer)
@ 16 Taps 09/11/09
Bit of an odd show. Two bands or so dropped off, so it turned into just the three bands mentioned above. OOM did a nice job, but it was weird seeing them without their singer Corey (who couldn't get off work in time to make the show). Death of an Idol is the new band with ex-members of Acirema, Die Like the Rest, and Choose Your Weapon, and they fucking ruled. Kind of like the Classic Struggle at times, but a little thrashier and with better grooves. Plus, how can you not chuckle at Dave's explanation of a song? ("This is about the night I took mushrooms. It's called "The Night I Murdered Everyone.") Patriot ruled too, always good to hear some good old fashioned street punk/oi. Eddie's a great frontman and gave some good speeches. I wish they'd play a little more often.
#56
Kylesa
Tombs
Bison B.C.
Beard of Antlers
@ The Soapbox (Upstairs) 09/17/09
BOA's third show, and our first with some really big bands. Cool. I thought I could have been better, but I remembered more lyrics this time. Good turnout that I think mainly came for us (not trying to sound egotistical I swear). I've always liked Bison B.C. on record, but live is where they shine. They remind me of Mastodon if they decided to stop experimenting and just kept producing riffs galore. Cool. Tombs didn't blow me away at the Isis show, but something must have happened because they were incredible at this one. Their post-metal/black metal mix just seemed more fitting tonight and even though it seemed to bring down the "party and feel good" vibe that was somehow set up from us and Bison B.C., it fucking ruled. Ironically, the guys in the band said they thought they were sloppier tonight. Heh. Finally, Kylesa came on. This show was being advertised as them performing "Static Tensions" from beginning to end. Seeing as how that was one of my favorite records of the year, I was only more excited. I was, however, mildly disappointed after they were done though. I wasn't disappointed with them leaving out "Insomnia for Months" from the previously mentioned record. I was disappointed with the sound man at the Soapbox. Apparently he decided to drink heavily and turn everything up on Laura Pleasants' end, and everything else got shitty sound. Moron. After the ST set, they did a few oldies/goodies like Bottom Line and Descend Within. Nice gig, but good lord I wish the soapbox would fire that sound guy.
#57
Mono
Maserati
@ Local 506 09/25/09
I originally didn't have plans to make this one due to distance and money, but I received a call from my friend Nate in At Half-Mast and he told me he had a free extra ticket. I made a wise choice to accept his offer for the ticket, because this might rank as my top show of the year (it's a tie between this and DEP). The drive to and parking for the venue was a pain, as was most of the crowd, but everything else was absolutely phenomenal. Also, I know some aren't going to approve of this, but I smoked a couple of bowls here and there before and during the show, so they certainly helped as well. I had never really checked out Maserati before, and I'm mad at myself for not doing so. They were amazing. Fantastic post-rock/groove/dance that you just found yourself swaying to whether you could help it or not. If I had more cash, I would have bought an album. I hadn't seen Mono since they appeared with High on Fire back in 2007, but I was blown away then and even more now. They were touring in support of their beautiful and powerful "Hymn to the Immortal Wind" and they played a few selections from it, along with some tracks I recognized from "You Are There." The amount of emotion and just pure beauty (I sound really lame right now, I know) that emanated from them was amazing. I turned from a casual fan into a "holy crap amazing!" fan just after this one. After the show was over, I bought a shirt and the HTTIM double LP, which might be the best piece of vinyl I've ever seen.
#58
Day of Suffering
Pulling Teeth
Moutheater
Peregrine
Wall
@ The Soapbox (Upstairs) 09/26/09
The old time school xVx band reunited for the first time in quite a while and played a good, but not great show. Sourvein dropped off, and Wall were thrown at the last minute. They're a two piece now, but sound just as loud and awesome as before. I liked what I heard of Peregrine online, but wasn't that impressed live. Super nice guys though. Moutheater, however, I wasn't impressed with online but they fucking ruled live. Very noise rock/sludgy. Pulling Teeth were good, but like what happened with Kylesa, the sound guy ruined it. Their set seemed rather tame too considering that I expected a pretty big ruckus for them. DOS were very tight and it was kind of cool seeing so many out of towners screaming their lungs out. I bought a couple of 7"s that night from PT and DOS.
#59
Weedeater
Mortal Man
Akris
@ The Soapbox (Upstairs) 10/03/09
Riverfest weekend. I really don't recall much about Akris, other than them being a two piece with a girl and not being very good. Mortal Man were awesome, but somewhat ruined by the crowd. Weedeater were damn good too, but again, crowd sucked. I should have mentioned ASG were headlining this one, hence why I left early.
#60
Bracewar
Rise and Fall
Creatures
The Network
Robotosaurus
@ The Brewery 10/07/09
How the hell was this underattended? Kids used to love Bracewar in NC (even though I always thought they were kind of boring). Robotosaurus and the Network were on a separate tour that got combined with this one, hence the obvious difference in sound. Robotosaurus were kind of like Converge, but a little sloppier. Their singer seemed quite drunk/angry and didn't like the fact that people on the floor were so quiet/demure. I should mention that them and The Network played on the floor, whereas the others played on the Brewery's actual stage. The Network were much cooler, playing a real frenzied style of metalcore along the lines of Coalesce, Botch and Deadguy. I gotta give their new record a listen. Creatures weren't very exciting, too generic for my tastes. Rise and Fall were amazing. The new songs are putting them in a different league than other hardcore bands. I heard pretty much all I wanted to hear from them. Bracewar sucked. I wanted to see if they'd do better than the previous times I've seen them, but they didn't.
#61
Bane
Blacklisted
Foundation
Folsom
Just Die!
@ The Brewery 10/22/09
This was thankfully saved by the "B" bands. For some reason, the Brewery told people they couldn't leave the venue that night, meaning I had to suffer through the two bands I really didn't want to watch. Just Die! were pretty cool, did a nice "Pay to Cum" cover that got the crowd going off. Folsom were pretty bad, only real highlight was laughing at all the kids moshing for them. I still don't like Foundation either, although I got a kick out of their joke about Greg from the Mongoloids, who was working merch for Blacklisted. Blacklisted were great, though I wish they had played a couple or so more songs. No "Wish" was surprising. I wasn't sure how Bane was going to follow them, but they did an awesome job. Good to see so many people singing along and just having a lot of fun. The new song they played was great, and I got a bit of a chill when Aaron (frontman) talked about his g/f telling him "those highway lines will never love you back." I wanted to try and talk to George from Blacklisted, but didn't get much of a chance and talked to their temporary guitarist, who also plays in Paint it Black. Super nice guy.
#62
Maserati
White Tiger and the Bed of Roses
Coup De Grace
@ The Soapbox (Upstairs) 10/23/09
After being blown away by Maserati at the Mono show, this was a no-brainer. Coup De Grace were surprisingly really good, cool post-rock with a "tech" edge. White Tiger were cool, but a little too "rock and roll" for this show if you ask me. Maserati blew me away again, band is so talented. I got a moment to talk to their drummer and mentioned seeing them at the Mono gig. He seemed a little surprised that I was there seeing them not that long ago. Nice guy. I was shocked and saddened to hear that he passed away only a couple or so weeks later. Terrible loss of an amazing drummer and person. R.I.P. Jerry Fuchs. Your talent will be missed.
#63
Mortal Man
Holy Dirt
Hog
@ Reggie's 10/27/09
Cool gig, every band was awesome. Hog were straight up stoner/sludge goodness from Raleigh with ex-members of Tooth, who were a solid band as well. Should have bought a CD but didn't for some reason. Holy Dirt were awesome, great noise/stoner rock from around Jersey if I remember correctly. They sounded very similar to Fight Amp, which is always a good thing. Mortal Man were, well, Mortal Man. They're making it a habit to cover Nazareth's "Hair of the Dog" now in their set and they do it really fucking well.
#52
Gollum
Mortal Man
Dim the Darklit
@ Reggie's 08/28/09
Pretty fun one, even Dim the Darklit were better than usual (and that is saying a LOT). I still say that once Mortal Man releases an official demo, this town's music scene is done for. They're not gonna be able to compete. Gollum were good, but I've seen them so many times I'm kind of sick of it.
#53
Down
The Melvins
Weedeater
Haarp
Evil Army
@ House of Blues 09/04/09
My friend David reminded me about this one. Even though it was kind of expensive, and I still hate the House of Blues, I decided to bite the bullet. Good thing I did because this turned into one of my favorite shows of the year. Evil Army were a good start that probably confused a lot of Down's stupider fans, playing a good mesh of horror punk and thrash. It did get a little old admittedly, but they were better than I thought they'd be. Phil even introduced them, as he did the next band, Haarp. Incredibly heavy and evil sludge/death/doom. The singer spent most of his time on the HoB floor. Cool. And of course, the almighty Weedeater, who were thrown on at the last minute, tore it up. They were right up the crowd's alley. It's weird seeing these guys on a big stage as opposed to the Soapbox or Reggie's. I had never seen the Melvins before, but had always wanted to. For this tour, it was technically Melvins/Big Business, which was even better. They were amazingly tight and just all around awesome. I wish they had played a little longer, but I know now that whenever they tour next, I will NOT miss it. No excuses. And finally, it was time for Down. I hadn't seen Down in 7 years (Ozzfest 2002 was the last time) and had a better knowledge of their material now. They played pretty much everything I wanted them to play. Phil sounded awesome, Pepper, Jimmy and Kirk did spectacular jobs, and the two bassists they had rotate (Rex was out for reasons I can't remember) were great too. For the encore, they brought out Big Business and Dixie Dave from Weedeater for a jam at the end of "Bury Me in Smoke." Undoubtedly one of the best encores I've seen in a loooong time.
#54
Pavlichenko
@ The Soapbox (Downstairs) 09/06/09
Pavlichenko played for free. It was part of a DIY weekend thing the soapbox put on. They admittedly weren't in top shape that night, but it was still fun.
#55
Patriot
Death of an Idol
Oceans Over Monuments (sans singer)
@ 16 Taps 09/11/09
Bit of an odd show. Two bands or so dropped off, so it turned into just the three bands mentioned above. OOM did a nice job, but it was weird seeing them without their singer Corey (who couldn't get off work in time to make the show). Death of an Idol is the new band with ex-members of Acirema, Die Like the Rest, and Choose Your Weapon, and they fucking ruled. Kind of like the Classic Struggle at times, but a little thrashier and with better grooves. Plus, how can you not chuckle at Dave's explanation of a song? ("This is about the night I took mushrooms. It's called "The Night I Murdered Everyone.") Patriot ruled too, always good to hear some good old fashioned street punk/oi. Eddie's a great frontman and gave some good speeches. I wish they'd play a little more often.
#56
Kylesa
Tombs
Bison B.C.
Beard of Antlers
@ The Soapbox (Upstairs) 09/17/09
BOA's third show, and our first with some really big bands. Cool. I thought I could have been better, but I remembered more lyrics this time. Good turnout that I think mainly came for us (not trying to sound egotistical I swear). I've always liked Bison B.C. on record, but live is where they shine. They remind me of Mastodon if they decided to stop experimenting and just kept producing riffs galore. Cool. Tombs didn't blow me away at the Isis show, but something must have happened because they were incredible at this one. Their post-metal/black metal mix just seemed more fitting tonight and even though it seemed to bring down the "party and feel good" vibe that was somehow set up from us and Bison B.C., it fucking ruled. Ironically, the guys in the band said they thought they were sloppier tonight. Heh. Finally, Kylesa came on. This show was being advertised as them performing "Static Tensions" from beginning to end. Seeing as how that was one of my favorite records of the year, I was only more excited. I was, however, mildly disappointed after they were done though. I wasn't disappointed with them leaving out "Insomnia for Months" from the previously mentioned record. I was disappointed with the sound man at the Soapbox. Apparently he decided to drink heavily and turn everything up on Laura Pleasants' end, and everything else got shitty sound. Moron. After the ST set, they did a few oldies/goodies like Bottom Line and Descend Within. Nice gig, but good lord I wish the soapbox would fire that sound guy.
#57
Mono
Maserati
@ Local 506 09/25/09
I originally didn't have plans to make this one due to distance and money, but I received a call from my friend Nate in At Half-Mast and he told me he had a free extra ticket. I made a wise choice to accept his offer for the ticket, because this might rank as my top show of the year (it's a tie between this and DEP). The drive to and parking for the venue was a pain, as was most of the crowd, but everything else was absolutely phenomenal. Also, I know some aren't going to approve of this, but I smoked a couple of bowls here and there before and during the show, so they certainly helped as well. I had never really checked out Maserati before, and I'm mad at myself for not doing so. They were amazing. Fantastic post-rock/groove/dance that you just found yourself swaying to whether you could help it or not. If I had more cash, I would have bought an album. I hadn't seen Mono since they appeared with High on Fire back in 2007, but I was blown away then and even more now. They were touring in support of their beautiful and powerful "Hymn to the Immortal Wind" and they played a few selections from it, along with some tracks I recognized from "You Are There." The amount of emotion and just pure beauty (I sound really lame right now, I know) that emanated from them was amazing. I turned from a casual fan into a "holy crap amazing!" fan just after this one. After the show was over, I bought a shirt and the HTTIM double LP, which might be the best piece of vinyl I've ever seen.
#58
Day of Suffering
Pulling Teeth
Moutheater
Peregrine
Wall
@ The Soapbox (Upstairs) 09/26/09
The old time school xVx band reunited for the first time in quite a while and played a good, but not great show. Sourvein dropped off, and Wall were thrown at the last minute. They're a two piece now, but sound just as loud and awesome as before. I liked what I heard of Peregrine online, but wasn't that impressed live. Super nice guys though. Moutheater, however, I wasn't impressed with online but they fucking ruled live. Very noise rock/sludgy. Pulling Teeth were good, but like what happened with Kylesa, the sound guy ruined it. Their set seemed rather tame too considering that I expected a pretty big ruckus for them. DOS were very tight and it was kind of cool seeing so many out of towners screaming their lungs out. I bought a couple of 7"s that night from PT and DOS.
#59
Weedeater
Mortal Man
Akris
@ The Soapbox (Upstairs) 10/03/09
Riverfest weekend. I really don't recall much about Akris, other than them being a two piece with a girl and not being very good. Mortal Man were awesome, but somewhat ruined by the crowd. Weedeater were damn good too, but again, crowd sucked. I should have mentioned ASG were headlining this one, hence why I left early.
#60
Bracewar
Rise and Fall
Creatures
The Network
Robotosaurus
@ The Brewery 10/07/09
How the hell was this underattended? Kids used to love Bracewar in NC (even though I always thought they were kind of boring). Robotosaurus and the Network were on a separate tour that got combined with this one, hence the obvious difference in sound. Robotosaurus were kind of like Converge, but a little sloppier. Their singer seemed quite drunk/angry and didn't like the fact that people on the floor were so quiet/demure. I should mention that them and The Network played on the floor, whereas the others played on the Brewery's actual stage. The Network were much cooler, playing a real frenzied style of metalcore along the lines of Coalesce, Botch and Deadguy. I gotta give their new record a listen. Creatures weren't very exciting, too generic for my tastes. Rise and Fall were amazing. The new songs are putting them in a different league than other hardcore bands. I heard pretty much all I wanted to hear from them. Bracewar sucked. I wanted to see if they'd do better than the previous times I've seen them, but they didn't.
#61
Bane
Blacklisted
Foundation
Folsom
Just Die!
@ The Brewery 10/22/09
This was thankfully saved by the "B" bands. For some reason, the Brewery told people they couldn't leave the venue that night, meaning I had to suffer through the two bands I really didn't want to watch. Just Die! were pretty cool, did a nice "Pay to Cum" cover that got the crowd going off. Folsom were pretty bad, only real highlight was laughing at all the kids moshing for them. I still don't like Foundation either, although I got a kick out of their joke about Greg from the Mongoloids, who was working merch for Blacklisted. Blacklisted were great, though I wish they had played a couple or so more songs. No "Wish" was surprising. I wasn't sure how Bane was going to follow them, but they did an awesome job. Good to see so many people singing along and just having a lot of fun. The new song they played was great, and I got a bit of a chill when Aaron (frontman) talked about his g/f telling him "those highway lines will never love you back." I wanted to try and talk to George from Blacklisted, but didn't get much of a chance and talked to their temporary guitarist, who also plays in Paint it Black. Super nice guy.
#62
Maserati
White Tiger and the Bed of Roses
Coup De Grace
@ The Soapbox (Upstairs) 10/23/09
After being blown away by Maserati at the Mono show, this was a no-brainer. Coup De Grace were surprisingly really good, cool post-rock with a "tech" edge. White Tiger were cool, but a little too "rock and roll" for this show if you ask me. Maserati blew me away again, band is so talented. I got a moment to talk to their drummer and mentioned seeing them at the Mono gig. He seemed a little surprised that I was there seeing them not that long ago. Nice guy. I was shocked and saddened to hear that he passed away only a couple or so weeks later. Terrible loss of an amazing drummer and person. R.I.P. Jerry Fuchs. Your talent will be missed.
#63
Mortal Man
Holy Dirt
Hog
@ Reggie's 10/27/09
Cool gig, every band was awesome. Hog were straight up stoner/sludge goodness from Raleigh with ex-members of Tooth, who were a solid band as well. Should have bought a CD but didn't for some reason. Holy Dirt were awesome, great noise/stoner rock from around Jersey if I remember correctly. They sounded very similar to Fight Amp, which is always a good thing. Mortal Man were, well, Mortal Man. They're making it a habit to cover Nazareth's "Hair of the Dog" now in their set and they do it really fucking well.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
#40-#51 (aka about damn time)
I realize it's been ages since I posted a new entry, and I assure you, it wasn't due to a lack of shows. No, it was more like I was just incredibly lazy. Sorry folks. These will be rather short due to me not wanting to be up until 6 in the morning.
#40
Judah Friedlander
@ DC Improv 06/20/09
Dude was very funny. My pop, stepmom and I went to see him during my most recent trip up to Maryland. His openers was pretty damn funny too, making a very clever joke about how Twitter is just a collection of "3 year-old thoughts." Most of his material derives from exaggerated lies, but man are they fucking hysterical. Got to talk to him afterwards about the Feast flicks. Got a picture, but alas it's lost to the world due to it being taken by some random dumb blonde who didn't stay around for me to tell her my e-mail to send it to. Oh well.
#41
Salvacion
Mortal Man
Conquer Me
Wrathlord
@ Lucky's Pub 06/26/09
A.K.A. R.I.P. Conquer Me. It was one of their last shows, for the band would break up not that long after this. It was also Mortal Man's first show at Lucky's Pub, and they killed it. Pretty damn good turnout for this one. Wrathlord started out okay (it's been a year or two since I've seen them, and they haven't changed much), but it got pretty bad towards the end. Conquer Me stuck out like a sore thumb, but they were warmly received anyway. Josh (singer) made a funny little quip about "we're a HARDCORE band!" MM killed like always. Salvacion is the new band with Carlos (who used to run the awesome, but short lived Grind Hut) and they're more akin to old 70s hard rock and metal. Their Rainbow cover made me blow my voice out. Worth it.
#42
Faith Collapsing
Champion of the Sun
Oceans Over Monuments
@ Rumrunners 07/05/09
I was very drunk for this one, and honestly forgot there was a show that night. Luckily had my camera with me, and also happened to sort of enjoy the bands who were on the bill. OOM had added a 2nd guitarist and did pretty well. COTS were fun, but they're kind of suited more for covers, as shitty as that sounds. Faith Collapsing were much better than the previous times I've seen them. Maybe being sloshed helped. Kind of sucks that they're breaking up too. Not a good time to be a Wilmington band.
#43
Energy
Fallen From the Sky
Debaser
Ripper
Hivemind
Already Dead
@ Lucky's Pub 07/06/09
The turnout was pretty weak, but it was good seeing Energy and FFTS back at Lucky's. Already Dead didn't play. Hivemind were pretty cool, and were nice enough to use the pics I took of them on their myspace page. Ripper didn't really impress me the last time I saw them, but something must have happened because they ruled pretty hard here. Solid songs, solid dudes, very funny in between song banter. Debaser were more fast punk, kind of like The Nerve Agents. They did a Descendants cover, but I can't remember it to save my life. Fallen From the Sky continues to be one of the only things on Eulogy that doesn't fucking suck. Kind of surprised that they remembered me from the show the previous year. Energy did a solid job as always, playing most of what the kids wanted to hear, and closed with their Operation Ivy cover. Good times.
#44
The Hammer Bros.
The Bonus Army
The Fake Boys
Fingers Crossed
@ Lucky's Pub 07/08/09
There were maybe about 20 something people here, which is a shame considering almost 100 were out at Lucky's when TBA played with the Carrier. Fingers Crossed were pretty tight. Good energy, good Madball cover. I thought the Fake Boys were pretty disposable. Just standard punk rock. Singer for THB on guitar and vocals. The Bonus Army could have been better. The singer lost most of his vocal "ability" midway through the set and it sounded pretty bland after that. The Hammer Bros. were pretty damn good, but man their set was over pretty quickly. I was a little pissed, though maybe not as much as the band themselves were on stage.
#45
Who's Bad (Michael Jackson tribute)
@ Downtown Wilmington 07/10/09
Gee Golly Jeepers was this crowded! Then again, it was not that long after the King of Pop passed away, so it was understandable. My friends and I were lucky to get a decent view of the stage, but it took a while to find it. I gotta say, tribute acts aren't really my thing, but these guys were really damn good at it. Several different wardrobe changes, with nearly every one of his hit singles (even some from the Jackson 5 era) being played rather well. I'd be willing to catch these guys again in the future, though I hope tickets for their shows aren't going to skyrocket in price. I also got interviewed for the local news that night, which I managed to tape and hear my voice for a few seconds. Reminded me of that "It's Always Sunny..." episode where Mac talks about being on the news.
#46
Poison the Well
Madball
Terror
Trapped Under Ice
Crime in Stereo
The Ghost Inside
War of Ages
This is Hell
Death Before Dishonor
Embracing Goodbye
@ Hooligan's Music Hall 07/12/09
I just want to go out of my way right now and say Hooligan's is the worst venue on the East Carolina shore. Good god that place sucked. Staff were douchebags, prices were ludicrous, NO re-entry whatsoever, and a pretty lousy sound system too. Complaints aside, the show was pretty fun. I missed Embracing Goodbye (big whoop) and DBD (seeing them in Jacksonville, Marinetown, just spells disaster). This is Hell did a good job, but most of the crowd didn't know what to make of them. Performed a Warzone cover that nobody recognized. They even admitted after the show that the Wilmington kids were the only thing that made this show worth anything to them. I skipped War of Ages. Didn't like what I heard. I don't know why I watched The Ghost Inside. Oh wait, yeah I do; I wanted to see them do their American Nightmare cover...which they didn't do. Blargh. It was a pretty painful performance. Crime in Stereo were kind of boring to be honest, which was a shame considering they were the one band I hadn't seen on here that I wanted to see the most. Trapped Under Ice, as expected, brought the insane mosh (including yours truly). New songs sounded pretty good live, even though I can't get into the full-length. Terror did a bang up job as well, though I would have liked to hear a few more old songs. Vogel seemed to be in a great mood. During a brief fight, which made security jump the barricade in order to break it up, he even screamed "Now's your chance! There's no security! Get up here! Get up here!" Gotta love the guy. They got the only stagedives of the night. Madball weren't as good here as they were at the soapbox earlier in the year, but they still did a damn good job. Set seemed rather short. A lot of the crowd left before Poison the Well came on, which was a shame, but I guess I can sort of understand. They did pretty well, but the big stage and barricade kind of ruined any chance for crowd interaction (though it didn't stop most of the bands earlier on). One of the new songs sounded rather post-metalish, which was pretty cool. Overall, for $10, it wasn't a bad show, but any chance for a truly fun "hardcore" show was ruined by the stupidity of the venue.
#47
Evergreen Terrace
Thick as Blood
Unholy
The Word Alive
@ Lucky's Pub 07/13/09
This was the last time Mark from Lucky's said he'll book another big "national" tour, though his announcement of booking Marcy's Playground makes me now question that statement. Such a shame the turnout here was lousy. The Word Alive stank, as did Thick as Blood (who have some pretty damn douchey fans), but Unholy surprised the hell out of me with their patented metallic hardcore. Imagine Advent with a little more "metal" to them and you'd get this band. Evergreen Terrace have officially won me over. I wasn't a big fan when I first saw them two years ago with Hatebreed, God Forbid and Terror, but they've gotten better every time I've seen them. They had barely anybody watching them, but it didn't stop them from playing their hearts out. I got around to talking to their singer Andrew afterwards, and talk about a super nice dude. If I wasn't in a hurry, I would have loved to just chat with the dude for the remainder of the time there.
#48
Dark Castle
Bloody Panda
Beard of Antlers
Burn Heavy
@ The Soapbox (Downstairs) 07/25/09
Oh my. Well, as you may have seen in the other blogspot I have, BOA is the band I sort of/kinda sing for and this was the first gig. And my first time on a stage. I think we did pretty good, though I really didn't have any lyrics written down for my song. People seemed to dig it though. Burn Heavy were, well, heavy. Their guitarist looked just like my friend Mary, so much so that I texted her (then) b/f Mario to tell him. Ha. Bloody Panda were bloody weird, experimental drone/doom with a very quiet and shy Japanese girl howling over the music like something out of a twisted J-Horror film. Most of the crowd could not get into these guys at all, but I thought it was pretty cool. Dark Castle were incredibly loud and slow, just like the first time when I saw them with Blacktusk. I think they went on a little too long, but they were still really good. Think I may have a little crush on their guitarist/singer. *blushes*
#49
Shai Hulud
Reign Supreme
The Carrier
Advent
Signs of Hope
Where it Ends
At Half-Mast
@ Lucky's Pub 08/09/09
The last hurrah for hardcore at Lucky's in a loooong time, seeing as how this would be Scottie P.'s last show for Lucky's, and Mark's last big "tour" he'd book for quite some time. If this is it, then hot damn it went out on a pretty high note! The only band I didn't see was Where it Ends, who I didn't care for a whole lot when I saw them with Death Threat. They broke up only a month after this show though, which kind of bummed me out. At Half-Mast is on what, their 15th lineup? :P Either way, they did an excellent job, and Nate was made to front this band. The new songs were incredible. I always say keep an eye on these guys, because they're going to be huge, and damn it, I still mean it.
I don't honestly remember much about Signs of Hope, other than the hype about them before the show happened. I do remember the Leeway outro they did, which caused the floor to erupt.
Advent were very heavy like last time and got a much better reaction than I thought they'd get. Kids were into it, and not chastising the band for being Christian either (though they never brought it up). They did a new song which was quite good and closed with One Crushing Blow. Good job guys. You're one of my favorite bands in the Carolinas.
The Carrier opened with a new, slow song that set the mood well. They then went into the usual business of things, meaning most of the songs off the CD and all of the 7". The more I listen to these guys and really study the music, I think they're worth the hype. Kids went bananas for em, just like last time.
I was actually more excited for Reign Supreme than I was most of the bands on the bill (give me shit go ahead) and they didn't disappoint. They were down a guitarist from the last time I saw them, and their set was shortened a tad bit because of it. Didn't hurt the intensity of it though. Played most of "American Violence" and some of my favorites from the new one. It's hard NOT to mosh while these guys are playing. Picked up the new record on a limited edition tour press vinyl. Cool.
Shai Hulud had yet another new singer for this tour, and he did a competent job but not a great one either imo. Most of what I knew by them was played, and played rather well. Kids who knew the lyrics were screaming like their lives depended on it. Had a rather good convo with Matt Fox after the show was done. Incredibly nice guy and pretty well spoken.
#50
Doug Stanhope
Mersh
@ Level 5 City Stage 08/11/09
Without a doubt, some of the best standup I've seen in years. Doug's brand of humor isn't for everyone, but if you dig folks like Bill Hicks and George Carlin, you're guaranteed to love his stuff. His opener Mersh was very funny, but only did about 5 minutes worth of material. When Doug came on, he had a bucket full of beer bottles and ice with him. I knew from that sight, I was in for something special. I DEFINITELY knew I was in for something special when I was told they were recording this for a cd. Awesome. I'm in the front row. Or rather, front table. Good god. He was on fire. He went on for I want to say an hour, and none of the material failed. Got to meet him after the show and got a pic too. I can safely say I was a fan that was converted into a superfan after this gig. Go see him if you get the chance to.
I've attached a couple of clips from youtube just in case...
#51
Infernal Stronghold
Pavlichenko
Banal
Stinkbomb
Beard of Antlers
@ The Soapbox (Downstairs) 08/14/09
BOA's 2nd show, and I think I was more comfortable this time around. Didn't hurt that I had actual lyrics this time. Good turnout too.
Stinkbomb did a pretty good job, but they kind of messed up a little towards the end, though they admitted they hadn't practiced for a bit.
Infernal Stronghold actually set up to play next, and played on the floor as opposed to the previous two bands. These guys are going down in my book for one of my 10 best discoveries of the year. Raw and fucking brutal crust punk/black metal from Philly, with some nasty riffs thrown in for good measure. If I had more money on me at that moment, I would have bought a shirt or album.
Banal is a 3-piece powerviolence band that started up not that long ago, and features the bassist from Pavlichenko on guitar/vox. Their set was pretty short (no shit) but pretty good. Liked the song about Street Fighter. Oh how geeky I am.
Pavlichenko played last and did a stellar job like always. Chris Marshall really is one of the best dudes in this town when it comes to booking stellar shows, and he's an awesome drummer to boot.
That's it for now. The rest to come later...
#40
Judah Friedlander
@ DC Improv 06/20/09
Dude was very funny. My pop, stepmom and I went to see him during my most recent trip up to Maryland. His openers was pretty damn funny too, making a very clever joke about how Twitter is just a collection of "3 year-old thoughts." Most of his material derives from exaggerated lies, but man are they fucking hysterical. Got to talk to him afterwards about the Feast flicks. Got a picture, but alas it's lost to the world due to it being taken by some random dumb blonde who didn't stay around for me to tell her my e-mail to send it to. Oh well.
#41
Salvacion
Mortal Man
Conquer Me
Wrathlord
@ Lucky's Pub 06/26/09
A.K.A. R.I.P. Conquer Me. It was one of their last shows, for the band would break up not that long after this. It was also Mortal Man's first show at Lucky's Pub, and they killed it. Pretty damn good turnout for this one. Wrathlord started out okay (it's been a year or two since I've seen them, and they haven't changed much), but it got pretty bad towards the end. Conquer Me stuck out like a sore thumb, but they were warmly received anyway. Josh (singer) made a funny little quip about "we're a HARDCORE band!" MM killed like always. Salvacion is the new band with Carlos (who used to run the awesome, but short lived Grind Hut) and they're more akin to old 70s hard rock and metal. Their Rainbow cover made me blow my voice out. Worth it.
#42
Faith Collapsing
Champion of the Sun
Oceans Over Monuments
@ Rumrunners 07/05/09
I was very drunk for this one, and honestly forgot there was a show that night. Luckily had my camera with me, and also happened to sort of enjoy the bands who were on the bill. OOM had added a 2nd guitarist and did pretty well. COTS were fun, but they're kind of suited more for covers, as shitty as that sounds. Faith Collapsing were much better than the previous times I've seen them. Maybe being sloshed helped. Kind of sucks that they're breaking up too. Not a good time to be a Wilmington band.
#43
Energy
Fallen From the Sky
Debaser
Ripper
Hivemind
Already Dead
@ Lucky's Pub 07/06/09
The turnout was pretty weak, but it was good seeing Energy and FFTS back at Lucky's. Already Dead didn't play. Hivemind were pretty cool, and were nice enough to use the pics I took of them on their myspace page. Ripper didn't really impress me the last time I saw them, but something must have happened because they ruled pretty hard here. Solid songs, solid dudes, very funny in between song banter. Debaser were more fast punk, kind of like The Nerve Agents. They did a Descendants cover, but I can't remember it to save my life. Fallen From the Sky continues to be one of the only things on Eulogy that doesn't fucking suck. Kind of surprised that they remembered me from the show the previous year. Energy did a solid job as always, playing most of what the kids wanted to hear, and closed with their Operation Ivy cover. Good times.
#44
The Hammer Bros.
The Bonus Army
The Fake Boys
Fingers Crossed
@ Lucky's Pub 07/08/09
There were maybe about 20 something people here, which is a shame considering almost 100 were out at Lucky's when TBA played with the Carrier. Fingers Crossed were pretty tight. Good energy, good Madball cover. I thought the Fake Boys were pretty disposable. Just standard punk rock. Singer for THB on guitar and vocals. The Bonus Army could have been better. The singer lost most of his vocal "ability" midway through the set and it sounded pretty bland after that. The Hammer Bros. were pretty damn good, but man their set was over pretty quickly. I was a little pissed, though maybe not as much as the band themselves were on stage.
#45
Who's Bad (Michael Jackson tribute)
@ Downtown Wilmington 07/10/09
Gee Golly Jeepers was this crowded! Then again, it was not that long after the King of Pop passed away, so it was understandable. My friends and I were lucky to get a decent view of the stage, but it took a while to find it. I gotta say, tribute acts aren't really my thing, but these guys were really damn good at it. Several different wardrobe changes, with nearly every one of his hit singles (even some from the Jackson 5 era) being played rather well. I'd be willing to catch these guys again in the future, though I hope tickets for their shows aren't going to skyrocket in price. I also got interviewed for the local news that night, which I managed to tape and hear my voice for a few seconds. Reminded me of that "It's Always Sunny..." episode where Mac talks about being on the news.
#46
Poison the Well
Madball
Terror
Trapped Under Ice
Crime in Stereo
The Ghost Inside
War of Ages
This is Hell
Death Before Dishonor
Embracing Goodbye
@ Hooligan's Music Hall 07/12/09
I just want to go out of my way right now and say Hooligan's is the worst venue on the East Carolina shore. Good god that place sucked. Staff were douchebags, prices were ludicrous, NO re-entry whatsoever, and a pretty lousy sound system too. Complaints aside, the show was pretty fun. I missed Embracing Goodbye (big whoop) and DBD (seeing them in Jacksonville, Marinetown, just spells disaster). This is Hell did a good job, but most of the crowd didn't know what to make of them. Performed a Warzone cover that nobody recognized. They even admitted after the show that the Wilmington kids were the only thing that made this show worth anything to them. I skipped War of Ages. Didn't like what I heard. I don't know why I watched The Ghost Inside. Oh wait, yeah I do; I wanted to see them do their American Nightmare cover...which they didn't do. Blargh. It was a pretty painful performance. Crime in Stereo were kind of boring to be honest, which was a shame considering they were the one band I hadn't seen on here that I wanted to see the most. Trapped Under Ice, as expected, brought the insane mosh (including yours truly). New songs sounded pretty good live, even though I can't get into the full-length. Terror did a bang up job as well, though I would have liked to hear a few more old songs. Vogel seemed to be in a great mood. During a brief fight, which made security jump the barricade in order to break it up, he even screamed "Now's your chance! There's no security! Get up here! Get up here!" Gotta love the guy. They got the only stagedives of the night. Madball weren't as good here as they were at the soapbox earlier in the year, but they still did a damn good job. Set seemed rather short. A lot of the crowd left before Poison the Well came on, which was a shame, but I guess I can sort of understand. They did pretty well, but the big stage and barricade kind of ruined any chance for crowd interaction (though it didn't stop most of the bands earlier on). One of the new songs sounded rather post-metalish, which was pretty cool. Overall, for $10, it wasn't a bad show, but any chance for a truly fun "hardcore" show was ruined by the stupidity of the venue.
#47
Evergreen Terrace
Thick as Blood
Unholy
The Word Alive
@ Lucky's Pub 07/13/09
This was the last time Mark from Lucky's said he'll book another big "national" tour, though his announcement of booking Marcy's Playground makes me now question that statement. Such a shame the turnout here was lousy. The Word Alive stank, as did Thick as Blood (who have some pretty damn douchey fans), but Unholy surprised the hell out of me with their patented metallic hardcore. Imagine Advent with a little more "metal" to them and you'd get this band. Evergreen Terrace have officially won me over. I wasn't a big fan when I first saw them two years ago with Hatebreed, God Forbid and Terror, but they've gotten better every time I've seen them. They had barely anybody watching them, but it didn't stop them from playing their hearts out. I got around to talking to their singer Andrew afterwards, and talk about a super nice dude. If I wasn't in a hurry, I would have loved to just chat with the dude for the remainder of the time there.
#48
Dark Castle
Bloody Panda
Beard of Antlers
Burn Heavy
@ The Soapbox (Downstairs) 07/25/09
Oh my. Well, as you may have seen in the other blogspot I have, BOA is the band I sort of/kinda sing for and this was the first gig. And my first time on a stage. I think we did pretty good, though I really didn't have any lyrics written down for my song. People seemed to dig it though. Burn Heavy were, well, heavy. Their guitarist looked just like my friend Mary, so much so that I texted her (then) b/f Mario to tell him. Ha. Bloody Panda were bloody weird, experimental drone/doom with a very quiet and shy Japanese girl howling over the music like something out of a twisted J-Horror film. Most of the crowd could not get into these guys at all, but I thought it was pretty cool. Dark Castle were incredibly loud and slow, just like the first time when I saw them with Blacktusk. I think they went on a little too long, but they were still really good. Think I may have a little crush on their guitarist/singer. *blushes*
#49
Shai Hulud
Reign Supreme
The Carrier
Advent
Signs of Hope
Where it Ends
At Half-Mast
@ Lucky's Pub 08/09/09
The last hurrah for hardcore at Lucky's in a loooong time, seeing as how this would be Scottie P.'s last show for Lucky's, and Mark's last big "tour" he'd book for quite some time. If this is it, then hot damn it went out on a pretty high note! The only band I didn't see was Where it Ends, who I didn't care for a whole lot when I saw them with Death Threat. They broke up only a month after this show though, which kind of bummed me out. At Half-Mast is on what, their 15th lineup? :P Either way, they did an excellent job, and Nate was made to front this band. The new songs were incredible. I always say keep an eye on these guys, because they're going to be huge, and damn it, I still mean it.
I don't honestly remember much about Signs of Hope, other than the hype about them before the show happened. I do remember the Leeway outro they did, which caused the floor to erupt.
Advent were very heavy like last time and got a much better reaction than I thought they'd get. Kids were into it, and not chastising the band for being Christian either (though they never brought it up). They did a new song which was quite good and closed with One Crushing Blow. Good job guys. You're one of my favorite bands in the Carolinas.
The Carrier opened with a new, slow song that set the mood well. They then went into the usual business of things, meaning most of the songs off the CD and all of the 7". The more I listen to these guys and really study the music, I think they're worth the hype. Kids went bananas for em, just like last time.
I was actually more excited for Reign Supreme than I was most of the bands on the bill (give me shit go ahead) and they didn't disappoint. They were down a guitarist from the last time I saw them, and their set was shortened a tad bit because of it. Didn't hurt the intensity of it though. Played most of "American Violence" and some of my favorites from the new one. It's hard NOT to mosh while these guys are playing. Picked up the new record on a limited edition tour press vinyl. Cool.
Shai Hulud had yet another new singer for this tour, and he did a competent job but not a great one either imo. Most of what I knew by them was played, and played rather well. Kids who knew the lyrics were screaming like their lives depended on it. Had a rather good convo with Matt Fox after the show was done. Incredibly nice guy and pretty well spoken.
#50
Doug Stanhope
Mersh
@ Level 5 City Stage 08/11/09
Without a doubt, some of the best standup I've seen in years. Doug's brand of humor isn't for everyone, but if you dig folks like Bill Hicks and George Carlin, you're guaranteed to love his stuff. His opener Mersh was very funny, but only did about 5 minutes worth of material. When Doug came on, he had a bucket full of beer bottles and ice with him. I knew from that sight, I was in for something special. I DEFINITELY knew I was in for something special when I was told they were recording this for a cd. Awesome. I'm in the front row. Or rather, front table. Good god. He was on fire. He went on for I want to say an hour, and none of the material failed. Got to meet him after the show and got a pic too. I can safely say I was a fan that was converted into a superfan after this gig. Go see him if you get the chance to.
I've attached a couple of clips from youtube just in case...
#51
Infernal Stronghold
Pavlichenko
Banal
Stinkbomb
Beard of Antlers
@ The Soapbox (Downstairs) 08/14/09
BOA's 2nd show, and I think I was more comfortable this time around. Didn't hurt that I had actual lyrics this time. Good turnout too.
Stinkbomb did a pretty good job, but they kind of messed up a little towards the end, though they admitted they hadn't practiced for a bit.
Infernal Stronghold actually set up to play next, and played on the floor as opposed to the previous two bands. These guys are going down in my book for one of my 10 best discoveries of the year. Raw and fucking brutal crust punk/black metal from Philly, with some nasty riffs thrown in for good measure. If I had more money on me at that moment, I would have bought a shirt or album.
Banal is a 3-piece powerviolence band that started up not that long ago, and features the bassist from Pavlichenko on guitar/vox. Their set was pretty short (no shit) but pretty good. Liked the song about Street Fighter. Oh how geeky I am.
Pavlichenko played last and did a stellar job like always. Chris Marshall really is one of the best dudes in this town when it comes to booking stellar shows, and he's an awesome drummer to boot.
That's it for now. The rest to come later...
Thursday, July 16, 2009
#37-#39
I watched almost 20 bands within just one week. Good god.
#37
Victims
Trap Them
Black Breath
Torch Runner
Blck Vise
@ The Brewery 06/08/09
Despite the less than spectacular turnout, this turned out to be quite a rager. Props to Scottie P for booking this one, but a big WTF to whoever handled sound for the show. Vocals were buried for every band except the first one.
Blck Vise were on first and played exceptionally well to whoever decided to come inside and watch them. It was solid heavy punk, though it was a bit of a bummer knowing they were disbanding after only a few more shows.
I don't think I could ever get tired of watching Torch Runner. They're probably the loudest, most pissed-off band in the carolinas and make me slightly less ashamed to live in NC. The new songs fucking killed, and it was actually cool to look around and see members of the other bands into it too. I expect them to blow up in 2009.
Black Breath were on next, and I honestly wish I could say something slightly more intelligent about their performance, but I think I'll just stick with HOLY SHIT! This band fucking destroyed everything. I had downloaded the Razor to Oblivion EP a while ago and while it was fun, I wasn't completely sold on them. After this though, well, consider me a believer. The band played unbelievably tight, and the riffs were all instantly memorable. I don't know when Stockholm became the new Gothenburg, but after hearing bands like these guys, I don't mind at all. If I had more cash, I would have bought a shirt.
Honestly, I love Trap Them. A lot. But every time I've seen them, they destroy live, but are usually upstaged by the bands they perform with (Torch Runner the 1st time, Napalm Death the 2nd time). It really wasn't an exception tonight. That being said, they still did destroy. Playing a lot of material from SIBP, with a couple of tracks from Sleepwell and Seance thrown in for good measure. It was cool to actually see a few more folks into them this time as well, such as when Ryan McKenny went onto the floor for Guignol Serene and a few people (myself included) swarmed him for the end lyrics. Sweet. I took video of them playing "Mission Convincers" and "Gutterbomb Heaven..." which I hope to upload soon.
And now for the sweet finish, Victims from Sweden. It was their 2nd or 3rd time coming to the states if I'm not mistaken, and as they pointed out, their second time in NC. The setlist was quite long, and included quite a few numbers I wanted to hear (This is the End and We're Fucked being the ones I sang along to the loudest). I also got a few props from the band for my Nasum shirt. Thanks dudes. As for the performance, they smoked. D-beat/crust bands are usually never boring live, at least from the ones I've been able to catch before. They seemed to be having a blast from what I could tell. I picked up the new 7" and a "Killer" shirt after the set.
#38
Summer Slaughter 2009:
Necrophagist
Suffocation
Darkest Hour
Winds of Plague
Dying Fetus
Born of Osiris
Origin
Beneath the Massacre
After the Burial
Blackguard
Thou Shall Burn
@ Amo's Southend 06/10/09
My first venture to Charlotte, and it's really all thanks to a certain lady named Amanda who was kind enough to get me and my friend Dylan into the show for free. Good deal if you ask me. I could give a review of Charlotte itself, but that'll be saved for another time.
We got there a little late, thinking we were going to miss Blackguard, but it turns out there was a local opener to the show. It also turns out it was a band I've (sort of) seen before, Thou Shall Burn. They seemed to have gotten a little better since the last time I saw them, but they were still pretty forgettable death metal.
Thankfully, I didn't miss Blackguard. There's been a lot of hype behind these guys (and gal drummer) and I wanted to see if it was justified. After this performance, yeah I'd say they deserve some attention. A nice mix of melodic black/folk metal, with some fairly cheeky lyrics thrown in. The singer's mic kept going in and out, which kind of brought down the mood a little bit, and I personally wished the circle pit they called for had been a little bigger. Oh well. I've gotta give their record a d/l.
After the Burial and Beneath the Massacre were my first of two attempted "breaks," seeing as how neither band has ever really impressed live or on record. I caught a little of the end of both bands. The former is still pretty average, with their Meshuggah riffs being the only interesting part of their set. The latter were a LOT tighter than they were when I saw them 2 years ago (ironically) at Summer Slaughter 2007. Not great, but not as awful as they were once.
Origin were one of the 4 bands I was most excited to see on this, and minus some technical problems that befell the band halfway through their set, they didn't disappoint. Probably some of the most insane musicianship I've ever seen. They didn't play for as long as I had wanted them to, but that was expected. Hopefully they come through the carolinas again.
Born of Osiris were another "break" band for me, and from what I saw of their set was downright BAD. Jesus christ. I really wish all these new "tech" bands would quit with the abundance of breakdowns in their songs. The keyboardist was also mostly useless, serving more as a hypeman than a member of the band.
The last time I saw Dying Fetus, they played an excruciatingly long set at Lucky's Pub. This time, they played a surprisingly short set (5 songs!). Part of me was actually disappointed. Strange. Anyway, they were pretty good. They definitely had the most brutal pit of the day, with seemingly every weightlifter and overweight death metal d00d coming out of their house for their set.
I avoided Winds of Plague like, no pun intended, the plague. Band sucks, their fans suck, only on the tour because their keyboardist is fucking the drummer for Darkest Hour (at least that's what Suffocation's bassist said).
I think I've lost count with how many times I've seen Darkest Hour live, but I'd estimate it's probably between 10-12. That's not a complaint mind you, as they've delivered live almost every time I've seen them. They did a damn good job this time as well, but they were definitely out of their environment. Too many people standing their with blank expressions or just not choosing to do anything for their set. It was kind of cool being recognized by the band themselves though, including getting "you know what to do" spoken to me at the beginning of The Sadist Nation. Picked up Deliver Us on vinyl after the show was over.
Suffocation should have closed this show. I don't think there was any need for ANY band to follow them up after the job they did. As I've stated before, I'm really choosy with death metal, but these guys absolutely slay live. The set was comprised of mostly Blood Oath and Effigy of the Forgotten material. They got quite a nasty circle pit going for Infecting the Crypts. Frank went on a little rant about religion that seemed to go over well with most of those in attendance. Got to remember to find that new record when I get the chance.
I know some folks will crucify me for saying this, but Necrophagist were really boring. On record, I can't take a whole lot of what they do, but live, it was almost unbearable. Guys, at least look like you enjoy what you do. As far as technicality goes, they were on par with their records. But it was still boring.
Afterward, we all decided to hit the road (4 hour drive, oy), but not before we stopped by Waffle House (and I said bye to John Henry of Darkest Hour :P). Again, thanks to Amanda and Derek from Suffocation for being super cool and getting me in.
#39
Dillinger Escape Plan
The #12 Looks Like You
Knife the Glitter
The Lineage
The Reaping
@ The Brewery 06/12/09
It took me almost 6 years to do it, but I finally got to see DEP! Too bad the rest of the lineup wasn't as solid.
Zoroaster and ASG were originally supposed to be support for this show, but for reasons that are still unknown to me, they both dropped off. No big loss with ASG not playing, but I was thoroughly bummed to not see Zoroaster. The blow was more painful, considering who their replacements were.
I honestly wish I could tell you the difference between The Reaping and The Lineage, but I don't really think there were any differences. The music was near-identical, with the same shitty abundance of breakdowns and metalcore/deathcore cliches that I think most people have grown tired of these days (though judging by the moshing both bands got, Raleigh may be helping keep this crap alive). At the very least, as my friend Eli who rode up with me said, they got the place to wake up and show some energy. Doesn't really help their music though.
Knife the Glitter seems to get either a lot of love or a lot of hate from DEP fans who've seen them tour with the band before. I suppose you could say the most interesting parts of their set were the Phil Anselmo spoken word samples thrown in between songs. The music itself, wasn't really my cup of tea (instrumental 3 piece technical post-rock). They weren't terrible like the previous bands, but they weren't terribly interesting.
When I caught #12LLY on Sounds of the Underground two years ago, the best part of their set was their drummer. He was insanely talented, but he parted ways with the band some time ago in order to join Horse the Band (smart move). With him gone, I really didn't want to watch. And I didn't. Eli said they were abysmal though, and he even liked one of their albums.
Finally, after what felt like forever, DEP came on. They opened with a very eerie instrumental piece that apparently is going to be on the new record, and went right into Fix Your Face. The place went up pretty quickly. The band had an insane amount of energy and crazy stage presence, fueled by a light show that surprisingly wasn't annoying and nearly crisp clear sound. DEP had their own sound guy travel with them, which was a smart choice when I think back to the Victims show. The set was comprised of mostly Miss Machine and Ire Works material, with a few oldies (Under the Running Board, Sugar Coated Sour) and rarities (Come to Daddy, When Good Dogs Do Bad Things, Horse Hunter) thrown in for good measure. The audience was eating it up too. They even ate it up when Greg, the singer, tore dangling pieces of the Brewery's ceiling off and threw it at the audience. They loved it when Jeff and Ben, the guitarists, stagedived onto them while still playing perfectly. It was truly magnificent. When they closed with 43% Burnt, the floor almost turned into a blood bath. Everyone who seemed to fatigued suddenly had a burst of energy again, and they went berserk. It was probably the most satisfying performance I've seen this year, and it easily topped all of the other bands I've seen so far.
#37
Victims
Trap Them
Black Breath
Torch Runner
Blck Vise
@ The Brewery 06/08/09
Despite the less than spectacular turnout, this turned out to be quite a rager. Props to Scottie P for booking this one, but a big WTF to whoever handled sound for the show. Vocals were buried for every band except the first one.
Blck Vise were on first and played exceptionally well to whoever decided to come inside and watch them. It was solid heavy punk, though it was a bit of a bummer knowing they were disbanding after only a few more shows.
I don't think I could ever get tired of watching Torch Runner. They're probably the loudest, most pissed-off band in the carolinas and make me slightly less ashamed to live in NC. The new songs fucking killed, and it was actually cool to look around and see members of the other bands into it too. I expect them to blow up in 2009.
Black Breath were on next, and I honestly wish I could say something slightly more intelligent about their performance, but I think I'll just stick with HOLY SHIT! This band fucking destroyed everything. I had downloaded the Razor to Oblivion EP a while ago and while it was fun, I wasn't completely sold on them. After this though, well, consider me a believer. The band played unbelievably tight, and the riffs were all instantly memorable. I don't know when Stockholm became the new Gothenburg, but after hearing bands like these guys, I don't mind at all. If I had more cash, I would have bought a shirt.
Honestly, I love Trap Them. A lot. But every time I've seen them, they destroy live, but are usually upstaged by the bands they perform with (Torch Runner the 1st time, Napalm Death the 2nd time). It really wasn't an exception tonight. That being said, they still did destroy. Playing a lot of material from SIBP, with a couple of tracks from Sleepwell and Seance thrown in for good measure. It was cool to actually see a few more folks into them this time as well, such as when Ryan McKenny went onto the floor for Guignol Serene and a few people (myself included) swarmed him for the end lyrics. Sweet. I took video of them playing "Mission Convincers" and "Gutterbomb Heaven..." which I hope to upload soon.
And now for the sweet finish, Victims from Sweden. It was their 2nd or 3rd time coming to the states if I'm not mistaken, and as they pointed out, their second time in NC. The setlist was quite long, and included quite a few numbers I wanted to hear (This is the End and We're Fucked being the ones I sang along to the loudest). I also got a few props from the band for my Nasum shirt. Thanks dudes. As for the performance, they smoked. D-beat/crust bands are usually never boring live, at least from the ones I've been able to catch before. They seemed to be having a blast from what I could tell. I picked up the new 7" and a "Killer" shirt after the set.
#38
Summer Slaughter 2009:
Necrophagist
Suffocation
Darkest Hour
Winds of Plague
Dying Fetus
Born of Osiris
Origin
Beneath the Massacre
After the Burial
Blackguard
Thou Shall Burn
@ Amo's Southend 06/10/09
My first venture to Charlotte, and it's really all thanks to a certain lady named Amanda who was kind enough to get me and my friend Dylan into the show for free. Good deal if you ask me. I could give a review of Charlotte itself, but that'll be saved for another time.
We got there a little late, thinking we were going to miss Blackguard, but it turns out there was a local opener to the show. It also turns out it was a band I've (sort of) seen before, Thou Shall Burn. They seemed to have gotten a little better since the last time I saw them, but they were still pretty forgettable death metal.
Thankfully, I didn't miss Blackguard. There's been a lot of hype behind these guys (and gal drummer) and I wanted to see if it was justified. After this performance, yeah I'd say they deserve some attention. A nice mix of melodic black/folk metal, with some fairly cheeky lyrics thrown in. The singer's mic kept going in and out, which kind of brought down the mood a little bit, and I personally wished the circle pit they called for had been a little bigger. Oh well. I've gotta give their record a d/l.
After the Burial and Beneath the Massacre were my first of two attempted "breaks," seeing as how neither band has ever really impressed live or on record. I caught a little of the end of both bands. The former is still pretty average, with their Meshuggah riffs being the only interesting part of their set. The latter were a LOT tighter than they were when I saw them 2 years ago (ironically) at Summer Slaughter 2007. Not great, but not as awful as they were once.
Origin were one of the 4 bands I was most excited to see on this, and minus some technical problems that befell the band halfway through their set, they didn't disappoint. Probably some of the most insane musicianship I've ever seen. They didn't play for as long as I had wanted them to, but that was expected. Hopefully they come through the carolinas again.
Born of Osiris were another "break" band for me, and from what I saw of their set was downright BAD. Jesus christ. I really wish all these new "tech" bands would quit with the abundance of breakdowns in their songs. The keyboardist was also mostly useless, serving more as a hypeman than a member of the band.
The last time I saw Dying Fetus, they played an excruciatingly long set at Lucky's Pub. This time, they played a surprisingly short set (5 songs!). Part of me was actually disappointed. Strange. Anyway, they were pretty good. They definitely had the most brutal pit of the day, with seemingly every weightlifter and overweight death metal d00d coming out of their house for their set.
I avoided Winds of Plague like, no pun intended, the plague. Band sucks, their fans suck, only on the tour because their keyboardist is fucking the drummer for Darkest Hour (at least that's what Suffocation's bassist said).
I think I've lost count with how many times I've seen Darkest Hour live, but I'd estimate it's probably between 10-12. That's not a complaint mind you, as they've delivered live almost every time I've seen them. They did a damn good job this time as well, but they were definitely out of their environment. Too many people standing their with blank expressions or just not choosing to do anything for their set. It was kind of cool being recognized by the band themselves though, including getting "you know what to do" spoken to me at the beginning of The Sadist Nation. Picked up Deliver Us on vinyl after the show was over.
Suffocation should have closed this show. I don't think there was any need for ANY band to follow them up after the job they did. As I've stated before, I'm really choosy with death metal, but these guys absolutely slay live. The set was comprised of mostly Blood Oath and Effigy of the Forgotten material. They got quite a nasty circle pit going for Infecting the Crypts. Frank went on a little rant about religion that seemed to go over well with most of those in attendance. Got to remember to find that new record when I get the chance.
I know some folks will crucify me for saying this, but Necrophagist were really boring. On record, I can't take a whole lot of what they do, but live, it was almost unbearable. Guys, at least look like you enjoy what you do. As far as technicality goes, they were on par with their records. But it was still boring.
Afterward, we all decided to hit the road (4 hour drive, oy), but not before we stopped by Waffle House (and I said bye to John Henry of Darkest Hour :P). Again, thanks to Amanda and Derek from Suffocation for being super cool and getting me in.
#39
Dillinger Escape Plan
The #12 Looks Like You
Knife the Glitter
The Lineage
The Reaping
@ The Brewery 06/12/09
It took me almost 6 years to do it, but I finally got to see DEP! Too bad the rest of the lineup wasn't as solid.
Zoroaster and ASG were originally supposed to be support for this show, but for reasons that are still unknown to me, they both dropped off. No big loss with ASG not playing, but I was thoroughly bummed to not see Zoroaster. The blow was more painful, considering who their replacements were.
I honestly wish I could tell you the difference between The Reaping and The Lineage, but I don't really think there were any differences. The music was near-identical, with the same shitty abundance of breakdowns and metalcore/deathcore cliches that I think most people have grown tired of these days (though judging by the moshing both bands got, Raleigh may be helping keep this crap alive). At the very least, as my friend Eli who rode up with me said, they got the place to wake up and show some energy. Doesn't really help their music though.
Knife the Glitter seems to get either a lot of love or a lot of hate from DEP fans who've seen them tour with the band before. I suppose you could say the most interesting parts of their set were the Phil Anselmo spoken word samples thrown in between songs. The music itself, wasn't really my cup of tea (instrumental 3 piece technical post-rock). They weren't terrible like the previous bands, but they weren't terribly interesting.
When I caught #12LLY on Sounds of the Underground two years ago, the best part of their set was their drummer. He was insanely talented, but he parted ways with the band some time ago in order to join Horse the Band (smart move). With him gone, I really didn't want to watch. And I didn't. Eli said they were abysmal though, and he even liked one of their albums.
Finally, after what felt like forever, DEP came on. They opened with a very eerie instrumental piece that apparently is going to be on the new record, and went right into Fix Your Face. The place went up pretty quickly. The band had an insane amount of energy and crazy stage presence, fueled by a light show that surprisingly wasn't annoying and nearly crisp clear sound. DEP had their own sound guy travel with them, which was a smart choice when I think back to the Victims show. The set was comprised of mostly Miss Machine and Ire Works material, with a few oldies (Under the Running Board, Sugar Coated Sour) and rarities (Come to Daddy, When Good Dogs Do Bad Things, Horse Hunter) thrown in for good measure. The audience was eating it up too. They even ate it up when Greg, the singer, tore dangling pieces of the Brewery's ceiling off and threw it at the audience. They loved it when Jeff and Ben, the guitarists, stagedived onto them while still playing perfectly. It was truly magnificent. When they closed with 43% Burnt, the floor almost turned into a blood bath. Everyone who seemed to fatigued suddenly had a burst of energy again, and they went berserk. It was probably the most satisfying performance I've seen this year, and it easily topped all of the other bands I've seen so far.
Monday, July 6, 2009
#35 & #36
#35
Pavlichenko
Plague
Shards
Wall
@ The Soapbox (Downstairs) 06/04/09
A sort of local punk/grind/thrash showing. Unfortunately, I arrived too late to catch Audacity and Surf Nazis on Ecstasy, and I really bummed to miss the latter. I did get there in time to catch Wall, who are still really righteous. I've seen these guys a handful of times already and this might have been the best time. The sound wasn't quite so deafening as it has been in the past, but everything still had the power and intensity it's had in the past.
Shards didn't really impress me. They had good energy and seemed to really be into what they were playing, but I was honestly bored throughout most of their set. Sorry guys.
Plague weren't musically amazing either, but they were more entertaining. The singer was certainly something else. He wore his sunglasses and a big denim jacket for the entirety of their set, and seemed to want to run into everyone, be it on purpose or accidental. He alone was worth the price of admission.
Pavlichenko closed out and did a fine job like always. I wish they'd put out an album already, seeing as how they're too musically talented to be just a "live" band. Great riffs, great dudes, good speed (the music that is).
#36
Indian
Dr. Powerful
Empire State Troopers
@ Reggie's 06/06/09
Weedeater was originally supposed to play this one, but due to a mishap involving Keko, the drummer, damaging/losing his finger after slashing his girlfriend's tires (don't ask), they dropped off. A big blow to the show if you ask me.
Empire State Troopers were kind of interesting. They had a chick singer who didn't really sound like a chick (even when she was talking). They played a mixture of old style hard rock and new school hard rock, meaning there were some songs that hit, and some that really didn't. Nice folks though. They offered a free d/l of their album because I took pics of their set.
Dr. Powerful were on next, and they were yet another band that didn't necessarily fit the bill. Playing kind of post-punk/post-hardcore with some almost dancy beats. Their main singer looked like Nate Newton from Converge/Doomriders fame. Not bad, but I don't think I'd be in a hurry to see them again.
And on next to close the night were Chicago's own doomsters, Indian. I needed some good riffs to really get me back in a good mood, and they definitely provided it. Before I forget to say it, these guys were LOUD. Sunn amps are cool, but in small spaces, they can make your experience painful. They were still pretty damn good though. Their set seemed shorter than the other bands' were. Oh well.
Pavlichenko
Plague
Shards
Wall
@ The Soapbox (Downstairs) 06/04/09
A sort of local punk/grind/thrash showing. Unfortunately, I arrived too late to catch Audacity and Surf Nazis on Ecstasy, and I really bummed to miss the latter. I did get there in time to catch Wall, who are still really righteous. I've seen these guys a handful of times already and this might have been the best time. The sound wasn't quite so deafening as it has been in the past, but everything still had the power and intensity it's had in the past.
Shards didn't really impress me. They had good energy and seemed to really be into what they were playing, but I was honestly bored throughout most of their set. Sorry guys.
Plague weren't musically amazing either, but they were more entertaining. The singer was certainly something else. He wore his sunglasses and a big denim jacket for the entirety of their set, and seemed to want to run into everyone, be it on purpose or accidental. He alone was worth the price of admission.
Pavlichenko closed out and did a fine job like always. I wish they'd put out an album already, seeing as how they're too musically talented to be just a "live" band. Great riffs, great dudes, good speed (the music that is).
#36
Indian
Dr. Powerful
Empire State Troopers
@ Reggie's 06/06/09
Weedeater was originally supposed to play this one, but due to a mishap involving Keko, the drummer, damaging/losing his finger after slashing his girlfriend's tires (don't ask), they dropped off. A big blow to the show if you ask me.
Empire State Troopers were kind of interesting. They had a chick singer who didn't really sound like a chick (even when she was talking). They played a mixture of old style hard rock and new school hard rock, meaning there were some songs that hit, and some that really didn't. Nice folks though. They offered a free d/l of their album because I took pics of their set.
Dr. Powerful were on next, and they were yet another band that didn't necessarily fit the bill. Playing kind of post-punk/post-hardcore with some almost dancy beats. Their main singer looked like Nate Newton from Converge/Doomriders fame. Not bad, but I don't think I'd be in a hurry to see them again.
And on next to close the night were Chicago's own doomsters, Indian. I needed some good riffs to really get me back in a good mood, and they definitely provided it. Before I forget to say it, these guys were LOUD. Sunn amps are cool, but in small spaces, they can make your experience painful. They were still pretty damn good though. Their set seemed shorter than the other bands' were. Oh well.
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