Another batch I'm going to try and knock out of the way. And how fitting that they're all within a week as well.
#30
Mortal Man
Witch's Tit
@ Reggies 05/24/09
I can never pass up a chance to see Mortal Man. Even though they've played less than a dozen shows, they're probably one of the best bands we have in this town. In Loving Memory played first, but I avoided them as much as I could. Very nu-metal. Ick. Witch's Tit were pretty cool. Had a very EHG vibe going on, and they shared members with Deadbird. Mortal Man headlined, and for a show announced less than a week before it happened, they had a pretty good turnout. I was pretty happy to hear that Nash, the former drummer of Beer Wolf, was their new drummer now. He did a damn good job too. I just want MM to release an album already. Their blend of stoner/NWOBHM would probably sound just as monstrous on record as it does live.
#31
Miss Daydream
@ The Soapbox 05/25/09 (part of WE Fest)
Ms. Daydream is a blues/singer-songwriter project of sorts comprised of 3 friends/acquaintances of mine. I figured I'd go to their first real show, being that they're good folks and I even did their photoshoot. Despite the oh so wonderul Jessi having a cold, she sang wonderfully. Will and Taylor did great jobs too, though I kind of wish Will didn't unintentionally hide from the camera. Whatever the case, it was a good job. And they ended with a cover of "I'm on a Boat!" Can't ask for much more.
#32
Battle!
Never Knows Best (formerly known as A Shot Below the Belt)
2613
@ Luckys Pub 05/26/09
For $5, I figured it couldn't hurt to hit this up. Battle! is always fun live, and it's cool to see ASBTB (excuse me, Never Knows Best now) getting better. I tried to avoid 2613 by showing up late, but I still ended up seeing 2 songs or so. Still not my thing. Still trying too hard to be "emotional." Never Knows Best were on next, and they did a good job. It's rare to see people not mosh for them though. Then again, the turnout for this show was NOT good. I spotted more people outside than inside. Battle! closed and I was really impressed by their new songs. From what I heard of their old record, it's a case of good music, average vocals. These new tracks seem to correct that mistake. They seemed to be happy just playing here, regardless of the lack of people around.
After the gig, I ended up going to 16 Taps for karaoke, which has become a sort of regular thing for me now.
#33
Rotten Sound
Maruta
Man Will Destroy Himself
Bile Nephrosis
@ Slim's 05/27/09
Never heard of Slim's? That's alright, nobody else seems to have either. For those in Wilmington reading this, imagine a more narrow version of East Coast Opera House. The stage was barely big enough to fit the band and there wasn't a whole lot of room to move around. Meaning this was going to be quite awesome.
Bile Nephrosis were on first and they were pretty okay. There were some slight deathcorish elements that I could have done without, but it was overall pretty entertaining death/grind. They're also the first band I've seen to play with an ipod acting as their drum machine. Interesting to say the least.
Maruta were up next and ripped pretty hard. They were a three piece like Pig Destroyer is, but they were much heavier and more unintelligible than PD are. The singer was pretty nuts. He loved jumping around a lot and really getting into it. Some technical difficulties brought about some awkward silence at one point (it was only awkward when you consider that the band was so loud, and then suddenly it's quiet for an extended amount of time). I'll have to give these guys a download.
Next, the band I came to see. Finland always seems to have a knack for giving birth to great bands, but their extreme metal scen has always been captivating. Rotten Sound have always reminded me as the heirs to the throne of modern grindcore. I knew I was in for something special when just the mic check yell startled me so bad, it actually almost scared me. The band absolutely ruled. Their written setlist was quite large, but not everything from it was played. I loved hearing "Targets" and "Corpornation," the latter being from last year's amazing Cycles. Have you ever felt like you got your ass kicked after a performance? That's what Rotten Sound felt like. Holy hell. It's no wonder I picked up two shirts.
Man Will Destroy Himself were set to close, being the bigger band in this area at least. Try as they might, they just couldn't top the awesomeness of the two bands before them. I think most people needed to recover from that onslaught of a job done by RS. Shame because I usually like MWDH too.
On a side note, if you're a beer drinker, give Wild Blue a try. Slim's had bottles of it and while being 8% alcohol, it tastes like a dang blueberry! Sweet.
#34
Isis
Pelican
Tombs
@ Cat's Cradle 05/29/09
I gotta thank my friend Lauren for being awesome enough to buy me a ticket for this and being the driver for me, my friend Mario, and herself. I think I officially love the Cat's Cradle, except when it comes to drink prices.
Tombs opened the gig with their post-metal/black metal/experimental craziness. I like some of Winter Hours, their Relapse debut, but I wasn't in love with it. They did a good job live though, giving off enough energy and passion to keep people's interests. I was surprised they only played for 25 minutes. Yes I know they're the opening band, but this audience would have appreciate lengthy sets from every band there.
I've been waiting about 4 years to see Pelican, and admittedly, I went to smoke some pot with my friends for a quick bit before they went on. I really wanted to be into this set. And I was, for about 70% of it. Pelican is really damn good, don't get me wrong. Post-rock/post-metal live though, is real choosy and I think you have to be pretty patient or else you might get bored like I did for a little bit. Also, nothing off of The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw? C'mon now.
And of course, the mighty Isis were set to close. I still haven't listened to Wavering Radiant, their newest release, but most of the material in the set was from said album. They threw in a few surprises that made me quite content, such as "Dulcinea" and "In Fiction," the latter which drew the only real headbanging from me that night. The band was incredibly tight live, and I have to give some extra kudos to their keyboardist Bryant, who pulled double duty for the set and performed third guitar in addition to playing the keyboard. They closed with what I think most people would expect Isis to close with: Celestial (The Tower), albeit drawn out into a 13 minute version of the song. It was quite a sight to behold. Speaking of sights to behold, that brings me to my only real complaint of the night: Tool fans. I think touring with Maynard and co. has tainted the post-metal fanbase, or at least the Isis fanbase. There were quite a few meatheads and dumb "frat" type of guys who were just drinking and being loud, pushy jackasses. Seriously, who moshes to Isis? You've got to be a pretty big douche to do such an act.
But alas, Isis were still really damn good. This week put me out of commission for a few days though. But man, it was worth it.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
#26-#29
These might be a little shorter than usual. I'm really far behind.
#26
Mastodon
Kylesa
Intronaut
@ Cat's Cradle 05/13/09
I was very excited for this one. It's been years since I've seen Mastodon, and I've never seen them headline either.
My friends and I arrived with some time to kill, but not a great amount to kill. The show was sold out, and I was pretty determined to get a good spot for the show. I went to get some food next to the Cat's Cradle (which minus the drink prices, is probably my favorite venue in NC as of now), and that caused me to miss the first song or so of Intronaut. What I saw of their set was DAMN impressive though. I was actually underwhelmed when I saw them 2 1/2 years ago open for Misery Index, but maybe they just had an off-night. Ironic considering they told me all the live songs from their Challenger EP were recorded at that show. Heh.
This was probably the best time I've seen Kylesa, despite them not playing a lot of old material. All of the best tracks from Static Tensions were played, as were Bottom Line, Hollow Severer, and Where the Horizon Unfolds. The great thing about the Cat's Cradle is their attention to sound, and they brought out the best from them.
And finally, Mastodon. I admit, I don't adore Crack the Skye like everyone else seems to, but my love of the album was definitely boosted after seeing them perform the ENTIRE THING live that night. Hot damn. I got a standing spot near the side of the stage, which was almost perfect. The band was so focused and tight, with every song sounding damn near exact like it does on record. Brent's guitar was occasionally cutting out at times, but I don't think many people noticed (he sure didn't). The set was comprised of Crack the Skye, from beginning to end, which also had a trippy video screen playing in sync with the band. They took a quick break after that bit, and came out to do older material afterwards. Most of it was Blood Mountain material, but it was cool to hear Seabeast and Megalodon. Only song from Remission though? Blargh.
Overall, it was definitely worth the money and travel. The fact that Mastodon isn't everyone's little secret anymore is still a little hard to digest. Good for them though.
#27
Monkeyknifefight
Spring Break 1931
Stinkbomb
Audacity
@ Luckys Pub 05/15/09
This was a real last minute decision. I was kind of fatiqued from Mastodon, but I wanted to see Stinkbomb and had heard interesting things about SB31.
Audacity were on first. For a bunch of kids who looked like they were still in high school, they did pretty dang good. Solid 80s punk. I gotta wonder how many patches one of the kids in that band had on though.
Stinkbomb were great. Sounded better than at the Kontatto show, and played a couple of covers to boot (Sailin' On and Live Wire). A small part of me wonders what will happen when they play with ASG soon. Perhaps a clash of fanbases? It's likely to occur.
And now, Spring Break 1931. Well, the music wasn't the greatest thing ever. In fact, it was downright sloppy at times. I didn't like the fact that there were two frontmen, something which I don't think is necessary for ANY band. The set WAS entertaining though. Beach balls and balloons being thrown around constantly, watching drunk punk rockers make fools of themselves, and just a generally "fun" vibe, which I don't see in a lot of Wilmington bands these days.
I've seen Monkeyknifefight several times before, and I like em. I think I was just too tired to really watch, minus a few songs. Bands sure love to cover "Fix Me" these days as well. It's a great song and all, but man there are more Black Flag songs to choose from. I left after the cover, pretty much saying I was going to relax for some time. But alas...
#28
Mobile Deathcamp
Temple Destroyer (performing 2 sets)
@ Luckys Pub 05/16/09
God damn it, I'm back at another show. I WAS going to go to MC Chris/Whole Wheat Bread, but I didn't feel like paying $14 for just two bands. So instead, I paid $5 for 3 bands (Acirema was supposed to play, but dropped off for reasons unknown). I figured that if I hated this gig, it was only $5 wasted and no more.
Temple Destroyer opened and did a pretty okay job. They're talented kids, but I think they need to work on the vocals. Pretty cool black/thrash. After they completed their set of their own material, they came out to do a second set, which was comprised of nothing but covers. They covered Mastodon, Slayer, and Metallica with the exception of "For Whom the Bell Tolls," they were all pretty accurate.
I really didn't know anything about Mobile Deathcamp. I didn't like the name all that much, and I figured it'd be like the Wings to Gwar's Beatles (and good god, I just compared the Beatles and Gwar). I'm eating my words though, because they ripped pretty hard. These guys could fucking play. Their guitarist/vocalist, the one who I believe was the ex-member of Gwar, was a hulking dude who could shred that little Flying V of his pretty well. They even played a couple of covers which were both gnarly (Thin Lizzy-Emerald and Devo-Freedom of Choice). I'd be more than happy to see these guys again.
Though the turnout was terrible (maybe 10-15 kids came out?), the show was quite cool. The same can not be said about the show the day after...
#29
Queensryche (performing extended sets of Rage For Order/American Soldier/Empire)
@ House of Blues 05/17/09
Even though I dig the shit out of Operation: Mindcrime, I'm not a big fan of Queensryche. My friend Will won a pair of tickets to see them in SC, and offered me the chance to see them with him, even though his excitement for them was about the same as mine: not very big.
After driving through possibly the worst storm I've seen in a couple of years, we got to the House of Blues and managed to stand near the side of the stage for most of the performance. Let it be known, I HATE the House of Blues. Corporate bullshit with some of the most ludicrous prices around. Plus I really can't get behind any venue that forbids re-entry. I had actually taken a vow back in September 2008 after watching Flogging Molly perform there that I would never set foot in there again. Well, I lasted 8 months. Joy. But back to the show.
Queensryche were pompous, boring, and cheesy. And not necessarily in that order. The Rage For Order set was just plain boring, with Geoff Tate acting (and looking) like he was a suave higher being than most of the people not on stage with him. Dude, wearing sunglasses indoors for most of your performance is never usually cool. The American Soldier set was ATROCIOUS. The songs from the record sounded more akin to Limp Bizkit than they of their own sound. A Drill Sergeant hype man, a backup singer who looked eerily like the singer for Buckcherry, and a duet with a 10-year old awkward little girl made the set something straight out of Spinal Tap. We left midway through the Empire set, having finally given up on seeing anything that resembled good. Plus I got tired of having someone constantly to me behind him and ask "You having a good time? What do you think so far?" Oh if only you knew. If only you knew.
I don't think I'll be catching Queensryche again anytime in the future, unless they can promise to stop acting like egotistical douchebags on stage and do nothing but Operation: Mindcrime material.
#26
Mastodon
Kylesa
Intronaut
@ Cat's Cradle 05/13/09
I was very excited for this one. It's been years since I've seen Mastodon, and I've never seen them headline either.
My friends and I arrived with some time to kill, but not a great amount to kill. The show was sold out, and I was pretty determined to get a good spot for the show. I went to get some food next to the Cat's Cradle (which minus the drink prices, is probably my favorite venue in NC as of now), and that caused me to miss the first song or so of Intronaut. What I saw of their set was DAMN impressive though. I was actually underwhelmed when I saw them 2 1/2 years ago open for Misery Index, but maybe they just had an off-night. Ironic considering they told me all the live songs from their Challenger EP were recorded at that show. Heh.
This was probably the best time I've seen Kylesa, despite them not playing a lot of old material. All of the best tracks from Static Tensions were played, as were Bottom Line, Hollow Severer, and Where the Horizon Unfolds. The great thing about the Cat's Cradle is their attention to sound, and they brought out the best from them.
And finally, Mastodon. I admit, I don't adore Crack the Skye like everyone else seems to, but my love of the album was definitely boosted after seeing them perform the ENTIRE THING live that night. Hot damn. I got a standing spot near the side of the stage, which was almost perfect. The band was so focused and tight, with every song sounding damn near exact like it does on record. Brent's guitar was occasionally cutting out at times, but I don't think many people noticed (he sure didn't). The set was comprised of Crack the Skye, from beginning to end, which also had a trippy video screen playing in sync with the band. They took a quick break after that bit, and came out to do older material afterwards. Most of it was Blood Mountain material, but it was cool to hear Seabeast and Megalodon. Only song from Remission though? Blargh.
Overall, it was definitely worth the money and travel. The fact that Mastodon isn't everyone's little secret anymore is still a little hard to digest. Good for them though.
#27
Monkeyknifefight
Spring Break 1931
Stinkbomb
Audacity
@ Luckys Pub 05/15/09
This was a real last minute decision. I was kind of fatiqued from Mastodon, but I wanted to see Stinkbomb and had heard interesting things about SB31.
Audacity were on first. For a bunch of kids who looked like they were still in high school, they did pretty dang good. Solid 80s punk. I gotta wonder how many patches one of the kids in that band had on though.
Stinkbomb were great. Sounded better than at the Kontatto show, and played a couple of covers to boot (Sailin' On and Live Wire). A small part of me wonders what will happen when they play with ASG soon. Perhaps a clash of fanbases? It's likely to occur.
And now, Spring Break 1931. Well, the music wasn't the greatest thing ever. In fact, it was downright sloppy at times. I didn't like the fact that there were two frontmen, something which I don't think is necessary for ANY band. The set WAS entertaining though. Beach balls and balloons being thrown around constantly, watching drunk punk rockers make fools of themselves, and just a generally "fun" vibe, which I don't see in a lot of Wilmington bands these days.
I've seen Monkeyknifefight several times before, and I like em. I think I was just too tired to really watch, minus a few songs. Bands sure love to cover "Fix Me" these days as well. It's a great song and all, but man there are more Black Flag songs to choose from. I left after the cover, pretty much saying I was going to relax for some time. But alas...
#28
Mobile Deathcamp
Temple Destroyer (performing 2 sets)
@ Luckys Pub 05/16/09
God damn it, I'm back at another show. I WAS going to go to MC Chris/Whole Wheat Bread, but I didn't feel like paying $14 for just two bands. So instead, I paid $5 for 3 bands (Acirema was supposed to play, but dropped off for reasons unknown). I figured that if I hated this gig, it was only $5 wasted and no more.
Temple Destroyer opened and did a pretty okay job. They're talented kids, but I think they need to work on the vocals. Pretty cool black/thrash. After they completed their set of their own material, they came out to do a second set, which was comprised of nothing but covers. They covered Mastodon, Slayer, and Metallica with the exception of "For Whom the Bell Tolls," they were all pretty accurate.
I really didn't know anything about Mobile Deathcamp. I didn't like the name all that much, and I figured it'd be like the Wings to Gwar's Beatles (and good god, I just compared the Beatles and Gwar). I'm eating my words though, because they ripped pretty hard. These guys could fucking play. Their guitarist/vocalist, the one who I believe was the ex-member of Gwar, was a hulking dude who could shred that little Flying V of his pretty well. They even played a couple of covers which were both gnarly (Thin Lizzy-Emerald and Devo-Freedom of Choice). I'd be more than happy to see these guys again.
Though the turnout was terrible (maybe 10-15 kids came out?), the show was quite cool. The same can not be said about the show the day after...
#29
Queensryche (performing extended sets of Rage For Order/American Soldier/Empire)
@ House of Blues 05/17/09
Even though I dig the shit out of Operation: Mindcrime, I'm not a big fan of Queensryche. My friend Will won a pair of tickets to see them in SC, and offered me the chance to see them with him, even though his excitement for them was about the same as mine: not very big.
After driving through possibly the worst storm I've seen in a couple of years, we got to the House of Blues and managed to stand near the side of the stage for most of the performance. Let it be known, I HATE the House of Blues. Corporate bullshit with some of the most ludicrous prices around. Plus I really can't get behind any venue that forbids re-entry. I had actually taken a vow back in September 2008 after watching Flogging Molly perform there that I would never set foot in there again. Well, I lasted 8 months. Joy. But back to the show.
Queensryche were pompous, boring, and cheesy. And not necessarily in that order. The Rage For Order set was just plain boring, with Geoff Tate acting (and looking) like he was a suave higher being than most of the people not on stage with him. Dude, wearing sunglasses indoors for most of your performance is never usually cool. The American Soldier set was ATROCIOUS. The songs from the record sounded more akin to Limp Bizkit than they of their own sound. A Drill Sergeant hype man, a backup singer who looked eerily like the singer for Buckcherry, and a duet with a 10-year old awkward little girl made the set something straight out of Spinal Tap. We left midway through the Empire set, having finally given up on seeing anything that resembled good. Plus I got tired of having someone constantly to me behind him and ask "You having a good time? What do you think so far?" Oh if only you knew. If only you knew.
I don't think I'll be catching Queensryche again anytime in the future, unless they can promise to stop acting like egotistical douchebags on stage and do nothing but Operation: Mindcrime material.
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