GOJIRA’s headline tour made a stop at the venerable Worcester Palladium on a February’s night. The place was packed in anticipation of GOJIRA’s first performance in the larger downstairs stage after five times playing the smaller room upstairs. JOE DUPLANTIER even made a joke about it from the stage.
THE ATLAS MOTH opened things up with their depressive, sludge mash up and they were loud as fuck. They actually blew a speaker out in the venue and that has only happened a few other times. They are one of the most exciting bands in the scene right now.
Dave of THE ATLAS MOTH
STAVROS of THE ATLAS MOTH
Alex of THE ATLAS MOTH
DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT was next and they were amazing. I do believe DEVIN TOWNSEND gets better every time I see him play and this was one of the best shows I’ve seen him put on. His band was great as usual and turned in the absolute heaviest versions of “Kingdom” and “Juular” I have heard. “Grace” was an amazing closing number. At the end of the set Devy thanked the audience for coming out, since metal is such a small genre. He then jumped off the stage and hugged and thank the crowd personally!
DEVIN TOWNSEND is amazing!
RYAN VAN POEDEROOYEN
BRIAN WADDELL of the DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT
DEVY shreds!
GOJIRA was incredible and certainly has grown into an impressive headline act. Their stage set was ominous and compelling with their L’Enfant Sauvage album artwork inspired backdrop. They used very creative lighting effects and smoke to set the mood, which was perfectly matched to the brutality of the music. I wonder for some of the mosh pit regulars who just wanted to slam, the artsy element of the show was lost on them. Still, it was an amazing set with songs mixed in from the newer to the classics like “Flying Whales”, “Toxic Garbage Island” and “Wisdom Comes”. At the end of their set the band took a bow and also went down to the barricade and thanked the fans up close. It was wonderful to see!
JOE DUPLANTIER and GOJIRA played on a terrific headline set.
GOJIRA had an inventive, creative light show.
GOJIRA guitarist CHRISTIAN ANDREU is a passionate performer.
Here is Keefy’s final Top Ten from his overall Top 40 Metal Albums of 2012 list! Enjoy!
#10. CRYPTOPSY- Cryptopsy (Self Released)
To paraphrase comedian Chris Rock, I’m tired of apologizing for CRYPTOPSY. I was in the minority among people when I loved The Unspoken King. I’m sure as people are reading this; they are scratching their heads again. No matter, CRYPTOPSY has silenced all their critics with an album that matches the best work of their career. A brutal slab of technical death metal on every level the album is great for all the reasons that made the band stellar in the first place. Obviously, people talk about the inhuman level of Drummer FLO MOUNIER. However, the real strength of the band is returning guitarist and writer JON LEVASSEUR and mainstay guitarist/uber producer CHRISITAN DONALDSON. The songs they wrote are superb. I was nervous about Oliver Pinard being able to replace ERIC LANGLOIS on bass, but even he was great too! Lastly, MATT MCGATCHY‘s performance provides the shut the fuck up moment of the year to all the haters. Well done sirs!
#9. PRONG- Carved Into Stone (Long Branch Records/SPV)
I thought my birthday came early this year when PRONG’s new album came out. PRONG has always been one of my favorite bands and all of their recorded output has been always been strong. Carved Into Stone is actually the bands best album since 1996′s Rude Awakening. Not only is the album full of sick tunes, but over the top, guitar playing in general is terrific. TOMMY VICTOR (DANZIG, MINISTRY) has been known for two things in his career: great songs and being a riff master general. The album displays an unexpected depth for any record in 2012. Packed with just the right touch of technical mastery and catchy songwriting to please and the hardcore soul, which hearkens back to Tommy’s NYC metal roots. The performances from TONY CAMPOS (SOULFLY/ MINISTRY/STATIC-X/ASESINO/POSSESSED/OTEP) and ALEXI RODRIGUEZ (ex-3 INCHES OF BLOOD) are matched perfectly too, making this one of the baddest power trio’s around.
#8. GOJIRA – L’Enfant Sauvage (Roadrunner)
GOJIRA albums, when they come out, are an event. The metal world waits with baited breath and the results are always stellar. Armed with a new deal from Roadrunner, the band put out L’Enfant Sauvage over the summer to roars of approval. Perhaps, even I was too cynical to believe that GOJIRA would continue to get increasingly popular as they stayed true to who they were? L’Enfant Sauvage is a great blend of theProgressive Rock/Metal, Tech Death, old-school Death Metal and Thrash influences they are known for. Then there is their subject matter: they are one of the most thoughtful and socially conscious bands around, lyrically. The album hits the right mood on every level, every time and has the musical confidence of a band much more senior in years. Songs like “Explosia”, “The Axe” and “Liquid Fire” are going to be talked about in metal head circles for years to come.
#7. CANNIBAL CORPSE- Torture (Metal Blade)
Like a beautifully marbled steak or a legendary work of art, CANNIBAL CORPSE truly does get better with age. It seems likely that much like SLAYER, the death metal godfathers will keep right on trucking on to oblivion, making skull splitting, gore filled albums for as long as they can. Torture is perfect in every way and all of the things you love about the band are in the mix. Perhaps due to being the most collaborative written album in the bands history, the sound from song to song is quite eclectic. Not like Dubstep, power-ballad eclectic, mind you, but the band has figured out how to blend different song styles seamlessly. Inventive new chord structures and riffs, hard to fathom bass lines and stupendous drumming are all topped off by GEORGE “CORPSEGRINDER” FISHER‘s impeccable voice from hell. Plus, don’t forget the grooves. Oh those crushing grooves! Nobody writes a grooving-ass, brutal riff better than ALEX WEBSTER. The band continues to be the yard stick by which all death metal music and consequently, all death metal bands are measured.
#6. C.O.C. – C.O.C. (Candlelight)
That C.O.C. was able to make a comeback as a trio at this point in their career is not a surprise. The fact that they reunited to make an amazing album is not even a question. What I am surprised by, is that it seems like the rest of the world has caught up to the sound of the band and the love from fans and the press is over flowing. When last we saw C.O.C. as a trio it was the 80s and they were mostly an underground phenomenon. Lots of bands like to say they were influenced by the Sludgy, Crossover Doom masters, but in this age of the Internet; flattery goes a long way to help a new bands rep.To hear WOODY WEATHERMAN tell it, the reunion circuit was totally un-interesting to the band, unless they were gonna make new music. C.O.C., the album has more quality and vitality than many of the upstarts of the genre they helped put on the map. MIKE DEAN‘s bass is full of fuzz and style; Woody‘s soloing is on fire and REED MULLEN, back for the first time in over decade, drums and sings like a man possessed. Let us not forget the poignant political lyrics, much welcomed in these troublesome times of a divided America. You might say the metal world needed C.O.C. to come back, as much as they needed to make a comeback themselves.
#5. MESHUGGAH- Koloss (Nuclear Blast)
What can you say about MESHUGGAH that hasn’t been said already? It’s not hard to run out of superlatives when talking about the most influential metal band of the last fifteen years. Whether Koloss was going to be great or not was likely not debatable. What was up for grabs, was what direction these geniuses would take the iconic music we have all come to expect. The results were stunning. Can you change things up, and still be the same band? By definition no, but that is MESHUGGAH for you. Koloss is a collection of songs much like the rest of the bands’ storied catalog: brutal, and complex. Most of the songs feature a pulsing groove that has come to the fore in the bands work of late. Every beat and riff is a maelstrom of twisting delight, overlapping time signatures and finger-defying licks galore. Most of all, the album sets another technical high water-mark for guitarist FREDRICK THORDENDAL and drummer TOMAS HAAKE.
#4. TESTAMENT- Dark Roots Of Earth (Nuclear Blast)
The return of TESTAMENT to their former level of greatness is nothing short of a triumph for all of metal. 2008′s Formation of Damnation was an excellent comeback album, after almost a decade of no new music. In the interim years since getting back together, they have toured tirelessly around the world, reignited their chemistry and fulfilled the promise of their early career. Dark Roots of Earth takes the concept of the old-school Thrash style, added a modern sensibility and took it all one step further. Only EXODUS and ANTHRAX have been able to pull of the feat of making new music for modern ears, staying true to their past and begin able to add a level of panache. ERIC PETERSON finally got his dream come true by getting GENE HOGLAN to write and record drums for a TESTAMENT album. The unrelenting bottom end of the songs gives the band a new power they have never had. Every song is a gem. “Native Blood” is one of the catchiest, yet grooviest songs I’ve heard in ages. The chorus is also the best of 2012. CHUCK BILLY‘s ageless voice carries the day and ALEX SKOLNICK displays the chops that verify his legions of fans. Even GREG CHRISTIAN is heard from, with some excellent bass lines. Dark Roots of Earth is all killer and positively no filler.
#3. BARONESS- Yellow And Green (Relapse)
One of the most anticipated albums of 2012 did not disappoint when BARONESS dropped the latest in their color-themed recent discography. The band made no pretense that this album would be not be metal and frankly, that was OK by me. If you have been following the band, they have been less concerned with the trappings of fitting in, in their career up to this point. They instead stayed true to their artistic authenticity. What BARONESS delivered is a double-album of incredible songs, displaying great chops and the best dynamics overall of any album on this list. Some of the songs are quite heavy, but more often than not, that heaviness never came the expense of melodies or tones. “Take My Bones Away” was my out and out favorite song of the entire year. “March To The Sea” was another stone cold rocker, the likes that haven’t been heard since the heyday of QUEEN or THIN LIZZY. Some of the best moments are the most unexpected ones; like the freak-out synth work in “Cocanium”. All of the keyboard work is stellar as is the bass playing, which band leader John Baizley played all of too. “Back Where I Belong”, “Eula” and “Board Up The House” will also rank at the top of the bands’ song book for years to come. The “Green” side of the double set is equally tuneful and more mellow, but no less mint song-craft wise. Finally, tying it all together is the brilliant cover artwork, the years’ best; also by Baizley once again.
#2. DYING FETUS- Reign Supreme (Relapse)
DYING FETUS is such a great band in its current incarnation that one almost forgets there were entire years in their history marked by upheavals and departures. The present day lineup has been intact since 2007 and the comfort level they have together creating the most brutal Death Metal possibly known to man is sky high. Through it all, JOHN GALLAGHER has been the one constant: constantly growing as a guitarist and writer and constantly writing pissed the fuck off, baffling and sick lyrics. Reign Supreme might be remembered years from now as one of the top three releases of the bands’ career with its non-stop violence inspired songs. GALLAGHER and his p-i-c SEAN BEASLEY crush it out of the park on the guttural vocals. Beasley, who was always an underrated bassist for the genre, plays some of the best passages ever recorded for the instrument in the context of technical death metal. TREY WILLIAMS also one-ups his performance from Descend Into Depravity, being a might less technical, but still precise as fuck and bludgeoning as all hell. His blasts are far and away my favorite of any drummer on album this entire year. The album is a masterpiece of death metal brilliance, and that is really saying something considering how deep the sub-genre is these days.
#1. IHSAHN- Eremita (Candlelight)
In what was a high quality year at the top of the heap of metal music, IHSAHN‘s fourth solo outing is my choice for the album of the year. It’s not the sexy choice compared with typical years past, but it is the best choice, by far. Eremita is a sprawling, ambitious album full of musical twists and turns, yet perfectly coalescing into a sensible piece of art. In an interview I conducted with him for Metal Army he talked about the creative process as a continual evolution, a death followed by a rebirth. That would just begin to cover the emotional and lyrical depth in the music. In many ways, this is the album that IHSAHN, famously known as the legendary front man of EMPEROR, has been building up to for his entire career. His mastery as a composer, guitarist, vocalist and lyricist is without equal at this point in his career. Musically the songs cover the gamut of emotions and styles and reveal a complexity that mirrors the artist himself. Songs like “Arrival”, “The Paranoid”, “Something Out There”, “The Eagle And The Snake” and “Departure” are among the best of the year. Topping off the package are the guest performances by the likes of DEVIN TOWNSEND, JEFF LOOMIS, EINAR SOLBERG (LEPROUS), JEFF MUNKENBY on sax and IHSAHN’s wife HEIDI S. TVEITEN‘s enchanting vocal turns, which sends the quality of the album into the stratosphere.
People seem to love or hate these Year End Top Metal albums list-thingys. As a long-time reviewer, I enjoy doing them, but you have to find the right balance. Last year I tried to do a top 100 list, and honestly it was brutal, and I don’t mean the music. This year I have cut the list down to a more manageable number. A full list of Top 40 albums will run next week, but for the next two days, we’ll run the top 20. Without further ado here is my list from 20-11.
#20. ALCEST- Les Voyages de L’Âme (Prophecy Productions)
Hauntingly beautiful, disturbing and introspective. Those are the words that describe ALCEST in general, and their early 2012 offering. Maestro NEIGE is one of the most creative thinkers, genius lyricists and bravest art makers in all of music, not just metal.
#19. ROYAL THUNDER- CVI (Relapse)
For a band that has only had the public ear for a few years, ROYAL THUNDER’s CVI is amazing and refreshing. MLNY PARSONZ is a reluctant hero and front woman for the bluesiest, brooding proto-metal band to come along in ages.
#18. WOODS OF YPRES- Woods V: Grey Skies and Electric Light (Earache)
With the one year anniversary coming up of the tragic death of DAVID GOLD, it was bittersweet revisiting this album recently. His passing looms large over the music left behind in retrospect. Woods V is an epic masterwork of gloom ridden, melodic Doom. A terrible loss for the music world.
#17. HIGH ON FIRE- De Vermiis Mysteriis (E1)
Another concept album that made the top 20 list. Another magical, proto-metal burst of grand musical ambition from Messrs MATT PIKE and company. This is a band that keeps getting better and better. The record is also a guitar playing tour de force from start to finish too.
DEVIN TOWNSEND is at the pinnacle of his powers. He might also be the JAMES BROWN of metal, the hardest working man in the business. Epicloud is his most straight forward, rocking and fun effort. Worth buying for the performance of ANNEKE VAN GIERSBERGEN alone.
#15. GOATWHORE- Blood For The Master (Metal Blade)
One of the top outfits in metal, 2012 saw the band release another great album. They even get some commercial exposure for the first time ever. It was long overdue for a unit that has made some of the most consistently harsh, and evil music from America in a long time. Kudos!
#14. CONVERGE- All We Love We Leave Behind (Epitaph)
For a band that has rewritten some of the heaviest music in their career, they shun the term metal or the typical definition of it. Yet, their latest album is one of the hardest to come out this year. A band that continues to write and re-write the book on modern music.
#13. THE DEFTONES- Koi No Yokan (Reprise)
Not quite as heavy as their previous efforts, but still an astounding melodic statement from one of the most creative forces in modern metal. Few albums can be said to be this rough and gorgeous sounding too. THE DEFTONES pulled it off.
#12. LAMB OF GOD- Resolution (Epic)
One of the heaviest and bad-ass albums of the year. Credit to the band for also making the most diverse album of their career, without sacrificing what has made them the leaders of modern metal. The shame of RANDY BLYTHE‘s legal troubles abroad has been not enough attention has gotten paid to how adventurous and cool Resolution is musically.
#11. MARES OF THRACE – The Pilgrimage (Sonic Union Metal)
Just missed the top ten. A complex, heavy concept-thick album that stays with you long after the music stops. G THÉRÈSE LANZ doesn’t get nearly enough notice for her lyrics, which match the best of any album in 2012. Another brilliant release from the most brutal band in Canada, and maybe sonically; the heaviest tone in modern metal too.
After 15 years of being a part of RHAPSODY OF FIRE, LUCA TURILLI and ALEX STAROPOLI amicably decided to part ways to move in different directions artistically. Due to the immense contributions both had made to RHAPSODY OF FIRE both LUCA and ALEX are continuing the work of their former band only on different branches with ALEX retaining the original name and LUCA now using LUCA TURILLI’S RHAPSODY in order to release the new album Ascending to Infinity.
The album is a strong power metal record produced by LUCA himself and mastered by CHRISTOPH STICKEL with the end result being an excellently produced and beautifully arranged album. Power metal records can at times sound like one track broken into many parts, but little twists and subtle differences throughout this record prevent Ascending to Infinity becoming tired as the tracks progress. ALESSANDRO CONTI’s lead vocals have such and strength and range that when lent support by the choir produce a barrage of vocals that both compliment the underlying music and lend depth and strength to it.
“Quantum X”, and the tribal beat that underscores it, opens the album. While a good track it is not as strong a start as the album arguably deserves. Hot on its heels “Ascending to Infinity” lifts the album up with faster paced percussion and more prominent guitars.
The next two tracks “Dante’s Inferno” and “Excalibur” are my favourite two tracks on this album. “Dante’s Inferno” starts with a slow, tension building lead up before launching into great guitar riffs and solos. “Excalibur” has stronger vocals with the lead and chorus building up to crescendos regularly through the track and creating what can only be described as an epic vocal sound. This track also has some good guitar riffs and solos on it, but perhaps not as good as those on “Dante’s Inferno”.
The remaining tracks continue in the vein of the largess of the vocals and guitar riffs shining through from the music underneath while managing to add their own variations, “Tormento E Passione” is the first track the keyboards take more prominence and the contrast of male and female vocals work really well. “Dark Fate of Atlantis” has a much more eastern and oriental feel to it, “Clash of the Titans” has musical parts that almost sound like battle scenes and the closing track, at almost 16 minutes in length, is an onslaught of sounds from eerie atmospheric music, to keyboard sounds and sinister spoken words.
“Luna” is really the only disappointment to me on the album, the soft female vocals that start this ring clear, however, the overall sound of the track is more something that you would expect to hear in the background, for example in an advert. This is a shame as the remainder of the album really draws you into the music and holds its own in the foreground. The track does build to a stronger sound, but leaves you with the feeling it didn’t quite get there.
“Luna” aside, Ascending to Infinity is an excellent album and fans of RHAPSODY OF FIRE, THERION and perhaps to a lesser extent BLIND GUARDIAN and some of DEVIN TOWNSEND’s more experimental work will really enjoy this album. The only things that leave this album just short of higher accolades is the track “Luna” being a lot weaker than the others and overall, despite the grandiose sounds and the sheer depth of the musical layering of vocals and instruments, it would be nice to see something a bit more ground breaking coming out of this genre.
With drums & guitars done in Cleveland OH, bass guitars in Vancouver, BC and vocals laid down in Tel Aviv, Israel; this is truly an internationally made album and band. Dirk Verbeuren (SOILWORK) is doing double duty with the guitar, it shows he’s more than just a drummer. He wrote the damned album! DEVIN TOWNSEND laid down some solid bass lines & Sven De Caluwe (ABORTED,SYSTEM DIVIDE) well, does what Sven does! The band has since added SHANE EMBURY from NAPALM DEATH as the new bassist for the next album, which they are already working on. Originally self- released last fall, it will be re-issued this summer by Tankcrimes in a special package. It’s grindcore at its best. Clocking in at 17 minutes long, it gets to the point on every song. Let’s check out Noistalgia right now.
If you get the physical CD, the booklet has one sentence introductions to each song, just so you’re not misled by anything. From songs about blast beats like “Blast Beat Barrage” and technological advances in“Digital Disaster”, you are also treated to all the social commentary you’d expect since this is just one big ole love letter to the genre. It basically says that in the name of the title track, “An homage to grindcore and noise”. As fun as short songs are, I do wish the song “In One Word” was longer. I would’ve loved to hear what other band names they could have tossed in there. Based on just the bass line alone, “Sustained Idiocy” just makes me want to punch something. Dirk’s SOILWORK band mate Sylvain Coudret, comes in and throws a cool guitar solo in your face on “Dead Meat”. “Fool for Life” is the longest track (4:06) and gives the album some added weight. It ends with a lovely rendition of “Bullshit Propaganda” in honor of the mighty EXTREME NOISE TERROR.
They managed to cram this album full of greatness in a short amount of time. I’m not sure if throwback is the right description for this, but this does make you remember the early days of grindcore (only with better production- thank you Devy!). With Noistalgia, BENT SEA came, saw and kicked ass. Not only did I like it, I bought it!
Delivering his fourth solo album, former EMPEROR front man IHSAHN continues to defy both convention and in some cases his legion of fans. Admitting that he has long left the confines of traditional metal, black metal or other types of music, his vision allows him an outlet of total artistic freedom. Naturally some fans pine for the glory days of old when he led EMPEROR through their ground breaking career, shaping the genre of Norwegian Black Metal for legions of admirers and imitators. Then again, if you have made it this far with him you know the music coming from this man is not just unpredictable, it is down right impossible to categorize.
“Arrival” kicks off the proceedings with the sounds of shovels being dragged on the ground, possibly in a graveyard or a roadside quarry. Launching into the song, you are met by a driving rock beat and some interesting choppy rhythm guitars. IHSAHN’s initial vocal stylings are indeed the howling, blackened madness of old and it made me smile to hear it. Keyboards augment the riffs greatly and when the chorus hits, Einar Solberg of prog metallers LEPROUS takes over. His voice soars over a glorious melody and compliments IHSAHN greatly when they sing together, IHSAHN covering the lower register. This is one of several great collaborations on the album like DEVIN TOWNSEND and JEFF LOOMIS. The song also features a terrific, trademark shredding solo from the master as well. Drummer Tobias Ørnes Andersen helps keep the beats hectic pace up, but under control. “The Paranoid” again, strikes high on the heavy meter with spiraling licks and blast-beats. These chaotic moments are tempered with occasional moments of gentle guitar interludes in the style of classic progressive rock. The riffs are stout and definitely rough enough for most metal fans. The chorus is a neat little slice of melodic heaven, with great vocals punctuated by poetic lyrics. “Introspection” sounds like its title and is a slowed down, contemplative piece at first. You are lulled into a false sense of peace before the crushing second verse and pre-chorus comes in with alternating death vocals and clean singing parts, provided expertly by DEVIN TOWNSEND. The combination of these two leading lights of the genre is terrific. As a singer and a great instrumentalist in his own right, there is little IHSAN cannot achieve and this proves it. “The Eagle And The Snake” also touches on many styles. Jorgen Munkeby (SHINING) lends his saxophone to the rhythm section, giving musical brass balls to the chords. Shirting in and out of dynamic changes in an instant the entire track is an emotional workout. There is a breakdown, complete with sax solo that is mind blowing. Bringing things down a notch and falling into a chill, but heavy groove is “Catharsis”. A great mid-album break from the mania of the other songs. “Something Out There” reverses that feeling and is borderline insane. Death metal, tech death, prog and even jazz influences all collide to create a unique track that still works as a song. Key and tempo changes abound. After a short interlude ,“Grief” comes “The Grave”. Although “The Grave” holds many of IHSAHN’s more modern musical aspects in it, it is ungodly harsh and the most “black metal” sounding track he has done in a while. It is so grim and sad, that it is bound to make the old school fans smile (when no one is looking) under their corpse paint. It is no surprise that themes on the album touch on life, death and coping with loss since Nietzsche on the album cover. “Departure” closes the album out with a sweeping, heavy and majestic track fully of little surprises. Not the least of which is IHSAHN’s wife Heidi S. Tveiten (STAROFASH/IHRIEL/HARDINGROCK/PECCATUM) who’s vocal turn is revelatory. The deluxe edition includes the track “Recollection.” This album does not just comprise the new work of an old master, but another chapter in his ever rising legacy.
IHSAHN: Still one of the most powerful forces in heavy music.
Metal Army had the honor of chatting with music legend IHSAHN recently. He spoke candidly about his new album Eremita which comes out June 19th on Candlelight Records. He graciously discussed the writing and recording of the new album, choosing his many collaborators, the creative process and why some fans will always love EMPEROR much more than the current music he makes.
(Special Thanks to IHSAHN, Candlelight Records & Earsplit PR)
A few days ago, I was driving in my car, listening to Devin Townsend’s Deconstruction, minding my own business…When all of a sudden, this guy in a pickup next to me started shouting, “HEY! HEY! HEY!” We were at a stoplight, so I rolled-down my window and said, “Hello?” (when people shout at you from their cars, they’re usually trying to alert you about a flat tire, a broken tail light, flames coming out of your engine…I thought that that might’ve been the case in this instance, but it wasn’t).
The guy yelled back, “My band sounds exactly like what you’re listening to! Here, let me give you our demo!” *scrambles to find said demo, aims for my window, gives it a toss*…But the demo hits the hood of my car, then lands on the asphalt…And I drive away.
With this story in mind, I’d now like to share a few do’s and don’t’s about passing out demos:
DON’T throw your demos at cars, people, etc. This should go without saying, but as the above story demonstrates, clearly it isn’t common sense.
DO tell people what your band sounds like, but be realistic. For example, DON’T say that you sound like Devin Townsend because let’s face it, there can be only one.
DON’T yell at someone about your band unless you’re at a loud concert or something of the like—and even then, shh! DON’T be the ass-hat that ruins everyone’s concert experience because you’re “networking” during the middle of another band’s set.
Bottom line: DO act respectful. People still might throw away your demo right after you hand it to them, but they’ll definitely think twice about it.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely not against passing out demos. In fact, I respect bands that do it because it isn’t easy…But no one wants demo projectiles aimed at them or their car. Just sayin’.
The annual concert and horror convention known as Rock And Shock brought me back to Worcester MA once again and right in time to get into the Halloween spirit. Three plus day affair is always a good time for all and usually has something for everybody. The convention gets better every year with great guests like Robert Englund, Lance Henriksen, William Forsythe and Camille Keaton among the many name actors in horror in attendance. Even though I was only interested in the second night of the music portion of the proceedings which had a pretty amazing lineup of talent. I certainly enjoyed the convention at the DCU Center and you can see my coverage of it and another funny story here.
Although there was a bevy of side stage bands I only caught the main stage acts between the convention activities and some bands interviews I needed to do. I managed to catch THE OCEAN who put on the top performance of the early evening. For those not in the know these guys are inventive, philosophical and tight musically. Even though the venue was alarmingly empty when they began, they definitely had their own heads in the house who were feeling it. Opening with “Firmament” the band tore into their short set with abandon. The group plays music beyond the scope of typical bands and shifts in motifs and tempos fall on each other like dominoes. In particular vocalist Loïc Rossetti and guitarist Robin Staps make a compelling case for the future of metal. I urge you to check them out if you don’t know them already. They not only played part of their “Grand Inquisitor” suite they closed with the hypnotic and sick “Origin of the Species”. Also up early was reunited hardcore kings EARTH CRISIS. The room filled in a little more by now with some core dudes ready to karate kick and pick up change like crazy. The rest of the crowd just starred blankly and disappointed me with their lack of respect. EC’s militant hardcore and metal mix per-dated today’s mosh-core, tough guy bands and deathcore except, they had something smart to say. Even if you didn’t love the music vocalist Karl Buechner (FREYA) and company played their balls off as always. Mixing classic cuts like “All Out War” and “Wrath of Sanity” with newer cuts from Neutralize the Threat (Century Media) they put on a great, high energy show. At least by the end of their set there was some decent moshing by the end of their set, but I think it just was a weird crowd that would prove to be even more adversarial and weird as the night wore on.
Otep leads the crowd in a ritual.
Next up was OTEP who always puts on an awesome show. By now the floor had filled up pretty well and the band always draws well when they come to Massachusetts so they also had a lot of heads in the house. Otep herself makes every show an emotional ritual and the crowd was ready for some heavy mental music. Hitting the stage with a frightening baby mask on, the famous blend of theater and artistry was already on display as the band launched into “Eet the Children”. Backed by members of OTEP’s Victory records label-mates DESTROPHY, the band was tight and Otep was as usual dominating as a live performer. She sang, she screamed and generally led the crowd in a communal exorcism. Next up was the bands live staple “Battle Ready” which is still a killer track to hear after almost ten years. For the most part “Battle Ready” represents the remaining vestiges of Otep’s rap style that she doesn’t rely much on anymore. Still, she has an effective flow and combined with her severe growls it is a winning combo. “Fists Fall” off of Atavist is also a killer track. The energy of the crowd was significantly raised and Otep tries to connect with them to make a personal connection. Even though I was conscious of the short set I was unconcerned when the band led into “My Confession”. The song is one of the best of the bands has an the release it brings is far worth the sacrifice of other songs that may have been played in its stead. Closing out the all too short set with “Blood Pigs” they left the stage triumphant as if it was a headline set. All par for the course for this band.
Set List:
Eet The Children
Battle Ready
Fists Fall
My Confession
Blood Pigs
Next up was another headline worthy name in THE DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT. Devin definitely brings his own crowd and easily could have filled this venue by himself on this night. Many DevyHeads rushed the front after OTEP to get a spot. Still other camped out for later acts held the rail and we not going to budge no matter who was coming on next. The band has been playing deep cuts and long sets on their headline run, but on this night they would play half their total number of songs in the middle slot. Still a DTP show is superior to most other acts mainly due to Devin being on of the premier forces in modern heavy music. The music played before he they hit the stage and the hilarious video projections are all from the crazy mind of Townsend. Be sure to pay close attention to this before the band hits the stage next time you see them.
Devin Townsend is so awesome he practically levitates himself off the stage!
Meanwhile The bands gear was set cross the stage side by side, even the drums! This was due to the rest of the back line being so huge. The band hit the stage one at a time with Devin coming out last, resplendent once again in his silvery suit. Before the band played a note he remarked that “Zombies are stupid!” Opening with “Truth” always seems like a good bet to combat the fans who only want to hear STRAPPING YOUNG LAD songs. The track is super heavy and Devin relishes playing it, clearly. He jammed out on his axe, grinned and humped it as he soloed like a modern day JIMI HENDRIX. Of course he is also a stupendous singer and skilled performer too. “Om” and “By Your Command” quickly followed in succession. Both tracks are also top notch and very hard even though not classically heavy like his earlier material is. Complimenting the music was all manner of bizarre videos and images projected over head on screens. Trippy! The band was also tight and in fine form, especially drummer Ryan Poederooyen whom I got to watch up close and personal. The man is a powerhouse behind the kit. “Kingdom” was next and was truly flawless to see and hear again. Dev is so in skilled and in control of his playing it hardly looks like work to the veteran star. “Supercrush!” is so slow and beautiful that is made the whole front row of Devheads loose their minds and me too. The track is almost like a mantra it is so singular and perfect, Dev’s operatic singing in particular. Just once in my life I’d like to see Anneke van Giersbergen perform her part of the song live rather than piped in. Sigh. I need to move to Europe! Meanwhile Dev was great as usual between songs and he baited the crowd by say he wanted to see more of them look disinterested and bored. I think this was a jab at a block of MUSHROOMHEAD fans who didn’t seem to even remotely like any other band. More theatrics abound on “Stand” and its grinding chug. “Juular” is likely the one track that states the ears of the doleful stubborn fans, not that the band cares any. They just go about being professional and awesome. “Vampira” closed things out in style with the hilarious video plying behind the band. It would prove to be hard to follow this act.
Set List:
Truth
Om
By Your Command
Kingdom
Supercrush!
Stand
Juular
Vampira
As the stage switched over for CAVALERA CONSPIRACY I got really excited. Even though I was totally mind jobbed by the previous two acts it had been years since I had seen either CAVALERA brother anywhere so I was intrigued to see them together again. The band came on strong opening with “Warlord”. Max took his customary spot center stage and led the charge. Right off the bat the band was cooking and Igor was just decimating his massive kit. I t was great to see him up there where he belongs. The crowd seemed to be eating out of Max’s hand the entire time too. The pits were pretty consistent since the band played a very up tempo set. Aside from the brothers the star of the band is guitarist Mark Rizzo. He was a madman on his side of the stage shredding his face off on solos and holding down his rhythms with a lot of style. If it’s possible he is almost underrated in the current scene and should be more top of mind when people do their best of lists. Bassist Johnny Chow was also solid held down the low end. “Inflikted” and “Sanctuary” came next as the band asserted their own material rather than go to the easy cover route too soon. “Inflikted” has an amazing solo by Rizzo. Both songs are solid, were performed great and had the crowd singing a long. Finally they did “Refuse/Resist” the place went bananas. It was a really treat to see the brothers doing this classic song together again. Max’s vocals still sound great after all these years too. This also set the pace for the rest of the night as well. “Killing Inside” is solid, but not too special. The mid-tempo groove allowed everyone to catch their breath a bit. “Thrasher” is also a solid song live too. Another gem came in the form of “Arise/Dead Embryonic Cells”. The old-school thrash anthem was awesome and the breakdown of DEC is one of the best ever with everybody on the floor moving, jumping and even skanking! “I Speak Hate” is one of the better CC songs to hear live. Max is more focused on being a front man at this point in his career than guitar work, but the axe work on the track crushes. Closing out with “Roots Bloody Roots” the entire place went ape shit as the band destroyed the stage practically. The ending groove of the track was amazing to hear and the band ended jamming a little bit of the “Troops of Doom” riff at the end of it all.
Max and Igor: Reunited and it feels so good.
Set List:
Warlord
Inflikted
Sanctuary
Refuse/Resist
Killing Inside
Thrasher
Arise/Dead Embryonic Cells
I Speak Hate
Roots Bloody Roots
Now the preparations for MUSHROOMHEAD to take over the stage began. The now totally full venue buzzed to life by the end of the last set. I had not seen the band in many years, but I was pretty excited to see how they would do. As they set up the stage for the band the crowd rumbled in anticipation which disappointed me somewhat considering how luke-warm the crowd had been most of the night. Sometimes fans of a band can squash a good time for everyone else.
Yes, that is Gary Busey playing the kettle drums with MUSHROOMHEAD.
Meanwhile the band hit the stage with a sense of theatrics and style as black lights the band imported washed over everything. They kicked things off with “Come On” and they crow ate up the bands antics of eight guys running around like crazy and their two percussionists St1tch and Lil Dan playing the light up water drums. Drummer and band leader Skinny played on giant drum kit resembling a car, complete with spinning rims. Newsflash: rims are passe unless you are Fred Durst and not metal at all. Both co-front men Jeffrey Nothing and Waylon traded vocals and complimented each others styles well. The band raged to their anthemic style of industrial metal and the crowd seemed to lap it up. Next track “BWOMP” added a little danceable beat to the proceedings. The performances were certainly fine even though the music was a little generic. Everyone in the band is certainly talented and each member of the band puts on a worthy show. Nothing is really charismatic in particular and is really compelling to watch. He has some fine singing chops and even raps well at times. Waylon has more of the screaming voice of the two. “12 Hundred” amounts to the bands hit song or one of them I suppose. Everybody in the place seemed to know the words and the band seemed to feed off of that energy as well. Other songs like “Sun Doesn’t Rise” have the band showing their song writing chops and their alt rock and metal influences. “Save Us” seemed to slow things down to a crawl, killing the momentum they built. “43” was at least more interesting since Gary and Jake Busey came out and played the water drums during the song. There were appearing at the convention and them showing up to jam was funny and cool. That was really the high point of the set for me. The group certainly played hard and well, but I found little of their music varied or heavy enough for my tastes save for “Simple Survival”, “Becoming Cold” or “Burn The Bridge” which ended the night. Even now I still can’t figure out their fans though. So die-hard they flipped off greats like Devin Townsend and then acting like a solid, long running band is the second coming of I don’t know what? I just don’t get it. I guess there really is no accounting for good taste.
Jefferey Nothing is excellent. The rest of the band, not so much.
I don’t know what to say about this DEVIN TOWNSEND video for “Juular” other than that it’s absolutely epic and entertaining. It’s the craziest, coolest video of the year thus far and I’m really interested to see what everyone here has to say about it. Check it out and then make sure you check out HEVY DEVY along with THE OCEAN on Devin’s Metal Army sponsored headlining tour this fall!
