Hailing from South Wales, UK is the band CONTINENTS, who play the kind of uncompromising, hardcore inspired metal that can take them far in the current scene of cookie cutter bands. It takes a lot to stand above the crowd and on your own two-feet these days, metaphorically speaking. By bringing the energy and the angst of old hardcore and a modern edge that borrows from Deathcore, Tech Death and a few other styles, CONTINENTS is a band that will get heads bopping and breaking at shows. Idle Hands has a very live feel to it, and the sound of a hungry band pushing their own limits.
Setting it off with “224”, the track swells like the onslaught of an attack on your ears. Great syncopated riffs and a killer beat kick things off right. This is a great little nugget of a track that would make for a good stage intro. The title track comes next and is really quite brutal. I like the angular, complex riffs and interesting shifts between Metalic Hardcore, sludge, punk, Deathcore and back again. Vocalist PHIL CROSS: remember this name well. In a few years time he is going to be mentioned along the same lines as PHIL BOZEMAN and EDDIE HERMIDA among others. He has a beastly growl, a great high scream, and a screechy sounding thing he does too. When contrasted with the gang vocals the band does, it works to great effect. “Pegasus, Pegasus” has a some great grooves in the verse and then the song takes a total left turn in to melodic Metalcore. And it works. The rest of the song is full of atonal licks and breakdowns. Phil changes things up and actually carries a decent melody. I can see this track being a big hit for them. “Inhale” has a slick urgency to its tempo and delivery. It almost sounds like a rabid animal breaking out of a cage, and has some of the best riffs on the album. Guitarists Darryl Sweet and Tom Weaver make sure to pummel chords with low-tuned authority, but deliver a lot of tuneful textures in every song as well. The track has another brutal/catchy chorus part that I liked. Drummer Duncan “Ken” Hamill makes the beat hot with his blistering kick drum work. I rather like his dry, not-overly processed sound, which bucks the current trend. “Land of the Free” is another hyperactive, killer track. It has almost a techno/industrial feeling to the beginning, before it slows down and grinds away. With many songs this short and to the point, it means a direct impact that cuts to the chase musically. The next track “Sheeps In Wolves Clothing” almost caught me off guard by sounding like Death Metal HATEBREED. The track is barely a minute and a half long, but it is great. I hope they play this one live. Following up that with “Regrets”, the band lays down another sick groove and rides it into your skull. The middle-section has some interesting off time riffing that is cool. Easily one of the top tracks on here. I wish at times bassist Dom Turner would get to step up and out a bit more, but he mostly holds down the low end of the riffs. “Loathe” is an intense instrumental, while “Trials” gives way to more aggressive, bruising staccato chords. I could do with a few less bass drops from this album, but I really I can’t quibble with them too much. The band has the good sense to not overdo them. On the plus side, they have done a good job incorporating other electronic ear candy into the mix. “Exhale” is another Punky, anthem and you can just imagine the pile on at the foot of the stage live. So angry, so brief. “Truth and Lies” switches back to the tried and true Deathcore, not unlike WHITECHAPEL and THE ACACIA STRAIN, until the refrain. “Lion’s Den” is a great closer. Lots of rage and tunefulness too, which is kind of the story overall on the album. CONTINENTS is a band unafraid to blend genres and step out of the mold. For that, I applaud them. It will be fun to see where they go from here.
TRESPASS AMERICA FESTIVAL is underway and reports say the shows have been killer! We are continuing to celebrate by giving away more band merch! Victory Records were supercool enough to team up with us and give away some merch to some enterprising fans. Watch the video below of this amazing Victory band and come back Monday at 12 noon EST to our Facebook page. Answer a trivia question about the video and you might win! Log on to www.trespassamerica.com for tickets and more details. Dates for the Metal Hammer Trespass America Festival are as follows:
Tour Dates:
7/13 –Broomfield, CO @ 1stBank Center
7/15 –Billings, MT @ Metra Park Arena
7/16 – Bismarck, ND @ Bismarck Civic Center
7/17 – Sioux Falls, SD @ Sioux Falls Arena
7/19 – Milwaukee, WI @ Eagles Ballroom
7/21 – Fort Wayne, IN @ Allen County Expo Center
7/22 – Waterloo, IA @ McElroy Auditorium
7/24 – Lubbock, TX @ Lonestar Amphitheatre
7/25 – Belton, TX @ Bell County Expo Center
7/27 – San Antonio, TX @ Freeman Coliseum
7/28 – Beaumont, TX @ Ford Pavilion
7/30 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
7/31 – Evansville, IN @ Ford Center
8/01 – Cincinnati, OH @ PNC Pavilion
8/03–Battle Creek, MI @ Kellogg Arena
8/04–Rochester Hills, MI @ MeadowBrook Amphitheater
8/05–Cleveland, OH @ Jacobs Pavilion At Nautica
8/07–Syracuse, NY @ SRC Arena and Events Center / Onondaga Community Center
8/08 – Glens Falls, NY @ Glens Falls Civic Center
8/10 – Scarborough, ME @ Scarborough Downs
8/11 – Montreal, QC @Parc Jean Drapeau Festival
8/12 –Toronto, ON @ Downsview Park
8/14 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
8/15 – Hartford, CT @ Comcast Theatre
8/17 – Worchester, MA @ DCU Center
8/18 – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
8/19 – Philadelphia, PA @ Penn’s Landing – Festival Pier
8/21 – Charlotte, NC @ Time Warner Cable Uptown Amphitheater
8/22 – Knoxville, TN @ Knoxville Civic Coliseum
8/24 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Katt Fest – OKC Zoo Amphitheater
8/25 – Rio Rancho, NM @ Santa Ana Star Center
8/26 – Phoenix, AZ @ Comerica Theater
8/28 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Palladium
Here is the remaining band in our contest. In this video is the clue you need, to answer the question, to get some free merch! Got it? Good!
Are you going to the TRESPASS AMERICA FESTIVAL? It starts tonight in fact! The show figures to be one of the coolest tours of the summer and with the help of our pals at Victory Records, we are giving away some merch to some enterprising fans. Watch the videos below of these two Victory bands on the tour and come back Monday at 12 noon EST to our Facebook page and answer a trivia question about it. Log on to www.trespassamerica.com for tickets and more details. Dates for the Metal Hammer Trespass America Festival are as follows:
Tour Dates:
7/13 –Broomfield, CO @ 1stBank Center
7/15 –Billings, MT @ Metra Park Arena
7/16 – Bismarck, ND @ Bismarck Civic Center
7/17 – Sioux Falls, SD @ Sioux Falls Arena
7/19 – Milwaukee, WI @ Eagles Ballroom
7/21 – Fort Wayne, IN @ Allen County Expo Center
7/22 – Waterloo, IA @ McElroy Auditorium
7/24 – Lubbock, TX @ Lonestar Amphitheatre
7/25 – Belton, TX @ Bell County Expo Center
7/27 – San Antonio, TX @ Freeman Coliseum
7/28 – Beaumont, TX @ Ford Pavilion
7/30 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
7/31 – Evansville, IN @ Ford Center
8/01 – Cincinnati, OH @ PNC Pavilion
8/03–Battle Creek, MI @ Kellogg Arena
8/04–Rochester Hills, MI @ MeadowBrook Amphitheater
8/05–Cleveland, OH @ Jacobs Pavilion At Nautica
8/07–Syracuse, NY @ SRC Arena and Events Center / Onondaga Community Center
8/08 – Glens Falls, NY @ Glens Falls Civic Center
8/10 – Scarborough, ME @ Scarborough Downs
8/11 – Montreal, QC @Parc Jean Drapeau Festival
8/12 –Toronto, ON @ Downsview Park
8/14 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
8/15 – Hartford, CT @ Comcast Theatre
8/17 – Worchester, MA @ DCU Center
8/18 – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
8/19 – Philadelphia, PA @ Penn’s Landing – Festival Pier
8/21 – Charlotte, NC @ Time Warner Cable Uptown Amphitheater
8/22 – Knoxville, TN @ Knoxville Civic Coliseum
8/24 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Katt Fest – OKC Zoo Amphitheater
8/25 – Rio Rancho, NM @ Santa Ana Star Center
8/26 – Phoenix, AZ @ Comerica Theater
8/28 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Palladium
Here are the two bands on the tour that figure in our contests. Study these videos well for a chance to win cool prizes starting next week:
GOD FORBID has to be one of the most enigmatic bands of the entire modern metal scene. They came up in the late 1990s at the same time as many of their peers, many who went on to bigger careers. While they have had some modest success, they haven’t had to compromise musically to gain a wider audience. Every album they have made has been at least above average to exceptional, including the criminally overlooked Earthsblood (2009). Armed to the teeth with a new label in Victory, new (on record) guitarist in Matt Wicklund (ex-HIMSA) and a hot new album in Equilibrium;the band is aiming to win over the respect of new fans while letting their loyalists know they haven’t fallen off the map.
The album’s opening salvo is a direct hit with “Don’t Tell Me What To Dream”. It’s a crushing jam full of mean grooves. Lead vocalist Byron Davis sounds positively ferocious on this track which sets the tone for the entire album. Second track “My Rebirth” could almost be auto-biographical in context. The song reinforces Doc Coyle’s ability to write catchy, yet super-heavy songs. The track is propelled by the beats of Cory Pierce, who along with Coyle are the cornerstones of the band. The chorus features some fine singing and also keeps the band’s trademark melodic solos in play too. A somber break down is a familiar part sonically, but the following groove just slams. This is followed by “A Few Good Men” which is one of the most brutal cuts on the album. Sick riffs and crazy blast-beats kick the track off before a thrash beat comes in. This song has concert sing-a-long written all over it and I hope it gets included in their live set this spring. There was some talk that the band would lose something crucial when Doc’s brother Dallas quit the band several years ago, but to my ears the song writing is just as sharp as ever. A surprising mid-song shift to a thunderous dirge is one of the cooler breakdowns in a song this year. “Scrapping the Walls” is another cut with some cool left turns in it. It starts off with a hypnotic beat and some gently strummed guitar, but later finds more heavy parts with neat melodic themes over them. The lead playing on this track is truly magical and they even used the old trick of chromatic riffs under a solo part like MEGADETH used to do. The band has never hid their influences be it American thrash metal, metalcore, death metal or hardcore. These first few songs touch all those styles. “Conquer” comes right back to fierce levels from the harmonious theme of the previous track, with a head-nodding verse and ear-candy guitar work from both Coyle and Wicklund. This is another cut tailor-made for the tough guys in the mosh pit to duke it out to. Davis lets loose some more hellacious high screams and deathly bellows and has easily turned in his best performance of his career. The title track could be a break out hit of sorts. Even with its sung and not screamed refrain, it is still pretty killer. Keeping the pace between more upbeat tracks and speedy face rippers, “Overcome” is yet another strong contender for best song on this record. I like the use of guitars in the chorus in an old-school melo-death nod with the verses that make you wanna bang your head. There is even a few cool keyboard parts heard here too. “Cornered” begins with some interesting piano parts too, before the guitars and drums unleash sonic hell on your ears. Another thing I like about this track and the entire album is the obvious time put in to write many quality songs. Every part here in has a purpose and there are no stray solos or breakdowns that don’t push each song forward to its full potential. Other top tracks include the raging “Move On”, the wall of guitars in “Pages” or the single “Where We Come From” which has the coolest music video I have seen by a metal band in long, long time.
GOD FORBID in 2012. Facing forward and crushing all.
CARNIFEX is a band I have had an up and down relationship with. Kind of like the hot, but troubled chick you know you need to steer clear of. Too bad you are already sucked into her crazygirl vortex. CARNIFEX is like that. Initially I didn’t really dig them, but I saw them live and came a way really impressed. I think my main bone of contention is that the band straddles the line between death core (which they are and do well), but actually have the skills to play some interesting tech death or even straight up deathmetal if they wanted to. Then I heard last years Hell Chose Me and was a little more intrigued. Saw them again live last spring and I said to my self ‘Whoa! These guys have improved a lot!’ Now with the release of their new album I am ready to dive in and see if these guys can live up to the considerable hype around them.
Opening with a chugging dirge, “Deathwish” is basically an intro track and begins like many CARNIFEX songs before it. Really blasting off with track number two, “We Spoke of Lies” the song is a little more interesting and really intense. Vocalist Scott Lewis has really honed his vocal style over a few albums and now possesses a tempered snarl of growls. Short, angry and to the point the song blasts away with speedy beats and blacked guitar riffs. This is certainly a step up for the band. The breakdowns and bass drops are still here, but so far not over-emphasized as much as the past. “A Grave to Blame” follows next and begins with a sick blast-beat and cool string skipping riff. Lewis again barks at the moon like mad. The are even some cool old school death metal type riffs here that you might find on an OBITUARY or IMMOLATION album. Cory Arford and Ryan Gudmunds create some of the sickest riffs and licks around on this album and have also improved. There is even an effort to allow bassist Fred Calderon to shine a bit more. Shawn Cameron brings the pain on the drums, but also provides some neat keyboards work recalling the sound of DAATH. “Dead But Dreaming” is another good song. Although by this time the album is sounding a touch formulaic (a holdover gripe of mine with these guys) the track is quite solid. Killer beats and grooves crush eardrums until the breakdown part. Then there is an impressive blackmetal riff or two they will surprise you. “Creation Defaced” features more of Lewis’ bestial lower register and faster tempos. There is even a cool interlude in the song that was from out of left field. “Dehumanize” has more crazy riffing and inhuman double-kick tempos. The title track is also very strong, with stout deathcore aesthetics. Lewis’ performance is certainly the best thing about album. He just dominates every song. The ending wave of riffs is impressive by any standard. Other top tracks include “Wretched Entropy” and “Curse My Name”. As much as I feel CARNIFEX has improved overall I think they are still missing a crucial ingredient, variety. Still, if you love deathcore you can totally stomp a bro out to in the pit to these songs.
DR. ACULA are a hot topic in the metal scene these days. One of the most highly touted of Victory’s up-and-coming bands, they fuse deathcore and dance music to make a really entertaining sound. Now they have recorded another song that will alienate “tr00″ metal fans but bring in kids by the hundreds, DR. ACULA has covered “No Sleep”, the popular hip hop track made famous by WIZ KHALIFA. I actually think they did a great job with it and it’s a shame that some people won’t give them a chance because they have “core” in their name…
Another great night of metal and debauchery was on tap at my favorite spot in or around Boston for a metal show, Great Scott in Allston MA. A bunch of hardcore inspired metal bands were invading the spot and it was a treat to see such a big turnout for a normally dead summer night. Lots of punk and hardcore kids mingled with metallers and show each other approving looks for shirt choices like THE BAD BRAINS as well as DEATH ANGEL. So choice was the lineup that many of Boston’s metal luminaries were in the house like members of CONVERGE and DEATH RAY VISION. All thanks and props go to Born of Fire and Zack Wells for putting on yet another killer bill for all to enjoy.
Front man Pboy of NEW LOWS is an incredible performer.
Local favorites PANZERBASTARD opened up the night and are just a killer live act. they are best described as old-school rock and thrash served up in a dirty shot glass full of fuck you! Bassist/front man Keith Bennett is hilariously funny on stage and the entire band just cooks live. Their label head Dan Patac (Patac Records) was also in the house and told me they have an new album in the works and I’m really psyched about it. Next up were NEW LOWS and BITTER END. Both of these bands are on the Deathwish Inc. label and had a lot of heads in the house just for them. BITTER END is a little more on the old school tip of things, but still crushingly harsh. NEW LOWS has a killer live show buoyed by insane front man Pboy. His vocals alone were worth the price of admission. Both bands are names to watch out for in the near future if hardcore is your thing.
Todd Jones of NAILS drive his point home....
After a quick change over of gear NAILS his the stage and the entire venue seemed swollen with people. It was hot as hell in the joint and the front packed in tight really for the onslaught the band would bring. From the opening salvo of “Conform/Scum Will Rise” it was like a powder keg went off and a big, wild mosh pit opened right up. The band was tight and sounded great. Vocalist/guitarist Todd Jones (ex-TERROR) is a terrific screamer, guitar player and performer. He has a lot of energy and really conveys his lyrics with his raging style. The crowd totally seemed to feed off of this making for an explosive set. The band played a set entirely from their album Unsilent Death (Southern Lord) and the crowd was enrapt as hellish anthems of hardcore, thrash, crust and grind rained down on our ears. Drummer Taylor Young and bassist John Giannelli round out the lineup and the bashed away at the songs with little time wasted. Songs like “I Will Not Follow”, “No Servant”, “Depths” and “Scapegoat” were just spot on perfect and the crowd never stopped moving. They even covered old NYHC band BREAKDOWN, playing the classic ”Sick People”. When the final notes of their set rang out like a shot from a smoking gun, I was pretty much spent for the night. Every time I see this band I just want them to keep going and play double the time. Perhaps next year when they do a headline tour. In the meantime I cannot wait for their next album to drop in 2012.
Pick up the new album from RINGWORM, out now.
If it was any other band besides RINGWORM, they might have a hard time following the chaos that preceded them. However, the hardcore and metal bashers from Cleveland had other ideas and are not to be outdone as a live unit. On the road in support of their new album Scars (Victory Records) they hit the stage with wild-eyed , reckless abandon. As usual vocalist James “Human Furnace” Bulloch just killed vocally. He is a terrific front man, with tremendous stage presence and he always gets the crowd moving. No one in metal sounds quite like him and probably couldn’t even if they tried. Naturally, the pit was sick with a lot of real old-school mosh dues out in force and no room for sissy ninja kicking noobs. There were circle pits galore from wall to wall in the relatively small venue and it was cool too see no fights or knucklehead action for a change. Since the band is out on the road celebrating the 10 year anniversary of the modern hardcore classic Birth Is Pain album and 20 years as a band, they played nearly as many deep cuts as they did recent ones. Songs like that title track as well as “Amputee”, “Dollar Whore” and “The Sickness” meshed well with newer material like “Unravel”. The entire band was tight as hell as they tore through the hour long set, keeping the intensity on high. I have to single out guitarist John Comprix (BEYOND FEAR, CHARRED WALLS OF THE DAMNED) for his usual axe-wielding awesomeness. I for one am glad RINGWORM are still plugging away after all this time and suggest you catch them live if they come to your town.
RINGWORM bassist Mike Lare wears a cool ANAL CUNT shirt in tribute to Boston grindcore legend Seth Putnam. RIP Seth!
SUMMER SLAUGHTER was back this year for our annual dose of death metal colon cleansing and skull raping pleasure. Some argued publicly that the lineup wasn’t as great a years previous, while others thought this was a can’t miss show. Always a good value (amount of quality bands for bucks) and a good time was surely going to be had at this show once again stopping by at the Worcester Palladium. I got to the venue early and settled in for a hot, busy day of coverage.
Another great show at The Worcester Palladium, in Worcester MA of course!
WITHIN THE RUINS was the first band of the day and kicked things off in style. Since they are from the area they had a nice response and many heads in the house for the early part of the day. They play a mix of death core and tech death and was good way to warm up the crowd. They played two new songs off of their new EP Omen (Victory Records) “Controller” and “Infamy”. Both songs are pretty fast and heavy with “Infamy” being the most impressive. Then the finished up with “Versus” and “Invade” and went out strong. Those who doubted this band was choice enough to open the show only need have been present today to be proved wrong.
FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE- played one of the sickest sets of any band.
One of the bands I was most excited to see was FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE. I had caught the end of their set just briefly a few months back and I was stoked they were on this bill. I was not so stoked that they went on so early in the day. As the stage was being set up for the band I could feel the excitement on the floor building and I knew I wasn’t the only one thrilled to see these guys. As the lights went down a big cheer went up and smoke filled the stage. The band came out to a piped in intro music and took their places. Then as they began to play “The Violation” all hell broke loose. The pit opened up wide and the first crowd surfers of the day left their feet. Meanwhile the band just slayed with their perfect mix of symphonic death metal. “In Honor of Reason” rained down terrific guitars riffs, insanely fast blast beats and inhuman piano and other synth parts. Best of all the band’s theatrics took it up to another level of cool which was not equaled the entire day. Tommaso Riccadi’s vocals were ridiculously heavy and offset nicely by bassist Paolo Rossi’s clean singing. The entire band shredded away and left the crowd stunned. They were easily one of the top bands of the entire tour and I can’t wait to see them this fall open for DECAPITATED.
Set List:
The Violation
In Honor of Reason
The Egoism
Thru Our Scars
OCEANO front man Adam Walker keeps the crowd moving.
In between the bands I ran around conducting some interviews and as I heard the opening strains of OCEANO’s “Ending Intellect” I wrapped up my business and flew down the back stairs of the venue to the photo pit. OCEANO was killing it, every member of the band rocking their jocks off. The crowd was really into it and their high energy death core set and it was a good change up from FgA. Vocalist Adam Walker is one of the best front men in the game, just really active, jumping all over the stage and constantly keeping the crowd amped up. The crowd seemed to enjoy all of the choreographed breakdown parts and bass drops that the band employs and they are as fun as any band on the bill. The entire band was very tight and played well, especially guitarist Devin Shidaker. Songs like “Viral-ReAnimation” and “Weaponized” went down well with the crowd and the closer “District of Misery” brought the house down.
Set List:
Ending Intellect
With Legions
Viral Re-Animation
Empathy for Leviathan
Weaponized
District of Misery
I missed most of AS BLOOD RUNS BLACK’s set list as I was busy interviewing bands again. This bummed me out since when I got back in the venue they were on stage and killing it big time. I caught the last two songs “My Fears Have Become Phobias” and “Hester Prynne”. Both songs are slabs of chaotic tech death and death core. I felt like they have a lot of talent and heart based hearing these few songs. They wound up being a bit of an underrated surprise on the bill for me and I will need to check out more music by them in the future. I will catch their entire set next time they come to my town.
John Gallagher continues to hold it down, forever strong in DYING FETUS!
Since I find POWERGLOVE totally unenjoyable I fled the venue briefly in search of air, water and my late arriving metal buddies. I honestly couldn’t believe between set up, the actual playing time and breakdown how much time these ass clowns were on stage for, sucking up precious time from DYING FETUS. Sucking, I would soon find out being the operative word. Right as my peeps made it into the venue, the mighty FETUS took the stage as usual like a musical tornado. The now fully packed venue rocked as the band blasted through “Homicidal Retribution” and “One Shot, One Kill” in rapid succession. I know that these tours are arranged often by record sales, but at this point this band needs to be one of the top names on the bill, and not just in respect anymore. There are few bands as entertaining and consistent as these Maryland death metallers. John Gallagher just murders guitars dead with his technical, ferocious playing style. He is an absolute wild man of a performer too which makes him mesmerizing to watch. “Shepherd’s Commandment” was equally vicious and brutal led by bassist Sean Beasley on vocals. I have seen DF many times as an opener and early day band it was nice that they got to play more than five songs and so tracks like “Descend Into Depravity” and “Praise the Lord” were even more neck breaking and awe-inspiring than usual. As always Trey Williams is just a monster on the drums and easily the best of the day. That is a serious compliment considering all the talent on this tour. As they plowed through several more songs I realized I was witnessing the best set I had ever seen by the band and they are just now reaching the height of their powers. After playing “Pissing in the Mainstream” Beasley announced they were going to play “Kill Your Mother, Rape Your Dog”. Just then someone ran on stage and told the band they were out of time. The band apologized and the crowd immediately started the “bullshit, bullshit bullshit!” chants. All I could think of was FUCK FUCKING POWERGLOVE!
Set List:
Homicidal Retribution
One Shot, One Kill
Shepherd’s Commandment
Descend Into Depravity
Praise the Lord (Opium of the Masses)
Your Treachery Will Die With You
Grotesque Impalement
Pissing in the Mainstream
Love him or hate him, Chris Barnes doesn't give a shit. Because he's Chris Barnes bitch!
It would be impossible for most any band on any tour to follow what just transpired. SIX FEET UNDER seems to have as many fans as detractors. Front man Chris Barnes has put down a solid career post-CANNIBAL CORPSE, even thought frankly I have never been a big 6FU fan. They always seemed to be missing a special defining element to me and perhaps unfairly, they could never really live up to Barnes’ storied past. The recently reconstituted band hit the stage with authority and a cheering crowd. That was cool and of course Barnes himself looked maniacally pleased by the reception. The band launched into the CORPSE classic “Stripped, Raped and Strangled” and they seemed to be feeling it. For his part Barnes stalked the stage with his gaggle of dreadlocks and a pissed look on his face. He did a decent job on the vocals as you would expect, but perhaps age is catching up to the man since his high screams we a little off the mark. Next up was “No Warning Shot” which was cool, the band firing on all cylinders. Aside from Barnes the lone long term 6FU member was guitarist Steve Swanson who played great and looked like he was having fun. The rest of the band guitarist Rob Arnold (CHIMAIRA), Matt DeVries on bass (also from CHIMAIRA) and drummer extraordinaire Kevin Talley ( DAATH, many others) also looked like they were having a blast. The band tore through a set of 6FU hits mixed with another classic CC song, “Hammer Smashed Face”. As for Barnes, who helped pioneer the genre for death vocalists it was a mixed blessing. Some of his animal squeals and high screams I could live without, but his lows were on point and he performed like a hungry contender, not a champ past his prime. Rob Arnold and Barnes are writing the next 6FU album so that development bares watching.
Set List:
Stripped, Raped And Strangled
No Warning Shot
Revenge of the Zombie
Feasting on the Blood of the Insane
Victim of the Paranoid
The Day the Dead Walked
Seed of Filth
Human Target
Hammer Smashed Face
Up next was DARKEST HOUR who are always great live. They had to cancel their appearance this spring at the New England Metal And Hardcore Festival 13. It’s all good since DH has always delivered live and been a stalwart act in the scene. They have played multiple times on this tour and even they aren’t really death metal (just influenced by it) they always hold their own. Coming on stage to the intro music of “Terror Nocturnus” the band peeled the lid off wit the first full song “The World Engulfed In Flames”. Again you might not think that melo-death inspired metalcore could follow some of the hardest and best names in death metal, but DH tore it up. The pits on the floor were enormous and even though some people weren’t digging it, many were caught up in the mania too. Stepping back in time for the Deliver Us album “With A Thousand Words to Say But One” upped the ante considerably. Fluid melody lines, fierce drumming and great dynamics, all capped off by John Henry’s killer vocals and performance. As one of the more veteran bands on the tour they really know how to put on a show. Playing one hit after another like “Sadist Nation”, the new single “Love As A Weapon” and “Convalescence” they put on an intense and strong show. Just like every time I have ever seen this band, it is them and everybody else. Closing with the epic “Doomsayer” you would have thought they were the headline band the way the crowd cheered when they left.
The great John Henry of DARKEST HOUR has an OZZY moment!
Set List:
Terror Nocturnus
The World Engulfed in Flames
With A Thousand Words to Say But One
Savor the Kill
The Sadist Nation
Love As A Weapon
Your Everyday Disaster
Convalescence
Doomsayer (The Beginning of the End)
Phil Bozeman dominates!
Just a few months back I saw WHITECHAPEL co-headline with local deathcore kings THE ACACIA STRAIN. Even though the same venue was packed and sold out that night, I wasn’t crazy about the show. Still, WHITECHAPEL is one of the more exciting bands in death core, so I was a little weirded out by that night. But fast forward back to tonight the band had a ton of heads in the house, as many as any other band. Just a few years back these guys were lower on the bill so clearly the respect they have been given here is impressive. Meanwhile they hit the stage and immediately kicked in to the anthemic “Breeding Violence” and the entire floor erupted in one big pit. Vocalist Phil Boezman leads the charge and the crowd was hanging on his every word and action. The band reeled off songs in rapid fire succession like “Possession”, “The Darkest Day of Man”, “Reprogrammed to Hate” and “Death Becomes Him”. Bozeman just stalks the stage from side to side and is a crazed mad man on the mic. The bands three guitar attack works best live and generally the rest of the band performs in equal measure to Bozeman or at least tries to. I basically figured out what my deal was with the band. I think away from too many similar bands WHITECHAPEL falls into a zone of a death core band capable of true modern death metal excellence. I’d prefer less bass drops and calculated breakdowns myself, but you can’t fault them for going to the well on what seems to move their fans. However, when they played “Vicer Exciser” from Somatic Defilement you hear the old, more straight up style of the band and wonder if they will ever step back in that direction. The closer “This Is Exile” might have gotten the biggest reaction of the entire show, leading me to believe that this band will eventually headline this tour, further cementing their legacy.
Set List:
Breeding Violence
Possession
The Darkest Day of Man
Reprogrammed to Hate
End of Flesh
Unnerving
Death Becomes Him
Vicer Exciser
Eternal Refuge
This Is Exile
After a long, exhausting day THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER’s banner was unfurled and the remaining faithful death metal fans let out a cheer. At this point I was pickled from exhaustion and watched the remainder of the show in the balcony. As the stage was readied for the band that was lower down on the bill just a few years back, I thought of my conversation earlier in the day with front man Trevor Strnad. He talked a lot about the history of death metal and how hard the band has been working to get to this place and time. I’m really proud to see them come this far and when you talk to fans of TBDM, they are too!
\m/ We are not worthy! \m/
Opening up with the ripping track “A Shrine to Madness” the band made it abundantly clear that they were not to be fucked with. Strnad as usual was a veritable madman on stage who is focused on audible carnage and tons of fun. I don’t think any band in the scene has as much fun playing a show as this band and it is always one of the best elements of their ethos. Tearing through a deep and well honed set of tracks like “Everything Went Black”, “A Vulgar Picture”, and “Nocturnal” the crowd went apeshit for these modern classics. Guitarists Brian Eschbach and Ryan Knight (ARSIS) have really built up a fine connection with one another. They trade licks and solos like nobody’s business and they give the band its foundation of melo-death inspired goodness. “Malenchantments of the Necrosphere” of off the excellent new album Ritual (Metal Blade) just slayed! Monster drummer Shannon Lucas was a beast on this and every song performed on this night. Although this track is relatively new, it should never come out of the set for its evil quotient. Other top tracks dropped left and right like “Statutory Ape”, “Necropolis”, “What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse” and former set closer “Miasma”. This just shows how deep the bands back catalog is becoming and how epic a set this was. At the end of the night it all comes back to Strnad as the leader of this band that has indisputably ascended to the upper echelon of modern death metal. Closing out their set and the arduous night with the feral 1-2 punch of “Unhallowed” and “Funeral Thirst” they finished up strong and catered to their oldest and most devoted fans. I’ll be looking forward to next years’ Slaughterific show!
Trevor Strnad says talk to the hand- the Satan hand!
Set List:
A Shrine To Madness
Everything Went Black
A Vulgar Picture
Nocturnal
Moonlight Equilibrium
Malenchantments of the Necrosphere
Statutory Ape
Necropolis
Carbonized in Cruciform
What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse
Deathmask Divine
Miasma
I Will Return
Blood In The Ink
Unhallowed
Funeral Thirst
Sweet hair, broski! Maybe another band will let you in if you put more colors and streaks in it!?
One thing I love about this modern age we live in is how retarded young dudes in bands act. I’m sure they did it in the 70s too, but we never got to find out about it until they were found in a pool of their own vomit with a bag of cocaine on the nightstand. Now, if you decide to be emo and cry on the internet, that shit will live on forever — so, I hope 16-year old ETHAN WHITE’s new bosses at his summer job don’t do a Google search on him or he might get even more sad!
For those who don’t know who he is (and why would you), he is the ex-bassist for the terrible band DESIGN THE SKYLINE that Victory has been cramming down our throats for months. Basically, they’ve never toured but they got a record deal and released a fucking terrible full length album called ‘Nevaeh’ (it’s “heaven” spelled backwards, GET IT!?!?!) that is, probably, the worst record I’ve ever heard from any established label’s roster… and I do mean ever!
However, now the other bullies in DESIGN THE SKYLINE have kicked out poor ETHAN WHITE because he’s 16 and, since parents just don’t understand, ETHAN took to his Tumblr account to let the world know how he was wronged! Below is his complete (unedited) statement on the matter — read it and check out my thoughts below!
“So my asshole band members just kicked me out because im 16. Ive worked so hard in this band ive done alot i drove all the way to chicago with them to get signed i made 2 music videos with them i do nothing wrong. And were going on our first tour in about 2 weeks. And there just dropping me like that. Nothing ever goes well for me in my life not school not relationships and finially i get in a band ive loved music my whole life and we finially get signed a dream come true and now ive lost that. I feel like that once in a life time chance had finally come and now its just gone like that cause my band members are fucking heartless. They know what shit ive been through but there just selfish. Now i feel like my life isnt worth living im just a normal ass person like ive always been and that sucks, i was so excited to see what tour is like and get to go to europe and see beautiful places on this earth. I cant even type right right now im shaking im so scared and mad and idk its an intense feeling i just broke a mirror with my hand and im bleeding i feel stupid. wtf is wrong with me. nothing goes well for me and this is just like assuring me nothing else ever will.. omg im freaking out. a;sdkjf;f FUCK man. i hope NONE of you guys have problems like this in yalls lives i hope you all live amazing wonderful happy lives no one deserves this but apparently i do for some fucked up reason..”
Man, all this stress is going to be terrible for his acne! I hope his parents got him some Acutane as a pre-tour gift to keep him smooth for all the bitches that were going to rock his world on his first-ever tour! You might not get to smash tail and get drunk this summer, but you’ll get to hit the books and probably end up with a better salary than anyone else in this fucking lame band. I also find it hilarious that he feels “scared and stupid” for breaking the mirror — is your mom going to be mad, bro? Better make sure you bring home all A’s on your report card to soften the blow!
The line that takes the cake in this whole thing has to be “im just a normal ass person like ive always been and that sucks” – this is the perfect example of why you should always kick someone out of a band if they are 16. This little kid was already counting his money and ready to become a rockstar, now he has to go back to sitting in Ms. Glynn’s English class and imagining what it would be like to date the cheerleader across the room and how cool it would be to NOT get a swirly from her boyfriend every time he goes to the bathroom between classes.
I don’t really know what else to say… This could be the single funniest thing I’ve ever read online in my entire life.
Wow, it seems as if today is the day for moving on… GOD FORBID has announced that they inked a 360-deal with VICTORY RECORDS. The band previously spent their entire career as part of CENTURY MEDIA, where they have sold 300,000+ albums over ten years but parted ways in 2009 mutually. Now the band is attempting a resurrection and will record their first album without founding guitarist DALLAS COYLE later this year for VICTORY.
I am torn on this and I’ll explain why. I love GOD FORBID. I think they are an amazing band, both on record and in concert. I want the best for them because I want them to feel creative and, in turn, give me another killer record. However, I would have been very wary of signing a 360-deal with VICTORY. Sure, some of the metal/alternative scene’s biggest bands are there but to sign away all of your rights to a label who has notoriously fucked over bands like STRIFE, THURSDAY and HAWTHORNE HEIGHTS amongst countless other horror stories I’ve heard from bands that dealt with VICTORY.
Usually, when a label has that many angry bands leaving their roster, it sets off a red flag in my mind that perhaps this isn’t the best label or tradition to sign away all my rights to. However, my number one hope is that GOD FORBID can create another heavy masterpiece for us because they deserve it and we all want it. More news as it comes in!
