Okay, so I hadn't planned on seeing the show this evening due to my unfamiliarity with the bands on the bill and, at the time, no money to purchase a ticket. (How I got a ticket is another topic for another day.) Of course, I knew of them and listen to their music whenever they pop up on Sirius Hard Attack, but pretty much that's my musical association with these bands.
Tonight, at the BB King Blues Club, was a night of ups and downs. When I finally decided to go, I ended up being 15 minutes late. Decrepit Birth had already taken the stage and were merely warming up the crowd - no mosh-pits or stage divers in sight... yet. No much to say about these guys, as with most lesser-known opening acts. The next band to take the stage was 3 Inches of Blood, who seemed to draw favorable responses from the crowd, myself included since I had already seen them once before at Ozzfest 2007. Their set was pretty much by-the-numbers and tame, a secondary warm-up to, I'm assuming, the main attraction - Black Dahlia Murder.
My impression of these guys is that: a) they are a very good live band; and b) these guys have a definite following. I bring this up because I never hear anything remotely interesting or positive about BDM. Well, they certainly worked the crowd over... and over and over again, until they had amassed an hour's set (maybe more) of rapid-fire heavy metal. The energy was high and the band was kicking ass, though I could have done without seeing singer Trevor Strnad shirtless, with sweaty man-tits. (He does have these two cool baphomet tattoos on his calves, though!)
As much as I liked what BDM and the other two bands were doing, I wanted to see Erik Rutan and Alex Webster. Due to an accident in D.C., which drummer Jade Simonetto told me personally, Hate Eternal were not going to make this evening. Definitely not good! Well, I sucked it up pretty quickly and along with a couple hundred other headbangers, I headed towards the exit. Then, by some fucking miracle, Hate Eternal had arrived! Yes, singer/guitarist Erik Rutan and company marched onstage and played for about 15 minutes worth of material, from their new release. My disappointment was when I didn't see Cannibal Corpse's Alex Webster on bass, but some gnarly-looking Asian dude playing a five-string bass.
Among all the stage diving, mosh-pits and the combined stench of Apple-flavored vodka, sweat, and stale cologne, it was a night of disappointments, at least for me. At point, Shaune Kelley's guitar wasn't working properly during Hate Eternal's opening number and was busy tweaking with the strings. By the time they came out, the energy and mood that Black Dahlia Murder had served up was now gone.
Overall, great performances by everyone, despite a night marred by tardiness, equipment malfunction, and the smell of stale cologne.
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