For some reason, I felt compelled to see this year's Summer Slaughter tour, despite the fact that last year's show was a bust and this year was charged at $30-35 a ticket. But, being the masochist that I am, as well as a somewhat wealthy young man, I took a chance and came out. Imagine my surprise when I found out that they had split the bill of twelve bands in half, but including Ensiferum, Suffocation and Necrophagist on both dates, and only seven would play tonight and the remaining five would play the following evening, a move that robs myself and the few hundreds in attendance our money's worth. In any event, the bill had it's few ups and many downs, but I would gather that tonight couldn't possibly any worse than tomorrow's show, which unfortunately, I will not be able to see. But to be quite honest, I'm not the least bit saddened. Read on!
BLACKGUARD - Once you get past the stench of sweaty balls and dirty water, this opener band was pretty rockin'. I would venture to take a guess that they've probably ripped off several pages from the ol' heavy metal rulebook and committing to several of its familiar cliches, like placing a domineering foot on the monitors, or uniformly swaying and bobbing their long manes of hair in choreographed unison. Still, at the early in the day and being the first band up, they got the entire house rockin'. And while they seem to be a bit cliched, their good-time attitude is what saved their set. Set Grade: B
DECREPIT BIRTH - Hats off to the singer of this band for providing the single most entertaining moment of the evening, having jumped into a crowd of docile metalheads and losing a shoe in the process. What followed was painfully hilarious as the singer wouldn't focus on his stage duties and simply ask the crowd where his missing shoe was. It's sad, really, when that is what is most remembered from your set. Music was typical and average, but that missing shoe - priceless. Set Grade: C+ (B- for the missing shoe)
ORIGIN - The girl to the right of me said that this band was good... well, she lied! Not my cup of tea, really. The band substitutes lyrical clarity and brutal riffs for monster faces and spanking the mic like a misbehaved child (don't ask!). The singer is a fat, drunken douchebag, and the band would be wise to dump him fast! Set Grade: D+
DARKEST HOUR - The perfect example of having the right kind of energy with thrashy riffs and vibe, but having zero chemistry with the crowd - one fan told the singer to "fuck off" - and even less stage charisma. For a notable band such as this, I expected way more. Set Grade: C+
ENSIFERUM - I'm not a big fan of singing along to the main riff or chanting along with the crowd of sweaty morons behind me that is common with folk-metal, but this wasn't a totally awful set. I just wish the male players hadn't exposed their hairy, sweaty beer gut while the one female in the group remained covered up. At least these guy crafted much better than the bands before them, and how sad that it takes foreigners to outdo Americans like that. Set Grade: B-
SUFFOCATION - As brutal as they want to be! That is their credo, at least when their singer can't shut the fuck up for two seconds and let the band actually play. The band just released their latest album, Blood Oath, and after 20 years as an influential death metal band, their age doesn't necessarily show. An while there are far better bands in their genre, tonight definitely belongs to them. Necrophagist better be on their game! Set Grade: B
NECROPHAGIST - As I write this, the band is playing. That should tell you just how lackluster the energy is if I can blog this while a metal band is playing! No flying bodies, no crowdsurfers... just really loud douchebags and even louder music. How the fuck can these guys be the headliners? After all, this is an American tour, yet the main act is a bunch of Krauts! A major comedown from the sheer brutality and speed of Suffocation. Technical death metal my ass! Set Grade (before the set is even finished): C+
NO SHOW BANDS/PART II's REMAINING BANDS - After the Burial, Beneath the Massacre, Born of Osiris, Dying Fetus, and Winds of Plague (my misbegotten foes).
Overall Show Grade: B-
Monday, July 20, 2009
Deicide and Vital Remains @ BB King - 7/5/09
Back in October 21 of 2006, which happened to be my birthday, Deicide had come to New York to promote their latest album at the time, The Stench of Redemption, and I had the misfortune of missing the show. Since then, I had always wondered what a Deicide show was like and what would I expect. Three years later that time finally came and I was going to see Glen Benton up close and personal!
REGAIN THE HEART CONDEMNED - The first band up was a strange combination of dudes. Taking their cue from legendary Norwegian black metal band Mayhem, the five-piece band had four of its members looking and dressing like normal dudes, more like rejects from a deathcore band, and the singer dressed in corpse paint and Jesus Christ regalia. Much to my surprise, the crowd seemed to enjoy the dark theatrics as the singer pours cornsyrup, designed to look like fake blood, from a plastic skull all over himself and grumbles incoherently into the mic. I wasn't impressed, plain and simple. Better bands can pull it off without seeming cartoonish or the least bit ridiculous. Bands need to rely on their music and lyrics to reach people, not kindergarten-style Halloween costumes and fake blood. Set Grade: C
MARTYRD - In every bill there is always one band that sticks out. Sometimes it's because they're better than the other bands, and they bring a certain kind of finesse and skill than the others don't have. In this case, it's playing the wrong style of music! This is supposed to be a night Satanic death metal, and a band like Martyrd brings to the stage an 80s pop thrash/NWOBHM-influenced style more suitable for throwbacks trying to regain their former glory. (In fact, their next big show will be with 80s thrashers Metal Church.) And since I've seen these guys many times before, playing the same songs in the same way, there isn't much else to say. At least they moved up from show openers to second billing. Set Grade: C
VITAL REMAINS - Perhaps one of the nicest group of guys ever to front a death metal band, there's the massive bodily frame of guitarist Tony Lazaro, who towers over anyone, and renowned drummer of extreme metal Tim Yeung, who, upon having a casual conversation with, is a lot more brighter and humble than he looks. Sonically, the band is brutal and the crowd is definitely feeling the vibe of danger. Pits are getting crazier behind me as bodies are falling onto the stage. At one point, VR frontman Scott Wily attempts to pull me onstage so that I can jump back into the crowd and take some people out. On another night, I may have done so, but I was not going to lose out on havin the evil Mr. Benton perform before me. Still, Vital Remains do a good job is rustling up some fire from the crowd of angry spics around me and leaves ample room for Deicide to lay waste to all in attendance. Set Grade: B
DEICIDE - I often wondered what the evil monster that was Deicide was like in the 90s when the genre was still new. After all the news reports that Deicide were responsible for an Italian boy's death and bomb scares in Europe, as well as Benton's antipathy toward his fans' safety, I was actually a little scared. This dude actually branded his fucking forehead with an inverted crucifix in devotion to his Satanic beliefs! This guy is the real deal! Instead of having THAT guy come out onstage, we got an older, fatter, and visibly tired Glen Benton putting on a show. Aided by former Cannibal Corpse guitarist Jack Owen, weasely-faced drummer Steve Asheim, and a fill-in for guitarist Ralph Santolla, who has touring commitments with Obituary, Benton put on a good, but otherwise typical, death metal show that you can find at cheap dive bars in Brooklyn. So unmoved was I by the lack of evilness that I heckled Benton with: "I heard you were evil!" which prompted the perturbed Benton to threaten me by kicking my teeth just to see how evil he can be. And while I was smiling and laughing at this old man's "threat", I couldn't help but think that he was probably very serious! It was one of the most scary/awesome moments I've ever gotten from a band member at a show. Despite the visible age in their music and playing, Deicide made my night and the three year wait was worth it. Set Grade: B+
AFTER THE SHOW
I quickly snatched the slit of cardbox (a reference to Christ, perhaps?) that Deicide's setlist was written on and quickly stuffed it in my pants right when the final note had finished. I even shook Benton's sweaty hand, who seemed to have forgotten my earlier heckling. The setlist: Deicide/Dead by Dawn/Once Upon the Cross/Scars of the Crucifix Death to Jesus Desecration When Satan Rules His World Serpents of the Light Bastards of Christ They Are the Children of the Underworld Holy Deception Oblivious to Evil Homage for Satan Kill the Christian Sacrificial Suicide Surprisingly, there were no songs off the new album Till Death Do Us Part. Outside the venue, I spoke with and met with each band that performed, finding it very easy to talk to Tim Yeung, Tony Lazaro, and Jack Owen. Steve Asheim was also accomodating, even if he did look a little hurried. When Benton came out, however, he beat a hasty exit without any smiles or stopping to take pictures or sign autographs with the fans outside. Fortunately for me, I got to take a pic with Benton before the show! He's much shorter and not as scary as he looks and tries to appear in public. I won't lie, but that ruins it for me now. Deicide has become a band of old and tired men!
Overall Show Grade: B
REGAIN THE HEART CONDEMNED - The first band up was a strange combination of dudes. Taking their cue from legendary Norwegian black metal band Mayhem, the five-piece band had four of its members looking and dressing like normal dudes, more like rejects from a deathcore band, and the singer dressed in corpse paint and Jesus Christ regalia. Much to my surprise, the crowd seemed to enjoy the dark theatrics as the singer pours cornsyrup, designed to look like fake blood, from a plastic skull all over himself and grumbles incoherently into the mic. I wasn't impressed, plain and simple. Better bands can pull it off without seeming cartoonish or the least bit ridiculous. Bands need to rely on their music and lyrics to reach people, not kindergarten-style Halloween costumes and fake blood. Set Grade: C
MARTYRD - In every bill there is always one band that sticks out. Sometimes it's because they're better than the other bands, and they bring a certain kind of finesse and skill than the others don't have. In this case, it's playing the wrong style of music! This is supposed to be a night Satanic death metal, and a band like Martyrd brings to the stage an 80s pop thrash/NWOBHM-influenced style more suitable for throwbacks trying to regain their former glory. (In fact, their next big show will be with 80s thrashers Metal Church.) And since I've seen these guys many times before, playing the same songs in the same way, there isn't much else to say. At least they moved up from show openers to second billing. Set Grade: C
VITAL REMAINS - Perhaps one of the nicest group of guys ever to front a death metal band, there's the massive bodily frame of guitarist Tony Lazaro, who towers over anyone, and renowned drummer of extreme metal Tim Yeung, who, upon having a casual conversation with, is a lot more brighter and humble than he looks. Sonically, the band is brutal and the crowd is definitely feeling the vibe of danger. Pits are getting crazier behind me as bodies are falling onto the stage. At one point, VR frontman Scott Wily attempts to pull me onstage so that I can jump back into the crowd and take some people out. On another night, I may have done so, but I was not going to lose out on havin the evil Mr. Benton perform before me. Still, Vital Remains do a good job is rustling up some fire from the crowd of angry spics around me and leaves ample room for Deicide to lay waste to all in attendance. Set Grade: B
DEICIDE - I often wondered what the evil monster that was Deicide was like in the 90s when the genre was still new. After all the news reports that Deicide were responsible for an Italian boy's death and bomb scares in Europe, as well as Benton's antipathy toward his fans' safety, I was actually a little scared. This dude actually branded his fucking forehead with an inverted crucifix in devotion to his Satanic beliefs! This guy is the real deal! Instead of having THAT guy come out onstage, we got an older, fatter, and visibly tired Glen Benton putting on a show. Aided by former Cannibal Corpse guitarist Jack Owen, weasely-faced drummer Steve Asheim, and a fill-in for guitarist Ralph Santolla, who has touring commitments with Obituary, Benton put on a good, but otherwise typical, death metal show that you can find at cheap dive bars in Brooklyn. So unmoved was I by the lack of evilness that I heckled Benton with: "I heard you were evil!" which prompted the perturbed Benton to threaten me by kicking my teeth just to see how evil he can be. And while I was smiling and laughing at this old man's "threat", I couldn't help but think that he was probably very serious! It was one of the most scary/awesome moments I've ever gotten from a band member at a show. Despite the visible age in their music and playing, Deicide made my night and the three year wait was worth it. Set Grade: B+
AFTER THE SHOW
I quickly snatched the slit of cardbox (a reference to Christ, perhaps?) that Deicide's setlist was written on and quickly stuffed it in my pants right when the final note had finished. I even shook Benton's sweaty hand, who seemed to have forgotten my earlier heckling. The setlist: Deicide/Dead by Dawn/Once Upon the Cross/Scars of the Crucifix Death to Jesus Desecration When Satan Rules His World Serpents of the Light Bastards of Christ They Are the Children of the Underworld Holy Deception Oblivious to Evil Homage for Satan Kill the Christian Sacrificial Suicide Surprisingly, there were no songs off the new album Till Death Do Us Part. Outside the venue, I spoke with and met with each band that performed, finding it very easy to talk to Tim Yeung, Tony Lazaro, and Jack Owen. Steve Asheim was also accomodating, even if he did look a little hurried. When Benton came out, however, he beat a hasty exit without any smiles or stopping to take pictures or sign autographs with the fans outside. Fortunately for me, I got to take a pic with Benton before the show! He's much shorter and not as scary as he looks and tries to appear in public. I won't lie, but that ruins it for me now. Deicide has become a band of old and tired men!
Overall Show Grade: B
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