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-
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