=!=!= Page 4 Reminder =>=> Read Napero's OP before posting your Awesome live reviews <=<=

Ozz I just read yours. Everybody has to suffer to be in front... it can't be any other way!! LOL Nile got the biggest pit last night BY FAR. It was a friendly pit though. Looking forward to Deicide on 03/04/2011. It's on a Friday night as well. ++ A lot of good writing in this thread btw. [add a page 4 reminder]

A conventional Rudra show is one that fuses eastern influenced riffs and drum beats with death metal. Rudra’s set at Kalaa Utsavam this year (held at the Esplanade Outdoor Theatre) places more emphasis on the eastern influences, or Indian influences to be more accurate, on their music.



Day 1 (“Some call this blasphemy… We call it devotion.”)

Missed the first set, so had to stay for the second set. The crowd was small for a Rudra show, with probably around 20 people watching at max. There was already a group who had stayed through the first set (all the way to the end of the third set as well).

Setlist (correct me if I am wrong, please!):

Ravens of Paradise
(Special request)Aryaputra
Ananda
Rudrapatni
Hymns from the Blazing Chariot
The Pathless Path to the Knowable Unknown

Most of the songs were specially rearranged for the purpose of this event, with the exception of Aryaputra, which was a special request by Shiva (Xanadoo). The flute work certainly added a nice touch to the music, enhancing the Indian influences in their music. However, parts of it at the intro of Ravens of Paradise did sound weird at first! Having a live female vocalist doing the clean singing parts also enhanced the Rudra experience. It was weird, to say the least to have a group of only 5 headbangers at the front of the stage when Aryaputra and The Pathless Path were played, and while it gained quite a number of curious onlookers, it was all in good fun and enjoyment of the music. With this preview, I could barely wait for the second day’s set as the band promised it to be a different and a unique (and probably never done before) experience.

Day 2 (“Some of you might find this a little bit noisy, but to us it is beautiful music... And I'm pretty sure some of you here agree with us!”)

Setlist:

Ravens of Paradise
Ananda
Hymns from the Blazing Chariot
The Pathless Path to the Knowable Unknown
Finale: Asura Mardhini











The crowd tonight certainly is crazier and more enthusiastic than the previous night, with the entire outdoor theatre being filled (and even overflowing) about five minutes before the start of the set. The first part of the set was what was already previewed on day 1, with the main difference being the slight change in the setlist and also the screening of the lyrics and interpretations of various parts of the songs on 2 projector screens in the background. The climax on this day’s set was the finale, an epic and rearranged version of Asura Mardhini, taken off Rudra’s Kurukshetra album.



The performance was a collaboration between the band and the Maya Dance Theatre, a dance production company. One thing for sure was that the dance was extremely well choreographed and synchronised with Rudra’s brand of death metal. The dancer’s expressions (down to the coordinated movement of their eyes) certainly brought life to the story behind the song (which, according to frontman Kathi, literally translates to “the slaying of the demon”). When the demon has been slayed, there was a standing ovation from the crowd, further enhancing the epic feeling of the performance.

Overall an entertaining and certainly nicely put up performance by both the band and the dance production. Lots of non-metal heads could be seen bobbing their heads to the music and enjoying the dance performance, along with the headbangers in the crowd. Sound-wise, the band was certainly tight (maybe even tighter than the Baybeats performance, not saying that was bad though!), but it’s probably the smaller stage with chemistry seemingly flowing more easily between the band members.

Definitely a show that was one of a kind and certainly hope more performances of this type can be done again the near future!

Originally written for Heavy Metal Tribune.

Saw Dimmu, Enslaved, Blood Red Throne and some dumbass opening band tonight at the Seattle Showbox (thanks iAm). I was at the very, very front a bit center left on the guardrail. The place was supposed to open at 6pm but apparently they pushed it back to 6:30 (I showed up in line at 5:35pm), and I had nothing but a T-shirt and jeans on, so I was damn near frozen before they opened the doors.

The openers, Dawn of Ashes (go look at their band page, because they do dress up like that), look like a bunch of Slipknot rejects in leatherface costumes. They play veeerrrry generic music, but I must give props to the vocalist for running around and getting the crowd pumped. He looked like a Daedra warrior, so I thought I was in Oblivion or something and tried to look for a glowing orb). There was a guardrail so the most he could do was sit on it, but no other singer did that tonight except him. He came up to me and I wasn't interested, but his knee came up and smacked me in the forehead, which sucked so I kind of pushed him off.

After those guys Blood Red Throned comes on and, you know, I dig these guys a little bit, but they're awful live. They have no real presence, some of the members are assholes on stage, and the vocalist, while good, has nooooooooo stage presence. Just drinks his beer and does vocals, with the ocassional "are you ready?" Stood in his spot the whole time, and the rhythm guitarist was getting pissed because no one was roaring - you could see him talking to himself, he looked really disappointed.

Enslaved come on and they rule. Honestly, even the songs I don't like by them sound really good live. Even the clean vocals on the new songs on the new album sound damn good live, while I don't like them much on the album. Ice Dale (yes, he never wears a shirt) was a great showman, but at this point and I could hear all the girls screaming behind me when he had solos. I of course was insanely enthusiastic and me and him did the member / fan horn-to-horn and eye contact a bunch of times.

Which leads me to the next band, Dimmu Borgir. Now, I don't really like any of their albums after EDT except maybe the re-recorded Stormblast, but I will say that they put on a good performance. Very epic and theatric, of course, and yes they do dress up in the same costumes as the ones on their band pic (Galder with the fur and all). On that subject, I got Galder's attention the whole night. He pointed at me, made tons of eye contact, gave me the horns, etc. However, the guy standing next to me was stonewall the whole time - didn't even headbang the whole gig - so Galder saw this and I guess his was of dealing with it was spitting water at the guy, which also hit me. Galder does this three more times during their set, hitting me and this guy twice and then shooting at some other people at the front. I know he's just being friendly, but, well, think about it: Galder + fluid in Galder's mouth + shooting it at your face = ewwwww.

At the time, the place got REALLY packed and all the scene girls came out. It was quite literally a sausagefest around me until maybe around Enslaved, but all these girls came out of nowhere and I heard more girl screams than guys yelling. All over my back and ass I could feel tits at different heights pressing me up against that guardrail. I wasn't remotely interested in that as I was trying to get Galder's attention the whole set. But damn, I took one look back to check out the moshpit, and it was huuuuge. Ahead of them was a forest of eye-liners and hot-topic haircuts, though, and scene boys in GROVES.

Nonetheless, what made it worth it was Galder knowing that I deserved a pick, flinging one to me. My lucky fucking night.

Obliteration played this small bar venue last night. My first time being there. A fairly nice looking place with some old barrels for tables and lit candles on them for atmosphere. The gig was arranged by an association called Club Mega Therion, which tend to throw certain kinds of theme nights at the same place. The couple of TV sets there played old horror movies (Zombie Holocaust at least) with the sound off, again for mood.

The opener was a Finnish band, Mother Susurrus. They played a sort of atmospheric sludge, quite reminiscent of Isis around Panopticon and Celestial. The vocalist wore a robe for a stage get-up, but it just seemed out of place with the rest of the band in street clothes. They had some pretty good parts and the drumming was very nice to listen to, but this kind of music really isn't my thing so I just kinda tuned out. I did notice however that the stage wasn't really optimal for live performances since the guitarist and bassist were really far on the left and due to how the place is situated, they were behind the vocalist, very cut off from everything.

The stage wasn't that big a problem for Obliteration since they're only a four piece. The bassist was a bit cut off again, but it didn't really bother me for the guitarist/vocalist called all of the attention. You could get right in front of the "stage" (about ten centimeters elevated from the floor) so there was a real intimate atmosphere. They performed with a lot of energy and the setlist was great. While there were only a handful of people watching Mother Susurrus, not that surprisingly the floor was packed for Obliteration.

A few months back when it was announced that black metal legends, Marduk are heading to Asia, there was a huge buzz, and once it was confirmed that they were indeed stopping over Singapore, metalheads started going crazy. Although this show wasn't entirely smooth sailing, with problems arising from people complaining about having a black metal band perform in Singapore, the event was eventually allowed to go on with the condition that the show is rated M-18.



Whatever the case, it wasn't going to stop the show from going on. While the gates of hell open only around 8pm, crowds could be seen gathering from around 5pm. When the time finally came, the crowds went crazy and streamed into The Substation. Unfortunately, the spot I managed to get was at the right side of the stage, right in front of a monitor (which could be a good thing with ear plugs, I eventually realised!). But this was going to be one of the most intense show that I have ever been to.



At around 8.45, the lights dimmed and chants of "Marduk!" reverberated throughout the venue until the band finally appeared on stage. A nice selection of songs from the debut album, Dark Endless, all the way to last year's Wormwood were played, leaving no ground uncovered. Crowd favourites such as Panzer Division Marduk and Baptism by Fire instantly caused the crowd to go wild, leaving everyone craving for more.



While standing at the opposite end from Morgan led to me being unable to clearly hear the guitar, it was good to hear the prominent bass lines throughout the show (knowing how important these were for Marduk's songs). Despite the minimal crowd interaction (after all, what kind of crowd interaction would you expect for a black metal show?), Mortuus' stage presence was undeniable, with him constantly drenching himself in water before every song. One more thing that caught my attention was how Lars, with his insane drumming, could keep up with the rest of the band, since songs were mostly sped up compared to the audio recordings.



After a good 1 hour, the show ended but the crowd wasn't about to disperse yet. After another 30 minutes of waiting, the band finally came out of the venue much to the delight of those who decided to stay behind, giving everyone the chance to catch a photo or an autograph with the band. Unfortunately, they had only 15 minutes so not everyone managed to get their stuff signed.

Once again, kudos to Cynical Sounds for organising yet another memorable gig. I would also like to shout out to the Cynical Sounds crew, without which the barriers in front of the stage would have collapsed with the intensity of the show and crowd.

Originally written for Heavy Metal Tribune (http://www.heavymetaltribune.com/)

Marduk's first blasphemic penetration of quiet little Singapore last night was facilitated by the good people at Cynical Sounds, organizers who have previously brought Grave, Dismember and Exodus to the country. Cynical also arranged for local holocaust instigators Draconis Infernum to join Marduk as they continue their tour through four dates in Indonesia. Unfortunately the band couldn't put in a support slot in Singapore due to the size of the venue, but January will see them bringing further ruination upon Singapore with the aid of Thai occultists Surrender of Divinity, in support of the mighty Impiety.

Crowds gathered outside the venue well before the appointed time of 8pm, and crowds there were for the event had sold out its 225 tickets a couple of days before the event. Fantastic for Singapore, considering the thing nearly didn't go ahead, what with panicking Christian mothers almost ruining everything. In the end, an M-18 age limit was imposed and pre-sale tickets were still sold out weeks before the event.

After a couple of days dedicated listening to Marduk's more recent material to reinforce my appreciation of the new lineup and their three excellent opuses in each other's company. With Wormwood having finally clicked, and Plague Angel sounding better to my ears than ever, I was treated to a setlist that referenced both heavily.

Opening with an instant highlight in 'The Hangman of Prague', Marduk were loud as hell and fast as fuck. Right up at the front near the bass amp I was exposed to Devo's bass guitar abuse far more than on record, and that guy really punches the crap out of his bass. Standing where I was Morgan's guitars actually competed with those evil rhythms. Bathing it all in ruin and obliteration however were Mortuus' sneering judgments and Lars' suffering drum kit. Mortuus and Legion have very different vocal styles, and though I haven't seen Legion live Mortuus was very impressive, rasping and shrieking with increasing vigour and venom throughout the set. He brought a nasty, sharp edge to songs like '502' and the particularly vicious rendition of 'Panzer Division Marduk'. Lars meanwhile played far faster than on record, accelerating most of the songs into higher bpms than their studio brethren.

In addition to obligatory material from Panzer Division Marduk (the notable exception being 'Christraping Black Metal') material from Dark Endless was featured alongside cuts from Wormwood. Partly because of the more aggressive versions played onstage, and partly because live the songs had a rawer feel than on the neatly produced album, the more recent songs sounded incredible. The final call to arms being a traditional sendoff with 'Azrael', the set referenced the important moments of the band's career and maintained a suitable level of carnage throughout.

The level of effort and sincere rage that was thrown into the hour-long performance was awesome to see. I've seen bands before putting next to no effort in because they are under the impression the crowd isn't big enough, or the venue is too small, or whatever (and this is what they've told me). With a sold out crowd in a modest-sized venue, in a country where their dedicated fans are thin on the ground, Marduk really put everything into their performance. And for a band that's been touring the best part of the last three years (look at their website, they haven't had a break) they put away their own equipment rather than letting the Cynical Sounds crew do it for them.

A message a day or so before the event had read that the signing session had been cancelled due to time constraints, which is fair enough considering the number of dates being crammed into a short tour. However, as we few loyalists loitered outside a half hour after the set ended, Cynical's Zul told us the band would come and hang out for fifteen minutes. Firstly, the guys themselves were great, really humble and happy to meet everyone, and stood for photos with my sweaty self and my friends. Secondly, they took a mobbing from the remaining dozens of people in their stride, with Morgan insisting on signing the armfuls of records, flags and shirts shoved at him despite crew members offering to break it up.

All in all a fucking insane show by four very hard-working, genuine and warm guys. Hail fucking Marduk and may they desecrate Singapore again.

(http://baileysmmcreamy.blogspot.com/)

Neurosis raped my ass vigorously. Not quite as loud as I figured but still very, very loud. The sound was amazing, clear and loud drums, the guitar tone massive. I only caught the last two songs of the support which in hindsight was a very good move as it was basically a homeless guy strumming a banjo and raving, it sucked ass simply put.

The setlist was pretty great, I didn't recognise all the songs (either off Given to the Rising or off a possible newy), but those songs were all great. It seems that newer Neurosis has a more traditional sense of melody, and a few fairly straightforward post-rock sections? It was fucken good anyway. Anyway the setlist, well, I was hoping for Locust Star, Doorway and Enemy of the Sun, I didn't expect any of them but got the first two PLUS the epic tribal crush of Through Silver in Blood. Doorway was heavy as fuck and I'm surprised (and disappointed) that a massive circle pit didn't begin.

That wasn't much compared to LOCUST STAR though, which is the fucking heaviest thing I've ever experienced. Hugest riffs, the final one in particular being incredibly awesome. I completely lost my shit, giving myself whiplash and occasionally going all one-man circle pit, and I don't really understand how most of the crowd remained static. Sure they're vaguely 'intellectual' or whatever, but this music demands a physical response! Whatever though, it absolutely crushed and I can pinpoint that song as being the best metal/music moment I've ever experienced. The ending half time riff from Through Silver in Blood was also really heavy and I blew my voice out screaming along with Kelly and Von Till's apocalyptic vocals.

What more is there to say? Crystal clear sound, fantastic stage presence and a great set list. Intend on seeing them again as quickly as possible.

Rough Setlist:
Some slow song off Through Silver in Blood, forget the name
Doorway
Given to the Rising
Distill (watching the swarm)
One I don't know
Stones from the Sky. Or is it a Season in the Sky? I forget.
One off Times of Grace, I forget the title
Two more I didn't know
Locust Star
Through Silver in Blood

So a very long set! Best live gig I've ever seen.

Lucky cunt. I'm hoping they will tour Oz just once. Kelly and Von Till look like super hard dudes eh. Hope this will inspire you to check out Given The Rising again. Amazing album.

Blind Guardian, Holy Grail, Seven Kingdoms [12/21].
Seven Kingdoms seemed pretty mediocre, at best. The (female) vocalist sucked, and lacked any energy even though she seemed like she was trying, but their lead guitarist made up for that... somewhat.

Holy Grail were awesome. Vocalist James Paul Luna (formerly of White Wizzard) blew my fucking mind away. He reminded me of a young Rob Halford: think Unleashed in the East, but with a sweeter tone. His highs are out of this world. The next day I listened to their album and unfortunately it didn't sound nearly as good as they did live, but good nonetheless.

During the middle of Holy Grail's set I started headbanging and on the very first time as I pulled my head up I felt a big sting on my neck. I believe I sprained my neck (or pulled a muscle, whatever term applies here, excuse my lack of english), and man was I pissed. It hurt like a bitch when I tried to headband again during Holy Grail but that all went away when BG came up on stage. I kept headbanging and it went away somewhat (probably because it was warmed up) for the time being and I was able to enjoy the rest of the show.

Blind Guardian fucking owned as well. Hansi was in top form, which makes me think why people have been saying that he's lost his form this past decade? As about a quarter of the crowd was chanting "Guardian!" as they came up, I was screaming out "Hansi!", and within 20 seconds or so, most of them switched over to "Hansi!" hehe.
They deliviered throughout, the tuning of the instruments was right on, could just about perfectly hear all instruments, unlike the other times I've been to that venue where basically only the drums and bass is audible. The band had decent energy, could have been better but considering their age, they were pretty good in that aspect as well. Hansi was cracking some jokes in between songs calling his members assholes and such. I went completely nuts during Banish from Sanctuary and Majesty.

Rough Setlist:
Sacred Worlds
Time Stands Still
Imaginations from the Other Side
Welcome to Dying
Time What is Time
Tanelorn (Into the Void)
Fly
Bourn in a Morning Hall
Lord of the Rings
Wheel of Time (I think?)
Majesty
Bard's Song
Mirror Mirror


So it was basically 2 songs per album with exception of the first two albums :[. If I were to choose the setlist I would have played half of the first album, half of the second, and a third of Somewhere Far Beyond. At least they didn't play anything from the Opera album, that I was very happy about.

Motorhead. That word alone sends shivers down my spine. This was my first metal gig (having had the worst luck with the last three gigs I booked and was unable to attend) and I have to say that it was the best experience I’ve ever had.

After wondering into the venue (I didn’t know Bristol had so many denim vests in it!) I decided to join the queue straight off as there was a massive line for merch. After getting into the hall itself I managed to get onto the rail right next to the amp, which looking back on it wasn’t my best idea ever. I was pretty far off to the left of the stage but still had a great view.

The first band up was Skew Siskin I think. They were alright and seemed to get most of the crowd into the mood. However the frontwoman seemed to be trying to hard to be getting some audience participation which fell down pretty badly. The second opener was Michael Monroe. The three guys behind me seemed to be fans of him and so I spend most of the short set being slammed against the rail and jumped on as they went for high fives when the singer ran along the front of the audience. The band themselves were good with the rhythm guitarist being one of the most laid back looking guys I’d ever seen. He was drinking wine between songs! The singer looked like he was off his face on something as he ran all over the place and climbed the sides of the stage. Overall both openers put on a good show and the audience was properly psyched when they were done.

Then the moment we’d all been waiting for arrived and the ‘head strode out onto the stage. I cant remember what that first song was but I know that at the end of it my neck didn’t seem to work the same way that it had before. And then the words we’d all been waiting for:
“Good everning”
(Crowd goes nuts)
“Our name is Motorhead”
(Crowd goes nuts again)
“And we play rock and roll”
(Band starts playing, Crowd roars)

I cant really remember too much from the individual songs if I’m honest. I know that Phil came over to my side of the stage and played a couple of solos to the songs in front of me. I also know that a guitar pick was thrown at the end of one of these which I, rather epically, failed to catch and had to sheepishly ask one of the security guys at the front to pick up for me. I also remember Mikkey missing the past note of his drum solo and getting a massive cheer from the audience.

The band finished and went off behind the amps. This was the one aspect of the show I wasn’t happy with. Everyone in that venue knew that they’d be coming back out to play an encore and so there was a definite loss of momentum in this period. Then they came back out and finished up with “Born to raise hell” where Michael Monroe came out to help with the chorus. This got a big response from the audience and is the point at which I think my throat gave up. Then “the” track came on and once again I found myself being slammed against the rail by the biggest pit of the evening.

Overall considering I’ve got nothing to compare it too and the simple comment that Lemmy made towards the end praising us as the best crowd so far means I’ve got to give this 10/10. I’m already making plans to get a couple of mates to go next year.

Impiety kicks off their Asian Worshippers Tour 2011 in support of their latest opus, Worshippers of the Seventh Tyranny on 16th January 2011 at The Substation. This occasion is a significant one for a few reasons, the first being that this is the first performance in Impiety mastermind, Shyaithan's homeland in six years, and kicking off an Asian tour in Singapore makes it all the more significant. After the letdown in August last year, Impiety promises not to let fans down this time around, and they certainly managed to ensure that 16th January will go down in the memories of Singapore metalheads.

After a slight delay, the gig finally started with the blasting of the military horns over the PA system, marking the entrance of the opening band, Malaysian death metal band Humiliation. Their debut full length album have been hailed by some as reminiscent of Bolt Thrower, and the band proves that they are able to live up to their expectations. Within a few songs, the initially stationary crowd began moving to their crushing music. First, slight bobbing of heads. Then some headbanging and finally, by the time the band hit their last few songs the crowd were warmed up enough and horns were thrown in the air.

Draconis Infernum were up next and within minutes of stepping onto stage they were ready to go, opening their set with a song from their debut full length, Cursed are the Vanquished. This being the second time Draconis Infernum has performed live since drummer Serberuz Hammerfrost took over vocal and bass duties (and session drummer Syroth filling in on drums), it was certainly a fresh experience watching them live again. Included were a couple of the new tracks taken off their recently released single, Proclamation of Encroachment and to be included in their upcoming full length. The personal high point of their set was the anthemic Worship Me, off their debut album as well, with Serberuz commanding the crowd to "Worship Me!". A cover of Archgoat's Apotheosis of Lucifer was also included in the setlist. However, there were times when guitarist Niloc's solos were drowned out by the remaining instruments.

By now, the crowd have been sufficiently warmed up and prepared to welcome Thailand's Surrender of Divinity on stage. Soaked in blood, the band wasted no time in spreading their brand of blasphemy. Xulaynus' continuous insane blast beats on the drum (already familiar, having previously witnessed his performance here last year with his other band, Lacerate), coupled by the Thai-influenced riffs by guitarist Whathayakorn and Avaejee's tortured shrieks all blend together into an organised chaos, with the hell hordes at the front banging their head away.

The slight technical difficulties encountered by Whathayakorn proved that nothing was going to stop Surrender of Divinity's onslaught as they promptly resumed their set as soon as the problem was resolved. As Avaejee tells the crowd to "let's immolate the fuckface of Jesus Cunt and Mary Bitch...", the crowd starts going insane as he announces that "it's time for... IMMOLATING THE SON OF THE FUCKING WHORE!!!"

Finally, the main event of the night, the mighty Impiety stepped up onto the stage, immediately filling up the venue with diehard fans. Many familiar favourites were blasted out by the unrelenting blasphemers, from Dominator, to Christfuckingchrist, to Lords of Apocalypse. The resulting mosh was so intense, extra Cisco guards were deployed to prevent toppling barricades.

More importantly, Impiety debuted their new song, Worshippers of the Seventh Tyranny. Being the first time hearing it, the crowd did not really know what to expect. The lengthy song with an unsure audience led to Shyaithan questioning whether the crowd went dead. Impiety also debuted another new song, Ave Satanas, said to be from the upcoming MCD that will be announced in a few weeks time, and which was more reminiscent of the songs the fans were familiar with and the energy level boiled over once again. The hour-long performance was not without hitches, as Shyaithan's bass ran into sound problems, as well as a very perceptible degradation in the sound quality as each minute passed. However, this conclusively failed to dampen the enthusiasm of the moshers, and the gig ended with a short meet and greet with members of Impiety and SOD.

Originally from Heavy Metal Tribune (http://heavymetaltribune.blogspot.com/)

Anyone see the recent Gamma Ray show in New York?

Like to get some feedback on this if possible, as I'm doing some music journalism at uni this semester and want to, obviously, get as good as possible.

It’s not a good sign when the bill for the evening doesn’t actually match the bands that show up. Of the bands scheduled to play – Beyond Terror Beyond Grace, Death Cage, Roadside Burial, Needful Things and Fattura Della Morte – only two actually did. Fattura’s absence was due to their line-up currently being without a vocalist, although it seemed the staff at The Bald Faced Stag were unaware of the change of plan even the day before the gig, when I called them to confirm who would be playing. Due to this, it’s taken me up until I’ve started writing this to actually find out who each band was, as I was unfamiliar with any of the acts performing. In the days of practically instance information via the internet, it’s a wonder this happened.

I’ve attended three gigs at The Bald Faced Stag’s “The Wall” venue, and all three times there has been some sort of problem with the mix. Of course, this is to be expected at any venue and it’s no real problem usually, but this time it was, with the microphone dropping out a few times during the show. However, to their credit, this didn’t slow down any of the bands one iota.

Opening the night was Burning Servant, who put on a rather lackluster performance due to an uncanny sameness to each of their songs. Now, extreme metal is often referred to by it’s detractors as “all sounding the same” – and whilst I don’t normally subscribe to this mindset – in the case of Servant, this was true. The vocalist would stop in between songs to attempt some crowd banter, although he seemed embarrassed to be there more than anything. Still – the band themselves were extremely tight and vocals were honestly top-notch, so this is all quite forgivable for a band who is very obviously still getting their act together, and I can see them evolving quite nicely once their line-up is complete (They are seeking a second guitarist).

Next up was Backyard Mortuary, in their final show until 2012. Their dark mix of death/grind and black metal was spot on, with Chris Archer’s vocals becoming perhaps the highlight of the night. Infusing the gig with just the right amount of humour, Archer wished his father a happy 61st before bursting into “Beyond The Grave”, slipping in and out of character tastefully between songs. The band certainly went out with a great show, especially considering this is where the aforementioned microphone problems first kicked in.

Not to be outstaged, Roadside Burial plummeted through a set of absolutely crushing death metal and grindcore with a punchy, bass driven sound. If the walls had ears, they would have been bleeding. But the highlight of the band definitely stemmed from Karkass’ vocal delivery. The problems at the mixing desk returned, with the lead vocal mic being turned down completely, which prompted Karkass to drop it and grab a spare, which funnily enough was turned right up. At some point, however, the man behind the desk decided to turn the other microphone back up, causing some feedback – which I think worked in the band’s favour, as it made it sound like a second, equally inhuman singer was present. After a song or two, this was then sorted out, and the rest of the set was absolutely perfect.

Closing the night (At this point I was still thinking Fattura would take the stage soon) was the Czech Republic’s Needful Things. The band absolutely blitzed through a number of short and devastating grindcore songs. There was nothing wrong with their passionate and energetic performance, but it simply didn’t match the ferocity of Backyard and Roadside, who had definitely stolen the show from these overseas contenders.

When LAMC announced last year about the possibility of heavy metal Gods, Iron Maiden, heading towards Singapore as one of the stops of the Final Frontier Tour 2010-2011, fans went rabid, snapping up tickets from the day it was released. The day finally arrived on 15th February, their debut performance in the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Fans started queueing since the night before, with hopes to get the front rows at the show. Even then, by 1 PM the next day, the queue was disappointing, with only 2 rows of people waiting eagerly under the scorching sun. However, as the time of the concert drew near, more people arrived as the skies turned dark. It soon started to rain and the crowd were moved into the shelter, with unclear instructions and atrocious crowd control leading to instant chaos and curses and swears hurled towards security. Further unclear instructions were given out, causing people who have already dried themselves to get drenched once more. It was only after a few huge confusions that fans were finally let into the stadium at around 7 PM.

A band of Maiden's stature certainly needs no opening act, and it was therefore surprising to see the banner of the opening band, Rise to Remain (featuring Bruce Dickinson's son as frontman) on the stage. It was not long after fans started entering the venue that the band started their show. The mismatch with Maiden's music, with the breakdowns, the screams and the whiney vocals in their music aside, Rise to Remain's set felt almost like a filler time for people to move into the venue. The donning of a Taake shirt by singer Austin certainly did not help matters as it felt almost blasphemous, seeing a metalcore frontman in a black metal shirt (the black metal elitist side of me seeps out...). Austin certainly has huge shoes to fill, considering father Bruce's reputation in the international heavy metal scene. While some of the fans in the front were going crazy with the intense shoving, moshing and crowd surfing, people at the back waiting for the real show to begin were taking a breather from the earlier chaos, sitting down and taking a break before Maiden gets the show going. The real cheers came when the band announced their final song as it marked the moment that everyone has been waiting for...



More cheers started emitting from the crowd as Satellite 15 played over the PA, complete with 3D animations played on the screens at the both sides of the stage. As Satellite 15 ends and The Final Frontier began, the crowd went insane as the members of Maiden finally grace the stage. Iron Maiden had previously promised that this tour will showcase not only works from their latest opus, The Final Frontier, but also a number of classics from their discography. Songs like 2 Minutes to Midnight and The Trooper certainly brought the loudest cheers, with the most epic moment of the set being Fear of the Dark, which never fails to bring the crowd to sing along with the tunes. The highest point came as Maiden played their closing song, the self-titled Iron Maiden, when the new incarnation of Eddie came on stage, and Janick Ger's teasing by throwing his guitar towards Eddie. A guitar was eventually passed to Eddie, with Eddie "playing" along with the band for the final riffs of Iron Maiden.



Throughout the show, Bruce proved what it meant to be a frontman, and not just the singer of the band with his numerous antics. Constantly dancing to the tunes, jumping and doing a mid-air split, coming on stage in a military-styled uniform and the Union flag was only a small part of what he was capable of doing to charm the crowd. Perhaps the perfect example would be on Dance of Death, where he sings and acts out the emotions of the song, yet not losing any of his pitch, further proving his capabilities as one of heavy metal's greatest voice.



Of course, how could we forget his famous ranting onstage? As he mentioned about his experience earlier in the day of having another Englishman telling him how dead the crowd in Singapore was going to be, he was greeted by cheers, proving the notion wrong. On the closing song of the encore, Running Free, the band also got the crowd to participate with the shouting of "Running Free" during the chorus, and as the final moments of the song arrived, Bruce asked the crowd if they were ready, only to be greeted by uncertain cheers by some, to which he commented "Awww fuck! Come on, are you guys ready?" and it was only then that a definite cheer was heard. There was even a short moment where Bruce poked fun at the strict (and even ridiculous) laws of Singapore. As the show came to an end, the band promised the crowd that this was not going to be the only time they will head to Singapore (and I certainly hope so as well!), ending the concert with the lighting up of the stadium and Monty Python's "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" over the PA system.

One thing that caused the show to falter slightly was the sound of the show. While standing in the middle of the pen gave a bad sound, standing nearer the back gave a more decent sound, while not perfect. At times, Bruce's vocals could not be heard, and so were each of the guitarists' solos. However, this did not stop Iron Maiden from giving a kick-ass show.

Few bands actually manage to jerk a tear in me (probably not even other metal legends like Metallica), but Maiden certainly did and it was almost like a spiritual experience, watching the band who have crafted classics like "The Number of the Beast" and the likes performing live onstage in front of me. Despite the crappy experience before the show, Maiden more than made up for it and this is one show that will certainly go down in Singapore's heavy metal history.

Iron Maiden's gonna get... All of you!!!

(c) Heavy Metal Tribune 2011

When I saw Septic Flesh with Lightning Swords of Death and Behemoth, the clean vocals (like in Anubis) were all prerecorded... which was a slight let down.

I haven't been to a show since December. This was due to the lack of any shows in the area really catching my attention and my strained financial situation during the winter months. My first concert of the new year was this past Thursday night, when Eyehategod returned to Baltimore. They played on the Club Stage at Sonar to a nicely sized audience, with very fitting support from local luminaries Misery Index, Magrudergrind, Cough, Strong Intention, and Surroundings. This was my second time seeing them headline, but third time overall since I caught most of their set at Maryland Deathfest last year. My first time seeing them as a headliner, and in general, was also in Baltimore, but at the Ottobar with support from Pig Destroyer, Goatwhore, Swarm Of The Lotus, Triac, and Strong Intention back in October or November of '09. That show was rightfully intense, and I'm pretty sure that that was the show that will be the main feature of the upcoming EHG DVD.

My drive up to Baltimore was incredibly tranquil. I encountered no traffic and listened to Misery Index all the way (all of 'Discordia' and nearly all of 'Heirs To Thievery'), really focusing on the performance of their drummer Adam Jarvis. When I got to the venue, I quickly purchased my ticket to the upcoming Atheist show next month, stuck that in my car, then went inside the venue for the show. Once I got inside, Richmond, VA's Electric Wizard worshippers Cough were practically done with their set. I was pretty disappointed since I had just checked them the week preceding the show. I have no idea why they were the first opening band, since they were featured higher up on the show flyer and they are signed to Relapse now. I ended up buying two vinyl records from them at the end of the show, which included their latest album and their recent split with a band that I haven't heard before, The Wounded Kings. I just love listening to doom on vinyl.

According to the set time sheet at the ticket "booth," Cough finished at least ten minutes later than scheduled. Since I wasn't there when at the start of their set, I don't know if they started late or if they just took their sweet time. The next band, Surroundings, wasn't helping the situation, for it seemed like they took a long time to get set up. This was my first time seeing this local Baltimore band and they play hardcore with strong grindcore and sludge metal influence. They were filming for an upcoming DVD, which was cool, but I don't understand why local/unsigned bands would want to release a DVD, unless they have a really extraordinary following. Overall, these guys were decent. Their vocalist was their strongest aspect. His vocals are decent as well, but he's got a ton of energy and he really enjoys stage diving whether or not his band is performing.

The next band up, fellow Baltimore grinders Strong Intention, have become opening staples for any and every extreme metal show in Baltimore in the past couple of years. Because of this, I've seen them multiples times, but this was the first time they played with their new lineup. Their drummer and vocalist/bassist still remain, but their vocalist switched to guitar and their new bassist was, or is, apparently in Cattle Decapitation. They always put on a very straight-forward grind set. This time was quite a sight to see since all three members ended up playing shirtless, including their vocalist who is a pretty husky follow.

Next up was DC's grind/violence sons Magrudergrind. Although these guys are local and play a good amount of shows in the area, this was only my third time seeing them. I really should change that, since these guys absolutely obliterate live. They dedicated their set to those with facial hair, since now their vocalist and their guitarist have a thin mustache and some bad ass muttonchops, respectively. At the end of the night, I finally bought their self-titled album on CD after putting it off for a long time.

The final opening band for EHG was Misery Index, who were the band that was worse off. Since the whole concert was running behind schedule, they weren't able to finish their set. They weren't even able to finish their last song, "We Never Come In Peace." They even faced some technical difficulties when a stumbling drunkard crawled on stage for some odd reason, disconnecting MI's new guitarist's cables. Thankfully, I never saw that guy for the rest of the night. The rest of the set was pretty good, not the best I've seen of them, but they did have Richard "Grindfather" Johnson [of Drugs Of Faith, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, ex-Enemy Soil] on stage for the chorus of "Embracing Extinction." Most likely to redeem the fact that his guest appearance on their latest album is greatly undermined.

Although EHG had set up in good time, they took the stage almost an hour after the scheduled time and played until curfew. Seeing EHG headline is an experience, no doubt. The depraved heaviness that bleeds from their amps is unmatched. During the first song, there was fist fight right up front. Even though, I was one or two heads behind the action, I wasn't able to get a clear look of the fight. Apparently it was between this young guy and a wasted hipster chick. (I, in no way, condone what the guy did, but I've seen this hipster chick at a couple of shows and what she does is get really drunk and float about the room, bumping into people, which is kind of annoying. It seems like she could get drunk and act this way to any type of music, but she must have some appreciation for heavy music since she went to the show.) Jimmy Bower actually stepped in to stop the fight and Mike said something along the lines of the following, "Settle your differences AFTER the Eyehategod show, let's just get loaded and LISTEN." After this, everything was good between the two. Ironically, that opening song was not "Hit A Girl." The rest of their set was pretty standard with all of the hits ("30$ Bag," "Sisterfucker," "Left to Starve," etc.), but the real highlight was the new song they played. They didn't reveal a name, but this song was full of thick, tasty RIFFS.

Like I said, EHG played until curfew. The venue had already turned on all of the lights in the room while EHG were finishing up. Once, they were done security were hollering for people to clear out, so I quickly bought my items at the merch table and headed out. Overall, it was a really good show and a great opener for this year in concerts. My drive back down that night was just as tranquil as the one going up. I listened to Immortal's 'Pure Holocaust' album back-to-back, in preparation for my next show on Sunday, Immortal and Absu at Sonar.

Definitely went to this show in Columbus, Ohio, I loved Blood Red Throne, their bass player was incredible. Yeah they didn't move much but it was still good. Enslaved owned the most. Btw Ill post a review of Immortal and Absu which I'm going to see tonight

2/26/11 Malevolent Creation, The Absence, Full Blown Chaos, Havok

Well this was my first concert since New Year's, and it was awesome! My ass is really sore, more on that later. I got there late with my little brother and my friend who just turned 30, and we caught the last 3 songs Havok played. We totally missed the other opener, hence I didn't list them at the top. Havok sounded tight, their original number was cool and then they did back-to-back covers of Postmortem and Raining Blood. Those songs are always safe bets to get the crowd going, and it was great.

The Absence came on next, and i was kingda pissed they were on before Full Blown Chaos, because I wanted as long of a set as possible for these guys. I was actually out smoking and talking immediately before this and I was telling everyone how pissed I was that these guys were under FBC and later I found out that this dude standing right next to me was FBC's drummer, all well. The Absence was very good, their guitar sound was awesome and they played a good number of songs I wanted to hear, like From Your Grave and Riders of the Plague. The pit was kinda half-assed, with only a few people in it, but I still got some good knocks in, and so did my little brother! I got a guitar pick from Patrick Pintavalle (the one with the dreadlocks). Awesome stuff!

Then FBC was next, hardcore's not my thing but it's always fun to yell along with on a Saturday night. Plus they did the wall of death thing, that's always fun.

And then Malevolent Creation! These guys ripped. By this point in the show I was drunk enough to where my forays into the pit were a mixture of people trying to grab me so I didn't fall and me spilling folks' drinks. I was worried that a band as old as these guys might not play any stuff off their first album, but I guess from talking to people there that their first is pretty popular. So there were a couple songs from The Ten Commandments (including my fav song from MC Injected Sufferage), and they also played Coronation of Our Domain off Retribution. I love that song too! The whole time I wasn't in the pit or on my ass I was right in front of Phil Fasciana watching him shred it up. That guy is awesome, but I really have to say I was most impressed by their bassist. The band page says it is Jason Blachowicz and that he's been in the band since '87 but this dude looked 19 or something, not sure if it's the same guy. But whoever he was, he was really good and had some cool fills in some songs that I hadn't heard before. Hats off to that guy, some of the coolest bass playing I've ever seen.

So to top it off, I get a guitar pick from Phil as well, after bugging him for a minute, talked to some cool people, and had a great time. Despite being extremely sore and hungover this morning I would definitely suggest seeing this tour if it hasn't hit you yet!

European Carnage - Megadeth/Slayer - Seen both before and while I'm not terribly fond of what they've been doing recently, I figured that it would be a good investment. And I suppose it was:

Megadeth went up first. The day before they'd only thrown a short set (half an hour) due to Mustaine's illness (kidney stone apparently?). Fortunately, that was not the case today. I watched them from a bit ways away, eighth row or something (ice hockey arena) on Broderick's side. We came in so late that getting closer would've been hard without serious use of one's elbows. Mustaine seemed to be very glad to be there and enjoying himself. I imagine he was very glad about the huge turnout at his autobiography signing and the huge crowds chanting for Megadeth. The band was energetic and Broderick delivered quality solos. Mustaine's vocals were very lackluster in the higher register, but fine otherwise. Sound was stellar, everything was in balance, I'm especially glad the drums weren't in anyway overpowering. The setlist left some to be desired though. I'm tired of hearing crap like Trust, A Tout le Monde and especially Symphony of Destruction, even if they bring a lot of the dynamics of the set in. The highlight was definitely - along with the solos on Tornado of Souls and Hangar 18 - Poison Was the Cure. A superbly energetic song that came out of nowhere. I had no idea they were going to play it.

For Slayer, I got up front, second row. Not because I like them that much better, but there was room and that way I was out of the pit. On hindsight, it probably wasn't the best of ideas. The pressure there was pretty strong which didn't come as a surprise. But what surprised me was the really crappy sound though I suppose that's not surprising either. In the beginning of the set, it was hard to hear anything except the bassdrum. It drowned out much of everything else. King's guitar was also mixed way higher than Holt's, which was really annoying during his solos. They're so damn lame even with a rhythm guitar backing them, but without one they're just super annoying, breaking the flow of a song. The songs off of World Painted Blood were expectedly pure feces. The faster songs off of Seasons in the Abyss got kind of mixed into each other as well and there were three of those. In the beginning of War Ensemble, something happened to King's guitar and it cut out. Araya burst out laughing and it was fun to watch him for the first verse when he was singing with a huge grin on his face. He was definitely the most present of the two (I didn't see Holt at all basically) sounding very calm and laid back during his stage banter - of which there wasn't a whole lot - yet aggressive on his vocals. Very sympathetic character. The sound got better as the set neared the end which was great because that's where the best songs were. They ended with a set of South of Heaven/Raining Blood/Black Magic/Angel of Death (of course) so that was pretty awesome.

Carnage Over Finland - Atretic Intestine/Torture Killer/Vomitory - Neither band is really among my top favorites, but Vomitory are entertaining on album at least so I went.

First time to PRKL after their renovations so they can hold concerts there as well. It's a pretty tight place so I expected tight quarters, but it wasn't, not so much at least. A fairly large floor right in front of the stage, but while there's room in the back as well, there are tables and pillars in the way and the elevation is not done very well for seeing over the crowd in the front.

Only caught the last couple of songs of Atretic Intestine. Never heard of them before and they didn't really impress though they didn't sound bad either.

Torture Killer's Six Feet Under-influenced, groove-laden, primitive caveman death metal got the crowds going even if it mostly just bored me. Not really what I expect from my death metal. Breakdowns and simplistic groove riffs aplenty.

Well, Vomitory aren't the most complex band out there and even though their songs have their headbangable slow parts, they don't always take the easiest route out. Their execution was tight and dead on. While Swedish, their kind of death metal is more bent on fast brutality without resorting to brutal death metal pastiches. Their stage presence during songs was good, even excellent. The vocalist/bassist looks and sounds positively possessed and pretty much commands the stage from the two guitarists who seem to recede to the background. When it gets a bit odd is during the stage banter. The vocalist/bassist doesn't speak anything at all. He seemed pretty uninterested and bored. The "new" guitarist, Peter Östlund, handles all the inbetween banter and unfortunately it was pretty banal. Supposedly he had more interesting things to say the day before. To make things weirder, the two original members are the other guitarist and the drummer and while they interact with the crowd with gestures, facial and otherwise, they seem comfortable letting the two other guys take center stage. Odd, but it didn't really bother the energetic and vicious performance much at all.

Last Saturday, april 02, I saw Ozzy Osbourne for the first time in my life.

Sepultura was the opening act, and even though they haven't release a great album since Arise, they made a great concert, very energetic, great setlist. The downside was that Andreas screwed up every single guitar solo, except for the ones in Territory and Inner Self.

Sepultura Setlist:

1. Arise
2. Refuse/Resist
3. Dead Embryonic Cells
4. Convicted In Life
5. Choke
6. Seethe (new song)
7. Troops Of Doom
8. Septic Schizo
9. Escape To The Void
10. Meaningless Movements
11. Territory
12. Inner Self
13. Roots Bloody Roots

Well, then came Ozzy. The guy is amazing, his voice was great, the band was very very tight and all in all it was a very energetic concert. The setlist could be slighlty better but he played Fairies Wear Boots, one of my favorite Sabbath songs. The downside was the endless drum solo. That just killed the momentum of the concert, before that Gus G did a guitar solo, I don't like these either, but his was very good and short, which made it even better.

Despite the dubious quality of Ozzy's latest releases he put on a great show and he seemed genuinely happy to be on stage.

Ozzy setlist:

1. Back At The Moon
2. Let Me Hear You Scream
3. Mr. Crowley
4. I Don't Know
5. Faires Wear Boots
6. Suicide Solution
7. Road To Nowhere
8. War Pigs
9. Shot In The Dark
10. Rat Salad
11. Iron Man
12. I Don't Want To Change The World
13. Crazy Train
14. Mama I'm Coming Home
15. Paranoid

Local Portland,OR doomsters WITCH MOUNTAIN.That lady Uta can really hold a note.
Nether Region were also quite good,raw but interesting how they added some hypnotic passages to the songs.

After the extremely successful Resurrection gig in 2009 (which coincidentally also featured Rudra on the lineup), it was no surprise that there was certainly a certain level of expectation when Resurrection II was announced this year, with only about 2 weeks' worth of promotional time. However, from the responses towards the event, this was set to be a memorable time for those who decided to turn up for the gig, which was also the official launch of Rudra's latest album, Brahmavidya: Immortal I.

Fresh from their recent performances in Philippines and Malaysia after the launch of their debut EP, The Exceptions of the Rebellions, Assault was the band to open the show. The set started with a new song to be on their debut full length album (to be recorded later this year), a preview of the direction that the band is going to take, leaving listeners and the audience with more brutality, more blast beats and more headbanging. The band also played selected numbers off their recently released EP, with the crowd finally starting to move with the crowd-favourite, Fall of Obscurity. The 2 cover songs (Kataklysm and Bloodbath) also displayed the band's ability on the individual instruments. While guitarist Hanesh encountered technical difficulties which certainly slightly affected the enjoyment of the set, nothing stopped the band from giving the audience an early pleaser to the show.



Zaganoth took the stage after Assault, with the band appearing in... Semi-casual attires (if you consider a jacket with running tights semi-casual, that is). While this is nothing compared to frontman Jaarvis previous outfits oat previous gigs, it certainly caused Zaganoth to stand out amongst the lineup in terms of performance attire. Before the start of the set, Jaarvis promised that this was going to be a fun set since everyone's here to have fun, and they certainly did not disappoint. The cover of songs by the likes of Bob Dylan while leaving the crowd in a "wtf?!" moment, was hilarious (and I definitely meant that in a good way!), along with the moment when Jaarvis started dancing around onstage. What better way to end the set with a rendition of Slayer's Rain in Blood? Certainly left the crowd dying and craving for more blood!



Having already watched Thy Fallen Kingdom a couple of times with previous vocalist Dave, this is the first time witnessing a public TFK show with new vocalist Aidil. Unlike Dave's style of vocals, Aidil presents a more vicious vocal style, spitting out the lyrics with hate and spite, creating a larger impact to the already infectious songs on the band's previous studio offerings. The band's musicianship is evident with the quick setup and the razor sharp riffs unleashed by the individual members. It didn't take much for the band to get the crowd to start a moshpit, from the start until the end of their set.



Nafrat took the stage with storm after that, this time featuring Cedric (Meza Virs) on guest vocals. Also having recently performed in Malaysia with the same lineup, the band was as prepared as they can be, and Cedric also proves his prowess behind the microphone, with his intense stage presence immediately commanding attention and control over the audience, as the crowd breaks into a moshpit and headbanging frenzy upon his call. The crushing riffs ensured that fans of brutal death metal and curious onlookers are constantly hooked.




IronfisT has ditched their usual outfit of spikes and Sabbat-esque outfit, choosing to go the old school and well-tested rock n roll leather route this time. However, this in no way discounts IronfisT's stage presence as vocalist Rape "the mad" Alhazred maintains the insane stage presence and onstage antics that he is known for. The band played songs from their entire catalogue, including a number of cover songs. Their cover of GG Allin's Bite It You Scum particularly managed to get the crowd moving, with vocalist "the mad" coming down into the crowd to join in the mini-moshpit before being thrown back on stage by the crowd for the final moments of the song.



And finally, the moment that everyone has been waiting for: Rudra's performance that marks the official release of Brahmavidya: Immortal I. While the show was aimed to be the release for the new album, the band pleased the crowd with a wide selection of songs from their entire catalogue, for a set lasting about 1 hour. Songs such as crowd favourite Aryaputra and Rudrapatni ensured that the hype remained high throughout the set. Songs off Immortal I such as Vultures of Slavery were also well-received, with the mood remaining high and the crowd in a constant moshpit. Of course, how could anyone forget the explanations of songs between songs by frontman Kathi? The middle of the set also saw Kathi reminding fans to "support the band if you are able to afford the albums, if not just download it and give us your moral support", which saw the crowd breaking into a cheer. The set ended with the standard crowd-favourite The Pathless Path to the Knowable Unknown, with the encore song being In the Fourth Quarter: Turiya

Certainly an extremely memorable gig for some time to come, displaying the brilliance of Singapore metal bands. Thanks to Nesh (Lights Out Inc.) and the performing bands for the night of good music and a fun time!

Originally written for Heavy Metal Tribune.

Grindhouse II reopens this year again, after the successful Grindhouse gig last April. This time, instead of going underground, organiser MourningSound Records decided to go over the top, holding the event at The Arts House chamber, instantly bringing to mind the setting of Exodus' music video for Downfall to mind. What better place to start a night of grind and gore than at the old parliament house?

A Bitter Affection kicks off the show just after 5.30 pm. The small and mostly dead crowd, on top of the bassist's (also recognised as the vocalist of local deathcore outfit Arsonist Treason) injured and wrapped up hand did nothing to prevent them from giving their best for the show. In fact, the lack of activity in the crowd meant that the vocalist had all the space on the floor to himself, to which he made good use of, running amok all over, bursting with energy. Their cover of Lady Gaga's Bad Romance, while hardly recognisable at all besides the chorus riffing, displays their ability to have fun onstage, leaving those present with an impression.

Assault then took the stage, their 2nd show in an equal number of weeks (well, technically it hasn't been another week yet!), so it is no surprise that they are already sufficiently warmed up for this show. The band made a different entrance this time, with the instrumental section playing an introductory track before vocalist Clarence comes on stage, commanding the attention from the crowd. Guitarist Hanesh seems to be on an unlucky streak after last week's problems with the amplifier, with his high E string breaking after just one song. While awaiting for the change of strings, the band entertains the crowd with a cover of Bloodbath's Eaten. A surprise rendition of Iron Maiden's The Trooper towards the end of the set instantly set the heads banging, before the band ends their set with crowd favourite Fall of Obscurity.

No Rest for the Weary comes on stage next, replacing The Corruptor on the lineup, who were originally slated to play their debut show on Grindhouse II, leading to a certain sense of disappointment among fans who were eager to catch them. However, they did not fail to impress, with the band showing off their abrasive yet technical brand of deathcore. The technical riffs unleashed on both axe-wielders' 7-strings got the crowd to begin a mini hardcore dancing fit for a moment, the first for the night.

Analdicktion also released their debut album that night.

Truth Be Known takes the stage next, and the crowd instantly knows that they are in for a good time. The new outfit, a blood-stained office wear seems almost like an omen on the blood that will be shed on their set. Frontman Subash constantly commands the audience to do, among many things, to "stand up and come in front" and "don't be a cheebye (vagina/pussy)". The new grindcore direction that the band has headed towards certainly upped the fun factor in the music, with songs such as Sucks to be You and new song Life Kills You getting the crowd moving. As the band ends their set with Just Another Lamb, Subash and guitarist Damien moves to the floor, motioning the crowd to get onto the stage, telling them that "now is the time for you to go fuckin' crazy!" before breaking into the final chorus, reminding everyone that we are all "Just Another fuckin' Lamb!".

Cardiac Necropsy kicks off their 20th anniversary tour as well, with Grindhouse II being the first date that they play to commemorate their 20th year of existence. The amount of experience that they have is evident in their performance, playing songs from albums spanning their entire career. The band's brand of goregrind instantly set off a number of moshpits, and crowd-surfing was constant fare as well. The cover of Impaled Nazarene's Armageddon Death Squad also instantly upped the intensity level, with the crowd going crazier than before.

And finally, headliners Truth Corroded closes the show. Having been here 2 years ago for MourningSound Record's Full Battle Order show, they are no stranger to the crowds who have already seen them before, and vice versa, only this time they are back with their new album, Worship the Bled. The energy that is bursting out from the band is evident, with the guitarists running all over the stage, climbing onto the seats next to the stage, among the many stage antics. Towards the end of the set, frontman Jason gets the crowd to prepare for a circle pit, perhaps the most violent and intense one for the night. Unfortunately, their set had to be cut short by 1 song due to time constraints at the venue, amid the many boos and shouts for one last track by the adrenaline-pumped crowd. Nevertheless, it was a good show put up by Truth Corroded, as usual and judging from the reactions from the crowd, everyone had a jolly good time.

What better way to end off the show with supper and rounds of drinks at the famous BK Eating House?

Once more, a shout-out and a huge thank you to the bands that performed at Grindhouse II. Thanks to Bret @ MourningSound Records as well for putting together this awesome show!

Originally written for Heavy Metal Tribune

Hey I saw Destruction in beautiful Oakland, California yesterday. My fucking god do they fucking rule!!!! They destroyed every goddamn thing in ears fucking reach. You gotta catch them on this tour, they are on point. I got kicked in the head by a stage diver, it still hurts a little, it was cool.

Opening acts were Heathen, Warbeast, Sentinel Beast, and some other band that seemed kinda like a generic suicidal tendencies or something to me. Sentinel Beast is amazing and live up to their old CD. You gotta go see them if you live here in the bay.

Rating: Perfect Fuckin' 10.

edit: I read online that Destroyer 666 was supposed to be there. They weren't. I was kinda disappointed in that, they do indeed rule. Plus Destroy and Destruction together would have been the most destructive line up of all time.

I will be attending Voivod concert in Sunday. Can't wait!

Saw Scythian and Ghast last night (missed the other band on the bill, Decrepid). At the Old Blue Last in Shoreditch, East London. Small cosy venue, and the night was free so I couldn't complain. Ghast unfortunately didn't wholly impress me. A muddy mix and static performances from the members didn't help matters, and while I'm not intimate with all their studio material (I like what I have heard) I couldn't make out anything that even remotely resembled what I do know. Their only saving grace was when they slowed down and let the music breathe a bit, then they had some memorable riffs; one particular segue into an upbeat section impressed both myself and my friend. I'll reserve judgment on them as I have seen videos of them playing live where they have performed more convincingly. Scythian were deadly though, featuring a much better sound than when they were on the Mortuary Drape bill a few months ago. A tremendous performance, they were all into it - their bassist, a man mountain as it is, was an absolute triumph. Their vocalist sported some cool shades too. They played a song from their upcoming split with Kawir, which sounded excellent in its mid-paced glory (better sounding than the more plodding stuff on their full-length; I think the use of melodic leads at the start was the song's trump card, it set the tone perfectly), and all the faster songs they played sounded great. They ended with an encore of Open Step, which I felt was the only misstep as it isn't quite as raging as the songs they played previously. If all their new slower songs sound like the one upcoming on the Kawir split however, then they will have all bases covered.

Hey guy,
Just came across this forum and I found it extremely interesting reading through the reviews!

I haven't seen anything recent..but last summer I was privileged to see Maiden!! They put on an incredible show in toronto!!
Them being my fave. band and all, I was thrilled! The stage, the set up, the energy.... EDDIE!!! Their opener was Dream Theater, they were pretty good. Everything was so amazing! I ended up dragging my boyfriend to the show because I needed someone to go with (LOL) and after the show he 'developed respect for them' and became a huge fan! hahaha I WILL convert you! lol
but all in all it was such an awesome experience!

Also! I saw Megadeth with Slayer and Testament a few months after Maiden.
That show was wicked!!! I love metal shows!!

I had tickets to a Dimmu Borgir concert, in toronto this year...but the weather was too bad and they closed the highways due to snow...apparently people died...lol I was really bummed...even typing this makes me sad...lol Hopefully they come back sooon.

I've been to a few local shows in my hometown a long time ago, like Thine Eyes Bleed, and Into Eternity and I just love the atmosphere! The thing I like about metal, and metalheads is the fact that we are loyal to our music and when you go to a show, you can befriend anyone! We are all there for a goood time and lots of headbangs! Haha!
\m/
Btw, I envy the people who got to see Kataklysm...one of my fave bands!!

System of a Down May 12th in Vancouver, British Columbia

5/5

It was so incredibly awesome to finally see System of a Down live. Probably the band most responsible for me getting into good music back when I was like 11 or 12. This was their second show in 4-ish years, the first was two days before this one. Anyway, it rocked so hard!! My friend and I spent the afternoon drinking and smoking weed around Vancouver and went to the concert late because neither of us had heard of the opening band. We still got there about half an hour before System took the stage and got decent placement on the floor. I couldn't be bothered to get extremely close because I was too high to mosh and just kind of wanted to chill out and watch them. They opened with Prison Song which was absolutely perfect and was actually one of the most intense concert openings I've ever seen. The setlist was generously lengthy (28 songs!) and included practically all of my favourites. The band were tight as hell despite not having played together in a long time. Each member was great, and I was especially reminded of how underrated of a drummer John Dolmayan is. Serj sounded good, but on a few of the heavier/more aggressive moments his voice fell a bit short, but nothing too bad. He sounded fucking perfect on the more melodic songs like Hypnotize and Aerials.

So yeah, if you're a fan of the band I would absolutely recommend seeing them live if you get the chance. They all looked really happy to be on stage together. I'd say they'll probably put out a new album in the not too distant future.

Here's the setlist:

‘Prison Song’
‘B.Y.O.B.’
‘Know’
‘Needles’
‘Deer Dance’
‘Attack’
‘Radio/Video’
‘Hypnotize’
‘Question!’
‘Suggestions’
‘Psycho’
‘Chop Suey!’
‘Lonely Day’
‘Soldier Side -- Intro’
‘Soldier Side’
‘Kill Rock ‘n Roll’
‘Lost in Hollywood’
‘Forest’
‘Science’
‘Holy Mountains’
‘Aerials’
‘Tentative’
‘Cigaro’
‘Suite-Pee’
‘War?’
‘Toxicity’
‘P.L.U.C.K.’
‘Sartarabad’ (a traditional Armenian song)
‘Sugar’

Went to the Northwestern Black Circle Fest III last night in Portland. Here was the line up.

12:00-1:00 - Nunslaughter
10:30-11:30 - Ceremonial Castings
9:20-9:50- Blood Freak
8:30-9:00 - The Red King
7:40-8:10 - Blood Of Martyrs
6:50 -7:20 - Drakul
6:00-6:30 - Koth

Here's how it went down from my view.

Koth had the unlucky spot of the opener as the place was barely begenning to fill so there weren't many people there at the time. They where actually kind of good, they had a cello along with the usual instruments and wore animal hides, infact they where almost caveman like which was weird for a Black Metal band to dress. Only problem for me was that all there songs where a good 10 minutes long and so they only got like 3 songs in.

Drakul fucking blew me away. A band with obvious Thrash/Black mix, they put on a fucking awesome show and I was hooked from the first song. Both guitarists also had 7 Strings and boy did they light them up. I was curious as to the absence of a Bass player, so I asked the drummer and he said they had one but he quit and they where in the proccess of getting a new one, so props for doing the show an instrument down.

The best I cold describe Blood of Matyrs is good music performed badly. What I mean is they actually played the music really good, there performance though.....not so much. Here's what I mean, for one, there stage left guitarist was constantly having trouble with the feedback from his pedals and it honestly got annoying, for all I know what was intentional. The bass player had a nice 6 string and a Boss amp, so it was sad that the man was a fucking lunitic on stage. You remember Jack Black in School of Rock when the film opened and he was all over the place? That's this guy, I'm all for getting excited and moving arround, but this was just reckless and carefree, which actually overshadowed his actual bass playing which was good. And while there music was good, it wasn't as good as Drakul, that combined with the problems I mentioned ultimatly made for a boring set.

The Red King......these guys hurt themselves so badly. First off, they wheren't metal, they where kind of a pre metal Mortiis and where more performance art. First thing is that they actually had people back up from the stage and used the floor space wher we usually stand for a good 8 feet. Then they took a good 45 fucking minutes to set up and where constantly moving stuff to new spots, and we where getting tired of waiting. There actual performance though was actually pretty good, they had everything down and where very creative. Them taking so damn long to set up hurt them though as right as there set was about to end and they where obviously still going with there performance, the club pulled the plug on them and turned the lights on. Sad part is was it was problebly the best part with a fire fingered belly dancer and everything (and I heard she was supposed to strip at that part). If these guys can get there shit down, this wouldn't happen again.

Blood Freak I wasn't interested in for 2 reasons. 1 is they where opening for Ceremonial Castings (the band I made the trip for) and I was just waiting them out. 2 is they where what I think is a combo of Grindcore with Brutal Death Metal, and besides some Metalcore I am not a Core fan, plus BDM is problebly my least favorite form of Death Metal. It wasn't that the sucked, cause they where good, it's just not my sound. I will say though that they had one song pay tribute to Macho Man Randy Savage so as a life long wrestling fan, I can't help but respect them.

And finally I got Ceremonial Castings. There concert prooved what I've said about this band for the last 2 years, they are one of the most underrated bands in Metal. They where fucking brutal, epic and amazing through out there set. They where also playing through some technical trouble as Lord Serpent was having trouble hearing the guitar feedback. The real exciting part is that they had a cameraman recording the whole thing and I recall hearing that they where gonna do a DVD or something, and me being right up against the stage means I can problebly see myself if I buy it. Even more awesome, I bought Salme 1692 and in the booklet, had Lord Serpent, Old Nick and Bloodhammer autograph there names. I also talked with Lord Serpent before the show and mentioned that they should head north to my town of Longview/Kelso for a show, which he was interested in.

I didn't stay for Nunslaughter as we had a good hours drive back north and it was already 12:30 at night and honestly, Nunslaughter's music I heard didn't wow me. Besides, being up front for Ceremonial Castings made my night and I didn't want leave off on anything else.

So on a whole, this was a fun concert, it some good, some bad, and some new expierence. This was the first time I had ever seen a show at the Branx venue before too so it also expanded my Portland. This concert also makes my record of 10 years now, I've seen atleast 1 concert per year for the last 10 years, a record I'm proud of.

Question, can this be used to review a gig you played in, or anything like that? Or is it for shows you went to see only?

Saw Doom, Massgrave, and Deathraid last night. Crust show, and although I'm not a crusty, I do like crust music. Stayed out of the pit the entire time, especially during Doom. I would have been massacred. Great sets from all three bands, with Doom topping it for me playing "A Means to an End" as their finale.

I don't see why you couldn't tell us about gigs you've played in. Go ahead!

Saw Primordial, While Heaven Wept and Alcest recently. I was really curious how Alcest would be, because I like their latest offering. Turned out however that they didn't capture the atmosphere live and it wasn't too exciting. Anyway bought a copy of Ecailles de Lune and happy with that. While Heaven Wept was dreadfull. Boring songs and an annoying frontman. Won't be checking them out further. Then Primordial.... What a fucking great band. They struggled a bit with the sound in the first two songs, but after that it was absolutely brilliant. My only complaint would be the fact they didn't play End of all times (but I more or less expected that) and didn't play Heathen Tribes (didn't expect that). And the fact they couldn't play on for like 3 hours or so. Anyway enough highlights, the biggest being Coffin Ships, As Rome burns, and Gods to the Godless (ofcourse).

Also saw Morbid Angel recently, and guess what, they didn't suck. Their sound was good, even Vincent's vocals were actually pretty good, and the songs from the new album worked out ok (they played 3 new songs, Nevermore, Existo Vulgore and I am Morbid if I recall correctly). They played heaps from Altars, including Maze of Torment, so that was pretty nice as well. On the downside they only played Fall from Grace from Blessed and 2 songs from Domination (yes, I love that record). The combination of Dawn of the Angry and Where the Slime Lives was a great neckbreaker. They played one song from the Tucker era (Bil ur Sag) at the end of the set, but it felt more like a must do, than something everybody enjoyed doing. Would have preferred they played Summoning Redemption as I think that song is killer. Final remark is that God of Emptiness is not a good song to end a show with.

Holy shit

I saw my second Mitochondrion show last night, and fuck, do they put on an intense show. It was just in a really small hall, no stage and no more than 50 people in attendance. I spoke with Shawn at the merch. table and told him when I saw them in 2006 it was my first ever metal show and he seemed genuinely humbled. He was a really cool, friendly guy, which you might not expect from their music. As for the show itself, they were tight as hell and played their newest album in its entirety which was, of course, freakin' awesome. They played in complete darkness except for some coloured lights beneath the members, which was a really cool effect. Yeah, not really much else to say other than it fucking ruled and it was just awesome to see them in such an intimate setting.

Man, that sounds like an awesome show. Small and intimate ones with great bands like that are usually the best concerts.

If this one is allowed...


Judas Priest Epitaph Tour, Wolverhampton Civic Hall; 2011

Outside the Civic Hall, lines to see heavy metal legends Judas Priest were so long that many had missed out on opening act of the night Rival Sons. Though these people were in time to catch a half-hearted set from Queensrÿche, the more memorable of the two bands before the headliners were Rival Sons, whose dose of blues rock and hard, heavy funk were more than enough to bring on a wave of fond nostalgia for the sounds of the late seventies when Judas Priest were starting out in the West Midlands.

This night was part of the UK leg of the headliner’s reputed Epitaph Tour, and as such it was a powerful evening that brought the band and their fans together for a setlist that spanned across the group’s early days to the more recent offering of their one-off concept album “Nostradamus”. As promised months before, the stage became a spectacle for live music and visual effects through a mix of pyrotechnics, laser lights and a video screen behind drummer Scott Travis to show the album covers throughout the band’s era and history as Rob Halford introduced each song and its backstory to the crowd.

As important good showmanship is for the leader of any band onstage, it stands that such skills require a just as strong performance in which the audience can both immerse and engage themselves in to connect with the musicians in front of them. Thus it was both an immense privilege and moving sight for the onlookers who filled the balconies and the ground floor of the Civic Hall that evening, when Halford, Travis, Glenn Tipton and bassist Ian Hill threw all of their energy and heart into their music for everyone, with new guitarist Richie Faulkner in tow.

While the lead singer did take time to change coats for each song, including an English football flag towards the end, this was a mere hint of his personal dedication to his craft and moments with Judas Priest. Though he was exhausted at the start of the show, it took Halford one look at the crowd’s enthusiasm as well as the passionate vibes from his bandmates for him to gather muster and sing his most powerful notes for all to hear. “Judas Rising”, “Never Satisfied” and “Beyond the Realms of Death” were but a few of the many pieces given new dimensions from the live vocals, as their high notes rose long enough to merit both fan glee and artistic appreciation for Rob Halford’s style of singing.

Interaction between band and audience grew even to the extent that Judas Priest invited the crowd to not only sing along to the chorus of their hit tracks, but also to perform the entire verses of well-known number “Breaking the Law”. The adoration and admiration of heavy music was so great that the band stated that although they wanted to keep performing live for the next few years, they couldn’t as they now held a nearly forty year long legacy. Since the tone was that of a send off from world tours, it was just as fitting that Halford later went backstage to drive up on the iconic Harley Davidson motorcycle to satisfy the fans’ wishes.

While it was an immense night that was dedicated to the spectacle and musical might of Judas Priest, it is disheartening to know that this was part of the band’s final world tour before their eventual – and inevitable – retirement that is soon to come. Yet for many who were present, it will remain a memorable night for them to look back on, perhaps when metal music has developed even further than it previously has since Judas Priest and others first decided to play together.

(Originally written for my blog, Me(n)tal-Meltdown http://metalmelt.wordpress.com/2011/07/ ... 21st-2011/ )

Singaporean band Ossuary and punk/crossovers stalwarts Opposition Party live at Baybeats 2011:

Day 2: Opposition Party

Having already missed them at their performance 2 years ago at Baybeats, there was no chance that I was going to miss them again. This time, Opposition Party takes the day 2 headlining slot, playing from 11pm to 11.45pm, but this did not deter any fans from being present, with the crowd being made up of people from all walks of life - punks, metalheads, skinheads, etc. At 11pm sharp, with the announcement of the emcee marking the start of Opposition Party's set, the band wasted no time, kicking off their set with "Zombie".

Throughout the set, the raw energy given off by the three-piece was unbelievable and infectious, with the crowd constantly in motion either moshing or crowd-surfing. The band played music from their catalogue since their formation up to 2005's full length album, Zombified, catering to the tastes of both old and new fans alike. Besides the music, the band further topped up their stage presence with some rants and commentaries in between songs, including that of the situation in Singapore ("It's been awhile since I saw so many Singaporeans at one place, I usually feel like I'm alone") and the sound issue at their set 2 years ago ("We're not going to let people living over there [points across the water to residential areas] control what we do!"), often resulting in loud cheers among the crowd. The sound issue was clearly resolved though, judging from the loudness of their set and the clarity of the individual instruments.

As the set drew to an end and the crowd began to leave, the emcee came out asking if the crowd wanted more (to a fail moment, I must add), drawing everyone back to the front of the stage once more. As the band came out preparing for their encore songs, a huge pit formed, in preparation for the final clashing of bodies.

Overall, this was an extremely enjoyable set and there was certainly no regrets at all staying till so late in the evening for an hour of fun-filled punk/crossover thrash madness.

Day 3: Ossuary

With the past 2 years seeing foreign bands/musicians closing Baybeats, it was certainly refreshing to see a local band close this music festival this year, and who better than metal veterans Ossuary?

At 9.45pm, the band promptly took the stage. Despite the opening track being of erratic and odd time signature (their trademark take on metal), it did not take long for the crowd to know that this was their last chance at Baybeats 2011 to start moving before it was all over. Throughout the set, the crowd was in constant (violent) motion, with people being thrown in the air almost without any break at all, to the chagrin and fear of the security officials.

The band blazed through their set with tightness and high musicianship, and it was easy to see why they were picked as the closers of the festival, with their ability not only to play small venues (as per the previous two encounters with them), but also their ability to move the crowd without losing a single beat at all. Drummer Shahril was perhaps the most eye-catching during the set, with comments overheard in the crowd commenting "how crazy the drummer" was, with his stage antics yet managing to keep up with the odd time signatures of the band's songs. The band also constantly demanded circle pits and walls of death, to which the crowd gladly complied. There was also a friendly reminder to the crowd, asking if they had remembered "to cook curry tonight" in the middle of the set, to loud cheers from the crowd. (Ed's note: It almost seemed that this year's Baybeats theme is on the unity of Singaporeans.) The Meshuggah and Pantera cover songs were certainly bonuses to the crowd that have decided to forgo their Sunday rest and turn up for this event. With Pantera's Domination, the band concluded the set, ending Baybeats 2011 with a bang.

Originally written for Heavy Metal Tribune (http://www.heavymetaltribune.com/)

Toxic Holocaust's mosh pit covered 95% of this tiny venue. 40+ Minutes of straight moshing to some favorites: 666, Bitch, Name of Science, Endless Armageddon, and of course NUKE THE FUCKING CROSS made this an awesome night. Got myself a sweet yellow shirt as well.