Posts Tagged katie brutal
Saturday, March 6, 2010 No Comments
Hey 
so… so far 2010 has been relatively uneventful. Blame snowpocalypse… I do. Haha… sigh. Ok, so metal is not revving our engines right now… I know it’s just a drought. I, in fact, have plans to see Unearth in Richmond in two weekends, and Mastodon in April. The Mayhem lineup is looking, um, interesting – Lamb of God will be a fucking blast. Ozzfest may be coming back… we shall see. What I know is that I still support the scene and am waiting for the next thing about which to be truly excited. And when that happens, I will report it here first. In the meantime… Anima is alright. They kinda sound like Whitechapel. But… I prefer Whitechapel. Oh, and tonight I dedicate to Vehemence and God Was Created… and it looks like Howard Jones may have knocked up a pornstar. Whoa.
Monday, January 25, 2010 No Comments
I think I’m in love.
I can’t say I’ve enjoyed an album more in 2010 than Bangers, the Metal Blade debut from Montreal’s Barn Burner. Since it’s only the end of January, that statement may sound like a backhanded compliment – make no mistake: Barn Burner is the shit.
I foresee these dudes quickly rising to the very tippy top of the “stoner rock” genre, putting a couple notches in their belts in other musical categories as they climb. I find them to be way more palatable than The Sword and Fu Manchu, while still nestling in that kind of sound. Bangers has some of the best rock tracks I’ve heard in years, ripe with biting lyrics, badass grooves and familiar riffage. They don’t disappoint in touching on the typical topics of smoking drugs (“Holy Smokes,” “Beer Today, Bong Tomorrow”) and there’s that damn Wizard (thanks Sabbath) to whom so many of these groups feel the need to pay homage, but I adore the foray into redneck territory with “Fast Women.”
The musicianship is strong, the writing is solid, the melodies and lyrics are catchy – I can picture people across America driving in their cars, busting guts singing along with “Brohemoth.” Vocalist/guitarist Kevin Keegan, with nods in the direction of Page Hamilton–style vocals in dismissively spitting out what he really thinks, is already a pro; Marc Doucette and Nick Ball would have no problem engaging the QOTSA guys in a session and Taylor Freund’s timing makes me so comfy I want to sit in his lap.
These dudes can fuckin’ rock it out. I am desperate to see Barn Burner play live. So far no planned tours have been announced, but the boys will be doing a set at SXSW on March 18th at East End Tattoo, so if you’re in the Austin area, and can, GO. For the rest of us, this will have to suffice for now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv33mDo7kIA
It could be appropriate to see them hit the road with an Eyehategod or maybe Crowbar in my metal circles, and granted, they’ve warmed up Priestess crowds already… but I can most certainly envision Barn Burner opening for Mastodon by the end of the year. Who do I have to call to make that happen?
Check them out here and plan to pick up a copy of Bangers on February 16:
http://www.myspace.com/theinfamousbarnburner
Monday, December 28, 2009 3 Comments
American Carnage Tour
’nuff said.
Friday, December 4, 2009 No Comments
Why I’ve been sleeping on the new Red Chord album is beyond me. Fed Through The Teeth Machine is, simply put – great. The subject matter seems to be a bit random as the album plays on. From “Hymns And Crippled Anthems – “Just be forever faithful to the family that you love.” …interesting. (This is assuming I’m hearing any of the lyrics correctly, and quite honestly even if I’m not, Guy has upped the ante on his masterful vocal prowess regardless.) The musical writing, the performance, the overall intensity is all pure, good, old-fashioned Red Chord brilliance.
The sweet, dying sigh of the guitar line in “Ingest The Ash” is refreshing, while I don’t understand the use of Vari-Fi in the middle (aren’t we done with that plug-in yet?) I adore the screaming that tears out of it. “Embarrassment Legacy” is really smooth (the beginning tones somehow remind me of “11th Hour-”ish Lamb Of God.) That track is topped off by a very precisely played blast section towards the end, mostly due to the punishing assault of drums – this may be Brad Fickeisen’s best recorded-performance to date.
I like that their tracks average a little over 2 minutes, that they’re in and out, point made, no need to rehash… other than the repeated lyrical lines which have their individual impact on your soul… some of them angst-fueling.
“While I was counting hours, you were counting fists.”
“My life’s work, forgotten.”
The longest musical journey on the album is the final track, “Sleepless Nights In The Compound.” Feel free to get lost in it and let it drag you around. Once you finish, you could just kick it back to the second track “Hour of Rats” and unleash.
The new effort from The Red Chord, out on Metal Blade Records now, will sit strongly in their own album repertoire and is better than their oft-coupled tourmates’ “Deflorate.” If I had my way, I’d say next time Black Dahlia Murder and The Red Chord go out together, The Red Chord headlines.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009 No Comments
Can I say I was tickled pink when I heard Gaza was coming out with a new album? I get all kinds of worked up over brutal, sludgy doom metal and I can’t think of a band that does it better right now than Gaza. Perhaps you guys remember me playing “Slutmaker” off of 2006’s I Don’t Care Where I Go When I Die on Liquid Metal, – now Gaza is back with a 14-track hook and groove tour de force called He Is Never Coming Back, out on Metal Blade Records/Black Market Activities on November 10, 2009.
Gaza is one of those bands I find so satisfying to listen to because as much traveling as the music does inside the songs, it always comes back to that deep, dark note of despair (“The Kicking Legs”) they’ve been dancing around for a minute and a half and when it hits, it’s like a flood of relief, a long-awaited homecoming of sorts. Sweeping, soaring guitar lines that fill up your ears a la Will Haven’s el Diablo, the grindier side coming out in sections of songs like “Carnivore,” Gaza does not force themselves into a genre, nay even a steady tempo throughout a piece.
“Windowless House” and “Canine Disposal Unit” showcase the band’s faster-paced brutality, but I still prefer the drug-induced swaying of the title track, a perfect example of what Gaza brings to the metal table. Continuing to crush the spirits of all Christians everywhere (or at least in their hometown of Salt Lake City, Utah) He Is Never Coming Back is a formidable expression of anger, dismissal of beliefs, and display of utter abandonment, a smack in the face to those who have committed themselves to long and widely-held ideals.
Gaza has outdone themselves with this one, a well-rounded album that will blast through my speakers for the rest of the year. Just don’t wait to put it on your Christmas list – that would be blasphemy.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009 No Comments
I’m overworked and overplayed but the new Dying Fetus is not. Stamp of approval, although it’s not as brutal as I was thinking it would be and I find myself getting a little bored and slightly annoyed at some of the guitar work… I guess I’m still not much of a guitar solo kind of person. (Unless it’s Slash.) I do love the runs on “Shepherd’s Commandment.” The new drummer is pretty sweet though and John Gallagher’s vox still rule. The album kicks off strong with “Your Treachery Will Die With You,” but tends to wax and wane afterwards. The weakest song is unfortunately the title track.
Standouts: “Hopeless Insurrection,” “Atrocious By Nature” and “At What Expense.”
I wish I could remember which new songs I saw them play during Summer Slaughter this year… they’re definitely still maniacally awesome live. Headed overseas with Cannibal Corpse next… lucky Europeans.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009 3 Comments
After the awesomeness that was Nocturnal, which came out in 2007, I’ve been waiting in high anticipation for the new release Deflorate by Michigans’s The Black Dahlia Murder. Although due to extenuating circumstances (seems like I’ve got a shitload of those recently) I missed BDM’s set at Mayhem this year at Nissan Pavillion (and in fact was SO late the only band I saw before the main stage started was Cannibal Corpse…which ruled. But I digress…) I did manage to find Trevor towards the end of the evening during the bands’ nightly bbq with spiked punch (which basically ruined me, wtf was IN that anyway?!?!) and it looks like we may be able to catch them for an interview when they embark on the next tour, headlining with Children of Bodom, Toxic Holocaust and Skeletonwitch. So, something for you knucklesfirst readers to get wet about…
Jason Suecof is back at the board: he covered mixing responsibilities and co-produced the effort with the Black Dahlia and Mark Lewis (who has done work with Deicide.) One of the first things I noticed (other than the superb playing and song structure) is how clean the production is. I must admit, I feel completely torn by this due to the fact that engineers (of which I am one) should ALWAYS be improving their sound and the sound of their bands so I WANT this album to sound amazing…but I think some of the brutality may be lost in the splendor of the sound – I’d love for the album to have a bit of the grit, the dirty, the raw, perhaps on the level of Unhallowed (which is ranked right up there with some of my favourite metal albums of all time.) I have no doubt that some of that grit will be experienced during their live shows. I promise not to miss them next time…
Although the title of the album Deflorate, by definition, means the point past the flowering state, post-pollen shedding, The Black Dahlia Murder is in no way past their prime bloom. Deflorate delves even deeper lyrically than Nocturnal, and with the addition of Ryan Knight of Arsis, we find BDM expanding musically as well. Shannon Lucas’s drumming is exceptionally brutal and supports the rest of the instrumentation without fail, while Trevor’s vocals, sitting nicely in the mix, scream and shriek and command our attention to his message. I know I find myself enraptured…
Standout tracks for me are “Throne of Lunacy” and “Necropolis,” which is the first single off the new record (check out Revolver.com for the video if you’d like…) “That Which Erodes The Most Tender” sounds the most like what I’d like to hear from BDM and the only truly odd spot on the record is “I Will Return.” As though Black Dahlia Murder wanted to dip a toe into the frigid waters of Viking Metal, the song reminds me of Amon Amarth’s “Twilight of The Thunder Gods.” A-B it yourself, I’m sure you’ll hear it too…
Don’t be afraid to budget in Deflorate from your next paycheck, the album drops September 15th and should become a part of your regular Ipod playlists as the seasons change and all the living green things start to wilt and die. A perfect soundtrack.
A note from Butters: Unlike Katie, I was able to see BDM’s performance at Mayhem Fest (Blossom – Cleveland), this was my first time witnessing their brutalness live (I changed my pants after). They did play Necropolis for us, because, we are awesome. Unlike Katie and her awesome BBQ outing, I had to wait in line to see them. Enough of my jealous rants, back to Deflorate! First round of this I immediately realized that this was going to an epic ablum. The new solos from Ryan Knight has taken this band to a new level. I believe I read somewhere that Shannon mentioned that this was his “Most Technical Album”. I couldn’t agree with him more. But yet again, they still are the fun boys that we’ve all grown to love (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, I’d recommend watching Majesty DVD) in the new music video for Necropolis (check it out here).
My two favorite tracks are going to be, Necropolis and That Which Erodes The Most Tender. I’m going to agree with Katie, this album is amazing, go buy this. Place it on your iPod and let your Mom listen. She’ll love it. If she doesn’t have her call me. Because, Black Dahlia Murder has yet again, amazed me. The new line up, is amazing, technical, and brutal. I’m highly looking forward to a possible interview, and face melting here in Columbus Ohio, on “Rocktober” 25th.
The Black Dahlia Murder Myspace
Buy Deflorate on 9/15 Here, and Here, and Here
Buy Majesty DVD Here!
Monday, August 31, 2009 No Comments
I will never quite understand why I do the things I do… perhaps I have a need to make things difficult…or just like things to be extra special. I decided I needed to break up the monotony of life in Northern Virginia (which everyone needs to do from time to time, regardless of where they live) and I had a couple hundred extra bucks so I spent it on a roundtrip ticket to my favourite vacation spot in the whole wide world… Las Vegas.
All in all, as much as I love my Vegas friends (one of whose couches I slept on while I was there) this was probably the worst vacation I have ever had. Bad timing coupled with stress, anxiety and lack of funds (which was plaguing ALL of us) forced me to gamble with strangers all day (who then became friends) and even though I managed to keep my blackjack money alive for hours and hours of play, I ended up losing it all… my budget, not my shirt. (I’m a responsible gambler…whatever that means.)
I did, however, drink for free for 3 days which can’t be beat… and I attended the Down show at the House of Blues in Mandalay Bay on the last day of my vacation.
Down is out with the Melvins and Weedeater. Weedeater was UNBELIEVABLE. I adored every single song (“God luck and good speed”) the energy, the synergy – all fantastic. I will most certainly catch them on their next tour, regardless of which bands they may be out with on the road. I had never seen the Melvins before either, and they were rocking their two-drummer ensemble (which apparently means they’re not exACTly the Melvins that way) and I wanted to get up on stage and take over for one of them. (I played drums for 9 years and quit when I was living in dorms in college – no room for a set there.) But quite seriously, I may look into getting back into drumming soon…
One thing I’ve neglected to mention thus far is that even though I had four tickets to the show, none of my compatriots had shown up yet (due to all the reasons listed above…and some extra time at work for another one.) So, standing alone at the House of Blues, I was noticed for doing so and one kindly gentleman from the Air Force (Nellis is a rather large air force base near Las Vegas) invited me to come hang out with him and his friends so that I was no longer alone…which at first I thought was sweet. But then I realized how drunk this dude, Josh, was and I had to rename him Rapist Air Force Douchebag. I had to spend the entire set of Weedeater avoiding his hands and finally got away from him on the floor of the venue halfway into the Melvins set when one of my friends finally arrived… phew. Finally I settled in to watch the show.
Down started their set with “Ghosts Along The Mississippi” and within 2 minutes, R.A.F.D. was apprehended by two security guards for slamming into the people in the front row (moshing by himself.) But the two guards couldn’t get him under control, and he ended up being thrown out with force by five security guards. Scary.
I managed to secure a spot in the front row on stage left, literally five feet away from Kurt and often Phil (which if you know me = heaven.) Phil is back to rocking the Cowbows From Hell hair again (yes, I’m a girl, and yes I was drooling. I’ll stop that now.) So even though Down’s set seemed short because we have been spoiled with tours like an “Evening with Down” or whatever the fuck it was when they played for over two hours and included “Jail” in their setlist… the whole show was great. Phil did a lot of interacting with the audience, Pepper’s playing was right on point and you know Jimmy Bower always brings it… I’m not sure where Rex was, they had a bassist from Canada who filled in quite nicely… It’s funny that I fly all the way across the U.S. to see a show that I could see within an hour’s drive from my house… but I didn’t want to wait until September 8th to see them. And now, I don’t think I will even be making it to the Baltimore show due to complications back in NoVa – however I think YOU should go. You should ALL go. And don’t miss Weedeater.
Tue 09/01/09 Atlanta, GA Center Stage
Wed 09/02/09 Lake Buena Vista, FL House Of Blues
Fri 09/04/09 North Myrtle Beach, SC House Of Blues
Sat 09/05/09 Charlotte, NC Fillmore Charlotte
Sun 09/06/09 Knoxville, TN The Valarium
Tue 09/08/09 Baltimore, MD Sonar
Wed 09/09/09 Clifton Park, NY Northern Lights
Fri 09/11/09 New York, NY Nokia Theatre Times Square
Sun 09/13/09 Boston, MA House Of Blues
Tue 09/15/09 Hartford, CT Webster Theater
Wed 09/16/09 Rochester, NY Main Street Armory
Thu 09/17/09 Buffalo, NY The Town Ballroom
Fri 09/18/09 Pittsburgh, PA Mr. Small’s Theatre
Sat 09/19/09 Mount Clemens, MI Emerald Theatre
Mon 09/21/09 Indianapolis, IN The Vogue
Tue 09/22/09 Cleveland, OH House Of Blues
Thu 09/24/09 Omaha, NE Sokol Auditorium / Underground
Fri 09/25/09 Sauget, IL Pop’s
Sat 09/26/09 Mokena, IL Pearl Room
Mon 09/28/09 Louisville, KY Expo Five
Thursday, August 6, 2009 1 Comment
An amalgamation of orchestral warm-up and the gateway to hell opening, the death riders known as Behemoth crawl out of the depths… “Hear the word of the lord!” he cries… the Dark Lord.
God I love Behemoth. Their ninth studio release Evangelion will be released upon the world August 11th and as I sit with it now, I imagine it will be one of 2009’s finest black metal achievements. (Although we apparently have a new Immortal album to look forward to – we’ll see who takes the reigns!) I’m a little thrown by the beginning of the first track, “Daimonos,” because it reminds me, a little too closely, of Misery Index’s “Ghosts of Catalonia.” However, as soon as the straight kicks, well, kick in, it turns right back into Behemoth.
I am a sucker for a slow, dark march, so “Ov Fire And The Void” is definitely one of the standout tracks. Behemoth have created a video for that song which will be released as part of a digi-pak that also includes a DVD of the trio in the studio working on Evangelion. I’m going to have to get my hands on that one…
“Transmigrating Beyond Realms Ov Amenti” is a typical Behemoth track, could have been found on The Apostasy. “He Who Breeds Pestilence,” “The Seed Ov I” and “Alas, Lord Is Upon Me” seem to swim together as a story-line trilogy. Of course, I can’t understand all of Nergal’s lyrics and since the Satan nerds don’t have access to the record yet to interpret and post them online, this is merely a feeling the three songs give to me. Of course, the last track on the record is “Lucifer” an 8-minute epic piece, full of slow, swelling guitar lines, sung entirely, I believe, in Polish. Well, at least it’s not English…
The doom and despair dispelled by Behemoth beckons me and once inside, I’m blanketed, like a fog taking over a great city… they make the darkness, the hidden-away-from-God places, seem romantic. Definitely powerful.
BEHEMOTH
ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL
Tour w/ Slayer, Marilyn Manson, Bullet For My Valentine, Trivium, All That Remains, God Forbid, Cannibal Corpse, Job For A Cowboy, The Black Dahlia Murder, Whitechapel
08/06 Virginia Beach, VA Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheate
08/07 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center
08/08 Hartford, CT Comcast Theatre
08/09 Washington, DC Nissan Pavilion
08/10 Spartanburg, SC Ground Zero not part of tour w/ Cannibal Corpse, The Black Dahlia Murder, God Forbid
08/11 Tampa, FL Ford Amphitheatre
08/12 West Palm Beach, FL Cruzan Amphitheater
08/14 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center
08/15 Dallas, TX Superpages.com Center
08/16 Oklahoma City, OK Zoo Amphitheatre
Monday, July 20, 2009 2 Comments
Attended the Summer Slob Tour last night. Granted, I have been doing shit non-stop for a week and a half, including driving to Ohio and back, so I’m beyond tired and probably should have gotten in a nap or skipped the show altogether… But I love the Acacia Strain. I had to go.
Good to see familiar faces upon arriving (Metal Nick and Brendan, whom I’ve now known for years and both are staples at most of the shows I hit up.) Otherwise, the crowd was pretty damn varied. I had zero idea what some of those girls were doing there – and then I remember I generally look like the girl next door as opposed to the metal chick even though I am… so I decided to shut-up and accepted them into my evening.
My first glint of happiness for the day: I recognize the bartender and snagged my beloved seat at the bar at Jaxx in Springfield, Virginia. The place was pretty damn packed and I’m pretty sure it was over 100 degrees up in there. Due to the mass of people, my seat was, unfortunately, right next to a few emo d-bags all night and thought to myself at one point… I wonder if that’s Evergreen Terrace. Just based on their looks, and behavior and the fact that ET were never heavy enough to put into rotation at XMLM… and an hour later those dudes were onstage…as Evergreen Terrace. Their set can be summed up as angst-filled “I want you dead” chants – but the kids in the crowd were familiar with that song and chanted right along. And then they covered “Mad World” by Tears for Fears…or by Michael Andrews and Gary Jules for the Donnie Darko soundtrack … or by Adam Lambert. Regardless, it was the high point of the set for me.
Unholy actually kicked my night off, and I think, outside of the Acacia Strain, that they had the best set of the night. They’ve released a new album on Prosthetic Records and I think it might be worth checking out. Cruel Hand and then Evergreen Terrace played after them and I finally realized why, in addition to being dead-tired, I just wasn’t having the best time – I was at a punk and hardcore show. I have never been a punk fan and am just so sick of straight hardcore bands (Hatebreed already wrote that song) and sitting there through Cruel Hand’s set was a little rough for me. I do this for you people. And I love you. And being a lover, I don’t generally like to put out bad reviews on bands… the crowd was totally into them. They’re just not my cup of tea.
A random fun point of the evening – everyone is still into “The Roof Is On Fire” by Bloodhound Gang.
Finally it’s time for the Acacia Strain. They’ve got the big tour banner hanging in the back but bring two on the stage in front of the guitar stacks – one is a bloody polar bear. The other? A bloody Stay-Puft Marshmellow Man. First time I grinned all night.
Vincent takes the stage and grabs his microphone and announces that their regular guitarist, DL, has decided to step off the tour due to a pregnant girlfriend. “We’re gonna have a good time and no stupid baby is gonna stop us.”
Someone pulled out a beachball (???) as soon as the Acacia Strain started, and the show was on. They hit some of my favourites, “4×4,” “Skynet,” and they ended the set with “Carbomb.” God I love that song. And this band. Although they didn’t get to “Smoke Ya Later,” my all-time favourite AS song, due to the fact that their new guitarist only had two weeks to learn a whole set, they really rocked it out.
I think the magic of live shows is a tight performance and the synergy between the band and the crowd, and this night with the Acacia Strain was way more than a rabbit-in-a-hat trick. It’s when EVERYBODY knows the words to all the songs… when 200 kids are screaming “I am the end of the world!” (“JFC.”) with thunderous drums (nice mix, dude) and a “fuck the world” chorus… Caught up in the “don’t fuck around, but have fun with your life” (Vincent’s words) celebration, I even danced. A little.
I walked out of there with the Stay-Puft Marshmellow Man shirt (Dogs and Cats, Living Together, Mass Hysteria) completely invigorated and satisfied. If you love hardcore, go early.
July 21st – Mt. Clemens, MI – Hayloft
July 22nd – Evansville, IN – Boney Junes
July 23rd – Iowa City, IA – The Picador
July 24th – Orlando Park, IL – Moejoe’s Coffee House
July 25th – Fort Wayne, IN – Sunset Hall
July 26th – Toledo, OH – Headliner’s
July 27th – Erie, PA – Forward Hall
July 28th – Albany, NY – Northern Lights
July 29th – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground
July 30th – Manchester, NH – Rockos
July 31st – Bucksport, ME – The Kave
Aug 1st – Hartford, CT – Webster Theatre
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