The Black Dahlia Murder -- Detroit, Mi -- June 2nd, 2012
Little late but I'm bored so why not.
Left extremely early for some reason so we got down to Saint Andrews Hall at about 5:30 doors didn't even open til 8:00. So to kill time we tailgated with some Tiger's fans who were going to the game. Eventually got in line and fucking started down pouring for about 10 minutes. Oh well got into the venue and grabbed a spot on the rail waiting for the first band Beast In The Field.
Beast In The Field were first they are a local doom band who I think are fucking phenomenal and heavy as hell. They are just a two piece but damn they are loud. Not much else to say about them really they did get a good pit going which kind of surprised me. Oh and they are probably the loudest band I have ever seen. 8/10
This is where the night started to get a little interesting. Fuck The facts were up next. For those of you who don't know they are a grindcore band from Canada and literally no one knew who they were. So they had a lot of trouble with the mics while setting up but just went with it. Well I couldn't hear shit when it came to vocals that was really disappointing. Now some weird shit starts to happen. The singer is a fucking freak on stage moving all fucking weird but she had a glass with Coffee in it and she takes a drink and spits it into the crowd that was really weird. Than a drunk asshole started hxc dancing and ended up getting his ass beat two separate times. They said this was the first time they have been in Detroit in 10 years so I understand how no one there knew who they were. Overall a strange set with basically no vocals and coffee all over the front row. 4/10
Exhumed were up next and I was fucking amped for them. After the disappointment of Fuck The Facts I just went berserk when they came on. They had tight sound and were very energetic. Probably the best part is I wasn't paying attention because I was headbanging so hard on the rail that they had the singer and bassist from Fuck The Facts come out in surgical masks. The singer was revving a chainsaw and the bassist had a decapitated head that had what I think was kool aid so I look up and just see that head right over me pouring right on my head. Very fun set and would really love to see Exhumed again. 8/10 Set: All Guts, No Glory As Hammer to Anvil Necrotized Necromaniac Torso Limb from Limb I Rot Within Death Knell Decrepit Crescendo Distorted and Twisted Into Form Open the Abscess
Finally the headliner The Black Dahlia Murder was taking stage. Right when the intro to A Shrine To Madness came on the push became massive. When they came on shit got crazy. Everyone was going crazy crowd surfers, the pit and everyone fist pumping. For some reason Saint Andrews Hall put the rail about 1 foot behind the stage so no one could really fit in there but a crowd surfer came over and landed right in there I was really surprised she got up. But anyways the show was fucking sick as always TBDM delivers. They have to be my favorite live act just so much energy in their performance. Played a lot off of Ritual which I'm fine with. The Window sounded so fucking awesome live. Towards the end of the set all of the bands came out on stage and had a nerf war which was funny as hell to watch. I couldn't ask more from TBDM they are always awesome. After the set Trevor came over and handed my little brother a set list and made sure he had it. That really made my brothers night. Almost caught myself a Shannon Lucas drum stick but it took a bad bounce. Shook everyone's hand before they got off stage.
After the show I bought another TBDM shirt and chatted with the bassist of Exhumed for awhile until I noticed I should probably head outside to meet up with my group. Right when I got outside Trevor came out and talked for a few minutes but then it started down pouring so we got out of there. All in all very awesome night and my brother has yet to stop talking about that set list lol.
Carnifex/I Declare War/Rings of Saturn 6/3/12 @ Rocky Point Cantina, Tempe, AZ
I got to the place one song into Rings of Saturn's set (inb4404). I'd never been to this place before, but it's pretty fucking nice. And security is super chill with you as long as you're 21 or older lol. Plus, that's the only way you can re-enter, so that's neat. Most of the shows that would be scheduled at Clubhouse (R.I.P.) are now being scheduled here, including SFU/Dying Fetus/Revocation next month. And that's also cool because the floor space is definitely smaller here. Lotta deathcore brvtez mcgutez kiddies got tossed out by security for doing cartwheels and somersaults into people. Good stuff.
Rings of Saturn - They were who I came for. Awesome, but their guitarist completely botched the intro to their closer, Seized and Devoured, which is the coolest part of the song. Aside from that, jolly good set. 8/10
I Declare War - lol. 4/10
Carnifex - I actually enjoyed them more this time than when I saw them last. Still not saying much, but it was an improvement. The singer was wearing a WITTR shirt, to which I lol'd.
Sleep at The Fox Theater - Oakland, CA - June 5th, 2012
After a good dinner, the gang (My dad, my friends Alex and Ben, and yours truly) went into the Fox Theater at about 7. We got to the venue a few minutes after doors opened and there was no line to get it. This told me that this show would be just like the last time I saw Sleep, and people wouldn’t be arriving in bulk ‘til later in the night, which was totally cool with me. We checked out the merch booth. They had some really cool shirt, some new logo Sleep patches, and really cool show posters. There were only 40 or so made and they looked awesome, but the $30 price tag was a little much for me. Then we headed down to the floor and there was plenty of rail open so we grabbed some. I was pretty much in front of where Al usually is (stage right). We spent some time talking to some fellow concert goers and at 8 o clock, the first band, Kowloon Walled City, started their set.
Kowloon Walled City was a perfect band to open for Sleep. They’re a really heavy sludge metal band from San Francisco. They all had good stage presence, as they were obviously into the music and enjoying themselves. They had a pretty good sound, with earplugs in I could hear just about everything with the exception of a few leads. I was really impressed with them and definitely going to look into their music. I’d advise all fans of sludge/stoner metal to check ‘em out. They’re strain of really slow, sinister sludge is heavy as hell and well composed. They’ve got some really sweet basslines as well
After Kowloon Walled City, Tony of Metalsetlits came up to me and introduced himself. We talked for a bit then he peaced out. The next band to come on, Oxbow, would go on to put on the most interesting set I’ve seen this year.
I knew Oxbow was going to be interesting. After checking out some videos on Youtube, I knew their music was interesting as was their live set, but I still don’t think I was ready to experience for myself. After having incense lit and burning for a bit, the band came out and started their set. Musically, they’re really not that bad. They have an interesting take on stoner/doom metal filled with oddities and the singer definitely had a good range. He could hit really high notes and his yelling was quite menacing. But it was the singer’s actions that kind of made the performance shocking, for lack of a better word. Keep in mind, the singer is kind a middle aged black dude. As the set progressed, he gradually stripped off his clothes, ‘til about half way through the set he was just in a vest, his underwear, and shoes. And a lot of his dance moves were pelvic thrust type movements, so it was a little uncomfortable. It was definitely an interesting experience, but it was one I’d have no problem never repeating.
After Oxbow, I spent the time waiting for Sleep kind of just what-the-fucking with my pals. It wasn’t much of a wait for Sleep to come on.
Sleep were fantastic! They came on stage and everybody went nuts as Matt Pike started playing for the first chords of Dopesmoker. I wasn’t expecting anything crazy from the crowd, since last time everybody in the audience was just chillin’ with the exception of one douchebag crowd surfer. I turned back to see more than 5 groups of people lighting up, so I felt assured that everybody would just chill and enjoy the experience. I was wrong. Once the full band kicked in during Dopesmoker, I noticed some push and shove in the crowd. Through out the night it got more severe. There were some times that I didn’t mind it but it was lame when people would be shoving during the quiet parts of some of the songs. Plus crowd surfers were lame. In fact, the first crowd surfer tried to launch himself off of me, which I was not having. Even with the crowd rowdier than I had wanted, the performance was fucking phenomenal. Everybody played really well and the songs sounded great. Something I thought made the songs that much better is that they slowed down some of the sections a bit and they just really fucking grooved. The bass was really intense through out the show and sometimes a little too overpowering, but it felt great. Something I thought was just kind of badass was Al and Matt just smoking joints in between songs like it was nothing. Overall, the set was the heaviest thing I’ve experienced yet and a hell of a time. Sleep never disappoint in the live environment. If you get the chance to see them, do it.
After the show, my streak of shitluck for catching concert goodies continued. A pick came my way and it hit my wrist as I was trying to catch it. Before I could see where it fell, my friend Ben already picked it up off the ground. That asshole catches all the picks. Also, when they threw the setlist I got my hand on it, but it was between me and a tall dude. I only got my left hand on it, and once he got both his on it, I knew all hope was gone, but went out with a fight. I was a little pissed, but maybe next time……. Probably not.
Somebody who caught a setlist was kind enough to let me snap a pic of it. inb4 it's fucking huge because iPhone picture. ...and Sagan was a little jam before Antarctican's Thawed and Cultivator/Improved Morris are parts of Dopesmoker.
Unearth w/ World in Arms, Thy Will Be Done, This is Hell, Within the Ruins Providence RI - Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel - 6/8/12
So I nearly wound up not going to this show, because my ride bailed on me and a bunch of my friends were planning on going to a midnight showing of Prometheus, but my mom offered to give me a ride so I took it. Got to the venue around 6:30, when the doors opened at 6 and the show was starting at 7. I walked straight in and the place was DEAD. I'd only been to the venue twice before for Chevelle and both shows had sold out, so it was really weird seeing the place with barely any people. There were only 2 people on the rail hanging out, and maybe 10-20 other people hanging out around the venue. I picked up a pretty badass Unearth shirt for $20, then went to the rail. While waiting for the show to start, some random kid who was hanging out in the area started chatting it up. He seemed chill and we had similar tastes in music, and turned out he knew a couple kids from my school.
World in Arms started at 7, and they were... interesting. They're a local hardcore band, but at the same time are very laid back and silly. The musicians aren't all that great, but their vocalist is decent. They all looked really awkward, wearing jean shorts and flannel and whatnot. Doesn't look like anything is really gonna happen for them but what can you do.
Thy Will Be Done went up next, and they kicked some serious ass. The kid I was talking to said he was mainly there to see them, because he knew the lead vocalist who is a cashier at Hot Topic in Providence Place Mall. Not anything phenomenal, but their live show was energetic and you could tell they take their music seriously. Their bassist is fucking HUGE, like possible steroid user huge. They aren't really a "core" band like the rest of the lineup, but I thought that was why I enjoyed them the most out of all of the openers. They were playing in support of a new EP coming out which if I remember correctly was called "In Ancient of Times", and the material sounded really good. Unfortunately, for most of their set, the mixing moved back and forth between decent and really really shitty. Multiple times the vocals became completely drowned out, and the guitars became so loud it was impossible to even hear them properly. The band posted on Facebook apologizing for the bad mix, and somebody commented saying that the in-house guy at Lupo's doesn't give a fuck about metal shows because he walked out of the venue during Kyng at a Hellyeah show a few months back. The vocalist also made a speech halfway through their set, talking about how they’d been picked to be on Orion Music + More, and that it’s possible for anybody to live their dream in the music industry as long as they love what they do and don’t be an asshole. Anyways, I highly recommend checking these guys out.
By now I had expected the venue to fill up more, but it was still pretty shabby. I don't know if it's because this is my first metal show in a club, but I've become used to concerts being pretty packed. For almost the entire night there was only one row of people on the rail, people moshing in the direct area behind this row, and then a few more rows of people watching. Almost all the bands kept pushing the crowd to come forward more, but it seemed like most of them were pussified from the moshers/hardcore dancers.
This is Hell started, and they were halfway decent. I spent most of their set in the back area with the other spectators who didn't want to get close, not because I was scared, but because I wasn't all that interested in staying on the rail. Another hardcore band, all of the guys were really into the music and just jamming. The guitarist seemed pretty pissed at the crowd, mainly because the only form of "moshing" was 3-4 guys hardcore dancing. He started a circle pit for a bit, but he just gave up after a while. Nothing all that interesting but I didn't mind their show.
Within the Ruins were surprisingly good. I went right up to the center rail right before their set, and stayed there the rest of the night. Their music in general is pretty damn generic, but their musicianship is impressive and their vocalist is pretty damn intense. They opened with "Versus", pretty much the only song I know by them, and they performed well. Lots of energy, and it was the first band where the crowd really started to show some energy, albeit our lack of numbers. There was one point where I turned around and most of the floor has turned into a pit, although most of them were hardcore dancing. At some point halfway through their set some fucking asshole wrapped his arm around my neck and hoisted himself onto my back, trying to propel himself towards the stage. I elbowed him off and turned around to shove him away, but he was already gone back into the pit. I saw throughout the set him do this to 2 or 3 other people, at one point making one guy hit his face on the rail. Fucking dick. After they ended the kid I was talking to had to leave because his ride had to pick him at 10. Sucked for him.
Now that Unearth were about to play, more of the crowd had moved towards the front of the stage, and it seemed a little more filled. I talked to a couple people about Unearth and assorted metal topics before the band went on, and a lot of the people were funny as hell. One of the guys pointed out that him and I were the 2 tallest guys in the entire show, him being 6 fucking 9 and me being 6’5.
When Unearth hit the stage, it breathed much needed life into the crowd. It didn’t get too much out of hand, but there was a definite crowd push and plenty of moshing. Unearth opened with The Great Dividers, one of my favorite songs by the band. My position was right in front of Ken, and right in front of one of the block-things that support the rail and band members can step out onto to be closer to the crowd. Trevor spent the entire set going back and forth between the supports, interacting with the crowd a shit load. On several different occasions Trevor put the mic up to my mouth to let me scream out a line of the lyrics, and it was fun as hell, especially during the last half of Watch it Burn. I guess I did well, because he pounded my fist when as he went back up to the stage. When Trevor wasn’t 3 inches from my face I was able to focus on the other band members, and all of them were performing phenomenally. Ken was nailing every last note and solo, even while goofing off with the crowd throughout. He kept on doing something where he’d spit up into the air and catch it with his mouth again, which was sort of gross but entertaining lol. Buz spent most of the show on the other side of the stage, but I could see/hear his guitar work and he was shredding it up too. Their drummer, Nick Pierce, did a drum solo during Black Hearts Now Reign that sounded pretty damn awesome. He uses traditional grip too, which I thought was sort of funny. The show ended way earlier than it was supposed to, at like 11:15 instead of 12. I don’t know if Unearth cut their set short or if they only planned for a 45 minute set, but I was extremely surprised. Ken handed me his guitar pic after My Will Be Done, which when I went outside saw that it said “Eat a Dick” on it. Not sure what to make of that lol. Right when their set ended Ken came out to shake hands with us, only saying “Thanks for coming out” and “It’s waaaaay past my bed time”. Buz came out to, talking a bit more with us and also shaking our hands. I told him how I wished the venue had been a bit more packed for them, and he agreed that the show should have been at a smaller venue like Club Hell or The Met.
I left after talking to Buz to wait out front for my mom. At around 11:30 I asked a random guy if I could use his cell phone, to which he responded “Hell no! Who you gotta call, your mom? *laugh*”. Yes, I do. “Oh shit, man! You serious? How old are you?” 16. “Holy fuck!” He ended up letting me use his cell phone to call my mom, who ended up only being 5 mins away, and then then talked to him for a bit. He was drunk out of his mind, though his friend seemed a bit more sober. He asked me where I was from, I said Barrington, and he didn’t know where that was. I said more towns near me, and he said he wasn’t sure what state he was in. I then realized from his hoody that said Metal Blade on it that he was some dude with the label that was travelling with the band. I listened to some more of his drunken ramblings which included me being an animal, an Indian, meeting his 17 year old daughter and something about POD (the 2 were somehow related). When I went to leave he gave me a bro-hug that sort of weirded me out but hey, drunk people.
Comments
Little late but I'm bored so why not.
Left extremely early for some reason so we got down to Saint Andrews Hall at about 5:30 doors didn't even open til 8:00. So to kill time we tailgated with some Tiger's fans who were going to the game. Eventually got in line and fucking started down pouring for about 10 minutes. Oh well got into the venue and grabbed a spot on the rail waiting for the first band Beast In The Field.
Beast In The Field were first they are a local doom band who I think are fucking phenomenal and heavy as hell. They are just a two piece but damn they are loud. Not much else to say about them really they did get a good pit going which kind of surprised me. Oh and they are probably the loudest band I have ever seen. 8/10
This is where the night started to get a little interesting. Fuck The facts were up next. For those of you who don't know they are a grindcore band from Canada and literally no one knew who they were. So they had a lot of trouble with the mics while setting up but just went with it. Well I couldn't hear shit when it came to vocals that was really disappointing. Now some weird shit starts to happen. The singer is a fucking freak on stage moving all fucking weird but she had a glass with Coffee in it and she takes a drink and spits it into the crowd that was really weird. Than a drunk asshole started hxc dancing and ended up getting his ass beat two separate times. They said this was the first time they have been in Detroit in 10 years so I understand how no one there knew who they were. Overall a strange set with basically no vocals and coffee all over the front row. 4/10
Exhumed were up next and I was fucking amped for them. After the disappointment of Fuck The Facts I just went berserk when they came on. They had tight sound and were very energetic. Probably the best part is I wasn't paying attention because I was headbanging so hard on the rail that they had the singer and bassist from Fuck The Facts come out in surgical masks. The singer was revving a chainsaw and the bassist had a decapitated head that had what I think was kool aid so I look up and just see that head right over me pouring right on my head. Very fun set and would really love to see Exhumed again. 8/10
Set:
All Guts, No Glory
As Hammer to Anvil
Necrotized
Necromaniac
Torso
Limb from Limb
I Rot Within
Death Knell
Decrepit Crescendo
Distorted and Twisted Into Form
Open the Abscess
Finally the headliner The Black Dahlia Murder was taking stage. Right when the intro to A Shrine To Madness came on the push became massive. When they came on shit got crazy. Everyone was going crazy crowd surfers, the pit and everyone fist pumping. For some reason Saint Andrews Hall put the rail about 1 foot behind the stage so no one could really fit in there but a crowd surfer came over and landed right in there I was really surprised she got up. But anyways the show was fucking sick as always TBDM delivers. They have to be my favorite live act just so much energy in their performance. Played a lot off of Ritual which I'm fine with. The Window sounded so fucking awesome live. Towards the end of the set all of the bands came out on stage and had a nerf war which was funny as hell to watch. I couldn't ask more from TBDM they are always awesome. After the set Trevor came over and handed my little brother a set list and made sure he had it. That really made my brothers night. Almost caught myself a Shannon Lucas drum stick but it took a bad bounce. Shook everyone's hand before they got off stage.
After the show I bought another TBDM shirt and chatted with the bassist of Exhumed for awhile until I noticed I should probably head outside to meet up with my group. Right when I got outside Trevor came out and talked for a few minutes but then it started down pouring so we got out of there. All in all very awesome night and my brother has yet to stop talking about that set list lol.
6/3/12 @ Rocky Point Cantina, Tempe, AZ
I got to the place one song into Rings of Saturn's set (inb4404). I'd never been to this place before, but it's pretty fucking nice. And security is super chill with you as long as you're 21 or older lol. Plus, that's the only way you can re-enter, so that's neat. Most of the shows that would be scheduled at Clubhouse (R.I.P.) are now being scheduled here, including SFU/Dying Fetus/Revocation next month. And that's also cool because the floor space is definitely smaller here. Lotta deathcore brvtez mcgutez kiddies got tossed out by security for doing cartwheels and somersaults into people. Good stuff.
Rings of Saturn - They were who I came for. Awesome, but their guitarist completely botched the intro to their closer, Seized and Devoured, which is the coolest part of the song. Aside from that, jolly good set. 8/10
I Declare War - lol. 4/10
Carnifex - I actually enjoyed them more this time than when I saw them last. Still not saying much, but it was an improvement. The singer was wearing a WITTR shirt, to which I lol'd.
Their singer is a faggot
I think there's a stage diving banana somewhere towards the end.
After a good dinner, the gang (My dad, my friends Alex and Ben, and yours truly) went into the Fox Theater at about 7. We got to the venue a few minutes after doors opened and there was no line to get it. This told me that this show would be just like the last time I saw Sleep, and people wouldn’t be arriving in bulk ‘til later in the night, which was totally cool with me. We checked out the merch booth. They had some really cool shirt, some new logo Sleep patches, and really cool show posters. There were only 40 or so made and they looked awesome, but the $30 price tag was a little much for me. Then we headed down to the floor and there was plenty of rail open so we grabbed some. I was pretty much in front of where Al usually is (stage right). We spent some time talking to some fellow concert goers and at 8 o clock, the first band, Kowloon Walled City, started their set.
Kowloon Walled City was a perfect band to open for Sleep. They’re a really heavy sludge metal band from San Francisco. They all had good stage presence, as they were obviously into the music and enjoying themselves. They had a pretty good sound, with earplugs in I could hear just about everything with the exception of a few leads. I was really impressed with them and definitely going to look into their music. I’d advise all fans of sludge/stoner metal to check ‘em out. They’re strain of really slow, sinister sludge is heavy as hell and well composed. They’ve got some really sweet basslines as well
After Kowloon Walled City, Tony of Metalsetlits came up to me and introduced himself. We talked for a bit then he peaced out. The next band to come on, Oxbow, would go on to put on the most interesting set I’ve seen this year.
I knew Oxbow was going to be interesting. After checking out some videos on Youtube, I knew their music was interesting as was their live set, but I still don’t think I was ready to experience for myself. After having incense lit and burning for a bit, the band came out and started their set. Musically, they’re really not that bad. They have an interesting take on stoner/doom metal filled with oddities and the singer definitely had a good range. He could hit really high notes and his yelling was quite menacing. But it was the singer’s actions that kind of made the performance shocking, for lack of a better word. Keep in mind, the singer is kind a middle aged black dude. As the set progressed, he gradually stripped off his clothes, ‘til about half way through the set he was just in a vest, his underwear, and shoes. And a lot of his dance moves were pelvic thrust type movements, so it was a little uncomfortable. It was definitely an interesting experience, but it was one I’d have no problem never repeating.
After Oxbow, I spent the time waiting for Sleep kind of just what-the-fucking with my pals. It wasn’t much of a wait for Sleep to come on.
Sleep were fantastic! They came on stage and everybody went nuts as Matt Pike started playing for the first chords of Dopesmoker. I wasn’t expecting anything crazy from the crowd, since last time everybody in the audience was just chillin’ with the exception of one douchebag crowd surfer. I turned back to see more than 5 groups of people lighting up, so I felt assured that everybody would just chill and enjoy the experience. I was wrong. Once the full band kicked in during Dopesmoker, I noticed some push and shove in the crowd. Through out the night it got more severe. There were some times that I didn’t mind it but it was lame when people would be shoving during the quiet parts of some of the songs. Plus crowd surfers were lame. In fact, the first crowd surfer tried to launch himself off of me, which I was not having. Even with the crowd rowdier than I had wanted, the performance was fucking phenomenal. Everybody played really well and the songs sounded great. Something I thought made the songs that much better is that they slowed down some of the sections a bit and they just really fucking grooved. The bass was really intense through out the show and sometimes a little too overpowering, but it felt great. Something I thought was just kind of badass was Al and Matt just smoking joints in between songs like it was nothing. Overall, the set was the heaviest thing I’ve experienced yet and a hell of a time. Sleep never disappoint in the live environment. If you get the chance to see them, do it.
After the show, my streak of shitluck for catching concert goodies continued. A pick came my way and it hit my wrist as I was trying to catch it. Before I could see where it fell, my friend Ben already picked it up off the ground. That asshole catches all the picks. Also, when they threw the setlist I got my hand on it, but it was between me and a tall dude. I only got my left hand on it, and once he got both his on it, I knew all hope was gone, but went out with a fight. I was a little pissed, but maybe next time……. Probably not.
Kowloon Walled City: 8.5/10
Oxbow: 6/10
Sleep: 10/10
Somebody who caught a setlist was kind enough to let me snap a pic of it. inb4 it's fucking huge because iPhone picture. ...and Sagan was a little jam before Antarctican's Thawed and Cultivator/Improved Morris are parts of Dopesmoker.
Providence RI - Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel - 6/8/12
So I nearly wound up not going to this show, because my ride bailed on me and a bunch of my friends were planning on going to a midnight showing of Prometheus, but my mom offered to give me a ride so I took it.
Got to the venue around 6:30, when the doors opened at 6 and the show was starting at 7. I walked straight in and the place was DEAD. I'd only been to the venue twice before for Chevelle and both shows had sold out, so it was really weird seeing the place with barely any people. There were only 2 people on the rail hanging out, and maybe 10-20 other people hanging out around the venue. I picked up a pretty badass Unearth shirt for $20, then went to the rail. While waiting for the show to start, some random kid who was hanging out in the area started chatting it up. He seemed chill and we had similar tastes in music, and turned out he knew a couple kids from my school.
World in Arms started at 7, and they were... interesting. They're a local hardcore band, but at the same time are very laid back and silly. The musicians aren't all that great, but their vocalist is decent. They all looked really awkward, wearing jean shorts and flannel and whatnot. Doesn't look like anything is really gonna happen for them but what can you do.
Thy Will Be Done went up next, and they kicked some serious ass. The kid I was talking to said he was mainly there to see them, because he knew the lead vocalist who is a cashier at Hot Topic in Providence Place Mall. Not anything phenomenal, but their live show was energetic and you could tell they take their music seriously. Their bassist is fucking HUGE, like possible steroid user huge. They aren't really a "core" band like the rest of the lineup, but I thought that was why I enjoyed them the most out of all of the openers. They were playing in support of a new EP coming out which if I remember correctly was called "In Ancient of Times", and the material sounded really good. Unfortunately, for most of their set, the mixing moved back and forth between decent and really really shitty. Multiple times the vocals became completely drowned out, and the guitars became so loud it was impossible to even hear them properly. The band posted on Facebook apologizing for the bad mix, and somebody commented saying that the in-house guy at Lupo's doesn't give a fuck about metal shows because he walked out of the venue during Kyng at a Hellyeah show a few months back. The vocalist also made a speech halfway through their set, talking about how they’d been picked to be on Orion Music + More, and that it’s possible for anybody to live their dream in the music industry as long as they love what they do and don’t be an asshole. Anyways, I highly recommend checking these guys out.
By now I had expected the venue to fill up more, but it was still pretty shabby. I don't know if it's because this is my first metal show in a club, but I've become used to concerts being pretty packed. For almost the entire night there was only one row of people on the rail, people moshing in the direct area behind this row, and then a few more rows of people watching. Almost all the bands kept pushing the crowd to come forward more, but it seemed like most of them were pussified from the moshers/hardcore dancers.
This is Hell started, and they were halfway decent. I spent most of their set in the back area with the other spectators who didn't want to get close, not because I was scared, but because I wasn't all that interested in staying on the rail. Another hardcore band, all of the guys were really into the music and just jamming. The guitarist seemed pretty pissed at the crowd, mainly because the only form of "moshing" was 3-4 guys hardcore dancing. He started a circle pit for a bit, but he just gave up after a while. Nothing all that interesting but I didn't mind their show.
Within the Ruins were surprisingly good. I went right up to the center rail right before their set, and stayed there the rest of the night. Their music in general is pretty damn generic, but their musicianship is impressive and their vocalist is pretty damn intense. They opened with "Versus", pretty much the only song I know by them, and they performed well. Lots of energy, and it was the first band where the crowd really started to show some energy, albeit our lack of numbers. There was one point where I turned around and most of the floor has turned into a pit, although most of them were hardcore dancing. At some point halfway through their set some fucking asshole wrapped his arm around my neck and hoisted himself onto my back, trying to propel himself towards the stage. I elbowed him off and turned around to shove him away, but he was already gone back into the pit. I saw throughout the set him do this to 2 or 3 other people, at one point making one guy hit his face on the rail. Fucking dick. After they ended the kid I was talking to had to leave because his ride had to pick him at 10. Sucked for him.
Now that Unearth were about to play, more of the crowd had moved towards the front of the stage, and it seemed a little more filled. I talked to a couple people about Unearth and assorted metal topics before the band went on, and a lot of the people were funny as hell. One of the guys pointed out that him and I were the 2 tallest guys in the entire show, him being 6 fucking 9 and me being 6’5.
When Unearth hit the stage, it breathed much needed life into the crowd. It didn’t get too much out of hand, but there was a definite crowd push and plenty of moshing. Unearth opened with The Great Dividers, one of my favorite songs by the band. My position was right in front of Ken, and right in front of one of the block-things that support the rail and band members can step out onto to be closer to the crowd. Trevor spent the entire set going back and forth between the supports, interacting with the crowd a shit load. On several different occasions Trevor put the mic up to my mouth to let me scream out a line of the lyrics, and it was fun as hell, especially during the last half of Watch it Burn. I guess I did well, because he pounded my fist when as he went back up to the stage. When Trevor wasn’t 3 inches from my face I was able to focus on the other band members, and all of them were performing phenomenally. Ken was nailing every last note and solo, even while goofing off with the crowd throughout. He kept on doing something where he’d spit up into the air and catch it with his mouth again, which was sort of gross but entertaining lol. Buz spent most of the show on the other side of the stage, but I could see/hear his guitar work and he was shredding it up too. Their drummer, Nick Pierce, did a drum solo during Black Hearts Now Reign that sounded pretty damn awesome. He uses traditional grip too, which I thought was sort of funny. The show ended way earlier than it was supposed to, at like 11:15 instead of 12. I don’t know if Unearth cut their set short or if they only planned for a 45 minute set, but I was extremely surprised. Ken handed me his guitar pic after My Will Be Done, which when I went outside saw that it said “Eat a Dick” on it. Not sure what to make of that lol.
Right when their set ended Ken came out to shake hands with us, only saying “Thanks for coming out” and “It’s waaaaay past my bed time”. Buz came out to, talking a bit more with us and also shaking our hands. I told him how I wished the venue had been a bit more packed for them, and he agreed that the show should have been at a smaller venue like Club Hell or The Met.
I left after talking to Buz to wait out front for my mom. At around 11:30 I asked a random guy if I could use his cell phone, to which he responded “Hell no! Who you gotta call, your mom? *laugh*”.
Yes, I do.
“Oh shit, man! You serious? How old are you?”
16.
“Holy fuck!”
He ended up letting me use his cell phone to call my mom, who ended up only being 5 mins away, and then then talked to him for a bit. He was drunk out of his mind, though his friend seemed a bit more sober. He asked me where I was from, I said Barrington, and he didn’t know where that was. I said more towns near me, and he said he wasn’t sure what state he was in. I then realized from his hoody that said Metal Blade on it that he was some dude with the label that was travelling with the band. I listened to some more of his drunken ramblings which included me being an animal, an Indian, meeting his 17 year old daughter and something about POD (the 2 were somehow related). When I went to leave he gave me a bro-hug that sort of weirded me out but hey, drunk people.
And then I went to Wendy’s and feasted.