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Posts tagged as “Death metal”

Death Metal Sunday – Hate Eternal, Origin, Vital Remains, and Abysmal Dawn

Last night, I went to see Hate Eternal with Origin, Vital Remains, and Abysmal Dawn at Santos Party House here in New York City. What, you don’t know all those bands? Where have you been?

It was a lovely Sunday evening and the metalheads were out in force. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to a proper death metal show before, but they are an event in a league of their own. I go to shows and usually end up getting super pissed off at the crowd of idiot drunkards who don’t have any real sense of how to behave at a show. You get dudes just pushing their way through a crowd or chicks getting all pissed when you are unavoidably shoved up against them. Really, you just get the whole gamut of asshole behavior. I’ve always felt that the broader a band’s appeal, the more poorly behaved the crowd tends to be. For example, when I went to see Chromeo earlier this year at Terminal 5, the crowd behaved so reprehensibly that it ruined my entire night. Some shithead even threw an entire drink onto my head from the balcony. Way to enjoy the show, asshole.

As such, you’d expect nothing but the most horrible behavior imaginable at a death metal show, but you’d be absolutely wrong. Because it’s such a niche genre, people go to the shows because they love it not to get fucked up or hit on girls or just be fucking worthless pricks. The sense of camaraderie at a show like that is palpable. You’re never fucked with, never bothered. People are unerringly polite, no one shoves you to get past. Metalheads know a little trick (which I learned at metal shows) I like to call “the small of the back touch”. It works all the time every time and no one gets pissed off at it. It’s show magic.

Great crowd of folks there last night who were psyched as hell to enjoy the punishing death metal onslaught the night held in wait. No doubt they were all pleased with what they received. Let’s talk about the bands!

Abysmal Dawn

Robbie and I arrived at the venue just as Abysmal Dawn were starting their set so I didn’t really get to hear more than a few songs from these guys. I don’t know the band’s music that well, but what I heard I liked. Just a bunch of no-nonsense death metal by a bunch of dudes from LA. I am interested to pick up their latest release and give it a listen. I’ll revisit this topic another time.

Vital Remains

Vital Remains was my first surprise of the night. They were another band I knew nothing about, but after watching their set I wondered why I hadn’t been a fan of theirs until that moment. With their dogged adherence to old school death metal stylings, how could I not be a fan? I would definitely go see those guys play again.

Origin

Origin is a technical death metal band about whom I’ve always had mixed feelings. As much as I like the insane layers of complexity they build into their music, I’ve always felt that the records were too sterile, too clean. It’s like they’d gotten so technical, that all the groove had been taken out of the music. I’ve commented before here that owning one Origin record is basically the same as owning all of them.

After seeing them perform live I am inclined to revisit my opinion of their recorded material. On stage they were dynamic, brutal, and utterly crushing in a way I did not expect from them. The lead singer really knew how to work the crowded into a hair swinging frenzy that was frankly quite amazing coming from a band I expected nothing of. Well, call me stupid, but Origin kicked fucking ass live. If, like me, you’ve taken a pass on Origin because they’ve seemed to sterile, give them a chance live. The show will change your mind. I might even say they put on the best performance of the whole night. I like Hate Eternal more, but you cannot deny that Origin brought their A-Game last night.

Hate Eternal

Holy fucking shit.

Hate Eternal is the only reason I went to the show in the first place. I didn’t know anything about Abysmal Dawn or Vital Remains and I was not excited to see Origin. Luckily, I was wrong about all that stuff, but the point stands that Hate Eternal was my entire reason for being there. I am convinced that they are the single best death metal band on the scene today. Erik Rutan is constantly pushing the limits of what can be accomplished in a well-worn music arena. Their most recent record, Phoenix Amongst The Ashes, is brilliant, as brilliant as any death metal record I’ve ever heard. I am a fan.

To finally see Hate Eternal perform for my first time was mind-blowing. You will never see such unbridled joy on my face as you will during a really great metal show and Hate Eternal had me beaming. When they played “Bringer of Storms,” I nearly exploded. I couldn’t bang my head hard enough.

Honestly I have nothing terribly smart to say about Hate Eternal. They fucking rule and you should go see them and listen to their records and be a fan and stop being such a god damned pussy about it. Seriously. Hate Eternal is awesome.

And one final note, I saw this shirt last night. Best shirt ever.

An Introduction to Grindcore, by my brother.

Over at his blog Ludovico Presents, my brother Charlie has given a small primer on the lovely music style called Grindcore. If you’re not familiar, Charlie describes it like this:

Grindcore is a type of heavy metal that is characterized by blast beats, fast guitars, and short songs (most of the time). If you shorten a death metal song from 3:00 to :30 and as the song shortens, the intensity increases, that is Grindcore. Does that make sense? Who knows. Anyway, if you’re looking to get into some Grindcore check out my little mix. Here is a sample song.

I might also add a couple things. First, Grindcore has its roots in the punk scene—hardcore most notably—whereas Death Metal comes from a pure rock and roll background. Second, Grindcore’s focus is intensity and brutality at the expense of technicality (usually), a pure wall of rage approach. Conversely, Death Metal’s focus (modern Death Metal, anyway) is technicality to achieve brutality.

Anyway, pop on over to his site and download a sampler pack he’s provided for those both in and out of the know.

My thoughts on the Gorguts/Krallice/Portal/Bloody Panda show I went to last night.

I haven’t listened to Gorguts since their 1991 release Considered Dead, but when my new buddy Vince Neilstein of MetalSucks suggested I check out the show I figured I might as well. If nothing else it would be a rocking good time and metal as fuck.

Apart from what I perceived to be a little bit of sloppiness on the lead singer’s part, the rest of Gorguts was INCREDIBLY fucking tight. And, really, when did it ever matter if Death Metal was super tight anyway? Have you heard the first Deicide record? Early Morbid Angel? Who gives a shit? The band slayed. It was really great and I would definitely go see them again. They played a couple of new songs which they referred to only as “Number 3” followed by “Number 2”. I’m having a hard time deciding which of the two was my favorite, but I’m thinking that “Number 2” for sheer intensity wins out by a narrow margin. Altogether incredible. I will definitely pick up the record Gorguts will be releasing in 2011.

The set was surprising to me because I remember Considered Dead being a run-of-the-mill kind of Death Metal record. I still have it somewhere from when I bought it in what must have been 1993. It was never high in the rotation, but bands age and change and get better or worse. It’s worth a relisten.

And then there’s Krallice. Or, then there’s wasn’t Krallice, which was real strange because at least one of their members, Colin Marsten, was there playing bass for Gorguts. Maybe I missed them? I arrived just as Bloody Panda finished which was an hour and half into when the show was scheduled to start. Too bad. I was pretty excited to check them out.

For me, the real stand out of last night was Portal. I’d heard their name bantered about on the metal blogs and whatever, but I’d never listened to them. Before I get into a description of their set, let me preface with a few videos, ok? I mean, that’s why you come to The Black Laser, right? Videos?

The first is a live performance from 2008.

The second two are part of their set from the night before I saw them.

WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK. The lead singer (vocalist?) throws the claw the entire set. The set was so offensively awesome that I can barely contain myself. Not knowing anything about the band, I don’t have much to write except my undying praise for them. I am a now a die-hard Portal fan for life. I’m going to order all of their records from Amazon today. God damned amazing, man. I’ve never seen a bassist play as fast as this guy did last night. And I love the theatricality of the whole thing. It’s evil as fuck and silly and serious and awesome. The lead singer (vocalist?!) dressed a lot like I’ve always imagined the Space Pope to look like, except more of a community theatre version. The real Space Pope would never wear a strap to keep his mitre on.

But, seriously, check them out. They have to be one of the heaviest bands I’ve ever seen live. It’s a blistering wall of devastation and everyone should listen to them. Wow. Just wow.

Joe Shivers, you missed out.

One last note. It made me laugh to recognize that as I write about this br00tal, kult as fuck metal show I went to last night, I’m jamming out to Major Lazer & La Roux’s Lazerproof which was released yesterday. Hah! How contradictory can one person be? But isn’t that part of what makes life fun and interesting?

Death Metal Lyric or William Blake Quote?

I stole this from McSweeney’s. I’m not this clever.

1. “Drive your cart and your plow over the bones of the dead.”

2. “We are Satan’s generation.”

3. “As I was walking among the fires of hell, delighted.”

4. “The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.”

5. “The child of burning time has gone. He hasn’t come back.”

6. “Flames of profligacy, naked bodies flowing in the stream of wild dreams.”

7. “The original Archangel or possessor of the command of the heavenly host, is called the Devil.”

8. “The sulphur-kingdom, purgatory, hell`s damnation, no man will be perditioned for all time.”

9. “Sooner murder an infant in its cradle than nurse unacted desires.”

10. “Every man is therefore guilty of all the good he did.”

The key is here. How many did you get right?