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uberreinigerTonight ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
megiloth and I caught the Decibel Magazine tour headlined by Behemoth. This was one of the more exotic metal shows I've been to in a while in that every single band represented a different metal genre.
First up we got some no-frills classic heavy metal from In Solitude. These nice young men dress like they're in Accept or Judas Priest and it's 1981. Lots of leather vests, studded wristbands, and classy, cherry-finish Gibson guitars. Then there's the vocalist who I suspect may be a zombie. Let's just say he looked unhealthy and of dubious personal hygiene and leave it at that. He also wore what I thought at first was some kind of boa or scarf but which actually turned out to be a fox pelt. Possibly more than the pelt. I think there may have still been bones and organs in there. Anyway, their recording has very rudimentary production and I thought their sound had a bigger "umph" to it live. The singer's vocals are kind of odd though and they couldn't ever seem to get them just right in the live mix. He was enunciating clearly but his voice still came out like he was mumbling. Maybe not his fault. Still a pleasant band to start the night with.megiloth described them as "Mercyful Fate meets Tesla" and I think that's a fair descriptor.
Next up were The Devil's Blood whom I would classify as pagan metal. I had never heard them before tonight and had no idea what to expect. When they came out and did their sound check they looked like a bunch of dorks from a 90's alternative band and the riffs they played did nothing to downplay this. One of the guitarists even had what looked like some kind of 60's surf rock guitar. Then they left the stage and came back as completely different people. Shirtless and covered head to toe in what I hope was fake blood, they proceeded to tear into some very hypnotic, very primal sounding metal. They were then joined on stage by their vocalist: a very charismatic high priestess/earth mother type woman. She stood almost motionless for the band's entire set, barefoot and with her arms upraised and fixing everyone in the room with the most intense STARE. Afterward I felt like I had been initiated into something and like I should strip naked, go into the woods, and kill a wild animal with my bare hands and teeth.
The only band I've ever heard that I can really comapre The Devil's Blood to is the 60's/70's death rock band Coven. They've got the sound and definitely have the vibe. I'd say I want to see them again but I'm afraid of what I might do...
Third up were straight-up black metal band Watain. I may not know what a Watain is, but I know fellow lovers of the dark and theatrical when I see them and these Swedes more than qualify. They had the longest set-up time of any band. Every time I thought the roadies were done they'd bring out another five foot tall inverted iron cross, or another totemic array of animal bones, or another length of metal chains to hang. Finally Watain came skulking out under layers of armor, ripped fabric, and corpse paint like they'd just robbed a thrift store in Mordor and they just went completely insane. Believe it or not, their music is actually quite beautiful and melodic in places and their lyrics can be quite introspective. There was one song in particular where the singer was speaking about the darkness between the stars that I found really haunting. Black metal constantly walks a razor-thin line between scary and silly. Watain are one of the few bands I've found that are never in danger of falling to the silly side despite setting themselves up with every possible opportunity to do so.
Finally the headliners and the band I had most wanted to see, Behemoth, took the stage. Extreme metal just doesn't get better than this. Nergal, the lead vocalist, is a controversial public figure in his native Poland thanks to his persistent trolling of that country's religious establishment and he was no less on-message tonight. You can tell he's playing a character when he takes the stage, but he's so intensely committed to it that you get as into it as he does. He also looks extremely good for having just gone through a near-fatal battle with leukemia only a few months ago. Also, if you watch the video in the link above, you'll notice him wearing a crazy Magneto/Galactus/Batman helmet in the later half of the video. He actually wore it tonight at the concert. I respect the hell out of any man who can beat leukemia, piss off the religious establishment, and be the goddamn Batman all at the same time. Unrelated: Behemoth's bassist Orion is a huge, musclebound ogre of a man. This guy is so big and so ripped that if Peter Steele were still alive and had to fight him I... I'm not sure Peter would win! I know, it seems impossible but I'm telling you, this guy walks down the street and Japanese businessmen run away screaming. I think Orion may be the reason why Watain have so many cattle bones to decorate their stage with. He ate the cows whole. You'd think him standing side-by-side with a frail, skeletal scarecrow like Nergal would be funny but it's not. You just wonder which one needs the nourishment from your pale, soft body more and is going to fight you harder to take it from you.
Met some cool people at this show. Normally at concerts I talk to no one, no one talks to me, and that's the way I like it. But friendly people just kept coming up to me and starting conversations and in a move that is completely unlike me, I really enjoyed it. Two guys who drove over from Springfield, MO struck up a conversation with the two of us as we waited for the show to start and just handed us CD's of their bands, no charge. I got to listen to them a little bit on the drive back from Megiloth's house and they are incredibly good, as in way better than I'm used to unsigned bands sounding. So that was a pleasant surprise.
Great music I paid money to see and great music that was just given to me to keep for free. I don't think you're going to find a better deal at a metal show or any other kind of show. I'll call it a win for sure.
megiloth and I caught the Decibel Magazine tour headlined by Behemoth. This was one of the more exotic metal shows I've been to in a while in that every single band represented a different metal genre.First up we got some no-frills classic heavy metal from In Solitude. These nice young men dress like they're in Accept or Judas Priest and it's 1981. Lots of leather vests, studded wristbands, and classy, cherry-finish Gibson guitars. Then there's the vocalist who I suspect may be a zombie. Let's just say he looked unhealthy and of dubious personal hygiene and leave it at that. He also wore what I thought at first was some kind of boa or scarf but which actually turned out to be a fox pelt. Possibly more than the pelt. I think there may have still been bones and organs in there. Anyway, their recording has very rudimentary production and I thought their sound had a bigger "umph" to it live. The singer's vocals are kind of odd though and they couldn't ever seem to get them just right in the live mix. He was enunciating clearly but his voice still came out like he was mumbling. Maybe not his fault. Still a pleasant band to start the night with.
megiloth described them as "Mercyful Fate meets Tesla" and I think that's a fair descriptor.Next up were The Devil's Blood whom I would classify as pagan metal. I had never heard them before tonight and had no idea what to expect. When they came out and did their sound check they looked like a bunch of dorks from a 90's alternative band and the riffs they played did nothing to downplay this. One of the guitarists even had what looked like some kind of 60's surf rock guitar. Then they left the stage and came back as completely different people. Shirtless and covered head to toe in what I hope was fake blood, they proceeded to tear into some very hypnotic, very primal sounding metal. They were then joined on stage by their vocalist: a very charismatic high priestess/earth mother type woman. She stood almost motionless for the band's entire set, barefoot and with her arms upraised and fixing everyone in the room with the most intense STARE. Afterward I felt like I had been initiated into something and like I should strip naked, go into the woods, and kill a wild animal with my bare hands and teeth.
The only band I've ever heard that I can really comapre The Devil's Blood to is the 60's/70's death rock band Coven. They've got the sound and definitely have the vibe. I'd say I want to see them again but I'm afraid of what I might do...
Third up were straight-up black metal band Watain. I may not know what a Watain is, but I know fellow lovers of the dark and theatrical when I see them and these Swedes more than qualify. They had the longest set-up time of any band. Every time I thought the roadies were done they'd bring out another five foot tall inverted iron cross, or another totemic array of animal bones, or another length of metal chains to hang. Finally Watain came skulking out under layers of armor, ripped fabric, and corpse paint like they'd just robbed a thrift store in Mordor and they just went completely insane. Believe it or not, their music is actually quite beautiful and melodic in places and their lyrics can be quite introspective. There was one song in particular where the singer was speaking about the darkness between the stars that I found really haunting. Black metal constantly walks a razor-thin line between scary and silly. Watain are one of the few bands I've found that are never in danger of falling to the silly side despite setting themselves up with every possible opportunity to do so.
Finally the headliners and the band I had most wanted to see, Behemoth, took the stage. Extreme metal just doesn't get better than this. Nergal, the lead vocalist, is a controversial public figure in his native Poland thanks to his persistent trolling of that country's religious establishment and he was no less on-message tonight. You can tell he's playing a character when he takes the stage, but he's so intensely committed to it that you get as into it as he does. He also looks extremely good for having just gone through a near-fatal battle with leukemia only a few months ago. Also, if you watch the video in the link above, you'll notice him wearing a crazy Magneto/Galactus/Batman helmet in the later half of the video. He actually wore it tonight at the concert. I respect the hell out of any man who can beat leukemia, piss off the religious establishment, and be the goddamn Batman all at the same time. Unrelated: Behemoth's bassist Orion is a huge, musclebound ogre of a man. This guy is so big and so ripped that if Peter Steele were still alive and had to fight him I... I'm not sure Peter would win! I know, it seems impossible but I'm telling you, this guy walks down the street and Japanese businessmen run away screaming. I think Orion may be the reason why Watain have so many cattle bones to decorate their stage with. He ate the cows whole. You'd think him standing side-by-side with a frail, skeletal scarecrow like Nergal would be funny but it's not. You just wonder which one needs the nourishment from your pale, soft body more and is going to fight you harder to take it from you.
Met some cool people at this show. Normally at concerts I talk to no one, no one talks to me, and that's the way I like it. But friendly people just kept coming up to me and starting conversations and in a move that is completely unlike me, I really enjoyed it. Two guys who drove over from Springfield, MO struck up a conversation with the two of us as we waited for the show to start and just handed us CD's of their bands, no charge. I got to listen to them a little bit on the drive back from Megiloth's house and they are incredibly good, as in way better than I'm used to unsigned bands sounding. So that was a pleasant surprise.
Great music I paid money to see and great music that was just given to me to keep for free. I don't think you're going to find a better deal at a metal show or any other kind of show. I'll call it a win for sure.
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no subject
Date: 2012-04-17 02:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-17 06:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-18 05:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-18 06:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-17 02:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-17 06:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-17 09:16 pm (UTC)And glad you got to indulge some serious metal, man. Its hard to explain to people who don't like that kind of music, but its so passionate and CATHARTIC, that when I am in that place, nothing but metal will do.
no subject
Date: 2012-04-18 06:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-19 05:33 pm (UTC)*thrashes head back and forth, long hair making long banners of auburn color*
Ow. My neck.
LOL!
no subject
Date: 2012-04-20 04:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-20 05:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-21 07:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-21 04:57 pm (UTC)=^D