Last night, the sludgy black/death metal band Goatwhore came to Omaha, playing with a number of local bands. The venue was the Lookout Lounge, a small dive bar tucked away in a corner of a strip mall near one of the busiest intersections in the city. Apparently it is an often-used venue for local metal bands and some of the more underground bands to come to the area. I will have to keep an eye out for more shows there. Four local bands opened up for Goatwhore: Drowning in the Platte, Exit Sanity, Orpheus, and Autopsick. Many of them have strong local support. It was the first time I had heard of any of them, but they all impressed me to varying degrees.
Drowning in the Platte is a two-person death/grind band from Columbus, Nebraska, a city about half an hour south of me. The members are brothers and they originally had a bass player, but now exist with just two members. They had a fairly short set, but had some decent songs, and I like the layered vocals between the two members, similar to Deicide. Still though, it was missing the bottom end a bit.
Omaha's Exit Sanity was probably the biggest surprise of the night. They had some terrific, catchy songs and their vocalist sounded like a cross between Phil Anselmo and Kirk Windstein of Crowbar. Musically, the band blends a number of different styles together: some hard rock, sludge and groove metal elements. On top of everything, they were there just to have a good time, and certainly looked like it. The singer (and probably other members, we could not see well) was tossing back beer between songs and bantering with the crowd. My wife and I were both very impressed with this band.
Orpheus took the stage next. The local band played a combination of thrash and death metal with some aggressive riffs and shrieking vocals. Where Drowning in the Platte was completely bereft of a bass guitar, Orpheus was notable for having their bassist stand out throughout their set. And he was very impressive, though I am not sure that the sound was supposed to work out quite that way.
Autopsick was the last of the local bands to take the stage and their sound was rooted in old school death metal bands such as Immolation, Incantation, and Morbid Angel. They were probably the most polished of the local bands, though based on some admittedly minor research, I am not sure that is really based on anything more than my own impressions from last night. They did seem to have a bit of a local following. I even saw some people come in wearing Autopsick t-shirts. Apparently the band used to be known as Rotting Malignancy, which was more of a brutal death/slam band, and I now want to find more information about that inactive band.
Finally, the headliners arrived and delivered a blistering set. Goatwhore has been one of my favorite bands for several years now. Their music is fast, intense, and aggressive, with very little room for anything close to resembling melody or softness. Between the grooving black/death metal riffs of Sammy Duet, and the rasping shriek of Ben Falgoust, the band's strengths were on full display. The small, dirty, dank venue matched the band's own raw and filthy sound perfectly. They played for a little more than an hour and their set spanned their entire catalog, even closing with a song from early on in their history, when they did tend to have a bit more of a melodic sensibility and used some clean singing. It was a terrific show for the band and reinforced their standing as one of my current favorite bands.
There was originally some concern about going to this concert. I had a lot of major hearings scheduled for the week and was not sure I was going to be able to attend this one. After a few of the hearings dropped out, it became more likely that I was going to be able to go. My wife was mostly concerned about some bad reviews she read about the bar, but it turned out that we both actually liked the place. We will be keeping an eye out for shows there in the future. And I can now say that I have seen Goatwhore in concert. My wife even enjoyed them a bit more than she thought she would.
Friday, May 19, 2017
Saturday, May 6, 2017
Testament and Sepultura in Sioux Falls: May 4
In the last month now, I have seen four legendary thrash metal bands. Testament and Sepultura were just the latest after seeing Anthrax and Kreator in April. This was a different venue for us though. The show was at The District in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, about a two-and-a-half hour drive for us. So it definitely made for a late night, but it was worth it. There were actually four bands there that night, which I will get to.
Both Testament and Sepultura have been longtime favorite bands for me. I have been a huge fan of both since I was in high school. Sepultura was the first band of whom I bought a t-shirt, though I lost it at some point. It just sort of disappeared at some point. As for Testament, well, my favorite song of all time is "Return to Serenity" and I went to a signing before they played a show in Lincoln when I was 18. Unfortunately I did not get to see them that night since it was a 19 and over show. Chuck Billy had his cancer scare shortly after that and it would be years before the band got back together.
The first band was a relatively young band from Germany called Dying Gorgeous Lies. I was a little skeptical about what the band would sound like based on that name. The name suggests they would be more at home opening for The Devil Wears Prada. But no, they are definitely a thrash metal band. The singer is a woman whose voice reminds me very much of Holy Moses singer Sabine Classen, so I definitely am on board. We missed the band's first couple of songs as we had a long drive and decided to try out a Cambodian restaurant before the show. But what I heard of the band was impressive. They are definitely a German thrash metal throwback and given my love for that style, I will have to check them out.
Prong was next to the stage, and this is another band that I have enjoyed since I was in high school. I used to catch them on Headbanger's Ball quite a bit when "Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck" was out. I have not been keeping up with them for a very long time so I was surprised that I recognized most of the songs they played. They stuck pretty well to their first four albums for most of their set. That is generally their best material anyway. They definitely sounded good. It has been over 20 years since I have heard any new material by the band, but their old stuff still sounds great. They closed out their show with "Snap..." which was appropriate.
I have not been the biggest fan of Sepultura since Max Cavalera left the band, but their albums with him are some of my absolute favorites. They did play a lot of material from their early years, which was appreciated. Derrick Green's voice has grown on me a little over the years and after some uneven releases, they are starting to put out some better stuff again now. Most of the stuff from their Max albums sounded incredible, and I did like the songs they played off their latest album enough that I may have to check it out. Their last three songs ("Refuse/Resist", "Ratamahatta", and "Roots Bloody Roots") were really amazing and were the highlight of their set. They were definitely hitting their stride by that point and their energy was infectious.
Finally, Testament took the stage and I finally got to see them after being disappointed back when I was in high school. The wait was worth it as Testament was incredible. They played a mix of songs going way back to their first album and generally covering most of their early releases and also featuring a generous sampling of stuff from the new album. Everyone was in top form and each of the musicians was given the spotlight at one point to show off their abilities. My wife was quite impressed with Alex Skolnick. I was more interested in Steve DiGiorgio's bass work myself. The only disappointment with their show was that they did not play "Return to Serenity", though since that is a slower song, I should not have been that surprised.
This was an early birthday present from my wife and it was a terrific show. Sepultura and Testament are still two of my all-time favorite bands, Testament possibly being number one. Definitely a good birthday present.
Both Testament and Sepultura have been longtime favorite bands for me. I have been a huge fan of both since I was in high school. Sepultura was the first band of whom I bought a t-shirt, though I lost it at some point. It just sort of disappeared at some point. As for Testament, well, my favorite song of all time is "Return to Serenity" and I went to a signing before they played a show in Lincoln when I was 18. Unfortunately I did not get to see them that night since it was a 19 and over show. Chuck Billy had his cancer scare shortly after that and it would be years before the band got back together.
The first band was a relatively young band from Germany called Dying Gorgeous Lies. I was a little skeptical about what the band would sound like based on that name. The name suggests they would be more at home opening for The Devil Wears Prada. But no, they are definitely a thrash metal band. The singer is a woman whose voice reminds me very much of Holy Moses singer Sabine Classen, so I definitely am on board. We missed the band's first couple of songs as we had a long drive and decided to try out a Cambodian restaurant before the show. But what I heard of the band was impressive. They are definitely a German thrash metal throwback and given my love for that style, I will have to check them out.
Prong was next to the stage, and this is another band that I have enjoyed since I was in high school. I used to catch them on Headbanger's Ball quite a bit when "Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck" was out. I have not been keeping up with them for a very long time so I was surprised that I recognized most of the songs they played. They stuck pretty well to their first four albums for most of their set. That is generally their best material anyway. They definitely sounded good. It has been over 20 years since I have heard any new material by the band, but their old stuff still sounds great. They closed out their show with "Snap..." which was appropriate.
I have not been the biggest fan of Sepultura since Max Cavalera left the band, but their albums with him are some of my absolute favorites. They did play a lot of material from their early years, which was appreciated. Derrick Green's voice has grown on me a little over the years and after some uneven releases, they are starting to put out some better stuff again now. Most of the stuff from their Max albums sounded incredible, and I did like the songs they played off their latest album enough that I may have to check it out. Their last three songs ("Refuse/Resist", "Ratamahatta", and "Roots Bloody Roots") were really amazing and were the highlight of their set. They were definitely hitting their stride by that point and their energy was infectious.
Finally, Testament took the stage and I finally got to see them after being disappointed back when I was in high school. The wait was worth it as Testament was incredible. They played a mix of songs going way back to their first album and generally covering most of their early releases and also featuring a generous sampling of stuff from the new album. Everyone was in top form and each of the musicians was given the spotlight at one point to show off their abilities. My wife was quite impressed with Alex Skolnick. I was more interested in Steve DiGiorgio's bass work myself. The only disappointment with their show was that they did not play "Return to Serenity", though since that is a slower song, I should not have been that surprised.
This was an early birthday present from my wife and it was a terrific show. Sepultura and Testament are still two of my all-time favorite bands, Testament possibly being number one. Definitely a good birthday present.
Monday, May 1, 2017
The Kill/Thrax Tour in Omaha: April 29
There have definitely been a lot more interesting concerts around Nebraska lately. The latest to hit the stage in Omaha was the Kill/Thrax tour on Saturday night. Four bands, led by Killswitch Engage and Anthrax came through town on a rare Saturday night concert. Which meant that we could actually sleep in instead of having to get up early and go to work the next morning. Which is awesome.
It was cold Saturday night. And raining most of the day. Simply miserable conditions, so we were not in a big hurry to get there. Besides, the other band we knew were playing was The Devil Wears Prada, a band I have made my disdain for on this blog very clear. Unfortunately when we arrived at the venue, another band that we had no idea would be playing was on stage. It was some group called Code Orange, who play a metallic hardcore style. That can be done well, just look at Nails among other bands. Unfortunately, I was not at all impressed with Code Orange, and my wife pretty much hated them. To each their own I suppose, hardcore has never really been my thing.
After that, Christian hardcore band The Devil Wears Prada started their set. I really dislike this band. But I was curious about their name, because of course most people are aware of the movie starring Glenn Close and Anne Hathaway, which does not exactly scream badass rock band. Apparently the band named themselves after the novel after misinterpreting one of the messages of the novel being an anti-materialistic stance (due to not actually reading the fucking thing). After realizing they were incorrect, they decided to keep the name and create a new definition of anti-materialism in the name of God. So apparently, they are idiots as well and did not bother to read the book that was the source of their name. Their set was predictably annoying. There was the occasional decent moment and singer Mike Hranica has a pretty good voice, but there is a reason I successfully avoided them when they opened for Slayer and King Diamond and tried to avoid them Saturday.
Next, Killswitch Engage played. I will admit to not paying much attention to them for over a decade. I honestly had no idea Jesse Leach was back with the band, and apparently that has been the case since 2012. I was a little surprised then that the band played so many songs that I recognized from The End of Heartache and As Daylight Dies, the only two albums from the band I owned. Leach sounded great singing them though, very similar to previous vocalist Howard Jones. KSE was very charismatic on stage and definitely got the crowd going, a large number of whom were apparently there just for that band (lots of people left after their set without staying for Anthrax). Overall I was pretty impressed with the band's set. The highlight was them closing things out with a cover of the Dio classic "Holy Diver" which even featured Anthrax singer Joey Belladonna coming out and providing lead vocals. That was definitely my wife's favorite moment as well.
Finally, Anthrax came out. Anthrax was the last of the Big 4 thrash metal bands that I had yet to see. I first discovered Anthrax during the John Bush years, and I still think that Sound of White Noise is an underrated album. But nothing really compares to their earlier stuff with Belladonna and they played a lot of the classics. They took the stage playing "Among the Living" and followed that up with "Caught in a Mosh", which got the crowd going. They played a couple of newer songs, including the infectious "Fight 'Em 'Til You Can't" which is my personal favorite track off of Worship Music, their reunion album with Belladonna. After that they ran through a number of other classics before closing out the set. Honestly, I was even more impressed with Anthrax than I was with Slayer in concert. I have developed a newfound appreciation for the band now. I am going to have to dig out my old Anthrax albums now. Even my wife enjoyed them more than she thought she would. I had second thoughts at one point about going to this one, but I am definitely glad we went.
It was cold Saturday night. And raining most of the day. Simply miserable conditions, so we were not in a big hurry to get there. Besides, the other band we knew were playing was The Devil Wears Prada, a band I have made my disdain for on this blog very clear. Unfortunately when we arrived at the venue, another band that we had no idea would be playing was on stage. It was some group called Code Orange, who play a metallic hardcore style. That can be done well, just look at Nails among other bands. Unfortunately, I was not at all impressed with Code Orange, and my wife pretty much hated them. To each their own I suppose, hardcore has never really been my thing.
After that, Christian hardcore band The Devil Wears Prada started their set. I really dislike this band. But I was curious about their name, because of course most people are aware of the movie starring Glenn Close and Anne Hathaway, which does not exactly scream badass rock band. Apparently the band named themselves after the novel after misinterpreting one of the messages of the novel being an anti-materialistic stance (due to not actually reading the fucking thing). After realizing they were incorrect, they decided to keep the name and create a new definition of anti-materialism in the name of God. So apparently, they are idiots as well and did not bother to read the book that was the source of their name. Their set was predictably annoying. There was the occasional decent moment and singer Mike Hranica has a pretty good voice, but there is a reason I successfully avoided them when they opened for Slayer and King Diamond and tried to avoid them Saturday.
Next, Killswitch Engage played. I will admit to not paying much attention to them for over a decade. I honestly had no idea Jesse Leach was back with the band, and apparently that has been the case since 2012. I was a little surprised then that the band played so many songs that I recognized from The End of Heartache and As Daylight Dies, the only two albums from the band I owned. Leach sounded great singing them though, very similar to previous vocalist Howard Jones. KSE was very charismatic on stage and definitely got the crowd going, a large number of whom were apparently there just for that band (lots of people left after their set without staying for Anthrax). Overall I was pretty impressed with the band's set. The highlight was them closing things out with a cover of the Dio classic "Holy Diver" which even featured Anthrax singer Joey Belladonna coming out and providing lead vocals. That was definitely my wife's favorite moment as well.
Finally, Anthrax came out. Anthrax was the last of the Big 4 thrash metal bands that I had yet to see. I first discovered Anthrax during the John Bush years, and I still think that Sound of White Noise is an underrated album. But nothing really compares to their earlier stuff with Belladonna and they played a lot of the classics. They took the stage playing "Among the Living" and followed that up with "Caught in a Mosh", which got the crowd going. They played a couple of newer songs, including the infectious "Fight 'Em 'Til You Can't" which is my personal favorite track off of Worship Music, their reunion album with Belladonna. After that they ran through a number of other classics before closing out the set. Honestly, I was even more impressed with Anthrax than I was with Slayer in concert. I have developed a newfound appreciation for the band now. I am going to have to dig out my old Anthrax albums now. Even my wife enjoyed them more than she thought she would. I had second thoughts at one point about going to this one, but I am definitely glad we went.
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