Knotfest: August 8, 2019

Yes, I went to Knotfest, Slipknot's annual (?) traveling roadshow.  That may come as a little bit of a surprise for people who have been reading this blog for a long time, because I generally have not had many positive things to say about Slipknot.  I liked them in the early years, when the self-titled album was released, but felt there were diminishing returns on each of the two follow-ups.  I never picked up anything after the third album because I simply did not like it, other than a few songs.  So why did I go?  Because the other bands were Volbeat, Gojira and most importantly, Behemoth.

Unfortunately, the night was a huge disappointment.  Due to circumstances beyond our control, my wife and I were late in arriving and missed the first band.  That band turned out to be Behemoth, the primary reason I wanted to attend the concert.  We had some issues getting to the venue, the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, due to road work and the fact that we both had to work that day and we live two hours away.  And for some inconceivable reason the concert started at 5:30.  Plus, my wife insisted on listening to Disney music on the way down, so there was that.  I guess I misjudged the popularity of Volbeat, thinking there was no way they would be playing anywhere other than first that night.  So, when I figured out that we had in fact missed Behemoth, I was pissed.  I seriously considered calling it a night.  But, I did not think that was a reasonable response so I tried to make the most of it.

There were some definite things working in favor of enjoying the night.  My wife looked amazing first of all.  Secondly, we got the tickets for free, and were in the luxury suites, thanks to my dad who got the tickets from his company's lottery.  The company he works for built the arena so they have a luxury box.  There were free snacks and drinks provided, and I was able to enjoy the high quality meat from the meat and cheese tray provided (I am on a bit of an unusual diet and mostly just eat meat these days).  So the seats and snacks were great.

The first band we saw perform was the terrific Gojira.  I am not great about checking them out every time they release something new, but the albums I have checked out have been amazing.  I was a bit disappointed they did not play "From the Sky", which is still my favorite song from the band, and one of the heaviest riffs ever.  But their performance was amazing and with any luck, their exposure on this tour should help increase their popularity.

Next was Volbeat, who I have seen previously when they opened for Megadeth and Rob Zombie a few years back.  I like some of their stuff and own one of their albums, but their more recent material has been less than impressive.  Their eclectic mix of metal and rockabilly is a lot of fun when it is working.  I will say they put on a great performance and definitely got the crowd going.  My wife really enjoyed them, even though she kind of hated them the first time we saw them.  Although I don't think anyone on Earth enjoys them as much as the guy in front of us did.

Finally, Slipknot took the stage.  I do not know if it was because I was annoyed about missing Behemoth, but they just sounded bad.  All you could really hear was the percussion, which sort of makes sense since they have three percussionists.  But Corey Taylor's voice sounded off, and the riffs could barely be heard.  And with nine fucking people running around, you would think the show would be more exciting.  I still cannot figure out the official job of the one idiot who spent half the show walking around on a conveyor belt while flailing his arms around.  I could not see his mask close enough to identify which one he was.  They also sounded a little flat, without much energy.  I was annoyed enough that we ended up leaving about three quarters of the way through their show.

Despite the huge disappointment at not seeing Behemoth, the reason I wanted to go to the show, it turned out to be a pretty decent night.  Hopefully I will have another opportunity to see Behemoth again soon.  My wife suggested going next weekend to see Knotfest in Kansas, but I feel like they got enough of my money Thursday night.

Behemoth: Messe Noire (2018)

As a general rule, I am not a huge fan of live albums.  I would much rather actually see the band live.  I do make exceptions from time to time, but usually with bands I am already a big fan of, a group that I want to check out but live albums are the only available option, or with groups I know it is unlikely I will ever get to see live.  This album falls into the first category.  And in fact, I might get the opportunity to see Behemoth live in September.  We will see.

This is an abbreviated version of the album unfortunately.  My version is about half as long as the full release and, since it is just an audio recording, I do not get the full effect of the stage show.  This is a recording of the band performing in Warsaw in support of their The Satanist album, which is an absolutely incredible album, and one of my favorite Behemoth albums ever.  Behemoth performed the entire album, interspersed with classic tracks.  This abbreviated release still has the entire album The Satanist on it, it mostly cut out some of the classic tracks.

The sound quality is impressive, and it would appear that Behemoth puts on a very powerful live show.  It is almost difficult to tell it is a live album as there is minimal crowd noise and the band really does sound like they are do on the recording.  Nergal occasionally yells something to pump up the crowd, but that is usually the only time it is obvious this is a live album.  In addition, there does tend to be a lot more raw emotion present during particularly up-tempo portions of the songs, particularly in the chorus section of "Ora pro Nobis Lucifer".  The big highlight in my eyes though is the closer "Slaves Shall Serve", which is one of the band's most energetic and evil-sounding songs.  It comes across incredibly imposing live.

I am quite glad I picked this one up.  I look forward to seeing Behemoth live, this release has really gotten me intrigued as to what the band sounds like.  Unfortunately, their performance is as support for Slipknot, a band I am not looking forward to seeing live.  Maybe I'll skip out early, after Behemoth is done.

Top 14 of 2014

It has been a pretty bad year for me on this blog.  I have been a little burned out as I have been very busy with work.  It has been hard to find time to listen to new music as much as I would like.  I have been really bad with bands contacting me.  I still heard a lot of great new music though.  And I managed to put together a Best Of list.  Here we go:

14.  AT THE GATES: AT WAR WITH REALITY

The reunion of the year finds the pioneering melodeath band releasing their first new album since the landmark Slaughter of the Soul.  At The Gates manages to recapture the spirit of that album without remaking it.  Sure a lot of bands copied it over the years, but At The Gates still manages to sound fresh, even after all these years.

13.  SEPTICFLESH: TITAN
Other bands have come around that do what Septicflesh does better than them.  Rotting Christ does Greek mythology better and Fleshgod Apocalypse does symphonic tinged extreme metal better.  Nevertheless Septicflesh keeps going and they still do their thing damn well, as evidenced by this terrific album.

12.  OVERKILL: WHITE DEVIL ARMORY
If I had to name a favorite thrash metal band, I would honestly have to consider Overkill at this point.  Mostly due to the fact that the band has never really softened their sound.  Sure they were groove metal for a little while, but they were still good.  And they continue to put out amazing, kickass thrash metal albums.

11.  GOATWHORE: CONSTRICTING RAGE OF THE MERCILESS
Slightly disappointing after the terrific Carving Out the Eyes of God and Blood for the Master, this is nevertheless still a very strong album.  Goatwhore continues to put out uncompromisingly brutal metal.  They get more extreme with each release.

10.  EX MORTUS: SLAVES TO THE SWORD
Ex Mortus bring a lot of symphonic and classical influences to their style of riffing.  The solos in particular display these influences.  The band even goes so far as to cover "Moonlight Sonata".  Seriously.  The rest of the album is unapologetically cheesy and metal as fuck.  It's campy and fun, and we need that once in awhile.

9.  INSOMNIUM: SHADOWS OF THE DYING SUN
Finland's Insomnium are easily one of the best melodeath bands still going.  Their somber and melodic style comes as a welcome change from some of the other groups in the genre.  This is yet another melancholic masterpiece from the band that just keeps getting better.

8.  LORD MANTIS: DEATH MASK
Easily one of the most controversial albums of the year, particularly due to the album's insane cover art, Lord Mantis's third release is also one of the year's best.  Their take on filthy rotten sludge metal puts a lot of the mainstream sludge acts to shame.  Those who refused to check it out due to the cover are missing out.

7.  GRAND MAGUS: TRIUMPH AND POWER
Grand Magus makes this list every year they release something.  That should tell something about the quality of this band.  They just continue to put out terrific album after terrific album.  They are quite simply on of the best traditional metal bands going today.

6.  CORPSESSED: ABYSMAL THRESHOLDS
First of all, awesome name.  Secondly, awesome death metal album.  Corpsessed reminds me most of groups like Angelcorpse and Teitanblood, filthy, disgusting death metal that blows everything else out of the water.  This is just the band's first full-length album, which is shocking because they sound like seasoned veterans.

5.  VADER: TIBI ET IGNI
Vader is simultaneously one of the most consistent and most underrated metal bands in the world.  They just never seem to get the respect and notice that they deserve.  Every single album by Vader is terrific and the fact that the band has been doing it since the mid 1980's is astounding.  This is once more a very strong album in typical Vader take-no-prisoners style.

4.  TRIPTYKON: MELANA CHASMATA
Triptykon was the release I probably looked most forward to this year.  After all, their first album was my Album of the Year and it did not look at all like this would be a disappointing sophomore album.  While I do thoroughly enjoy this album, some of the songs seemed to be a little too similar at times and the band was often comfortable plodding along.  Certainly not the case with the opening crushing track.  All in all, a great album, but one that pales in comparison to the first one.

3.  MASTODON: ONCE MORE 'ROUND THE SUN
I have always liked Mastodon, but none of their releases have been so great that I listened to them frequently over and over again.  Until this one.  This album features some of the catchiest songs I have heard all year.  Mastodon seems much more focused on crafting songs rather than the meandering psychedelia the band once used frequently and they are that much better for it.

2.  BEHEMOTH: THE SATANIST
One of the most hyped releases of the year managed to exceed even my expectations.  Behemoth has always been a favorite band of mine, but some of their releases have lacked dynamics, focusing instead on simply blasting away.  This release is incredibly dynamic and therefore blows away everything the band previously released.

1.  INNSMOUTH: CONSUMED BY ELDER SIGN
The debut album by this Australian death metal act is incredible.  Dark and mysterious with an obvious Lovecraftian influence, the album features twisted riffs and psychotic, gibbering vocals.  It is one of those death metal albums that simply grabs you on the first listen and will not let go.  I have mentioned that certain death metal albums, particularly lesser-known ones, sometimes have an intense quality that makes it difficult to turn them off.  This one has that same quality.

My Favorite Metal Band from Poland

This country came down to two choices, both of which would have been worthy. The tiebreaker went to Behemoth over Vader simply because I have been able to hear much more of their catalog. Vader's stuff is sometimes hard to come by. Behemoth has always put out great albums, whether in their black metal early days, their blackened death crossover, or their more recent occult death metal material. Nergal has been recovering from leukemia in recent months and just recently made it back to the stage for the first time.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Besatt
Decapitated
Luna Ad Noctum
Vader

My 100 Favorite Metal Bands Pt. 13: Behemoth

Behemoth is an incredibly dark and brutal band from Poland. They started out as a simple black metal band but gradually began adding more and more death metal influences into their sound. Currently the band possesses an eerie and occult-flavored take on death metal. Behemoth's distinctive feature is the deep vocal style of Nergal, who has one of the most powerful voices in this style of metal. Every incarnation of Behemoth, from their early raw black metal to their occult death metal is impressive. Behemoth is a very distinct and unusual band.

FAVORITE ALBUM: DEMIGOD

Year in Metal: 2002

BEHEMOTH: ZOS KIA CULTUS (HERE AND BEYOND)
The sixth album from the Polish metal band represented a bit more of a departure in musical style from their previous albums. At this point, the band existed far more on the death metal side of the fence with some black metal influences. Behemoth has always had a very dark sound and this album took that to even more of an extreme. Of course, the twisted Morbid Angel-style riffs, the deep vocals of Nergal, and the mystical and occult lyrics are all present. This is one of my favorite albums by Behemoth.

IMMORTAL: SONS OF NORTHERN DARKNESS
Norwegian black metal goofballs Immortal released their seventh album, and at the time, their final album in 2002. The band would reunite years later, but at this time, this was to be it. This album was a bit more of a streamlined blackened thrash metal album and was a little on the slower side than their previous hyperfast material. Nevertheless it is one of the catchiest releases in Immortal's impressive discography.

LACUNA COIL: COMALIES
I have a bit of a soft spot for this release from Lacuna Coil. The music is fairly standard gothic metal/rock, but it is Cristina Scabbia's voice that makes this one worthwhile. Her sensual crooning is definitely the highlight of this album. This is much more of a romantic metal album than aggressive or angry. This album garnered the band quite a bit of attention and they were often compared to Evanescence, although their music was significantly better.

NIGHTWISH: CENTURY CHILD
I apologize about having two albums from groups with female lead singers that are more geared towards the mall-goth demographic this year, but this is my favorite album by Nightwish and one which my fiancee really enjoys as well. The symphonic power metal band's fourth album featured the first male vocals of the band's career which were delivered in more of a gruff style and some of the darkest music.

SYMPHONY X: THE ODYSSEY
Progressive metal band Symphony X released one hell of an epic album in this, their sixth album. This was the first time I had heard of the band though and was interested in checking them out due to the 24 minute take on the travels of Odysseus after the Trojan War. I have always been interested in Greek mythology and The Odyssey is one of my favorites. Musically, this album reminds me a lot of Kansas's progressive rock albums, with more of a metal bent.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: IN FLAMES: REROUTE TO REMAIN; KATAKLYSM: SHADOWS AND DUST; OPETH: DELIVERANCE; SHADOWS FALL: THE ART OF BALANCE.

BANDS THAT FORMED IN 2002: DevilDriver, Eluveitie.

Behemoth's Nergal Exits Hospital

Link.

This is pretty good news. After receiving a bone marrow transplant, Nergal has been cleared to leave the hospital. Hopefully, he will back to full strength soon. Get well soon.

Year in Metal: 1998

BEHEMOTH: PANDEMONIC INCANTATIONS
This album found Behemoth at a crossroads. For years, Behemoth was an underground black metal band out of Poland. However, this album found Behemoth adding more and more death metal influences to their sound. The same death metal influences that would later come to define their sound. Behemoth was still mostly a black metal band, but their sound was undergoing changes. This is a very powerful and aggressive album, and is one of the better albums by the band.

BLIND GUARDIAN: NIGHTFALL IN MIDDLE EARTH
This album is a concept album covering J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Silmarillion". I am not a Tolkien expert by any means so I have no idea of the accuracy of the story, but Blind Guardian does a masterful job of spinning an epic tale. There are short spoken interludes between several of the songs which are meant to further the story along. Such interludes are helpful. Otherwise, this is typical epic power metal by a band that has forged an amazing career at it.

BOLT THROWER: MERCENARY
A comeback album of sorts by Bolt Thrower. This is the first album after Karl Willetts returned. In the meantime, Bolt Thrower had done a few tours with other vocalists, such as Martin Van Drunen. However, the band never released an album with another singer. This is fairly typical Bolt Thrower output, fantastic old school death metal. This album does include one of the band's best songs, the anthemic " No Guts, No Glory".

DEATH: THE SOUND OF PERSEVERANCE
Of course this album was going to make it on here. This is one of my favorite albums of all time. Death's swansong is an amazing slab of progressive death metal. Chuck Schuldiner did a masterful job of songwriting on this release. The album completely transcends the death metal genre to become a certifiable work of art. Schuldiner's riffs, song structures, and lyrics are completely without par. Unfortunately, this was the band's final album.

ICED EARTH: SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES
Iced Earth, the amazing power/thrash metal band from the United States, had been around for nearly fifteen years by this point, but this is their first truly great album, in my opinion. All of the elements seemed to come together on this release. Jon Schaefer's riffs have always been the focal point in the band, but Matt Barlow's vocals really shine through on this album. The songwriting is also very strong on this album, and it featured the prelude to the Something Wicked concept in the final three songs.

Honorable Mentions: Cradle of Filth: Cruelty and the Beast; Fear Factory: Obsolete; Hammerfall: Legacy of Kings; Metallica: Garage Inc.; Opeth: My Arms, Your Hearse; Slayer: Diabolus in Musicana

Bands that Formed in 1998: Chimaira, Tyr

Update on Behemoth's Legal Issues

As mentioned here, Nergal, lead singer of Polish blackened death metal band Behemoth, found himself embroiled in a bit of controversy when he tore apart a Bible onstage. He was charged with violation of a law which forbids offending someone based on their religion.

Recently, the District Judge in Gdynia, Poland dismissed the charges against Nergal due to lack of a connection between the act and anyone offended in the form of an outrage of religious emotions. Nergal's behavior was also not recognized as a crime.

Nergal of Behemoth Destroys Bible, Possibly Faces Prison

http://www.metalsucks.net/2010/03/09/behemoths-nergal-faces-up-to-two-years-in-prison-for-destruction-of-a-bible/

Well, the Polish are definitely sensitive about religion. I think most of us knew that. But Behemoth singer Nergal apparently knows this first hand now. In Poland, offending someone based on their religion is a criminal act. Nergal is a very outspoken critic against Christianity, and Catholicism in particular. In a concert in 2007, he called the church "the most murderous cult on the planet" and then proceeded to tear apart a Bible onstage. Ryszard Nowak, Head of the All-Polish Committe for Defense Against Sects was not amused and tried to sue Nergal soon after. This was unsuccessful however as there have to be multiple complaints to bring the action under Polish law. Undaunted, he found some other willing people to help him out.

Nergal's stance is that he has artistic license to do what he wants as it is entertainment when he is onstage and no one should be offended.

I do not know anything about Polish law to be able to comment on what should or will happen in this case. I know this would be considered Free Speech in the U.S. and would be subject to the First Amendment. But Poland does not have the same rules and laws as the U.S. At any rate, this is more fuel for the fire of hatred Nergal feels towards Christianity.

Metallattorney's Top 21 Albums of the 21st Century So Far Pt. 5

Well, I have passed Metalsucks now. They won't reveal their number 5 selection until next Tuesday. I will present numbers 5-2. Tomorrow (possibly) I will provide my number 1 album of the 21st Century so far, and it's not likely to be beaten out.

But, for now, here are the rest of the Top 5:

#5. BEHEMOTH: ZOS KIA CULTUS
Behemoth has had a stellar career despite a dramatic shift in style. This album is probably the best example of their more death metal oriented music, although it still contains many traces of their black metal past. Behemoth is at their best on this album, mixing ferocious riffs and intriguing melodies into an atmosphere that can only be described as “evil incarnate.” This is the band’s best work to date.

#4. AMON AMARTH: THE CRUSHER
Amon Amarth, like Behemoth, has never put out a weak album. Unlike Behemoth though, Amon Amarth has never greatly changed their sound. They have always been a melodic death metal band with a big emphasis on the death metal part. The vocals are always harsh, the riffs are always razor-sharp, and the songs are always catchy as hell. The band sticks fairly close to lyrical themes of Vikings, Nordic mythology, and ancient warfare and they even look the part. Don’t call them Viking metal though as the band only shares the lyrical theme in common with that sub-genre. It’s difficult to pinpoint their best album, any of them would fit. I’ll just go with this one because it is just a tad bit more aggressive.

#3. SWALLOW THE SUN: THE MORNING NEVER CAME
In my eyes, this album is the pinnacle of death/doom. Extremely melancholic, but with some very heavy riffs. This is one of those occasions where the album cover art clearly fits with the mood of the album: dark and dreary. The vocals are typically delivered in a very deep death metal growl, but that is where most of the death metal elements end. There are some clean vocals once in awhile. The music is slow and depressing with melodic leads and booming drums. No other death/doom album comes close to this one. The cover of the Candlemass classic “Solitude” is amazing as well.

#2. IMMOLATION: SHADOWS IN THE LIGHT
Immolation was one of the more evil early death metal bands. Their lyrical themes are explicitly anti-Christian and their sound is like a sludgier, more jagged and rough version of Morbid Angel. This album proves that this band keeps getting better as they go along. They have incorporated more melodies into their sickening brand of death metal, without any cost to their normal brutality. Immolation has been very consistent in their career and every album is worth owning.

That's it for today, tomorrow will be #1.

Metallattorney's Top 21 Albums of the 21st Century So Far

Metalsucks is slowly revealing one album each weekday, so it will be a little while before I will post about their whole list, and what a depressing list it is so far. I won't provide any details or opinions here but, my god. So here is my list. I will reveal four albums each day this week and if I get to a post on Saturday, I will reveal my winner. These are my favorite albums in the 21st Century (since January 1, 2000, which Metalsucks determined, not me), if anyone has any differing opinions, I would be willing to hear them. If anyone doesn't like any of my opinions, fuck you, it's my site and I don't care.

So, without further ado:

#21. OPETH: BLACKWATER PARK
Opeth is not one of my favorite bands, although I do enjoy them quite a bit. This album is largely considered their masterpiece. I don't agree, but my favorite came before 2000. This is a great album though and effectively mixes their melodic side with their more extreme side. It is one of their better albums at keeping the listener's attention all the way through. Many of the other albums tend to get a little boring. On this album, Opeth provides very interesting riffs, exceptional lead guitar melodies, and the amazing vocals of Mikael Akerfeldt. The extreme parts outweigh the more melodic parts, but that is how I have always liked the band. A great album by a very interesting band.

#20. INTO ETERNITY: THE SCATTERING OF ASHES
Into Eternity is another progressive metal band, but they play considerably faster and blend influences from power metal, death metal, and progressive metal. The lyrics can be a little emo-ish, but the vocals are amazing. There are three different vocal styles present on this album: melodic clean vocals, death metal style growling, and high-pitched raspy vocals. The three styles often hit from all sides at the same time. The music is generally upbeat despite the nature of the lyrics. All in all, a great album by an up and coming band.

#19. SCAR SYMMETRY: PITCH BLACK PROGRESS
Scar Symmetry is similar to Into Eternity, but with more death metal elements and existing more on the Gothenburg/melodic death metal spectrum. Scar Symmetry had only one vocalist, who just recently left the band, who possessed the ability to sing in a very powerful clean style and deliver an impressive death metal growl. He switches between the styles effortlessly. The music is infectious and melodic, still possessing melodeath elements, but decidedly more musical and with frequent keyboard usage. An impressive release from a band who could have been huge had their vocalist stayed onboard. The bonus tracks are actually the best songs on the album.

#18. BEHEMOTH: DEMIGOD
Behemoth was previously a black metal band from Poland. By this time, the band had shed much of its black metal influences and become more of a death metal band. The music has a sinister atmosphere, almost Middle Eastern sounding. Nergal has some of the deepest vocals in the genre, particularly on this release. This album helped to propel the band into the mainstream despite its inaccessibility. Fairly impressive for this type of band.