Hulder and Skeleton in Lincoln - July 12, 2022

I went back and forth on whether I would be going to this one.  Things have been crazy busy at work and the day of the concert, I was scheduled for a long day.  The other issue was that when I first heard about this concert, I was under the impression that Devil Master would also be on the bill.  Devil Master released the amazing album Satan Spits on Children of Light in 2019, which was a top five album for me that year.  They also released another great one earlier this year.  But upon further examination of the tour, I realized that Devil Master would not be at the show in Lincoln.  So, it was just Skeleton, a band I had not yet heard, and Hulder.  I do enjoy Hulder quite a bit though, so I decided to go after I got done in court a bit earlier than expected.

The venue was the 1867 Bar in Lincoln, which is located downtown.  I had never even heard of that bar before.  It is a fairly small venue, with a small bar area and a larger room for concerts.  The stage, such as it was, was only a slightly elevated floor.  That promised a rather close and cozy show.

Opening the night were a pair of local metal bands that I have seen several times now.  First was Ungoliant.  This is the third time I think that I have seen Ungoliant.  They are always impressive and strike me as down-to-earth guys who just love to play at these shows.  They need to release something though.  Ezra was next.  This was the fourth time seeing Ezra, I think.  Ezra is sort of notable for being led by the brother of a former University of Nebraska football legend.  Ezra has been around for a very long time and mentioned that they were playing mostly songs from the mid 1990's.  Both bands were impressive for local bands. 

Skeleton was on stage next.  The power trio is from Austin, TX and, in something I do not see too often, their singer is their drummer.  As such, rhythm is very important to the band's sound.  Apparently the band started out as a punk band, before going in more of a black/death metal sound.  They were able to really get the crowd moving with their no frills, bludgeoning riffs.  The songs were all on the shorter side and got to the point quickly.  It was a raw and primal sound and damn, was it impressive.

Hulder was the headliner.  Hulder has been making noise in the metal underground for a few years now.  The one-woman black metal band from Portland, by way of Belgium, first caught my attention with a two-song EP in 2019.  Of course, being a solo project, a backing band had to accompany the band leader, who now goes by the name of Hulder.  The sound was primarily amped-up, aggressive black metal, complete with tremolo riffing and shrieking vocals.  Hulder has an extremely powerful voice and it hits hard in concert.

Hulder hit the stage and promptly bulldozed through an incredible set, then left.  There was no talking between songs, or even after the set.  Hulder came, Hulder saw, and Hulder conquered.  I was blown away by the set though and set to picking up the rest of the band's releases.  I was damn glad I decided to go to this one.

Gatecreeper, Exhumed, Necrot and Ungoliant in Omaha: November 21, 2019

A few weeks ago, it looked like I would not be able to attend this concert.  Originally I was scheduled for a shoplifting jury trial on November 22.  While I was not terribly concerned about needing to present much of a defense (there was actually virtually no evidence tying my client to the crime), I still did not much feel like getting home between 1:00 and 2:00 a.m. before doing a jury trial.  But luckily the prosecutor eventually realized he had nothing and dismissed the case.  So, I got to spend the evening at the Lookout Lounge watching a bunch of death metal bands.

UNGOLIANT

Ungoliant is a black metal band from Omaha that I have seen once before.  I enjoyed them then and this time, I think they were even better.  The band had a new bassist, who appears to be very young.  The songs were all tight and powerful.  The band has been one of the better local bands I have seen in the last several years.  Unfortunately, they have very few releases (three demos) and none of them are very easy to find.  I have my eyes open.  A new release would be nice though.

NECROT

I have seen Necrot before as well.  They were one of the opening bands when I saw Suffocation and The Black Dahlia Murder.  I thoroughly enjoy everything I have heard from Necrot and the concert was no different.  They are an explosive band live, with a lot of energy and some dark and heavy riffwork.  Necrot's sound is more of an occult death metal band and their album from 2017 was in my top five albums of the year.  I am still waiting on a follow-up.

EXHUMED

I have never really been the biggest Exhumed fan.  Possibly because they do not really stand out from a bunch of other grindy gore-obsessed death metal bands.  A lot of their primary characteristics also describe groups like Aborted, Impaled and others.  I have a couple of their albums, but I always mix them up with Impaled in particular.  But, holy shit I will remember them now.  They were massively impressive live.  Their three vocalists play off each other quite well, with each one having a distinct style.  The band was also the most visually impressive of the night, using two television screens showing trailers of old school horror movie classics and also having a man dressed in bloody scrubs take the stage several times to spray fake blood, and generally pump up the crowd.  They played the most songs of the night and were probably the highlight of the show due to their energy and some terrific songs.  I will be paying more attention now.

GATECREEPER

After Exhumed's flurry of activity, Gatecreeper was a bit of a letdown.  Not to say they were bad, completely the opposite, they just could not keep up the energy level after Exhumed practically destroyed the place.  Gatecreeper's new album is one of the better albums of the year and they played a number of the best songs from the album.  They were impressive in their own way and the songs "Desperation" and "Flamethrower" in particular are ones which are absolutely crushing live.  Gatecreeper has been making some major noise in the metal underground and they absolutely deserve it, but based on the relative stage shows, I just feel like the wrong band played last.  

Enforcer and Warbringer in Omaha: September 19, 2019

It has been kind of a rough week and I have been exhausted all week.  As such, my wife and I chose not to stay for the entire concert here and we actually missed Warbringer.  That's okay though because I have seen Warbringer twice before (opening for Overkill and then Dark Tranquillity) and we were originally planning to go to see Enforcer anyway.  The show was at the Lookout Lounge in Omaha, where I have previously seen groups like Goatwhore and Bell Witch, among others.

The concerts at the Lookout Lounge often have local bands and this one was no exception.  It is one of my favorite things about concerts at this location.  The bands opening up for Enforcer and Warbringer were Ungoliant, Dopecorpse and Inner War, none of whom I have seen before.  It was actually quite the eclectic group of bands.

Ungoliant was first and they are a black metal band from Omaha.  They were terrific, playing a particularly fast-paced and heavy black metal that is exactly the kind of black metal I love.  This was apparently the bassist's last show, but the band is continuing.  Hopefully a physical release is coming, because I would definitely snatch one up.  Dopecorse was next and they play a heavy stoner/doom with harsh vocals and slow, monolithic riffs.  They were pretty decent, but the songs tended to drag a little bit.  Finally, Inner War was the last band before the headliners.  Their sound is an unholy concoction of hardcore, thrash metal and black metal and they made a lot of noise with some excellent riffs.  They were also able to work the crowd into a frenzy.  All three bands were terrific and are good examples of the improving metal scene in Omaha, Nebraska.

The band that we were there to see was Enforcer, the Swedish retro metal band whose sound is based completely in the early 1980's speed and heavy metal scene.  I have been listening to the band for years now and they have never released a bad album.  Their recent album Zenith is not my favorite, but is by no means a disappointment either.  Enforcer had some sound issues, particularly with the vocals, which is a shame because that is frequently one of the best elements.  However, their intensity was infectious and their speed metal riffing was balls to the wall.  Enforcer played a number of songs that are favorites, including "From Beyond", "Katana" and "Live for the Night".  I was only disappointed that they did not play "High Roller", which was the major song that really got me into Enforcer.

It was a lot of fun seeing Enforcer.  They play a hyperactive, exciting and catchy form of metal that owes a lot to the 1980's metal scene.  It was disappointing to not stay for Warbringer, but it was a late night as it was.  I am sure I will catch them again.