Just announced: VEKTOR!!!

In case you missed their excellent show back 8/21, Vektor is returning to the Riot Room on November 6th, a Tuesday! One of the best up and coming bands this century. You do NOT want to miss this! Opening the show are amazing dudes in Hellevate and Vanlade!

Note: It looks like Vektor is NOT headlining this show. They should still get a pretty nice set out of it, though. The headlining band is System Divide. I will save my commentary on them for myself.

Just announced: The Faceless!

Modern tech death gigantors The Faceless are returning to the area on November 29th at the Beaumont Club! They always put on a great show, and their newest album is unlike anything they've done before. Will undoubtedly be a great performance! Opening is the always stellar Revocation, The Haarp Machine, Sicadis,  Conflicts and Aerodyne Flex!

Shows for the rest of the year!

A few new shows were announced, so here's what I have for the rest of the year:

Converge w/ Coalesce, Torche, Kvelerat @ Granada on 10/20
GWAR w/ Cattle Decapitation, Legacy of Disorder, Troglodyte, Moire @ Beaumont Club on 10/30
OFF! w/ The Spits, Double Negative @ Record Bar on 10/31
Skeletonwitch w/ Havok, Mutilation Rites, Troglodyte @ Granada on 11/10
Dethklok w/ Machine Head, All That Remains, The Black Dahlia Murder @ Midland Theater on 11/17
Earth w/ Eagle Twin, Stebmo @ Record Bar on 11/19
Titus Andronicus w/ Ceremony @ Jackpot on 11/20
Megadeth (performing all of Countdown To Extinction) w/ Kyng @ Midland on 11/28
The Sword w/ Gypsyhawk, American Sharks @ Record Bar on 12/03
Speedwolf w/ Meat Shank, Vanlade @ Riot Room on 12/05
Lamb of God w/ In Flames, Hellyear, Sylosis @ Uptown Theater on 12/08
High on Fire w/ Goatwhore @ Riot Room on 12/10

I'll try to get to as many of these as possible, but I will 100% be at Skeletonwitch, Speedwolf and High on Fire!

Saint Vitus -- Lawrence, KS -- October 2nd, 2012

Awesome show, although the crowd could've been much better. Lots of people just standing around for most of Vitus' set except for the last two songs, which seems to be kinda typical nowadays, unfortunately. The band sounded great, though - Dave Chandler's tone is straight out of the late 70's and Wino sounds great. He was goofing around with the crowd in between songs and got down to let them sing with him on some parts. And Dave, of course, ran out into the crowd on the last insane solo for Born Too Late, rubbing the strings on random patron's heads. He just threw his guitar on stage at the end, put both fists in the air, and walked to the merch booth while the reverb kept going. So awesome.

It was my fourth time seeing Weedeater, and it was probably the loudest I've ever seen them. They're already playing on blown out amps, but they just proceeded to blow them out even more. Dixie Dave was just as nuts as ever, and he seemed to have a good time joking along with the other members of the band. His vocals sounded fantastic, too. "Jason...The Dragon" was massive and "Weed Monkey" is still one of my favorite closing live metal songs. Probably consistently my favorite band of this type of genre.

Sourvein was the first touring band to play. I'd seen the vocalist in Hail!Hornet twice earlier this year, and he's still just as good in his main band. It took a few songs for the crowd to warm up, but they got a great reception. Very, very loud and very sludgey. Some of the best sludge/stoner vocals I've heard. I might want to see Hail!Hornet again next time, but I won't complain with Sourvein.

Opening the show was local band Death Valley Wolf Riders. They are basically what happens when you cross Speedwolf with Alabama Thunderpussy. Cool southern speed metal/rock. Fun kinda-southern vocals about motorcycles, werewolves and guitars - good fun and good opener.

All the bands had a lot of merch. Saint Vitus' main draw was a shirt with their logo on the front and "FUCK THAT WEAK SHIT" in the Vitus font on the back. Also a nice long-sleeve and other stuff. Was really hoping they had the pink/blue Born Too Late tees still, but nope. Sourvein had one design that was their logo in the Sunn amps logo, but in a million different colors. Weedeater had a million different shirts, too. I picked up a Vitus patch!

Saint Vitus (the order might be a bit off, but these were all the songs):


Blessed Night
I Bleed Black
War Is Our Destiny
Let Them Fall
The Bleeding Ground
The Troll
Living Backwards
Dependence
The Waste of Time
Clear Windowpane
White Stallions
====
Dying Inside
Born Too Late

Weedeater:

Hammerhandle
Mancoon
Turkey Warlock
Jason... The Dragon
God Luck and Good Speed
For Evans Sake
Gimme Back My Bullets
Monkey Junction
Weed Monkey

Sourvein (out of order, but all songs were played):

Imperial Bastard
Shipwrecked
Uneasy
Seamerchant
Gemini
Fangs

Dirty South was written, but not performed

Saint Vitus: 9/10
Weedeater: 9/10
Sourvein: 8/10
Death Valley Wolf Riders: 7.5/10