"Oden! Guide our ships
Our axes, spears and swords
Guide us through storms that whip
And in brutal war"
These lines from Amon Amarth's "The Pursuit Of Vikings" were chanted so
loudly by a packed house at the Granada on Sunday night that people
passing by the venue outside might have mistaken it for a Viking rally
from Valhalla itself.
The Swedish melodic death metal band may just be the most popular and
recognizable foreign death metal band right now, and the passionate
crowd attests to that. From the second they took the stage to the last
note of the final song, Amon Amarth had everyone at the Granada in the
palm of their hand. Whether it was their punishing opening song "Father
Of The Wolf," the subdued "Cry Of The Blackbirds," or the absolutely
punishing "Destroyer Of The Universe," the five Norsemen on stage were
greeted with plenty of headbanging, crowdsurfing and singalongs to
whichever song they performed. It's a rare thing for a metal band to get
such a raucous reception to both old songs and new. One of the biggest
crowd reactions was from the title track of the band's 2008 album
"Twilight Of The Thunder God" - the crowd just about sang half the song
on their own.
Frontman Johan Hegg had a giant smile on his face every time a crowd
surfer went over the barrier. At one point, a little kid came over the
barrier and Johan just grinned and gave him a thumbs up. The guys in
Amon Amarth might look like terrifying Vikings, but they just wanted
everyone to have a good time. The band performed for over an hour and a
half and hit songs from six of their eight albums and sounded perfect
the entire time. One of the best pure death metal performances the
Granada has seen in a long time.
For most people when this tour was announced, the support band Enslaved
was the main reason to get excited. Norway's Enslaved doesn't tour the
United States nearly as much as Amon Amarth, but it's a mystery why not.
Starting off as one of the main bands of the second wave of black metal
out of Norway (along the likes of Mayhem, Darkthrone, Satyricon, etc.),
Enslaved now injects a healthy dose of progressive and psychedelic
music into their music. It was evident on songs like "Death In The Eyes
Of Dawn" and "Ruun" that the band has evolved so far from their
beginning black metal stage. However, when the band played "Allfaðr
Oðinn" off their 1992 demo Yggdrasil - older than many of the fans in
attendance that night, they showed that they can still belt out fast,
evil black metal with the best of them. Enslaved's performance was just
magic. Maybe it was the inclusion of some clean vocals and keyboards or
maybe it was frontman Grutle Kjellson's drawing of runes in the air
during songs that just made them so fascinating to watch, but they were
the best band of the night. Truly a sight to behold!
The lone American band on the tour was none other than Ohio's
Skeletonwitch. Their brand of blackened thrash metal (with just about
every other type of metal mixed in) served as the perfect combination to
get the show kicked off at maximum speed. Their first album is a
landmark of recent American thrash metal, but more recent songs like
"Beneath Dead Leaves" and "Crushed Beyond Dust" show that Skeletonwitch
only gets faster and heavier with time. Their set closer "Within My
Blood" is also quite possibly the greatest closing song in live music
history. A swirling torrent of riffs and headbanging - the type of metal
to throw some beer to!
The sound was nearly perfect the entire night - everything was mixed
great and was loud, as metal should be! All three bands put on amazing
performances and left the crazy crowd satisfied. The town of Jayhawks
left that night as true viking warriors!
Amon Amarth (9:30 - 11:00):
Father Of The Wolf
Deceiver Of The Gods
Death In Fire
For Victory Or Death
As Loke Falls
We Shall Destroy
Runes To My Memory
Varyags of Miklagaard
Last Stand of Frej
Guardians Of Asgaard
Shape Shifter
Warriors Of The North
Destroyer Of The Universe
Cry Of The Blackbirds
War of the Gods
====
Twilight Of The Thunder God
The Pursuit Of Vikings
Enslaved (8:15 - 9:00):
Death In The Eyes Of Dawn
Ruun
Ethica Odini
RIITIIR
Allfaðr Oðinn
Isa
Skeletonwitch (7:30 - 7:58):
The Horrifying Force (The Desire To Kill)
I Am Of Death (Hell Has Arrived)
Burned From Bone
Sacrifice For The Slaughtergod
Beyond the Permafrost
From A Cloudless Sky
Crushed Beyond Dust
Beneath Dead Leaves
Within My Blood
Amon Amarth: 8/10
Enslaved: 9.5/10
Skeletonwitch: 9/10
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Upcoming show: Windhand!
If you saw Windhand opening for High on Fire and Kvelertak at the Granada in Lawrence back in December, you're probably still getting your hearing back. But, if you can stand the audial assault one more time, Windhand will be back in Kansas City at Davey's Uptown Rambler's Club (3402 Main St) on March 8th!
DOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
DOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Origin -- Lawrence, KS -- January 16th, 2014
It was very comforting to see a good-sized crowd filling out the Granada
in Lawrence on a freezing Thursday night for what was to be a raucous
homecoming for one of Kansas' most prized possessions in music, rounded
out with some of the best of the local metal scene.
Kansas' own Origin might just be the biggest musical export from the state in decades. The band has a storied history that includes tours with extreme metal bands such as Immolation, Nile, Vader, Arch Enemy and Necrophagist, just to name a few. The band has toured all over North America, Europe and Asia and is on the cusp of releasing their sixth album on Nuclear Blast records - quite a feat for what started as just some guys from Topeka in 1997. Despite all that worldwide recognition, there might not be a crazier crowd for Origin than with a hometown show. Jason Keyser, the recent addition on vocals, is a master of showmanship, constantly interacting with the crowd, helping crowdsurfers onto the stage, only to push them off into the waiting sea of madness, all the while delivering an extremely impressive vocal performance. Backed with some of the most on-point, technically proficient metal music from Paul Ryan on guitar, Mike Flores on bass and John Longstreth on drums, it's easy to get lost in bewilderment at just the music being played, but you've got to be on the lookout for the rogue stagediver landing on you.
Origin touched on each of their releases, including a hilariously too brief snippet from their upcoming album, "Omnipresent," but it seemed like the crowd was most receptive to their last two albums, "Antithesis" and "Entity". The torrent of moshing and crowdsurfing kicked into overdrive with crowd favorites "The Aftermath" and "Wrath of Vishnu", where newer cuts like "Saligia" and "Evolution of Extinction" showed more of the progressive side to Origin's madness. In the end, each song was met with an explosion of passionate crowd movement to match the explosion of ferocity on stage. Most of the attendees down near the stage probably left that night bruised and covered in sweat, blood and beer, but that's just normal for a hometown Origin show.
Providing direct support was the infamous Troglodyte. The band needs no introduction to those paying attention to any part of the local heavy metal scene, but the masked quintet plays one of the best deathgrind sounds not just in the Midwest, but in the country. Using up just as much energy for the headliners, the crowd exploded in movement and screaming along for Bigfoot-themed anthems like "Murderous Bi-Pedal Hominid Rampage (Where are My Legs?)" and a particularly vicious performance of set closer "Caught (On Super 8)". The band knows how to marry brutal riffing with infectious grooves and brings the best of both worlds to the stage to make for an unforgettable performance every time they perform.
The show was opened by three more local acts. The first band to take the stage was A Plague In Faith. This young band combined elements from several modern death metal bands and puts on a very entertaining show. Their vocalist has some serious pipes, and the performance went very old-school when the bassist hung up his guitar for a second mic, putting on a guitar-only death/grind performance for one song. Just like the old gods would have it!
The second band to take the stage was Species. The band injected the most groove into their sound of the night, fitting right in with bands such as After the Burial or The Faceless. Very energetic and very tight sounding.
Third up was Confined In Flesh. These guys take old-school death metal and inject it with new-school life and the output is very catchy, yet brutal at times, metal that's easy to mosh to. The crowd gave a huge response to it, and hopefully the band plays many more shows very soon.
Origin (maybe incomplete/definitely out of order):
The Aftermath
Wrath of Vishnu
Echoes of Decimation
Staring From The Abyss
Finite
Expulsion of Fury
Purgatory
Swarm
Saligia
Banishing Illusion
Evolution of Extinction
Portal
Implosion of Eternity
Origin: 10/10
Troglodyte: 9.5/10
Confined In Flesh: 8/10
Species: n/a / 10
A Plague In Faith: 8.5/10
Kansas' own Origin might just be the biggest musical export from the state in decades. The band has a storied history that includes tours with extreme metal bands such as Immolation, Nile, Vader, Arch Enemy and Necrophagist, just to name a few. The band has toured all over North America, Europe and Asia and is on the cusp of releasing their sixth album on Nuclear Blast records - quite a feat for what started as just some guys from Topeka in 1997. Despite all that worldwide recognition, there might not be a crazier crowd for Origin than with a hometown show. Jason Keyser, the recent addition on vocals, is a master of showmanship, constantly interacting with the crowd, helping crowdsurfers onto the stage, only to push them off into the waiting sea of madness, all the while delivering an extremely impressive vocal performance. Backed with some of the most on-point, technically proficient metal music from Paul Ryan on guitar, Mike Flores on bass and John Longstreth on drums, it's easy to get lost in bewilderment at just the music being played, but you've got to be on the lookout for the rogue stagediver landing on you.
Origin touched on each of their releases, including a hilariously too brief snippet from their upcoming album, "Omnipresent," but it seemed like the crowd was most receptive to their last two albums, "Antithesis" and "Entity". The torrent of moshing and crowdsurfing kicked into overdrive with crowd favorites "The Aftermath" and "Wrath of Vishnu", where newer cuts like "Saligia" and "Evolution of Extinction" showed more of the progressive side to Origin's madness. In the end, each song was met with an explosion of passionate crowd movement to match the explosion of ferocity on stage. Most of the attendees down near the stage probably left that night bruised and covered in sweat, blood and beer, but that's just normal for a hometown Origin show.
Providing direct support was the infamous Troglodyte. The band needs no introduction to those paying attention to any part of the local heavy metal scene, but the masked quintet plays one of the best deathgrind sounds not just in the Midwest, but in the country. Using up just as much energy for the headliners, the crowd exploded in movement and screaming along for Bigfoot-themed anthems like "Murderous Bi-Pedal Hominid Rampage (Where are My Legs?)" and a particularly vicious performance of set closer "Caught (On Super 8)". The band knows how to marry brutal riffing with infectious grooves and brings the best of both worlds to the stage to make for an unforgettable performance every time they perform.
The show was opened by three more local acts. The first band to take the stage was A Plague In Faith. This young band combined elements from several modern death metal bands and puts on a very entertaining show. Their vocalist has some serious pipes, and the performance went very old-school when the bassist hung up his guitar for a second mic, putting on a guitar-only death/grind performance for one song. Just like the old gods would have it!
The second band to take the stage was Species. The band injected the most groove into their sound of the night, fitting right in with bands such as After the Burial or The Faceless. Very energetic and very tight sounding.
Third up was Confined In Flesh. These guys take old-school death metal and inject it with new-school life and the output is very catchy, yet brutal at times, metal that's easy to mosh to. The crowd gave a huge response to it, and hopefully the band plays many more shows very soon.
Origin (maybe incomplete/definitely out of order):
The Aftermath
Wrath of Vishnu
Echoes of Decimation
Staring From The Abyss
Finite
Expulsion of Fury
Purgatory
Swarm
Saligia
Banishing Illusion
Evolution of Extinction
Portal
Implosion of Eternity
Origin: 10/10
Troglodyte: 9.5/10
Confined In Flesh: 8/10
Species: n/a / 10
A Plague In Faith: 8.5/10
An update! And big concert news!
I'm back! Let's get right to business:
Updated the sidebar with new shows. Including - Stick To Your Guns w/ Terror, Moonspell w/ Leaves Eyes, Loudness (from Japan), Destruction w/ Krisiun and Exmortus, Kataklym w/ Aborted, and the BIG ONE...
...SLAYER! with Suicidal Tendencies and Exodus! Get ready to circle pit.
I'll be more active in 2014! I swear! Keep an eye out - I've heard of some great shows coming near here!
Updated the sidebar with new shows. Including - Stick To Your Guns w/ Terror, Moonspell w/ Leaves Eyes, Loudness (from Japan), Destruction w/ Krisiun and Exmortus, Kataklym w/ Aborted, and the BIG ONE...
...SLAYER! with Suicidal Tendencies and Exodus! Get ready to circle pit.
I'll be more active in 2014! I swear! Keep an eye out - I've heard of some great shows coming near here!
Friday, November 8, 2013
Kreator -- Lawrence, KS -- November 7th, 2013
The aptly named Legends Of Thrash tour made a stop at the Granada in
Lawrence on a chilly Thursday night and performed to an unexpectedly
enthusiastic turnout of metal heads, young and old alike. The night was
full of riffing, guitar solos, blastbeats and lots of smiling, moshing
maniacs.
The show wasted no time in getting things going, with California thrash maniacs Warbringer. Coming off the release of their fourth album "IV: Empires Collapse," the band showcased a side of their musicality not seen before. The album, which comprised the majority of their set, has a very strong heavy metal influence, although it still has some breakneck thrash moments - the kind of which Warbringer does better than most of their recent contemporaries. Their performance was spot-on and the mixing was great, very easy to hear vocalist John Kevill and and the guitar solos came through great. Warbringer's drummer Carlos Cruz (ex-Hexen, ex-Mantic Ritual) was one of the most impressive drummers I've ever seen in a band. "That dude has serious chops" is the understatement of the year. Warbringer can still blast off at lightspeed, but now they've shown they can take a page from Slayer's "South of Heaven" and slow it down but keep it heavy. The future for this band looks exciting.
The most impressive part of Overkill is that they're one of the first thrash metal bands in America, but they're faster and heavier now than they've ever been. Opening with 1987's "Deny The Cross" sent the crowd into a frenzy of moshing and singing along that didn't let up for a second. Overkill has one of the most impressive discographies in all of thrash metal, and this co-headlining set touched on the classics, the contemporary greats and even a couple of left-field surprises. One surprise in the set came from their performance of 1999's "Necroshine" - the track itself isn't necessarily a rarity or anything, and it comes from an era that Overkill was experimenting more towards groove metal, but it just came across as insanely heavy - maybe another nod to the stellar sound mixing from the Granada that night? As Bobby Blitz and crew ripped through their standard set-closer for almost 30 years of a cover of Subhumans' "Fuck You," it's apparent that Overkill is quite possibly the best American thrash band that is still active from the 80s.
When Kreator played the Beaumont Club last year, the only fault I could find was they came across muffled because of the sound system. Not only did the band sound clear and vicious, they outdid themselves and put on a devastating performance. Whether it "Endless Pain" from their debut album, or "Phantom Antichrist" from their fantastic album last year, each Kreator song was performed with just as much ferocity and technical brilliance as the last. Frontman Mille Petrozza is legendary for his unique vocals and his stage presence - he was constantly playing to the crowd and getting people to circle pit all night long. There was actually a part during "United In Hate" that had the crowd vocalizing along with the guitar melody - I don't think I've seen it done with that much vigor in the crowd outside of an Iron Maiden show. Mille raised the Kreator flag, as he always does, before launching into "Flag of Hate" and "Tormentor," the last two songs of the night, and the weary but appreciative crowd gave their all one last time. The crowd left everything they had on the floor for these three bands, and it made for one of the best all-around heavy metal shows that this area has seen in quite some time.
Kreator:
1. Phantom Antichrist
2. From Flood To Fire
3. Warcurse
4. Coma of Souls (intro only) > Endless Pain
5. Pleasure To Kill
6. Hordes Of Chaos (A Necrologue For The Elite)
7. Riot of Violence
8. Enemy of God
9. Phobia
10. Violent Revolution
11. Acoustic guitar solo > United In Hate
12. Civilization Collapse
13. Flag of Hate/Tormentor
Overkill
1. Deny the Cross
2. Bring Me The Night
3. Electric Rattlesnake
4. Hammerhead
5. Rotten To The Core
6. Hello From The Gutter
7. Ironbound
8. Necroshine
9. Thanx For Nothin'
10. Overkill
11. Elimination
====
12. Horrorscope
13. Fuck You (Subhumans cover)
Warbringer:
1. Living Weapon
2. Severed Reality
3. The Turning Of The Gears
4. Hunter-Seeker
5. Living In A Whirlwind
6. Scars Remain
7. Towers of the Serpent
Kreator: 9/10
Overkill: 9.5/10
Warbringer: 8.5/10
The show wasted no time in getting things going, with California thrash maniacs Warbringer. Coming off the release of their fourth album "IV: Empires Collapse," the band showcased a side of their musicality not seen before. The album, which comprised the majority of their set, has a very strong heavy metal influence, although it still has some breakneck thrash moments - the kind of which Warbringer does better than most of their recent contemporaries. Their performance was spot-on and the mixing was great, very easy to hear vocalist John Kevill and and the guitar solos came through great. Warbringer's drummer Carlos Cruz (ex-Hexen, ex-Mantic Ritual) was one of the most impressive drummers I've ever seen in a band. "That dude has serious chops" is the understatement of the year. Warbringer can still blast off at lightspeed, but now they've shown they can take a page from Slayer's "South of Heaven" and slow it down but keep it heavy. The future for this band looks exciting.
The most impressive part of Overkill is that they're one of the first thrash metal bands in America, but they're faster and heavier now than they've ever been. Opening with 1987's "Deny The Cross" sent the crowd into a frenzy of moshing and singing along that didn't let up for a second. Overkill has one of the most impressive discographies in all of thrash metal, and this co-headlining set touched on the classics, the contemporary greats and even a couple of left-field surprises. One surprise in the set came from their performance of 1999's "Necroshine" - the track itself isn't necessarily a rarity or anything, and it comes from an era that Overkill was experimenting more towards groove metal, but it just came across as insanely heavy - maybe another nod to the stellar sound mixing from the Granada that night? As Bobby Blitz and crew ripped through their standard set-closer for almost 30 years of a cover of Subhumans' "Fuck You," it's apparent that Overkill is quite possibly the best American thrash band that is still active from the 80s.
When Kreator played the Beaumont Club last year, the only fault I could find was they came across muffled because of the sound system. Not only did the band sound clear and vicious, they outdid themselves and put on a devastating performance. Whether it "Endless Pain" from their debut album, or "Phantom Antichrist" from their fantastic album last year, each Kreator song was performed with just as much ferocity and technical brilliance as the last. Frontman Mille Petrozza is legendary for his unique vocals and his stage presence - he was constantly playing to the crowd and getting people to circle pit all night long. There was actually a part during "United In Hate" that had the crowd vocalizing along with the guitar melody - I don't think I've seen it done with that much vigor in the crowd outside of an Iron Maiden show. Mille raised the Kreator flag, as he always does, before launching into "Flag of Hate" and "Tormentor," the last two songs of the night, and the weary but appreciative crowd gave their all one last time. The crowd left everything they had on the floor for these three bands, and it made for one of the best all-around heavy metal shows that this area has seen in quite some time.
Kreator:
1. Phantom Antichrist
2. From Flood To Fire
3. Warcurse
4. Coma of Souls (intro only) > Endless Pain
5. Pleasure To Kill
6. Hordes Of Chaos (A Necrologue For The Elite)
7. Riot of Violence
8. Enemy of God
9. Phobia
10. Violent Revolution
11. Acoustic guitar solo > United In Hate
12. Civilization Collapse
13. Flag of Hate/Tormentor
Overkill
1. Deny the Cross
2. Bring Me The Night
3. Electric Rattlesnake
4. Hammerhead
5. Rotten To The Core
6. Hello From The Gutter
7. Ironbound
8. Necroshine
9. Thanx For Nothin'
10. Overkill
11. Elimination
====
12. Horrorscope
13. Fuck You (Subhumans cover)
Warbringer:
1. Living Weapon
2. Severed Reality
3. The Turning Of The Gears
4. Hunter-Seeker
5. Living In A Whirlwind
6. Scars Remain
7. Towers of the Serpent
Kreator: 9/10
Overkill: 9.5/10
Warbringer: 8.5/10
I'M BACK!
Hey, anyone who still has stuck with me through this absence.
I actually write show reviews and a bunch of other stuff for a Kansas City music blog for Mill's Record Company, but I'm going to start posting show reviews and stuff here as well - I've actually gotten some e-mails from readers asking about this blog. So yeah, I'm back now! Gonna update the upcoming shows here now, too.
So stay tuned! Lots of good stuff coming up.
I actually write show reviews and a bunch of other stuff for a Kansas City music blog for Mill's Record Company, but I'm going to start posting show reviews and stuff here as well - I've actually gotten some e-mails from readers asking about this blog. So yeah, I'm back now! Gonna update the upcoming shows here now, too.
So stay tuned! Lots of good stuff coming up.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Baroness -- Lawrence, KS -- June 4th, 2013
In the past year, Baroness have gone through things that would rip most
bands apart. They released the double album Yellow & Green last
summer that was initially met with divisiveness. Shortly after, the band
was involved in a horrendous bus accident - similar in destruction to
the fatal crashes involving Metallica and Decapitated that killed key
members of those groups. Fortunately for Baroness there were no
fatalities in the bus crash, but it left the members hospitalized and
the fate of the band unknown. Well, it'll take more than a bus crash to
keep the mammoth-sized beast that is Baroness down for long. Frontman
John Baizley, along with guitarist Peter Adams and replacements Nick
Jost and Sebastian Thomson brought every ounce of their rehabilitated
selves to a sizeable crowd at the Granada theater on a humid Tuesday
night.
Although Baroness is near the top of "sludge" metal bands signed to Relapse Records from Savannah, Georgia, their sound is much more rooted in the riff and melody of heavy metal than the dissonance and power chords of their friends in Kylesa and Black Tusk. Baizley uses his distinct melodic vocals in time with driving riffs to create a unique take on this dirty type of heavy metal. Some songs, such as "March To The Sea" and "A Horse Called Golgotha" do not shy away from the high notes on the guitars - a rarity in sludge metal these days. These riffs and strong bass presence mixed with impressive drum fills make for a very danceable, or headbanging, live show. With each song played, the stage lights were changed to the appropriate color from which album the track originated from. Mostly yellow and green lights, though there was a healthy dose of blue lighting and an appearance of red lighting for "Isak" near the end of the set, which sent the crowd into a frenzy.
John Baizley and Peter Adams might just be this generations dual-guitar attack duo in the vein of a stoner version of Judas Priest's KK Downing and Glenn Tipton. The sound throughout most of the night was a bit too loud, rendering Baizley's guitar and the bass sound heads and shoulders above all else, but it evened itself out at times. And speaking of too loud, this might have been the loudest show to ever hit the Granada. "Board Up The House" reached excruciatingly painful levels of volume and made some in the crowd rethink about being up too close for the band. Despite that small gripe, Baroness played an outstanding set and the crowd was extremely receptive. There was a lot of singing along to nearly every single song which put a big smile on Baizley's face. If tonight is any indication, Baroness' music transcends the heavy metal spectrum and is common ground for countless different music tastes and personalities. If Baroness is indeed taken from us much too soon, at least their music will inspire and bring happiness for a much longer time.
The only opener of the night was Coliseum, also from the south. While the sludge is apparent in their sound, Coliseum is very much rooted in the hardcore punk scene. Like a grittier, faster, looser version of Kyuss, Coliseum thrashed through a 45-minute set unleashing songs like the infectious "Black Magic Punks" and the grooving "Blind In One Eye." Guitarist/vocalist Ryan Patterson gave a quick speech on how their first ever show was opening for Baroness in 2004 and have basically been touring with them for almost a decade now. It just made their energetic set that much more endearing and special for the moment.
Baroness:
Ogeechee Hymnal
Take My Bones Away
March to the Sea
A Horse Called Golgotha
Foolsong
Little Things
Green Theme
Swollen and Halo
Board Up the House
Sea Lungs
Cocainium
Eula
The Sweetest Curse
Isak
The Gnashing
====
The Line Between
Jake Leg
Baroness: 9.5/10
Coliseum: 8.5/10
Although Baroness is near the top of "sludge" metal bands signed to Relapse Records from Savannah, Georgia, their sound is much more rooted in the riff and melody of heavy metal than the dissonance and power chords of their friends in Kylesa and Black Tusk. Baizley uses his distinct melodic vocals in time with driving riffs to create a unique take on this dirty type of heavy metal. Some songs, such as "March To The Sea" and "A Horse Called Golgotha" do not shy away from the high notes on the guitars - a rarity in sludge metal these days. These riffs and strong bass presence mixed with impressive drum fills make for a very danceable, or headbanging, live show. With each song played, the stage lights were changed to the appropriate color from which album the track originated from. Mostly yellow and green lights, though there was a healthy dose of blue lighting and an appearance of red lighting for "Isak" near the end of the set, which sent the crowd into a frenzy.
John Baizley and Peter Adams might just be this generations dual-guitar attack duo in the vein of a stoner version of Judas Priest's KK Downing and Glenn Tipton. The sound throughout most of the night was a bit too loud, rendering Baizley's guitar and the bass sound heads and shoulders above all else, but it evened itself out at times. And speaking of too loud, this might have been the loudest show to ever hit the Granada. "Board Up The House" reached excruciatingly painful levels of volume and made some in the crowd rethink about being up too close for the band. Despite that small gripe, Baroness played an outstanding set and the crowd was extremely receptive. There was a lot of singing along to nearly every single song which put a big smile on Baizley's face. If tonight is any indication, Baroness' music transcends the heavy metal spectrum and is common ground for countless different music tastes and personalities. If Baroness is indeed taken from us much too soon, at least their music will inspire and bring happiness for a much longer time.
The only opener of the night was Coliseum, also from the south. While the sludge is apparent in their sound, Coliseum is very much rooted in the hardcore punk scene. Like a grittier, faster, looser version of Kyuss, Coliseum thrashed through a 45-minute set unleashing songs like the infectious "Black Magic Punks" and the grooving "Blind In One Eye." Guitarist/vocalist Ryan Patterson gave a quick speech on how their first ever show was opening for Baroness in 2004 and have basically been touring with them for almost a decade now. It just made their energetic set that much more endearing and special for the moment.
Baroness:
Ogeechee Hymnal
Take My Bones Away
March to the Sea
A Horse Called Golgotha
Foolsong
Little Things
Green Theme
Swollen and Halo
Board Up the House
Sea Lungs
Cocainium
Eula
The Sweetest Curse
Isak
The Gnashing
====
The Line Between
Jake Leg
Baroness: 9.5/10
Coliseum: 8.5/10
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)