Black Cobra -- Kansas City, MO -- July 2nd, 2012

Black Cobra is heavy. That's all you really need to know. In front of a crowd that maxed out at about 75 (hey, it was a lot more than the last time I saw them), they absolutely destroyed. They rarely stopped playing, segueing into each song and only talked to the crowd about three times. But they played a ton of songs. The set I have is out of order but I'm almost positive they played those songs, plus maybe another 4 or 5. One guitarist had the heaviness and crunch of a full-fledged sludge band. It was a riff-filled night of doom. My neck is still sore from headbanging!

(Out of order + missing another 3-4 songs.)
Avalanche
Somnae Tenebrae
Corrosion Fields
Beyond
Abyss
Obliteration
Negative Reversal
Catalyst
Chronosphere
Storm Shadow
Five Daggers
Red Tide
Dragon & Phoenix

Hardcore duders Gaza opened for Black Cobra and they were a lot better than the first time I saw them. They sound a lot more like Converge now, which is definitely not a bad thing. They're also a very political band, but one that makes you so pissed off that you want to do something. They are still as chaotic and dissonant as ever, though. Good stuff.

There were two local bands opening. Tycho Brahe opened the show and they were kind of fun. I'd say they're a bit like a proggy (sorta) grind 'n' roll band, if that makes any sense. Definitely wanna see them again. Second band was Canyons who are usually really good, but their vocalist had lost his voice halfway through there set. That really sucks, because I know how great these guys are live.

Black Cobra: 9/10
Gaza: 8/10
Canyons: 6/10
Tycho Brahe: 7.5/10

Upcoming show reminder/update!

Hey dudes and dudettes! It's been a while since some new shows were added, but there have been some and I'll put em all here in a sec! But here's a quick reminder of some killer shows coming up between now and the end of May:

Overkill w/ God Forbid, Suidakra, Diamond Plate, Marasmus at the Beaumont Club on April 26th!
Kittie w/ Warbringer, Pathology, The Agonist, Bonded By Blood, Blackguard at the Beaumont Club on May 9th!
Bible of the Devil at the Riot Room on May 9th!
Origin w/ Cattle Decapitation, Aborted, Decrepit Birth, Battlecross, Troglodyte at The Granada on May 18th!
Danzig and Doyle play Misfits! w/ Hammerlord at Uptown Theater on May 31st!

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Now, here are some shows that have been announced recently:

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The father of theatrics and shock rock, Alice Cooper, returns to Kansas City after a long while on June 15th at the Midland Theater! I saw him a few years back at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson, and he put on an amazing show! Can't wait to see this legend again.





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Torche is taking a break from their tour with Corrosion of Conformity to bring possibly the heaviest show of the year to the Riot Room on June 17th! Also with them is The Slowdown!





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A pretty big concert for Kansas City - Dream Theater will be making a semi-rare appearance at Starlight Theater on June 29th! Opening for them will be a King Crimson cover band featuring ex-members of the band! Should be a fantastic show.




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My personal concert that I'm super excited for is the return of probably the heaviest duo on the planet - BLACK COBRA. They'll be bringing crazy awesome sludgey/crusty/grindy guru's Gaza to the Riot Room on July 2nd! I was floored when I saw these guys a couple years ago. Their last album was amazing, so this show will be off the charts crazy.






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And finally, just announced - Nightwish will be returning to Kansas City at the Beaumont Club on September 27th. Along with them is Kamelot. It's not often you see these two bands around these parts, so it's a can't-miss show!

Black Cobra -- Lawrence, KS -- July 21st, 2010

My streak of almost dying from heat exhaustion at shows continues. After a sweltering performance from Black Cobra, Phobia, and Howl inside the Jackpot, I was sopping wet with sweat. But it was well-earned not just from the heat, but from how fantastic the concert was.

"Someone has to live there," says Howl's frontman Vincent when he mentions that they're from Rhode Island. Apparently, over on the northeast coast, you get a free Buzzov*en album whenever you buy groceries. They were dripping with Buzzov*en/Weedeater/etc. worship that halfway through their set, I wish they would change it up a little bit. While they were certainly heavy, I was sorely aware of the absence of guitar solos. Too many songs sounded the same and, for the first time I can recall, the bass absolutely dominated in the mix. Odd, but they still pulled off a decent set. They know how to get heads banging.

I've seen some odd pairings in shows, but nothing quite like this. Phobia stood out as the more extreme/faster of the three bands, but most of the crowd came for their set. It was a blast of fresh air, but it seemed the band was going a little through the motions, although they seemed to get really into it halfway through the set. Lots of pitting and even a few stage dives let them know just how welcome their grindcore was. As they were starting to put their gear away, the crowd kept yelling for more, so they gave the grindcore faithful a well-earned encore. Phobia will always be welcome back.

I can't believe I was considering leaving before Black Cobra's set. I decided to stay and it was the best decision I've made in quite some time. Matt Pike would be proud: Black Cobra sounded just as heavy and had as many riffs as High On Fire, but they only had a guitarist and a drummer. Couldn't believe how loud two guys could get. They were heavy when the tempo's slowed and made everyone's neck sore when they decided to get fast. This fantastic two-piece didn't let up one bit and it was really one of the better performances of the year so far. After their set, I shook their guitarist's, Jason's, hand and said, "Calling you the heaviest band in the world would be an understatement." And what an understatement it is.

Black Cobra:

Five Daggers
Kay-Dur-Twenty
Red Tide
Machine
Catalyst
Omniscient
Chronosphere
Negative Reversal
Storm Shadow
Swords For Teeth

Phobia:

Bring The War
Savannah's Assault
So Full Of Hate
I Reject
Fuck What You Think
Drunken Spree of Violence
?
?
Death To False Punk
?
Cheap Life?
Ultimate Suffering
Rise Up
Get Up And Kill
?
Blood Sport
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Let's Get Pissed

Black Cobra: 9.5/10
Phobia: 8/10
Howl: 7/10

A good thing gets a whole lot better

See that Black Cobra/Howl show mentioned over there to the right?

Well, according to the Jackpot's website, California's own Phobia has been added to the bill.

You heard me right.

Black Cobra
Phobia
Howl

Hitting all extremes of the music spectrum that night.

July 21st at the Jackpot!