Origin -- Lawrence, KS -- May 18th, 2012

Tonight was the final date of Origin's headlining Occupation Domination 2012 tour, and it was one of the craziest shows I've ever been to. If you missed this tour, you missed one of the most impressive packages to hit the road in the metal scene in a very long time.

First band of the night was good ol' Troglodyte. It's been a minute since I've seen them, but they still never fail to impress. The sound in the Granada was very very good all night long, and Trog was no exception. They only had about 20 minutes, but they ripped right through the set. They played a few new songs, and they are hard at work on the new Trog album. If the other songs are as half as good as the new ones they played tonight, it'll be a ripper for sure. Great stuff, as always.

Loculus was added to this show after Decrepit Birth dropped off ( :( ) and they were really awesome! They had a great, crunchy old-school guitar tone that reminded me a lot of bands like Bolt Thrower or even Asphyx. Straight-up death metal that induced a lot of banging heads. They also gave away their CD they had for free, which is always good! Check them out.

The first of the regular touring bands was Battlecross. I had just seen them a few months ago when they filled in last-minute on the Goatwhore/Hate Eternal show. They were a lot better this time around, and a lot more thrash. They definitely won me over with their great stage presence and awesome songs. Sure, some of their songs are a bit bland, but it's fun and entertaining. They're on the precipice of exploding into popularity.

Rings of Saturn were next. The fact that they were playing after Battlecross was a shame. There were a few pits for them, but it was obvious that a lot of people in the crowd didn't like them. They are just way too technical for their own good. It just devolves into wankery with -core breakdowns. They were better than I thought they'd be, but they were still pretty bad.

I wasn't too sure how Aborted would do. Yes, they would obviously put on a good show, but I'm not the biggest fan of their past few albums. That said - they absolutely destroyed. They actually didn't play with a bass player, but it really didn't matter. The sounds was incredibly full and really heavy. Almost every song they played sounded like it was tailor-made specifically for headbanging. Color me surprised: Aborted put on the second best set of the night.

Decrepit Birth didn't play ( :( ), so Cattle Decapitation was up next. They took a bit longer than usual to set up because the monitor's were messing up, but it seemed to get fixed right as they kicked into their first song. Travis was a bit more talkative in between songs than I've seen him the past few times, which just made their set more memorable. The sound wasn't amazing, but I could hear all the instruments. The bassist is originally from Topeka, so a bunch of people were going nuts for him the entire time. They played the same set they've been doing all tour long; it's a good set, but I really haven't gotten a quality set of Harvest Floor material, which makes me sad. :( Travis Ryan is still absolutely insane and one of my favorite vocalists. Hocking a loogey, catching it, then snorting the loogey? That's what I'm talking about. Grind goodness.

As good as all the other bands were, they couldn't even touch Origin. I've never seen a crowd go more insane than tonight when Origin was onstage. When I say there were non-stop stage dives, I mean literally person after person after person going everywhere as soon as each song started. It was old-school in the purest sense of the word. Jason is one of the best frontmen in metal. The crowd was putty in his hands, and he could get every moshing, diving and moving whenever he said so. The rest of the band was spot on with their mind-blowing technical prowess, but Jason held the spotlight on himself by bounding all over the stage and even diving out into the crowd. There were walls of death with people riding on eachother's shoulders, there were people cannonballing into groups of about 2 - 3 people, and during the last song was the most hell I've seen unleashed in a pit area at a concert. Literally no one stayed still and everyone moved. Some girl got knocked out so it kinda brought the pit to an early end, but is there a better way to end a tour of such epic proportions? I think not. Origin is amazing and if you haven't seen them yet - I pity you.

Origin set (out of order/missing maybe 1 or 2 more):

Expulsion of Fury
Purgatory
Swarm
Saligia
Banishing Illusion
Evolution of Extinction
The Aftermath
Wrath of Vishnu
Consuming Misery (I think)
Staring From The Abyss
Portal
Implosion Of Eternity

Cattle Decapitation:

The Carbon Stampede
Dead Set On Suicide
A Living, Breathing Piece of Defecating Meat
Testicular Manslaughter
Forced Gender Reassignment
Your Disposal
Success Is... (Hanging By the Neck)
Lifestalker
Kingdom of Tyrants

Aborted included:

Global Flatline
Coronary Reconstruction
Meticulous Invagination
The Holocaust Incarnate
The Origin of Disease
Sanguine Verses (...of Extirpation)
The Saw and the Carnage Done

Battlecross included:

Push Pull Destroy
Kaleb
Misery
Deception

Loculus included:

Chainsaw Disfigurement
Hacked Apart
Ocular Extirpation
The Mutilator

Troglodyte included:

Piece Of You
Mummified Yeti Hand
Caught On Super 8
Bring Me The Head Of Bigfoot
The Only Good Hippie...Is A Dead Hippie
and 2 new ones

Origin: 10/10
Cattle Decapitation: 8/10
Aborted: 8.5/10
Rings of Saturn: 3/10
Battlecross: 7.5/10
Loculus: 8/10
Troglodyte: 8/10

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!

Upcoming show: Origin + a whole bunch of awesome bands!

Hometown heroes Origin are headlining a killer tour this Spring, and that tour ends on May 18th at the Granada in Lawrence. It's going to be insane. Origin headlines, and Cattle Decapitation, Decrepit Birth and Aborted open. There are some opening bands, including Battlecross and maybe Decrepit Birth (who is awesome and you should really check out) so it'll be a day filled with amazing death metal! Definitely mark this one down on your calendars.

(another band is performing but they personally attacked me on Facebook, so I refuse to name them. :P )

Skipping Kansas (but coming close!): Cattle Decap./Devourment

What a line-up. Well, at least the two big bands are really awesome.

Cattle Decapitation
Devourment
Knights Of The Abyss
Burning The Masses
Son Of Aurelius

The closest dates would be:

October 5 – Tulsa, OK @ The Marquee
October 24 – Omaha, NE @ Sokol Underground
October 25 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre

Brutal!

Cattle Decapitation -- Lawrence, KS -- May 22nd, 2010

The last time I saw Job For A Cowboy for their opening acts, it was one of the worst concert experiences I've ever had. Luckily, this time was much better all around.

The Bottleneck in Lawrence is one of the worst venues in the summer. It was like an oven in there, and the cooling air produced by the loud amps gave the most relief of the night. It helped at times.

The first band of the night was Independance, MO's own The Roman Holiday. If they were trying to be a carbon copy of Job For A Cowboy throughout the years, they certainly have done a good job. Honestly, their newer stuff sounded just like a more generic version of JFAC's newer stuff, and their "older stuff" sounded just like "Doom"-era JFAC, breakdowns and all. They never had any solo's, the vocalist could only scream in one way, and every song sounded the same. The drummer had some chops, though. I digress, I can think of a couple bands I'd rather see open up this concert, but I can think of a ton more I wouldn't want to see.

The kings of scene kid-destroying metal Revocation were next and they melted faces with every song. I saw them open for Quo Vadis in Baltimore last year and I'm disappointed it took me this long to see them again, but it made it that much better. It took about halfway through their set for the crowd to get really into it, but with enough insane solos and catchy rhythms, the crowd was really responsive the entire set. Complete with band crowd-surfing and dual solo's, Revocation will always put on one of the best and most energetic set's you'll ever see.

Cattle Decapitation should be a legendary metal band after last year. Releasing one of the freshest, most progressive death metal albums in recent years, their live show only improves upon itself with each viewing. The Harvest Floor tracks sound amazing live and with just one guitar there makes for some amazing moments that are almost like freeform jazz in some sense. They've started to include the genre of noise music into their shows now and, to me, that's a huge plus. Travis is still one of the best extreme metal vocalists around (even though before the show he looked like a chubby Michael Scott) and their new bass player is from Unmerciful from Wichita! YEAH! Still amazing, best set I've seen them put on.

I went back to the merch stands for Whitechapel and I'll keep it brief: they are the first band I've ever seen without any redeemable musical qualities live. The sound was really quiet too because I was in the back, but I like to think it was because Cattle Decapitation melted the soundboard. Three guitarists all playing breakdowns, breakdowns make up a majority of the song, boring, etc. Terrible. One of the worst bands of all time and the worst live performance I've ever been a part of.

David of Revocation talked with me for a while. I got a ReaniManiac shirt and for $5 more when you buy a shirt, I got a CD (Empire Of The Obscene) which he signed for me. Great guys.

Cattle Decapitation:

The Gardeners Of Eden
A Body Farm
To Serve Man
Tooth Enamel & Concrete
Karma.Bloody.Karma (?)
One Thousand Times Decapitation (?)
Testicular Manslaughter
Regret & The Grave
Into The Public Bath

Revocation:

Unattained
Pestilence Reigns
Dismantle The Dictator
Age Of Iniquity
ReaniManiac
Exhumed Identity

Whitechapel:

contained:

The Somatic Defilement
Prostatic Fluid Asphyxiation
The Darkest Day Of Man

Cattle Decapitation: 9/10
Revocation: 9/10
Whitechapel: 1/10
The Roman Holiday: 7/10

A conundrum

It appears that Cattle Decapitation are coming here. But there's a problem.

That tour (Cattle Decapitation, Revocation, and Enfold Darkness) is going to be at Outland Ballroom in Springfield on May 11th.

However, Cattle Decapitation and Revocation will be at the Bottleneck in Lawrence on May 22nd, but it looks like they're opening for Job For A Cowboy and Whitechapel. Disgusting.

Decisions, decisions...

Skipping Kansas? Cattle Decapitation

Looks that way for now, but there's a gap open that's ripe for Kansas City/Lawrence. Amazing lineup:

Cattle Decapitation
Revocation
Enfold Darkness

May 6 Indianapolis, IN The Tip Top
May 7 Iowa City, IA The Picador
May 8 Minneapolis, MN Triple Rock
May 9 LaCrosse, WI The Warehouse
May 12 Tulsa, OK The Marquee
May 13 Amarillo, TX The War Legion Underground
May 14 Flagstaff, AZ The Downtown Greenhouse

GWAR -- Kansas City, MO -- May 13th, 2009

Such a GOOD show. And the venue, Crossroads KC, is a nice outdoor venue as well.

Cattle Decapitation opened the show promptly at 8:00, and it was the best time I've seen them by far. The new material from The Harvest Floor goes over so well. The band was tight and never missed a beat and Travis Ryan still has my vote for best American extreme metal vocalist. Travis also did some ambient/drone music in between tracks. Very interesting and it worked well. 9/10

The Gardeners Of Eden
A Body Farm
To Serve Man
We Are Horrible People
Tooth Enamel And Concrete
In Axetasy
Success...(Is Hanging By The Neck)
Regret & The Grave

Priestess was next. I only knew them from their one song on Guitar Hero, but they were pretty entertaining. They started to grate on my nerves (mostly from the vocals) but they were alright. They should be opening for The Sword. The drummer was the best part of the band. At least, he was until he sang on one track. Yeesh. Overall, pretty enjoyable. 7.5/10

The Gem
?
"Sideways" soemthing
? (something about voices)
?
?
?
Lay Down
?

Hoooooly crap. I can't believe I went this long without seeing GWAR. There were so many homemade GWAR shirts and so many fanatical fans that it was almost like a GWAR festival. It wasn't just a concert, it was a show. Complete with decapitated Barack Obama, disemboweled Hillary Clinton, and a mecha Ronald Reagan, there was no shortage of bloody moshing at this show. Excellent, excellent performance. They'll be on tour again in August, they said, for their 25th anniversary. Let's hope they come back to Kansas City. 9/10

1. Battle-Lust
2. Salaminizer
3. Go To Hell
4. Bring Back The Bomb
5. Bonesnapper
6. Crack In The Egg
7. A Short History of The End of the World
8. Murderer’s Muse
9. Crush Kill Destroy
10. Ham On The Bone
11. Krosstika
12. War Is All We Know
13. The Private Pain of Techno Destro
14. U Ain’t Shit
15. Rock N Roll Never Felt So Good
-------
16. Eighth Lock
17. Slaughterama
18. Sick of You

Now you don't have to go to Springfield!

GWAR is playing at Crossroad's (kind of an odd place, but I guess GWAR is pretty big nowadays) with Priestess and the mighty Cattle Decapitation on May 13th!

Review: Cattle Decapitation - The Harvest Floor (2009)

Metal Blade Records
January 20th, 2009
Cattle Decapitation - The Harvest Floor

Want a pretty tasty slab of pseudo-progressive grindcore from a band who's been around long enough to know what they're doing? Look no further than Cattle Decapitation's blistering release “The Harvest Floor”. It's not their best album, but close to it. Better than the album before it, “The Harvest Floor” will have you banging your head one minute and then trying to figure out how the band members keep the insane technicality in check while maintaining the ridiculous speed. And there are a few surprises that we haven't heard from Cattle before.

The first thing I thought of upon hearing this album was about how much more progressive this album is compared to their other releases. No longer just straight-forwad goregrind/death metal, Cattle uses several time-signature changes and interesting use of their instruments to create a mind-numblingly complex tornado of musical ability. This is most apparent on the song “The Ripe Beneath The Rind” with it's killswitched guitars sounding off behind Travis Ryan's inhuman vocals or the almost prog-quality solo included about halfway through the song, although you can find it in just about every song. Think of this album's incarnation of Cattle Decapitation as metal's version of The Dillinger Escape Plan but can also hold it's own against death metal stalwarts as well.

It should be stated and re-stated that this band has some serious musicians in it. First and foremost, Travis Ryan's performance all but solidifies his place in extreme metal as one of the best current vocalists out there. He about hits the lower and upper boundaries of his vocal range in almost every song and comes off as a deranged madman throughout it all. Absolutely splended. The drummer, David McGraw, makes use of the hyperblast on several songs (see the beginning of The Gardeners Of Eden) and pulls it off quite well. Not up to par with John Lengstreth, but close. The bass player and guitar player are fantastic as well, but they pretty much have always been solid.

There's really only one flaw to this album: If you're not paying too much attention, it's really easy to miss the transition to another song and still think you're on the previous. It's not that the songs themselves aren't memorable, but some of them segue into eachother without a huge change in style. However, the lyrics themselves are above Cattle Decapitation's standards and are a delight to read through. “Into The Public Baths” might be the sickest song ever written.

This album will satisfy long-term fans of the band and is a great starting point for new fans. Things are looking very bright for the future of these misanthropes.

Highlights: A Body Farm, The Ripe Beneath The Rind, Tooth Enamel And Concrete, Into The Public Bath

9.0/10

Updates about some possible tours

Back in November I made this post about tours from Mayhem and Suffocation. Well, I have some updated news for both of the tours!

First off, it seems that the Mayhem tour with Marduk IS happening, and Cattle Decapitation and Cephalic Carnage are opening. This might just be the best tour of 2009 by far. So far, all four bands are confirmed to play the Maryland Deathfest (GO) and there's a rumored date of Seattle in June. I'll keep an eye out for more dates.

As for Suffocation, it looks like they aren't taking Napalm Death out on the road, but instead have opted for a tour with opening bands Whitechapel, Decrepit Birth and Veil Of Maya. A downgrade, but I think it should still be worth it. Only a handful of dates confirmed so far (including California Metalfest with CARCASS!!!) but I'll still keep an eye on it.

Now go out and buy the new Kreator and Cattle Decapitation CD's.

Master Return To Kill Kansas City

After a blisteringly devestating show earlier this year, Death Metal legends MASTER will return to the Riot Room on July 29th, 2009, with Pathology, featuring ex-members of Cattle Decapitation and Disgorge, and Dreaming Dead.

Skipping Kansas (for now): Cattle Decapitation

California vegan-deathgrinders Cattle Decapitation (who have actually stopped in and around Kansas City many, many times [including Summer Slaughter 2k7 and Death By Decibels 2k7]) have announced a tour early next year in support of their upcoming album "The Harvest Floor". Although they are skipping Kansas, one has to think there will be more dates or at least another tour: this skips huge markets, such as New York, Chicago, Seattle, etc. So, here's to hoping there's more dates or another tour announced shortly!

Jan. 21 - Santa Barbara, CA - The Jensen Mainstage
Jan. 22 - Bakersfield, CA – Studio 99 (no BOOK OF BLACK EARTH)
Jan. 23 - Berkeley, CA - 924 Gilman Street
Jan. 24 - San Francisco, CA - Thee Parkside
Jan. 25 - Hollywood, CA - Knitting Factory
Jan. 26 - Tempe, AZ - The Sets
Jan. 27 - Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad
Jan. 28 - El Paso, TX - Uncle Paulie's Pub
Jan. 29 - Austin, TX - Red 7
Jan. 30 - San Antonio, TX - White Rabbit
Jan. 31 - Houston, TX - Java Jazz
Feb. 01 - Metairie, LA - The High Ground
Feb. 02 - Pensacola, FL - American Legion Post 33
Feb. 03 - Jacksonville, FL - Fuel Coffeehouse
Feb. 04 - Orlando, FL - Back Booth
Feb. 05 - Tampa, FL - The Orpheum
Feb. 07 - Tallahassee, FL - The Engine Room
Feb. 09 - Little Rock, AR - The Village
Feb. 10 - Dallas, TX - The Lounge on Elm Street
Feb. 11 - Farmington, NM - Gator's
Feb. 12 - Tucson, AZ - The Rock
Feb. 13 - San Marcos, CA - The Jumping Turtle

Support on the shows will come from PSYOPUS, BOOK OF BLACK EARTH and GIGAN.