Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Update on the Soilwork show
The Soilwork show that was going to the (now-defunct) Beaumont Club in April will instead be going to The Riot Room! Smaller venue = more chaos!
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Let's Start the new year off with some bummer news
Happy 2013 everyone! Hope everything's good for you, but the KC Music Scene is starting the year off with some crappy news: it looks like The Beaumont Club in Westport is closed! It happened unexpectedly and no one knows exactly why it happened, but it's definitely gone.
http://www.kshb.com//dpp/money/business_news/reports-beaumont-club-is-closed-for-business
I mean, I kinda get it. Kansas City isn't exactly the biggest market for mid-level bands, and I always thought the Beaumont Club was too big for some of those bands. Hopefully something like a few more smaller venues pop up and we still get some more concerts. The only metal show that was scheduled for there was an upcoming Soilwork show in April, but I'll keep you updated as to what happens with that.
http://www.kshb.com//dpp/money/business_news/reports-beaumont-club-is-closed-for-business
I mean, I kinda get it. Kansas City isn't exactly the biggest market for mid-level bands, and I always thought the Beaumont Club was too big for some of those bands. Hopefully something like a few more smaller venues pop up and we still get some more concerts. The only metal show that was scheduled for there was an upcoming Soilwork show in April, but I'll keep you updated as to what happens with that.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
High On Fire -- Kansas City, MO -- December 10th, 2012
This was my first show since Converge on Oct. 20th - so almost my
first in two months. Perhaps I should slowly walk back into the world of
live music with a low-volume, low-key show? NOPE. It was High On Fire
and Goatwhore, and my ears are still ringing. Aside from that, it was
one of the most solid shows I've ever been to!
First band was local doom rock/metal guys In The Grove and I just have to say...why have I not heard these guys before?! Honestly one of the best first performances by a local band that I've not heard of before. Very heavy and very catchy, had a whole Boris/Doomriders/Torche thing going on and they definitely weren't afraid to solo it up or crush the audience with riffs. Very impressive all around and a great way to start the night.
Up next was Lo-Pan from Ohio. Another band I had not looked into prior to the show, but they definitely made me and quite a few others fans tonight. Very bass-driven stoner/sludge metal with clean vocals in the vein of Kyuss. Not really in the vein of Kyuss, more like they ARE Kyuss. That's exactly what they sounded like and it ruled heavily. Their bassist also is one of the best bass players I've ever seen. He was shredding on that thing and was matching the equally talented guitarist note for note. Lots of headbanging with them and I hope they start to get huge.
Goatwhore was the first ever metal band I saw live when they opened up for Celtic Frost on their reunion tour on October 16th, 2012. I saw a bit of them earlier this year when they headlined a much too large venue following Hate Eternal, but playing after Erik Rutan and co. didn't do them any favors. Here, though, they sounded amazing. Full of tons of energy and constantly just going from song to song was awesome. Ben Falgoust might actually be one of the better live vocalists I've seen. He sounds almost exactly as he does on Goatwhore's studio work. He would bound around the stage and interact with the crowd during songs. Definitely a great frontman. The rest of the band was on point - especially Sammy Duet. His guitar tone was crunchy and heavier than I expected. They turned out to be a LOT better than I had expected! Despite being a really different genre of metal than the other bands here, they were a great change of pace! I didn't get a close look at the setlist and it looked like a few songs were crossed out, but I'm pretty sure their set was the same as the other dates.
The main attraction, though, was High On Fire. This is one of the smallest venues the band has played at and it made for an immense show. The band is LOUD, but they were mixed extremely well. I was 2 feet away from Matt Pike right in front of him the entire show and it was almost a religious experience. He is such a good riffer and non-technical soloist that I don't want to headbang during the songs just so I can watch him - and I don't even play guitar. But yeah, they sounded very heavy. The guitar was very full and the bass and drums added to it. It's much heavier in person than on album, if you can believe that. The crowd really got going during "Frost Hammer" and "Devilution", but my favorite performance of the night was "Speedwolf." That track just has such a heavy groove that translates so well live. Matt introduced most of the songs and thanked the crowd a few times, but other than that it was all business - just how it should be. They ripped through a great rendition of "Snakes for the Divine" and left the stage while everyone picked their ears and minds up off the floor. A great last concert of 2012.
Picked up a pretty nice brown HoF shirt with a really cool design on it. Wanted the Richard Pryor shirt and also "High On Fire" done in the Masters Of Reality album cover style, but they were out of my size. D: All bands have a TON of merchandise, though.
High On Fire:
Serums of Liao
Frost Hammer
10,000 Years
Devilution
Last
Fertile Green
Speedwolf
Rumors of War
DII
Fury Whip
Blood From Zion
Snakes for the Divine
Goatwhore:
Collapse in Eternal Worth
When Steel and Bone Meet
Parasitic Scriptures of the Sacred Word
Alchemy of the Black Sun Cult
Embodiment of This Bitter Chaos
In Deathless Tradition
Sky Inferno
Beyond the Spell of Discontent
Judgement of the Bleeding Crown
To Mourn and Forever Wander Through Forgotten Doorways
An End to Nothing
Apocalyptic Havoc
High On Fire: 9.5/10
Goatwhore: 9/10
Lo-Pan: 9/10
In The Grove: 8.5/10
First band was local doom rock/metal guys In The Grove and I just have to say...why have I not heard these guys before?! Honestly one of the best first performances by a local band that I've not heard of before. Very heavy and very catchy, had a whole Boris/Doomriders/Torche thing going on and they definitely weren't afraid to solo it up or crush the audience with riffs. Very impressive all around and a great way to start the night.
Up next was Lo-Pan from Ohio. Another band I had not looked into prior to the show, but they definitely made me and quite a few others fans tonight. Very bass-driven stoner/sludge metal with clean vocals in the vein of Kyuss. Not really in the vein of Kyuss, more like they ARE Kyuss. That's exactly what they sounded like and it ruled heavily. Their bassist also is one of the best bass players I've ever seen. He was shredding on that thing and was matching the equally talented guitarist note for note. Lots of headbanging with them and I hope they start to get huge.
Goatwhore was the first ever metal band I saw live when they opened up for Celtic Frost on their reunion tour on October 16th, 2012. I saw a bit of them earlier this year when they headlined a much too large venue following Hate Eternal, but playing after Erik Rutan and co. didn't do them any favors. Here, though, they sounded amazing. Full of tons of energy and constantly just going from song to song was awesome. Ben Falgoust might actually be one of the better live vocalists I've seen. He sounds almost exactly as he does on Goatwhore's studio work. He would bound around the stage and interact with the crowd during songs. Definitely a great frontman. The rest of the band was on point - especially Sammy Duet. His guitar tone was crunchy and heavier than I expected. They turned out to be a LOT better than I had expected! Despite being a really different genre of metal than the other bands here, they were a great change of pace! I didn't get a close look at the setlist and it looked like a few songs were crossed out, but I'm pretty sure their set was the same as the other dates.
The main attraction, though, was High On Fire. This is one of the smallest venues the band has played at and it made for an immense show. The band is LOUD, but they were mixed extremely well. I was 2 feet away from Matt Pike right in front of him the entire show and it was almost a religious experience. He is such a good riffer and non-technical soloist that I don't want to headbang during the songs just so I can watch him - and I don't even play guitar. But yeah, they sounded very heavy. The guitar was very full and the bass and drums added to it. It's much heavier in person than on album, if you can believe that. The crowd really got going during "Frost Hammer" and "Devilution", but my favorite performance of the night was "Speedwolf." That track just has such a heavy groove that translates so well live. Matt introduced most of the songs and thanked the crowd a few times, but other than that it was all business - just how it should be. They ripped through a great rendition of "Snakes for the Divine" and left the stage while everyone picked their ears and minds up off the floor. A great last concert of 2012.
Picked up a pretty nice brown HoF shirt with a really cool design on it. Wanted the Richard Pryor shirt and also "High On Fire" done in the Masters Of Reality album cover style, but they were out of my size. D: All bands have a TON of merchandise, though.
High On Fire:
Serums of Liao
Frost Hammer
10,000 Years
Devilution
Last
Fertile Green
Speedwolf
Rumors of War
DII
Fury Whip
Blood From Zion
Snakes for the Divine
Goatwhore:
Collapse in Eternal Worth
When Steel and Bone Meet
Parasitic Scriptures of the Sacred Word
Alchemy of the Black Sun Cult
Embodiment of This Bitter Chaos
In Deathless Tradition
Sky Inferno
Beyond the Spell of Discontent
Judgement of the Bleeding Crown
To Mourn and Forever Wander Through Forgotten Doorways
An End to Nothing
Apocalyptic Havoc
High On Fire: 9.5/10
Goatwhore: 9/10
Lo-Pan: 9/10
In The Grove: 8.5/10
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
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.
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.
Friday, October 19, 2012
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!
Sunday, October 14, 2012
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!
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!
Thursday, October 4, 2012
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
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
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