Füneral Rain Press Cörps

Genre: Thrash, Progressive

Label: Sonic Unyon Metal

I’m going to start off this review by saying that I am only a moderate fan of Voivod. Moderate in the sense that I only own three Voivod albums (War And Pain, Nothingface and Killing Technology), but I love them to death! So, the fact that I squealed like a little obsessed fan girl at the announcement of Warriors Of Ice in my inbox should come as no surprise to anyone. “Voivod live… on CD?” I thought. “It’s not at the Roseland, but it’s damn good enough for me!”

Starting off stronger than just about any band I’ve ever heard (be in person or just recorded live) with Voivod, these Canadian thrashers show that time has not, nor will it slow them down! Snake sounds just as pissed off and drunk as ever, stopping between tracks to banter with the audience. Blacky’s opening bass riff in Tribal Convictions is just as bone jarring as anything I’ve heard from him already, as well as any other time we get the privilege of hearing his bass booming through the rest of the band’s super tight performance.

The selection of songs on Warriors Of Ice is a perfect blend of older, more thrashier songs and just as equally old and every bit as cool prog-thrash songs. In other words, they play all of my favorites from the three albums I already own and the others that are new to me are icing of the goddamned cake!

I can’t even really say anything about the quality of the recording! It’s honestly one of the best sounding live albums I’ve ever heard (outside of Nevermore’s Year Of The Voyager). It lets just the right amount of atmospheric pops and feedback bleed through just to let you know that this is, in fact, a live recording. Well, that and the rabid, screaming Canuks in attendance…

Interestingly enough, the song Warriors Of Ice is nowhere to be found on this live album… :(

Overall: Warriors Of Ice is a strong entry in Voivod’s already Herculean library. I recommend this album to anyone who digs Voivod even a little. Please. Indulge.

9.5/10

Voivod Official

Voivod On Reverbnation

Voivod On Facebook

Genre: Doom
Label: Peaceville

English doom masters Anathema’s classic 1995 album The Silent Enigma was remastered and rereleased by Peaceville in 2003, and as a wicked bonus, it comes with a DVD with four promo vids and a 1996 concert in Krakow.
The album itself is rifftastic, slow moving doom with astonishing vocals from Vincent Cavanagh, who at the time the album was recorded was brand new to the microphone. It’s very British, with comparisons to My Dying Bride and Paradise Lost, the other two bands that along with Anathema make up the Peaceville Three, but it’s different in ways that defines Anathema from the rest of the doom metal pack.
For The Silent Enigma, I award a 7.5 out of 10.
The DVD, entitled A Vision of a Dying Embrace, is really good. The promo videos are pretty much what you’d expect, the same vids you could have caught on MTV, MuchMusic, or any other music video TV station back when they still existed. As it is, you can probably catch these videos on YouTube now. The concert, however, is a different story.
It’s a very well filmed show in what looks like a fair-sized venue with a pretty big and supportive crowd. The audio is exceptional, with many camera angles to enjoy the concert from. In many cases the view is much more intimate than what the concertgoers themselves could attain, which is pretty damn sweet. This is the kind of show that could be put onto it’s own DVD without being included as a bonus to an album.
A Vision of a Dying Embrace gets itself an 8 out of 10.

Anathema Fan Page on Facebook.

The Hawthorne Theater – Portland, Oregon – 5/1/2011

Oh, I have been looking forward to seeing The Ocean since Precambrian hit store shelves! So yeah, I was pretty damned jazzed to see this show. I was a little bummed to find out that it would be at The Hawthorne Theater since the thought of a one-hundred and ten degree sweat box with hardcore kids crammed shoulder to shoulder like a bunch of nerdy sardines just didn’t leave a favorable taste in my mouth… BUT! This was the first show since before my daughter was born that my wife and I get to see together!

Let’s just see how well the night went…

The Ocean - At first, I thought that the stage was going to be flooded with musicians since The Ocean is often known as “The Ocean Collective”. But I guess they dropped that in favor of a core line-up. Now that that is out of the way… I said it once, I’ll say it again: FUCK YES! THE OCEAN RULES!!! These European genre melding maniacs tore up what little space they had in such a short time (about twenty minutes of stage time)! I was mostly surprised at the crowd’s reaction to The Ocean’s energy! I mean, most of these kids were here to see Between The Buried And Me and Job For a Cowboy and they were eating out of The Ocean’s tentacles!

Vocalist Loic Rossetti was moving and screaming like a front man possessed! He jumped into the crowd several times and never lost a beat. He also sounded AMAZING considering his harsh to visceral vocal style! Color me impressed! Guitarist Robin Staps was crackling with energy (and covered with oceanic tats) and lead the charge, churing out riffs and on one occasion, diving across the stage to fix his unplugged and possible discombobulated guitar.

Mid way through the second to last song, bassist Louis Jucker just disappeared (according to Staps, it was to wretch his brains out in the back alley)! His presence was missed! This thick as fuck bass chugs filled in a large portion of The Ocean’s collective sound. His return about ten minutes later for the final song of the set was met with deafening approval. And even though they played the shortest set, The Ocean made the biggest impression. The line at the mech table afterward made that perfectly clear…

Cephalic Carnage - Greeting the crowd with a camcorder, vocalist Leo Leal reminded us how great it was to be back in Portland for them. “Very.” Great way to get the crowd going apparently. I was hyped already for their painted brand of Hyrogrind that apparently not many of my ilk (RE: critics) care for much. Well, fuck them! Cephalic Carnage loaded my skull full of the stickiest of icky metal and then set it ablaze with brutal fucking beats and killer vocals! Their sound transfers incredibly well to a live show, which surprised the hell out of me since I thought that they’d be too high to play straight.

Nope.

They grinded as tight as you can get and had the audience letting them know if they’d rather kill for “WEED” or “BEER” or “PUSSY” (I asked why we couldn’t just go halvesies on a drunk hooker holding a bong?)! These guys were undoubtedly tons of fun and yet another band that I can’t wait to have drop back through Portland again!

Brokeback Mountain: The Band - Oops. I meant Blow Job For A Gay Cowboy… argh! You know who I mean! Anyway, I know it’s cool to hate on Job For A Cowboy but please understand that I’m hating on them for a legitimate reason… namely because they fucking blow live. The people I was standing around were confused about if wheatear or not they played one song or three from the beginning of their set! And during their first pause, Jonny Davy asked the crowd what they wanted to hear next. “MATTER OF SPLATTER!” One over enthusiastic fan shouted over the rest. Jonny sought him out just to say “Um… you’re a fucking moron. We JUST played that song.” To which I hear someone else reply, “Maybe that’s because all of your songs sound the same, douchbag!”

…ok, that last guy was me. I couldn’t help it! Act like a douch, yer gonna get heckled. And I mean, c’mon! If one of your obvious FANS couldn’t tell that his requested song was just played, then you fail as a musician!

Anyhow, they continued with their “meh-heh” performance until another pause to stop and do whatever it was that they were doing in the back corner there, when there was another message for the band from the floor, ’GET OFF THE FUCKING STAGE ALREADY!” Jonny was visibly pissed while a good chunk of the proximity of the crowd was all smiles.

…fine! That was me too! My God, they just wouldn’t stop eating away at my soul with their lazy stage presence and trendy muscle shirts and skinny jeans (minus bassist Brent Riggs. His dizzying bass abuse was just plain cool.) Let’s just say that I was more than happy to see these guys exit.

Between The Buried And Me - Sadly, I was called home just as these guys took the stage. Next time Between The Buried And Me. Next time.
The Ocean On Facebook

Cephalic Carnage On Facebook

Job For A Cowboy On Facebook

Between The Buried And Me On Facebook

Where: Branx (Portland, Oregon)

When: 3/2/2011 at 8 p.m.

Ah! There’s nothing like a new metal venue to help save your waning interest in attending shows… I’m only kidding. I actually had no idea as to how to introduce the fact that I’ve never been to Branx before.
For those of you who have never been to Branx before, it looks like a converted warehouse that plays host to several different kinds of bands. There’s a segregated bar area that’s easy to access while still in eye and ear shot of the stage.

There’s also two Neo-Geo machines that caught my eye immediately (I kill you all at Samurai Showdown!).

Overall. Branx is definitely one of the better venues in the Portland area that I’ve been to.
…but none of you really care about the venue at all, do you? You want to hear about the bands.

As I arrived with my plus one (Robyn “Scalp Whitey” Davis) we hit a bit of a snag at the front counter.
“You’re not on the list, sir.” DUN DUN DUUUN!!! I know right? She called me sir! I just turned twenty-seven and already I have people calling me “sir”!? Gah!

…oh yeah. I wasn’t on the list! That was the first time that had happened to me. I was a little miffed until I realized that the irrationally lovely Liz Ciavarella-Brenner had given me the number to Havok vocalist David Sanchez’s cell. A quick phone call and he had us inside with a thousand pardons. No harm done and not a moment too soon as the opening act was just taking the stage.

Beyond Terror Beyond Grace - A cold, atmospheric swell greeted the (very) slowly growing crowd as Beyond Terror Beyond Grace readied their weapons for battle. Even though I was a good one-hundred feet away in a dimly lit building without my glasses, I could see it clear as day. These guys were tired. They’ve been on the road for a while and were twelve-thousand miles from home. That’s enough to put anyone off their waffles. But if you would of shut your eyes and let their scorching blackened grind do the talking, then you would of thought that this was the first gig on their tour!

Their tight musicianship coupled with a demonic possession of the stage and complete commitment to themselves, their music and to the crowd made BTBG glow like some kind of radioactive lizard to me! Even when the sound guy ignored the muddy mic settings and fuzzy (and unintentional) reverb or after the vocalist politely invited us from the bar area to the main floor and NOBODY moved, they managed to keep their awesome’titude going by playing their hearts out.

I honestly hope I get to see these guys again live. But until then, I picked up their 2010 release, Our Ashes Built Mountains. So look for that review soon.

Havok - Unlike nearly all of the crowd, I was here to see Havok. I mean, how often does jet powered thrash come through Portland? Answer: often enough. (I’m just greedy) I was a little worried about David Sanchez’s vocals since when he let us in, he was complaining about not feeling 100% while rubbing his throat. But I guess he was worried about nothing since he and the rest of Havok sounded A-OK, even though he played it safe for one song which they performed as an instrumental.

Once again, the crowd wasn’t too enthusiastic. That is, until they pulled out the big gun for their finale called Afterbuner! Heads we banging, necks were wrecked and assess where kicked! So much so that an encore was demanded… by me and one other guy. Havok happily obliged as I picked up their new t-shirt with the Ed Repka art on it.

Full Blown Chaos - What Hatebreed is doing on this bill, I’ll never know… oh wait. *checks line-up flyer* Full Blown Chaos? Meh. Same difference. I actually didn’t know that these guys were still around. I remember hearing Wake The Demons back in 2004 or so, but after that was nothing I thought. Oh well…

Apparently, they still have a fan base that lives in this city since three quarters of the crowd broke off from the bar and flooded the main floor with their back banging and hardcore dancing. Seriously. I saw hardcore dancing at a show that Malevolent Creation was headlining! I heart sank a little. As for the band themselves, the vocalist love playing to the crowd and managed to turn the interim of EVERY song into a commercial for their CDs and t-shirts. They haven’t changed a bit since I heard their debut album. Apparently that’s a good thing.

Malevolent Creation – You see, I was thinking that the bar would be empty and the floor would be full at this point. I was wrong. Everybody who was there to see Full Blown Chaos switched places with the “true” metalheads in the bar, giving the headliners a support crowd. I almost cried.

Never the less, it was still Malevolent Creation and I was as excited as Albert Fish at a Wiggles concert! I’ve been to several death metal shows, but none as groovy, none as fun and none with a small crowd as devoted as this one was to see Malevolent Creation! They played a healthy smattering of new cuts and old ones, all of which had the crowd going berserk! And not that fake berserk either. Really bloodlust frenzy berserk! It was magical!

Overall: Awesome new venue. Brutal music. Fun, fun & more fun. And after all was said and done, I had a new shirt, two new CDs, one of which with a bunch of autographs on it (the other being Malevolent Creation’s Essentials 3-Disc set) and an admiration for a band that’s a long way from home and needed a handshake.

Beyond Terror Beyond Grace On Facebook

Havok On Facebook

Full Blown Chaos On MySpace

Malevolent Creation On Facebook

When: 07/09/2010

Where: Peter’s Room at The Roseland Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA

This concert kind of snuck up on me yesterday. I had no idea I was going until about six hours before it started! Lucky me, huh?

An un-incidental ride to The Roseland and and interesting convorsation with an obvious crackhead latter, I was in line and waiting to get my Press Pass. While waiting a met a guy who just moved here from New York and who won both his tickets from KUFO. Nice guy. He eventually gave his spare ticket to another guy who just moved here from France (another ultra cool guy). If the Karmatic alignment of this line was any indicator, then I was in for one hell of a night!

Slowly but surely, we filed in, were frisked, acquired our tickets and… made our ways to the bar. Which is were I hit up the first bouncer I saw for intel on the venue. The security personnel at The Roseland were helpful and were willing to answer every little question I had. A nice change of pace from the small dicked, d-bags that normally run security at these things.

And then, the lights when down and the first band took the stage!

Baptized In Blood - As far as As I Lay Dying/Trivium-ish inspired bands go, this Canadian quartet kick a more than fair amount of ass! Hooks and crazy ass beats shook The Roseland and caused that all too familiar rumble in the empty guts of all who were in Pete’s Room. The vocalist was a funny motherfucker and had a powerful grip on the audience, getting us to jump and pit up at a moment’s notice. Not back for an opening act, eh?

Divine Heresy - Now that the blood was pumping radically, it was time for a little game of “Holy Shit, That Little Dude Can Tear Up A Kit!” (an actual remark I heard while Tim Yeung teased the audience during sound check.) Divine Heresy rocked heavy grooves from both albums, with Travis Neal having a 45% success rate on the clean vocals on tracks from Bleed The Fifth (as expected). Bassist Joe Payne is probably one of the coolest musicians I have ever met/seen perform live! His mastery of the bass and his brutal backing growls make him a valuable asset wherever he plays! …oh, and Dino Cazares was there too.

After The Burial - Killswitch Engage meets Suicide Silence… I guess. The crowd seemed to know who the hell After The Burial was and what they were all about, but man! I just couldn’t get into what they were selling. Lots of bounce ’n’ groove, a basketball jersey on the bassist (Suicidal Tendencies, these guys are not!)  and wiggery hand gestures from the front man (Ok, maybe a little). Oh! New rule! If your vocalist does pig squeals and your band isn’t grind, you’re just plain gay! You’ve really got to be something special to do pig squeals and be lame as hell! And After The Burial is nothing special at all…

36 Crazyfists - Why the hell are these guys placed right before the headliners? They’re so misplaced on this tour! Seriously! I saw these guys twice before and both of those times were because pussy was involved. (I’m not proud of that, F.Y.I.) Emocore, sub-par vocalist, strong fan-girl following for some reason (What‘s up with that? Why are there bands out there that appeal to primarily chicks like this?)… I don’t get it. They didn’t even play the two songs they’re semi-famous for! And the vocalist’s banter was pretty weak as well. “I want to see a circle pit here and here! Make it happen ya’ll!” …ugh. A circle pit to a song about thinking about committing suicide but then seeing the light at the last minute and then dying anyway? No thanks. No thanks…

Fear Factory - Finally! Fear Factory! I waited thirteen years to see these guys live (granted it was a different line-up)! And now that I have… I have to see them again! It was everything I hoped it would be! Burton’s voice was amazing! Dino’s shredding was glorious (on the newer tracks at least)! Bassist Byron Stroud is a mountain of a man that beats all, menacing the crowd with his thunderous bass and scraggly redish hairbread! And what a treat it was to witness Gene “The Man” Hoglan play… at half his talent capacity. (Seriously though, anybody else get the feeling that Gene might just be doing this for a paycheck?) Fear Factory dipped into their new CD for a couple of songs then reached waaay the fuck back to 1992 and unleashed Martyr on, I’m sure, a few unsuspecting concert goers. A couple off of Digimortal. A couple off of Obsolete. A couple off of Demanufacture. And none from Transgression! I was a happy camper!

Overall: Not a bad line-up, but not a good one either. It honestly could of just been Fear Factory and Divine Heresy and it would of sold just as well. On top of that, I didn’t hit a single red light on the way home and I got a free large Slurpee at a nearby 7-11 because the register was busted! Hell of a night!

In Loving Memory Of Ryan Franklin Umbreit. The biggest Fear Factory fan I ever knew.

Baptized In Blood On MySpace
Divine Heresy On MySpace
After The Burial On MySpace
36 Crazyfists On MySpace
Fear Facotry On MySpace