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11/16/10 – The Roseland Theater, Portland, Oregon

Getting to The Roseland Theater is always an adventure in and of it’s self. The long walk from whatever place you can find that doesn’t charge for parking, crossing at crosswalks were motorists and bicyclist alike believe that a red light is merely a suggestion, dodging the phantom-like MAX trains as the appear out of nowhere, ready to flatten you and dodging homeless guys asking you for any spare change that you might have so they can have a hot shower or a warm meal, while trying to hide their day old track marks or rotten meth mouths. FUN! But it’s all worth it when you finally reach it.

And this time, I had company! A pair of brothers from my childhood that I haven’t seen in eighteen years! (Metal, it brings the world together.) Ronnie: The Scholar and Music Aficionado, and Ryan: The Warchief. They were more or less going for Danzig while I was going officially for Marduk and unofficially for Possessed. Let’s see where the night takes us…

After the obligatory pat down by surprisingly cool security staff, I made my way over to the check in station where I was informed that there would be NO CAMERAS ALLOWED. Really Glenn? You dick… So I had to bum two buck off my pals to have my camera held at check-in. Nice. We then made our way to the up-stairs bar where my Native American companions obtained the first of many plastic containers of booze. After a quick recon for some tail to cull, we all settled against the cold steel rails and waited for the show to start.

Withered - This was my first experience with this Georgia based black metal outfit. And for a band opening a show for a bunch of rabid Misfits fans (face it, that’s who was there!) they really seemed to win the crowd over fast! Scorching blast beats deafened the crowd as the string section headbanged and helicoptered in unison. Even with a muddied sound (from the tech guy who seemed to be busy jerking off to the underage cum dumpsters in the crowd other than doing his job), their metal was strong! Savage, evil and groovy. A winning combination if there ever was one!

Toxic Holocaust - Wild Dogs. 666. War Is Hell. Nuke The Cross. You know ‘em. You love ‘em. They played ‘em! Toxic Holocaust lit up the crowd like six megaton bomb! Apparently blackened thrash is a favorite flavor for Portlanders? It probably helps that we can catch Joel at Voodoo Doughnuts or if you’re lucky, Powell’s Books… Anyway, their set was short and to the point. They came, they saw, they conquered. Toxic Holocaust never disappoints!

During this intermission, The Brothers Hill realized that they may not have brought enough cash to get properly hammered before Danzig took the stage! Panic had officially set in. They quickly began formulating a plan. Siblings where contacted and annoyed, some favors were called in and soon after, more booze monies were obtained. And that’s when I discovered that in the lower bar of The Roseland, they installed monitors so that you can get some food and drinks in comfort and not miss the show! Sure this isn’t news to most of you, but I never thought about it before. A sweet development indeed.

Marduk - Yes! The evil has landed! Marduk stormed the stage and took no prisoners with their awe inspiring presence and wicked black metal! Favorites new and old where played with studio quality (minus a couple of cases of ear bleeding feedback that seemed to plague EVERY band) and with a fierce passion that only seems to come from Europe. And let me tell you, that ferocity was picked up by every person in the crowed! Not a single head stayed still. No mercy was to be found in the pit or fuck, off to the sides in the safe zones either! Marduk grabbed the collective crowd by the throat and beat us until they were satisfied!

Possessed – I heard someone behind me say “Wait. Since when has Jeff Becerra been in a wheelchair?” when Possessed started their set. I turned around to check out who said that and he looked exactly how I thought he would; a drunk asshole. I growled and turned my attention back to the new owners of my soul. Jeff and Sadistic Intent played a scorching set, included my favorite tracks from Seven Churches! Everybody was in tip-top form and the crowd ate it all up! Necks were wrecked, fists were pumpin’ and nights were made. I mentioned that the pit was merciless when Marduk was playing right? Well, expand the pit by fifteen feet, add about twenty more people and crank up the mayhem and that’s the pit Possessed made (were Ryan was destroying some skinny, rat faced pussy in a black trench coat and just about everything else in his path). The metal gods surely had been smiling upon us at The Roseland.

Danzig – I was ready to leave after Possessed ended their set. I was satisfied in almost every way possible after their epic performance… but nooooooo. I had to stay and witness something that ALL of my friend insisted would be a life altering experience. I hate my friends since they must hate me to fill my head with such LIES!!!

As unpopular as my view on Danzig an his many projects (except Samhain) is, I feel this way none the less: I don’t get it. Why is he as revered as he is? Especially now? He has this whole aging rock star thing now that’s incredibly off-putting and he’s clearly full of himself. What’s the big draw? It’s certainly not his tunes and it sure as fuck isn’t his attitude…

*Ahem* Getting back on topic; after a FOURTY FIVE MINTUE sound check (when the rest of the bands took around ten minutes or less), Danzig and company took the stage… and he immediately threatened a man in the balcony who he thought was filming the show. “If I find out that you were filming me, I’ll break your fucking neck!” Charming. They then went on to play a bunch of his solo material, which makes sense since he’s not touring with The Misfits or what have you. The crowd seemed to get a little impatient when they didn’t immediately play Die Die My Darling or I Turned Into A Martian. They played Mother, possibly sensing the tension and maybe hoping that playing their hit might calm some jangled nerves… they received mixed reaction from the crowd. I left after they faked ending the show before coming back for an encore where, I’m sure he played something from that catalog. But whatever…

Overall: Yet another show were I was disappointed by the headliner and blown away by an opening act. I’m not sure if you can count that as a negative at all though since Possessed killed and Marduk killed. If you missed this show, I feel oh so sorry for you. If you were a Danzig fan and you missed this show, I still feel sorry for you… though not in the way you think. Haha!

Withered Official
Toxic Holocaust On MySpace
Marduk Official
Possessed On MySpace
Danzig Official

Genre: Blackened Death Metal
Label: BloodyMountain Records

An original-sounding black metal album? From the States? SWEET!
It’s been awhile since something that sounds like this has raped my ears. It’s not another rehashing of Transilvanian Hunger or Deathcrush or Panzer Division Marduk. It’s a little bit of all three put together, with some (naturally) USBM elements, and touches of death metal here and there, but almost not enough to call this blackened death.
I’m really liking it, especially the song “Berserrker”. Check them out if you’re into the classics, as well as Bloodthrone, Twilight, and Begrime Exemious.
7.5 out of 10.

Valdur on MySpace.

Genre: Black Metal
Labels: Forces of Satan, BAARS Records

Blasphemous, a band I haven’t listened to until recently, bring an intensely evil sounding black metal to the ear that’s reminiscent of Behemoth, Marduk, Dark Funeral, and to some extent Mayhem. It’s pretty vile, with such song titles as “When the Dark Storms Surround” (the album opener, which is also a new-asshole-opener), “Genocide of the Kingdom”, “Drift into the Depths of Suicide” (a hell-fueled opus to self-annihilation), “Among the Wolves”, and my favorite song “Raped Upon the Altar”.
Death metal influences are mixed with the black metal, as is thrash. Not coincidentally, members of Blasphemous were also in death metal bands before, and R.K., the vocalist, was once in Grindshaft with Blasphemous’ ex-drummer Poltergeist.
Anyway, back to the album: It’s intense, like I said, and evil. Fast thrashy black metal with touches of death, and a fucking cool sounding vocalist. If you’re a fan of old school black and/or blackened thrash, get Blasphemous.
7 out of 10.

Genre: Black Metal
Label: Regain Records

Epkyrosis is a sound for tired ears. Finally a black metal band that’s truly evil sounding, not just evil looking with some okay tunes. True black metal, with a gorgeously melodic brutality woven throughout. And when I say brutality, I’m not just dicking around. I mean Setherial are brutal. The blast beats are pummelling, making you want more and more, and the slower, heavy parts are just that – lead weights around your ankles dragging you to hell itself. Vicious screams pierce the music with an intensity that prove their purpose: to speak blasphemy upon the cross, and to give praise to darkness.
I fucking love this album, and if you’re a fan of old Dimmu Borgir, Gorgoroth, Marduk, or Dark Funeral, you should fucking love this album too.
10 out of 10.

Setherial on MySpace.

Genre: Black Metal
Label: Independent

Promising to be something different in a sea of the same, Black Sexual Blasphemy by Idolater delivers.
This isn’t just another one-man black metal band playing the same tired riffs for an apathetic audience. The riffs themselves are dynamic, switching between higher and lower registers, with lots of actual chords used as well as the classic black metal staple, tremolo picking.
Lyrically, Idolater is pissed off. But the target is not just the standards of black metal (Christianity, etc.) but rather the institution of marriage is  a big topic of choice, which in itself I find interesting. Granted, it is black metal. Christianity, humankind, and “all religions and myths of the human imagination” take some serious fire.
Idolater is a new band for me, and I’m liking what I hear for sure. I hope to hear more in the near future too.
8 out of 10.