Von Doom CD Release Party
Posted in Live Reviews on March 20th, 2011 by TyphonThe Hawthrone Theater – Portland, Oregon – 3/19/2011
Ok, it’s late so I’ll make the introduction quick: Tonight was the CD release party for local act Von Doom and their EP Under The Ashen Empire. But that’s not all. It was a gathering of some of the most talented and fun loving group of musicians that Portland has to offer.
Quick enough for you?
Beyond The Red Horizon - I was surprised to see these guys in the opener slot. I really was. I figured they’re be second to last seeing as to how fucking popular/hard working they are. Now, I haven’t seen or heard anything from BTRH in over a year or so and I assumed that they’d have some new material.
They did.
And I’m enthused to tell you that their new material is TITS! Big, huge, bouncy, ready for motorboatin’ tits! The lads from Beyond The Red Horizon were as always, full of contagious energy and pros through and through. Their mixture of full on aggression and melodic musicianship is a sight to behold and to be heard.
I was sure to pick up their new EP, Into The Cosmic Realm. (Review to come shortly!)
Intermission - Between sets, the house played music to pass the time. Sounds pretty standard, right? And since this is a crowd of teenage metalheads (no offense) I was astounded to see how many of them actually knew the lyrics to Holy Diver and Rainbow In The Dark! Granted those are two of Dio’s mainstream hits, it was still refreshing to see none the less.
Dusk’s Embrace - I was particularly excited to see Dusk’s Embrace since I was supposed to see them twice before but they bowed out both times. And with no offense to Dusk’s Embrace, I was a little under whelmed. Maybe it was because the stage was a little big for only three guys to be on it. Maybe it was because none of members were moving around at all. Or maybe it was because Dusk’s Embrace seems like more of an “album band”, where their music is more enjoyable when you’re kicking back in your Lay-Z-Boy, joint hanging out of the corner of your mouth and lights dimmed.
But that’s just my opinion. And to be fair, they performed well enough. Maybe my expectations were too high for a band that I hold in such high regard. Sorry guys. But on the plus side, I picked up their new album, The Twilight Enigma. (Review to come shortly!)
Othrys (formally Our Own Blood) - Since their vocalist was out with a 102 degree fever, Othrys played as an instrumental three piece. Now, I’ve never actually heard these guys play before, but I’m practically foaming at the mouth to hear them as a full band! The three dudes on stage KILLED! Tons of energy, mountainous riffs with mosh pit pleasing breakdowns and machine gun drumming poured out of this temporary trio of titanic thrashers!
Unfortunately, they don’t have any recorded material out at the moment, so we’ll have to wait this one out… damn it!
Titarius - At the risk of sounding biased, Titarius fucking owns! Hearing that many people shout “D..O..A!!!” at once was almost surreal since I’m used to just hearing myself trying to layer my voice in an attempt to make it sound like there are three other people shouting it with me in my car… ::is ashamed::
Titarius makes a habbit of blowing the crowd away with awesome metal covers… and this one was a doozy! I have to admit, seeing five guys that aren’t Iron Maiden play Powerslave was almost unsettling… ALMOST unsettling. In actuality, Titarius fucking nailed this cover! I’m positive that the crowd shared my beliefs since the applause was deafening.
Intermission - Hey! Remember earlier when I said that they played house music between sets? Well, this time they tranced it up a bit… yeah. Eighty pound teenage girls trying to bump and grind on guys wearing Death and Iron Maiden t-shirts. It was kind of creepy to say the least.
Von Doom - While I was a moderate fan of Von Doom’s Second Sight, (barring the vocals, of course. Yech!) I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect. Was the vocalist going to make me cringe? Were these guys going to be able to perform up to the task of being in the headline slot? Did anybody hear me when I shouted “Reed Richards is a pussy?”
1) The vocalist actually sounded great. 2) Yes and no. 3) Probably not since I didn’t get punched.
Von Doom had their fans in a frenzy before they even finished setting up their equipment. A most impressive feat for a local band, no question.
But I gotta be honest, they lost me around their cover (that was for the ladies) of Rod Stewart’s If You Want My Body… yeah. I was officially pooped so I bowed out for the night. But not before picking up their free demo… (Review to come shortly)
Beyond The Red Horizon On Facebook
Dusk’s Embrace On Facebook
Othrys On MySpace
Titarius On Facebook
Von Doom On Facebook
