impressed by my knowledge of numbers in foreign languages? don't be, you're seeing the limit of it. after the crazy go nuts time that was the Evil Survives show saturday, i almost considered taking it easy and sitting out the Red Fang / Valient Thorr show on monday the 11th. i quickly reconsidered after recounting how uncanny Red Fang's show at the oakland metro opera house had been this summer, and besides, what's a better cure for the mendacity that is a monday than a metal show?
going in to the bottom of the hill, i wasn't sure what to expect. i knew Red Fang would be bringing that crazy energy that their music inspires, but i wasn't super familiar with Valient Thorr...in fact all i really had heard about them was that "their shows are fucking crazy". i was tired, i wanted a beer, i wanted to see what kinda merch Red Fang had for sale, and wasn't feel 100%, so i concluded i'd rock out to Red Fang, listen to the first couple Valient Thorr songs and if i wasn't feeling it, i'd head home...but firs the merch table! one of the best parts about going to indie metal shows is $5 music. always buy the $5 music. if it sucks, hey, it was just 5 bucks, but rarely if ever does it suck. between the Pirates of Darkwater EP purchased at the Sword show, or the Ten Miles Wide album purchased at the Mendozza show, my life has been brutally enriched by $5 music. as i approached Red Fang's merch table, saw the same vinyl i had at home i got a little bummed, until i noticed the $5 tour EPs they had for sale. i immediately snatched one up and waded my way through the crowd as Red Fang took the stage.
combining well loved vintage gear with Thin Lizzy-esque song structure, the best way to describe Red Fang's sound would be as groovy, roots metal. a brilliant throw back to double chorused guitar solos, solid, steady, driving drums, booming bass, and severely harmonized vocals. Red Fang tore through a slew of new tracks (to be featured on their upcoming LP from Relapse Records and despite audience unfamiliarity, the whole crowd was groovin'. from the new tracks Red Fang cut into some golden oldies off their first LP. my personal highlight was getting to hear "Good to Die" live, though "Prehistoric Dog" and "Humans Remain, Human Remains" were pretty prolific as well. all 'round awesomeness.
after watching Red Fang kick the shit out of their instruments for about 40 minutes, my energy was definitely up and i was ready to see what Valient Thorr had to offer, fucking craziness sounded like just what i needed as i waded my way closer to the stage so as to get some pit action in. the phrase "rock n' roll party" only begins to describe what Valient Thorr brought. providing an all around sonic assault was pretty much their game plan as song after song pummeled the audience. not being too familiar with Valient Thorr's work, i must admit i wasn't totally prepared for the energy of their pit, and was pretty fucking impressed when a ring of dudes held the pit back so i could search for the glasses that had gotten knocked off of my face. When playing live, Valient Thorr does an excellent job of keeping the audience going crazy, but with super positive attitudes. Comments from lead singer Valient Himself like "this song's about those times when you feel down in the dumps, like nothin's going your way, but you just power through and keep going, cuz you know there's a thousand people out there who feel the same and need to party with you!" kept audience members smiling while dropping heavy elbows in the pit. their political stances came out through at various points in the show with Valient announcing the title of their latest single as "a message about the people who actually have power in our country and what we wanna do to them! this song is called Killionaire!!" and noting how the band's logo is a modified peace symbol. a supreme highlight came when the entire band left their instruments aside to take up drums, as Valient hopped into the audience and started freak dancing random show goers female and male alike. seriously, a ball to the wall, "who gives a fuck, let's go crazy" rock n' roll party. Hell yeah, brutality on a monday night...and the week was yet to be concluded...keep it gloomy y'all.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
week of epicness part deux...
If my evenings this week could have been bottled, the only name they could be marketed under would be 'awesomesauce'. looking back over the past week i've seen awesome performances, been privy to opportunities to purchase awesome new underground metal vinyl, cassettes, or cds, and hopped around in a couple of pretty prolific pits.
the week of epicness began last saturday, october 9th at the hemlock tavern. on the bill were Serpent Crown (sf), Spellcaster (portland), Evil Survives (manitoba), and Midnight Chaser (sf). going in the only band on the ticket i was familiar with was evil survives, and even then it was mainly due to the fact that serpent crown is one of the many local metal outfits featuring Will Carroll (of Death Angel, Scarecrow, Old Grandad...) on drums. in all of my eagerness to see them, i naturally miscalculated my bike commute to the hemlock and totally missed their set. fuck you murphy and your fucking laws (i'm flipping off the hypothetical "murphy" as i type).
as i entered the back of the hemlock where the stage is after wading through crowds of fleet week yuppies (though, with all the sailor outfits i just assumed it was some pride event) on my way in, i arrived to a band assaulting eardrums as their front man thanked everyone for coming and that they hoped to come back soon...yup, i missed the second band, Spellcaster, as well! worried that my $7 dollar admission fee might have been for naught (as just that brief glimpse was enough to convince me i needed to buy Spellcaster's album...what if i had missed the best bands?!) i nervously sipped my beer awaiting Evil Survives. what came next, did not disappoint.
from the instant they took the stage Evil Survives proved themselves a force to be reckoned with. slashing speed licks supported by a skull rattling bass and gut pummeling blast beats with searing vocals tearing through the mix in a style that exemplifies some of our favorite aspects of classic NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal...y'know, the prolific post Black Sabbath stuff like Iron Maiden, Saxon, Judas Priest...). despite an audience that seemed content to hang back as far away from the stage as possible, Evil Survives rocked it as if playing to a packed arena. fortunately the small performance space that is the hemlock tavern was put to full use as the lead singer belted lyrics from the pit occasionally using audience members standing idly by as supports during vociferous headbangs. as far as the riffage went, the guitar talent of Evil Survives clearly showed strong influence from the likes of Dave Murray and KK Downing, augmented by a tangible love for thrash and early american death metal. in many ways, at the end of Evil Survives' set i felt like i had just been treated to a performance by Helloween in their prime.
as Evil Survives left the stage, I was already telling myself that Midnight Chaser's performance would have no bearing on the fact that the night had already reached extreme levels of badassitude. luckily, Midnight Chaser brought it with the same over the top energy that had defined the night thus far. at that point in the night, the crowd was warmed up (and boozed up) enough not to need much more than some loud driving rock. Midnight Chaser tore through some old school power metal styled party rock that had the audience grooving right away. the only downside to the show came about 20 minutes later when Midnight Chaser had to end their set abruptly due to a broken guitar string. audience members waited, unmoving, as the guitarist scrambled around looking for a replacement string, but as the search continued last call was, well, called, and the music had to be shut down for the night. despite being unable to see Midnight Chaser's entire set, missing most of Spellcaster and all of Serpent Crown, it was a seriously epic night at the hemlock, and just the beginning of a show going week so epic, my ears are still ringing. what happened next?! keep checking back and you'll see, otherwise, keep it gloomy y'all.
the week of epicness began last saturday, october 9th at the hemlock tavern. on the bill were Serpent Crown (sf), Spellcaster (portland), Evil Survives (manitoba), and Midnight Chaser (sf). going in the only band on the ticket i was familiar with was evil survives, and even then it was mainly due to the fact that serpent crown is one of the many local metal outfits featuring Will Carroll (of Death Angel, Scarecrow, Old Grandad...) on drums. in all of my eagerness to see them, i naturally miscalculated my bike commute to the hemlock and totally missed their set. fuck you murphy and your fucking laws (i'm flipping off the hypothetical "murphy" as i type).
as i entered the back of the hemlock where the stage is after wading through crowds of fleet week yuppies (though, with all the sailor outfits i just assumed it was some pride event) on my way in, i arrived to a band assaulting eardrums as their front man thanked everyone for coming and that they hoped to come back soon...yup, i missed the second band, Spellcaster, as well! worried that my $7 dollar admission fee might have been for naught (as just that brief glimpse was enough to convince me i needed to buy Spellcaster's album...what if i had missed the best bands?!) i nervously sipped my beer awaiting Evil Survives. what came next, did not disappoint.
from the instant they took the stage Evil Survives proved themselves a force to be reckoned with. slashing speed licks supported by a skull rattling bass and gut pummeling blast beats with searing vocals tearing through the mix in a style that exemplifies some of our favorite aspects of classic NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal...y'know, the prolific post Black Sabbath stuff like Iron Maiden, Saxon, Judas Priest...). despite an audience that seemed content to hang back as far away from the stage as possible, Evil Survives rocked it as if playing to a packed arena. fortunately the small performance space that is the hemlock tavern was put to full use as the lead singer belted lyrics from the pit occasionally using audience members standing idly by as supports during vociferous headbangs. as far as the riffage went, the guitar talent of Evil Survives clearly showed strong influence from the likes of Dave Murray and KK Downing, augmented by a tangible love for thrash and early american death metal. in many ways, at the end of Evil Survives' set i felt like i had just been treated to a performance by Helloween in their prime.
as Evil Survives left the stage, I was already telling myself that Midnight Chaser's performance would have no bearing on the fact that the night had already reached extreme levels of badassitude. luckily, Midnight Chaser brought it with the same over the top energy that had defined the night thus far. at that point in the night, the crowd was warmed up (and boozed up) enough not to need much more than some loud driving rock. Midnight Chaser tore through some old school power metal styled party rock that had the audience grooving right away. the only downside to the show came about 20 minutes later when Midnight Chaser had to end their set abruptly due to a broken guitar string. audience members waited, unmoving, as the guitarist scrambled around looking for a replacement string, but as the search continued last call was, well, called, and the music had to be shut down for the night. despite being unable to see Midnight Chaser's entire set, missing most of Spellcaster and all of Serpent Crown, it was a seriously epic night at the hemlock, and just the beginning of a show going week so epic, my ears are still ringing. what happened next?! keep checking back and you'll see, otherwise, keep it gloomy y'all.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
week of epicness...
dude. DUDE. this week has been fucking awesome! Spellcaster and Evil Survives last Saturday, Red Fang and Valient Thorr on Monday, Grayceon and Deadsea last night...fucking awesome. is this post gonna be a full on review? no, cuz sandeep is fucking exhausted, but a massive review will follow this weekend...maybe after i've figured out whether i'm going to the Hightower show at el rio or the Kowloon Walled City (though i will see KWC for free with Saviours next thursday at the SF tattoo convention pre-party at thee parkside...) show at the hemlock tavern this saturday night...more to come, keep it gloomy y'all.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Red Octopus - layers upon layers of psychadelic goodness
i don't get why some metal heads or so anti-prog. prog is super fun! it's all spastic and abrasive and confusing to people that listen to all that mainstream bull shit that's always on the radio. in my mind, prog is the purest spirit of metal in musical for, a big, loud, unapologetic fuck you to folks who dont get it or like it. when you start through heavy elements of psychadelic rock, prog only gets more fun. case in point, san diego's Red Octopus. walking into thee parkside last month for a Hightower show, i was hoping the other bands on the bill would be pretty prolific. from Walken, to Pride Tiger, to Frontside Five, i've seen some pretty badass supporting bands courtesy of Hightower. Red Octopus is definitely the latest addition to that list (oh and Hightower's new album...freakin' sweet, review to come...soonish). claiming oneself to be in a psychadelic band can definitely pigeonhole one's sound. for me it invokes mental imagery of Jimi Hendrix spasmodically expressing his way through a full body performance of 'Voodoo Chile'...a ridiculously high standard to achieve. it's no surprise that many bands well worthy of referring to themselves as psychadelic bands prefer the label of 'math rock' as they use their extremely non-traditional time signatures and riffs to fight for musical legitimacy. some bands can totally pull it off, while other slip into the 'noise rock' category making them inaccessible to many music fans (especially during live performance). keeping in tradition with greats like King Crimson, Red Octopus goes out of their way to provide awe inspiring musicianship held together by a tightly mathematical rhythm section supporting ethereal lead grooves to keep your toe tapping despite being totally mesmerized by the enticing wall of sound this power trio puts forth. providing just enough of that gritty noise we would hope for from an extremely talented prog band, layered with dooomed out grooves, catchy melodies, and intensely headbangable moments.
Red Octopus' set that night was maybe 45 min or so, which was the perfect amount of time for them to power though 2 (yup, just 2) songs as the audience struggled to fight the urge to applaud at each down tempo breakdown. the tenacity and focus with which Red Octopus attacked their instruments was mesmerizing convincing me that i wasn't about to leave thee parkside without either a recording of their stuff or very explicit instructions on how to get one of their recordings. luckily their EP was for sale (or really just available for folks will to throw some cash down for it) on unlabeled burned CDs which came in a fun card stock sleeve which featured Red Octopus' logo silk screened on the outside (which the guitarist did in his bedroom after creating the stencil off a pen sketch!). the show was an unmitigated success with audience members converging upon the band to share congratulations, ask about recordings, and a slew of other questions around musical influences, song writing technique, and nerding out on their gear (they had some SWEET fucking gear). waking up the next morning and having the opportunity to give Red Octopus a listen in a state of *ahem* sobriety was mind blowing. the sheer power of this band's stage show is audible through one's headphones. though their recordings might be extraordinarily hard to get your hands on, it'll be well worth the effort. keep it gloomy y'all.
Red Octopus' set that night was maybe 45 min or so, which was the perfect amount of time for them to power though 2 (yup, just 2) songs as the audience struggled to fight the urge to applaud at each down tempo breakdown. the tenacity and focus with which Red Octopus attacked their instruments was mesmerizing convincing me that i wasn't about to leave thee parkside without either a recording of their stuff or very explicit instructions on how to get one of their recordings. luckily their EP was for sale (or really just available for folks will to throw some cash down for it) on unlabeled burned CDs which came in a fun card stock sleeve which featured Red Octopus' logo silk screened on the outside (which the guitarist did in his bedroom after creating the stencil off a pen sketch!). the show was an unmitigated success with audience members converging upon the band to share congratulations, ask about recordings, and a slew of other questions around musical influences, song writing technique, and nerding out on their gear (they had some SWEET fucking gear). waking up the next morning and having the opportunity to give Red Octopus a listen in a state of *ahem* sobriety was mind blowing. the sheer power of this band's stage show is audible through one's headphones. though their recordings might be extraordinarily hard to get your hands on, it'll be well worth the effort. keep it gloomy y'all.
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