Saturday, January 28, 2012

Battle of the Bands - Jan 21st @ The Zoo

There was an excellent turn-out at the Zoo, that became a swarm of support for Winnipeg's local talent: Abhorrupt, Grand Master, Laika and Tyrants Demise.  The battle was for the prize of opening up for Metal Alliance, which features Devildriver and Dying Fetus. Excellent! The results were decided by the voting public, so if you didn't vote, then you're succumbing to what the political fat cats want! Which is voter apathy in their favour! SO VOTE- Even if it's just for a metal band.  All this for only $7! Could Winnipeg be any better for metal? Why, certainly, but we aren't doing bad.

The first band to hit the stage was Abhorupt, which had some decent band dynamics, and their short-haired front-man was consistent enough in his vocal style. What really struck me, was when he had to continually look at lyrics for a song, and would go to the edge of the stage and peer down at it during the song, and then get back into singing it, or gargling it or... growling it. Whatever. It wasn't bad, just rather amusing. "It's death metal, man." One shortcoming however, was that they would get into a tasty riff, and then cut it short instead of going with it. So the potential is definitely there, they just need to re-hash their song writing and riff sculpting process. Otherwise, it was a pleasure seeing and hearing them play.



Then, of course... there was Grand Master.... How much more can I love this trio? They're just the nicest dudes, and the vets of this gig. Playing an onslaught of about fourty-five minutes, non-stop, and competing with the rest of the bill, which is a lot more death metal. They really tailored their sound to fit this bill, and did it effectively with harsher vocals and even more energy than the last time I saw them. The bottom line is, Grand Master know exactly what they're doing, and even if the crowd wasn't their regular crowd, everyone still had a wicked time being in the presence of their raw talent. I may be slightly biased when it comes to Grand Master, but they are really something else when it comes to seeing these guys live. While taking pictures, I went right up to the corner of the drum platform, right in front of one of the cymbals which of course Matt hit. And I felt the gust of the impact, which was exhilarating, and I could tell Matt was worried the cymbal would hit me. Thank goodness for my excellent depth perception!


Laika came on, and I could finally form my own opinion on a band that I had only heard about. They had the unique feature of a keyboardist, who, despite not always having a musical bit, brought lots of energy on the stage and air-guitared and moved around. I've seen some pretty stiff band members who were ALWAYS playing a musical piece, but just lacked the enthusiasm to make it fun. Laika was mediocre in terms of sound production for this show, because their rhythm guitarist, with a stack I'd never seen called Framus, was WAY too loud, and had a shitty over-gated tone that really ruined their sound. Over all a very charismatic band, with just that unfortunate feature of bad sound. Their bassist commanded a good deal of attention for just being brutal and funny to see, and their lead guitarist had some excellent licks. Their drummer was pretty fun to take pictures of, and over all, I sort of enjoyed their set. Rhythm guitarist just needs to TURN IT DOWN, PLEASE.

Emerging from the mist, to blast your fucking ears until after 1 am were the might Tyrants Demise, which took the prize, rightfully. They were definitely the biggest draw, and it was clear from the beginning that they would win, simply by having superior death metal magic. It comes as no surprise that they tore up the place and lashed the crowd with some heavy sounds, and of course, the energy was always high. Tyrants Demise have an excellent tone, and you can't not enjoy seeing their visceral strengths on stage. This was a death metal concert, and they played the best death metal. They eat up the stage, tear up the night and make any metal fan bob and weave, and occasionally make people want to run into each other.

Twas a good night
I would just like to thank all the bands for allowing me to take pictures of them through their entire sets, because it could be very distracting. A special thanks to Cory for allowing me to take my band photography to the next level and letting these four bands loose all in one night! Looking forward to seeing Tyrants Demise open for Metal Alliance. The best of the best are available here--->  https://picasaweb.google.com/113056343942734663331/BattleOfTheBandsJan21st

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Upcoming shows!

February 9th - Warbringer, Symphony X and Iced Earth
The Garrick Centre - $42.50
Doors at 6pm
Tickets available at Music Trader and online
http://www.ticketmaster.ca/event/1100476176DE7658


Manitoba Metal Festival at The Zoo - February 24th - $13
Into Eternity, Legion of Liquor, Annex Theory, Seventh Sin


February 25th - $25
Suffocation, Dissolution, Alphakill, Hoarfrost, Untimely Demise


Tickets available at:The Zoo, Music Trader, Into the Music, War on Music, Into the Music



March 28th - Metal Alliance
Devildriver, The Faceless, Dying FetusJob For A Cowboy3 Inches of Blood, and Impending Doom
The Garrick Centre
Opening is Battle of the Bands winner Tyrants Demise!
Tickets can be purchased for $38.75 at www.artistarena.com and locally at War on Music, Music Trader, and Into the Music


April 18th - Sepultura, Havok, Death Angel 
The Zoo - More information soon!


April 19th - Kittie, Blackguard, The Agonist, Bonded By Blood 
The Parki Theater - All Ages - $20
Show begins at 7pm
Tickets available at War on Music, Into the Music, Music Trader and online http://www.enterthevault.com/


BUY YOUR TICKETS, MEOW



Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Goat Horn - Storming the Gates - 2003

Gracefully recorded entirely in analog- Storming the Gates is a Canadian heavy metal menagerie marked with doomier tones, but overly a straight metal record. This trio, consisting of visionary Jason Decay, drummer "Steel Rider" and guitarist Brandon Wars, really set a thick tone for this album, brandishing the metal with some very 80's sounding blackened thrash. Jason Decay's vocals could be described as Cronos-lite, but with more actual tune carrying. There is so much charm to this rather fun, and evidently British heavy metal influenced record, and it could have very well been produced in the 80's. The 80's seem to have a very strong influence and grip on metal in Toronto, just by seeing and hearing bands such as Goat Horn and Skull Fist. The entertainment flourishes with these talented groups, and even if their styles might be either more hair, or more doom- they are still essentially kin in a world where false metal still breathes.

The album opens to a very slow and muddy sounding rhythm in Gates of Oppression, but quickly picks up to a classic heavy metal pace and tone. Already the head-bobbing creeps on, and there is no denying the effectiveness and consistency of the meatier part of this tune. Sliding back into the sludgier bit, the picture becomes clear that this bands dynamics already hit home, from fast and furious to a distinctive slow and grudging mood. That sludge and British heavy metal can be so clearly heard in the same track, and can be transitioned to, back and forth, so effectively demands some form of praise. The sound moving on to Rotten Roll is so full and textured in tone, just the entire feel is infectious. The beat picks up and mixes- complimenting Jason's vocals, which are never overbearing or overreaching- just within the means of the music, and still rough and rugged. "We are the rotten roll revolution, with the ultimate solution!" The guitar is almost entirely without effects, and uses the full availability of tone to punch out some very tantalizing licks and solos throughout this track and the album.

The rhyming scheme isn't subtle, in that it's a predictable, but satisfying array of rhymning words, very uniformly sprawled out:

The time has come to do away,
Clear the waste, none to betray,
Destroy the false, imposters we will slay!

It sounds catchy, and after about three or four hearings, you can't help but sing along, and love every second of the vocals. However, there really isn't any excuse to rhyme more with more, which does happen on this album. This makes the heavy metal influence even more apparent and makes the album more fun and camp to listen to. To The Cliff has a groovy vibe and a solid wall of sound that makes this just another fantastic tune on this album. Softly plucked chords open up the ending track of side A, and then takes a darker heaving turn in Final Sentence/Finally Sentenced. It's also amusing to see the redundancy that is purposely placed with Goat Horn and future project Cauldron, also with Jason Decay. The subject matter of this song is easily to most in depth and thought out, the person in question has clearly been sentenced harshly without much thought, but the relief of a death sentence is a great release from the obvious injustices in the world. Finally!

The B side opens with a short but sweet little instrumental Storming In, which effectively sounds just like storming in. Fortress Doomed also sounds exactly like what it's describing, which seems to be a medieval siege on a fortress. Rhythmically battering and letting arrows fly, the siege sounds long and hard, attempting to curb whatever power holds the fortress. A little more than halfway through the track, someone, I assume Jason Decay, let's out this mosquito buzz-like scream that sort of fizzles out into hilarity. Even if Goat Horn is very British heavy metal influenced, Jason still lacks the pipes to belt it like Bruce Dickinson or Rob Halford. As the song begins to close, it repeats the same quick tune from Storming In to tie up this part of the album very nicely. The pace for The Last Force continues to paint a picture of urgerncy, coupled with Jason Decay's relatively softened and subdued vocals on this track compared to the raw approach he has on the rest of the album. As the track climbs, Jason gets grittier and then lets out his mosquito buzz again- which must be a jocular aspect of this album. It has to be a facetious action to take, because Jason cannot really wail.

The guitar layering in this album is sometimes very well engineered, and nicely written such as in Re-Animation. Recording the chunky rhythm guitar and writing a catching lead lick over it likely took time, coordination and real commitment. Re-Animation is arguably the darkest track on Storming the Gates, not just with the subject matter, but with the over all feel of the track. This track is much like the tale of Frankenstein's monster with it's initial re-animation and confused birth. Sounding hard, and even enraged, the plot could be continued from Finally Sentenced where there is relief in death, but now being "synthetically revived" by chemical means, malice ensues from having the relief be retracted by unwanted new life. One part of the song with really slugdey shredding could be straight off of Darkness Descends by Dark Angel by how dark and aggressive it sounds. Resounding hate for being reborn and having the soul sent back from the flames very clearly comes through with this gem of a song. How ever well Re-Animation fits, it is still a Sacrifice cover, almost completely unaltered and raw. The choice was impeccable as it serves as a good track on the album to showcase the albums roots and influences.

The tale of  Fate Strikes is sort of a sad ending to the album, because the gates, although stormed, now become the end realized. The gates they come to see and besiege are actually now the gates of eternity into death. In what could be considered the alternate plot or idea, death is welcomed and achieved because the world is unjust, and it is even heinous to bring someone back to life. But through the main concept of the album, it would seem that the goal of overtaking the fortress is now lost, and the gates of light are now before the group.

Fate's brought us here tonight,
And now I see the light,
In through the gates we go,
On to the end where we don't know,
Our destiny finally told!

However still an awesome heavy track, it is still a lamenting one. The end so close, but now the struggle is over forever. Were they storming the gates into destiny all along, or were there really riches and power waiting for them inside a real fortress? This mirage of prestige and wealth may have been the prize all along. The music playfully uses reverb and softer picking bits with the familiar chugging that mark this album as a fatefully underrated album.
The rhythm of the album chugs along, with some very eclectic tones and parts that makes this a very unique listening experience that one hasn't quite heard anywhere else, despite the heavy and familiar influences. Some may argue it is a two-pronged concept album, but with some more inspection and thought, it might still be considered a solid single concept album. The subject matter is intrigueing, with some social commentating undertones, but overall a fun listen because of the raw approach. Recorded in analog and now re-issued on vinyl with a new cover, this is an album that shouldn't be left out of any heavy metal lover's collection.


Rotten Roll Revolution!
This is a War on Music record re-issue available on vinyl!

Friday, January 6, 2012

Gorguts - From Wisdom to Hate - 2001


The 2001 release from Gorguts is an overshadowed record following their climactic album: Obscura. Unfortunately, due to this recognition of Obscura as their magnum opus, so to speak, their album From Wisdom to Hate is a greatly under appreciated follow-up. All the elements of a pounding and solid record, are put forth and blasted through speakers of the damned. The main difference in tone for this album likely comes the change of line-up- which includes Voivod and Martyr's Daniel Mongrain and his distinct technical and crunchy tone. From listening to From Wisdom to Hate, I could immediately discern that Mongrain was their guitarist by how he approached soloing and his over all guitar complexion. The experimental difference is subtle, but apparent, by dabbling in the different sounds a guitar makes, as opposed to riff writing or even beat changes.

The album opens with Inverted, blasting with a popping snare drum and a very unique sounding pick slide that becomes a riff in itself, like an even more radical pinch harmonic. Eventually the song takes a break from the blast beats and drags itself into a sludgey and deep refrain. On some parts of the album, the band seems to intentionally drone to contrast between their unrelenting blast beats and brutally fast harmony. As well, the transitions between such parts are either choppy, just to showcase this contraposition in dynamics, or smooth and seemless; Such as the change from tracks Behave Through Mythos to From Wisdom to Hate. The two tracks could have very well been the same song, and one would have never known from just hearing the album.  Side A of the record ends with a chunky tune which opened with a foreboding synthonic and a doomily climbing bit.  Marked with bells of misery, which set up the full feel of the track- The Quest for Equilibrium felt like the perfect way to bring a slight intermission and let the first half of this album to settle in one's soul.

With Unearthing the Past it's back to brutal business, and nothing does this business better than the straight forward, but sanguinary sounding machination of this metal track. Elusive Treasures offers a myriad of things to listen for and might even be considered the gem of the album, of course this is subjective. It does offer resounding beauty in dynamics and left me on the edge with quick build-ups and bursting aggression. I am quite relieved that Gorguts did not abuse fade in's and fade out's, with only one fade-out on Das Martyrium Des... but that nicely lead into the outro track of the album which stomps to a similar sound as Inverted to tie up the album.

Luc Lemay's vocal style often reminds me of David Vincent of Morbid Angel, with deep growls and consistency in tone and range.  Lyrical content is strongly critical of theology and the bombastic praise of deities and the hypocrisy of irrational belief in higher beings. Conquest is also covered, in the way that those who wielded the sword and made great capital gains with land and wealth were able to twist history in their favour. This gain and brutality, will of course, garner impetuous terror on those conquered. The lyrics are very nicely constructed, and never seeming to repeat the same scheme of rhyme, make for an eye-widening read as one connects the lyrics to the vocals. 

The time signatures are jazzy, or can be described as "jazz-blasted technical death metal". This uncommon feature really sets Gorguts apart from other assumed "brutal death metal" bands, and makes them that much more of a joy to listen to. Once again, the jazz texture may be a mark of Mongrain, which also shines evidently in Martyr's music. The overall vicissitude of the album makes for a very good listen, and many repeat hearings, and there is always something more to take note of in terms of the fluctuation of the atmosphere. The fluidity from track to track on side B is astoundingly well produced, and one feels almost like this album slipped through their ears too quickly. However overlooked, this album offers a multitude of unwavering progressions and insightful flowing lyrics.

A War on Music vinyl re-issue!