On Saturday night, a set of acts descended on The Chance Theater in Poughkeepsie, New York. This was the kind of bill that would make Tipper Gore tremble in fear. Five bands in all: Vision Serpent, Divine Incarnation, Salem’s Childe, Wednesday 13, and Doyle tore into their sets and left ears ringing by night’s end.
The theater itself is an old Vaudeville house gorgeously decorated and begging for but not needing restoration. Two Egyptian sarcophagi tower over either side of the stage and the ornate ceilings still show some of their former glory. Parking is readily available as the entrance is steps from a municipal lot. Poughkeepsie is a bit of a depressed town so there probably aren’t too many noise complaints. Good thing too considering this show, there is a big advantage to this. A little squalor results in lower rents and that is something restaurants love. There are several very good places to eat within easy walking distance of the theater.
First up was Vision Serpent, a local band that just released their debut album The Black (Self-Released) in August to pretty positive reviews. Being the opener, they are given a half hour to do their thing and they do it well. Blasting high speed Thrash Metal into the hall, gravely vocals hint of menace as hair flies everywhere. Their set was quickly over and Vision Serpent receives some scattered applause and probably deserved better.
Another local band, Divine Incarnation, follows with another half hour set. This three piece band has produced a couple of albums, most recently Wrath (Self-Released) was released in 2021. Their Facebook bio describes their music as 100% Metal but there is some Thrash and Punk thrown in for good measure. It is tough to tell how so much sound comes from three people but they get the crowd moving and put on a good show.
Wednesday 13 and Doyle have been each headlining their own tours and because they have a similar fan base, someone thought it would be a good idea if they play together on occasion. This is their third and last meetup. Supporting Doyle on the tour is a band from Indiana called Salem’s Childe. As soon as they hit the stage it is clear why they were chosen to tour with Doyle. They are much more polished than what we have seen and don’t delay from song to song. They interact with the crowd working everyone up and significantly raising the energy in the room. A cover of ‘Plowed by Sponge’ works to generate more energy as not everyone is familiar with the Salem’s Childe catalog. I suspect we will be hearing more from them in the future.
Wednesday 13 is a headlining act in their own right but this night they find themselves supporting Doyle. A band that clearly has fun on stage, Wednesday 13 is a bit more Rock And Roll than the earlier bands, but they are still clearly Metal. Specifically Horror Metal with songs like ‘I Walked With A Zombie’ and ‘Die My Bride’. Throughout the set, the lead singer Wednesday is saying that there are audio issues. He tells the audience that “If I can’t hear myself sing you’ll have to sing for me” and everyone is up to the challenge. It would be hard to think of a live act more fun than Wednesday 13. Their act consists of some of the dumbest songs ever written, of which Wednesday himself pokes fun, and you’ll never have more fun seeing them live.
Unfortunately, an evening of impromptu sound checks and set up/break down delays collectively come together and cut the Wednesday 13 set down to just a few songs to allow Doyle their complete set.
As the lights go down for the final time for the evening, Doyle takes the stage. Lead guitar and the band’s namesake Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein casts an imposing figure. His face painted white with blacked out eyes and his mohawk dropping in front in a single string, he is shirtless to show off what must be thousands of hours in the gym. He rips at this guitar as if angry at it making it look small in his hands and furious sound explodes from the stacks. Like a pair of bookends, Brandon Strate is equally ripped playing bass on the other side of the stage. With a pentagram tattooed prominently on his chest the bass fills out the cacophony and drummer Wade Murff sets a blistering pace daring everyone to keep up. While all of this is going on, front man and singer Alex “Wolfman” Story belts out lyrics while wearing a black leather bondage/Mexican wrestling mask. Running around the stage and climbing the speaker stacks he keeps dousing himself with water until it becomes too much and the mask is cast aside. Song after song this continues until breathlessly Wolfman thanks everyone for coming out and the crowd exits into the night waiting for the next show.
The Doyle tour will move overseas and you can catch them there starting in June.
Wednesday 13 is finishing up part one of their US tour, with a few dates remaining. They will be back headlining for part two in the fall as well as touring with Ministry during their European tour later this year.
WORDS BY MATTHEW KOCHEK
PHOTOS BY KIM HANSEN