Faith No More – Le Butcherettes: Live at The Orpheum, Boston MA


Faith No More, by Hillarie Jason Photography

It isn’t every day that Faith No More comes to play a show in New England or anywhere else. Nor is it every week, month or year. In fact it’s more like every couple of decades, so when they scheduled a date on their tour in support of the new album, Sol Invictus, on Monday, May 11, at The Orpheum in Boston, I knew it would be one of the most anticipated shows of the year and would sell out in a matter of hours, which of course it did.

Many of us traveling from the western part of the state to get to this show were treated to some stupendous traffic on the Mass Pike because one of those Bolt buses literally exploded on the highway. Even still you probably didn’t miss the opening act, Le Butcherettes, who played an extremely long set of something like an hour and fifteen minutes. Honestly, they were pretty good, but I couldn’t help but feel sorry for any band opening up this show. Most people were crammed into the lobby area like fish in a can, downing some sort of alcoholic swill instead of watching them. All they wanted to see was the band that has been absent for a generation. I’m not sure if the singer was acting out as part of her stage act or if it was along the lines of “hey pay attention,” but about 5 songs in she ferociously ripped off her candy apple red high heels and chucked them up into the balcony.

Faith No More, by Hillarie Jason Photography

Faith No More started the set as they have for each show on this tour. With the stage and band members resembling something like a Buddhist slumber party version of A Clockwork Orange or maybe your Aunt Dotties funeral; everything wrapped in white socks or painted white and cheerful sprays of flowers lining the front and back of the stage; the band said hello with the song ‘Motherfucker’.

The set, which included at least one track from every studio album, was top to bottom flawless. Both the old and new songs were fresh and vibrant. They played like a band that had never stopped touring together and seemed even more cohesive than when I saw them in ‘97. The energy was palpable and the crowd responded in turn, but since The Orpheum is a very old seated theater without the standard “pit” it was more of a stand in your seat and scream your head off kind of show. Although, when I went up into the balcony, I could literally feel it bouncing up and down quite dramatically. It was pretty terrifying and I found myself checking to make sure I knew the location of the closest exit to run to in the event of it collapsing.

Faith No More, by Hillarie Jason Photography

They had some fun with the crowd during the song ‘Midlife Crisis.’ Stopping mid-song just before the third chorus and letting the crowd fill in the words, Mike Patton then asked, “You proud of yourselves now?” Much to my amusement and the bewilderment of everyone in the theater, they continued the song after a brief pause to the tune of the Boz Scaggs’ song ‘Lowdown.’ And yes, I have had ‘Lowdown’ in my head since the show. Thanks for that.

Faith No More, by Hillarie Jason Photography

Banter between songs was kept at a minimum other than a quick joke from Roddy Bottum regarding the age of The Orpheum as well as Mike Patton singling out one “hippy dude” about what he thought of Le Butcherettes. Though I had to laugh when Patton announced it was their last song (which it wasn’t) and the crowd erupted into a sea of boos to which he responded, “Boo my ass mother fuckers. Enjoy it. Shut the fuck up!” Enjoy it, we did.

Welcome back, Faith No More. You have been missed.

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WORDS AND PHOTOS BY HILLARIE JASON


At The Gates – Converge- Pallbearer – Vallenfyre: Live at Royale, Boston


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Out of all of the annual big name tours that hit North America, none have been as consistent as The Decibel Magazine Tour. On April 10th at the Royale in Boston, Decibel provided a diverse, yet exciting lineup of newcomers, Vallenfyre, one of rising stars in doom, Pallbearer, metalcore titans Converge, and the legends in the flesh, At The Gates.

Vallenfyre, by Hillarie Jason Photography.

 

Kicking off the night was Vallenfyre who, even with an early set time starting at 5:30 in the early-evening, was greeted by a generous and excited crowd. With the Royale having a strict cut off time at 9:30 on a Friday night (I know, I know) the supergroup out of the UK only had time for a few quick songs. Having said that, they got in three songs from each of their albums with favorites such as: ‘Bereft’, ‘Cathedrals of Dread’, ‘The Grim Irony’, and ‘Splinters’. I will certainly be looking forward to seeing these guys again and so should you!

Pallbearer, by Hillarie Jason Photography.

 

Pallbearer hit the stage next to destroy the crowd’s ears and emotions with a wall of sound via doom metal. Obviously in the doom world, songs tend to run a bit longer than your typical song to truly hold atmosphere and provide a mood. Due to this, we only got three songs from the foursome from Little Rock, Arkansas. Boston got to hear ‘Worlds Apart’ and ‘The Ghost I Use to Be’ from the latest release as well as ‘Foreigner’ from Pallbearer’s debut album. Get on the bandwagon for this band as space is limited!

Converge, by Hillarie Jason Photography.

 

Next up to try and tear down the venue were local heroes, Converge. I will be honest and mention I have never truly been a big fan of these guys, but after seeing them live I think I like the taste of their brand of kool-aid. The adrenaline from the four men on stage had trickled down to the floor as fans started surfing right up and over the barricade to sing their favorite lyrics. The set list was very well constructed to allow for four tracks each from the two latest releases (All We Love We Leave Behind, Axe to Fall) and two tracks each from You Fail Me as well as the classic, Jane Doe. A few favorites heard were: ‘Dark Horse’, ‘Trespasses’, ‘Reap What You Sow’, and the closer, ‘Jane Doe’. I may not have known a single word to any of the songs played, but the sheer energy of this live set by Converge is enough to get me to come back for more.

At The Gates, by Hillarie Jason Photography.

 

Lastly, the gods themselves, At The Gates, took to the stage. Even given the time constraints, the Swedish legends were able to punch out a set list of 19 tracks! Obviously with a new album out (At War With Reality from Century Media) I expected quite a bit of new tracks. In total, the Boston fans got seven from the new album, 7 from Slaughter of the Soul and a few others sprinkled in. Some favorites/sing-a-longs played were: ‘Death and the Labyrinth’, ‘Terminal Spirit Disease’, ‘Raped by the Light of Christ’, ‘Suicide Nation’, and of course, ‘Blinded by Fear’. Even after being apart for all of those years, At The Gates can still bring it and boy do they bring it all. Easily one of the better shows that will hit the Boston market in 2015!

At The Gates, by Hillarie Jason Photography.

 

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WORDS BY TIM LEDIN

PHOTOS BY HILLARIE JASON PHOTOGRAPHY


On The Road… with Electric Wizard and Satan’s Satyrs


Electric Wizard US tour poster

British doom legends Electric Wizard are in the midst of their first full-scale tour of the US in twelve years. What’s the special occasion? Well their acclaimed 2014 album Time To Die (Spinefarm) is occasion enough to bring this troupe to our shores and give doom fans the tour they have been dreaming of. In tow for the coast-to-coast jaunt are up and coming Virginia dirt merchants Satan’s Satyrs, making for a potent bill. On a Friday night at Boston’s Royale nightclub, all the beardos, crust punks and vest metal folk descended near the famed Boston Common-area to share their love of crushing riffs, copious herbal smoke, and many frothy brews. Photographer Hillarie Jason was on hand to capture this photo set from the show.

Satan’s Satyrs, by Hillarie Jason Photography.

 

Electric Wizard, by Hillarie Jason Photography. Electric Wizard, by Hillarie Jason Photography. Electric Wizard, by Hillarie Jason Photography. Electric Wizard, by Hillarie Jason Photography.

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Enslaved – YOB – Ecstatic Vision: Live at The Sinclair, Cambridge MA


enslaved yob tour

Not much in this life beats seeing some great bands play live, except for when you see great bands play live and it is the last stop on the tour. On March 24th in front of an eager Cambridge crowd at The Sinclair, Ecstatic Vision, YOB, and Enslaved brought forth a memorable show to close out the first quarter of the year. For me, I had never heard/listened to Ecstatic Vision, only recently started listening to YOB after they were announced for Maryland Deathfest 2015, and have become a big Enslaved fan over the years. To top it all off, this was the final stop on the tour and was curious to see what sort of shenanigans or special moments could occur. To be honest, I still can’t believe some of the things I saw and how ‘Isa’ by Enslaved is now ruined for me forever (in a good way of course).

Ecstatic Vision, Photo by Hillarie Jason Photography

 

To start off the night on what turned out to be a great note, Ecstatic Vision rocked out and certainly made a vast amount of new fans in Cambridge, MA. The entire set I tried to place what I was listening to, and the best description I could come up with was Deep Purple with Rob Zombie during the White Zombie era on vocals. Naturally, this combination got me excited from the start of the set and straight through until the house lights came on. In a strange moment during one of the epic tracks in the set, Enslaved’s own Grutle Kjellson (lead vocals/bass) and Herbrand Larsen (keyboards, synthesizer, clean vocals) appears on stage to provide some manly hugs to the guys in Ecstatic Vision. Strangest of all was Grutle walking around in a t-shirt and his underwear. Due up next, doom titans, YOB.

 

Yob, Photo by Hillarie Jason Photography

Having only got around to really listening to the latest album from YOB and a select few other tracks, I had high hopes for their live performance. I am happy to say that my high hopes were met, and then some. Given the length of the available set time and the average length of a YOB song, I was not anticipating anymore than a few songs and more than likely one or two off the latest album. Turned out they played a total of four tracks, three of which came off of the new album. The set kicked off with ‘In Our Blood’ which shook the very foundation of The Sinclair and the souls of its guests. In a surprise turn of events, Grutle made his way out to center stage again where a spare microphone was waiting for him as he provided guest vocals for ‘Nothing To Win.’ This would not be the end of Enslaved’s appearances as Grutle, Herbrand, and the rest of the crew would come out and provide more manly hugs to the guys from YOB. It appeared YOB may have been done after just three songs, but Mike Scheidt announced they had time for one last song, ‘Burning the Altar.’ The threesome from Oregon had absolutely blown me away with their live stage presence and I am more than excited to catch them again at MDF this year!

YOB and Enslaved, Photo by Hillarie Jason Photography

At long last, it was time for Enslaved to return to the stage, but actually play some music rather than provide comic relief. The set list from the long time extreme metal favorites was obviously in support of their latest release, In Times (Nuclear Blast), so a couple or so songs could be expected and then a few other songs sprinkled in. Off of the new album, the Cambridge audience got to hear ‘Thurisaz Dreaming’, ‘Building With Fire’, and the album title track, ‘In Times.’ On top of that, the set included a track from 8 other albums such as: Axioma Ethica Odini, Below the Lights, Frost, RIITIIR, and Ruun! Normally when I order a flight, I expect a couple of sample size beers for tasting. However, Enslaved truly put on a flight of their catalog for fans both new and old. Personally, I really enjoyed hearing some of the older tracks such as ‘The Watcher’ and ‘Fenris’. In case there was any question, yes, Grutle’s in between song banter and jokes were present and as funny as ever. Always nice to know that some bands out there today can still play some great heavy metal, but can avoid taking themselves so seriously and just have a good time. As most of the Enslaved fans could guess, the set ended with fan favorite ‘Isa’. However, the joke was on Enslaved at this point as members from both YOB and Ecstatic Vision rushed the stage playing pretending to play instruments unplugged. Also, and most notably, some members of the band and road crew were holding pieces of cardboard that looked to spell ‘Iza’ or someone had difficulty drawing the letter S. Then another Z came out, and then a P. Just when I realized that they had spelled out “pizza” (which is all I can hear now during said song now) some ladies from the merch tables came out on stage and started handing out pieces of pizza out to the crowd! This was certainly a first for me and I am not sure I will ever see anything like that again.

Enslaved, Photo by Hillarie Jason Photography Enslaved, Photo by Hillarie Jason Photography

 

 

Enslaved with YOB and Ecstatic Vision, Photo by Hillarie Jason Photography

 

It just goes to show you that not much can beat an Enslaved show, regardless of who comes with them. However, on this specific tour, I think the selection of support bands were damn near flawless. Also, I wanted to quickly mention my ever growing love for The Sinclair venue. I have been to this venue now for a handful of shows and the staff is always friendly, lighting/sound is perfect, and just the overall atmosphere just seems to really click. As for Enslaved, YOB, and Ecstatic Vision, I think the rest of the heavy metal world has a lot to cover at this point to bring such a diverse but entertaining group of bands together for a tour.

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WORDS BY TIM LEDIN

PHOTOS BY HILLARIE JASON PHOTOGRAPHY


Cannibal Corpse – Behemoth – Aeon – Tribulation: Live At The House of Blues


Cannibal-Behemoth US Tour

After New England has taken the beating of a lifetime from Mother Nature this winter in the form of tons of snow, and frigid temps, it was good to feel the warmth of a venue again. This night was not just poised to be a memorable metal concert, but it was my two-year anniversary with my girlfriend Tara. Keep your flowers and candy; I can’t think of anything more romantic than a night of top-shelf death metal, gore and blasphemy, and my beloved agrees, so off we went to Boston for the show.

I had access to the House of Blues Foundation Room for me and lady on this night. I had some preconceived notions about what the experience was going to be like: corporate and sterile. I could not be more wrong about the unassuming, funky Indian-themed environment. I had a blast and would do it again.

Tribulation opened the show and they were killer. It seems like the band is poised for bigger things here in the US and it was great to see so many fans in the venue super into them. Maybe it’s because Johannes Anderson kind of looks like Evan Peters from American Horror Story. No, that’s not it. They played an awesome set of a few favorites and one new song from their forthcoming album Children of the Night, dropping in May from Century Media.

 

Aeon just flat out destroyed! From the first note to the last they just brutalized the audience to death musically. They were the “aha” band for many when this tour was announced, some fans I know claiming they would leaved after the heavy Swedes were done exsanguinating us all. In the mean time this band keeps killing it big time year after year. They played a brilliant, if too brief for me set with happy little tunes such as ‘Satanic Victory’, ‘Living Sin’, ‘God Gives Head In Heaven’ and ‘Forever Nailed’. I caught up with Tommy Dahlstrom backstage for a quick interview between bands and he said he’d never been happier with a tour. You could tell from their performance it was true.

 

Behemoth was next and I thought right off the bat it would be hard for them to live up to their performance for last spring. In my mind that was as flawless a performance as I might ever see in Death Metal, and I have seen some great ones. Well they certainly came close again tonight. On the even bigger stage of the House of Blues, Nergal and his comrades in Behemoth certainly seemed like larger than life heroes. Milking every ounce of energy and adulation the audience could give, Nergal cajoled cheers and demanded attention with every dramatic arm movement and pose. With the set list now comprising at least half of 2013’s The Satanist (Nuclear Blast) plus the “hits”, it would be nice to hear the band play more from their classic, 90s material. But alas, I doubt we will hear too much of those songs in the future, which is a shame. Still, if the show had ended here I wouldn’t have complained.

 

Nearly any other band would have been hard pressed to follow the performance just witnessed. Cannibal Corpse does live what they have done every step of their career: play technical death metal with effortless mastery. After 25 years it says a lot that they can play a brutal set of 14 tracks and, still leave you wanting more. Newer cuts like ‘Evisceration Plague’ and ‘Kill or Become’ flow perfectly with ‘Hammer Smashed Face’ and ‘The Wretched Spawn’. The pits were consistently awesome for the Corpse, as opposed to Behemoth, but that is likely due to the up and down tempos of the co-headliners. Although I have seen the band countless times, they never fail to amazing with putting on a great set. Corpsegrinder was hilarious as always with his in between song banter, allowing him to be the foil, while his bandmates focus on playing. They continue to be the gold-standard of all death metal band and arguably the best ever.

 

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WORDS BY KEITH CHACHKES

PHOTOS BY HILLARIE JASON PHOTOGRAPHY


Napalm Death – Voivod- Exhumed- Iron Reagan- Ringworm – BCI: at the Worcester Palladium


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It was the dream lineup you didn’t know you wanted.

You can say it was tailor made for fans of moshing, polyrhythms and just very loud noises. On this frigid snow caked Saturday many made the expedition to get some maximum volume. Some coming as far as from a God forsaken land known as Maine.

The destination was the Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts. The event was the “Through Space and Grind” tour co-headlined by Napalm Death and Voivod. This odd bedfellows lineup seemingly straight from 1991 may have been the best unexpected pairing since chicken and waffles. I don’t know who hatched the idea, but I owe him some beer.

All of the Palladium regulars were present. These including corpse paint guy, blonde ponytail dude, the YouTube review types who feel everyone in metal is overrated, the four Latino fans (myself included), older drunk gentleman still stuck in the 80s and 700 kids wearing denim vests (once again, me included). All here for a bill that also featured Exhumed, Iron Reagan, Ringworm and Black Crown Initiate. Virtually ensuring a good night of political dissent, onstage decapitation, blast beats, circle pits, cover songs and a hint of prog. And cheap beer. You can’t go to the Palladium and not get ripped on Narragansett. Or at least have some poured on you by a drunk in the pit.

I was unable to catch the local talent Blacktrip who opened the main stage due to an interview with Exhumed’s Matt Harvey. However I was able to run inside and catch Black Crown Initiate. One of eOne’s latest and most promising signees, Black Crown Initiate hail from Reading Pennsylvania. The same stomping grounds as fellow death metal prospects, Rivers of Nihil. And much like their neighbors, Black Crown Initiate excel at delivering crushing death metal with a bellowing low-end crunch driven forward by endless double kick drumming. However unlike their sometimes counterparts, they also have melodic streak to them and will not hesitate to throw in a Between the Buried and Me style chorus like the one in opening salvo ‘A Great Mistake.’ All of which translated beautifully in terms of live sound. So much so that it was disappointing to only have them play four tracks all from last year’s ripping The Wreckage of Stars. While I wish they had more time they’ll likely roll back into town sooner rather than later. Since the release of The Wreckage of Stars they seem to be on any tour they can get their hands on.

Ringworm stormed the stage to demonstrate their metallic hardcore style. These gentlemen were an aural throwback to the days when splicing metal and hardcore conjured images of Burnt by the Sun and Coalesce, not Falling in Reverse. Thrash tempos collided with concrete with breakdowns as thick as concrete walls on songs like ‘Hellbound’ and ‘Justice Replaced by Revenge.’ And for those in attendance who like to spend most of their time at the second stage during Metal and Hardcore fest, Ringworm made sure pull up some Birth is Pain favorites such as ‘Dollar Whore’ and ‘Madness of War.’ It’s unfortunate that they ran out of time with two songs still left to be played and were hampered by a muddy sound mix. The pits were just beginning to churn.

Keeping affairs fast and loose was (and probably the best band name ever) Iron Reagan. The awesome Richmond Virginia supergroup of sorts (featuring members of Municipal Waste, Cannabis Corpse and Darkest Hour) seemed hell-bent in finding out how many songs they could cram into their set. They even found some time for a nice Boston treat as they covered SS Decontrol’s hardcore classic ‘Glue’ with none other than Barney Greenway on the mic. With regards to Iron Reagan, come for the slashing crossover thrash, but stay for one of the best frontmen in extreme music, Tony Foresta. Foresta with his witty banter and one stage move (awkwardly jumping over Ryan Parrish’s drum kit) kept the momentum going when they weren’t tearing into pit-starters like ‘Miserable Failure’ and ‘Your Kid’s an Asshole.’ One of the more entertaining mouthpieces in a genre that has been known to take itself too seriously.

Exhumed came on right after with a bloody (in more ways than one) fun set. Any death metal act that finishes up with a decapitated head being placed in a microwave is doing God’s work. It is worth noting that Exhumed’s set only featured close to no music from later albums. The focus was placed on Gore Metal, the 1998 Exhumed classic that has been re-recorded and is being reissued. From opening (‘Necromaniac’) to close (‘Open the Abscess’) it was a Gore Metal showcase. If the live energy and response is any indicator then I am liking this re-recording business. Foresta came onstage again for a raucous cover of Negative Approach’s ‘Ready to Fight.’

Not to be outgunned, the elder statesmen of the tour, Voivod, got right after it. Starting with ‘Kluskap O’Kom’ from their 2013 return to form, Target Earth followed up with one of the most underappreciated metal songs ever, ‘Tribal Convictions.’ With vocalist Denis “Snake” Belanger and drummer Michel “Away” Langevin being 49 and 51 respectively I wondered if they could perform with the younger and aggressive bands on the bill. But if I learned one thing that night it’s that Voivod’s album art is consistently ugly and they can thrash with the best of them. By feeling the energy and those odd riffs it becomes clear why they are such a respected albeit obscure institution in metal with the likes of Opeth and Neurosis citing them as an influence. Before I could collect my thoughts properly, they were already in the midst of their haunting rendition of ‘Astronomy Domine.’ Voivod’s lack of success wasn’t because they were too weird or Canadian. They were just too ahead of their time.

Wasting little time following up Voivod’s avant-garde assault, Napalm Death didn’t even bother with a stage banner. The lights went dark and we were treated to ominous and punishing combination of ‘Discordance’ and ‘I Abstain’ off of 1992s Utopia Banished. Napalm Death led by the angriest sounding man in the world, Greenway was backed by drummer Danny Herrera, bassist Shane Embury and filling in for guitarist Mitch Harris was Erik Burke of Brutal Truth fame. When they weren’t blasting out tracks from their new and excellent Apex Predator – Easy Meat (Century Media), Napalm Death dished out punishment in the form of ‘Vision Conquest,’ ‘From Enslavement to Obliteration,” and ‘Suffer the Children.” I’ve seen a lot death, thrash and hardcore bands, but nothing was quite like watching Napalm Death. How they just sounded faster, harsher and angrier than any band I’ve been in the presence of. It was less concert and more like religious experience. I felt like I wanted to call my parent’s and let them know I had found direction and purpose. “Mom. Dad. I’m going to start a grindcore band. I need it. It makes the edge go away.” While it may sound cliché to some, Greenway went into explanations for many of the night’s songs. Whether they be about not letting institutions dictate your sexuality, capitalism, free market economics or religion, it became clear that he’s not just sloganeering; Greenway believes in his art and convictions. This machine kills ignorance.

What started out as a great night of music was elevated to unforgettable. Without a doubt in my mind, Napalm Death is the most important force in extreme music.

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WORDS BY HANSEL LOPEZ

PHOTOS BY HILLARIE JASON PHOTOGRAPHY


Watain – Mayhem – Revenge: Live at Royale, Boston MA


mayhem and watain us tour poster 2015

On January 11th, the Royale Boston, known for their dance club nights, was transformed into the command center of 2015’s “Black Metal Warfare” tour. Revenge, Mayhem, and Watain put together a great first show in the New England area for this year. For me, this was an obvious show to attend as I had never heard of Revenge prior, never saw Mayhem live, and have enjoyed Watain live shows twice prior and was itching for more. After waiting out in the cold winter air, I made my way inside, up front, and ready for whatever was to come out on stage.

First up was the opening band from Canada, Revenge. Having heard quite a bit of hype over this band, and with all of their fans decked out in their merchandise, I was expecting to be wowed. Unfortunately, unlike many other opening bands I was not aware of the past few years, Revenge did not really tickle my fancy as some would say. The music itself seemed very repetitive across the entire set and I was not sure exactly how many songs they actually played. Having said that, most of the crowd was very much enjoying the show which I can respect. It’s one thing to create enjoyable music, but it’s even more important to have an engaging and an enjoyable live show. I look forward to possibly seeing Revenge again, maybe the second time is a charm.

Due up second was the first of two co-headliners, the infamous Mayhem. Surprising to me, Mayhem actually kept the majority of the setlist to their first two big releases, Deathcrush and De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas. Such tracks included: ‘Buried by Time and Dust,’ ‘Freezing Moon’, ‘Chainsaw Gutsfuck’, and ‘Pure Fucking Armageddon’ as the closer. We also got a couple from Chimera as well as one track each from Grand Declaration of War and Wolf’s Lair Abyss. You read that right, there were zero tracks from the new release, Esoteric Warfare. Bold move, Mayhem. As for the presence on stage, and the great lighting, I was mostly delighted with Mayhem’s live show even though I would not consider myself a big fan of Mayhem. Seeing Hellhammer in general brought a smile to my face as he is easily in my Top 10 favorite heavy metal drummers. Not to take anything away from Necrobutcher either, a true living legend. Attila, on the other hand, seemed more comedic to me than grim, or kvlt if you will. With the shaggy mohawk, corny corpse paint with silly looking satanic symbols, and of course the skull he continued to sing to, I could barely hold in my laughter at times. Not trying to down play Mayhem at all although! If I had to rate Mayhem’s performance out of 10, I would say they made a solid 8 performance which was much higher than my expectations were set.

Last but not least is the mysterious Swedish tribe known as Watain. Always being big on theatrics and stage show, this time around I was even farther impressed with the stage set. Watain flags, the typical upside down iron crosses, and the altar where Erik performs his strange rituals were already eye-catching. However, the two skeletons locked up in torture chambers and nailed to crosses pushed the envelope even closer to the edge that the looks of horror from the unsuspecting venue security were priceless! The Uppsala natives did a great job at spreading out their setlist across all five full length releases (3 from Lawless Darkness, Sworn to the Dark, The Wild Hunt; 2 from Casus Luciferi; 1 from Rabid Death’s Curse). Personally I was happy to hear some of my favorites such as ‘Death’s Cold Dark’, ‘Total Funeral’, ‘The Wild Hunt’, and ‘Malfeitor’. As if that was enough, I finally got to see ‘I Am the Earth’ live which is arguably my favorite song. One of the best moments of the night was when Erik came out from the backstage area, holding what appeared to be a goat skull above his head. He came right up to the front of the stage, and in one quick motion, swung the skull from left to right which spewed some sort of animal blood across the front row of fans. After now seeing Watain twice as headline and once as a co-headline, I am more than happy to say this black metal band is for real, regardless of what other black metal elitists may say about them.

Overall, a great show to kickoff the 2015 year! It is not every day that a strong Black Metal line up comes strolling through New England so I knew getting to this show was a must. Outside of seeing Watain, I was able to see the legendary Mayhem and also catch a new up and coming black metal band in Revenge. The question now is did Watain and Mayhem set the bar high enough to maintain a top spot in Show of the Year considerations by December. We have a long way to go this year with a numerous amount of shows in between. Even if in the big picture this show is forgotten due to its early appearance in the year, it will certainly be one of if not the best black metal show of this year.

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Watain on Facebook

Mayhem on Facebook

Revenge on Facebook

 

WORDS BY TIM LEDIN

PHOTOS BY HILLARIE JASON PHOTOGRAPHY


On The Road… High On Fire


Stoner rock overlords High On Fire took a break recently from recording their new album for a short tour of the East Coast to flex their chops. Playing the Webster Theater Underground with openers Windhand, Mountain of Wizard and up and comers Birch Hill Damn, Matt Pike and crew blasted through a set that included three new songs. From all reports if ‘Sunless Years’, ‘Carcosa’, ‘The Black Plot Design’ are any indication, their new record, now being recorded with Kurt Ballou at his Godcity Studios, is going to be a barnburner. Thanks to Hillarie Jason Photography for the photo set:

 

 

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High on Fire on Facebook

Windhand on Facebook

Mountain of Wizard on Facebook

Birch Hill Damn on Facebook

PHOTOS BY HILLARIE JASON PHOTOGRAPHY


Morne – Churchburn – Obsidian Tongue – Sea: Live At The Middle East, Cambridge MA


 

Did you ever go to a show and know right off the bat that it was one for the record books? Well on Friday December 12th at the Middle East Nightclub in Cambridge, there was such a show, and this one makes it into my top 5 out of about 60 for the entire year of 2014. Why? Because it had some of the best bands New England has to offer on the bill coupled with one of the most amazing atmospheres, crowd wise, I have seen in a while.

I always know it’s December in New England when Morne plays a show in the Boston area. A band that keeps it’s local show appearances to about one a year won’t ever be blamed for over saturating the local scene, not that I know anyone who would complain if they were to add a show or two each year. Stacked to the gills with local heavyweights Churchburn and Obsidian Tongue plus a solid new comer, SEA, opening up the nights musical assault, I knew there would be no complaints about the music on this night.

Unfortunately I missed most of SEA’s set but what I caught was really good. Take heavy, slow doom and mix it with part melodic, part chugging riffs. At least that’s what I took away from the 2 songs I got to hear. It was enough for me to be interested in the band and what they do in the months ahead. Hopefully there will be some sort of recording to come from them in the near future.

 

Next up was the Massachusetts black metal outfit, Obsidian Tongue, recently off a stint with Agalloch where they played on 6 of the North American tour dates. This band has grown so much in the past few years and now is a serious force to be reckoned with on stage. How exactly they are able to create such a full sound being a two piece, I have never understood but watching this band mature over the past 4 or so years has been a sheer pleasure and they are definitely one of my favorite local bands.

 

Churchburn hit the stage and began the set with their song ‘V,’ showcasing their take on unrelenting black/death/doom. I have seen this band more than a few times and have not been disappointed once. When Dave Suzuki gets to the mic it’s almost as if instead of opening his mouth, his face actually splits open (like it’s on a damn hinged cantilever or something) and spews raw venom at the audience. One of these days I think he might bust a vessel or something. Absolutely powerful performance from a really devastating band out of Providence. They are solid front to back and definitely not a band to miss.

 

By the time Morne started their set, the place was sold out and started to get a bit steamy. Sneaking a peek at the setlist got me excited for what was to come as it was filled with a combination of songs from all three full length albums. First song was the opening track off the newest release, Shadows, called “Coming of Winter” which was appropriate on many levels. The newest member of the band, Paul Rajpal, seems to be a superb fit to the band and gels very well. The dual nature of Milosz Gassans vocal style, filled with emotion, always reminds me of a dark and painful form of Tuvan throat singing. If you listen carefully you might understand what I mean. As they blasted through the 8 song set, the entire crowd was rapt with their performance, and for good reason. This was one of the most powerful performances I have seen them play to date, which is saying a lot since I have never seen them be anything but top notch. The band just plain crushes, I have no idea how else to put it but this time they leveled the place.

 

This show proved just how strong and vibrant the underground metal scene(or whatever the hell you want to call it) is here in New England.

I highly recommend checking out all of these bands if you haven’t already done so. They do not disappoint!

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Morne on Facebook

 

Churchburn on Facebook

 

Obsidian Tongue on Facebook

 

SEA on Facebook

 

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY HILLARIE JASON

 


Arch Enemy- Kreator – Huntress – Starkill: Live At The Worcester Palladium


Kreator_Tour_alldates2

Time to sojourn out to the Palladium once again for another show on a brisk Autumn Saturday night! While I am hitting seemingly less shows than in past years (still about one every 1-2 weeks) there are certain tours you have to make sure you see. Kreator is one of the most legendary thrash bands ever and always puts on a satisfying live show. Arch Enemy, with the new blood injected by Alissa White-Gluz definitely had the curiosity factor going for it, but AE too has always been nothing if not very consistently excellent as a live proposition. Surely lots of fans wanted to know if the band still had the goods without Angela Gossow, but if you listened to War Eternal (Century Media), you had plenty of evidence to go on. Getting to the venue early, I saw a ton of people in early for the VIP/soundcheck and you could here for a block around the venue, the co-headliners had brought their A-game on this day. Also, I need to send a special shout out to my bro Dan for getting out to the show early and having a blast all day with me. Good times broseph!

Due to some Ghost Cult business, I missed the second stage opening bands, many of whom I was looking forward to seeing. It’s tough parsing up my time, but think in 2015 I am going to give more time to underground acts and locals when possible. Anycase the first band I caught on this night was Starkill and I was pleasantly surprised by how well put together they were live. The early light crowd in the venue early was definitely feeling these guys and their intense performance. They were heavy and tight and seemed very comfortable in what could have been an intimidating situation. I may have to give their just release Virus of the Mind Album (Century Media) another listen as perhaps I shelved that one away a little too quickly a few months back.

Huntress

 

I’m not entirely sure what is going on with Huntress these days. They had me in the fold early on in their career with their blend of proto-metal, occasional thrash and occult rock influences. I knew Jill Janus was occasionally cheesy on the mic, certainly her lyrics you can skip, but she could deliver vocally and the band has been very solid at times. Perhaps I caught the band on a bad night, but they had a dismal performance. Jill voice was definitely suffering from some malady, sounding hoarse, and the band overall was lackluster. The set list didn’t help their cause either since other than a few songs off of their debut, they played a chunk of their latest album, which I also didn’t enjoy much. I think ahead of their next album, this is a band that really needs to evaluate themselves hardcore, and go back to playing to their strengths. There are a lot of bands that do what they do with making it such a poor mish-mosh.

 

Kreator

 

 

By comparison Kreator was amazeballs, but you just knew they would be. Whatever fountain of youth these guys have access to, please point me in the right direction. There tireless Teutonic Thrash warriors just deliver every single time I have ever seen them, dating back to club shows in the 90s. They played a badass set of old jams and new classics for an unrelenting set that clocked in at about one hour. Mille Petrozza continues to be one of the best front men in metal, never sacrificing his immense playing ability for his vocals. Playing a set comprised of tracks from across their history, the highlights were opener ‘Violent Revolution’, Extreme Aggression’, ‘Enemy of God, and ‘Hordes of Chaos’ among others. The pit action was non-stop basically the entire set and I wondered how Arch Enemy would do to match this. The band performed like the seasoned, veteran act that they are had the crowd eating out of their hand. I am ready for 2015 to bring a new Kreator album, how about you?

 

Kreator

 

 

As the roadcrew took a while to change over Kreator’s set for Arch Enemy’s staging (although they used the same lighting rig, I surveyed the crowd. It was a little on the light side for these top two bands and in this venue, but in fairness there had a plethora of shows this week and the annual Rock And Shock festival was the week before. Still, there was a full crowd in front of the stage and they were ready to get their Arch Enemy on, as it has been a while since the band was in front of their American fans to put on a show.

And put on a show they did! Following the into music the crowd welcomed back this long running institution of modern melodic death metal. From the very first notes and guttural roar of White-Gluz announcing the band to the stage with opening song, ‘Enemy Within’, it was on! The pit was active early on in the set as they chopped their way through tracks like ‘War Eternal’, ‘Ravenous’, and ‘Revolution Begins’ before even addressing the audience. The band just seemed to have a fierceness I had not seen from them in a long time, and dare I say they were up there having fun.

Arch Enemy

 

 

At this point, much has been made of Alissa’s rise to front the band, the departure of Gossow, and War Eternal. Hey, change is hard when it comes to your favorite bands. However, chances are, if you were not into the Angela years, you aren’t going to run back screaming for them. On the other hand, Alissa has already proven to be a more than worthy successor, even putting her own stamp on a few classics, but always doing the music justice and sounding brutal as fuck. Let’s not analyze her to death for no reason, just listen and enjoy.

 

As fun as she was fronting The Agonist, Alissa excelled at pumping up the crowd and getting the audience to participate. Although the moshers were looking tired from my vantage point, she kept extolling them to wake up, scream along and generally have a good time.

 

Arch Enemy

As far as the rest of the band, it is always the Michael Amott and Daniel Erlandsson show. Sure the entire band is talents, but Michael and Daniel are worth the price of admission, always. Amott’s soloing and tone sound a crisp and round as ever and he had his usual army of fan-boys in the crowd.

 

The band impressed me with their energy the entire set long, that went for almost 20 tracks and an hour and a half. It’s great to see a veteran band really act like one, and put on a long set night after night. If you want to just be a hater, then fine. But if you have ever cared about this band and are on the fence about their new front woman or new album, I’m here to tell you to get over yourself and give them a fair chance. You might just get blown away.

Arch Enemy

 

Arch Enemy on Facebook

Kreator on Facebook

Huntress on Facebook

Starkill on Facebook

 

WORDS: KEITH CHACHKES

PHOTOS: HILLARIE JASON PHOTOGRAPHY