Unholy Trinity: Viraemia

This is a 3-part series in which I will review the best Technical Death Metal bands I've ever seen. In a genre as complicated and intense as this, it takes a certain X-factor to stand out against the crowd. The following bands have that type of talent, so let's start off by giving mad props to Viraemia.

Viraemia has fallen into a common rut, as many of their songs are indistinguishable. However, the trained ear or die-hard fan can differentiate each song, and since each composition is superb, it doesn't matter too much if they sound similar. The music consists mainly of intricate sweeping, relentlessly fast and brutal. The vocal style is guttural with low, deep growls. The lyrics are the crown jewel of the band, as they revolve around a medical theme. The gimmick of fucked up diseases and professional terminology lends a sense of realism to an otherwise over-the-top ensemble. In fact, the realistic themes make the whole experience that much scarier. The overwhelming intensity of Viraemia certainly isn't for everyone. I myself prefer to put their self-titled CD for a spin when I want to kill someone I hate, but I don't want to deal with a lawsuit. The alternative (or soundtrack) to homocide never sounded so good. Four stars outta five.

Rings Of Saturn: Dingir

In a rare moment of sobriety, I decided to take on the beast known as Rings Of Saturn. This Aliencore group transcended the underground scene to become a Death Metal phenomenon, notorious for their painstakingly intricate compositions, ludicrously loud sound, and all around fucked up state of being.

Despite many complications, Rings Of Saturn have released a stream of their new full length album, Dingir. Although it greatly resembles their debut album, Embryonic Anamoly, the band has clearly refined their already superb virtuosity. On the plus side, that means that they have retained the same musical style that attracted fans in the first place. But on the other hand, I can't tell one track from the next. Although the composition is immaculate and the musical skills are extraordinary, the songs are virtually indistinguishable from each other. Mayhaps that's just because I listened to Dingir once, and my eardrums have been in a state of recovery ever since.

It's a must-listen if you like technical compositions, Death Metal, aliens, or music that sounds like a Super Nintendo game on speed. Imagine the band Viraemia getting abducted by astro-zombies.
My only complaint is that the songs are so technical that I can't differentiate them, but that's just the nature of the beast. If I was getting mauled to death by a Hydra, the least of my worries would be which head is which. It would still be brutally badass.

                           Yep, pretty much. Let's just give them five stars outta five.

1st Annual Blu Phoenix Rising Fest

In case no-one noticed (which is probably the case), I've been pumped about this show for about a month. Now that it finally happened, I feel entitled to rant and rave even more about it. It was amazing, as Joe Angel Productions tend to be, and it went a little something like this:

The opening act was Of All Forms, which I consider to be the quintessential modern Metal band. They're not radio-friendly in the traditional sense, but they sound like they could get some air-time on one of the cooler rock stations. There are no gimmicks or genre-bending, just good ol' Metal. OAF is heavy and loud, as it should be. In fact, they were loud enough that I could hear their awesome tunes all the way from the stupid stamp table at which I was working. Good stuff.

Next up was, uh... I don't know, because I think there were some last minute line-up changes. Let's just pretend that it was Through Gore Comes Glory. Whoever it was, I don't think I've ever seen these guys live, or if I did then I was too drunk to remember it. Either way, when I heard the vocalist during the sound check, I knew I couldn't miss it. So in an act that was somewhere between endearing and obnoxious, I just moved the stamp table in front of the concert hall doors. In the process, I discovered the noble art of headbanging on a skateboard. It was totally worth it.

Next was The Eden Betrayal, a local Metalcore group. I don't know why Christian Rock has such a bad rep, because these guys were effing brutal. The clean vocals were pretty decent, but the screams were absolutely mindblowing. The guitar and bass riffs were hook-y, the drumming was fierce, and the whole stage presence was intense. Again, I was stranded at the stupid stamp table, but I could hear the music- and the raucous applause- from my station.

The fourth band to play was Portrait Of A Mastermind from Albuqurque. Having seen them before, I knew it was worth it to forsake my door-duty to hear them again. The nanosecond I was relieved, I ran to the concert hall like a bat outta hell. Not only is the vocalist a freaking beast, but the guitars are complex to the point of intricacy. The bass and drums keep things heavy, and the dynamics of the band are ultimately a synthesis of melodic and technical styles. The cherry on top is that they have a freaking pirate song, and if that doesn't shiver your timbers, nothing will.

Like I said, I kinda lost track of all the bands, especially since Fields Of Elysium bailed, so forgive me if I give false information here. The next band was (probably) From Sacrifice To Survival. If you clicked on that link, then you know what kind of show they put on. That shit was BADASS. The music is crazy and energetic, with some hella gnarly vocals. And even if I mistook which order they played in, I can redeem myself when FSTS plays the Metal Alliance tour with Devildriver and Job For A Cowboy on April 8th.

I'm pretty sure that Immortal Prophecy was the next band, but don't quote me on it. Anyway, their instrumental style is epic, melodic, and heavy.... in a word, righteous... whereas the vocals are snarly and wicked. For some reason, these guys sound really old-school to me. Their style is a flashback to late 80's/early 90's Metal, and in fact is almost nostalgiac. The vocals, however, seem more contemporary. Well, whatever, the point is they are fucking shredders, and I love their concerts.

Leading into the headliner, I know for a fact, was Impurity Of Mriya. They too were fucking shredders. Their stage presence was spectacular, and their music was rowdy. Their energy was intense, dark, and sometimes a little freaky, just like their album art. I don't know who designed their logo, but it has the same earthy, dark hinted hues of Viraemia, as well as the realistic gore. Their performance was so jarring that it was refreshing, and the whole audience was enraptured by their wicked compositions.

The headliner was The Devastated, who recently got signed to a major label. It has been but a fortnight since they became the latest addition to Century Media, the same company that brought you Arch Enemy, Winds Of Plague, Suicide Silence, and In Flames. To join their ranks, The Devastated has to be some heavy duty stuff. They proved themselves in concert, as they were ruthlessly heavy and painfully loud... That's right, they were so cherry that it hurt. The music was very rhythmic, but almost devoid of melody. Not only was the performance amazing, but they had killer merch as well. Weed Goats and Demon Dogs? Hell yeah. They will be on tour, so check the dates and show these guys some support.

Best night ever. Five stars outta five.