Cattle Decapitation: Concert Review

I've been anticipating this  concert ever since it was announced. Now that I have experienced Cattle Decapitation in their full glory, I am blown away. Although my neck will be hurting for the next week, and some of my comrades left the venue bruised and bloody, it was totally worth the pain. Here's why:

A Malicious Plague were the opening band. One song would emphasize shredding guitar solos, the next would highlight the noodling bass lines, and yet another song would be centered around percussion.  Each band member excelled in his particular instrument, and together they delivered an excellent performance, though no two songs sounded alike. 

Impaled Offering fucking killed it. The vocals were delivered in a low-pitched, deep growl. The guitars were dissonant and caustic as hell, with furious drumming in the background. Whether you are into brutal death metal like Cryptopsy or goregrind like Exhumed, Impaled Offering definitely delivers a raw, violent sound to rival the best in the metal industry.

Yar could  potentially be my favorite act out of the whole bill. They played some songs I didn't recognize from their self-titled debut, so this was presumably new material from an upcoming album. There is heart and depth behind their aggressive, thrashy sound. Of all the bands who performed, Yar had the most emotive quality. Although the guitar riffs were the focal point, the kickass vocals, percussion, and bass lines all complemented each other. 

Fields Of Elysium are focused on musical technique. Although their music is extreme, this is not mosh material. The style is very technical and somewhat reminiscent of Jazz. Sometimes these strange musical arrangements sound brilliant, but on the other hand,  the abrupt tempo changes in both percussion and string instruments can be quite jarring. Nonetheless, there are enough breakdowns and guitar sweeps to satisfy most purists (i.e. metal nerds).

  

Carrion Kind, characterized by a melodic thrash style,  played many songs that fans would recognize from Conglomerate Of Misery, their debut album released in 2014. They saved their best for last, performing my favorite track, Memoirs Of A  Lost Civilization, as the final song in their set. Catchy drum beats and guitar hooks were overlapped by gutteral vocals. Excellent performance, as always. 

Cattle Decapitation are infamous for making incredibly violent, angry music. Although only two members of the current line up are vegetarian, the lyrics remain pessimistic and misanthropic condemnations of mankind’s tendency to perpetually fuck itself over. The mosh pits were insane, and I was ecstatic when they ended the night with Kingdom Of Tyrants, one of their best and most notorious tracks. 

Thanks to Metal World Radio, Kronos Creative, and The Locker Room, who made this show possible. Also a special shout out to Attack Research, whose generous sponsorship contributed immensely to the event's success. 

All things considered, this was an amazing concert. Four stars out of five.  

Upcoming Shows

Ha! What a great flyer. At long last, As In We are back to play at 2nd Street Brewery on New Years Eve. (Note that this is the original  brewery which is actually located on 2nd Street.) Doors open at 10 pm, music starts around 11. Oh, and Also, it's FREE! Only things to keep in mind are to tip your bartender, buy some merch, and don't drive drunk.

On Jan 7 2015, Hanta will be playing their album release show with Iceolus, Yar, and...DJ Muffins? One of these things is not like the others. The show will take place at Sister, a bar on Central. Cover is only $5.

If the 80's have taught me anything, it's that Battles Of The Bands kick major ass. This one is sponsored by Rock U Night, 94 Rock, an even Jim Beam. 

Here is an updated flyer with the final line up. If you haven't already acquired tickets for this concert, they are available on Hold My Ticket or from any of the local bands (Carrion Kind, Fields Of Elysium, Yar, Impaled Offering, and A Malicious Plague.) The price of tix goes up if you buy them at the door, so I suggest you get them in advance.  The madness takes place at 6:30 pm,  January Tenth at The Locker Room. Let's get rowdy. 

Upcoming Shows: *UPDATED*

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First and foremost, I am pleased to announce that CATTLE FREAKING DECAPITATION is coming to my humble hometown to play at The Locker Room on January tenth. That's one way to start 2015 with a bang. The official line up inlcudes Carrion Kind, Fields Of Elysium, Yar, Impaled Offering and A Malicious Plague.

Meanwhile, in Albuqurque, Launchpad will be hosting this show on December 18th. Show some love to Omingnome, touring from Georgia. 

I've never heard of any of these bands, but the flyer looks cool, so here ya go. 

 Until Chaos are back in the scene, and their reunion show will feature Savage Wizdom! Plus the venue is called The Damn Bar and if that doesn't make you want to go, you're a lost cause. 

The day after Jesus' fake birthday, Music Is The Enemy will be playing with Beard and Futilitarian at Burt's Tiki Lounge in Albuquerque. I definitely want to score some of MITE's sweet new merch. Check it:

Sha-weet!

On the same day, Inanimate Existence will be playing at the brand spanking new venue, Blu Pheonix, with support from Impaled Offering, Omnicast, Diminished Existence, and...Lithopaedion? How the fuck do you pronounce that? Whatever, looks like a kickass show. 

Last but not least, here is a show for you Oakland metalheads. I haven't heard of Bog Oak, but they have a wicked logo and I definitely have love for Wayfarer and Infinite Waste. Since I'm a couple thousand miles away, I won't make it to this gig, but if you happen to be in the area, do yourself a favor and check it out.

If you know of any more concerts and events, you can contact me here. Until then, I'm out. 

Carrion Kind: The Collapse Of All To Come

The Collapse Of All To Come is the first album released by Santa Fe death metal band, Carrion Kind.  More rhythmic than melodic, there is an underlying groove to the music, reminiscent of Sepultura and Pantera. Thrashy death metal riffs and raging solos overlap with the thunderous percussion. Morbid lyrics are brought to life with Jayson Grace's gutteral vocals. The subject matter revolves around dark themes such as the self-destructive nature of humanity, and mass corruption on a global scale.

From the remains of old school Santa Fe metal bands such as Fallen Hope, Grinkai, and The Seventh Circle (to name a few), the members of Carrion Kind boast years of experience in the underground music scene. The  style of The Collapse Of All To Come suggests technical proficiency and a familiarity with music theory, yet it is also defined by raw musical talent. This isn't overproduced or overly polished. It is just refined enough to showcase their technical prowess, but make no mistake that this album stems from primal rage and righteous indignation. The music itself is fittingly aggressive and brutal, appealing to the disillusioned and dejected masses.

Everything from the complex yet catchy song structures, to the nihilistic lyrics, and even the sinister album art reflects the militant mindset of Carrion Kind and the music they make. You can check out their music on Bandcamp, Reverbnation, or Carrion Kind's own website. The Collapse Of All To Come would be a great addition to any Metalhead's collection, especially fans of old school thrash and death metal. Plus, it's a steal at only $7. What's not to like? Four stars out of five.

Hell In July *Updated*

 

Hell In July is the  aptly named national tour featuring Six Feet Under, Decrepit Birth, and Cannabis Corpse. *UPDATE*  The show made headline news, and here's a link to the article.

The show got off to a good start with Oscillation. The vocals are uber-deep growls, and occasionally reverb with an effect that resembles Autopsy's sound. The guitars and bass are aggressive and catchy in the vein of the Deathcore genre. This band is comprised of former members of Soul To Rest and Obelisk, keeping elements of both bands. Death Metal Party Sludge hybrid! 

Cassovita Is an instrumental duo of a drummer and a guitarist. The riffs are intricate and technical, complimented by the fast and precise drumming. The result is an extremely dynamic musical style. The audience is kept on their toes with abrupt changes in key and time signature. Some songs transition so intensely that it's almost like getting two tracks in one. 

Desmadre are pretty damn rowdy. No, scratch that, they are fucking RAUNCHY. They are a flashback to old school Grind, with the same fast, catchy riffage of Hardcore Punk. I guess that makes them Grindcore, doesn't it? These guys are straight up scary. Translated from Spanish, their band name means chaos, turmoil, disorder, that kind of thing. It suits them. 

Carrion Kind is another Metal group that emerged from members of broken-up bands. They, like Oscillation, retain aspects of their members' previous bands. So think along the lines of Grinkai's funky beats with Grind inspired riffs and some gutteral vocals thrown in. They are completely wicked. 

Abiotic's music sounds like the name implies: Morbid, dark, and sinister. This band is grade A top quality Tech-Death with elements of Prog.  It was around the time they hit the stage that everyone simultaneously got the munchies. I couldn't do much headbanging, moshing, or thrashing in general. I was too busy eating overpriced chile cheese fries and drinking shitty beer.

Cannabis Corpse was a lot of fun. Their sense of humor was spot on, and their sound was almost studio quality. They sound great on record, and it was the same on stage. The music is hilarious, with themes like getting abducted by pot aliens, or killed by weed monsters. 

Aaaand here's where the bad news starts. Right before they completed their set,  Bill Robinson of Decrepit Birth announced that the whole show would conclude with Cannabis Corpse' final song. The venue stopped the shindig short on account of alleged underage drinking. Instead of doing something reasonable, like kick the minors out of the bar area, they brought everything to a grinding halt. So two of the headliners, Decrepit Birth and Six Feet Under, were screwed out of playing and the audience was screwed out of seeing them. Fans booed, refunds were demanded, sheriffs were called, apologies were offered, but at least it was good while it lasted. Everyone from the promoters to the crew to the bands themselves cranked it to 11 to put on an incredible concert. Although I am disappointed that I missed two spectacular bands, the show was great from start to (early) finish. Oh yeah, did I mention it was fucking raining for part of the show?!  Yeah, those guys kick ass.

By the way, this whole tour was instigated by the release of Six Feet Under's latest creation, Unborn.  Even if you didn't get to see them this time, remember to support them and all the work they put into this album. Also, this is a TOUR. Give it a day or two and the same line up will be playing within driving distance.

Cheryl's final thought: I'm usually not this petty, but $3 for warm Budweiser and then you gyp me out of seeing two great acts? Don't mess with my booze and Metal. The venue gets a rating of a sad face. 

Meanwhile, the concert itself gets four stars. The line up was sick, and the crew worked wonders.  

Upcoming Shows

First and foremost, I must unveil the glory that is the Despise The World 2013 lineup. This is so good it has to be fattening.  The astronomically talented Fields Of Elysium from Santa Fe, New Mexico bring on the Jazzcore/Tech-Death with a vengeance. Admiron is some kind of unholy beast wrought from the forges of Thrash, Industrial, and Metalcore. Rings Of Saturn are painstakingly intricate, alarmingly fast Tech-Death group, also known as the innovaters of "Aliencore." They recently came out on top of the Summer Slaughter tour vote, but more on that later. Meanwhile, Jungle Rot is releasing a new album, Terror Regime, available the day of this show! Speaking of new albums, the recently re-animated Exhumed   has been relatively dormant until the 2011 release of All Guts No Glory, which you may recognize as a fuckin amazing EP.  Headling is another heavy-weight beast of the Death-Metal industry, Suffocation. This legendary group has been playing kickass death metal since '88, a year when Glam rock was prevalent and good tunes were scarce. 

This is an all-ages show, but since the venue is Hooligans Nightclub, we big-kids get to drink ourselves silly. (I assume the "No Alcohol" means don't show up already drunk.) Tickets are a mere $22 and can be purchased at  Music-go-round, The Zone smokeshop in Albuqurque, or The Concrete Jungle smokeshop in Santa Fe. This is a monstrously big show, so doors open at the ungodly hour of 4 PM. And if you manage to emerge from the wreckage of the concert in one piece, there's a 21+ afterparty featuring Incide, Unleash The Baboon, Carrion Kind, and End to End. Fuck yeah!

So let's say that the day after that show, you survived your mosh-induced injuries, you survived your whiplash, you survived the raging afterparty, and the subsequent hangover just makes you want to go to another show. Well, you lucky dog, Ghost comes to town immediately after the Despise The World tour! Doesn't that just make you jolly as a roger?

Tickets must be purchased in advance, and you can do that here.  Doors open at 8 PM. All ages. No drugs, no alcohol.

Mayhem is coming, oh yes it is. I'm pretty stoked for approximately half of the line-up, and the other half simply isn't my cup of tea. Let's play a fun game and see if you can guess which is which.   

               Edgefest  gets an honorable mention. This music event is sponsored by 104.1 The Edge, the Alternative/Grunge radio station of Albuqurque. The line up isn't really "Metal." I even hesitate to call any of those bands "Hard Rock".  But they're all decent groups, and if you needed something to do in Albuqurque on May 5th, well, here ya go.

Th-th-that's all, folks.

Rise From The Ashes Of Disbelief

I'm not a slacker. To the contrary, I got two jobs, and therefore have very little time to write on my precious, precious blog. Also, I don't even own my own computer. And typing entire articles on a smart-phone is a pain in the ass. Enough of my excuses, let's talk abut Metal.



First of all, I'm going to throw a tantrum because I should be at this show as we speak. But my job  kept me overtime, I missed the train to Albuqurque, and I'm fucked out of seeing the sickest line-up I've ever known to play a Monday night. Hardcore punk, black metal, and thrash all in the same night? All ages? But since it's at a bar, old guys like me get to drink anyway? All that and more, but I'm missing it. I hate working retail. I would burn candles to every god I know just to attend this concert. Alas, the stars are not in my favor.

But let's look on the bright side...



 

Awww yeah. I only paid $12 to see Municipal Waste, one of the most prolilfic badass legends of old-school Speed Metal. They sound good on record, but DAMN. They put on one hell of a live performance. If you're into Thrash, Punk, or anything in between, Municipal Waste will in fact fuck you up.  Not to mention the local bands, each of which is amazing in their own right. Torn Between Worlds is notorious for their lethal mosh-pits and insidious musical style. They have remained active since the early 90's, when they were known as Insight, and they've been laying waste to New Mexican eardrums ever since. Carrion Kind is aptly named, since they are basically a superband,  Comprised of former members of local favorites such as Grinkai, Cassovita, and The Seventh Circle. So the name evokes images of vultures thriving off the remains of what once was. Oh yeah, and I think they're also paying homage to the only album released by Disincarnate.

 

 

Those circle pits were off da hook. And I was drunk too!

 

And last night wasn't too bad either...

 

 

 

I may be missing out on The Casualties, Goatwhore, and Havoc today, and that's totally lame. But yesterday marked the second year in a row that I went to a Metal show on Easter Sunday, so I think that's going to be my new annual tradition. Unleash The Baboon is Bass-Heavy, uber-rhythmic Groove Metal in the vein of Skinless or Athiest. Rumors abound about an upcoming album, which I can't wait to get my grubby little hands on. Iconocaust is Denver-based Thrash band with a relentless brutality belied within melodic compositions and occasional clean vocals. They have gained a cult-following in their ever-expanding fanbase, and their new EP, Excidium De Gratia, is available for purchase here.   And headlining was the phenomenal band known as Futilitarian, who transitioned seamlessly from their Thrash/Death beginnings into a more ambient instrumental style. Usually, I prefer Metal with the vocals intact, but Futilitarian has achieved a level of heaviness that most bands can only aspire toward. This is not "Post-Metal" or some shit. This is straight up, in your face, offensively loud and stupidly brutal, true Metal. In a lineup comprised entirely of badasses, Futilitarian deserved their spot as the headliners.

 

 

Much like taking the walk of shame after having a one-night-stand at a Co-ed college, I'm having a hard time bringing this to a graceful conclusion. C'est la vie, mon amie... Au revoir.