What’s going on everybody?! Sorry about the delay on this one, I was too busy spending the weekend recovering from the spin kick I took to the head during Fit for an Autopsy’s set. Yeah, the concert was that insane. With that, here are 25 reasons you should have been at WSOU’s 25 Years of Metal show!!
1. You would have gotten to see local young guns Name the Creature play in front of a small cluster of people. May not sound like anything important, but for those guys to still flash their brand of melodic death metal with as much energy as they did and without a much of a crowd was pretty admirable.
2. Name the Creature also gave out lollipops to the fans who came to their merch table. I mean, c’mon. Who doesn’t love lollipops?!?!
3. Had you been one of the many who began to fill up Starland during Thanatonic Desire’s set, you would have heard the Street Patrol stars’ killer sound. If you took Coroner, asked them to play melodic crossover, and gave their bass player the bass sound of Jeroen Paul Thesseling (of Pestilence and Obscura fame), you would get Thanatonic Desire. Those guys play with a fresh take on the genre that everyone should check out.
4. You probably would have been terrified when Fit for an Autopsy guitarist Pat Sheridan simply said, “We’re Fit for an Autopsy, do something.” When a band that brutal implores the crowd to get crazy in such a simple manner, they’re just leaving the door wide open for the crowd to get violent.
5. Yeah, it did get pretty violent. I was situated on the side of the pit, and as previously mentioned, got kicked in the head. As much as it was unpleasant to deal with, I must admit that it was still pretty metal.
6. The crowd didn’t become brutal without reason, it was matching the intensity of FFAA. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard a deathcore band with such violent breakdowns. The band was ridiculously heavy, but still very technically proficient. Anyone who hasn’t heard them yet needs to crawl out of the rock they’ve been hiding under and get their act together.
7. You would have gotten to be a part of an audience with one of the highest per capita ninja-dancer populations I’ve ever seen.
8. Molotov Solution would have given you a seriously rude awakening. Their brand of technical deathcore – accentuated by rhythmically layered breakdowns and dissonant guitar screeches – was one to be much appreciated.
9. You may have also wanted to cry for momma after watching Molotov Solution’s bassist Shane Slade play. Not only was the dude a sick bassist – having a dense, punishingly deep tone and some serious chops – his stage presence was straight up terrifying. Slade spent the duration of the set glaring menacingly at the crowd, and his stare was just as intense as the band’s set was.
10. Skeletonwitch. You missed Skeletonwitch. What on earth is wrong with you?
11. But seriously, Skeletonwitch was ridiculously impressive. The band, along with their contemporaries, (that include Warbringer, Lazarus AD, and Gamma Bomb) comprise the Neo-Thrash movement, and witnessing their variation of blackened thrash shows that thrash is alive, and doing very, very well.
12. The audience went wild for the band. Singer Chase Garnette in particular seemed to be a crowd favorite. His piercing, pseudo-black metal scream was unique and simply awesome.
13. One last thing about those guys, the old school circle pit that broke out during their set was massive, and was reminiscent to those that the used to take place during the hey-days of thrash.
14. As if you didn’t already have enough reasons to prove to you that you should have been at that show, let me remind you that you didn’t see Chimaira play that night. I’ve personally seen Chimaira multiple times, and I can honestly say that this was the best I’ve ever seen them.
15. Singer Mark Hunter performed his clean vocals even better live than he did on the band’s new album This is Hell.
16. New drummer Austin D’Amond was out of his mind talented. His double bass was blazingly quick, allowing for a slightly faster tempo for all of the songs. His hands were often hard to make out, because they moved so fast they often became a blur. Oh yeah, the dude had a drum solo too. It was filled with lighting fast fills, syncopated ostinatos, and brutal double bass beats. This guy is going to be a great fit for the group.
17. The bands other new addition, Sean Zatorsky, was equally noteworthy. Also controlling samples and sound effects, Zatorsky’s bass drops were absolutely colossal. My chest hurt just from standing in front of those speakers. The drops gave the band a dense and thick tone, one that suits them well.
18. Additionally, Zatorsky has an awesome beard. He puts all of the mere mortals who are partaking in No Shave November to shame.
19. Perhaps the most important aspect of Chimaira’s set was the fact that it was one of the last that guitarists Matt DeVries and Rob Arnold will be playing with the band. The duo will depart from the band after Chimaira Christmas 2011 for “personal reasons,” yet there seemed to be no animosity amongst the members of the band during the show. In fact, the group has seemed to treat the situation since its announcement as an opportunity to celebrate their last moments together, making for a killer, energetic set. Those of us in attendance got to witness one of the last shows with those guys in the band, and it was well worth it.
20. Unearth’s metalcore prowress was on full display as they closed out the show. The tracks from their new album Darkness in the Light were awesome live as well.
21. Guitarists Buz McGrath and Ken Susi did a synchronized jump off of their speaker cabinets. It was almost as if Van Halen had come back in a much heavier and more technical form. (And I mean that in the best way possible).
22. Unearth made a point of letting the crowd know that it was “National Dude with a Moustache Appreciation Day.” I had shaved the night before. My luck.
23. Susi also appeared out of nowhere to shred on top of the bar. Nice touch.
24. When a fan asked “Who the new guy behind the drums is,” we in the audience were surprised and excited to be among the first in the world to hear that touring drummer Nick Pierce is now the official drummer for the band (!!!!!!!)
25. Finally, you should have been at our 25 Years of Metal show because WSOU is the best radio station around. Sure, I may be a bit biased, but even before I started working here, WSOU was one of my favorite things about the Tri-State Area. This show was the culmination of all of the hard work of the managers and of 25 years of keeping metal radio alive. But hey, if you weren’t there, just make it a point to make our 50 Years of Metal show in 2036!
So if you missed this show,t here’s a rough summary of the highlights of the night. That being said, you probably should have been there. I mean, c’mon, it was a killer night. But hey, we’re not going anywhere, just catch us next time!
1. You would have gotten to see local young guns Name the Creature play in front of a small cluster of people. May not sound like anything important, but for those guys to still flash their brand of melodic death metal with as much energy as they did and without a much of a crowd was pretty admirable.
2. Name the Creature also gave out lollipops to the fans who came to their merch table. I mean, c’mon. Who doesn’t love lollipops?!?!
3. Had you been one of the many who began to fill up Starland during Thanatonic Desire’s set, you would have heard the Street Patrol stars’ killer sound. If you took Coroner, asked them to play melodic crossover, and gave their bass player the bass sound of Jeroen Paul Thesseling (of Pestilence and Obscura fame), you would get Thanatonic Desire. Those guys play with a fresh take on the genre that everyone should check out.
4. You probably would have been terrified when Fit for an Autopsy guitarist Pat Sheridan simply said, “We’re Fit for an Autopsy, do something.” When a band that brutal implores the crowd to get crazy in such a simple manner, they’re just leaving the door wide open for the crowd to get violent.
5. Yeah, it did get pretty violent. I was situated on the side of the pit, and as previously mentioned, got kicked in the head. As much as it was unpleasant to deal with, I must admit that it was still pretty metal.
6. The crowd didn’t become brutal without reason, it was matching the intensity of FFAA. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard a deathcore band with such violent breakdowns. The band was ridiculously heavy, but still very technically proficient. Anyone who hasn’t heard them yet needs to crawl out of the rock they’ve been hiding under and get their act together.
7. You would have gotten to be a part of an audience with one of the highest per capita ninja-dancer populations I’ve ever seen.
8. Molotov Solution would have given you a seriously rude awakening. Their brand of technical deathcore – accentuated by rhythmically layered breakdowns and dissonant guitar screeches – was one to be much appreciated.
9. You may have also wanted to cry for momma after watching Molotov Solution’s bassist Shane Slade play. Not only was the dude a sick bassist – having a dense, punishingly deep tone and some serious chops – his stage presence was straight up terrifying. Slade spent the duration of the set glaring menacingly at the crowd, and his stare was just as intense as the band’s set was.
10. Skeletonwitch. You missed Skeletonwitch. What on earth is wrong with you?
11. But seriously, Skeletonwitch was ridiculously impressive. The band, along with their contemporaries, (that include Warbringer, Lazarus AD, and Gamma Bomb) comprise the Neo-Thrash movement, and witnessing their variation of blackened thrash shows that thrash is alive, and doing very, very well.
12. The audience went wild for the band. Singer Chase Garnette in particular seemed to be a crowd favorite. His piercing, pseudo-black metal scream was unique and simply awesome.
13. One last thing about those guys, the old school circle pit that broke out during their set was massive, and was reminiscent to those that the used to take place during the hey-days of thrash.
14. As if you didn’t already have enough reasons to prove to you that you should have been at that show, let me remind you that you didn’t see Chimaira play that night. I’ve personally seen Chimaira multiple times, and I can honestly say that this was the best I’ve ever seen them.
15. Singer Mark Hunter performed his clean vocals even better live than he did on the band’s new album This is Hell.
16. New drummer Austin D’Amond was out of his mind talented. His double bass was blazingly quick, allowing for a slightly faster tempo for all of the songs. His hands were often hard to make out, because they moved so fast they often became a blur. Oh yeah, the dude had a drum solo too. It was filled with lighting fast fills, syncopated ostinatos, and brutal double bass beats. This guy is going to be a great fit for the group.
17. The bands other new addition, Sean Zatorsky, was equally noteworthy. Also controlling samples and sound effects, Zatorsky’s bass drops were absolutely colossal. My chest hurt just from standing in front of those speakers. The drops gave the band a dense and thick tone, one that suits them well.
18. Additionally, Zatorsky has an awesome beard. He puts all of the mere mortals who are partaking in No Shave November to shame.
19. Perhaps the most important aspect of Chimaira’s set was the fact that it was one of the last that guitarists Matt DeVries and Rob Arnold will be playing with the band. The duo will depart from the band after Chimaira Christmas 2011 for “personal reasons,” yet there seemed to be no animosity amongst the members of the band during the show. In fact, the group has seemed to treat the situation since its announcement as an opportunity to celebrate their last moments together, making for a killer, energetic set. Those of us in attendance got to witness one of the last shows with those guys in the band, and it was well worth it.
20. Unearth’s metalcore prowress was on full display as they closed out the show. The tracks from their new album Darkness in the Light were awesome live as well.
21. Guitarists Buz McGrath and Ken Susi did a synchronized jump off of their speaker cabinets. It was almost as if Van Halen had come back in a much heavier and more technical form. (And I mean that in the best way possible).
22. Unearth made a point of letting the crowd know that it was “National Dude with a Moustache Appreciation Day.” I had shaved the night before. My luck.
23. Susi also appeared out of nowhere to shred on top of the bar. Nice touch.
24. When a fan asked “Who the new guy behind the drums is,” we in the audience were surprised and excited to be among the first in the world to hear that touring drummer Nick Pierce is now the official drummer for the band (!!!!!!!)
25. Finally, you should have been at our 25 Years of Metal show because WSOU is the best radio station around. Sure, I may be a bit biased, but even before I started working here, WSOU was one of my favorite things about the Tri-State Area. This show was the culmination of all of the hard work of the managers and of 25 years of keeping metal radio alive. But hey, if you weren’t there, just make it a point to make our 50 Years of Metal show in 2036!
So if you missed this show,t here’s a rough summary of the highlights of the night. That being said, you probably should have been there. I mean, c’mon, it was a killer night. But hey, we’re not going anywhere, just catch us next time!
As always, feel free to hit me up with suggestions, questions, comments, or concerns at Dylan.wsou@gmail.com.
Until next time,
Dylan
Until next time,
Dylan
Dylan, this is my favorite post on this blog.
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