Last month I got the opportunity to
see two bands that I have always wanted to see in concert, but have always
missed my chance to see. Either I didn’t have the money to see them, or
found out about the show too late or some other stupid thing happened keeping
me from going to the show. Well apparently April was my time! I got to see both
Cannibal Corpse, and GWAR within a two-week period (Cannibal Corpse on the 5th
and GWAR on the 18th). Both shows were completely fucking awesome and
easily the two best shows I’ve ever been to. Like any good show I wanted to see
each band again right after they played their last song.
As a big fan of death metal
(betcha’ couldn’t tell could ya?) I have enjoyed Cannibal Corpse’s music for
years and have wanted to catch them in concert after first hearing one of their
albums. So I was ecstatic when my wife called me at work and told me that not
only were they playing at a small venue not far from our house, but that they were
also playing with Exhumed. Fucking Cannibal Corpse and Exhumed in one show! I
was sold, and I knew that I was not going to miss this opportunity. My wife
also told me that GWAR was playing at the same venue two weeks later. The metal
gods were truly smiling down upon me with their jagged, pointy-toothed grins.
Cannibal Corpse and Exhumed with special
guests Abysmal Dawn and Arkaik
The day of the show I had a very
hard time focusing at work and the clock dragged ass all day. We got to the
show just in time to hear the last two songs of a band that I can’t remember
the name of and that I’d never heard before. They weren’t bad, but I was too
preoccupied with finding the perfect spot for the rest of the show to pay much
attention to them.
Arkaik set up, did a quick sound check and kicked off their set with Womb of Perception. They played a great set in their 30 -45 minutes; A lot of stuff from their 2010 album Reflections Within Dissonance, and a few cuts of their forthcoming album, Metamorphignition. They are a very tight band, have good stage presence and play some very good Tech-Death. I enjoyed their set and I would see them again in concert.
Abysmal Dawn took the stage and
wasted no time launching into Programmed
to Consume the lead track from the album of the same name. I was stoked
about this, because I really like that song and was growling right along with
the band. Abysmal Dawn is a three-piece band that plays very guttural,
straightforward Death Metal. Their stuff at times almost veers into Melodic
Death territory with some vaguely Black Metal vocals. Great band that I would
absolutely go see again.
Exhumed are absolute showmen and
with out a doubt LOVE playing to the crowd. They opened up with As Hammer to Anvil from 2011’s album All Guts, No Glory (their first
full album since 2005). Their style, or particular brand of Metal has
changed over the years from complete Goregrind to a style that incorporates
their gory roots, American Death Metal, and overtones of Swedish Death Metal.
They put on a really great show; interacting with the crowd them selves,
bringing out a Chainsaw wielding Maniac to menace the audience, and looking
like they were having the time of their lives on that stage. The look of pure
enjoyment on all the band members faces was very cool to see. Bands that have
been playing for as long as Exhumed has can become jaded and forget the simple
joys of rocking a venue. Matt Harvey has definitely not forgotten and still
enjoys playing the music he loves for a cheering crowd. Can’t wait to see them
again.
Cannibal Corpse were absent on
stage one minute as the lights went down and the next minute when the lights came up there they were blasting out Demented
Aggression the lead track off of Torture;
louder and heavier than I thought possible and larger than life! They played 4
songs in quick succession before taking a short break so Corpse Grinder could
cajole the crowd. “This song is about
stabbing people…” Corpse Grinder starts but a roaring cheer from the
audience cuts him off. “You like that shit?”
Another cheer. “You’re all a bunch of
sick fucks!” He laughs and then the band begins shredding through As Deep As The Knife Will Go, my personal
favorite cut from their new album. Their set contained a great mix of old and
new stuff. Obviously they were out promoting their new album, but they also know that
their fans want to hear the classics too. Over the course of their 20 song set list
they played every song I had hope to hear and a couple I wasn’t expecting; they
ended the show with Hammer Smashed Face
and Stripped, Raped, and Strangled. I
had hoped that they would play the former and had not expected the latter. I
had figured that those songs were too old and they were likely as not trying to
just do newer stuff, but the Corpse did not disappoint. I left the venue in a
state of euphoric, ringing-ear, metal bliss. Seriously my ears were still
ringing by Monday morning. Corpse Grinder and company put on a hell of a show
that I won’t soon forget. Without question I will be seeing them again when
they come back to my area.
GWAR with GHOUL, Kylesa and Legacy of
Disorder
Fast-forward to the 18th
and again I am having trouble concentrating at work because I am again pumped
to see a band I’ve listened to for years, but never gotten a chance to see. Of
course on that day I had to stay a little later than usual to finish something that could not wait for the next day; Murphy’s Law eh? (Damn you Murphy!) It
worked out, because we got to the venue just after Legacy of Disorder got done
with their set. Which was fine with me, because I do not like their music at
all.
GHOUL took the stage and had a brief intro where a black garbed,
shroud faced “priest” condemned the Ghouls of Creepsylvania, and the rest of
the audience, to hell. So they knocked his head off, and as his neck sprayed
blood everywhere, they began playing Off
With Their Head from Transmission
Zero. 
Their set was about half Transmission
Zero and half a mix of their other albums. During their set they had
various characters come out and spray, slosh, and dump a plethora of clothes
staining substances on the crowd, that I’m sure smelled lovely. GHOUL put on a
great show that was full of humor, tongue in cheek gore and some fantastic
Thrash (or SplatterThrash) Metal that I would absolutely go see again with out
hesitation.
After GHOUL finished their set I
thought that GWAR would take the stage… nope. I had to suffer through Kylesa
first… meh. They took half an hour to set up and do their sound check, and then
once they started, it was impossible to understand what the fuck the chick lead
singer was saying. Not that I particularly cared mind you, but if I had come to
see them and they had sounded like that I’d want my money back. Seriously… they
sucked, and I have no idea why they were playing with GWAR in the first place.
My guess is that the only reason that Oderus let them on the tour is because
they had some really good weed... just a theory.
GWAR walked out on sage in all their hideous glory to
roaring cheers from the crowd. They jumped into Zomibes March!, the first track off of Bloody Pit of Horror. It’s a song
that is not only a great opener, but also shows just how fucking awesome and
incredibly talented a guitar player Corey Smoot (Flattus Maximus) was. They
played all my favorite tracks from Bloody
Pit in their set (except Tick-Tits)
and Balsac really stepped up, filling in for Corey. Their sound is not exactly
how it was with two guitarists, but that did not stop them from tearing the
roof off, and I think that GWAR works as a four-piece band for the time being.
Their set contained lot of older gems as well. Some songs that I had felt
certain they would play (like Jagermonsta)
and some that I had not expected (Crack
in the Egg). I flipped out a bit (in a good way) when they played Bring Back the Bomb and War Party. Through out their whole set
there was of course gallons upon gallons of blood sprayed from various hacked
off limbs, cut throats, and skinned torsos.
 |
| The Cuddle Fish Spurts |
 |
| "Snookie" Skinned |
I’ll admit it; there was no small
part of savage glee that welled up inside me when "Snookie" waddled out on stage
to be skinned and have her mutant two headed baby ripped from her womb and
swung around by it’s umbilical cord like a fleshy, red noisemaker. Techno
Destructo showed up to menace the group and fight with Bonesnapper. This of course
led to more freshets of blood spurting out onto the crowd. And speaking of
spurting onto the crowd, toward the end of the show, one of the slaves hooked
up Oderus’ “sack” allowing his Cuddle
Fish of Cthulhu to spray an endless stream of blood directly into the faces
of the happily awaiting audience while the band performed The Road Behind, which the band dedicated to Flattus Maximus and
was their last song. During that last song one of the slaves had set up Corey’s
guitar in a stand on one of the back monitors.
 |
| To Flattus Maximus - Forever Missed |
 |
| Corey's Guitar |
The stage went dark as the band
left the stage and Corey’s guitar was cast in a spotlight while Frank Sinatra’s
My Way played softly in the
background. The band came back out to the wings sans costumes and makeup to
hold their lighters up in honor of their absent brother. It was a wonderful,
bittersweet way to end the show, but absolutely effective in making one realize
exactly how much was lost when Corey passed. Come back soon GWAR!
I left the venue once again with my
ears ringing and a huge grin on my face. April was indeed a great month to be a
metal head. Now if only Dying Fetus or Fleshgod Apocalypse would come play
shows near me.
Photos
by De'Vera Phoenix
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