Shadar Logoth @ The Keith Anderson House – 10/30/08

Last Thursday WMEB hosted a Halloween “Triple Creature Feature” at the Keith Anderson Community House on 19 Bennoch Road in downtown Orono, Maine. Several dozen UMaine students made the trek over the Stillwater River to see the best metal band the university has produced so far. Opening for dance-pop acts Feel It Robot and DJ Pres, Shadar Logoth sallied forth in promotion of their new album Curse.

Despite announcing their dissolution after their summer show at the 103 Ultralounge, Eaton, Denson and Michaud pulled their act together, though bereft of drumming sensation Ardroth (Bothildir). By the Vader shirt worn by their replacement skinsman, I was assured they hired no pushover. His performance confirmed my hopes.

The old recital hall burst into a haven of headbanging with their first song “Spitting His Curse With Venom”, which quickly moved into a nirvana of clean guitars and virtuous bass-work. It didn’t take long to get the audience thoroughly enthused, including a Joker impersonator being “so serious” (there was a costume competition).

The sound quality was top notch, as Eatons vocals and guitar solos shined through the thunderous rhythm section as did Michaud’s epic keyboard flares.

While playing favorites from both their new album and their acclaimed 2006 demo, Shadar Logoth also threw in a couple cover tunes to spice up the night. Early on they chimed in with the Metallica classic “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” to which Eaton deftly adapted some thrashy vocals. So much for Death Magnetic. Later on they belted out a more emotional song by Type O Negative: a song called “Wolf Moon” which got the audience bringing their hands together for an act just as dedicated to their influences as to their own craft.

Given the positive responses after their set, I’d say this concert finally got Shadar Logoth the exposure they deserved since their first performances a couple years ago. Please check out their Myspace link on the right of this page and pick up their new album, soon to be released. I can’t wait to see these guys again, hopefully next time with Ardroth back in the fold.

Setlist:

Spitting His Curse With Venom

Phantom Destination

For Whom the Bell Tolls (Metallica cover)

Footsteps in the Snow

Of the Lanterns

Wolf Moon (Type O Negative cover)

The Dread Lord

 

Anal Jesus @ The Workers Center, Brewer ME

On Friday, September 26th I finally got my chance to see the band whose moniker is more a play on the word “analgesic” than any religious perversion. They were the only Metal band among the handful of punk acts playing that night, and even to a crowd of mohawks and skin-tight denim they delivered a thoroughly exciting act. The venue, a meeting hall serving Eastern Maine labor unions, was a very intimate setting for a performance worthy of the concert stage. 

Backed by Jeremy Pyburn on drums, Jared Pittman on bass, and James Hadley filling in on guitars, lead guitarist/vocalist Ryan Page lifted his mask of sanity and took no prisoners. As the first act of the night, they opened with their minute-long classic, “Grindhole” and the crowd immediately went into a frenzy. Following was “The Slayer Song,” reminiscing of Slayer’s golden days with a riff similar to the song “Jesus Saves” (“Anal Jesus Saves?”). With each song the headbangability intensified, culminating in their most personal track, “Restraining Order.” For this opus Ryan laid his guitar aside and put 100% of his energy into making sure he couldn’t talk for the next week.

What impressed me the most however, was the fact that Anal Jesus played TWICE in one night, filling in the space between Taco Apocalypse and Clinic Bomb, two powerful punk acts fronted by Ryan’s good friend, Shane Garland.

But even a second set wasn’t enough to satisfy Ryan’s bloodthirst. Pulling together a makeshift syndicate from his friends’ bands, he played an electrifying rendition of a real Slayer song, “Raining Blood” (from a lacerated sky, bleeding its horror, etc…). 

And did I mention this was a reunion show? That’s right, the high schoolers bitching about life in New Hampshire are back in action, so hopefully the future will see more performances by this kickass slab of Northern New England Metal.

Rotting Christ/Immolation/Belphegor/Averse Sefira @ Bedford, NH, 2/9/08

This being the first concert I’ve attended since the blog’s launch, the New Hampshire leg of the “Lucifer over America” tour will be covered in my first live review. Despite foul winter weather, a sizable crowd showed up to Mark’s Showplace in Bedford, New Hampshire to experience some of the best black/death metal offered today. Being used to more concert-hall and open-area spaces like the Palladium and the Bank of America Pavillion, it took some time to acquiesce to the more intimate atmosphere of a small stage crammed next to the bar in a billiards hall. However the acoustics were not terribly affected by such dimensions, especially when standing in the front row, as I did for the entire concert. This was essential to my enjoyment of songs I wasn’t familiar with. The guitar tones of each band were sufficiently distinct and not drowned out by the bass or percussion sections.

First up was Averse Sefira, a three man black metal act out of Austin Texas. This was my first experience with these guys, and I was very impressed by their show. Their music was dark, violent and seething. The vocalist’s intensity was not hindered by his multitasking playing lead guitar. Besides the music itself, the presentation was worthy of note. They dressed in typical corpse-paint, spikes and leather, but they wore it with class and artistic flare. It served more to enhance their intimidating character than to animate any cheesiness. I picked up their brand new album, Advent Parallax, after the show and got Sanguine Mapsama (guitars/vocals) to autograph it.

Next up was the Austrian black/death unit Belphegor, who dove right into a relentless blast-fest that really got the crowd fired up (too bad moshing was prohibited by the venue). The clarity of the sound was critical in this performance, as the lead guitar melodies, in contrast to the crushing rhythms, form the core of Belphegor’s sound. Through every song the guitars were quite audible and it was like listening to their albums, only at an insanely high volume. The band played a eclectic mix of their discography, including “Belphegor – Hell’s Ambassador”, “Swarm of Rats”, “Seyn Tod in Schwarz”, and “Lucifer Incestus”. To show my support I purchased a Pestapokalypse VI t-shirt and I’m eagerly awaiting the release of their latest album Bondage Goat Zombie. That album is scheduled for release on April 11th through Nuclear Blast Records.

Next up was Immolation, who along with Suffocation and Incantation comprise the big three of New York Death Metal. Once again I benefitted from an audible sound coming through the guitar amps, since most of the songs were unfamiliar to me. Of the album I have heard, Harnessing Ruin, they played “Swarm of Terror” and “Son of Iniquity” with more force than can be heard on the album. Also in their setlist were numbers from their venerable debut Dawn of Possession and their latest album Shadows in the Light. Crushing.

And then came the main event, the “Greek Gods”, Rotting Christ. I only recently got into this band, mainly because I didn’t approve of its moniker. But in anticipation of this tour I picked up their latest album, Theogonia, which centers on a mythological theme compatible with my interests. A band that started out playing grindcore and then black metal, now play a healthy mix of black metal and gothic metal to create a powerful, evocative sound with heavy doses of Eastern themes. Every member of this band, the vocalist/guitarist especially, showed great enthusiasm throughout their shorter-than-expected set, which included the songs “Enuma Elish”, “Non Serviam”, “Χαος Γενετο (The Sign of Prime Creation)” and “Nemecic”. I could tell some of the stalwarts were disappointed by their performance, since it was devoid of earlier songs from their black metal era. Regardless, I was well pleased with the show, and I recommend you attend this tour if it’s swinging by your town anytime soon.