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Firewind + Grand Magus Nottingham Rock City 22nd April 2007 Review and photos by Steve Green

Seeing 2 queues outside of the Rock City, it was obviously going to be a busy night in Nottingham. In fact I was torn between three gigs tonight: Porcupine Tree were playing in the Main Hall (which as the gig the missus wanted to go to), my first choice was Theatre of Hate, who were playing around the corner at the Rescue Rooms, but we compromised and decided to see Firewind, a band we both enjoy.
The queue for the basement was nowhere near as busy as it was last week for Amon Amarth, nor was the bar and we were able to get a beer and settle into a good position at the side of the barrier. Pantera's A Vulgar Display Of Power was booming from the PA and despite the crowd being a lot younger than you normally see at Metal gigs, they were enjoying the pre-show music, which was just as well as we got to hear the whole of the album before Grand Magus hit the stage.
Grand Magus are a band I've always meant to check out, but never seem to have got around to it. Well it seems I was in the minority as most of the crowd were familiar with their material and they went down a storm and infectious grins were proudly worn by all three band members. The first couple of numbers were slightly more upbeat than I was expecting, but third number, "Nine" from their Wolf's Return opus was more in the majestic Doom vein I was expecting. The pace was upped for the song Wolf's Return, with the intro reminding me of Slayers South of Heaven. By now I getting completely drawn in by Magus vibe, especially as frontman JB's vocal style was reminding me more and more of Chris Cornell. We were promised something faster and the band, as promised, delivered with Blood Oath which ended in a sea of riffs and clenched fists. Baptized in Fire leant more towards Black Sabbath, the song, and while I didn't know the last song, I'm sure I will do in due course as I get to grips with the Grand Magus back catalogue. They made their fans very happy tonight and they made at least one new one tonight. Me.
 

I really like Firewind, but tonight I felt like an outsider. The crowd that filled out the Rock City were fanatical, especially those that surrounded the barrier. This was hero worship way beyond anything I would have expected tonight. The last time I saw Firewind was at last years ProgPower were they won over the audience with ease, tonight they were onto a winner before a single note had been played. For the opener numbers Steal Them Blind and I Am The Anger,  the crowd were loud, but by third number, the impossibly catchy Insanity, that's what they were, insane (with passion). After Destination rocked the house, it was time for Firewind mastermind Gus G. and keyboard/guitarist Bob Katsionis to duel. These guys are both masters of their trade and even the road crew were at the side of the stage marvelling at these two matching each other note for note on their respective instruments. Finishing off the solo section was a drum solo by Mark Cross, which lost me a little as I'm not much of a fan of drum solos.
The instrumental overdose gave vocalist Apollo time to change into an all-black wardrobe, which, with the temperature rising in the venue, probably wasn't the smartest move. Till The End Of Time saw more great interaction between Firewind and their adoring crowd. The pace slowed for Deliverance, but it gave
everyone a chance for a sing-a-long. And Mark Cross egged the crowd on even more with his air-horn (despite, for a drummer, his lack of rhythm). It was back in time for Brothers Keeper, before, what was for me, the song of the night, and the glorious Falling To Pieces, which was absolutely note perfect. I'd have preferred this to be the last song of the set as Apollo didn't seem overly comfortable with Between Heaven And Hell. There was still time for 2 encores with Allegiance and Tyranny rounding off a near perfect concert.
Gus G. gave up all of his side projects to concentrate fully on Firewind and on tonight's performance it's obvious that he did the right thing. Firewind are a band who are on the verge of greatness.
 
 
 
1349 + Goatwhore + Nachtmystium + Averse Sefira + Ascension
Date: Friday, April 13th, 2007 : Venue: The Knitting Factory, Hollywood, California.
Review and photo by Dave Schalek

Oh, yes! Black metal of the highest caliber invades Hollywood on Friday the 13th! I was really pumped up for this one, as you may well imagine (even though I worked that day and woke up at 5 AM)!
I made the trek to the Knitting Factory in Hollywood, a small venue with a front bar (closed off) and the main stage area with a capacity of several hundred. The Knitting Factory is somewhat notorious for getting a late start, and that was true tonight with the first band, locals Ascension, not taking the stage until about 45 minutes or so after the doors were scheduled to open. Oh, well. I certainly don't have to go to work on Saturday. Entering the venue, I immediately bought an "Instinct: Decay" Nachtmystium shirt (I already have a 1349 shirt), and I found a place to camp out next to the mixing board on the second floor to watch the first two bands.
Local band Ascension was up first for a 25 minute set consisting of mid-paced death metal. Ascension were given a warm reception by the sparse crowd (believe me, it would fill up later), and their set was enjoyable. When it comes to L.A's metal scene, I've heard a lot worse.
Next up was Averse Sefira, from Austin, Texas. Their last album, 2005’s "Tetragrammatical Astygmata" was competent, fast black metal and, I believe, the band was recently picked up by Candlelight. Unfortunately, they had some sound issues early on that were never completely resolved (the drums were very muted, and the guitar playing was, frankly, sloppy), and I could tell that their bassist was quite pissed. At any rate, their set was enjoyable enough, but they weren't that tight. Ultimately, I was a bit disappointed.
At this point, I migrated downstairs for Nachtmystium, one of the best USBM bands around. Their slightly psychedelic-tinged form of black metal, exemplified on the opus "Instinct: Decay", works really well, and I was really looking forward to their set. Nachtmystium immediately brought the now-packed house down with a blistering set that was firing on all cylinders. Great sound and musicianship were the norm, and the crowd really responded. A huge pit opened up immediately and continued unabated throughout their set. With a performance such as this, the future is very bright, indeed, for Azentrius. Hail to Azentrius!
At this point, I was able to hook up with an old friend that I hadn't seen in a couple of years, and we all hung out for the remainder of the show. New Orleans’ stalwarts and one of the hardest working bands in America, Goatwhore, was up next with the much-deserved slot of main support. I've seen them a number of times, and they always deliver the goods. Tonight was no exception, and they were able to play a longer set than they usually are afforded. This resulted in a few more songs from their older material, and they were hailed by the crowd. Fantastic!

Crowd anticipation was high as excitement continued to build for the appearance of 1349. 1349 finally took the stage after midnight and proceeded through a mind altering set that FLATTENED the crowd. They hammered through one gem after another as a HUGE pit flew in all directions throughout their set. The sound was great, Laureano was spot-on (hard to fill Frost's absent shoes), and Ravn was like a demon possessed. 1349 chooses not to really interact with the crowd; rather, they just go out and play with an intensity that is hard to describe. It's obvious that they are as into their art form as one can be, and this pays huge dividends in a live setting. Like Krisiun, Nile, and only a few others, I'm resolved to see 1349 every time they come through L.A. Unbelievable set, and the adrenaline's still flowing through my veins now almost 24 hours later. 1349's encore was "Beyond The Apocalypse". They did briefly acknowledge the crowd with a bow.
 
 
 
Vital Remains, Godphobia, Dread, Kenos London The Underworld 5/4/07 review by James Young

A hot day was an appropriate setting for a hot death metal bill, and it was possibly the reason why few people had bothered to turn up from the outset. The fiery Underworld was nowhere near crowded by the time the extreme proceedings began, but this didn’t stop the promoters, who had to hurry things on for the dance night which was to follow (count me out of that one…).
Hence Italians Kenos were rushed onto stage with very few people around, which was an absolute travesty, because boy these guys could play! Resembling more of a power metal band than a death metal act, with loose Hawaiian shirts, denim waistcoats and leather trousers intact, these guys certainly didn’t sound it, with their unique blend of death and progressive metal. Jaco Pisciotta had a fantastic stage presence, churning out violent riffs one minute and melodic ones the next, all the time posing as if for some kind of photoshoot. With hair spinning and some ridiculously inappropriate clichés, including shouting ‘scream for me London’ to all of twenty people. ‘Blood Of Saints’ and ‘Mutant Creation’ both appeared in the set somewhere, in their gnarling and progressive forms, with the latter starting in an absolutely storming fashion. ‘Majestic Persecution’ was a blinder of a song, integrating some brutal blastbeats whilst living up to its sophisticated name with some sublime melodies. Kenos were a top quality band tonight, and probably deserved to be higher up on the bill so more people could have seen them.
Dread, another Italian band (at least that’s what I’ve been told - their website’s in German though), had a tough act to follow, and alas, failed to surpass Kenos. Where the last band had progressive flourishes here and there, Dread had a much harder edge, verging on hardcore at times. Whilst nicely headbangable, and the drum ‘n’ bass-style drums beautifully chunky, things got a little repetitive too quickly. The one song that I could make out, entitled ‘I Break Your Neck’ was as brutal as it sounds, and watching the possessed head banging of guitarist Ossy, it was almost a possibility! Anders’ vocals were skull-crushingly brutal to boot, and the energy was quite impressive. Call them death-core, or whatever you want, Dread weren’t a bad addition to the night’s events, but not a particularly good one either.
I had high expectations for Godphobia, who took to the stage at the ridiculously early time of twenty past eight. I know it’s stupid to get excited over a band just because they’re Swedish and play brutal death metal, but there are very few exceptions to the fact that they usually kick major booty. I hadn’t actually heard of this band before, which is understandable considering they only formed in 2006 and their debut album has only just hit the shelves. I was a little disappointed if truth be told, because even after witnessing their set, I still don’t feel like I’ve heard them. The soundman must have been on a fag-break, because the crisp beauty of the snare drum that enriched the previous sets was not present at all. Hence the blasts, so essential to death metal, were lost in the mix, and a rather tame sound prevailed. Having such a small back-catalogue to choose from, all of the tracks played were from the album ‘On Your Knees’. Kicking off with ‘Godphobia’, and followed by ‘Crucify Him’ and ‘Confession Of The Observer’, the set bounced along with frantic energy, with Johan and Tobbe swinging their hair like their lives depended on it, although the music unfortunately lacked the same momentum. During the album’s title track ‘On Your Knees’, written as a tribute to oral sex, vocalist Svinto’s gyrations were quite explicit; it’s just a same the music couldn’t keep up with the stage show. ‘Descending’ and ‘Vermin Of Christ’ probably sound as impressive as fellow countrymen and brutal deathsters Insision on record, but in a live environment things just weren’t happening for the Swedes. Had the sound been tighter, one might have forgiven Svinto’s awkward inter-song banter, at one point even talking about the loss of Sven-Goran Eriksson as England manager. Not a very impressive set quite frankly, and I hope if they do return here they bring along a soundman who knows what he‘s doing.
After some disappointing support bands, the crowd was more than ready to rock out to the best, and you can’t get much better than Vital Remains. The audience had swelled a bit by this point, and you could feel a shiver climbing up your spine as the intro to the latest album ‘Icons Of Evil’ boomed forth, a sound sample of Jesus being whipped (how appropriate for the day before Good Friday…). To say that the touring line-up looks a little different from the studio band would be an understatement - Dave Suzuki, who handles guitar and drum duties on the album, is only one man, and hence the drumming is handled on stage by Antonio Donadeo. Brian Hobbie handles bass guitars live, and as everyone knows, Glen Benton hasn’t the foggiest where the UK is, so Damien Boynton does the live vocals. Everyone knew the evil shout of ‘Where is your God?’ would open into ‘Icons Of Evil’, and the Underworld suddenly came to life, limbs flying everywhere and bodies sailing over the crowd. The drum sound hadn’t really improved since Godphobia’s set, and much of the snare drum battery was lost, which was a shame, although the extreme noise from the rest of the band just about made up for it. ‘Scorned’ and ‘Born To Rape The World’ followed, just as on the album, recapturing the blistering intensity, even with the completely different line-up. A couple of headbanging beauties followed one another in the form of ‘Hammer Down The Nails’, my favourite song from the new album, and crowd pleaser ‘Dechristianize’. Boynton’s vocals sounded every bit as evil as Benton’s, and as a frontman there was no doubting his credentials, passing the microphone along the front row so we could join in the chorus (including yours truly - who wouldn’t though?). The sheer speed and brutality of the songs was phenomenal, managing to keep the crowd busy killing each other for the lengthy durations of the songs. Next to pound by were ‘Infidel’ and ‘Devoured Elysium’, not to mention Dave Suzuki seemingly wearing fewer and fewer clothes as each song went by. An encore which included ‘Unleash Hell’, which got the hair spinning again (more than a convenient excuse to direct eyes away from Dave Suzuki’s exposed manpecs), completing an hour and a half of pure blasphemous aggression.
Vital Remains were easily the best death metal act I’ve seen this year, although the standard of the supports let down the show as a whole. Nobody was complaining though, and here’s to hoping it doesn’t take until next Easter for them to come back. Egg-cellent gig.