3 Inches of Blood, Goatwhore and Barn Burner @ Time to Laugh, Kingston,ON May 11, 2010

What a fucking Tuesday night! I usually go to meditation class (don't judge) on Tuesdays but this was a show I wasn't going to miss. Besides, metal therapy is just as good for mental instability. Right? I missed most of the opening locals. Completely missed Meathook and only caught 10 mins or so of October Blood. Nothing memorable but they looked like they believed in their tunes and they were having fun. That's good enough for me. But I still can't remember what they sounded like.
Of the touring bands, Montreal's Barn Burner were first to slay the masses. I wrote a small review of their set from last time there were in town but I can't remember what I wrote and at the time I had no idea who they were. Since then I've spun their disc (Bangers) a bunch of times and I was fully prepared for the awesomeness. Fast, rippin, driving, stoner/rock/punk. Party music for sure. The crowd didn't really start to get into it til the last 2 songs. "Holy Smokes" and "Brohemoth". Even though some of the crowd were bangin' along, I still felt like I was the only one that really knew the songs. Yay me! I was amused (in a good way) by the stage banter. These guys know how to have fun. My favourite was when he likened the checkered floor of the venue to a chess board and beckoned us to "bring forth your rooks and your bishops to do battle on the chess board of metal!" Right on, Dude. I forgot to mention the minimalist drum kit. Less than 10 pieces. Kudos.

Goatwhore. This is why I paid my 15 bucks. (BB was a very welcomed free bonus) I think this is the most "metal" band I've seen in Kingston. No other labels (ex. Trad Metal = 3IOB) or anything. They fuckin' destroyed the place. Pure blasphemous aggression. Vocalist Ben Falgoust towered over the gathered heathens as he spewed forth the filth from their latest, Carving Out the Eyes of God. They also added in some older tunes. I know I'd heard them before but I wasn't familiar with them. They kicked just as much ass. Enough so that I may have to dig up the older stuff and immerse myself in some additional darkness. It was a very engaging performance. We were all throwin' the horns and pumpin' fists in unison. If only we had forearm gauntlets too.  As much as I enjoy it myself, I'm glad the mic wasn't thrust into some random fanboy's face to scream a few words. Because, honestly, everyone in that building would sound like shit compared to Falgoust. He is one of the best growlers out there. And fucking amazing live. Maybe the best I've seen. I have to rank Goatwhore in the Top 5 acts I've seen in Kingston. Maybe even Top 3. Those rankings will surely change when High on Fire and Skeletonwitch come to town in July. Move over Cattle Decap!

Oh right. 3 Inches of Blood. Um, same show different date. I left halfway through. The setlist even sounded eerily familiar. There was a lot of people having a lot of fun though. I think they drew a different crowd than Goatwhore. I'm sure there was some crossover but they are 2 very different styles. I saw more than a few father-son combos. People were having fun and that's what the whole thing is all about. I had my fun during Goatwhore's set. I checked out about halfway through the 3IOB set. I had a pending bangover to tend to and I wanted to get home before the Blackhawks game was over.

3 Inches of Blood w/ Arise and Ruin and guests @ Time to Laugh, Kingston, ON Oct. 18, 2009

3 Inches of Blood said they hadn't been to Kingston in 3 years. Arise and Ruin have been to Kingston 3 times THIS year. Whatever the frequency, Kingston (and I) were glad to have them both. The support acts were CFPT, We Are the Archers, and Fathom Ties. Here's the rundown:

CFPT: Beats me! I was still driving there.

We Are The Archers: For most of their set I was takin' a dump at the Pizza Pizza then smokin' a joint in a back alley. I think I caught the last song but I wasn't paying attention. At the end of their set, the singer says "We are We Are The Archers! (slight pause) That's the name of the band, We Are The Archers". It made me think of that P.O.D. song, "Youth of a Nation". Not the music, just the "We are, we are" part. Maybe it's time for a name change.

Fathom Ties: They seemed like a pretty confident bunch. But confidence will only take you so far (with me). I wasn't real impressed by them. They were very well rehearsed and looked like they believed in their music, but it just wasn't my thing. They did that whole synced guitar/headbang thing. Ya know, to a breakdown. They reminded me a lot of Incubus. The sappy-ass nu-metal one. Not the old school one that I've never actually heard. There were kids going apeshit though. Good for them. They'll come around eventually. At one time, I liked Incubus. Oh and when the singer was like "Let's hear it for ...." he said "3 Inches IN Blood." Ouch.

Arise and FUCKING RUIN!!!!!!!! These hardworkin' Guelphites never fail to put on a kick ass show. They are wicked tight. Vocalist Ryan Bauchman is a force. Dude is so full of energy! I love it. He's grabbin' people by the shirt and screamin' in their face. He's jumpin' off the monitors. He's screamin' and sweatin' and tearin' that place apart. The rest of the band aren't slouches either. For instance, I had to move over because I kept getting whipped by Sam's hair. Hell yeah. Come back again soon boys!

3 Inches of Blood: I have to admit, I set my hopes really high for this. Too high for anything to have lived up to it. The last show I was at was Clutch, so nothing could live up to that. With that being said, 3IOB did put on a great show. I think they needed a bigger stage though. Technically, they were spot on. I don't know if it was just where I was standing or what but I could only really hear the vocals and bass guitar. That wasn't really a bad thing. The bass is hard to pick up on the album, so being able to hear (and see) it live was kinda nice. I could hear the drums too. It was just the guitar that was kinda low in the mix. When I was reviewing Here Awaits Thy Doom, I mentioned how I missed Jamie Hooper's vocals and Justin Hagberg did a decent job but not great. He made up for it live. His screams were great. Very good interplay with the spot-on performance of Cam "He Who Is Most Aptly Named" Pipes. (I need to trademark that) They played a nice mix of tunes from the new album as well as some older stuff. The crowd reacted just as fervently no matter what they played. Many a lyric were sung, many a fist were pumped, many a head were banged, and when the 3 song encore finished with "The Goatrider's Horde", many an ear left ringing.

3 Inches of Blood - Here Awaits Thy Doom

3 Inches of Blood - Here Awaits Thy Doom: This is a hard review to write. But write it I will. When you hear a 3IOB record you kind of know what you are going to get. Old-school riffage, fantastical/battle-themed lyrics, and some high-pitched singing courtesy of Cam "He Who Is Most Aptly Named" Pipes. So when I started listening to Here Awaits Thy Doom I couldn't help but feel that something was missing. That something was second vocalist,Jamie Hooper. The Screamer. Guitarist Justin Hagberg does lend some unclean vocals here and there but it's just not the same. The screaming was a integral part of what hooked me on 3IOB in the first place. (A friend at a record store put on Battlecry Under a Wintersun years ago and I dismissed it before I heard the screams. Then, last year, a different friend was raving about their shows so I gave them a second, more serious, chance. I had recently been expanding my musical horizons and was enjoying bands that I had previously (blindly) never cared for. i.e. Iron Maiden.( gimme a break. I was late to the party. Pantera's Far Beyond Driven turned me onto metal.) I ate Battlecry..., Advance & Vanquish and Fire Up The Blades right up. My favourite aspect was the screaming. I thought "How fucking awesome would it be if all the vocals were that visceral, strip-flesh-from-the-bone screaming?!" Instead, they are totally absent. Too bad the screams virtually destroyed his vocal chords and forced him to depart.

It's still a cool album. It's still got the battle theme, the riffage and the Pipes. And it's catchy as fuck. The songs get stuck in your head real good. Now whether that is due to catchiness or repetition is up for debate. "Preacher's daughter" is repetitive in "Rock and Roll All Nite" proportions. Maybe it's just the lack of screaming but I also feel HATD is a little less ferocious than previous efforts. I can hear a wider range of influences seeping through as well. Obviously KISS, the usual Maiden/Priest and I think I can hear some Black Sabbath, maybe some Skynyrd, Allman Brothers and Zeppelin too. It's hard to pinpoint for a young'un like me who wasn't raised on that stuff. (Country. UGH. Why Mom? Why???!) Like I said, pretty good album but I miss the screaming.

However, nothing is going to stop me from seeing them next month when they come to town. You'll see me rockin' out, front and center!!! Oh yeah, I'll be there to Rock In Hell.


Hey, whatever happened to Filter?