Enslaved and YOB with Ecstatic Vision and Kosmograd @ The Opera House, Toronto March 19, 2015

YOB killing it

Sometimes there's more to a show than just the bands playing it. When Enslaved and YOB come to town it's kind of a big deal for the underground metal fans. People show up, giving homebody shmucks like me a chance to meet all kinds of people I only know online. In this case I was attending a show that a bunch of my Hellbound.ca colleagues were also showing up for. After almost 3 years of writing for that site I finally got to meet Sean Palmerston, Laura Weibe, and Adam Wills. Renee and Danielle were there too but I didn't have the chance to meet them. I was also finally introduced to Profound Lore Records' Chris Bruni. While it was awesome to finally meet all them, a show is less than ideal for conversation. But I'll take it! On to the show.

Local band Kosmograd opened the show. I'll be honest. I wasn't paying that much attention. I was trying to chat with the above people, survey the lay of the land for later and check out the merch booths, where I didn't see Kim Kelly who was travelling with YOB because she got denied by some jerk at the border. But, what little I picked up sounded tight and they're stage presence was good. I was just distracted.

Heavy psych band Ecstatic Vision took the stage next. I'd watched some video of them performing at St. Vitus Bar in NY and they started off with the same song I watched. The biggest impression they left on me was passion. Dudes were either 110% into their art or blitzed on something. Or both. Their psychedelic heavy rock was sort of a mix of Milking the Stars-type Monster Magnet and Hawkwind jams. I bet I'd totally dig it on record in the comfort of my own home but in the live environment it kind of fell flat. I was also stone cold sober so that contributed but their energy was....different.

Here's why I made the trek to The Big Smoke. The almighty, incomparable YOB! Last year's Clearing the Path to Ascend is one of those instant classic albums that I will undoubtedly spin for my whole life. Needless to say I was excited. A handful of us found a nice spot near but not too near the stage to not only see and hear the doom trio but feel them. With only a 50 minute set time (a bigger travesty I have never seen) they could only get three songs in. All three were off Clearing and that was okay with me and the rest of the crowd that appeared just as buzzed about it as I was. From the opening sweep of "In Our Blood" to the closing notes of "Marrow" YOB kept the crowd entranced with their immensely powerful doom full of deep emotion. I'm sure I wasn't the only one that was totally taken over and let my eyes close, head tip back and just take it in all the massive and moving doom metered out by guitarist/vocalist Mike Scheidt and bassist Aaron Reiseberg.
The rolling rumble of drummer Travis Foster during "Nothing to Win" got things moving, sparking a sad three-man mosh pit right in front of me. I say it's sad because despite the jumped up tempo, YOB is not mosh music. It was short-lived however as the band settled into "Marrow" to close out the set. Here's where they excel at separating body and mind. As I stood transfixed, eyes closed, nothing was touching me but the music. I couldn't even feel my aching feet. It was like my body was floating in a vessel of sound, bouyed by the invisible waves and completely unaware of any other stimuli. It was exactly what I wanted. And despite my expectations, I didn't cry! Very nearly did but maybe I was just too happy to be there to break the dam. THAT'S what live music is all about.
YOB delivered. Plain and simple. They owned the stage. I wasn't alone in wishing they could play for 2 hours but that wasn't to be on this night. Enslaved was too take up arms next.

I had to do some hardcore catching up on the Enslaved discography before coming to the show. I had some unprecedented time to waste on YouTube so I took advantage and schooled myself. After listening to Frost and every full-length from Below the Lights on, including new album In Times, Vertebrae is still my favourite. Even with those albums in my recent memory I still didn't know what song it was unless Grutle Kjellson announced it. I started mere feet from the bassist/vocalist but moved near the back of the venue after one song so I could actually hear the band. Sound down front was limited to percussion, vocals and bass. Closer to the back I could hear Herbrand Larsen's keys and the guitars of Ivar Bjornson and Ice Dale ripping out their intense black metal struck with their growing prog influences.
Enslaved ran through a 90 minute set covering quite a wide range of their history displaying their excellent musicianship and almost over-the-top showmanship. Total rock stars. At least on stage. I can't speak to anything other than that but I didn't see them out with the crowd at all so.... Enslaved fans were not disappointed however. Despite the sub-par sound the crowd was into it. Fists in the air, heads bangin', lyrics sung. Just as it should be. Black metal can be a tricky proposition in the live environment but it didn't seem to bother the floor. At least once though the band went into one of their more progressive passages and it sucked the life right out of the room. You gotta keep that momentum going! But it didn't take long to amp the masses back up.
Highlights from their set included "As Fire Swept Clean the Earth", "Ethica Odini", "In Times", "Building with Fire", "Fenris", "Convoys to Nothingness" and set closer/live staple "Isa". For that one the Norwegians were joined on stage by YOB's Reiseberg and Scheidt for some vocal assistance, after which Scheidt left the stage bowing to Enslaved in reverence. I'm sure his sentiment was echoed by the throngs of Enslaved shirt-wearing fans. Their history is long and storied and they played up to that. They may even have won some new fans out of those (like me) who were there to see YOB.

I hadn't been to an out of town show in almost two years but this one was worth it. It takes a lot to get me to travel for shows but after seeing YOB play, they could join the ranks of bands I'm willing to go to those lengths to see again and again. I personally enjoy Enslaved more with a good set of headphones but I wasn't disappointed. The icing on the cake was meeting my friends and shaking Mike Scheidt's hand to thank him for the interview I did with him last year for Full Metal Parenting and getting my picture taken with him and Bruni (and my buddy Gabe). I really should get up to the city more often but this show left enough good vibes in me that I should survive for a while.

Lord Dying - Poisoned Altars

Sludgy is as sludgy does, sir! That's the kind of straight backed reaction Poisoned Altars, the newest from Lord Dying will give you. There's nothing sloppy or undisciplined about it. The mission is to pound the listener's will into oblivion under a barrage of chugging rhythms, dangerously heavy riffs and venomous vocals. Mission accomplished.

The Portland group continues on from Summon the Faceless without a hint of a sophomore jinx. They've just honed the edge of their deadly, hammering sludge. The dirty tone and gruff vocals keep it rooted in the filth with fiery runs and galloping guitars emerging from the muck. The resulted blend of down-tuned force and massive riffs makes Lord Dying one of those bands that end up sounding like the energy they put into the tunes.

Their thrash is handled in the same way as High on Fire. It's not all about unbridled speed or flashy solos but you know they'd like nothing better than to see a thousands fists in the hair as waves of hair banged furiously along to their wicked riffery.

On Poisoned Altars you won't hear the band trying to overcomplicate things. Dooming out and steamrolling while remaining dynamic can be achieved with guts and grit and that's what Lord Dying are doing here. They got vigour and dark intent without trying to terrify.

Red Fang's Aaron Beam lends guest vocals to "An Open Sore" and his cleaner voice works well alongside Erik Olson's bullying bite. You can hear a lot of hardcore in Olson's delivery to go along with it's gruff character.

There's isn't a dud to be found on Poisoned Altars. The tone leads to the overwhelming urge to shower, the riffs are epic and profoundly catchy and it's all pulled together by an undeniable groove. They've cemented themselves well in the sludge world, ranging from High on Fire to former tourmates Howl to early Mastodon while bringing in those thrash and stoner flavours a la The Sword.

There's no ill effects to feel from approaching Poisoned Altars. It's got all the muscle and heart of it's predecessor and then some. But it seems more realized and tighter. The guitars are more confident and the attitude is more pissed. High energy sludge with plenty of hardcore edge. Amen.

Released January 27, 2015 on Relapse Records.

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AOTY #20: Royal Thunder - CVI

Like Horisont, this was another one of those releases in which I had heard some trusted sources raving about it and gave it a shot. I heard the stream of "Whispering World" and fell in love. Not to take away from the rest of the band but bassist/vocalist Mlny Parsonz is the real star here. She has such an incredibly powerful and dynamic voice. It can be soft and sweet, or raspy and edgy. I could definitely see her becoming a role model for a new generation of young girls who want to rock hard (My girls like Royal Thunder anyway. And Witch Mountain. Uta Plotkin has some stellar pipes too.). Royal Thunder isn't just about that voice though. CVI is loaded with instantly memorable songs with massive hooks, southern groove and a whole lotta soul. Royal Thunder have something special going on here. Let's hope they get even better. Man, I really should have gone out to see them when they rolled through Ontario with CoC.

(Relapse)

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AOTY #31: Liberteer - Better To Die On Your Feet Than Live On Your Knees

Liberteer is the singular vision and execution of Matthew Widener. BTDOYFTLOYN is a politically charged grind album the likes of which you have never heard before. BTD is incendiary in its entirety as it stokes the fires of rebellion. Cutting through the vicious grind are horns and pipes to remind us that this is about war. Civil war. But a new kind of civil war. Not a geographical or religious war. This is a war against the centralization of wealth and power. Us vs, Them. A rallying cry for The 98%. And just as much so a war against complacency. Riffs and themes circle around and are ever present, holding the album together as it threatens to unravel under the force of its own fury. BTD is compellingly powerful and those horns can make a patriot out of anyone. The album is unique, uncompromising and unrepentant. It's insightful and inciting, and quite possibly the most meaningful album of the year. BTD will punch you in the face and grind you under its boot and you'll pop right back up with a "Thank you sir may I have another!!"

 

(Relapse Records)

 

liberteer.bandcamp.com

AOTY #38: Dying Fetus - Reign Supreme

  

Being the first death metal album to grace my Top 40 this year, Reign Supreme from Dying Fetus proves that I'm more interested in the veterans of the genre than most of the new upstarts. It's the band's excellent balance of outright brutality and brilliant technicality that really strikes a chord with me. It's devastating and dexterous all at once. Everything about it is what makes death metal one of my favourite genres. The vocals, the catchy riffs, the destruction. And that intro to "From Womb To Waste"? That takes balls. I really should have ranked this higher. Too late now!

Relapse Records