Reviews

Back From The Gulag Tour: Cleveland Show Review

Published

2 years ago

June 8, 2022

The House of Blues in Cleveland was host to the Back from the Gulag Tour on Jun 4^th which starred After the Burial, Thy Art is Murder, Currents, and Brand of Sacrifice. The fans were out in masses to throw down to their favorite bands. The venue from the 2^nd floor balcony to the first floor standing room only was packed full of eager concert goers waiting to scream and move to their favorite bands.

Brand of Sacrifice kicked things off for the show. This deathcore outfit that has members from Toronto Canada and Manhattan New York claimed Cleveland as their own. It was fast paced and high energy from the drop of the first guitar chord. Vocalist Kyle Anderson sounded terrifying as the band played through Demon King, and Animal before closing out with Eclipse. The crowd responded by breaking into a pit and starting the first waves of crowd surfing that would occur throughout the night.

Currents were up next, continuing with the intensity. The crowd was now fully engaged in moshing, and even responded to vocalist Brian Wills request for a circle pit. This Connecticut quintet keep things moving playing through several songs from their 2020 release The Way it Ends, before wrapping up with Into Despair from the I let the Devil In album. It was my first time seeing this band live and to say they were very balanced between the serene and the heavy is understatement. The band seemed to sway at the drop of a dime and did it very well to keep the intensity of the set going.

Co-headliner Thy Art is Murder took the stage next. The stage was dressed with LED screens and a sculpted mic stand adorned with skeletons sat mid stage. The crowd was anticipating this moment as the lights went dark then red as the band came out to Death Squad Anthem kicking things off. Vocalist CJ McMahon kept things intense while also fun throughout the night. At one point bringing out the bands Gucci Funds box out to the crowd, saying the band would love to have better show attire and that this was a fun way of styling up the band live, by keeping things Gucci. The crowd would continue to churn as the band played though hits The Purest Stain of Hate, Holy War and Chemical Christ before taking a short break coming back with an encore performance of Puppet Master and Reign of Darkness to close out their set.

After the Burial took the stage to close things out. From the jump the band was already playing into the crowd with their high intensity set starting off with Collapse. A different tone of intensity than that of Thy Art the stage was brightly lit, and throughout the set strobes and bright lights would cascade the audience through the songs. The band played through several hits stemming from their catalogue including Lost in the Static, Exit, Exist, Neo Seoul, before closing out with A Wolf Amongst Ravens.

The Back from the Gulag tour continues till June 18^th, so you got to act fast if you want to catch these bands. If you are a fan of the heavy don’t miss out.

About Author

George Archibald

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Related Topics:After the Burial brand of sacrifice currents Empire Extreme featured Thy Art Is Murder

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Reviews

Collective Soul “7EVEN YEAR ITCH” Greatest Hits 1994-2001 Vinyl

Published

4 months ago

January 4, 2024

Ron

I’ve always been a big fan of Collective Soul and have been lucky to have seen them a few times. This band has always been in my music mixes since the 1990s.

The vinyl release is exactly what you would want for a greatest-hits album. All the best songs that collective soul had from 1994–2001 If you were a teenager or an adult in the 90s, you can’t tell me that you didn’t jam out to songs like “Shine,” “Gel,” and “December.”

With other great songs like “Heavy,” “Run,” “The World I Know,” and “Forgiveness,” This greatest hit album sounds amazing on vinyl as well. Craft Recordings has done a really great job of keeping the magic and sound of these amazing songs.

The sleeve cover has some cool photos of the band throughout the years. This vinyl just came out in Collective Soul fashion in December, and is ready to be part of your vinyl collection, and just brings you back to a great time in life.

About Author

Ron

Ron has keen eye for new talent, a love for the underground, and a tremendous passion for music of any genera. You’ll probably bump into him at a horror convention or some seedy club checking out the next need-to-know band.

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Reviews

Otep – Hydra 10th Anniversary Vinyl

Published

4 months ago

December 15, 2023

Ron

I received a copy of the album, and when I first opened it, the artwork struck me first. Otep has always been a great visual artist, with her amazing drawings and characters. I even have one of them tattooed on myself. When you see the artwork on this vinyl release, you will really be drawn in and appreciate the artistry.

The sound of this vinyl is amazing. It’s been years since I’ve listened to anything on vinyl and forgot how much I loved the sound of the medium compared to CDs and digital releases. I love the songs on this album because, as with all Otep albums, it has such raw power and emotions, mixed with the anger and beauty of Otep’s poetry. Otep is one of the greats.

The album starts off with the track “Rising,” and this initial song sets the tone for what you’re about to hear from the balance of the album. The standout tracks on this album have to be “Necromantic,” “Apex Predator,” “Voyeur,” and “Feral Game.” Over all, the album as a complete piece of art is amazing. I would encourage you, if you’re a fan of Otep or a collector of vinyl, to add this vinyl to your collection.

About Author

Ron

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Reviews

WEDNESDAY 13: Performs Muderdolls Lititz PA Show Review

Published

5 months ago

November 24, 2023

Ron

Wednesday 13 came into Lititz, PA, on November 18th, bringing the music, or The MurderDolls, with him. Continuing the legacy of Joey Jordison and Ben Graves.

Wednesday 13 is on a tour now; that’s all MurderDolls. 21 years have passed since Beyond the Valley of the MurderDolls came out, and 13 years have passed since Women and Children Last was released. Wednesday and his bandmates are sharing the stage with Infected Rain and Gemini Syndrome on this tour.

The show was amazing; this was our first time covering a show at Mickey’s Black Box. The venue, the staff, and our media contact were so hospitable. The venue was amazing, with a cool balcony on the second floor to watch the show as well.

We got to hear a full set of 20 MurderDolls songs, which was pretty much every song on both albums. There were some songs I haven’t gotten to hear in a long time, like “Grave Robbing USA”, “Drug Me To Hell”, and “Summertime Suicide”. Of course, it wouldn’t be a MurderDolls show if they didn’t play “I Love to Say Fuck” and finish the night with “Dead in Hollywood.”

It’s always a blast to see Wednesday 13 in concert, and I was so excited for the band that a lot of these shows were sold out. It was also a special night because it was my GF’s “50th” birthday and my buddy’s GF’s birthday the next day. We got the MC of the show, Don Jamieson, to give them a little birthday shout-out.

Although it’s sad that Joey and Ben are no longer with us, I’m sure Joey is loving that Murderdolls is still kicking ass after all those years, and I know that Wednesday 13 is so appreciative of what MurderDolls has done for his career.