Concert Reviews

Corrosion Of Conformity – Live Life Loud Tour Review

Published

2 years ago

December 3, 2022

Pittsburgh, PA – By Jason Sealand

Corrosion of Conformity brought their Live Life Loud Tour to Pittsburgh with supporting acts The Native Howl and Spirit Adrift. The Pittsburgh show is their second to last stop of the tour as they finish up in Grand Rapids tomorrow.

Native Howl had the honors of opening up the show and they instantly injected an energy into the room as they totally knocked the audience off guard with a blistering set no one saw coming. The Native Howl play fast and tight as they infuse American roots bluegrass into thrash metal. Something they like to call “Thrashgrass”. They opened with the song “Harvester of Constant Sorrow” a 2019 single. Check it out here: The Native Howl – Harvester of Constant Sorrow Official Video. Below is one of my favorite shots of the night I got of Alex Holycross.

Next up was Sprit Adrift, which is a 2015 solo project start up of of multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Nate Garrett, who is also from Tempe Arizona based Gatecreeper. Spirit is melodic, riff-forward doom metal which kind of reminds me of a Dio inspired Black Sabbath with some Maiden mixed in. They seem to have dumped everything that is good metal into their bags from metal legends of past and shook it up to deliver something new yet familiar to the ear. The crowd was headbanging for most of the set and the band set the stage for what was to come. Spirit Adrift is playing 3 more dates as a headliner and finishing up in Little Rock Arkansas at the White Water Tavern. A shot of Nate Garrett below:

When Corrosion of Conformity took the stage at Mr. Smalls Theatre this Saturday it was immediately clear that the audience was filled with metal heads looking for that COC fix, blend of punk and metal that the band is famous for. I got a peek of the setlist and was instantly stoked for what I was about to see. I knew it was going to be an incredibly loud and heavy setlist and I was not disappointed.

The band came out washed in the shadows with a cutting light of red hues as bassist Mike Dean opened the show with a deep yet rumbling chug of a doom bassline with a bit of audio feedback as the band took the stage before tearing into the opening song, “Bottom Feeder” Whereas headbanging was the preferred audience show of appreciation for the opening bands, an instant circle pit opened up. Anywhere you looked people were smiling and having the time of their lives. Corrosion of Conformity fans knew all of the words and they screamed them as loud as they could. COC fed off of this crowd energy and gave all of it back and more.

The setlist contained material from the band’s back catalog of albums and included the slow groove of “13 Angels” from Americas Volume Dealer along with “Who’s Got The Fire”. Before closing out the night with an encore containing “Albatross” and “Clean My Wounds” from 1994’s album Deliverance. The setlist flowed incredibly well with no drop in energy nor time to rest. Guitarist and lead vocalist Pepper Keenan, were joined by bassist Mike Dean, lead guitarist Woody Weatherman, and drummer Jason Patterson of Cry of Love who is currently sitting in. The band played tight and were totally in control and clearly loving the energy in the room, Corrosion of Conformity looked as if they were having as much fun as the audience. As a fan I cannot wait to see them again and I am keeping my ears to the ground hoping for any news as far as new material coming out.

I have included their setlist below.

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY SETLIST:

1. Bottom Feeder (Wiseblood ’96)
2. Paranoid Opioid (In The Arms Of God ’05)
3. Shake Like You (Deliverance ’94)
4. Seven Days (Deliverance ’94)
5. Diablo Blvd. (Americas Volume Dealer ’00)
6. Senor Limpio (Deliverance ’94)
7. Wiseblood (Wiseblood ’96)
8. Who’s Got The Fire (Americas Volume Dealer ’00)
9. Stonebreaker (IN The Arms Of God ’05)
10. 13 Angels (Americas Volume Dealer ’00)
11. Vote With A Bullet (Blind ’91)
12. Born Again For The Last Time (Wiseblood ’96)
13. Albatross (Deliverance ’94)
14. Clean My Wounds (Deliverance ’94)

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY

SPIRIT ADRIFT

NATIVE HOWL

About Author

Jason Sealand

Jason is one of the newest talents that has joined forces with Empire Extreme. Not only is he a skillful photographer and journalist, he is owner and founder of Mad Viking Beard and Mustache Company and Brewtality Coffee Co. www.madvikingbeard.com

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Concert Reviews

The Nothing That Is Tour

Published

3 days ago

November 18, 2024

George Archibald

Another fall evening in the Burgh, the air was crisp and cool, setting the mood for a great night for metal. The Roxian in McKees Rock, PA, hosted The Nothing That Is Tour tonight, featuring Fit For An Autopsy. Bodysnatcher, Distant, Sylosisand, and Judiciary. Fit For An Autopsy brought some of the heaviest and nastiest together to throw down for all of you. An eclectic banding of hardcore and deathcore acts that are making waves in the metal community.

Judiciary kicked things off, their music a blend of hardcore, thrash, and punk. Their songs had thrash riffs with hardcore rhythms and breakdowns, with an occasional solo thrown in. With horns raised in the air, the crowd gave these Texas natives a well-received welcome. This band was a great start to the night, bringing the energy in the room up quickly.

Sylosis came out to a fury. Their vocalist ripped at the crowd from the start, asking for a circle pit as they kicked off. This band had moshers and crowd surfers amped up as waves of bodies started coming over the front barricade. Throughout the set, the energy never let up, as this band kept pushing the crowd. This energy came to a high when their newest single, “The Path,” was performed. High-paced hardcore mayhem throughout the set, this band had a vast amount of tricks in their bag, from solos to even groove to bring to the party.

At the midpoint of the show, Distant took the stage. This band is over-the-top heavy, riding low-tuned grooves into devastating breakdowns. The vocalist has a wide range, from high-pitched screams and growls to bottom-of-the-barrel gutturals. Distant announced their newest album, Tsukuyomi: The Origin, is a week away from coming out. Which kicked off the single “Torturous Symphony.” At this point, no one was standing still on the floor as moshers were on the move. Bodies colliding into each other until the band finally stopped, at this point the crowd was completely warmed up.

Deathcore veterans Bodysnatcher took the stage next to show Pittsburgh how to throw down. This band rides a low groove while keeping the energy high, accompanied by the unrelenting low growls of vocalist Kyle Medina. The band kicked off with “King of Rats” and went right into “Dead Rabbit.” The floor was swimming with bodies as the band raged on. Other standout songs were “Take Me to Hell” and “Black of My Eyes” before closing out on “Murder8.”

Headliners Fit For An Autopsy took the stage with a fury, kicking off with “Lower Purpose” into “A Higher Level of Hate” for a nasty one-two punch out of the gate. Seasoned veterans now in their careers, the band looked very polished and primed. FFAA just released their newest album, The Nothing That Is. The band played through several hits, “Black Mammoth”, “The Sea of Tragic Beasts”, and “Hellions”, before diving back into their latest album with “Hostage”. The crowd stayed up and moving through the set as Fit For an Autopsy is a Pittsburgh favorite, having visited the city several times during their tenure.

The Nothing That Is tour showcases some of the heaviest bands touring right now. Fit For An Autopsy have updated their live show and look ready to take the world fresh off the new album. If you are looking to release some steam or to hear some new music, The Nothing That Is tour will not disappoint.

About Author

George Archibald

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Concert Reviews

STRYPER ON A SUNDAY. YES PLEASE

Published

1 week ago

November 13, 2024

Ron

STRYPER was just in Baltimore the other day on the 40 years of Stryper tour. Playing 2 sets spanning those 40 years. I’ve only ever seen Stryper play at M3 so it was amazing to get to see a full on set then another full on set right after.

For the 1st set we got the 1984-1990 set which included songs like “Loud N Clear”, “Soldiers under Command” and “To Hell with the Devil”.

The second set we got 1986, 2004-2024 with songs like “No More Hell to Pay”, “This i Pray” and ending the night with “Sing along Song”.

It was a great night for Music and sadly more then likely the last show at RamsHead Live I’ll be ever to attend as the are closing their doors (hopefully will be open again with a new venture) but the show was amazing to see Stryper play on the stage. Such great guys and a great band. I love that Stryper is fully engaged with the fans and the show is always amazing. I love that they put their religious beliefs 100% on display but the show never feels preachy or judgmental. If you get a chance to see Stryper play in your city I fully recommend it such a great time and a great band to see play live.

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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Concert Reviews

King Diamond brought the Halloween party to Silver Spring MD

Published

3 weeks ago

November 2, 2024

Ron

King Diamond who’s on tour now with Overkill and Night Demon.

Overkill always puts on a great show and shows that face pace thrash metal is still kick ass. Led by NJ’s Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth Overkill has that distinctive sound with Bobby’s high pitched and raspy vocals. With songs like “Scorched”, “ Rotten to the Core” and “Hello From the Gutter”, Overkill got the crowd into a frenzy and warmed up the stage before the king.

You know it’s gonna be a good night when it’s 3 days before Halloween and you get to see a kick ass set from King Diamond. King Diamond who’s 68 right now still commands that stage and sounds amazing with his insanely falsettos. The stage show at a King Diamond show is always such a great sight to see. With a multilayer setup of stairs and little pieces of elaborate set all over it’s such a great view and perfect setting to watch a King Diamond set.

The set list was amazing too we got to hear songs from such a great career like “A Mansion in the Darkness”, “Halloween “, “Spider Lilly”, “Welcome Home”, and “Eye of the Witch” and of course ending the night with “Abagail”.

If you’re a fan of King Diamond or just a fan of great music that adds that Halloween haunted asylum themed stage performances then you need to go out and check this tour now. King Diamond never disappoints and always puts on one hell of a show.