Pazartesi 13 Şub 2012, 3:59

Sat 11 Feb – Scion Label Showcase

Surprising as it may seem, this was actually my first show at The Roxy. It's one of the longstanding venues in Hollywood, right next to the Rainbow Bar and a short walk from the famous Whisky a Go Go. I arrived about an hour before the doors opened and pulled into a parking lot only to find it was $20, so I drove back to The Roxy and found that they had free parking! I'm glad I didn't waste that money. A friend of mine met up with me in line and we waited to be let in. After giving out wristbands they went up and down the line telling everybody no stage dives. More on that later, though. Not longer after that they started letting us inside. Apparently they had Enslaved and Wormrot records on the table by the door, but by the time we got up to the front they were gone.

We went up to the front of the stage and waited for Royal Thunder to come on. I had never listened to them beforehand, or even heard of them before this show, so I had no idea what to expect. I was blown away. I'm not sure how to classify them as it's not my forte, but I would say more like stoner rock. Something about them just really clicked with me. Mlny's vocals had me totally captivated the entire time. They pulled off the transitions from tranquil sections to noisy doom oriented riffs exceptionally well. Their set had three new songs from their upcoming album and two from their self-titled EP. I'm really looking forward to hearing their debut and I can see them becoming extremely successful in the future.

• Sleeping Witch
• Mouth of Fire
• Parsonz Curse
• South of Somewhere
• Blue

Next up was Tombs, another band I wasn't really familiar with. The room began to fill in before they hit the stage. I'm not a sludge metal fan, but they put on a good performance. I'm not sure what they played though.

Revocation went up third and it was obvious a lot of people were there to see them. They were the first band to induce lots of headbanging and pits. I was having trouble hearing David's vocals, but otherwise they sounded spot on. David and Dan nailed all of the solos and they seemed very pleased with the reception from the crowd. I was disappointed by the setlist though. I was pleased that we got "Dismantle the Dictator", but they didn't play any of my favorites from Chaos of Forms. I will be seeing them again today though, so I'm hoping that they play "Cradle Robber" this time.

• Harlot
• Age of Iniquity
• Dismantle the Dictator
• Across Forests and Fjords
• Conjuring the Cataclysm
• No Funeral

After Revocation was Black Tusk, another sludge metal band. The first thing I noticed was Jonathan's incredible beard. It was by far one of the most amazing beards I've seen. It was cool to watch him beardbanging. They sounded pretty good, but I must say that sludge just isn't my thing. Their set was cut short, but I'm not sure exactly where, since I am not familiar with the material. If I have this right, they had two songs cut: "The Crash" and "Crossroads and Thunder". Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong!

• Brewing the Storm
• Bring Me Darkness
• Embrace the Madness
• Ender of All
• Set the Dial to Your Doom
• Red Eyes, Black Skies
• Mass Devotion
• The Ride

The curtain raised and it was time for Exhumed, the gore metal physicians, to take the stage. Everybody showed a new level of intensity when they started playing. The front row was a headbanging frenzy and the floor turned into chaos. There were a few stage dives during the first couple songs and then Matt said to the crowd, "Our stage is your stage." Immediately following were tons of stage divers, which prompted the bouncers to get on stage in an attempt to regain control. Meanwhile, Matt Harvey's putrefying screams swept through the room like a plague as the pandemonium commenced. The setlist focused mainly on newer material, which I was fine with. One of the highlights was "Death Knell", which they didn't play last time I saw them. There were the usual classics in the set as well. During my personal favorite, "The Matter of Splatter", I stage dived before being grabbed by a bouncer. I wish they were able to play for a bit longer, but they put on an incredible performance. I walked out of the venue covered in fake blood, in awe over what had just transpired.

• All Guts, No Glory
• As Hammer to Anvil
• Necrotized
• Decrepit Crescendo
• I Rot Within
• Death Knell
• Limb from Limb
• The Matter of Splatter
• Distorted and Twisted to Form
• Casketkrusher
• Wild Child (W.A.S.P. cover, partial)
• Open the Abscess