May 18, 2014 • Carabar, Columbus, Ohio
Finally! It's been, what, three months since I've been to a show? Anyway, earlier I said that while death metal may not be the best kind of metal, it's probably the best kind to see played live. Slowly, data point by data point, I am confirming this to be true.
FaithXtractor
With a silly name like this I had low expectations for FaithXtractor, but I'm happy to report that I was dead wrong. These guys were great. They played a sort of classic-ish death metal but in a way that's definitely an improvement over a lot of the boring old stuff I've heard. Straightforward and powerful riffage, great chugging rhythms, non-stop brutality. Nothing particularly flashy or fancy, but they get the job done—and, after all, sometimes the simpler things in life are best. Worth checking out; I picked up their CD and I'm glad I did.
• Gnarliest Bass Tone Award
Locusta
I first saw Locusta back in September and was blown away, so I was pumped to see them play again. And I have to say that they absolutely killed it—even better than last time. I don't know if any of the material they played was new (familiarity with songs always makes them more enjoyable) but it says something when their Death cover was the weakest in the set. They had the same mixing problems as before (low bass and vocals) but it didn't matter much to me; their songs are simply made for the stage and impossible not to slam along to.
• Best Private Services in the Bathroom Award
Inter Arma
So this was the third time seeing Inter Arma (second time here). And nothing has changed since then. Their music doesn't lend itself well to a live show at all (and it's not that good to begin with anymore anyway). Their show has turned into a big series of noodling, fills, and walls of atonal garbage that just go on and on forever. It felt like they barely played any music (and it seemed like most of the time there were more heads banging on stage than in the crowd). I mean, I guess they perform well, but you'd better be really sure that you love their stuff before you make the trip.
• Best Time to Grab Some Merch Award
Ulcerate
Like Inter Arma, Ulcerate's material doesn't really translate well to the stage. Unlike Inter Arma, though, Ulcerate is pretty good in the studio so they definitely put on a more enjoyable show. It's just unfortunate that their style of death metal becomes this sort of chaotic, atonal, messy wall of sound that's hard to follow. The older stuff, which is a bit more rhythmic, fared better, and overall it was a pretty cool show to see. Side note: There comes a point in every person's life when they realize they have too many drums. That point is before you reach two hi hats. At least, it should be.
• Biggest Silly Headphones Award
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