Gigantour Review 5/6/2008 Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, IL - The Good, The Bad, & the Ugly

by Wayne Graham

Last night, Gigantour rolled through Chicago's Aragon Ballroom, and I was there to take it all in. Well, almost all of it. I had to leave halfway through Megadeth's set due to a number of factors, a few of which I'll get into in a bit.

Here's a recap:

The GOOD

Megadeth - Don't let my hasty retreat fool you, they were GREAT! Mustaine was badass and whoever the guys that make up the rest of Megadeth are kept up wonderfully. Due to some factors I'll soon discuss, it was hard for me to enjoy the material I wasn't as familiar with, but that's not on the band. I've seen 'Deth twice in the span of a year, and they rocked both times. "Wake Up Dead" ruled last night. Wish I had gotten to see the rest of the set.

High on Fire - I was eavesdropping on some guys who were talking about "what's up first", and when asked who High on Fire is, one young man flippantly replied, whilst rolling his eyes, "It's stoner rock." Halfway through HonF's first song, this chode was throwing horns like the rest of us. Matt Pike and company had a tough job...going up first at 4:30 in the afternoon as everyone is just trickling into the building and getting settled, but they tore it the fuck up. Just like they always do. 30 perfect minutes. Pike played like a man possessed. Jeff Metz' bass and Des Kensel's tribal thunderdrums were the rare examples of when the cavernous acoustics of the Aragon worked in everyone's favor. HUUUUGE.

In Flames - They were one of the biggest casualties of the crappy Aragon sound, but they were still absolutely fantastic. This was a very In Flames friendly crowd, and the band gave it back to us 1,000 fold. They played quite a bit of stuff off their newer album, which I'm not 100% crazy about, but they selected the better ones from that platter. Great live band.

Alexi Laiho - Not to say that Children of Bodom on the whole weren't good, they very much were. But they had some slight tempo issues here and there, and were sloppy in spots. Frontman Alexi, though, gave one of the evening's best rockstar performances. The guy was great at getting an already riled up crowd pumped up. His vocals, while not his strongest feature, sounded great, and his guitar work was damn impressive. The reason for the ever-growing popularity of Bodom begins and ends with this guy.

THE BAD

Job for a Cowboy - These guys are to progressive death metal what Black Tide and Trivium are to thrash......little boys playing with big toys. Big congrats to them for being as young as they are and pulling off a good following, especially for this type of music. And they definitely know how to play their instruments and be br00tal and what not. But the songs....are not there. Very dull, repetitious set.

Janne Warman - I'm already reluctant to listen to bands that feature cheeseball-sounding keyboards as it is, Children of Bodom's keyboardist Warman really made it hard for anyone to make much of a convincing case to the contrary. When he played solos and doubled Alexi Laiho's runs, he sounded great, but when he didn't have anything to play, he just......STOOD THERE. Staring off into space. Waiting for his turn to play. Buddy, DO SOMETHING. Double the bass line. Act like you're playing but keep the volume off. No one would notice, I swear. We do notice when you're on the nod. Ask Alexi to give you more to do. If he says "no" then just concentrate on staying awake.

The "Fuck Metallica" Guy - At one point during Megadeth's set, this older guy who appears to only come out of the crypt when Ozzy, Slayer, or 'Deth comes to town, blurts out at the top of lungs "Fuck Metallica! The bitches!" Groan. I imagine this is a show of solidarity for Mustaine, who, as we all know by now, was ousted from Metallica way back when. Nice show of loyalty, guy, but that happened DECADES ago. I'm sure Dave is over by now. If he's not, I don't imagine he wants reminders of it, particularly in the middle of a barnburning Megadeth set. Oh, also, he can't hear you! Shut the fuck up! And while you're at it, stop getting down on bended knee and putting a triumphant fist in the air. That takes up way more space than you think it does.

Fat Pit Guys Who Decide They Want to Take a Breather Right Next to Me, Rubbing Their Sweaty Bare Arms Against My Mastodon T-Shirt - Oh no you don't, tubby. Back into the pit with you.

THE UGLY

The Aragon Ballroom - For a venue that LOOKS like it would be a great place for a rock show, it sure is a terrible place for a rock show. Where to begin......well, for starters, not sure if I've made this clear, but the sound in this place SUUUUUUCKS. Bass and drums ring through the place, but guitar work is often hard to hear. Not a good thing when we're talking about so many guitar-centric bands, huh? It was hard enough to properly recognize songs that I KNOW, much less enjoy songs that I wasn't familiar with yet. On top of that, crowd control sucks there, the staff includes some of the biggest bunch of retards I've ever had the displeasure of wishing I had never met, and a big reason why I left early is because I know all too well how long it takes to shuffle out of that place once a show is over. (Don't plan any meetings immediately outside the venue for at least an hour has been my experience)

So, anyway, all in all. A good time at a somewhat reasonable price. It was my first Gigantour excursion, and, provided it's not at the Aragon, I intend to make it a yearly thing.

Album of the Week - Torche "Meanderthal"

Wayne's Take

Somewhere near the middle of “Amnesian”, a dense, triumphant track from Torche’s beyond-excellent new album Meanderthal, the band, having slowly worked the listener into a lather that seems to have nowhere else it can possibly go, starts employing vocal harmonies that would sound sweet on their own, but in this context help the track crawl up, up, UP right into an explosive guitar solo that sends the song officially into the stratosphere. Torche’s brand of hook-infused stoner rock is often referred to as “thunder pop,” and a more perfect description of what this Miami quartet does so beautifully I could not conjure. These guys can rattle doom- loving bowels with the best of them, but front man Steve Brooks’ pop sense is unmistakable, and the group courted both sides quite well on 2005's self-titled debut and last year’s In Return EP. It was inevitable that at some point they’d make the kind of record that can please anyone who listens to any sub genre that ends in “rock.” And, boy, have they ever with Meanderthal. Fans of “___ meets ___” type descriptors for new music are going to have a field day with this one. Melvins meet Foo Fighters. Helmet meets Kyuss. Cheap Trick meets Black Sabbath. Heavy meets poppy.

Which is not to say there's anything calculated about the album. Far from it. This is one of those platters that bursts out of the gate with so much energy, focus (this bad boy is done in about 35 minutes), density, and hooks that if you’re destined to love it all, you’ll fall for it instantly. (You’ll hear no “this is an album that takes some effort” out of me this time) I can’t think of a single situation where this record wouldn’t be embraced. Metalheads will love the guitar hero horns-in-the-air moments and the sheer WEIGHT of it all. Arena rock fans will respond to the big sing-along-worthy choruses. Headphone-listening production nerds have a full album’s worth of deeply textured layers to bask in--thanks to Converge’s Kurt Ballou, whose production here might be his best work behind the boards yet. And I’m pretty sure that if you play “Healer” at a large gathering, you’ll get more than one gleefully anticipatory “Who IS this???”

There’s no telling what Torche has in store for them after hearing this. Even though they travel in the same neo-metal fraternity as Baroness , ISIS, and The Sword, I can just as easily see them opening for U2 or Pearl Jam, and still managing to retain their underground cred. Meanderthal is so approachable and yet hits all of the perfect heavy metal moves, that there’s no end to the doors that Torche can enter now. I can’t wait to see which one they choose.

Mark's take--

First off, I always love it when Wayne says he has found his early pick for album of the year. Mainly, because sometimes B'wayne-o and I sometimes disagree on stuff musically. (i.e Anselmo) I fucking love it when we do, too. Basically, because we're both not assholes about it.

This time, however, I agree with him. after a couple listens to this, this has ALL the markings of an album of the year. It's confident, hook-y as hell, and powerful. Plus the run time isn't too dramatic that would make this album possible taxing. Like some albums do. Albums that I love, of course, but sometimes a too-long album can be...well, taxing.

It opens with a bang. Guitar work that clearly shows that these guys were Maiden fans growing up. At first I was a little put off at the similarities of their vocal sound being very reminiscent of a fave of this site Baroness. Just the cadences and stuff, but then I realized, "Hey, I love Baroness, so who the fuck cares?" They have their own groove, and are actually a bit poppier than Baroness, which I admit, I am digging the shit out of. The third song, Piranha, kind of reminds me of a hook from one of my favorite bands Myracle Brah. The song "Orange Shirt" should have been huge. don't know why it wasn't....I love how Wayne's favorite song is "Healer." Mine is the one directly after that, "Across the Shields." The chord structure in that song is so beautiful and Devin-worthy. (Devin Townsend. Check him out) That is a jam worthy of ANY mix tape you could make for a co worker. Hell, might as well put "Healer" on there before it. Hopefully, they will do both in order live. One can dream. Like when Y & T did Lipstick and leather into Don't stop running? I almost dropped a loaf. And how embarrassed would I have been then? Anyway.

This album is solid,tight, and right. Any fan of Rock would be hard pressed to not get into this. I tell ya what, Put down that cope of Linkin Park's latest bull shit and hear what rock really is sounding like these days. You'll thank me. Us. Thank Torche, they did it, not me.

As for the album of the year? I can't call it this early. Because I know we have Mastodon and SlipKnot coming out with new albums. And they both hold previous years' titles..... Plus, who knows who else will release something excellent........

Album of the Week - The Sword "Gods of the Earth"

Wayne's Take:

In short, your opinion of The Sword after listening to their latest album, Gods of the Earth, will be pretty much the same as your opinion going into it. If you enjoyed the Sabbath-meets-Maiden riffing on 2006's Age of Winters, you'll find just as much to love on this one. If you're a tr00-Nazi who sticks up his nose at any metal band that gets the thumbs up by the indie cognoscenti, then go on your way, you're only wasting your time here. I think Xasthur might have a new album that you might enjoy more.

That said, even after several weeks of tearing into this one, it's not immediately clear how the new platter stacks up to the band's debut, at least in a "Which one is better?" situation. It's a close call. While I mightily enjoy the instrumental majesty of Gods-opener "The Sundering", I can't help but be a little let down that it doesn't lead to a bigger climax, or at least segue more seamlessly into the next track, much in the way that "Celestial Crown" led into "Barael's Blade" on Winters. After the opener, there's nothing in the first chunk of Gods--good as it is--that stacks up to the "Celestial Crown-Barael's Blade-Freya-Winter's Wolves" opening stretch on Winters.

It's wildly unfair, of course, to expect a second album to work the same magic as the first. Besides, this is very light criticism, especially when you consider that once the record hits first single "Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyrians", the whole thing catches on fire, and doesn't let up for the remainder of the album, going instantly from "very good" to "excellent." The band--while still very much in the Iommi y Ozzy tradition--goes on to play even further with their NWOBHM-twin guitar elements and Slayer-esque thrashabouts than they did on the debut, and the results are explosively entertaining. Guitarists J.D. Cronise and Kyle Shutt dispense plenty of Two Horn Tasty riffs on this bastard, and Cronise's vocals give the right amount of weight to what are basically lyrics about battles and wizards and other D&D-styled dorkery. Special attention is also to be paid to one of contemporary hard rock's best rhythm sections--bassist Bryan Ritchie and the shirtless, straight-backed beast that is drummer Trivett Wingo. These guys do a great job laying down solid rolling thunder for Cronise and Shutt to play on top of, and yet, they manage to do so in ways that make them stand out, as well. Ritchie is fantastic at supporting the main riffs, while throwing in nice counterpoint of his own, while Wingo does some of the most tribal, most musical drumming that I've heard so far this year.


Mark's take:

I made a list of random musings on the Sword for this week's review

1. Thank you, Rock Gods, for the Sword
2.Thank you for The Age of Winters
3. Thank you for the last half of 'Gods of the Earth,' because in my opinion, the last half is a bit more cohesive than the first half. Yet the first half is pretty damn good.
4. Thanks Mr Wingo for moving from Seattle to Austin. And for drumming without your shirt on. That's hot.
5. Thanks for letting me be honored to have seen these guys at the Subterranean when I did.
6. Thanks for allowing me to see them at Reggies when I did.
7. Thank you for the Battle imagry despite your normal appearances.
8. Thanks for sounding like a young energetic Black Sabbath
9. Thanks for the guitar solos that seem to come from nowhere and sound as effortless as good rock can sound.
10. Thank you to whoever makes those little frozen Taquitos that I get at the store that I usually eat when I get home from metal concerts....

Album of the Week - Lair of the Minotaur "War Metal Battle Master"

by Wayne Graham

On all of the promo materials for Lair of the Minotaur’s punishing new album War Metal Battle Master, they describe the release as “A concept album about solving conflicts with a big fucking axe.” Yyyyyyyyyyeahh that pretty much says more about what this record sounds like than anything that we’re going to tell you. WMBM is an extremely heavy record—both in terms of the club-over-the-head riffs as well as the dense sonic weight of the production (by Minsk’s Sanford Parker, with Pig Destroyer’s Scott Hull in charge of mastering).

With WMBM, Lair have perfected the art of distilling all the great elements of so many of metal’s subgenres, stripping away the problem spots that can cause those subgenres to falter or misstep, and to fuse the good stuff together into a cohesive, consistent wallop. There are blasting, growling death metal moments that grow out of riffs, as opposed to just providing a Look-Ma-No-Hands workout to attract love from the drum & guitar clinic crowd. The record has great martial-styled blast beats and throat shredding screeches that the best of Black Metal can offer, but without the theatrics or thin production. (One could go on all day about how fucking epic this thing sounds. Parker has really outdone himself on this one). Going on to fuse the dirty, sweaty riff n’ roll of High on Fire and Motorhead, the old-school darkness of Venom and Celtic Frost, and the gallop of 80’s Bay Area Thrash (especially early Slayer), the guys in Lair of the Minotaur are clearly lovers of metal in all its forms, but instead of skipping from genre to genre like so many prog know-it-alls, Lair have torn through what metal has done well before, pillaged what they need, and left the rest to burn in Hell. The songs are played with a pronounced bottom end that runs circles around what most doom metal outfits are doing these days, but the punch and focus of the arrangements keep everything moving at a nice clip. Each of the band’s members---Donald James Barraca on bass, Steven Rathbone on vox and guitar, and Chris Wozniak on drums—are all distinctive on their instruments, but they’re most impressive in how they lock in as a unit to fill as much sonic space with as much Heavy as possible.

So, yeah, what they said…….Big Fucking Axe.

The album is out today courtesy of Southern Lord Recordings. Wear a helmet.

Lair of the Minotaur on MySpace [link]