The first thing that pops into someone’s head when you mention Switzerland is usually along the lines of chocolate, Swiss banks, Swatch and a load of other inane wank no one cares about. The first thing that comes to my mind is HellHammer, Celtic Frost and Gurd, but I am by no means normal. Now I can add Kess'khtak to that list.

Kess'khtak is a death/grindcore band form Switzerland and the name in modern Arabic literally translates to “Your Sister's Pussy”. They play fast, crushing grindcore with more of a death metal sound… so ideally one would call it deathcore, but fuck that term and all the bands who belong to it. This is death grind deluxe with crushing riffs and supersonic blast beats that will grind your mind into pink mist.

They’ve recently released an EP titled Nurturing Conditions For Rupture which gives a good indication of their lyrical theme being along the lines of ultimate planetary destruction/genocide and death. The record might as well be the official soundtrack for the end of the world. I could only describe it as a relentless, uncompromising, perpetual death grind onslaught from start to finish! The band really has managed to get their own very unique sound and I am pretty sure that even the trendy death metal kids could get into this.

Kess'khtak has found the algorithm of hate and they have managed to successfully parse grindcore and death metal as the parameters to produce a record that speaks volumes with such a sadistic and hateful intent it is hard to describe. So to all the “Brutal Death Metal” bands out there, cop this! I would highly recommend Kess'khtak - Nurturing Conditions For Rupture to those of you into bands like Blunt Force Truama, Death Toll 80K and Mass Grave.

Dutch some-what unclassifiables This Routine is Hell are back with their third offering in the form of Howl, a real solid record taking influences from all corners of the musical map. The variations in style are immediately reminiscent of Ritual's Paper Skin but they sure don't sound the same! With a definitive rocky edge to their hardcore punk sound, this record will stand out clear among all other hardcore releases this year.

There are snippets of riffs and vocals similar to a variety of other sounds, from Ceremony to Kvelertak and all sorts in-between, but again, they manage to make it all their own. Melodic throughout and keeping a rhythmic pace as one song transforms into another this is a real fun, energetic and exciting record, you'll probably put on repeat for a few consecutive plays at a time and still not manage to over play it.

Opening up with the head-noddingly, sing-alongingly short 'Gather Your Stones' you may be mistaken for thinking you're in for a smooth ride, but the pace picks up pretty quickly through the following tracks 'Nostalgia' and 'Howl'.

Sometimes it's important to have a definitive style when it comes to music, but often that can take over a band- endlessly producing the same album time after time because it's safe, "it's what people want". This Routine is Hell aren't in for that kind of ride. Howl focuses on confronting comfort zones and fears in an attempt to "disassemble society with the little tools we have, and rebuild them with the ones we create", which (I personally find) is exactly what's needed in the hardcore scene right now in order for the music so many of us love to progress and evolve.

For a God City recorded, Kurt Ballou produced record, this is refreshingly different. After hearing a lot of bands of a similar style pass through his studio I (and probably a lot of other people) have come to associate that particular sound with God City, but This Routine is Hell are distinctly different. A seminal handful of music, I'll definitely be looking into picking up a copy of this and hopefully catching a show by the end of the year and would highly recommend you do too!

FFO: Ruiner, Ritual, Ceremony

The first thing you hear on the start of Cathedral’s latest (and last, sadly) album is the wind blowing and a crow cawing. The below of “Bring out your dead” from a cart pusher as he rings his bell soon accompanies this haunting sound of death. And in some ways it is very appropriate. Having played their final live show last year, Cathedral have brought us one more gathering to help us maintain our equilibrium as they sail away.

‘Pallbearer’ is a crushing track full of Lee Dorian’s signature bellows and snazzy (yes snazzy) vocal hooks. At 12 minutes, it has peaks and valleys of musical bliss. Gaz Jennings’ guitar tone is a sheer force not to be messed with. Brian Dixon’s drums ring out loud and clear, and the return of once live fill-in bassist Scott Carlson (Repulsion) is a warm welcome. Even when shifting gears upward, Cathedral do so with ease and class while never sacrificing the sound they have created over 20+ years. ‘Cathedral of the Damned’ is a dance with sheer heft and a brief dip of psychedelic space sure to keep those of you with a hazy room thoroughly happy.

‘Tower of Silence’ is a flat out lie; this has to be the loudest, heaviest track on the album. It not only defines “crushing”, it may even cause you to break your neck from the insistent headbanging tempo throughout. ‘An Observation’ made me feel like I was tripped out on too much acid and on the set of a 70s music video. In fact, the colours haven’t left me and I’m still smiling.

Closing track and what is going to forever be a high note to retire on, ‘This Body, Thy Tomb', makes you wish we could continually receive new final albums from Cathedral, year after year. The acoustic guitars that split up the middle really make you feel like a friend is leaving. The guitar solo and running water that follow, well, they fool you into thinking it’s all over. The boys in Cathedral give another three minutes to dwell on these proceedings then fade away in a sea of guitar feedback.

A great ending to a truly great career, full of ups and downs just like the past 20-some years. If you’ve a single metal bone in your body, you’ll go out and grab “The Last Spire” on April 29th in the UK from Rise Above, or on April 30th in the US through Metal Blade. As we’ve been left with a final note from our passing friend, it’s only appropriate that we open it up and see what it’s about, go out and buy this album.

HAIL!!!

Without having heard Portico Quartet's self-titled album released one year ago I dived into their following double album consisting of 2012 live recordings and a collection of remixes. I had however heard their Isla released four years back and their modern take on jazz felt refreshing and left my ears thirsty for more. There was no way I could let this chance pass me by.

'Atmospheric' is an often used word speaking of music, so much that its meaning more or less has been diluted. When speaking of this live recording, however, it would be rather misleading not using the term. From start to end it feels as if Portico Quartet is playing in a different part of the atmosphere, or at the bottom of the sea. Jack Wyllie's elegant and gentle use of the saxophone contributes very much to this. Only very rarely does he head into crazy free-jazz improvisations - which is for the better. And although they do shift between mellow/ambient and psychedelic/intense, it's as if the gentleness and the elegance are important keys to Portico Quartet's approach and free-jazz elements would not fit in very well here. The label Real World wrote something about the quartet which made a lot of sense: electro-acoustic-ambient music. While that description could do just fine by its own, I'd say there is also an exotic touch to their sound. Think: caribbean.

The highlight of the live recording is Swedish vocialist Cornelia's contribution to 'Steepless' and there are several reasons to this. Firstly, the idea of bringing a non-jazz-vocalist into this electronic/jazz combo is in itself very refreshing and creates an important variation. Secondly, Cornelia has a powerful and, simply put, stunning voice. The fact that she starts singing in Swedish before continuing in English doesn't hurt either. Neither does the subtle vocal sampling which is intuitively being used as a background layer element during the live performance.

Continuing with the second disc consisting of ten remixes. The problem with most remix albums I've previously heard is the lack of consistency. The result is often a divergent one, as if the mission was 'Just go and do your thing, and then we'll piece it all together at the end'. Don't get me wrong though, the collection of remixes found on the second disc here are among the better. And as you could expect it is more beat based than Portico Quartet's own versions. One of the highlights are Luke Abbott's laid-back and cinematic take on 'Rubidium'. Usually I will quickly identify a remix as a remix, but Abbott manages to treat the original material with enough care so that both Portico Quartet and his own vision feels present at the same time and without the result actually sounding prominently remixy. Two tracks later however, the opposite happens when LV gives a shot on 'City of Glass' which is a rather annoying one. It sounds like someone got lost and headed to a rave party instead of sticking with the rest who ended up standing outside a jazz club for a little while; leaning towards a brick wall while drinking a glass of wine and looking up at the stars on a hot summer evening.

While I still have my doubts about the concept of the remix album I'm going to end this focusing on Portico Quartet's beautiful live performances and their original approach which is found somewhere between jazz and ambient. More importantly though, it is an approach which has evolved into a sound that is very much their own.

Hailing from Nottingham, 8mm Orchestra are a 5-piece who specialise in instrumental alternative/electronic rock music, formed out of necessity when founder member George Darby required music for an 8mm film he was doing as a university art project. On the Wristbreaker/Tolt 3-track e.p their sound is incredibly hard to pin down, each track could conceivably come from a different act. The final track is a remix and it’s always hard to ascertain how much is remixer, how much is band.

Track one is the epic 7 minute instrumental 'Wristbreaker' which begins with what sounds like a spaced-out merry-go-round being slowed down and sped up. Then a meandering bass groove and crisp electro drums appear before the drums crack in and the guitars fire up with a dirty distorted squeal. Nicely balanced between electronica and all-out rocking it really gets into your head after a few listens.

Initially, without having the press release to hand I begin to wonder as to who the musicians are involved in 8mm Orchestra. See, there’s this amazing elastic bass line that is reminiscent of a great bass player. Some extraordinary lead guitar breaks and virtuoso solos that could only be played by one man on the planet. This is all complimented by the percussive duties of a very distinctive drumming (man) machine. I’m just waiting for Perry Farrell to start singing and this is some long lost Jane’s Addiction track future-fied with electronic underbelly. Yep, that good.

A radical departure completely for track two, 'Tolt', which envelopes your ears in a sensual overload of very lush electronic pianos. This is the kind of music you expect to be accompanied with a very bright light, some clouds and possibly a bearded gentleman, depending on your beliefs. It’s truly a beautiful piece of music and certainly lives up to the claim in the PR about pushing boundaries of sound exploration. I just wish it was expanded apon and made a bit longer, it’s over all too briefly after 2mins 53 seconds.

I mentioned already about not being able to define between remix-er and remix-ee and this is where this e.p loses points (if points were being given). The Moscow Youth Cult remix of 'Pale Blue Dot' begins with curious warped tones and striking synth notes but is quickly usurped by common 4/4 beats and generic electro squelches. I daresay the original tune is much better fare and I’d recommend including another of my own compositions on a 3 track e.p. At the very least tell the Moscow Youth Cult to stick to recruiting young folks as remixing isn’t their vocation.

The Wristbreaker e.p. is really a case of 2 out of 3 are very, very good and the third ain’t (particularly) bad, just not as good.

My curiosity has been sufficiently aroused to check out some of their other work because 8mm Orchestra have certainly got the ability to play and confound.

Canada's Hammerhands call forth grim dark fury on Glaciers. This 6 songs, 66 minutes dark, dense epic of an album is filled to the brim with colossal slo-core sludge riffage, hardcore passion and post-metal sensibilities.

We very quickly see why the album is called "Glaciers" as opener 'Floods' comes at us like a slow moving gigantic frozen tsunami. The glacial vehemence of the chords pound us, hypnotizing, oppressing and punishing our blackened souls. We drift through a harsh soundscape with impending doom ever present. The tension builds until we are bludgeoned into oblivion by some of the best Blaze of Incompetence-era 16 style, sludge ferosity that I've heard in a long time. The 16 influence continues throughout the rest of this dark, super-heavy post metal/sludge experience especially in the vocal department.

Title track 'Glaciers' is a lesson in post-metal. All too many bands in this genre seem to have lessened their grip on the brutality, concentrating their efforts more on the melody, not Hammerhands! The rage and destruction are firmly in control. A haunting metallic melody precedes a throbbing post-metal epic of a song with the vocalist at his throat shredding best.

'Meat Bags' has a bassline worthy of a demented Primus, pounding and bouncing around like a disjointed mammoth with angular guitars that hang in the air bleeding. A short dark, tormented string interlude takes us to closing epic 'Equus,' a 30 minute brooding sunless journey with a crushing riff the size of a small planet that slowly decomposes into a maelstrom of massive drones and feedback. Waves of paranoia oozing from the speakers.

So, all in all, an excellent adventure in apocalyptic heaviness and arcane fury. Not for the faint of heart. Essential purchase for fans of.. 16, Fistula, Batillus, Kongh, Black Shape of Nexus, His Hero is Gone, Unsane, Isis, Neurosis, Sunn, Conan etc.

There are a few words and phrases in band names which seem to have an influence on the quality of their releases and give a good indication of what you can expect from them. Alongside words like "Earth“, "Hypno/se“ or "Slay/er“ in any constellation "Fall“ appears to me just to be one of those. Within this review we’ll have a closer look at the newest record by When Icarus Falls which was released quite a while ago and didn’t get the attention it should have had. After about 30 seconds you know what it is. Aegean is post-metal. And the fact that the classification is that easy is at the same time the band’s biggest strength and weakness.

It didn’t take me long to get into the slow guitar riffs. Great harmonies alternate with dissonance. There is a lot of reverb on pretty everything and the aggressive or maybe even hardcore-ish vocals complete the picture you have when you‘re thinking of traditional post-metal ala Mouth of the Architect, Cult of Luna or even Neurosis.

Ambitious chord progressions give place to more gentle but still distorted pickings. A second guitar enters and the metamorphosis into the next climax begins. What I really love about the record is the overdrive sound. This is exactly what I think good sludgy guitars should sound like and in combination with the rhythmically complex riffs, the evolution of the rhythm itself and the different layers of the instruments within these parts, makes the whole thing sound dynamic and very well executed.

Until the sixth song I really enjoyed my first run through the album and could not find any weak points- but then the obligatory piano ballad had to come. I think quite a few bands have really done great jobs with this kind of addition to their albums but on Aegean it’s simply too long, boring and the lame shouted vocals make me say that the song just isn’t that good. It’s very much one of those tracks I’ll skip after a few listens.

As Aegean was released in September of last year, quite a few critics said that When Icarus Falls here have produced a good record but that it suffers from a lack of originality. And so do I. However I suppose that I think about it a bit differently. Aegean was released either too late or too early. In 2004 this record would easily have had the potential to be seen as a reference within the genre, which in my opinion ISIS' Panopticon still is. If it were to be released in a couple of years when the post-rock/sludge/metal hype has died down even more than it already has, it would probably be described as the perfect old-school record. But in 2012/13 Aegean isn’t strong enough to compete with the bigger names such as Cult of Luna, Amenra or Light Bearer and goes down fighting in the bulk of bands which nearly all sound the same making recognition quite hard.

And still I want to add one more thing. I really enjoyed listening to Aegean and I will definitely listen to it again every once in a while. The fact that there is another trend in the genre makes me think of the record as a bit more controversial. Lots of the big names are forced to reinvent themselves and think they have to create something "new“ (just remember the electro-pop parts on the new Cult of Luna record). With this in mind I believe that those bands who keep closer to the sound we know and love are more original than those who think that adding a bash of dub-step junk separates them from the rest and so maybe a bit of honesty and being down-to-earth make the bands, who can still deliver that sound, the originals themselves.

Reviewing records you can become frustrated at some things that come your way. Especially dealing with Stoner/sludge releases. Time and again I listen to something and think nothing new or simply uninteresting.  So it's refreshing and invigorating when something as good as this album by Halmos comes your way. Halmos are based in Atlanta, Georgia and originally were a two piece. For this album they are now four members, with Melanie Maher and Casy Yarbrough, joining Corey Briley and Travis Anderson.

It proves how committed Halmos are to perfecting their sound and establishling themselves that they re-recorded some tracks from their previous EP. It's evident they want to say "look that's who we were but this is Halmos now". Exist is a great album due to that dedication, and enjoyable from start to finish.

They cite Melvins and Sleep amongst their influences, however they don't spend all their time trying to sound like them. In fact there are elements of other stuff like Kylesa mixed into the sound. Halmos have managed though to create a sound they can call their own however. With at times a pretty unique vocal style and a collection of excellently written songs they hopefully will win many more fans.

The likes of opener 'The Uncondtioned' combine swirling fuzz drenched guitar with pounding rhythm to great effect. 'Antithesis Superstructure' has a great stomp to it before more psychedelic momments. Halmos know how to lock into a rhythm thats for sure. 'Excursion into Chaos' is another highlight with its tribal beginning and a riff that reminds me of LaFaro (Belfast riff masters). The track though oozes with class and quality.

'The Polemic Prophet' slows the pace with snarled vocals and oppressive riffage. 'To Climb The Mount' is a glorious tripped out track with harmonious vocals and warm fuzzy guitar and bass. Travis Anderson also puts in a great performance on drums really driving the track into second gear, which is flooring stuff. The album closes with 'The Highest Step' with Melanie's hushed tones and samples giving way to more sludge infested rhythms and is mostly instrumental.

So hopefully you will check Halmos out and agree they stand out from the pack. I'll be enjoying Exist for some time to come. You can buy Exist now from their Bandcamp. Do it!

Don't take this the wrong way, but Darkthrone's latest album The Underground Resistance is a whole lot of fun. It's seriously good, but it doesn't take itself too seriously. This is about heavy, loud, noisy music being entirely accessible. More than that it's about a couple of guys who have been around long enough to have the confidence to evolve without losing their power and energy and without having to prove anything.

Yes it did take a while to write, and this is well written and played music, but it flows so effortlessly that it sounds like it's 1985 again and these are a pair of lads feeling invincible as they find new sounds and inspiration, not like some stale attempt at going somewhere for the sake of it. It follows the heart and that's enough to make you forgive the few shortcomings it has.

At its core is great old-school metal, the harsh vocals of Nocturno closer to Lemmy with a sore throat than your typical vomitous and venom-filled hardcore, and it's not the only nod to Motörhead. It's built on rollicking bass and rhythm lines with magnificent melodic riffs that need your head as a metronome and would be quite at home on Overkill or something from Celtic Frost. What Darkthrone add is the thrash, the great production and the operatic vocals of Fenriz (they mostly alternate between songs rather than play off each other within songs).

Opener 'Dead Early' starts off quietly enough before announcing its intentions with some chugging riffs and power chords followed by those great growling vocals. 'Valkyrie' most strongly calls on the ghosts of the '70s and '80s and strong power-metal and the longer closing track 'Leave no Cross Unturned' actually sounds fairly repetitious rather than epic and doesn't venture too far from where it starts, all in a good way. The only real problem with the record is that the songs end poorly, but Darkthrone are no orphans there.

This album will have the most sedate music listener banging their head and throwing horns in no time and I wouldn't be surprised if a taste of it triggers the birth of more than a few metalheads.

After my first blind listen to Spaceheads’ new EP, Sun Radar, I had few sudden questions for myself, the band, and the universe in general: Where have these guys been all my life? Who are they, what do they do – and why the fuck is Sun Radar not a full-length album?

The answer to Question 1 is, right here - ‘here’ being any point along the commute between London and Manchester. You see, Spaceheads aren’t exactly new on the scene. They’ve been playing together since I was about two foot tall. And seeing as I’m not exactly new on the scene, this gives us a ballpark figure of around… twenty years? Hopefully this means you’ve heard of them by now. Unlike me. Moving right along.

Who are Spaceheads? Andy Diagram on trumpet and electronics, Richard Harrison on drums and percussion. Apparently they’ve been described as an “understaffed jazz band,” but don’t believe a word of it. Whatever they lack in numbers, these guys more than make up for with technology (of course) and charisma (in spades). As I mentioned, they’ve been playing, touring and recording for over twenty years (their back-catalogue clocks in at nine albums) – and it shows. From the swift, squelchy opening riffs to its final percussive hisses, Sun Radar breathes brassy self-assurance the way a liquored businessman breathes boozy schmooze. They’re brimful of that confident exuberance of a group who know exactly what they want, how to get it, and how to sweep you up for the ride.

Anyway, I’m sure they have their rhymes and reasons RE: Question 4, but I reserve my right to feel affronted. The infectious funk-driven rhythms and sassy brass interjections tap-dance their way unabated through four tracks and unceremoniously drop you at the end, all dressed up with nowhere to go. It’s like you’ve stumbled across some grimy basement jazz club hung with cigarette smoke and oozing cool – only for it to shut at 9pm. And that, my friends, really is my only criticism of this shoe-shined, bow-tied bombshell of an EP: it’s too damn short.

I first became aware of Ice, Sea, Dead People when my buddies from United Fruit went on a UK tour with them last year. First thought I had was regarding the name, especially since I shortly after becoming aware of this band watched another Film 4 re-run of The Sixth Sense, and somehow I could only hear the little boy character Cole Sear say “I see dead people” as “Ice sea dead people” (somehow a Sean Connery accent slipped in here as well, yes I know, don’t ask me why). After hearing a couple of the United Fruit lads rave about them I decided to check them out and this resulted in me listening to the impressive debut album Teeth Union. Now they are about to release that “difficult second album”, which they called If It’s Broken Break it More.

I quite like to describe their sound as “jumpy alternative noise rock/punk”, although the description they use on their Facebook page as “Post-punk/New-wave/Noise-rock/Post-hyphen-hyphen-hyphenism/Fuck” is quite a nice one too, especially for the people who like to post-something every genre these days.

If It’s Broken Break it More is a very good album following the sound set on Teeth Union nicely, with mathy rhythms, noisy riffing guitar bits, shouty vocals and overall delivering 10 solidly written poppy punk tracks. They write the kind of tunes which initially make you tap your feet, then you’ll start nodding your head and eventually you’ll find yourself jumping and dancing around your living room. It is good stuff and unfortunately I’ve never seen these guys live, but I can only imagine the high levels of energy and dynamics these guys would deliver on stage.

The album was recorded live without any click tracks or overdubs and thereby catches a lot of said energy and dynamics, which is great. I do however have a minor criticism regarding the final production. After listening back-to-back to Teeth Union and If It’s Broken Break it More, I found myself a bit disappointed in the lack of bass on this latest album compared to the first album. But this is only a minor critical point.

As already said, If It’s Broken Break it More has 10 solidly good songs, but two tracks are really standing out for me, which are ‘You Could Be A Model’ and ‘If It’s Broken’. The former for the brilliantly sounding guitar tone which makes it a great catchy melodic punk track and the latter for sounding like one of my all-time favourite noise heroes Sonic Youth. Also the distorted bass finally makes a very welcome appearance in the front of the mix in this track.

If you like noise-rock, jumpy rhythms and post-hyphen-hyphen-hyphenism, I seriously recommend you to get yourself a copy of If It’s Broken Break it More, which will be released on April 22nd on Lost Toy Records. And while you’re at it, get yourself a copy of their debut album as well.

Support the music you love.

One of the great things about heavy metal and music in general is that there is a bit of everything out there for everyone and no matter what your taste you will be able to find something that you really love and can identify with and becomes part of your life. I feel this way when a great band or musician can create an album that envelopes me completely and sucks me into the story they are telling whether it is in a single song or an entire album with a complete concept. Dawnbringer gave this to me last year with their stellar release Into the Liar of the Sun God. This release to me was a perfect amalgam of what a great band can do with a well thought out story and the ability to translate that story to music. Stephen King does it in books, sometimes over 1000’s of pages; musicians only have about 60 minutes in which to do the same thing. So no matter what, it takes some time and effort to put forth a great album with a great story (ies) to satisfy the masses of music listeners and fans.

Amorphis are ready to release their 11th studio album Circle and continue the story and saga they began nearly 20 years ago. They have taken their once death metal tendencies and morphed them into what is now a melodic, folk, power metal sound. The guttural screams of their death metal past rear their heads throughout the album but are used more for atmosphere than for song construction. Additionally, I don’t believe it is easy to continue to milk the teat of an ancient Finnish legend of music and inspiration through 11 albums and several musician changes but as Amorphis’ name suggests (without determinate form, shapeless) they have been willing to “adjust” or “morph” their sound to suit the music they are creating.

So has Amorphis been able to continue with the wave of success they have been surfing on these past few years? Yes and no! The album Circle is an interesting turn for Amorphis as they have definitely moved into the full on power metal field and left the melodic death behind. There is no mistaking that this album was meant to be grandiose and with the inclusion of more symphonic/orchestral keyboards/synth and power metal breaks on this album than any I have heard on previous releases they have achieved this. But what Amorphis has achieved in sound I think they have lost in overall quality of the album as well as the production. This album has three distinct types of song on it: The Good, The Bad and the Forgettable! Instead of going song by song I will just categorize them for you so you understand what is worth downloading and what is worth staying away from. The Good: 'Shades of Gray', 'The Wanderer', 'Nightbird’s Song', 'Hopeless Days'; The Bad: 'Narrowpath', 'Into the Abyss'; The Forgettable: 'Enchanted By the Moon', 'A New Day'.

I am going to be honest, I really wanted to like this album and give it a great review. Not only because I am a fan of Amorphis but because it is my first review for the fine folks at Ech(((o)))es and Dust. Amorphis’ previous recordings had given me hope that they were finally taking heart in their progressive side and would be working more toward that sound in their music as it was obvious that they had decided to move on from their death and melodic death roots. But alas, I was wrong and instead of working off of the growth of their previous few releases they instead embraced the power metal side of their sound and created an album that is technically smart but lacks any aggression and in turn any emotion. Additionally, and maybe this was just my copy of the album but it also seemed like the production was really over-produced and compressed and this doesn’t allow the music to sound as I think it really should. All in all, there are some songs that really stand out on this album but they do so, on an album that is not that memorable.

Until Later, Peace!

After what proved to be one hell of a Monday then one hell of a Tuesday morning, I was pretty glad to go see a show. Especially one headlined by the almighty Goatwhore.

I’ll start out and say that the picture options I had were rather limited. Although being granted a “photo” pass, the venue itself doesn’t actually have a place for photographers unless you are right up front. That and I had one camera without a charger, dead as a nail. And another with limited photo capacity in a dark room full of people with their hands in the air and generally “losing their shit”.

Enabler was originally set to open, but did not show. Now as to whether it was the Enabler from Milwaukee or Minneapolis was up for debate between a few people outside. (Eventually we settled that is was the Minneapolis one.) Either way, Eau Claire locals and ball-bust-grind-thrash-fuck-you-the-hell-up power trio Accusation did a more than formidable job of setting the tone for the night. I’ve seen a fair amount of local bands, not necessarily in my town, but others and Accusation brought a fury whip that left me in awe with my jaw wide open. That 3 men can be that loud, savage, vicious and yet still sound clear is amazing. They played a rather ‘no frills’ set, although vocalist/guitarist Palmer made a trip out into the crowd and did have his guitar get unplugged. The band did not miss a single beat though. Vocalist/bassit Joe was even reminiscent of a slightly slower John Chan (Gridlink, Discordinant Axis) with a higher pitched vocal delivery. Palmer himself, a solid guitar player and vocalist, sounded equally as good. Drummer Brad looked and played like a machine. Not to say he was boring and mundane, quite the opposite. The guy plays rock solid and never missed a beat. After their set I managed to catch up with them and even get their new EP on tape. (These guys sound entirely different live than they do on record. I only hope bigger and better things come for these guys. As long as they stop drinking Blats. For real Joe??)

3 Inches of Blood were next. Now between my piss/smoke/bullshit/reply to emails, I missed getting over to see their whole set. I was able to watch it from the other side of the venue on a flat screen TV, all while hearing them from the other side. They sounded clean and strong as ever. Vocalist Cam Pipes, with his unwavering metal howl, led the band (Ash Pearson/drums, Shane Clark/guitar, Justin Hagberg/bass) through a set of classic heavy metal. What songs I did catch sounded great. “Metal Woman”, “Crazy Nights” and “Deadly Sinners” all rang out perfect. And the crowd loved it as well. If there were really any doubts in the fans before 3 Inches of Blood played, they were laid to rest by the size of the merch line after their set.

Myself and Goatwhore guitarist Sammy Duet. Although it looks like we’re holding hands in a shared bond of metal, he’s actually flipping me off for making a short joke. He’s totally not standing on a step next to me though. Totally not. 😉 (Sorry Sammy, at least your hair isn’t red.)

Another round of bathroom breaks/cigarettes/bullshit sessions and the almighty Goatwhore were setting up to play. Most the crowd seemed enthusiastic. The last time they had played in Eau Claire was three years ago, and everyone had been waiting for their return.

 It was three years well worth the wait. (So worth it in fact, that I wasn’t able to get a damn clear picture!)

While setting up and sound checking, most people were ordering drinks and chatting. And then out of fucking nowhere lead singer Ben Falgoust appeared with a vicious scream while the band summoned demons right with him. Pulling tracks from all five albums, they know exactly how to move a crowd and keep it going. Drummer Zack Simmons made it look easy the entire time, rarely showing much emotion aside from playing fucking drums! James “Not The Shit Doctor” Harvey (bass) was loud and clear in the mix. He and guitarist Sammy Duet swapped places back and forth on stage throughout the set, occasionally breaking smiles out of their manes of hair. Sammy’s backing vocal delivery is just as strong as any vocalist in other bands. And as far as his guitar playing goes, to me, not many can touch it. Solid riff after riff and never letting up, aside from between songs occasionally and to respond to a semi-inebriated concert goer who was quickly quieted by comments about his mother. (hahaha) Don’t get me started on his solos either. While some may say they’re simple or not very innovative; the fucking wheel was made years ago, there are just many different types available! Ben was also in fine form; the man’s voice never gets weak at all. In-between spewing his unholy vocals to the crowd, he thanked everyone for their enthusiasm, slapped hands with people up front and poked at a fan or two (all in good fun). The crowd loved every minute of it as well. Fists in the air on command, chants when told, horns being throw and even a crowd surfer whom at one point I thought was down, only to fly right back up. The mosh pit, while energetic, isn’t allowed a whole lot of room. And whatever was lacked from that area, was entirely made up for. Myself, I’m not a big guy at all, and after being smacked in the nose a few years ago (I used to have a bullring in my nose), I’m ok with just standing to the side, throwing my hands in the air and just taking in the tunes. There were plenty of people doing the same, but no one’s eyes really left the stage.

After they closed out the show with the now classic ‘Apocalyptic Havoc’ many ‘Thank you’s were said, hand slapped and shook and drinks shared with some members of the crowd. A very good show, to say the least.  Goatwhore and 3 Inches of Blood will be on tour in the US through May 15th. Dates can be found at www.goatwhore.net. Be sure to check out the show when it comes by your town. And buy some fucking merch!

I would like to thank Liz from Earsplit PR for her quick work on such short notice. (It’s ok Liz, I just don’t look like an “Evan”)