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September 9, 2010 |
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w/ THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER
July 19, 2004
Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver, BC
By Tony Antunovich
All photos Copyright © 2004 METALEATER - Do not use without permission.
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CANNIBAL CORPSE – you either love them, or you hate them. Known as death metal's most extreme band, their music is brutal, aggressive, and absolutely unrelenting. Whether you are a fan or not, one thing is certain - until you have seen them live, you have not truly experienced the raw crushing power of CANNIBAL CORPSE. Next up on their list of cities to conquer: Vancouver, B.C. – again!
Yesterday, on July 19, 2004, the mighty death metal machine CANNIBAL CORPSE arrived in Vancouver to show us just what they are made of. There was no doubt in my mind that once they finished tearing this city to shreds, nothing but dust and debris would remain. Given the fact that I had never seen them play live before, I was really looking forward to the show. As it was reported last week all over the Internet, CANNIBAL CORPSE scheduled an in-store meet-and-greet and signing session at SCRAPE Records, and they did not let their fans down. Just before 6 PM (PST), all five members walked into the store as loyal fans patiently waited outside in the long line-up to meet them. Once the guys sat down with their brews (courtesy of SCRAPE's owner, JJ), fans were allowed in to get their merchandise signed and have photos taken with the band.
CANNIBAL CORPSE IN-STORE
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I spoke with all the band members myself and I can tell you that they are awesome guys and were extremely friendly and easy to talk to. I asked the band members to sign my "The Wretched Spawn" Digipak CD booklet and Mr. Corpsegrinder himself posed with me for a metal shot. A big thank you to George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher, Pat O'Brien, Jeremy Turner, Alex Webster and Paul Mazurkiewicz for taking the time out of their busy schedule to come down to SCRAPE Records and participate in the in-store. I know the fans appreciated it, as did I. Also, thanks to JJ and Dennis at SCRAPE, as well as Stephen and Nick from Universal Music for helping to make it a great success!
SEVERED SAVIOR was originally scheduled to serve as one of the opening acts, alongside THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, but could not make it for some reason (apparently their tour bus broke down, but don't quote me on that). Nevertheless, the show went on as planned. At around 9:15 PM, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER hit the stage with full force and immediately received a warm reception from the crowd. As I was standing there photographing the band's first song, one avid fan behind the barricades kept shouting "BLACK F***ING DAHLIA MURDER! BLACK F***ING DAHLIA MURDER!". I am sure he was slightly tanked, but it still was quite entertaining! Throughout their short 35 minute set, the band played songs like "Apex", "Funeral Thirst", "The Blackest Incarnation" and "Closed Casket Requiem".
This being the first time seeing them play live, I was very impressed by their performance and how much energy these five guys have on stage. The guitar team of John Kempainen and Brian Eschbach was awesome, Trevor's vocals were killer and new skinsman Zach Gibson delivered a flawless performance. Just before the final song of the night, Trevor yelled "CANNIBAL CORPSE is up next so make some fucken noise!!", then the band finished off with "Contagion". Hats off to the boys from Detroit! They really put on a great show.
THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER
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After a 20 some-odd minute intermission for the crew to set up the stage and complete their sound check, darkness fell again and CANNIBAL CORPSE emerged onto the stage to unleash the beginning of their 75-minute run of raw crushing power and brutality. Trust me, you cannot even begin to understand and feel the brute strength of this band until you witness it for yourself - LIVE!! Wasting absolutely no time, the band opened up their offensive with "Shredded Humans" as George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher stood at dead-center stage in his typical stance, growling and screaming out his signature vocals, then began violently lashing his head and hair around in fast 360 degree circular motions, which he continued doing throughout the entire show. Moving right along, the band shredded through "Puncture Wound Massacre" and "Stripped, Raped And Strangled".
I was amazed by veteran CANNIBAL drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz and his ability to blaze through each song like a machine gun that never ran out of ammunition, smashing his skins and cymbals without losing a single beat. Newly acquired guitarist Jeremy Turner displayed his amazing axe talent as he effortlessly dealt out the crushing riffs and blistering solos, and long-running bassist Alex Webster and speedy axeman Pat O'Brien delivered outstanding performances as well.
CANNIBAL CORPSE
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In true CANNIBAL fashion, Sir Corpsegrinder dedicated the next song, "Fucked With A Knife", to all the ladies in the audience. Not really the most romantic song in the world, but I guess it had its place (haha). The band continued the onslaught with songs like "Vomit The Soul", "Cryptic Stench" and "Unleashing The Bloodthirsty". I don't think there was one single metalhead in attendance that WASN'T banging their head, including myself! The pit was pretty busy as well, with lots of bodies being tossed and pushed around – scary! George spoke briefly about there being certain people in the world who have tried to stop CANNIBAL CORPSE from doing what they do and he voiced his discontent by saying "That ain't gonna fucken happen! We're going to keep doing whatever the fuck we want to!". With that said, he dedicated "They Deserve To Die" to all those who oppose the band and who have tried to stop them from playing their shows.
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The band mauled through other killers like "Dormant Bodies Bursting" and "Pit Of Zombies" before it was time for Corpsegrinder to make yet another dedication – this time to Vancouver's very own Gene Hoglan (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD drummer), who received "The Wretched Spawn" in his honor. After a few more songs, George thanked the audience and announced that the next one would be the last chance to get into the pit and bang their heads. With that, the mighty machine unleashed their final attack on Vancouver with the CORPSE classic, "Hammer-Smashed Face". It was a tremendous finale to a show that had just kicked the hell out of everyone who witnessed it.
SETLIST:
Shredded Humans
Puncture Wound Massacre
Stripped, Raped And Strangled
Fucked With A Knife
Decency Defied
Vomit The Soul
Unleashing The Bloodthirsty
Pounded Into Dust
Cryptic Stench
They Deserve To Die
Dormant Bodies Bursting
Gallery Of Suicide
Pit Of Zombies
The Wretched Spawn
Staring Through The Eyes Of The Dead
Devoured By Vermin
A Skull Full Of Maggots
Hammer-Smashed Face
To summarize, it was Metal Blitzkrieg 2004 in Vancouver last night. Both bands performed extremely well and I think everyone who was there would say the same. The only disappointment for me was seeing a less-than-expected turnout. I thought for sure the Commodore would have been packed for this bill, but a good quarter of the venue was vacant (not including the blocked-off mezzanine area). Other than that, I can proudly say that the CANNIBAL CORPSE show was certainly one I will never forget, and I will definitely be there the next time the band comes back to these parts. [FIN]
Thanks to Kelli at Metal Blade Records and Jamie at House Of Blues Concerts Canada for the ticket and photo pass.
» Official CANNIBAL CORPSE Website
» Official THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER Website
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