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May 18, 2013 |
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July 26, 2005
PNE Forum - Vancouver, BC
By Ciaran Meeks
Photography by Tony Antunovich
All photos Copyright © 2005 METALEATER - Do not use without permission.
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Tuesday, July 26th at The Forum saw the arrival of one of the summer's biggest and most talked-about live packages to hit Vancouver headbangers squarely across the dome in years. No, I'm not talking about the JOURNEY/STYX/REO SPEEDWAGON Reunion Assault you've all been salivating over while in the fits of a fever-dream (Blehh! Perish the thought!), but rather a far more fanged and ravenous beast altogether...namely the Sounds Of The Underground, a multi-band, Metal/Hardcore extravaganza which has unsurprisingly to those in the know, flipped a firm, double-whammy-middle-finger-salute to all naysayers by emerging as one of the surprise hit tour packages of mid '05!
The brainchild of Tour Organizer Paul Conroy, and Booking agent Tim Borror, SOTU - featuring acts as numerous and diverse as LAMB OF GOD, OPETH, SYL, GWAR, NORMA JEAN, and UNEARTH to name but a mere handful - is aimed at exposing audiences to acts from within the Underground Heavy Music scene(s) who are considered too 'extreme' or 'left field' for the likes of Ozzfest or The Warped Tour, and too under-exposed and/or 'extreme' or 'left field' to make any sort of serious dent in the public psyche on their own independent tours outside of the smaller, club venues. As part of a large bill such as SOTU offers - all ages no less - each act has been able to not only reach out to their own already respectable fanbase, but also to feed off of the strength of their fellow act's fanbase(s) to reach a larger overall audience. This is not a new idea mind you.
Such 'Heavy Music Fests' have been the norm overseas for at least the last couple of decades where events such as Dynamo, or Wacken Open Air unfailingly generate huge crowds year after year in the name of all that is extreme, 'off the wall', and Metaaallll!!! Such is not the case here in North America however, so I was very interested to experience this first (certainly within recent years at any rate) high-level, concerted attempt to bring the world of Undeground Metal and Hardcore out into the light on these here shores! Here's my two-cents-worth...
12:00 PM
Well, the doors were opened and people were already heading inside. Lots of tweens, teens, 'n twenty-somethings. Emo haircuts. Walletchains. Small pockets of longhairs and older 'heads (noticeably the majority of OPETH and LAMB OF GOD shirts belonging to this group I notice. Heh.). I arrived apparently about halfway into ALL THAT REMAINS who I sadly missed experiencing. Oh Well. Sorry. I was still trying to get in you see, as the guy with the Press Passes hadn't arrived yet. So I just stood there chatting with friends and getting sunburned.
12:30 PM
Still no Press Passes. By now I had learned that there was no alcohol (yeah, yeah...I know it was General Admission, but man...it could have been done! This was supposed to be like, a 12-hour gig! Give a brothah a break, yo!) and no in/outs (glad I hit Denny's beforehand!) leaving one at the mercy of the overpriced concession stands. Naturally much grumbling ensued. Finally the passes arrived and I got inside just as MADBALL were almost finished with their set. Again...sorry. Whatcha gonna do? Lots of merch tables, label reps, even a PETA booth of all things. On with the rest of the show...
1:00 PM
DEVILDRIVER
DEVILDRIVER took to the stage. Surprisingly solid and engaging performance. I say 'surprising' only because this is Dez Fafara's (of ex-Nu-Metal-Godz COAL CHAMBER fame) new band and I was frankly dreading something far 'NU-er' than what was actually on offer which could best be described as fairly decent Metalcore ala SHADOWS FALL or KILLSWITCH ENGAGE with a slightly stronger influence on the 'Core' side of things. Not bad at all. Intrigues me enough to at least want to check out the albums.
1:30 PM
A LIFE ONCE LOST
Grabbed a $3.50 pop (Grrr!) and checked out A LIFE ONCE LOST. Okay. Not bad. It's Hardcore. Fairly aggressive and energetic performance. Just not really my tankard of mead. Or in this case, (in terms of more apt metaphorical comparison), not my bottle of energy drink. I need more 'Metal' in my 'Core'...ya know what I mean? Still...not bad. The kidz seemed to really dig 'em.
2:00 PM
HIGH ON FIRE
HIGH ON FIRE start doing their thing; their 'thing' being a stripped-down and high-octane-energized SABBATHian 'Doomed' Hardcore assault that frankly, blew my frikkin' head off! I appreciate the fact that these guys are doing something so original with their sonic ingredients of choice. Musically they were definitely one of the more interesting and engaging acts on the bill up to this point. Noticeably appealing to a wide range of audience members as well. I predict good things for this band if they continue to stay on the right track. More albums to add to my wallet-draining shortlist!
2:30 PM
TERROR
Next up were TERROR. I honestly don't know anything about this act other than that they are a fairly typical, fairly aggressive Hardcore band. Again...not my personal raison d'etre. I had hoped that HIMSA were slated for this spot on the West Coast leg (???) of the tour but obviously they were not. Oh well. Still, the majority of the (mostly) youngish audience on hand were obviously there to see and hear this sort of thing so the band received a pretty unanimously positive response. Lots of jumping up and down and throwing of faux-gangsta 'hand signs' abounded. You could cut the suburban angst with a dull spoon. At this point in the day, however, I found myself starting to form the opinion that - stylistically speaking - the promoter(s) could have made more of an effort at booking a greater VARIETY of acts.
I mean, I 'get' that Hardcore/Metalcore is what most of these kids seem to want to see/hear, and yes I 'get' that these are all up and coming young bands very representative of where this particular arm of Heavy Music is going...but it IS supposed to be the Sounds Of The Underground...not just the SOUNDS OF VARIOUS 'URBANCORE' SUBGENRES. Y'know? 'Underground' to me means Black, Death, and Power Metal as well as Hardcore. Out of almost 20 bands who performed that day, roughly ¾ were cut from an arguably similiar 'Hardcore-based' template. Monotony anyone? More on this later.
3:00 PM
NORMA JEAN
NORMA JEAN started playing. From what I gather, these guys are a big 'buzz' band amongst the whole wallet-chain-sportin' Hardcore/Emo/Screamo/This-core-that-core set (again – the majority of this event's audience). From what I saw and heard they were certainly good. Very tight and aggressive to be sure. A certain 'above-average' sense of riff and song dynamic at play. So I was forced to admit that they were - while certainly not my first choice in a perfect Metal world - at least somewhat heads and shoulders above the rest of their genre pack. Judging by the crowd response everyone else agreed. Still...again...it was Hardcore.
3:30 PM
STRAPPING YOUNG LAD
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Finally! One of my own personal faves decided to hit the stage. STRAPPING YOUNG LAD are Vancouver's unchallenged Metal dar(k)lings...of that no-one can have any doubt. In typical fashion the Lotus-land four-piece swooped onstage like the crew of some bizarre Metallic Enola Gay, dropping a 20-megaton nuclear blast of pure, blue-steel METAL onto the psyches of everyone who stood witness! Devin, Gene, Jed, and...bassist Jon Miller from DEVIL DRIVER (kindly filling in with appropriately bludgeoning flair for Byron Stroud who was away on duty with FEAR FACTORY) were firing on all cylinders as they blitzkrieged their way through almost half an hour of headbanging SYL classickz. Definitely the best act up to, and including, this point in the day. IMO should have been placed much higher on the bill and granted a longer timeslot. Interestingly, SYL were the first act to attract damn near EVERYONE front and centre away from the merch tables and concessions. Crazy, huh!?!
It's almost as if people were actually interested in seeing/hearing an act that was DIFFERENT from the mostly Hardcore lineup! Imagine that! Who'da thought it!?! By the way, if this comes across as a sarcastic attempt at making a point...it's because it is. More on this later as well.
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4:00 PM
THROWDOWN
Hardcore stalwarts THROWDOWN hit the stage. They're hard. They're tough. They're aggressive. They have a lot of tattoos. They make people jump up and down and act all angsty and 'urban' because the world sucks, man! They're Hardcore. I've seen them before. Not my thing. Kidz liked it though. Good job. Thanks. Who cares? This was REALLY starting to get monotonous. I was feeling the urge to seek out beer something FIERCE!!! Next please...
4:30 PM
EVERY TIME I DIE
Please re-read the previous paragraph, only inserting the moniker EVERY TIME I DIE in place of THROWDOWN. Nothing personal here if anyone from either band are reading this. At this point in the show though all of these 'Core' bands were starting to look and sound exactly the same. That's my honest OPINION. Thanks but no thanks. Next.
GWAR
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The moment many had been awaiting finally arrived. GWAR!!! Now, as many who frequent METALEATER are well aware, I was less than flattering in my review for 'Warparty' inasmuch as I think GWAR's music is little more than typical, expected, dated early 90's Thrash/Punk/Hardcore that only sells because of the band's outrageous image and entertaining stage show. And I took my lumps for it too on the Comment Board, Oderus Urungus himself I am told taking severe exception to my views on the GWAR forum. Whatever. I say what I think and don't kiss ass just to please bands, labels, or whoever. I did in all fairness concede at the time that I would love to one day experience the band live as I was sure the show (essentially the true heart of GWAR) would kick some serious ass. And whaddya know...I was right. Blood! Mayhem! Giant monsters and robots! Blood! Spurting, Peter Northesque penis cannons! Cave Trolls! More blood! I mean hey...what more can a guy ask for!?!
GWAR definitely owned every other band's asses that day in terms of sheer spectacle. Bar none. Two gnarled, blood-and-gore-soaked Antarctican thumbs way up!!!
OPETH
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If GWAR ruled the visual roost that day, then Sweden's OPETH definitely owned the technical and cerebral portion of the show. With none other than Gene Hoglan on drums filling in for the sadly unavailable Martin Lopez, the Nordic Prog/Death/Black Godz ripped through a 40-minute set of stirringly melodic, lengthy epics of FLOYDIANian Death/Black Metal that left more than a few sore necks in their wake. The true 'odd men out' on the bill, OPETH turned out to be the day's magical trump card, much like SYL before them filling the hall and leaving an almost empty concession area as the various audience factions united, spellbound by the mesmerizing sonics on offer. If anyone present was unsure as to what OPETH were all about prior to their performance that day, the band may rest assured that by the time it was all said and done, NO-ONE was left with any doubts whatsoever as to just how talented and driven this criminally underrated outfit really is. I canit wait to see them around these parts again.
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6:55 PM
UNEARTH
Looked like we were on a roll. After just enough of an interlude to grab a $3.00 water and a couple of $3.25 hot dogs (Grrr again!) I readied myself for UNEARTH. The second of the three true Metalcore acts on the bill after DEVILDRIVER (sorry, but to my ears most of the other acts were just straight-up Hardcore) and before CHIMAIRA, UNEARTH hit the stage in fine form, obviously hungry and hyped to play a blistering set of riff-heavy, throwaway-MAIDEN-leads-intensive set of East Coast mayhem! And what can I say beyond that they ruled!?! Really. Just a tight, tight, and energetic act with miles of heart. Of all the 'Core' acts on the bill - and believe me...there were many - UNEARTH were inarguably tops in my book. Probably because they actually care about changing tempo from time to time and injecting a little hook with their heft. A little actual METAL with their Mosh. Y'know? Hey...the kidz dug it too. Definitely a class act.
7:35 PM
POISON THE WELL
Maaannn...my legs were getting sore by this point. I sure could have used a beer or two. Oh, sorry...forgot...there were none. But I digress. On next were POISON THE WELL. More Hardcore. Maybe a little bit of a Punkier edge going on, buuuutttt...still Hardcore. Monotonometer now well into the red. If not for the soul-cleansing sonic sorbet of GWAR, OPETH, and UNEARTH, then press pass or no...I would have gone home a long time ago by now. Next.
8:15 PM
CLUTCH
I've been hearing for years from pretty much everyone you can imagine in a baseball cap, a brand new mall-boutique-purchased MOTÖRHEAD shirt, and a wallet chain that CLUTCH were 'the bomb'. Naturally, I thought it was all just a load of trendy crap. Well, it IS a load of trendy crap, but it is also some of the best trendy crap you will ever hear, played with an astonishing level of technical ability, stage presence, and heart. Actually I'm kinda joking here...CLUTCH aren't really crappy at all. They are a little bit trendy though. Whatever. None of that matters because CLUTCH are also really, really GOOD at what they do which is performing an original blend of heavily-influenced-by-SABBATH Hardcore with a thinking man's Progressive edge ala MASTODON that raises them heads and shoulders above the competition. I mean, great riffs guys! Really. Definitely a very 'different' kind of band. One of the highlights of the latter half of the day.
I will be sure to investigate further into the recorded output of this act I have been up until now, quite unfairly dismissive towards.
9:05 PM
CHIMAIRA
By now I was getting seriously tired, dudes. This was a looonnnggg day. Next up were CHIMAIRA. In a sentence these guys are a pretty frikkin' good Metalcore act with at least as much technical ability and onstage aggression as much of their competition. Only problem is - IMO - they arrived on the scene (in terms of mass exposure at any rate) juuussst a tad too late for me to really care after having been blown away by the likes of the aforementioned UNEARTH, SHADOWS FALL, and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE amongst others. I know that may sound a little bit unfair to some, but hey...ask yourselves who you care more for...MAIDEN and PRIEST? Or GRIM REAPER and SAXON? Exactly. Anyways, CHIMAIRA were pretty good and all, but at this point in the day I was starting to just not care anymore. Plus, when there were acts like OPETH and SYL on the bill, I couldn't help but wonder how these guys got such a comparably respectable timeslot (!?!). Are their album sales really that good!?! Strange.
It's like seeing ANCIENT headlining over DIMMU. Oh well. One for the ages I guess.
9:55 PM
LAMB OF GOD
Finally. The headliners. What can one say about LAMB OF GOD in the live setting that hasn't been said before? This is a band inarguably poised upon the threshold of becoming the next PANTERA. Possibly even the next METALLICA or MEGADETH. Really. They are just that good. Heavy as a 20-ton lead block. Fast and aggressive as a great white shark swimming in liquid PCP. Tight as the threads on Pam Anderson's bra-strap. Technical as the components behind Mecha-Kong's stainless steel chest plate. Okay so that last one was a little weird...but you get the picture. LAMB OF GOD rule! I think so and so it seemed did everyone else who witnessed them live that night, which was pretty much every banger, 'Core' kid, and stoner in attendance. This band distills all of the diverse elements of each preceding act into one single, unstoppable Metal juggernaut. And that's why they are currently #1.
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So there you go. That's my two-cents-worth. Two cents obviously goes a lot further than it used to! But seriously though...in conclusion my thoughts on SOTU are overall, positive...but mixed, and not without critique. On one hand it was the culmination of an obviously INSANE amount of work, thought, and dedication on behalf of all parties involved, be they organizers, promoters, bookers, bands...whatever. On behalf of everyone who attended the Vancouver stop on the tour I can only offer a heartfelt and sincere 'thank you' to everyone who made this possible as you obviously put your hearts and souls into this thing. This is the sort of event that Heavy Music - be it Metal, Hardcore, Metalcore, Punk...whatever - NEEDS in order to show the world that there is a loyal and dedicated fanbase ravenous for this sort of fare. Sure there's always Ozzfest. There's always The Warped Tour. But SOTU is different.
SOTU is the sort of fest where the bands most people have never even heard of get a chance to play and be seen, and not just on the proverbial 'second stage' either. There's something special about that. So again...thank you. Thank you very much.
As far as my criticisms are concerned, obviously they are based almost solely upon the issue of VARIETY. Sorry, but at the risk of getting repetitive I'm gonna say it again...WAAAYYY too much Hardcore. As I said before I'm well aware that as far as Metal subgenres are concerned this is the one that has the most identifiably growing and lucrative audience (or at least the most media exposure due to its 'urban', and thus - I'm guessing - corporately assumed Hip-Hop crossover appeal). That said though, I would think that in the spirit of maintaining what I personally think of as the intended spirit of the event, one would be inclined to include acts from Metal subgenres that aren't as broadly represented as even Hardcore is. It would have made all the difference to me in giving this show what amounts to an 'A+-level' review as it by all rights deserves as opposed to the 'B+' I'm going to settle on if say, a CHILDREN OF BODOM, or NEVERMORE had been on the bill.
A NILE or BEHEMOTH. A DARK TRANQUILLITY or ARCH ENEMY. Y'know? And not INSTEAD of Hardcore acts. Simply ALONGSIDE some of them. That to me would have been a more accurate and diverse representation of what the 'Underground' Heavy Music scene is truly all about as opposed to what was - and let's be honest here - an almost entirely Hardcore lineup with a few more varied 'names' thrown in for good measure.
I know NORMA JEAN gets a lot of MTV and MuchMusic buzz. I know DEVILDRIVER have Fafara's COAL CHAMBER connection in their favour. I know POISON THE WELL and CLUTCH are spoken of fondly within the pages of SPIN Magazine and REVOLVER. But you know what else? When SYL hit the stage that whole floor was FULL. When OPETH were playing a softer, acoustic ballad in the middle of a set of Progressive Death/Black Metal that whole floor was FULL. When LAMB OF GOD were shredding it out like the glory-daze of old 'TALLICA, 'TERA, and 'DETH...that whole floor was FULL. And I know that at the Scrape Records booth, two of the top sellers were NEVERMORE and ARCH ENEMY. I think my point is evident.
All in all though - obligatory snobby Metal-hipster-critic bitching aside - SOTU in Vancouver was without doubt a great day for Heavy Music. Let's hope there’s more to come in the ensuing years. I'd like to think that if this is successful it will open doors for more such festivals to scour and scourge North American soil with the inevitable worldwide Metal resurgence that seems to be on the rise! Thanks again to all who made this possible. Hail & Kill!!!
P.S. Next time make sure there's some beer too. [FIN]
METALEATER thanks Jamie Teske and Erin Aldridge from House Of Blues Concerts Canada, and the organizers of the SOTU tour for providing us with the media pass to cover the event.
» Official SOTU Website
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