SATAN STRIKES SEATTLE

Mar 4th,2011
Review By: Metal Mom
Photos By: Char Tupper
Link to Photos Below: 
http://www.metaltitans.com/concertpics/god-is-dead-to-hell-with-god-tour/

120 miles of driving from Abbotsford, BC to Seattle, WA and we are ready for another metal adventure on this rainy Seattle night. Wasn’t too long and we were heading into El Corazon with a stream of metal fans who came to watch one of the most controversial bands from Florida, Deicide, along with some hard hitting metal acts to travel by their sides.

Starting the night off is a local band from Port Angeles, Washington. The four members of SUPER HAPPY STORY TIME LAND, an experimental death metal grind core band captured the audience. Don’t let that name fool you, these guys were musically well arranged and definitely was unique to the bill this evening.

Next is 5 guys from San Diego, California that are classified as playing death metal/grind core/metal style. PATHOLOGY, there were lots of people on the floor for these guys, but for me, its not a band I would make a trip to see again. To listen to vocals that sound like a cookie monster mixed in with pig squeals is not enjoyable. Musically I wasn’t too fussy about them either. But that’s my opinion , there were lots of fans with horns in the air for support. Just a note for bands out there, please don’t step on the photographers face while he or she is shooting, it does nothing but anger the photographers, and they will never shoot your band again and word of mouth gets around quick in this industry. Nothing says “disrespect” like an act like this, it was disgusting to see.

NEURAXIS was to appear next but unfortunately they didn’t make it as they got stuck in a snow storm outside of Colorado, sadly also with some of the other bands equipment. But everyone came together and shared what was needed, The Metal Way.

Canada’s very own power, folk metal band took the stage next. BLACKGUARD. What a strong, pulsating current and all of their tenacity, word of mouth has gotten them the following they deserve. You know this to be true because this is when the floor fills. This Montreal based band has so much energy that the crowds are inspired to move. There is no way you can just stand and watch as Paul effortlessly travels the stage. Vocals and instruments flow together to complete their sound to perfection. What makes BLACKGUARD stand out also is the fact that their drummer is female, and let me tell you, Justine can play to the pulse of BLACKGUARD. It was a real shame when it was time for Paul, Kim, Etienne, Terry and Justine to end their set. You can be assured I will be there again when they return with Symphony X starting in April. Also on this tour BLACKGUARD is giving away a free, 2 song sampler from their soon to be released album, “Firefight”. One that you are going to want to have.

 
Now to have your senses crushed , that would mean you are listening to who is up next, the supreme death Black metal art from Austria, BELPHEGOR. Helmuth is Lucifer himself with his powerful growls, the hell pounding bass riffs are heard from Serpenth, and the drums , well lets say its like listening to the devils own heartbeat. Their performance was good, but it was missing something. I saw them in Vancouver at Heathenfest and they definitely tore up the place. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed their show but the demonic extreme brutal rage wasn’t there on Friday.

So last on stage is one of the most controversial metal bands, DEICIDE. Now I didn’t know what to expect…lots of things have been said about these guys from Florida. Example like how graves were spray painted when they were to play Hellfest, which got them banned from the festival. A bomb exploded at Gorefest when they played. The tour is called “God is Dead-To Hell with God”, which is appropriate considering their Satanism beliefs for the band. Look up Deicide in the dictionary and it says .. God Killer. But hey they are known as the founding fathers of death metal. I did enjoy their set, I liked the definitive heavy sound, and their song structures are complex. This was my first experience with the sound of DEICIDE, and I did truly enjoy their performance. I did find however that the vocals of Glen sounded somewhat like “Corpsegrinder” from Cannibal Corpse. That is not a bad thing though, because with the vocals and the musical talent comes the reason why DEICIDE is part of a small elite group that has sold over a million records. Nothing can hold them down, not even when the drummer breaks a part of his equipment, its replaced and the show continues. Their performance on stage was just what you would expect from such influential pioneers of Metal. The stench of Redemption has now left Seattle.