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Abyss's Review (12/12/01 WWF World, New York, NY):
The Hell With Snow: It Just Ain't Christmas Without Spontaneous Vomiting!
Now that the incidents of September 11th are a few months in the past, and we've been given a little time to gain some perspective, it's easy to see that we live in a different world than we used to. And while I've gotten used to seeing the soldiers and National Guardsmen in and around the sights of New York City, I was naïve as to the less obvious changes have been made. But one song into Exhumed's set made me realize how far-reaching these changes would be.
Deicide
Photos by CYNAfter playing one song, the band announced that they would not be allowed to do much of their live act. Yes, that means there would be no blood, no chainsaw, and no vomiting on cue, and it would be an understatement to say that the crowd was a bit disappointed. I, myself (as opposed to someone else?), was also quite disappointed, as an Exhumed show without vomiting is a foreign concept to me (kind of like "social drinking"). Anyway, this was the first show in a gazillion years that I was actually early to, so I was at the bar early and had a nice buzz by the time the band came on. But after the news I was so distressed I sped up my drinking pace, figuring I might negate their "no vomiting" policy all by myself. And while I kept myself gastrointestinally intact, I came to the conclusion that Exhumed could be thoroughly enjoyable, even without the presence of bile. I was a little shocked at how many people showed up early for the opening band, and they seemed to enjoy what they were witnessing with vigor. Pits opened up early and often, and the crowd and band hailed the metal that is gore in unison.
Exhumed (even the censored Exhumed) was a great way to start off a show, but it was Zyklon that was the band I was most excited to see. All of the other bands on the bill I had witnessed countless times, so these Norsemen would be the only truly new experience for me this night. And they did not disappoint me one bit. I thought they were easily the best event of the night (probably because I've seen Morbid Angel so many times I can't count) as they slayed with their tight sound and broken English. And the crowd seemed to agree, with the exception of some idiot Deicide fan behind me who kept screaming at them to get off of the stage. Although I don't know him I've decided his name is Cletus, and even though I never got a good look at him, I'm sure he was wearing a large, yellow, mesh baseball cap that covered the top of his ears, but did not hang low enough to obscure his yellow, toothless grin. I also have no idea what any of his standardized test scores are, but I'm going with the assumption that they are low. You may find this prejudicial, because it is, but it's not baseless. My assumptions are based on his behavior after the band announced that they hailed from Norway, to which he yelled, "Go back to Sweden!" Obviously a Mensa candidate. Anyhoo, Zyklon were awesome enough to make up for this distraction, using their sparse time to highlight selected tracks from World ov Worms.
Morbid Angel
The crowd favorite, Deicide, were up next, and I was pretty excited to see them again, mostly due to the fact that I think their new album is their best effort since Once Upon the Cross. They came out wearing leather masks, and for a few moments I thought Glen Benton might be an imposter. His face was completely obscured and the mask somehow made his hair look blonde, not to mention that he looked like he put on a couple of pounds. But just as I got my conspiracy theory started, he took off his mask and it was obviously him (he is a little rotund, however, which got me to thinking what conversations might have gone on backstage. Like, "Tell me honestly, does this breastplate make me look fat?"). Seriously though, Deicide held the audience in the palm of their hands the entire set. Every song seemed to incite frenzied cheers as the band tore through songs like, "Children of the Underworld," "Serpents of the Light," "Bible Basher," "Once Upon the Cross" and, of course, "Dead By Dawn." It was quite an impressive show, and even though I've found myself finding less and less good things to say about this band in years past, tonight definitely had me coming back around.
ZyklonThe godly Morbid Angel were on next, and while this is another band that I feel are passed their prime, their live show is always something worth checking out. It’s hard to find a more widely respected band amongst the death metal faithful, and I still believe that they maintain the title of kings until somebody knocks them off. It was nice seeing them headlining after their recent tours playing opening act to Pantera, and I hope that that stint got a whole bunch of new people interested because this is a band that deserves a larger fan base. Their set list is a little too predictable, and I wish that they would utilize some of the more obscure songs out of their impressive catalogue, but it seems that they are more interested in playing to the plethora of fair weather fans that flocked to them for their “Rapture” video from MTV (by the way, I’m being sarcastic here). So this show is what it is. It’s a fun time in front of one of the best bands of all time, but it could be so much more.
Death's Review (12/12/01 WWF World, New York, NY):
Times Square is the Vega$$ of the east coast, at least when measured by sheer wattage of the glitzy lights that make up its skyline. The signage in Times Square is a virtual melting pot of pop culture in America, with billboards touting TV shows, movies, books, Web sites, plays, magazines and clothing all simultaneously screaming for your attention. It was here, in the middle of all of this madness, that the New York stop on the Extreme Music for Extreme People Tour hit New York City, at the new WWF theme restaurant and nightclub, "The World." It sure looked great driving by the day before and seeing a giant electronic version of the blood-red Morbid Angel logo up in lights competing for the holiday-tourists' attention.
ExhumedThe World is a great place to see a show, when viewed from a certain perspective. For me, you can't beat the location, a mere blocks from where I work. Time-wise, the shows are relatively early, which cuts both ways but allows you to get home and get some sleep nothwithstanding midweek shows such as this one. The venue is plush and new, with decent sound and an abundance of lights, video screens and places to sit. They also have a multi-tiered viewing area with a self-contained mosh pit and plenty of opportunities to buy booze no matter where you choose to watch from. On the downside, security is rather tight, the drinks are VERY expensive, and like I said before, the shows start early. Because of this, I missed Zyklon and Exhumed. And, as you know by now, Soilent Green had a bus accident which forced them to cancel. This left only Deicide and Morbid Angel.
Deicide took the stage as I came in, and I quickly found Hel, Musashi, Cyn and Abyss. I grabbed a beer and chatted through the first half of their show from the back of the venue before moving up front to say hello to a friend who was much more into Deicide (and anti-Morbid Angel, I might add) than I. Sitting there with him, however, caused me to notice how hardcore the New York Deicide fans were. Wow, fucking loyal. The material sounded that much more intense live from this perspective. From that point forward, rather than sit back and wonder if Glen Benton really is going to kill himself I watched the classic death metal brutality unfold. It was intense.
Deicide
Between bands we drank and debated the merits of Deicide versus Morbid Angel. Everyone seemed to have a strong opinion one way or the other. Those who like it fast and brutal tended toward Deicide, while those who didn't mind progressive elements and musical showmanship were partial to Morbid, it seemed. We checked out the merch, and I almost bought a Soilent Green T even though they weren't even on tonight's bill. Instead, we grabbed a Morbid baby doll for Redwolff and moved back up front to watch the show.
Morbid AngelMorbid Angel was very cool, playing a wide variety of material. Highlights included "Where the Slime Live" and "Chapel of Ghouls". Of course, my yelling for "God of Emptiness" was in vein. The guitars sounded killer--we were on Erik Rutan's side of the stage and he sounded fantastic; Trey was a little tougher to hear but no less god-like: the Eddie Van Halen of death metal. Late in the show, I adjusted my view to watch Phil Sandoval shred his drumkit to pieces. All in all, Deicide did seem a bit more bitter and intense with the live delivery, but Morbid Angel truly are the musician's choice.
Hel's Review (12/12/01 WWF World, New York, NY):
Ah, Times Square during the holidays… I can honestly say I'd rather be whacked in the head repeatedly than spend too much time here during this time of year. But here I am, shoving through the clueless crowd on my way to a theme restaurant. Yep, WWF World played host to this gathering of metal mayhem.
One oddity of Times Square is the ridiculous, gratuitous use of space. In a city where space is at a premium, Times Square businesses routinely take up multiple levels, and use entire floors in the process. For example, the new Toys R Us contains a full-scale, working Ferris wheel. Go figure. The World does its part to take up space, and the interior of the venue is multi-tiered and quite spacious.
Morbid AngelSince there was not yet a band onstage when I arrived, I went and checked in my coat, and checked out the merchandise offered. The merchandise was plentiful, but extremely expensive, sold by The World employees, and handed to you in The World plastic bags. Even though Soilent Green couldn't come to the show, their merchandise made it, and it was bittersweet to see.
So Exhumed was the first band of the night. The sound person didn't seem to know what to do with these guys, and early into their set they announced that due to the venue's rules, they would not be able to do their usual: chainsaws, vomit, blood, and decapitated heads. That was a shame, and the combination could have proved disastrous to some bands. But Exhumed are gore metal veterans, and pounded out a bruising set anyway.
This night would mark my first live Zyklon experience. It's always fun to see a band live for the very first time, and I have often found that my appreciation of a certain band often rises or drops in accordance with the impression they convey in the first live encounter. To put it simply, Zyklon ruled live. I had only a vague memory of the album at the beginning of the set, but by the end, I was remembering how much I liked it, and the internal struggle I had over whether to give it four or five skulls. If I'd seen them live first, it may have gotten five.
ZyklonDeicide was next on the bill, and the majority of the audience acted as though they were the headliner. For a band that routinely seems to disappoint their long-time fans with their new albums (or at least that's the impression I have from all the bitching I read on various boards shortly after each release), they certainly do have a lot of hardcore long-time fans coming to their NYC show. And the fans loved it. This was one of the few times I have ever heard a clamor for an encore from a band other than the headliner which resulted in the band actually coming back out for one. Another entertaining set.
So all in all, I'm having a great night. The venue is comfortable, with a number of likely spots from which to view the bands, and the sound improved as the night progressed. The final act, due to arrive onstage in mere moments.
ExhumedMorbid Angel received a warm welcome, and burst onstage with their latest member line-up. As I stood there, I couldn't help wonder, if they rename the band, would it be Morbid Eternal, or Hate Angel? While I have no criticism of the performance, it is just kind of freaky that things have turned out this way. Trey was once again brilliant, and sporting his blindingly white sneakers. The fans seemed to love it, and the pit was constantly in motion, as it had been throughout the night.
All in all, it was a great night. It was disappointing that Exhumed could not put on their usual exhibition of gore metal, and that Soilent Green wasn't able to finish the tour. Other than that, I was witness to several top notch metal bands in a spacious environ. Pretty cool, if you ask me.
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