Tour Title: Satyricon/ Immortal/ Krisiun
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Tour Title: Satyricon/ Immortal/ Krisiun |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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4 | |
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3 | |
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5 | |
| Go to Reader Reviews |
Abyss's Review (4/3/00, Wetlands Preserve, New York, NY):
Death Gets Car Trouble
I must admit I was pretty excited when I realized I'd be spending this week writing about a really cool black/death metal tour, rather than writing about another power metal band that just got signed (Attention labels, I implore you to remember the explosion of death metal signings in the early to mid nineties and the result that ensued). It is quite encouraging to see many of our European (and in Krisiun's case, South American) metal brethren spending their money to try to open up our country to more metal. I realize the costs involved to both the labels, and in some cases the bands themselves, and I thank them.
Satyricon
Photo by Cynthia PelznerFor some reason, the venue (The Wetlands, NYC) only felt the need to let in about 10 people at a time, even though the venue wasn't sold out (and even after I waited an hour on line, the venue wasn't even that full). So to the Wetlands I have only this to say: If you only knew how much revenue in lost liquor sales you forfeited by leaving me on line for an hour, you'd be crying. Anyway, there was more bad news once I got in, Angelcorpse was having car trouble of some sort, and they couldn't make it, so that left only one death band, and two blacks. But Krisiun were up to the task, and played a set chock full of songs that I recognized from their Century Media debut. And they kicked some ass. It's hard to look at a Brazilian band without comparing them to Sepultura, but these guys are a band that can stand on their own. Playing brutal, American influenced death, they sounded great and held the crowd's attention quite well. Not to mention the fact that they have one of the sickest drummers I've seen in a long time, I didn't even mind the mini-solo he did towards the end of the set (I normally don't appreciate drum solos). Bottom line is that they are a great opening act.
On to my most anticipated band for the evening. Anyone who's read my top ten list knows that I feel that Immortal came out with the best album of 1999. I got to see them at the March Metal Meltdown, but the sound was so terrible, and added to this was a plethora of technical problems, so I still wasn't really sure what to expect. I wish I had a better view of the stage, but the Wetlands is set up so that you have to choose between a full view of the stage, or access to the bar. So, sufficed to say, I only saw about ¾ of the stage. But that was enough, because they sounded great. They command a stage presence that is often lost when most black metal bands play live, but I must admit that the combination of black and white face paint kept bringing Kiss to mind, a suggestion supported by the drummer's head bobbing (not banging) to the beat. But in all fairness, these guys have the chops that I can't really make fun of. I was surprised how long their set was (maybe because Angelcorpse bailed?), and I was glad that they hit on a bunch of songs from their last album. "Where Dark and Light Don't Differ" is one of my favorite tracks, and I got a warm fuzzy feeling that can only be partially attributed to the beer.
Of course it was during this time that I realized that someone around me had really bad body odor. This is the only thing that took away from my enjoyment of Immortal's set. Worse, it seems every time I moved to avoid this individual, he would follow me soon after. A point of order: just because you smell like death, doesn't mean you're any more evil than the next guy. So wear corpsepaint if you want, and pretend you are spooky and deep, but please remember one thing, Satan wants you to bathe. Just a helpful tip from your Uncle Abyss, I'm here to help.
Immortal
Photo by Cynthia PelznerSatyricon was, of course, next to take the stage, and the crowd seemed to be the most enthusiastic to see them. Although I was very excited to see such an influential band, I didn't really know what to expect. Their latest album cover was of an interesting design, and the picture on the cover seemed to remind me of the artistic direction that Tiamat took after Wildhoney. Musically, however, they are still very heavy, and are a black metal experience that should not be missed. With the exception of the Emperor tour, none of us have gotten to see a band of this stature outside of a festival. The band seemed happy with the response of the crowd, but being that the other bands were trios, Satyricon seemed overly cramped on the small stage, so they had to let their music do most of the entertaining. And that it did. They sounded great, and the only thing that took away from their set, was the fact that they were unable to make me forget the magic that Immortal did right before them. Here's hoping we can get a couple more Norse bands over here, I'm so glad things seem to be going in the right direction.
Death's Review (4/3/00, Wetlands Preserve, New York, NY):
Back in the early 1990’s, New York’s Wetlands Preserve gained notoriety by playing host to the birth of the jam band scene. Bands like Spin Doctors and Blues Traveler made their name playing Wetlands, and the theme nights, political speakers, poetry readings, VW Bus, backlights and downstairs "smoking" lounge only added to the neo-crunch vibe.
Immortal
Photo by Cynthia Pelzner1999 ushered in a new era for the Wetlands, with Dimmu Borgir, Samael and Monstrosity hitting the venue. Metal in the hippie hall? Have we inherited their clubhouse?
If we have, they can have it back. The Wetlands is the Fenway Park of Manhattan concert venues -- just like the right field seats in Fenway which face home plate on an awkward angle, the stage at Wetlands faces sideways in an already narrow hall. This poor orientation, combined with the occasional ill-placed three-foot pole, amounts to about half the audience dealing with a seriously obstructed view. Meaning that most of us "back of the venue bar dwellers" which form the underrated lifeblood of so many a classic metal concert, could not see a god damn thing. And, oh yeah, the sound sucked too.
Angel Corpse canceled. Auto accident (everyone is said to be fine). And people waited almost forty-five minutes in line to get in. Things were not going great. You just don’t have the same tolerance for bullshit when the third-to-the-last band of the night doesn’t go on until almost 10:00 p.m., and you’re a twenty minute cab ride from home on a Monday night.
But Krisiun, for a time, absolutely shredded. Like old-school Sepultura or Slayer, with a totally more modern death metal vibe, they mostly kicked serious, serious metallic ass. The drummer, in particular, displayed almost inhuman technique and endurance. But, strangely, their set seemed to drag on long, and the fans seemed impatient with them toward the end of the set.
Then Immortal obliterated all memory of their severely undermined March Metal Meltdown attempt, and single-handedly raised the evening’s rating up an entire skull. I must say, after seeing Immortal live, I am a fan. The guitar sounds even rawer and riffier live, and the drummer’s face alone when he pounds away at a serious beat, with the corpse paint and everything, well... it all comes together. These guys are definitely cool and should not be taken lightly. No keyboards, all metal. Great show.
Satyricon were highly visual, but failed to generate the bond with the audience that Immortal had. This, together with the poor sound, resulted in an overall live experience which did not match the energy of the cool Rebel Extravaganza. Maybe I was too tired at 1 a.m., halfway through the set. Maybe the sound just sucked. Maybe I was stuck in the back of the room and couldn’t see. Whatever the reason, I just wasn’t feeling it. Satyricon might have been cool, but they didn’t capture my attention much that night.
Satyricon
Photo by Cynthia PelznerSo will black metal replace jam bands as the Wetlands' new nightly specialty? Don’t count on it. Was it a fun evening? Sure. Was there good musicianship? Absolutely. Decent crowd? Yes. Metal in the air? Of course. But sooner or later, we need to start putting these shows in a place where you can experience the two most important aspects of any concert going experience: the ability to hear, and the ability to see. Is that too much to ask?
Hel's Review (4/3/00, Wetlands Preserve, New York, NY):
Good timing. That was my personal theme of the night. As we arrived at the venue, there was a long line. But right there, a foot away from the door, was my good friend Abyss. The folks in line behind him graciously let us cut and moments later we were inside. A sign at the ticket window told us that Angel Corpse would not be playing due to a car accident. Fervently hoping that it wasn’t anything bad, I walked in hoping Krisiun was pushed back.
Great timing again. With just enough time beforehand to hit the bar and scope out a decent place to stand, Krisiun took the stage. Now, you have to realize that the Wetlands has a truly terrible stage setup. One side of the stage is pressed up against the wall. The front of the stage is about five feet away from another wall of the club, and I’m told there are seats all along it - I’ve never ventured into the press to find out for myself. So when you walk through the front door of the club, you are basically facing the other side of the stage. To top it all off, there’s a big-ass pillar right in the center of most of the viewing area. Unless you squeeze into the space in front of the stage, there’s really no good place to see from. And, as we’ve discussed, I’m too short to see over most metalheads. So much of my time was spent looking for a decent place to see at least part of the members of Krisiun onstage.
Immortal
Photo by Cynthia PelznerFortunately, even though I couldn’t see, I could still hear, and Krisiun sounded fantastic. They rampaged through an incredibly heavy set with vigor. Barely pausing to take a breath between songs, the Brazilian threesome delighted their fans with a no-nonsense show. Beyond the brutal attack, the only other truly notable thing about their set may have been the complete lack of between-song chatter. On occasions such as this, I wonder if this is a function of their lack in the area of the English language, or if it’s just the kind of guys they are. Regardless, I was extremely psyched to have had the pleasure of seeing their set in its entirety.
During the lull before Immortal, I endeavored to secure a decent spot to see them from. After their sound-problem-riddled performance at the March Metal Meltdown, I was looking forward to checking them out in a more professional setting. After a long wait, Immortal finally took the stage in all their corpse-painted splendor. A vast improvement over the last time I saw them, they delivered a thunderous barrage of metal mania. Immortal’s set was immense, not only in volume of sound, but in number of songs. They played for much longer than I had anticipated which added to my delight. There was some obligatory banter, but I know from my MMM press conference experience that Immortal’s English is just fine. All in all, I’d have to say I was well-pleased with my real first live Immortal experience.
Towards the end, though, when my friends wanted to walk around and check out the t-shirt booth, I gladly went along. While I was glad to have a good place to watch to show from, it came at a price. Along the wall at the top of a wide set of stairs that I didn’t even know existed before. The reason I didn’t know they were there - people stand on them. Unfortunately, the other thing I didn’t know was that other people knew there were stairs there and didn’t care that anyone was standing on them. This resulted in a lot of pushing, shoving, and spilt beer. So I was happy to wander and even happier to discover the idea over seeing the band from different angles. There weren’t as many people on the floor and the stage is very high. So I could see pretty well there, and it rounded my Immortal experience up.
After more wandering, socializing and waiting, Satyricon finally took the stage. The first thing that strikes you is obvious, they put on a very visual show. Not to belittle the aural assault, which is immediately impressive. Unlike the prior two trios, this is a large band, which I never did count accurately, that big pole in the center obstructing half of the stage, and I’d given up my really good spot. But from what I gathered, there was even a female keyboard player - I’m psyched the see the photos and find out it was true. But the keyboard sound was intermittent, clearly not tested since neither of the two earlier bands had keys. However, the overall sound was good, and there was a lot going on up onstage. They seemed happy to be there, and I felt happy to be there too.
Satyricon
Photo by Cynthia PelznerAll in all, I had a fun, late, school night out. This is one of the better tour packages hitting Manhattan, and I was gratified to have a big metal night. It was a metal night unhampered by falling on the Monday night just after the daylight savings time change. Granted, I was hurting the next day, but that’s how you know you had fun, right?
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