God Forbid Concert
Rating: 4 Skulls
Death's Review (4/13/05, The Key Club, Hollywood, CA):
There were a bunch of bands opening this show, including Caliban and It Dies Today, but my patience for these type of acts has worn thin. God Forbid, however, have long been a favorite, and even though I have seen them perform at least a dozen times through the years, and even though this show was on a Wednesday night, I still decided to make the trek out to Hollywood, say hello to some friends, have a beer, and check out what God Forbid is sounding like live these days. I had been told that the show would start about 10:30, and when I walked in to the only half-full Key Club they were on stage performing "Better Days," which I later learned was the second song of the set. The band sounded fantastic, the mix was outstanding and the performances were CD-quality perfect. All of the videos and other well-known tracks were represented, and we were even treated to a couple of interesting bonuses in some new material plus a "jambalaya" of old riffs strewn together. I enjoyed watching the killer shredding guitar playing and realized for the first time how incredibly hard the drummer pounds on the snare drum, and what an important part of the band he really is. All in all, I expected to have a decent night out with an average level performance, and instead, the intensity level was upped about six notches and the band really delivered on a much higher level despite the sparse crowd. Perhaps the Ozzfest experience has helped to elevate God Forbid into a much more commanding band in the live setting. Perhaps I just caught them on a really great night. Either way, now I can't wait to see them again next week at the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival to see if they can kick ass again in front of that crowd.
Photos by Death
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