Nevermore with Unearth and Lamb of God
Rating: 4.67 Skulls
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Nevermore with Unearth and Lamb of God
Rating: 4.67 Skulls |
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Death's Review (10/29/02, The Knitting Factory, Hollywood, CA):
Unearth
Photos by HelThe Knitting Factory in Hollywood is a pretty decent place to see a show. I had this gig circled on my calendar for quite a while, after hearing rumors that we would be treated to brand new material from Nevermore. I was psyched. Although the show was on a Tuesday night, it was in Hollywood and not some god forsaken part of Orange County or eastern California like far too many of metal shows around these parts tend to be, so that only improved my anticipation. This was one show that was not to be missed.
We did miss opening act Aggression Core, which I understand to be a side project of one of the Nevermore guitarists. I did not and have not heard the band, so I cannot comment. We got there is time for the mighty Unearth, the most metal hardcore band I have ever heard. Seriously. If you close your eyes and forget about the haircuts, you'd hear the crushing riffs, killer drumming and not so subtle melody that is all over this material. Drummer Mike Rudberg is a fucking animal, and (no kidding) a huge power metal fan to boot. And no kidding, you can hear this influence creeping into Unearth's new material, some of which they performed live. No, no one is going to mistake the progressive metalcore of Unearth for Rhapsody any time soon, but you get my point I'm sure. Thanks to the band to giving the shout out to Metal Judgment from the stage as well. Here's expecting big things from Unearth as they make the expected move to some sort of metal/harcore major of some sort for their next release. My advice: go metal. The hardcore kids already know and love Unearth. The metal kids would love the band if they knew to check it out.
NevermoreBy this time I was two beers in, going for number three, I was chatting with friends while getting more and more psyched to see the never-disappointing Lamb of God. Shit like "Black Label" just doesn't disappoint live, and this night was no exception. Lamb of God is also headed for bigger and better things with the expected growth in the coming months and years of the Prosthetic label, and Lamb of God proved this night why they are exactly the band to help usher the growth along. Lamb of God are like a next generation Pantera, more extreme and more underground yet just as powerful live as Pantera was in the early days. Great band, great set.
Lamb of GodSoon enough Nevermore took the stage for an awesome set of classic as well as new material. Nevermore played four new songs, including the ballad "Tomorrow Turned Into Yesterday" (which unfortunately meant no "Heart Collector" would be played this night - as Warrel said from the stage, only one cheesy ballad per night!), "Enemies of Reality" (the catchy as hell and killer sounding title track to their forthcoming record), and a couple of others, the first of which sounding as intense, dark and technical as the band's much heralded Politics of Ecstasy material. Speaking of Politics, the album was well-represented in the balance of the set, as was the band's last album, Dead Heart in a Dead World. All in all, it was an awesome night, and a rare opportunity to see all three bands, each flown in for this one-off show. It was an inspired bill, actually, with each of the bands coming from different places on the metal spectrum, each of which I like. This is what a great show should be.
Hel's Review (10/29/02, The Knitting Factory, Hollywood, CA):What an exciting event this evening was for me. First of all, the bill - three of my favorite bands! The purpose of this excellent gathering, I am told, was to allow Nevermore to debut four new songs from their forthcoming album. Well, I've been all a-tingle with anticipation over that, so I knew I couldn't miss this night for anything.
NevermoreFor once, I arrived early enough to see all the bands I was looking forward to. Sure, Unearth was already onstage, but I had only missed a song or so, and I decided that wasn't a disaster, since it could have been far worse. As always, Unearth provided the crowd with an energetic set, showing everyone present the reason why several labels are currently vying to sign them. The crowd, in turn, showed their appreciation for Unearth's performance, and the pit was already in full swing by the time I entered the club. The shout-out to MJ mid-way through their set made me feel all warm and fuzzy, but the real thrill of the night was watching this great band rip their way through a killer set, including many songs which, probably coincidentally, were requested by the fans up front. In any case, a great time was quite obviously had by all.
UnearthLamb of God was next on this stellar bill, and is another band which has historically provided consistently energetic and amazing live performances. Tonight was no exception, though LOG confessed to the crowd that they had not performed much in recent months. All the favorites were present, and their MTV2 video, gauging by the crowd reaction, has garnered them a hit single. Who'd have guessed? Anyone who's ever heard New American Gospel - that's who. The singer may have broken some sort of record this evening - rarely have I seen someone dive into the crowd so many times who was actually in the band onstage. All in all, Lamb of God lived up to their usual standards of unbelievable performances again this night.
Finally, the main event, the band it had been the longest since I had last seen them live - Nevermore. The Knitting Factory was filled to bursting by the time they came onstage, and it was clear that everyone present was happy to see them back again. They played a collection of tunes from their past releases, though many that I would have liked them to have played were not included in the set. The four new songs, however, were present as promised. At this point, I am still reserving final verdict until I have heard the new record in its entirety (a quirk of mine), but I will say that they were promising overall. I am expecting Death to chime in with a review of this show as well, so I will refer you to him for greater detail on this issue. The band as a whole was tight and energetic, and those who have seen a certain singer stumbling around in utter inebriation will be happy to know he was sober enough to sing - though there was a great deal of alcohol scattered about on top of amplifiers… The evening ended all too soon, however, and I left wishing I had seen more from all three bands.
Lamb of GodIt should come as no surprise that I consider this event to be one of the best shows I have seen this year. Excellent bands, performing incredible sets with amazing energy - what more can a metalhead ask for? Yeah, yeah, you and your setlists… Well, forget it! I already have … As a general rule, should any of these three bands come to a venue near you, you should ensure that you attend, and you will have a wonderful time, just as I did. As for this show, well, I will leave you with this to ponder: Three of the best live bands around all in one night - what more could a metalhead want?
Submitted by dave (10/28/02, The Knitting Factory, Hollywood, CA):It was a pretty cold night in Hollywood, perfect for a metal show. The inside of the Knitting Factory began to fill up when openers Aggression Core took the stage. There was really nothing aggressive about them, but they did well enough to get a 5 man pit on there last song so it was worth watching. Up next was up and coming metal-core band Unearth. Once they strummed that first string that pit opend up with about 15 of those karate-kickin' guys from Orange County. There were little scuffles here and there between the "metal-headz" & O.C. kids but the band played on with great Swedish riffs and good drum work, these guys are goiog to get known as time goes on.
After all that high flyin' action was Lamb Of God. As Randy (vocals) stumbled out of the backstage area with a cigarette in one hand and a beer in the other he told the crowd "open that shit up" then they broke into their first song and that shit did. With their sick as hell breakdowns and their punishing drum beats what else would you do but bang your head? As the set came to a close the crowd never wanted them to leave, but all good things must come to end. So they pounded one out and threw out there picks and sticks and jammed. If these guys are ever playing a venue near you I highly suggest you ckeck 'em out.
After all that madness headliners Nevermore took the stage, but due to tiredness and hungriness, me and my buds left but I heard they did very well. Other than the bands, The Knitting Factory is a awasome place for all types of shows or as a night club.
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