New Jersey Metal & Hardcore Festival
Rating: 5 Skulls
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New Jersey Metal & Hardcore Festival
Rating: 5 Skulls |
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Jotun's Review (11/14 & 15/03, Asbury Park Convention Center, NJ):
Friday
Hypocrisy
Photo by Jotun
Pulling into Asbury Park after a two-hour ride, there were a few things going through my head. “Wow, I can’t believe how quickly I got here. I should have waited around at work to get my paycheck.” “I wonder where the hell this venue is, because everything looks like a broken-down old building.” “I wonder how cold it is outside with all that wind.”I got out of the car and realized that the wind was making my bones shake. It wasn’t a far walk to the venue from where I parked, so I began to haul ass to get inside. It was only 2:15 with the concert scheduled to have begun only 15 minutes earlier, so there weren’t very many people on line. However, once I got inside the Asbury Park Convention Center, I realized that the cement, metal, and glass building probably didn’t have a single inch of insulation. (Of course, it didn’t help that once every 20 to 30 minutes a steel loading door behind the second stage would open up.)
The Black Dahlia Murder
Photo by JotunThe first band that I saw was Held Under. They combined Pantera-type riffs with American death/thrash metal growls and chunks. Pretty good considering they’re the first band of the weekend. But there were problems with taking photos at first because there was some confusion about the color of the bracelets that I and the other photographers were wearing. Great – I’m here for 20 minutes and there is already a problem.
I had intentions on seeing Scars of Tomorrow, but there was a phone call or two that I needed to make and I wanted to see some merch. I finally went downstairs to the second stage and found the third band was setting up, meaning I missed Scars. This would be the first of a number of times where I missed the band that I wanted to see this weekend because the schedule was all fucked up.
Nevermore
Photo by Jotun
So I went back inside to catch a glimpse of Sinai Beach. They were pretty good too, so I snapped some photos and went to see A Perfect Murder on the second stage. They blend metal with a heaping dose of old school hardcore/punk. For any picky metalheads who can’t stand their style, they helped cushion the transition by opening their set with the introduction to Carcass’ “Buried Dreams.” I have to say that as much as my mouth dropped open in shock and pleasure over this, I only wish they would have played the whole song. But it was a killer idea. When in Rome …
The post-November’s Doom schedule really picked up for me. I was really anxious to see a number of the mid-day and evening bands, such as The Black Dahlia Murder, Hypocrisy, Children of Bodom, Premonitions of War, Nevermore, Dimmu Borgir, and Morbid Angel. The only bands that I have seen before were Nevermore, Hypocrisy, and Dimmu, so needless to say I was excited. The Black Dahlia Murder was intense and lived up to the hyped-up, metal-meets-nasty breakdowns attitude that I had overheard about them. Hypocrisy kicked ass, and then I was pleasantly surprised by Children of Bodom. While I do think they are a highly-talented band, their music doesn’t always make me salivate. However, their live show is another story. Leading off with “Needled 24/7” from their new album Hate Crew Deathroll, the band slammed their way through a short, but enticing set. Premonitions of War intrigued me with their straight-up brutal approach and Nevermore set it off with their main stage set. They still impress me, even though I think their newest album is a little on the weaker side, compared to their other material. Still, I was happy to see and hear they lead off with a track from Dreaming Neon Black (I believe it was “Beyond Within”, but I can’t remember for sure).
Children of Bodom
Photo by JotunI have to say that I was disappointed when I saw Dimmu Borgir, and it really kills me to say that. I don’t think their live set was bad, because I know they chose a good set to play, but I can’t tell whether or not they were really tight. The reason I can’t tell is because the sound was shit during their set. For starters, Nick Barker’s drum kit was mic’d up all wrong. You could hear his kick drums and snare, but virtually nothing of his toms and cymbals. On top of this, the keyboards were pushed up way too high to the point where it drowned out a lot of the band at times. Now, I saw Dimmu for the first time at the New England fest three years ago (boy does time fly), and I was completely blown away by their live set, so I tend to think that this wasn’t a case of them being out of shape. In addition, I know that certain other bands didn’t sound 100 percent, so it probably was a combination of poor stage work and a less-than intriguing design to the room.
A Life Once Lost
Photo by Black SheepMorbid Angel kicked ass but I left their set to venture over to the second stage, where I hadn’t been for a while. I caught some crazy sets by A Life Once Lost (their new stuff sounds very chaotic), Northern New York saviors Withered Earth (who I remember seeing years ago when I was in college up there), Beyond the Embrace, and a small portion of Strapping Young Lad.
I ended up missing Cannae, the Devin Townsend Band, and a few others because, as a photographer, you had the choice of waiting 20 to 30 minutes at the main stage while the big bands changed their equipment, but allowing you to keep a good spot to shoot from, or heading over to the second stage and possibly missing the three songs you had to shoot the main stage during. It was getting late by the time Superjoint Ritual finally took the stage and so after blowing out of there early (I wasn’t very impressed), and shooting Strapping, Metal Militia, Black Sheep and I took off for some grub and called it a night. The craziness ensued after leaving the Convention Hall, but we’ll leave those details out.
Superjoint Ritual
Photo by JotunSaturday
At this point I want to add that, overall, the staff at this event was kick ass. The people occupying the doors were very cool about re-entry, about checking bags and pockets, and generally about saying ‘hello.’ The bouncers were also very cool, including the one who apologized to each individual photographer concerning the mix up with bracelets the day before. The only guy who was a tool was the one manning the sound board at the second stage. I personally didn’t have a problem with him, but after shutting the sound off on one band because they went over their set time, and cursing out another band under his breath for having thrown a microphone on the ground at the end of their set, this jury reached a quick verdict.After traipsing around the ruins and boardwalk of Asbury Park earlier Saturday morning, I made it back in time to see Scarlet, who I had first seen at this year’s Hellfest. They sounded even better than that first time – this time playing on a larger stage with a bigger sound. I screwed around some more and looked for some people before returning to the main stage to catch All That Remains, who really set it off for the day and put me in a good mood. Their set was nothing short of spectacular.
The Devin Townsend Band
Photo by Black SheepI ran over to the second stage to see this band I had never heard of called The Daughters. They weren’t bad, but I think the live setting was one that I couldn’t really judge them properly from, so I will stop myself from saying anything further about them.
Like the day before, there was a series of bands that I was really looking forward to seeing around mid-day, but I also ended up missing one or two that I could sacrifice in order to eat before the last large pack of bands that I had to see.
Before leaving, I ran back and forth between the stages to catch Bleeding Through, Scar Culture, Mastodon, Flesh Grind, Unearth, and Malignancy. Bleeding Through is one act I had to see. I have not been really happy with their recorded material, but the stage is where this band really sets themselves apart. In addition to a wild stage presence, the band pumps the volume up to 11 and cranks out a gothic-metal-hardcore mélange that rivals any other big-name band of the festival. It also doesn’t hurt that the keyboardist was by far the cutest chick at the entire festival.
Scar Culture kicked ass and didn’t miss a beat with their new lead singer (who was a huge improvement from their last one). Mastodon hurled themselves and their noise-metal at the crowd in a set that was amazing, as was Bill Kelliher’s young child who was jumping up and down while at his first concert. Flesh Grind is your standard cookie monster death metal, but their set was well executed, I must say.
Unearth
Photo by JotunUnearth was as incredible as always, and hopefully opened themselves up to a totally new crowd, which will help them now that they are signed to Metal Blade. (It seems like Metal Blade is trying to jump right into the metalcore world, first with As I Lay Dying and now with Unearth). While speaking to him later, lead singer Trevor Phipps told me that they anticipate the release of their Metal Blade debut to be around June 2004. To finish their deal with Eulogy Recordings, the band will re-release their debut EP with previously unreleased material and live tracks.
I watched just enough of Malignancy before hand to get my photos and then run back to the main stage. But before I could leave, I had to see The Red Chord. While they are not one of my absolute favorite bands, their CD did make my top 10 list. I had the opportunity to see them twice before at shows, but because I was running late both times I ended up missing them. Not this time though. I was glad to see their set, as it was a deadly, rotting, throat gurgling experience. The crowd totally went off with them, and it was a great reason to end off on a good note and go get a grilled cheese sandwich with some old college friends at Howard Johnson’s.
Dew Scented
Photo by JotunI got back just in time to see great sets by Deicide and Suffocation (the latter of which really took me by surprise with their live sound). I then finished the night running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get pictures and see a little of each set from the remaining bands – most of which I was dying to see.
Mortician was pretty standard – nothing amazing and nothing bad at all. Dew Scented rocked the socks off of the crowd, many of which seemed like they didn’t know what to expect. Nile was as crazy as ever before (I had seen them twice before) and Today Is The Day polluted the ears of many with their dizzying crack metal.
Type O Negative
Photo by JotunI sat in waiting for Type O Negative (who I really personally could care less about seeing) and ended up missing one of the late second stagers who I really wanted to see live – Between The Buried And Me. In turn, Type O was pretty good, taking the stage complete with orange inmate outfits.
I happily, yet quickly, watched Most Precious Blood before running back in to see Cradle of Filth. Cradle knocked me for a loop, as many young goth girls were screaming every time Dani Filth walked close to them (you’d think you were at a Justin Timberlake concert). Their set was killer, ending with my favorite Cradle song, “From The Cradle To Enslave.” Better yet, I later saw that most of my Cradle pictures kicked some serious ass too.
All Out War
Photo by JotunDuring Cradle’s set, ending the night for me was All Out War, who I was very glad to see back on the stage together. Singer Mike Score literally took the music to the people as he jumped off the stage and into the crowd to sing two or three songs in their entirety from the mosh pit. Kick ass! Finally, Biohazard churned out the tough-guy Brooklyn hardcore to round out a diversified weekend and a nut-busting good time.
To end, I will just dispel all the rumors – as far as I could see, Evan Seinfeld’s girlfriend Tera Patrick was not in the building. If she was, you’d better believe I would have driven home that night with a big-ass smile on my face!
Biohazard
Photo by JotunBottom line is that the band line-up was awesome and there are only a small number of additional bands that I would have also liked to have seen there. However, the problems with the temperature, the sound, and the crappy selection of junk food for slightly pricey retail value leaves a thorn in my side as I prepare to give this festival a verdict. I say, this fest was real nice, but nothing can compare to the event that has been molded in Worcester over the past six years.
Metal Militia's Review ((11/14 & 15/03, Asbury Park Convention Center, NJ):
Well well, the promoters of the amazingly successful New England Metal and Hardcore Festival have decided to expand and introduce the East Coast to a larger, winter version of their late spring fest, and in the initial stages, it sounded like a great idea. Taking the proven effective formula of the New England extravaganza and putting it into a bigger venue with more bands, more vendors, and maybe even longer set times sounded like a foolproof idea. The lineup was spectacular, featuring many great established bands (Morbid Angel, Deicide, Symphony X, Biohazard, Suffocation, Hypocrisy, and All Out War among others), some great up and comers (The Red Chord, Premonitions of War, Daughters, Wasteform, From A Second Story Window, etc.) and of course the bigger, more popular names (Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, Children of Bodom, Unearth, Strapping Young Lad, Superjoint Ritual, and many more.) How could such a diverse and stellar line up be anything but a success? Well I’m not exactly sure, but I would wager that the reason the venue was at most one-third full at any given point, was due to the atrociously high ticket prices, lack of any real promotion, and the show being in New Jersey, the shittiest place in the world. I believe the tickets were eighty bucks for a two-day pass, compared to the fifty-five dollar cost for two days at the New England fest. Add to that the fact that there is really only one hotel that is within walking distance, the $160 a night Berkeley luxury hotel, and you have almost three hundred reasons not to attend. It would appear that whoever was in charge saw some dollar signs and totally forgot that what had made the New England shows so great was that they were affordable.
Strapping Young Lad
Photo by Jotun
Mastodon
Photo by JotunAnyway, enough of the ranting - let’s get down to the music. I didn’t get into the venue until around five pm on Friday and I realized that most of the bands I had wanted to see that day had already gone on. Oh well, some of the standout bands of the night were:
Premonitions of War - Holy fuck, this was a little unexpected. I have heard nothing but hype about this band, and to be honest, I wasn’t all that impressed with the recorded material I had managed to get my hands on, but live they were crushing. Each song barely lasted two minutes, yet contained three or four killer breakdowns apiece. Definitely one of the highlights of the festival.
Morbid Angel - This was my first time seeing these legends and they did not disappoint. Despite playing two or three songs from their horrible new album, they paid respect to their older material and just had an all around great live sound.
Morbid Angel
Photo by JotunThose two acts were the highlight of an otherwise lackluster Friday evening line up. I caught Children of Bodom’s set, and it was borderline awful. Not only did the set contain almost exclusively their newer, shitty material, but Alexi Laiho was prancing around like a fairy while looking more glam than Bret Michaels of cock-rocking lame parade, Poison. It’s too bad, because Bodom’s older material is kind of cool, but this rock star idiocy doesn’t cut it.
Dimmu Borgir
Photo by JotunI also caught most of Dimmu Boring’s set. This was probably the dullest set I’ve ever witnessed. I’m not a Dimmu fan to begin with and when all I can hear is keys and double bass, you know I’m not gonna enjoy anything the band does.
Other than that, Friday didn’t offer much one way or the other, Superjoint Ritual was just as mediocre as was expected and The Black Dahlia Murder was unimpressive. Basically there just wasn’t a whole lot of anything going on Friday.
Things really picked up on Saturday, the lineup was much stronger overall and I actually woke up in time to catch the very first band to go on. So I’ll just review that bands that stuck out positively and negatively, there’s no need to give any attention to the bands that were so average that they didn’t inspire a reaction.
Nile
Photo by JotunFirst the shitty bands:
Bleeding Through - This is probably the biggest joke of a hardcore band I have ever seen, even lamer than Most Precious Blood. First of all the music is laughably bad, generic straight edge fashion-core, and to make matters worse they have some ugly chick playing keyboards over this generic tripe. So what we have is a band that in between each song rants about “edge” lifestyle, looks like a gang of spastic, wannabe mongloids, plays shitty lame ass wimp-core, and has an ugly chick playing keyboards. I officially declare Bleeding Through to be the worst band in existence.
Nile - Boooooooooooooooooring. God does this band put me to sleep, we didn’t even get to hear "Unas, Slayer of the Gods", which was actually awesome when I saw them a few months ago. Boring set, stupid stage talk, boring band.
Cradle of Filth - I was actually looking forward to these guys all day long. Even though I can’t stand any of their releases, I was thinking that they would put on a great stage show with naked chicks, fireworks, and blood. Unfortunately the failed to provide any tits, and the rest of the stage show was lacking. So Cradle of Filth basically failed to provide what they are so well known for, a stage show!
Cradle of Filth
Photo by JotunThose were the only three bands that stood out for being exceptionally bad. There were many other bands that didn’t do much for me, but they at least kept me occupied, whereas those three just knocked me out. Next I’m going to focus on the bands that were nothing short of incredible:
Wasteform - Even though they went on at noon in front of a crowd of no more than twenty-five people, these guys still kicked copious amounts of ass. Not only are Wasteform one of the best bands on the scene right now, they are also a great bunch of guys. Do yourself a favor and check this band out.
Malignancy - Probably the best brutal death metal band around, Malignancy never disappoint live. Even though they only had twenty minutes, they played a crushing set highlighted by the monstrously brutal "Ovarian Incubation".
Deicide
Photo by JotunThe Red Chord - If you’ve read any of my previous reports of The Red Chord’s live show, you’ll already know that I’m about as big of a fan boy as it gets. Tonight was no exception, even though the set list was predictable, the songs kick so much ass that it doesn’t matter. And with the exception of Suffocation they were easily the most energetic band of the night. It’s too bad that the drummer is leaving the band for Unearth, hopefully TRC will find a replacement soon enough, as they need to get a new album out.
Deicide - The most surprising event of the entire night was… Glen was totally hammered for a Deicide performance! In a disturbingly sober display Deicide blitzed through a set of classic death metal including "Lunatic of God’s Creation", "Bible Basher", "Dead By Dawn", :Once Upon the Cross" and several others. A tight performance with almost no ranting in between songs, easily one of the best performances Glen has put on in recent years.
Suffocation
Photo by JotunSuffocation - Without a doubt the fucking kings of the festival. Incredible setlist: "Infecting the Crypts", "Liege of Inveracity", "ffigy of the Forgotten", "Pierced From Within", "Thrones of Blood" and two new songs. Unbelievable set by one of the all time greats. Of course my only complaint would have to be that they didn’t play "FUNERAL INCEPTION"! C'mon guys, please put this in your setlist! It fucking kills!
So those were the highlights and lowlights of the weekend, all in all an amazing experience, and although the venue was more than half empty, and the crowd was lacking the energy for big parts of it, I would have to say that this was one of the better metal festivals I’ve been to.
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