Concert: Pig Destroyer/Call of the Void/Invidiosis/Ambassador Gun/Aetheric (4/9, Triple Rock, Mpls, MN)

Two days after getting to see Abbath, I headed down to the Triple Rock to witness Pig Destroyer play their first ever Minnesota show. I was lucky enough to see them before at Maryland Deathfest, and was fortunate to get my ticket early as the show here sold out. For such a huge turnout I only knew about three other people there, but I made some friends in line at the door. They were from Des Moines, ironically, and we traded Vaudeville Mews memories.

There were quite a few openers for the show, the first of whom was Aetheric, a local band that I have not heard of before (but I recognized their guitarist from around places). They were very good; I was really impressed with the guitarist and vocalist both. Lots of melodic, squiggly bits, which is not something I encounter much in a city with so much death metal. I will have to keep an eye on them in the future.

Go, squiggly!

Ambassador Gun was next (they switched places with Invidiosis and I spent a few minutes really confused), and they played as solid as set as they did the last time I saw them. I’m not very familiar with their catalog, but AG’s brand of punkish death metal was really apropos. (Also, they were and are always a really tight and solid band and it hopefully will not be two more years before I see them again.)

Ambassador Gun is never not good

The pit off to a good start early in the evening

Invidiosis was the last local band to play. I have heard a lot about Invidiosis, and some of its members are friends of friends, but I have never seen them before this show. I felt like this set was the odd one out of the night, being more death metal and thrashy than the punk-infusion that characterized all the other bands, but it was a fun and well-executed set nonetheless. Also, Invidiosis is also apparently touring in South America soon, so that’s cool. (And I’m pretty sure that one of their band members works at the liquor store where I buy my beer.)

Invidiosis

While I enjoy watching local acts, especially when it’s stuff that’s new to me and Ambassador Gun, I was ready when Call of the Void took the stage. I like their stuff and am very familiar with album covers from the record store, but seeing them live really made it click for me. (This is not that strange, I think- for me, grindcore always makes more sense live). Call of the Void was absolutely tremendous- loud, heavy, fast, and fun. I expected a lot from them, and they did not disappoint.

Call of the Void

And a shot from further back

Pig Destroyer took the stage at last, and… played a pretty long set, actually. I was very impressed. As I mentioned above, it was their first ever show in Minnesota, and Pig Destroyer live is a rare event anyway. The result was an extremely receptive crowd that made me glad that I had chosen to stand behind the rail- it generated one of the craziest mosh pits I’ve seen (certainly the craziest I’ve seen at the Triple Rock), with people stage diving and pretty much constant churning. I tried to get a panoramic shot of the crowd at one point and that failed miserably. Oh well.

The guests of honor- Pig Destroyer

Unfortunately, my pictures don’t do the pit much justice

Pig Destroyer killed it musically as well in what I can only assume is the grindcore equivalent of running a marathon. There was a lot of build up for this one, and understandably so, and they absolutely delivered.

This show was part two of the insane metal show month that is April 2016, and it served to remind me why I love watching live grindcore. I own grindcore albums, and they’re great, but there’s something about the energy that translates perfectly into a live setting. I need to try to see more grind; I saw a lot in Des Moines but not as much since I’ve come up here.

Just saw Absu, so that’ll be up soon as well. And then, Behemoth. (I missed Apocalyptica last night. I just couldn’t do it. It’s crunch time in the school semester, and I just can’t do everything.)

-Hagalaz

Hagalaz’ Valentine’s Playlist

Well, it’s that time of year again, when everyone starts pairing off in preparation for the annual spring mating season, which may or may not come to Minnesota this year considering that within the past couple of days we have plummeted into a second ice age. I will be spending MY Valentine’s day with some Schell’s Chimney Sweep and some retro sci-fi flicks, along with mini bundt cakes that my sent me in the mail. Which is really just as well.

Image from fuckyeahmetalecards on tumblr.

But since nothing says “I love you” like a heaping pile of noisy extremity, I decided that I would post a playlist today for all your Valentine’s needs. So without further ado…

#11. Iron Maiden- 22 Acacia Avenue

For all the lonely hearts out there, Charlotte’s gotcha covered.

#10. Bathory- Woman of Dark Desires

Who knows how far Ms. Bathory’s desires went beyond bathing in the blood of virgins?

#9. Ghost- Monstrance Clock

Let’s play the word association game, boys and girls!

#8. Mayhem- Necrolust

Yeah, ok. So that’s pretty self-explanatory.

#7. Cannibal Corpse- Fucked With a Knife

You know. If you’re into that sort of thing.

#6. The Devil’s Blood- Cruel Lover

“I am the sound of the whip, and the pleasure of slaves…”

#5. Anal Cunt- I Respect Your Feelings as a Woman and a Human

Ah, romance.

#4. Gorgoroth- Unchain My Heart

Every time I hear this song or see the title, I’m reminded of the following, which was a big hit back when I was in junior high.

#3. Marduk- Bleached Bones

You know, in case you want some more necrophilia.

#2. Carcass- Microwaved Uterogestation

“Genital Grinder” is the obvious choice here. But you have to admit there’s something romantic about “Microwaved Uterogestation,” too.

#1. Celtic Frost- Tristesses de Lune

Because I love this song. So there.

So yes. Happy Valentine’s Day to you.

-Hagalaz

Hagalaz’ Top 10 Not-Just-Black-Metal Albums of 2013

… Is posted over at Burning Fist. Go read it! And then listen to In Solitude and Satan’s Host! And listen to the new Carcass again (as though you needed any persuading to do that).

-Hagalaz

For the Love of Live Music, Consider Signing This Petition

This petition came to my attention the other day via a friend on Facebook, and I wanted to post it here so that you could sign it if you haven’t. The Canadian government apparently wants to drastically increase the amount of money that musicians have to pay to tour there, which will not only cut down on the amount of live music that Canadians will get to see, but will also be very harmful to small venues and businesses. I don’t think I need to go far towards explaining that for metal bands other than, say, Metallica and their ilk, this legislation is very bad news- any smaller metal bands will be right out of the running for getting to tour Canada. As I am now living in a routine stop on the way to Winnipeg, I can assure you, Canadian metal fans, you don’t want this thing to pass. Marduk and Inquisition are just a couple of bands in the past year that have come up your way. And of course, that is not to mention the smaller bands trying to get off the ground; False just played in Canada, for instance. This cost increase passes and they won’t be able to again.

So please consider adding your signature to the petition if you haven’t already. I did, and I hate signing up for things on the internet. And tell your friends, too, because this is an issue that affects ALL music genres.

Concert: Ambassador Gun/Sadgiqacea/Hivelords/Poney (7/19, Nomad’s World Pub, Minneapolis, MN)

(I am going to start linking to bandcamp in here when I can, so that you can listen to more music and buy more music and support more of these guys. OK? You’re welcome.)

Last Friday I was hanging out at Into the Void when my friend M called me to see if I wanted to go with him, his girlfriend, and a mutual friend to see Sadgiqacea, his friend’s black metal band, play with local legends Ambassador Gun. So of course I said yes, because I love me some live music. The show was at Nomad’s World Pub, a small venue that seemed mostly populated, at least this time, by hipsters and crustpunks. Though small, it was a nice place, and they had a huge tap list as well if that is your thing. The patios, I thought, were particularly nice, especially on a balmy summer night. The sound was good as far as I could tell, but it was insanely loud as well, so

Poney from Madison, WI started off the night with a set of psychedelic/stoner inspired hardcore. They played all the material from their new record as well as several other songs. I really enjoyed their set, and thought that the interchanging vocals were really a cool effect, if not always in tune. Probably my favorite aspect of the music was the percussion; along with a drummer, Poney has another percussionist who uses mallets and other techniques with his drumkit. Looking forward to hopefully seeing these guys again soon.

[Two drummers. Rad.]

Hivelords was up next, and they completely destroyed. After their set, I went to fetch extra earplugs for my friends from the car because the noise levels were pretty much devastating. Hailing from Philadelphia, PA, Hivelords plays crushing, doom-saturated black metal, with the vocalist using the old grindcore two-mic technique and echo sound effects. The result is deafening and incredible. I was completely blown away by these guys, and have been pushing them on my friends since.

[Hivelords is devastating in the best way possible.]

Unfortunately I missed most of Sadgiqacea’s set. I was absolutely famished, and skipped over to grab a burrito at Hard Times. I did manage to catch most of the last song, however, and what I heard I really liked. Sadgiqacea also plays a mix of sludge, doom, and psychedelic black metal (and are also, incidentally from Philly). I am going to have to spend some more time with their catalog as I really like what I did hear, and I’m bummed that I missed out on their set.

[I will never stop being impressed by how well you can make incredible black metal with just two dedicated dudes.]

After getting my face obliterated by some of the most crushing live black metal I’ve ever witnessed, Ambassador Gun was unfortunately kind of a letdown. M has seen them before and says that he felt like they were definitely having an off night; one of the vocalists was not in his normal register, he said, so he could tell something was wrong. Even the crowd seemed to have a little trouble getting into the music. Nevertheless, Ambassador Gun’s blend of grind, punk, and metal was enjoyable enough to me. I had come to hear some noise and screaming, and they made sure I did not go home disappointed. I know these guys are a Minneapolis staple and I’d like to see them again sometime when they are having a better night. I also remembered that they played at Maryland Deathfest this year; another indication that I really ought to pick up tickets for the punk stage next time as well.

[Noisy noise.]

I like to support touring bands, and when they are friends or friends of friends I like it even more, so I gave Sadgiqacea and Hivelords the rest of the money in my pocket for gas and took home a sweet Hivelords patch for the old battle jacket. I also picked up a flier and sticker for FTG Illustrations, the work of Sadgiqacea’s drummer (he did their album artwork), in case anyone is looking for album art. After the show, I spent some time hanging out with M and company as well as Hivelords and Sadgiqacea, who were crashing at his place. I am now even more convinced that I need a house so I can put people up, because I love cooking for people and because, as I have bemoaned before, metal bands don’t typically have the support in the underground that the punks do.

I had a really good time for a show I decided to go to on a sudden invite, and I’m really, really glad I went. Poney was excellent, and Hivelords completely destroyed, as did Sadgiqacea, the small part I saw of their set. I’m looking forward to seeing Ambassador Gun on a better night, as I know they are a big deal, and unfortunately theirs was the weakest set of the night. More reviews coming soon, as I can’t not go to things, including the not-Castle show that took place on Tuesday and the Maledicere show tomorrow  (it’s going to be awesome. Stoked).

-H

Gratuitous Birthday Post 2013

This post is from yesterday, which was my birthday, for real. But because the internet at the hotel only wanted me to use Chrome, and Chrome likes to eat my links, I saved it until now. Here it is!

***

Here it is, ladies and gentlemen, my gratuitous birthday post of “things I am currently listening to” on June 28, 2013. Happy Birthday to me, happy birthday to Jon Nödtveidt (R.I.C.), and happy birthday to Frost. Because June 28 is a great day for birthdays and black metal.

Again, the list goes to 11, because Chaos and Spinal Tap and all that jazz. Without further ado, your black metal blog-ess has been listening to:

1. Aosoth- Under Nails and Fingertips

I’ve already ranted and raved about how much I love Aosoth’s new album, as well as the devastating effect they had on me at Deathfest this year. Because I can’t get enough of IV: An Arrow in Heart, this one has pretty much stayed on circulation for me this year.

2. Blut Aus Nord- …The Meditant (Dialogue with the Stars)

I recently purchased my very first Blut Aus Nord album (ludicrous, I know, especially considering how much I love French black metal), Memoria Vetusta II: Dialogue With The Stars. This has quickly become one of my favorite albums; it is glorious, and I want to drive out to the middle of nowhere and listen to it under the stars.

3. Kylesa- We’re Taking This

I had never heard Kylesa before a couple of months ago, and I wasn’t sure what to make of them at first. Since then, however, they have really grown on me, and now I can’t get enough of this sludgy stuff. I really love their new album Ultraviolet (which I am going to review, I promise. I am at a conference right now); this is from that.

4. Cough- Crooked Spine

Speaking of the South and slow things, Southern doom has also been on my radar a lot lately. Cough is pretty indicative of the stuff I’m talking about; Pallbearer as well.

5. Kreator- Command of the Blade

I am ashamed to admit that Kreator has been one of those gaping holes in my collection. Recently, however, I bought a used copy of Pleasure To Kill off my friend, and I have been digging the hell out of it. Thrash is a genre I skipped (except for Metallica, but that’s not special. Growing up in Oklahoma everyone is into Metallica), and I’m really enjoying navigating it.

6. Katharsis- The Last Wound

As far as black metal I should know but never really listened to goes, Katharsis is high on the list. I have been making it a point to listen to bands that I have seen everyone post but me, and so I’ve been spinning these guys lately.

7. Ptahil- The Black Fire

Although I still listen to A LOT of black metal, make no mistake, I have been listening to a lot more black metal genre-melding stuff lately, including blackened doom. Ptahil is from Indiana, and I saw them open for Black Witchery recently.

8. Candlemass- Samarithan

Really? When am I not listening to Candlemass? Now I own the Nightfall reissue on vinyl (it is BEAUTIFUL) as well as their 2005 s/t release, so I listen to them more than ever.

9. Sacramentum- When Night Surrounds Me

When school was ending for the semester, I went into Into the Void to buy myself a copy of Pilgrim’s Misery Wizard (Really. Serious doom kick), and my friend told me that if I didn’t buy this Sacramentum record we weren’t friends. So I did, and I love it. I am not willing to say it is better than Storm of the Light’s Bane; it is different than Storm of the Light’s Bane. But I don’t know that I could rank this album below it, either.

10. Holy Grail- Call of Valhalla

Holy Grail is one of those bands that I checked out because they are playing here soon, and I want to go to the show (the same thing happened with Kylesa). The result was the same as what usually happens when I listen to traditional heavy metal, which is that I think I should listen to more traditional heavy metal. Looking forward to seeing these guys live.

11. Black Market Fetus- Blinded By the Cross

Because every good playlist needs grindcore. Alas, I only got to see Black Market Fetus play once before they disbanded, but they were one of my favorite local bands when I lived in Iowa, and are one of my favorite grind bands ever.

…And that’s all folks. As you can see, DOOM.

‘Til next time.

Maryland Deathfest XI Recap (Part I)

Maryland freaking Deathfest. Oh my gosh. This past weekend was completely nuts and a time bubble- I still can’t really believe that me and my friend A arrived in Baltimore a week ago. Between broken jetways, reassigned gates and hotel room confusion, we are lucky that we got there and got settled in at all. But we did, and ordered sushi delivered by a young man who told us that he was “the guy in the black shirt with the white writing” and couldn’t seem to understand why we couldn’t find him on the street outside of the hotel in the swarm of metalheads. The rest of the evening involved light napping, and after J arrived, a trip to a WalMart in the middle of a darkened field, which was only mildly terrifying.

Baltimore, I have noted, is a kind of scary place when you are from rural Oklahoma.

 We stayed at the Radisson Lord Baltimore, and even though they told me when I booked the room that we would have two double beds, we ended up with only a single king bed and had to take turns for who slept on the floor. The elevators were also super slow pretty much all weekend, and kept going down to the lower levels, where there was weird music playing at one point. Creepy. Anyway, the hotel itself was fine minus the really, really annoying thing with the bed and the understaffed coffee shop that made for super slow service in the mornings; the staff were super nice, for instance.

The view was not so great.

Beautiful downtown Baltimore!

Also this was weird.

So Thursday evening we retreated back to the hotel, snacks and coolers in tow. We decided to get some food for the room so that we could save money on food at the fest. It was helpful, but you should remember to restock the ice so your strawberries don’t end up floating in lukewarm water. Then we went to sleep trying not to think about the fact that we were missing Bolt Thrower.

The next day we woke up late but mostly rested from the previous day’s travel and stuffed our faces with Cliff bars and snacks before heading to the Former Sonar Compound. The primary goal of the day was to see Pig Destroyer and Carcass, but we also caught part of Benediction’s set. I didn’t know who they were, but they hadn’t played in the States since the mid-90s, and I really enjoyed what I saw of their show.

Benediction, Death Metal from the U.K.

Then we went to get up front for Pig Destroyer, who were everything I had hoped they would be. A big pit formed, but it was the fun kind in which no one is actually getting hurt or being assholes. They also had a female vocalist doing guest vocals on a couple of songs; I’m not familiar enough with Pig Destroyer to know for sure who she was, but I’m assuming she might be Katherine “Kat” Katz, who did guest vox on Book Burner. The vibe in the crowd was fantastic, and the set was a lot of fun.

Pig Destroyer!

Being short sucks.

Female guest vocalist.

That was some pit.

[It is her, apparently. So much fun. I miss going to grindcore shows.]

We then wandered around for a bit, catching glimpses of Repulsion’s set while meandering through the endless booths full of merch. I had a discussion with an enthusiastic shirtless dude named Zack and his friend about Satanic black metal, which was fun. I also got to meet Annick Giroux, who published the Hellbent for Cooking metal cookbook, which I have made things from and really enjoyed pouring over. Also at the Bazillion Points table was a guy who was extremely stoked about my Arne patch that I’d gotten with my Slayer Mag Diaries and snapped a picture of it. They had awesome aprons for sale, and I did not buy one quickly enough (alas!), which was the first of many lessons in buying what you want while you can get it- the shirts sold out of small sizes pretty quickly in a lot of cases, and I missed my chance at Mgla and Candlemass patches. They also had Layna Dawes’ new book, What Are YOU Doing Here?, which I really wanted a copy of and planned on buying Sunday, but they had shut down the table early and I ended up not getting a copy of it there.

Carcass was… was Carcass. I’m still a little dumbfounded that I saw Carcass do anything at all, although my height (or lack thereof) kept me from seeing most of it. They sounded incredible, and put on a great show, at least for what I saw of it. I had to cut out a little early, but it sounded good still from outside the gates, and the crustpunk kids who lurk in the parking lot seemed to enjoy it too.

Carcass!

It occurred to me that I could hold my phone above my head and manage to get ok photos despite my short legs.

One of the most fun random things about MDF for me was the people you meet while you are milling around/ watching sets. I met a cool English dude in the Carcass crowd who told me all about Roadburn this past year and offered me some blackberry vodka (No, thank you, I know it is a trap and does not taste like blackberries at all), and dance-partied with a dude named James from Ottawa from the Pig Destroyer pit. That pit was also my first sighting of Chicken Man, who wore his chicken suit faithfully all weekend. Also a young man dressed as a taco handed me a flyer from his band Autolatry, which I told him I would plug wherever I could. You can check out their bandcamp here.

Taco Man!

Aaaand that’s about it for Day I. (And that was the short day). I’ll be back again soon with more stories from MDF, including how I have developed a love of Vegan hotdogs and how I saw Aosoth AND Antaeus within 3 hours of each other.

(Go to Part II.)

Until then,

Hagalaz

Into the Void Records is Pretty Much Awesome (St. Paul, MN)

There is nothing quite like a specialty metal record store. Into the Void opened its doors back in November 2012, although I didn’t know about it until January. Since then, it’s pretty much become my favorite store, and I need to be really careful about how much time (and money) I spend in there.

First of all, it’s in St. Paul, which is awesome because Minneapolis typically gets all the cool stuff. Into the Void’s location is also premier as it’s only a couple of blocks from Station 4. While Station 4 may not be the hippest music venue in the Cities (I have seen a lot of people complain about it on Facebook. Honestly, I thinks it’s a fun little place), they do land most of the big metal gigs that come through town. Three of the four shows I’m going to in the next couple of months are at Station 4. As a result, Into the Void’s location is pretty much perfect; you can go to the metal record store and to the show on the same night, in the same place. (There is also really good food over in that part of downtown St. Paul. Triple win.)

Although a friend of mine complained that the store itself is too sterile and fancy feeling, as someone who loves to organize things I appreciate the orderliness of it. They have a lot of stuff, but it’s very easily navigable and well-organized. Into the Void has CDs, records, and even cassette tapes, and a few metal DVDs. They also carry merch, like flags and patches (they just added several new patches, I saw the other day), hats, coffee mugs (who doesn’t want a Marduk coffee mug with a tank on it? Answer me that), and a ton of t-shirts in all sizes. Including smalls, for those of us on the smaller side!

Perhaps the best part of their selection, though, is the music that they are able to get in. They have some of the more obscure stuff from Europe that isn’t as easily accessible in the U.S., which is pretty much an amazing deal to me (alas, my underground French bands don’t distribute very well). The very first time I was in there I was ecstatic to find that they had Horna and Mütiilation CDs in stock, and several of them at that! And considering the stuff that they are able to get a hold of, the prices are incredibly reasonable, ranging from about $9.99-$15.99 a CD usually. $10 for Mütiilation. I know, right? Plus, the owner really encourages you to let him know if there is something you are looking for that they don’t have, and they will try to order it.

My haul from my first visit to Into the Void. You know you’re jealous. My Mayhem Deathcrush patch came from there too.

Into the Void is also going to be fantastic for the local scene here, I think. They always have flyers out for local shows, and I have seen a few of our local bands’ albums in there as well. You can also buy your concert tickets here, which is something I need to start doing (internet ticket fees are profoundly irritating). There are also a few ‘zines available for sale, which is cool. I need to look a little closer at these next time I am in there to see where all they are from.

I also got my first and only Darkthrone album. Yes, I know. Shut up.

All and all, Into the Void is pretty much my favorite place right now. I love their selection, and they have some pretty good titles on vinyl that I can begin my collection with (I bought the special edition of Candlemass’ Nightfall the other day). Looking forward to spending a lot more time and money here. Next time you are in the Twin Cities, stop by and check it out.

Into the Void’s Facebook page is amazing and regularly updates their new arrivals. You can check it out here.

-Hagalaz

Metaldudes Cats Book!

It occurred to me the other day that I should totally do a post about the Metaldudes Cats Book. I have been following this project on Facebook since shortly after it started, and the time is nigh for the release of the book! Alexandra Crockett started the Metaldudes Cats Book project in an effort to “’[challenge] stereotypes of masculinity and the metal culture. I think we can all agree that cat photos and videos are an integral part of the Internet. Metaldudes Cats Book combines three loves that have a global reach: Kitties, Metal, and Dudes. A love of kitties binds the entire world together, even tough guys who listen to brutal, harsh music.” [from the official press release on Bloody-Disgusting.com]. Personally, I think this is a great idea. It’s always good to see metal dudes just being dudes; also, cats are awesome.

I’m not a metaldude, but this is my metalcat, Leander.

The book will be a coffee table book and will have pictures of some famous metal musicians with their cats, like Malefic (Xasthur), as well as a slew of pics of the tons of metal fans with their beloved pets. As I post this (and I don’t know why I didn’t do it earlier- I didn’t think of it until recently), the book is in the final stages of its production, and it should be coming out in April. Alex has been holding benefit shows for the book and for no-kill cat shelters, and is always updating the Facebook page with info about how to support local shelters and lost animals, etc. In other words, she is a stand-up lady as well as a genius and artist and you should support her work! If you’d like to make a direct donation, you can do so at her PayPal (aleksan@u.washington.edu) or Indiegogo or you can buy things from her Etsy store. I bought a poster from one of the benefit shows (it is really nice. Printed on cardstock) as well as buttons for my battle jacket and Leander’s battle jacket. It also came with a thank you note signed by Alex.

It’s a nice size, too.

Buttons!

I’ll be posting more about this project when the book comes out, because I’m totally buying one. If you’ve got some spare cash, consider supporting the Metaldudes Cats Book. Because everyone knows cats are totally metal.

-Hagalaz

[info from Bloody-Disgusting.com and the Metaldudes Cats Book Facebook]

Concert: Municipal Waste/Napalm Death/Exhumed/Daigoro/Mordwolf (11/4, St. Paul, MN, Station 4))

So Sunday night, after scarfing down some delicious Vietnamese food (mmm pot stickers), Jamie and I headed down to Station 4 again to watch us some grindcore. The crowd, like when we saw Korpiklaani earlier in the fall, was a very mixed bunch. Some of the punks came out for this one too, and the thrashers for Municipal Waste, of course, and there were also some hipsters there (I was told they showed up for Napalm Death). There were also A LOT of girls, which was cool. We need more ladies representing at these things!

The first band up was Mordwolf, who are from Minneapolis! They played a great set; good old-fashioned old school death metal. Also, they seem to have a really good sense of humor. The mosh pit started during this set, although it didn’t build up momentum until a little later. Even though the crowd was not mostly made up of the death/black metal fans this time, Mordwolf seemed to be received pretty well nonetheless. I picked up a demo from them (although I haven’t had a chance to really listen to it yet).

[They have a great name, too. Fun stuff]

Next up was Daigoro, also from Minneapolis. We are fortunate, I think, to have so many great local bands- I have seen many really, really good bands from the area open this year. Daigoro plays a blend of thrash, grind, and death metal, making them a pretty perfect fit for an opener of Sunday’s show. They were a lot of fun and engaged well with the audience… and the pit got a little bit bigger. The vocalist also said “no hardcore dancing, only a circle pit,” which, as someone who once got decked in the face by one of those kids doing ninja moves, I wholeheartedly approve. Also, they dedicated a song to all the hipsters in Midtown called “Why Don’t You Go Back To Your Home On Whore Island?” You can’t beat that. Fun band; looking forward to seeing them again soon.

[They played this the other night. The Twin Cities have some great bands]

Next up was the Masters of Splatter, Exhumed! I will never, ever, get tired of seeing these guys live. They are always so much fun. Like last time, they brought their mascot with them, complete with surgeon’s scrubs and chainsaw. He crowd-surfed this time too! I was a little upset at the start of their set because some hipster dudes came and stood right in front of me (that has never happened to me before. So disrespectful to us short people!), but I moved to a spot where I could see a lot better, and only got my hand smashed against some dude’s bullet belt when a guy came flying out of the mosh pit. Which grew a little bigger. Exhumed played a variety of songs from albums old and new, and since I read somewhere recently that they just put the finishing touches on a new one, I’m looking forward to what the next year will bring for them.

[Torso!]

[Classic]

Next up was the legendary Napalm Death! They, along with Exhumed, were the main reason I was at this show, although I can’t claim that that was true for everyone there. Napalm was amazing. I don’t know what I had expected from them, other than I had not expected it to be as good as it was. Years of playing together has made them cohere really well as a band onstage. They played a mixture of songs from their new album Utilitarian (you can read my review of it here) and some of their biggest hits, including “You Suffer,” which they actually played twice. Particularly impressive was “The Wolf I Feed.” With the two vocalists, sung vocals, and different feels in that song, I would think it would be difficult to recreate live. They nailed it, however. A powerful, amazing performance. (The pit, by this point, was nuts).

[They played this. Live. It was amazing]

[This too]

Last but not least was Municipal Waste, who recently did a split with Toxic Holocaust called “Toxic Waste” (totally should have been “Municipal Holocaust”). When Municipal Waste played their first note, the mosh pit exploded around us, throwing me and all my pals halfway across the venue. One of my friends had brought a friend with her who is not a veteran metal head like we are, and we had to go on a reconnaissance mission to find her in the crowd so we could make sure she was okay. The mission was successful, eventually, and we made our way back down to the side of the venue where we could watch the ensuing madness in relative safety. The energy was great, the crowd was insane, the pit was rowdy, but in a good way, there were good vibes all around. Municipal Waste is not a band I know a lot about (besides owning the aforementioned split), but they were very entertaining and a lot of fun. I will have to listen to more of their stuff; I do know that I like what I have heard.

[Just like that. Except no one died]

[MUNICIPAL WASTE IS GONNA…]

I did make my routine visit to the merch stand this time, and, also routine, ended up buying something from Exhumed. I have seen them headlining or opening three times in the last year and a half, and I have always bought a shirt from them. Their t-shirts are always the best ones available anyway. They are always hilarious, and this time was no exception. The one exception came in the form of my actually coming away with a girlie-shirt this time; they often fit me weird so I typically avoid them, but I couldn’t pass this one up (and their bassist, Rob, who was running the merch table, let me try it on to make sure it fit).

Too good to pass up. Exhumed never lets a girl down.

The show was wonderful- a happy and energetic crowd and a whole range of fans from punks to thrashers, and everyone there was merry. I even saw the hipster guy banging his head during Napalm Death’s set, so I forgave him for standing in front of me. The local acts were great, Exhumed was as fun and fantastic as they always are, Napalm Death was more than I ever could have possibly hoped for, and Municipal Waste was great fun. Check this one out if you get a chance. It’s a traveling party.

-Hagalaz