Metal Crusaders Review

Metal Crusaders Tour Vader Kataklysm Destruction Speed Kill Hate Graveworm The Absence Logan Square Auditorium 6/3/06 Reviewer: Karma E. Omowale Photos: Erika Kristen Watt & KEO

“The Metal Crusaders Tour Took the Thrash Out on the Logan Square Auditorium…”

…with “old-school thrashers” /Speed\Kill/Hate\, and the originators of the German thrash movement, Destruction, whom added to the pot replacing Nuclear Assault to bash our skulls in. This tour covers a wide array of metal from the aforementioned genre (thrash) to speed to gothic metal and everything in between. It was more than seven (7) hours of ass pounding metal that we (and a host of others) enjoyed every nanosecond of it! Kataklysm got the chance to headline all Canadian dates, how cool is that!?! Well one thing that wasn’t cool was the sudden rise in temperature that occurred before Destruction stormed the stage; it was insane! You thought someone had turned on an oven to 500°. We realize the Metal Crusaders Tour may not be a conventional festival of sorts, then again how else can one explain a billion awesome bands on one bill and all for the low, low price of $25 bucks. Local promoters Live Underground did an amazing job running the show; talk about having a professional handle on things! There was not one hitch, and we know from time to time how hard that is to pull off! Horns high to you!! Well here is how the entire day/evening shaped up:

The Absence Lineup: Peter Joseph – guitar; Jeramie Kling – drums; Patrick Pintavalle – guitar; Jamie Steward – vocals; Nick Calaci – bass

My day started early, as I needed to be at the venue by (4:00 pm) for my interview with Stefan Fiori, frontman for Graveworm. In the process, I was fortunate enough to procure a prime piece of real estate in front of the stage before The Absence came on. Knowing I am the writer, not a photographer…suffice it say, the best was done until Erika Kristen could arrive and takeover. Well we all know Florida has been a hotbed of metal for a plethora of years, The Absence definitely adds to that ever-growing legacy with their hybrid of thrash, melodic death metal with a little bit of that sweet Gothenburg Sound thrown in for good measure. Bands like King Diamond, Yngwie Malmsteen, Iron Maiden, and Morbid Angel have served as influences for The Absence's sound. In the past, this band has shared the stage with some greats like Six Feet Under, Cannibal Corpse, Strapping Young Lad, and Mastodon just to name a few. Now tonight, the band graced our stage at the Logan Square Auditorium.

The Absence really got the crowd going performing songs from of their 2005 debut record From Your Grave. It was obvious a vast majority of the kids had no clue what they were in store for…a good pummeling! Once the band hit the stage, they took no prisoners! The sound in the Logan Square Auditorium wasn’t as good as I've heard it in the past, but it wasn't enough to stop the punishing twin guitar attack from Peter Joseph and Patrick Pintavalle from coming through loud and clear. Unfortunately, the guitars were the only things that were crystal clear as the drums and bass created a thicker wall of sound than need be which drowned out the vocals of Jamie Steward. Not that it mattered much because this band put their all into it!

It was cool to see the meager audience finally take to the band, but not enough until the last two songs. By the end of their set, the venue started to fill in nicely. The response to the mosh call by Steward at the end was really encouraging, “This is our last song and I wanna mother fucking pit! This is off our full-length album on Metal Blade this is “From Your Grave”!” Not that a pit broke out but the audience rocked out harder than before which pleased the band. Because the band performed quickly, they were allowed to play one song extra, my person favorite “Necropolis”. Steward informed the crowd that the band had just finished shooting the video for the song, which will be available to their fans via the internet. Sweet! The Absence set the table for excellence and raised the bar of expectation for the night with their wonderful mix of heavy Swedish Death Metal too bad the audience didn’t give them 100% of what they deserved...but that's Chicago for you. Next time, next time!!

The Absence Setlist: A Breath Beneath; I Deceiver; Summoning the Darkness; From Your Grave; Necropolis.

Graveworm Lineup: Stefan Fiori – vocals; Eric Righi – guitar; Orgler “Stirz” Thomas – guitar; Sabine Mair – keyboards; Harry Klenk – bass; Maschtl Innerbichler – drums

Our local Mistress of the Macabre and hostess of tonight’s soirée, Gashley Darkane, tied in very well introducing the next act on tonight’s jammed packed bill, the Italian blackened goth metal band, Graveworm. Mstrss Darkane announced that it was the band’s first time playing in the States; at that point, in which the crowd gave up mad love for the band. The sextet converged onto the unsuspecting audience like a throng of enraged hawks swooping down on its prey with “I-Machine” off their latest album (N)utopia. Graveworm is downright impressive, where do I begin? Vocalist Stefan Fiori’s stage presence was larger than life; he took no hostages! The pounding inhuman double bass drum from Maschtl Innerbichler was breath taking, literally especially considering I was standing in front of one of the speakers. Keeping in the vein of the rhythm section, the bass of Harry Klenk was just as domineering as Innerbichler’s drums. Now we come to the core of the band’s blackened metal anchor, the keyboardist Sabine Mair.

The enigmatic frontman introed the second selection of the night, “Chicago how are you doing today? We are Graveworm from mother fucking Italy! Make some fucking noise, this one’s “Legions Unleashed”!” Crowd response was amazing; the floor started moving as even more people filed in. Well into the set Fiori decided the call the crowd on slowing their pace, especially since the band hadn’t! “Chicago are you tired?” “No’s” rang throughout the venue. At that point, the band and audience got in synch with one another as they started to feed off one another, however to no avail, no pit had yet to ensue. The singer made one last attempt during their last song…of course you know the audience did nothing. Once again, just goes to show how ridiculously gay Chicago audiences are, they are only into the bands "they" came to see then all else can take a powder. Bad part is these kids rarely give openers a chance, especially if they cannot "feel" the music flowing through their "elitist" veins. It’s such a shame too because The Absence and Graveworm deserved a much better fate in regards to true audience participation, or the lack there of in this case. This band has been around since 1997 so it’s no wonder they played through their set unfazed just a hard as if it were way more than they were given or not in this case. To conclude their set, Stefan graciously thanked the crowd even the back room dwellers. It was an absolutely sound set.

Graveworm Setlist: I-Machine; Legions Unleashed; Never Enough; Dreaming Into Reality; Hateful Design; Abhorrence.

/Speed\Kill/Hate\ Lineup: Mario Frasca – vocals; Dave Linsk - guitars, vocals; Tony Ochoa - drums; Mike Longworth - bass

After a heavy working over from Graveworm was New York City’s upholder of hate and violence Speed \Kill/Hate. Well the crowd REALLY responded to this band as a pit of death broke out during song number two, “Not For Me”. Even a chick got out there in the pit, well you go girl! Horns to you!! SKH experienced some issues in their lineup before the tour could embark. Touring bassist is Mike Longworth from Prong whom is filling in for Derek Tailer. The band asked Longworth to take over for Tailer in which “personal reasons” were cited why Derek was unable to join the band in the first place. Ex-Sindrome drummer Tony Ochoa will now reside behind the drum kit after being named a permanent member of the band, at least this was a good one! The band is in support of their album Acts of Insanity, which is due to hit the shelf in a matter of days 6^th of June to be exact via recently inked Escapi Music deal. The album features some heavy hitters like Overkill’s Dave Linsk and Tim Mallare however the CD was released originally in Europe in February 2005 on Listenable Records. Believe it or not, this album has been floating around since 2004 as the band has always had it available for sale on their on website pending all record label deals…now THAT’S DIY!!

Their set was brutal as fuck! Wall to wall hate; it was a true black metaller’s wet dream come true (and mind you, this band does not play that style of music). Hell, all we needed were some black candles! After speaking to the band’s vocalist, Mario Frasca, later in the evening, he said their set was cut short by two songs due to the venue allowing Graveworm to play longer than they should have. Well perhaps the band’s next roll through town will be longer and uninterrupted.

/Speed\Kill/Hate\ Setlist: Face the Pain; Not For Me; Repent; Violence Breeds; Walls of Hate.

Destruction Lineup: Marcel Schirmer (Schmier) – bass/vocals; Mike Sifringer – guitars; Marc Reign – drums

As soon as Destruction, originators of German Thrash, took the stage, “All Hell Broke Loose”, sorry, I could not resist that one. Can I say how amazing it was to finally see this band live? Hell, this band has been a major institution (since 1984), before I hit puberty…well maybe not, but you get the picture don’t you? The well-packed auditorium started moving wildly to the band’s first song, “Soul Collector” as horns and fists were madly flying. This dynamic trio totally rocked the shit out of the crowd. Their sound was crisp and clear. Vocalist Schmier dominated the audience as well as guitarist Mike Sifringer and drummer Marc Reign. There is definitely something forceful about the dynamics of a trio especially when the band is as inimitable as Destruction.

The first cavernous pit of the night broke out during song number two, “Nailed to the Cross”. In which a pit that sizeable was more than called for. When the bassist sang “Your book of God - a book of lies. Your hero's death - brought us a 1,000 cries! Nailed to the cross”, the crowd totally lost it. The fans probably screamed, “Nailed to the fuckin' cross!” louder than Schmier himself. The band appreciated the immense response.  For an older band, haha, they sure can move. Schmier utilized all three mics that were on the stage. During the intro of “Metal Discharge”, the charged up singer bellowed, “We hope to be back soon”, we hope so too!! The next selection “Curse the Gods” definitely a song to “thrash your face off” in which the band did just that. To start off the next song, the frontman screamed, “It’s a Bestial Invasion of Chicago”…how true this was. The last song of the night, “The Butcher Strikes Back” rocked beyond belief; the crowd thought so too as another large pit broke out. To conclude Destruction's evening, the enigmatic Schmier screamed, “We’re Destruction Chicago! See you next year, cheers!” Oh, do not tease!! The place went out of control. Before they exited the stage, the three band members converged and did the “World Tour Bow”, how classic was that? Destruction lives up to their name; they wrecked the Logan Square Auditorium unleashing their noxious mix of deadly thrash on us all!

Destruction Setlist: Soul Collector; Nailed to the Cross; Mad Butcher; Antichrist/Release From Agony; Thrash Til Death; Metal Discharge; Curse the Gods; Bestial Invasion; The Butcher Strikes Back.

Kataklysm Lineup: Maurizio Iacono – vocals; Jean-François Dagenais – guitars; Stéphane Barbe – bass; Max Duhamel – drums

Since we had just gotten the thrash kicked out of us, the atmosphere was prime for takeover, in which Canada’s (all but frontman Maurizio Iacono who resides in Chicago) Kataklysm unquestionably did! Drummer Max Duhamel came out a little early to warm up before the rest of his bandmates joined him on stage. I have three words, “Good God Damn!” After hearing those few practices beats, one could assume we would be in for one amazing set. Speaking of atmosphere, as the fog rolled in the intro piped through the PA, the restless crowd finally had something to narrow their focus on, Kataklysm’s set!

As soon as frontman Iacono came out he screamed, "Chicago, In Shadows and Dust", the crowd went berserk! He then held up his horns high, the audience followed suit. It was such an awesome sight to see! The band sounded AMAZING! Guitarist Jean-François Dagenais was devastating; it was hard to believe it was only one guitarist. Duhamel's unbelievable pulsation on the drums was mind-blowing and Stéphane Barbe was a maniac on the bass. After being obliterated by the first song, Iacono introed the next song, "Are you ready Chicago?" well the audience sure was as the floor opened up a cavernous pit erupted to the second song of the night "Like Weeping Angels (the Dark)". Iacono beamed at the scene of mass destruction.

The enthralling frontman addressed his faithful again, "It fucking rules to be back home to see you guys and to see my family!", the place erupted. Maurizio continued, "I know Chicago's a crazy fucking town, so I wanna see it!", wow like the total display of violence on the floor wasn't enough…dang! "This song is from Serenity In Fire, "The Resurrected"!". Well let's put it this way, the band should have been MORE than proud from the response elicited from the pit. On to the next song…"We have a new album out called In the Arms of Devastation and everybody here has been hurt by somebody we trust, right? We have a song that deals with traitors; it's called "Let Them Burn!", talk about nuts…the audience lost it. Audience response only got more brutal, especially to the next song, "Last time we played this song was…a long time ago! Are you ready Chicago? Are you really ready? "As I Slither"! The stars of this song were Duhamel and Barbe hands down! The bass was gut punching.

"Crippled and Broken" it's the first video off the new album", Iacono continued, "this is the life we chose, the life we lead!" the audience roared. You could feel the love well up in the room. Getting down to the final stretch, Iacono took advantage to draw the crowd in one last time, "Are you ready for Vader? This is our last song, this is "Face the Face of War"!" To conclude the set the frontman thanked the crowd in turn the audience gave up a well-deserved ovation for the crowd.

Kataklysm Partial Setlist: In Shadows and Dust; Like Weeping Angels (the Dark); Let Them Burn; The Resurrected; Let Them Burn; As I Slither; Crippled and Broken; Face the Face of War.

Click here for photos / review of Kataklysm on the

Invaluable Darkness Tour

Vader Lineup: Piotr "Peter" Wiwczarek - vocals/guitars; Maurycy "Mauser" Stefanowicz - guitars; Marcin "Novy" Nowak - bass; Darek ''Daray'' Brzozowski – drums

The Polish flag proudly flew during the changeover as "Vader, Vader, Vader…" loudly rang out. Once the band took the stage, according to the bestial audience response; Vader was the reining Masters of the Crusaders tour. The band ripped into a long block of songs. During the second break (starting with "Sothis") the crowd chanted "Vader, Vader, Vader…" again. The band enjoyed every minute of it. Vocalist Peter Wiwczarek thanked the crowd in Polish. All of the bands on the bill were out in droves in support of the mighty Vader, fists and horns were flying.

Introing the next song and firing the crowd up more, the vocalist screamed, "Ready for more? Are you fucking ready for more? This is "Blood of Kingu"!", the crowd went ballistic. The band proceeded to play their testosterone filled metal crowd favorite. However this unfortunately is the part of the review where my ADHD kicked in. In closing you should already know the band performed their staple encore song Slayer's "Raining Blood". Hands down, the Metal Crusaders Tour was one of the best bills of the year with it's international uncompromising brand of brutality! God night all, have many metal filled dreams this evening!

Vader Setlist (straight from the set list itself): Intro 2; This Is the War; Lead Us!!!; (intros) Sothis, Silent Empire, Blood of Kingu; Black to the Blind; Intro 3; Epitaph; Crucified Ones; Out of the Deep; Dark Transmission; Dark Age; Wings; Xeper; Carnal; Raining Blood.

Click here for previous review of Vader

Miscellaneous Candids

 Thanks Josh for one helluva show!

The Metal Crusaders North American 2006 Tour Dates

Vader with supporting acts: Kataklysm, Destruction, Speed\Kill/Hate, Graveworm, and The Absence

May 26 Montreal, QC - Le Medley
May 27 Bedford, NH - Marks Place
May 28 Boston, MA - The Middle East
May 29 New York City, NY - The Knitting Factory
May 30 Springfield, VA - Jaxx
May 31 Vernon, NY - Nothing Fancy Cafe
Jun. 01 Cleveland, OH - The Agora Ballroom
Jun. 02 Detroit, MI - TNT
Jun. 03 Chicago, IL - Logan Square Auditorium
Jun. 04 St. Paul, MN - Station 4
Jun. 05 Madison, WS - Big E's Beach House
Jun. 06 Cincinnati, OH - Bogarts
Jun. 07 Fayetteville, NC - Jesters Pub
Jun. 09 Spartanburg, SC - Ground Zero
Jun. 10 St. Petersburg, FL - State Theater
Jun. 11 Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room
Jun. 12 Tallahassee, FL - Beta Bar
Jun. 14 Houston, TX - The Ballroom/Warehouse Live
Jun. 15 Corpus Christi, TX - The Ballroom
Jun. 16 San Antonio, TX - The White Rabbit
Jun. 17 Arlington, TX - The Phoenix Music Complex
Jun. 18 Fayetteville, AR - The Dart Room
Jun. 19 Oklahoma City ,OK - The Conservatory (Vader & Kataklysm only)
Jun. 20 Denver, CO - Lliff Park Saloon
Jun. 22 Tempe, AZ - Clubhouse
Jun. 23 Corona, CA - Showcase Theater
Jun. 24 W. Hollywood, CA - Knitting Factory
Jun. 25 San Francisco, CA - The Pound
Jun. 26 Boise, ID - Imparts
Jun. 27 Spokane, WA - Fat Tuesdays Concert Hall
Jun. 28 Portland, OR – Rock 'n' Roll Pizza
Jun. 29 Seattle, WA - Studio Seven

All photos Copyright © 2006. Pictures may not be used without the written consent/permission of FourteenG