Sounds of the Underground Tour Review

Sounds of the Underground Tour
Review

The Voices of Hardcore and Metal Will Be Heard
Summer 2005 US/Canadian Tour

“Sounds of the Underground Tour on a Whirlwind Pace to Dethrone Ozzfest as the Reigning Concert Event of the Summer!”
By: Karma E. Omowale, Sharita Lumpkin, and Erika Kristen Watt
Photos: Kimisha L. Pierce and Erika Kristen Watt

On July 8, 2005, the inaugural Sounds of the Underground Tour blew through the Tweeter Center, in Tinley Park, IL. It’s moving along nicely but as vocalist of Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe put it best, they are still “figuring things out as they go along”. However, if they keep stacking up talent as this year’s blockbuster lineup, looks like Ozzfest may have a run for their money. Bolstering 17 acts for $29.50 in 11 ½ hours, this alternative is one hell of a deal to their more expensive metal fests’ counterparts. This bill offers a mix of hardcore, metal and their many subgenres. Many newer bands like Fear Before the March of Flames and A Life Once Lost meet some of the most respected acts and seasoned vets in the Industry Opeth, Lamb of God, GWAR, Strapping Young Lad, Madball, and High on Fire, just to name a few. This festival exposes both hardcore and metal cultures to one another, much like Clash of the Titans.

A many of gallon of water was consumed to satiate our never-ending thirst, as we were constantly forced to hydrate ourselves, no drinking for these cowgirls!! The show was ahead of schedule all day by 30 minutes considering High on Fire was unable to perform in their designated time slot (2:00 – 2:55); their van broke down right outside Wisconsin. The band arrived at the venue hours later, according to lead singer and guitarist, Matt Pike, “Good thing we have credit cards”. I guess the good promoters took advantage of the time difference as HOF made an unscheduled appearance right before Lamb of God. On a whole, it didn’t seem to go over too well with the crowd. Sources tell us that All That Remains arrived to a venue on a prior gig minutes before their set and were bumped altogether for that day. VERY INTERESTING INDEED! Speaking of more interesting tidbits, the band From Autumn to Ashes unexpectedly dropped off the bill prior to our show in Tinley Park without concrete or clear reasoning. And let’s not even get into the mix-up of show times for the bands! Nevertheless, once we figured that out the overall atmosphere of the gig, it was down right awesome!

The bands on the bill had, for the most part, either toured together previously, were label mates and/or big time fans of one another, all the while becoming the best of buds. But then again, that’s what usually happens when you merge personas like LOG, an Unearth or an Every Time I Die. Most of the bands were more than happy to meet and greet the fans at their respected booths. Even after the signings you had the likes of even stealth-mode rocker Neil Fallon of Clutch escorted by a security guy to a gate to sign more autographs by fevered fans. Now that’s dedication! Jon Hunt, lead singer of Chicago’s own Dead To Fall, even got into the act. He happily signed some autographs for some fans milling about the gates as they gazed at their stars/idols in the backstage area. After the signings, Mr. Hunt humbly assumed the status of the fan as he watched his favorite band, Opeth from the side of the stage. Madball rode on the GWAR mobile, it was hysterical to see GWAR on it earlier with Oderus & Balzac’s asses hanging out and giggling as the hit bumps in the backstage area. It was extremely laid back overall. Although the crowd was strong in numbers, it was comfortable. The pits were massive but friendly. Most were able to meet their respective artists and walk away with every affordable product of those bands, being very satisfied. Now that rocks!

Lineup: Phil LaBonte - Vocals; Oli Herbert - Guitar; Mike Martin - Guitar; Mike Bartlett - Drums

Unfortunately, we drove up when the band was on stage. Luckily, we chose the right spot to park considering we could clearly see the band performing from our car. There were other souls in the parking lot as well who were really enjoying the songs too. From the looks of things, the band was happy to be there. We missed the rest of their performance as we were forced to forage for our tickets/passes throughout the venue. From what we could hear, the crowd was more than receptive to the band’s performance. Phil LaBonte’s vocals were just as searing as high noon’s 92° temperature! “I Die In Degrees” was not an over exaggeration here folks. The sweltering heat was no match for LaBonte’s crew as they pounded out favorites like the “Deepest Grey”, “This Darkened Heart” and “Vicious Betrayal.” The crowd enjoyed the thirty minute set from beginning to end and even though it seemed to be over before it started, the band was pleased with their performance.

Phil LaBonte and his crew have undergone some personnel changes over the past few weeks. They lost bassist, Matt Deis, to CKY and then his replacement couldn’t handle the pressure on the first day of the tour. Hence, they are left without a bassist, but that is what friends are for right? Unearth’s Ken Susi joined them onstage this afternoon for a rousing set to get the crowd going early.

Earlier we spoke of bands being fans of their tourmates, well Phil’s no exception to this rule. He is a huge fan of GWAR; it must be amazing for him to tour with this legendary band, yet again. Lucky bugger! After the Sounds tour, ATR will play some dates with Unearth and Lamb Of God, and will then embark on a tour with Chimaira, Six Feet Under and 3 Inches of Blood. After that, it’s back home to aggressively search for a bass player and start writing the follow-up to their amazing debut, This Darkened Heart.

Setlist included (not in any necessary order or limited to): The Deepest Grey, Tattered On My Sleeve, For Salvation, And Death In My Arms, Vicious Betrayal, Focus Shall Not Fail, This Darkened Heart.

Looking for pix of ATR, click here for photos of the band on Arch Enemy's Doomsday Tour.
or here for a previous review

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Lineup: Rupert - Guitar, Vocals; Brandon - Drums; Dave - Vocals; Mike - Bass

Music can be many things. It can be soothing, it can be hard and noisy, or it can be racket. The latter would describe the performance by budding hardcore artist, Fear Before The March of Flames. Art Damage is the latest release from this band from Denver, who claims on their My Space page that they just love playing. That’s great that they do however, the performance did not move neither the crowd nor us. While the quartet played, the audience blankly stared at the stage for about five songs or so. It could make skin crawl; some covered their ears and others walked away to get a drink or catch some shade. Dave Marion, the band’s frontman, seemed to be on hyperspaz mode serving and force feeding the crowd the version of brutal hardcore.

One of our staff members concluded that she was too old for bands like this and felt only teens could appreciate their music. That’s fine too but apparently the twenty-one and under crowd didn’t seem too appreciative either. To end on a high note, this band is really nice and they love hanging out with their fans.

Partial setlist: Hey Kid. I'm A Computer. Stop All The Downloading, Shallows, The State Of Texas vs. Fear Before.

Looking for photos of FBTMOF, click here for photos of the band on the Totally Badical Tour.

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Lineup: Dez Fafara - Vocals; Jon Miller - Bass; Jon Boecklin -Drums; Mike Spreitzer - Guitar; Jeff Kendrick - Guitar

In a word: IMPRESSIVE! 2005 is shaping up to be the year of DevilDriver. Prior to this tour, the band went on tour with Machine Head and It Dies Today for a successful stint across the U.S. With the released of their second disc The Fury of Our Maker’s Hand, it has proven to be one of the best releases this year. Therefore, it is appropriate that DevilDriver would continue their successful year with a spot on the first annual SOTU festival. A barefoot Dez Fafara and company had the crowd going from start to finish with old faves like “The Mountain,” “I Could Care Less,” and “Cry For Me Sky.” They warmed the cuckolds of the crowd’s hearts with “Hold Back The Day,” and “End Of The Line.” Dez demanded a huge circle pit and as the fans responded in-kind. The ecstatic onlookers sang along to the songs throughout the band’s set and headbanged in unison with guitarists Mike Spreitzer and Jeff Kendrick and bassist Jon Miller.

Before the show, we learned that Jon would join Strapping Young Lad in the bassist slot for the last two weeks of SOTU in place of Byron Stroud who will rejoin his other band, Fear Factory, for Gigantour. Miller said that he was happy to be able to play with Strapping considering he is a fan of the band as well. After Sounds, according to the ever-active rumor mill, DevilDriver will head out on tour with Slipknot and will then finish the year headlining.

Setlist included (not in any necessary order or limited to): Hold Back The Day, I Could Care Less, Cry For Me Sky, The Mountain, End of the Line.

Click thumbnails to enlarge photos

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Lineup: Robert Meadows - Vocals; Robert Carpenter - Guitar; Douglas Sabolick - Guitar; Nick Frasca - Bass; Justin Graves - Drummer

A Life Once Lost was pretty impressive as their performance stirred the temperature affected crowd from beginning to end. Not hard to see why LoG’s vocalist, Randy Blythe, thinks highly of them. Vocalist Bob Meadows’ energy was infectious; he NEVER stood still as he methodically worked one end of the stage to the other like a “hunter” scoping out its prey. He came, he saw and he conquered! There was not one still body in the pit. Horns, arms, and shoes flew inside the less than modest circle pit.

The band’s sound can be compared to that of a Lamb of God meets Meshuggah. The LoG reference is quick to see since Blythe lent his vocals and worked on vocal production with Meadows on the band's freshly released album, Hunter. The setlist primarily consisted of songs from the new album however; they did perform older songs from their previous release, A Great Artist, for good measure, however none of the titles of those songs were caught unfortunately.

Setlist included (not in any necessary order or limited to): Needleman, Hunter, With Pitiless Blows, Rehashed, Vulture.

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Lineup: Freddy Cricien - Vocals; Hoya - Bass; Mitts - Guitar; Will Shepler - Drums

NYHC veteran and frontman, Freddy Cricien owned the sun-soaked crowd. We hadn’t witnessed Madball in previous gigs to Chicago so it was an added treat. Now for all of you under the rock dwellers, Cricien just so happens to be the younger brother of Roger Miret, that's right, frontman for Agnostic Front. The audience was filled with welcoming horns and singing of lyrics which abounded the scene of tight knit hardcore community kids and otherwise. Madball were much more mild mannered then we expected, sticking to straight away riffs that will stand the test of time in hardcore history, they have been at this since 1988 you know. From head to toe, each member was donned in black and ready for an all out assault! And yes, we were slaughtered!! Thank you very much for the ass kicking, giving us a little New York in our own backyard. Whomever hadn't heard of Madball before today, I am sure was left with one hell of an impression that will not soon be forgotten.

Madball’s release Legacy will be available in stores August 2^nd via Ferret Records. Staff members at FourteenG are more excited about the viewing of the infamous Dale Resteghini’s treatment for the upcoming video of the band's first single off the album, “Heaven Hell”. Ummm, yummy!

Partial setlist: For My Enemies, Demonstrate My Style, Behind These Walls, Heaven-Hell.

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Lineup: Scottie Henry - Guitar; Chris Day - Guitar; Cory Brandan - Vocals; Daniel Davison - Drums; Jake Schultz - Bass

Amazing crowd response, good to see the band back on the touring circa. Norma Jean is clearly the biggest surprise of the year. Formerly known as Lutikriss, the band was forced to change the name of the band since they changed lead singers. Since the transformation, they have become the biggest export out of Atlanta besides Mastodon and Sevendust. Their latest release O' God The Aftermath has received critical acclaim. The band just came off a successful stint on the Thick As Thieves Tour with now tourmates Unearth and with Atreyu, and Scars Of Tomorrow. Today, they played in the fourth slot and as soon as the first chord was struck, fans bolted towards the stage from all directions to see them perform. The glorious noise that Norma Jean emanates is not something you can dance to nor mosh to. You just have to listen and appreciate the message that they are trying to convey.

Deemed a “Christian” band by many, Norma Jean may live on the right path but their music rivals some of the best hardcore, death metal bands in the Industry. Their audience intently listened and headbanged in unison to songs such as: “Murdererotica”, “Dilemmachine”, “Vertebraille”, and “Disconnectie”. Lead singer Cory Brandan, sporting a new haircut with blond patches splashed throughout jumped around the stage. He asked the crowd to move; they responded by doing just that and greeting the band with horns. A rather ironic practice considering the band is Christian, after all. When guitarist Scottie Henry was interviewed, he was asked to describe his music, his reply was “noisy”. As true as this statement may be, however if you are a true fan of the new brand of hardcore, you will gladly embrace this band.

Setlist included (not in any necessary order or limited to ): Bayonetwork, Murderotica and Charactuntula, Dilemmachine, Vertebraille.

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Lineup: Devin Townsend – Vocals; Byron Stroud – Bass; Jed Simon – Guitar; Gene Hoglan – Drums; Will Campana - Live Keyboards

“It’s a good day to be a metal head today,” was the cry from Strapping Young Lad’s lead singer Devin Townsend. No truer words had ever been uttered. The quartet, which features Fear Factory’s Byron Stroud on bass and at the helm, the aforementioned Townsend one of metal’s most underrated frontmen, and drummer Gene Hoglan of Death/Dark Angel fame, etc. The band delighted their audience with a delicious twenty-five minute set. To be honest, it was not enough time. Just as soon as we really got warmed up, it was time for the band to exit the stage.

Recently, the band released Alien their fourth studio album on Century Media Records and just came off their own headlining tour with The Agony Scene, Misery Signals, Reflux late this past spring. Today, Devin and company had the crowd headbanging and moshing to tunes like “Relentless” and “Love?” their latest single and video. Devin, true to “Alien” fashion, clowned awhile. He doesn’t take things too seriously, as he admitted himself in an interview with FourteenG. He had many interesting comments for the crowd during the show. When introducing “Love?” he said, “I would like to spray on some young ladies torso.” "It’s disgusting. I have a huge log in my colon. I want to paint a beautiful woman's chest." The crowd laughed hysterically and headbanged to every subsequent tune. However, Devin was not satisfied. He further taunted the crowd by calling them “lazy fucks and douchbags” and went into the punishing closer from their last album, Relentless.

Setlist included (not in any necessary order or limited to): Love?, Skesis, Oh, My Fucking God, Shitstorm, Relentless.

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Lineup: Dave Peters - Vocals; Matt Mentley - Guitar; Dom Macaluso - Bass; Ben Dussault - Drums

Out of Orange County, CA comes Throwdown who recently released their second album entitled Vendetta on Jersey's Trustkill Records. Throwdown has toured with the likes of Lamb Of God, As I Lay Dying, and Norma Jean; they are seemingly destined to succeed since their commercials roll in frequent heavy rotation during MTV 2's Headbangers Ball not to mention having a slot on last year’s Ozzfest.

Today, the band performing at Sounds, they had the crowd jumping from the opening riff till the very end. All of their songs have a message and sound as if they could be an anthem for today’s hardcore youth, the future leaders of the free world. Lead singer Dave Peters was hyping the crowd up throughout, causing a mad mass of pits and headbanging from everyone. Another factor about Throwdown, is that the music is catchy and you can’t help but tap your feet. During their time onstage, they even covered “Roots, Bloody Roots” by Sepultura, a huge FourteenG fave. Their flawless rendition had us bashin’ about as well as the crowd, this song rocked our lame asses!

Setlist: Intro (Never Back Down), Hopeless, Speak the Truth, Unite, Roots Bloody Roots, Nothing Left, Forever, Slip.

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Lineup: Michael Novak Jr. - Drums; Andy Williams - Guitar; Jordan Buckley - Guitar; Chris Byrnes - Bass; Keith Buckley - Vocals

Guitarist Andy Williams (sporting the whitest pair of jeans man ever created) was not the only one full of angst, their crowd was as well. Mosh pits erupted all over the place. They played a new song “Bored Stiff” from their highly anticipated, upcoming release, Gutter Phenomenon. Prior to show time, Andy told FourteenG that he was nervous. Mostly jitters that was cast from the tough as nails crowd as the band sought acceptance for their new bassist, ex-Nora member, Chris Byrnes (who by the by, rocked his spot onstage). Not to disregard his emotions, but the ever revolving door in bassists could seemingly provoke feelings of apprehension in anyone.

Our photographers had a bitch a time trying to capture the guys. No surprise there! Sadly, many who see Keith Buckley as some sort of show monkey, always worth a good laugh, didn’t seem to be “on”. He seemed preoccupied even when his guitarist/brother Jordan climbed stacks n’ jumped several times during the set; in front of the distant and otherwise very aware singer. But we believe we must make mention that Keith’s vocals were WAY tighter than the previous gigs we had attended in the past. Guess that ‘above the pencil, below the pencil’ business worked! Moments after the gig, one of the staff approached the sweaty, now not-so-dapper Andrew and said “You didn’t seem nervous”. He only flashed a relaxed smile, and although they totally won the crowd, responded with a meager “I was still nervous!”

After Sounds, ETID will embark on a European tour with A Life Once Lost and Twelve Tribes. Then, shortly after that stint, they will return to U.S. on their first headlining tour entitled, Decibel's Good Music For Bad People tour with special guests High On Fire, The Esoteric, and The Red Chord. The new album is scheduled to drop on August 23rd, in which a lot of people are really looking forward to this release, including Nora's frontman and owner of Ferret Records, Carl Severson.

Setlist included (not in any necessary order or limited to): Romeo A Go-Go, I’ve Been Gone A Long Time, Kill The Music, Off Broadway, Floater, Guitarred and Feathered, She’s My Rushmore, Ebolarama, Bored Stiff.

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Lineup: Ken Susi - Guitar; Buzz Mcgrath - Guitar; Mike Justian - Drums; John "Slo" Maggard - Bass; Trevor Phipps - Vocals

Unearth frontman Trevor Phipps was a little uptight, which was very out of character for him. He was holding back for some undisclosed reason. We blamed it on the heat of course or maybe the scores of skirts hording stage right. Though he gave the cameras flashing about his best rockstar poses to date. Guitarist Ken Susi rocked out with his cock out as usual, while lead guitarist Buzz McGrath’s solos were tuned up to take on their surroundings and were well executed. An added bonus was Ken taunting the girls in the front row by blowing kisses, licking his lips mouthing the words “I want you”. Nasty little bugger, it made the show for us!

Setlist: The Great Dividers', Endless, This Lying World, Only The People, Zombie Autopilot, Black Hearts Now Reign.

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Lineup: Oderus Ungurus - Vocals; Balsac the Jaws of Death - Guitars; Jizmak The Gusha - Drums; Flattus Maximus - Guitar; Beefccake The Mighty - Bass

GWAR was bigger, badder, and bolder than shit! This was our second extraterrestrial encounter within 6 months with this out of space band. 22 minutes just doesn’t seem to do this band justice. There’s never enough minutes in the day for this conglomerate to slay political figures, spewing and splattering blood and other unmentionables onto the onlookers.

During the course of the first skit, a Pope of an unknown order donning a Christian cross over a swastika’s face was ripped off by the skit’s end and this was just the beginning of the spewing. Blood started going everywhere! Amongst the many survivors, of the onstage beheadings and other ridiculous antics (George Bush being slain, their standby “The Regganator”) was our very own Erika Kristen along side only a handful other brave photographers who took on the undoubting task of capturing the space monsters on stage. [Please note: Kimisha, you’re a pussy! Sincerely, e] The photographers moved about the sweltering pit with rain ponchos diving to get great shots while trying to miss the carnage. Oderus’ hatred for photographers made it a scene right out a 3-D video game, hunting and shooting them down like the dogs they are. The multi-colored fluid soaked the crowd and they loved every minute of it.

GWAR Survivor (Photo: Erika Kristen Watt) After 20 years, this band has been emitting cosmic venom amongst a host of other emanations managing to probably offend the devil himself! Speaking of tactless offensive comments, Oderus did make comment about the recent terrorists attacks which occurred in London days prior to the show, making a loose reference to it as “London Broil”. Like we said, this band offends with their agitating words and antics more than a room full flatulent jocks but they play just as hard as they cause offense.

Partial setlist: Bring Back The Bomb, Saddam A Go-Go.

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Lineup: Mikael Åkerfeldt - Guitars, Vocals; Peter Lindgren - Guitars; Martin Lopez - Drums; Martin Mendez - Bass; Per Wiberg - Keyboards

The planets aligned as Stockholm, Sweden’s Opeth took stage. The blazing sun finally began to set as the band took the stage. The metal men arrived to a huge roar from the now sunburned crowd. The temperature may have started to cool but Opeth’s red-hot performance heated up the late summer sky. Opeth’s sound is not for the death metal newbie; it is a sound that would suit the seasoned death metallers palate. To some who would not be into this band, their songs on an average are close to eight minutes in length, a death sentence to those that don’t know any better. But to the trained ear, this technical and diverse band satiates the oratory senses. Quenches the thirst left behind from a plethora of sub par death metal bands. They deliver you from the norm, transcends trends in death metal. It’s like taking the blue pill in the Matrix, once your mind has been set you can never go back otherwise its too dangerous to do so.

Mikael Åkerfeldt said he signed autographs for 2 ½ hours and thanked the crowd, “It was a pleasure to meet each and every one of you who stood in line to wait.” Mikael’s voice is still one of the best-kept secrets in metal and all members are very unheralded. Today, however, the crowd appreciated the set from beginning to end. Again, Chicago’s very own Dead to Fall’s Jon Hunt was in awe, watching from the wings, happier than a pig in shit that he was able to feast his eyes on one of his biggest influences. Opeth would be the first band of the day that would hear chants from the crowd, a welcomed sight for the ever-appreciative band.

This is the band’s first trip to the U.S. since their trek across the Atlantic with DevilDriver last year. Now with a freshly inked contract from Roadrunner Records and new album looming, Ghost Reveries under their belt, Opeth are ready to take the world by storm. Be prepared to get caught in their maelstrom! Click here for more photos of the band during their headlining tour with Nevermore.

Setlist: The Drapery Falls, Deliverance, Demon of the Fall.

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Lineup: Mark Hunter - Vocals; Rob Arnold - Guitars; Chris Spicuzza - Electronics; Matt Devries - Guitar; Jim LaMarca - Bass; Kevin Talley - Drums

Chimaira at their SOTU tent (Photo: Erika Kristen Watt) Ohio’s Chimaira raised the tempo up again. Their amazing fans’ response was favorably. The slot toward the end of the day was a good choice for the band. It got the audience’s heart rate up again, thanks to the bashings of drummer, Kevin Talley. We swayed with the rest of ‘em as we tried to listen closely to vocalist Mark Hunter lyrics. Good to see the band back on the touring circa again.

Chimaira will be in support of their new self titled album by joining Danzig, Behemoth, Mortiis and others for the Blackest of the Black Tour which will descend on the unsuspecting world this fall. Goody, goody.

Setlist: Pure Hatred, Cleansation, Sever, Nothing Remains, Inside The Horror, The Dehumanizing Process, Power Trip.

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Lineup: Dan Maines – Bass; Tim Sult – Guitar; Jean-Paul Gaster – Drums; Neil Fallon – Vocals, Guitar

Sun sets over Clutch as the moon began to shine brightly (Photo: Erika Kristen Watt) ALL HAIL CLUTCH!!! Now that we have that out the way…What can be said about this mastermind band that hasn’t already been said? This band has been sculpting the music industry as long as most bands on this bill have been out of junior high! Neil Fallon’s vocals pierce your soul, searing your mind with lyrics of spiritual valor. But he is truly, truly a man possessed. His intense aqua-blue eyes stared blankly over the crowd, summoning some misunderstood deity to find solace amongst his minions. Really we’re not making this shit up!

You have to experience it for yourself. Once the 5’5” singer finished channeling, he took time to tell the audience “Turn around and check out the sunset! … It’s a beautiful sight to see”. His flock did just that, as it was a sight to behold….Sigh… But soon we realized that it was just a ploy for them to gear up for a jam session that you knew would come. Guitarist, Ken Sult lead the procession into a geared up guitar break accompanied by a soulful funked out mini drum solo by Jean-Paul Gaster. Pleasing to the ears of the older set and some more than gleefully surprised parents in the fold.

Unfortunately, no additional touring plans have been released after the SOTU stint for the band. All we’ll have left is our worn out copies of Robot Hive: Exodus and assorted videos. Videos? Yes, videos. Welcome Clutch into the 21st Century! Kudos.

Setlist: 10001110101, Pure Rock Fury, [Peterbilt], Regulator, Dragonfly, Burning Beard, Soapmakers (short jam), Gravel Road, Impetus.

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Lineup: Jeffery Moreira - Vocals; Derek Miller - Guitar; Ryan Primack - Guitar; Chris A. Hornbrook - Drums; Geoff Bergman - Bass

Not much can be said for this Floridian hardcore outfit. We think we may have expected far too much. The band’s two guitarists Derek Miller and Ryan Primack and bassist Geoff Bergman kept this gig alive. No thanks to vocalist Jeffery Moreira, who was a bit lethargic during the performance. A little too pretentious for our liking, much to our dismay he lost steam; it was late of course (???). We’ve heard so many good things about this band and their release, You Come Before You. Needless to say, their performance was the biggest disappointment of the evening music wise. Craving more enthusiasm, our attention shifted to guitarists Miller and Primack. The band was totally in sync with their muse and they managed to suck us back in. Thank goodness. At this point we were all drained.

Setlist included (not in any necessary order or limited to or limited to): Slice Paper Wrists, Ghostchant, Nerdy.

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Lineup: Matt Pike - Guitar, Vocals; Des Kensel - Drums; Joe Preston - Bass

The clock struck 10:00 pm and still no Lamb of God. Hark, was that guitar feedback? The adrenaline started to rush back into our lifeless bodies and everyone rushed the stage and the weary photographers hit the pit. Ready. Set. Go… Hey, that’s not Randy! There are five members in Lamb of God, not three! Like Cerberus, the ferocious 3-headed hound, guardian to the entrance gate of hell, High on Fire came out the chute charging against the semi-hostile crowd, whom were anxiously anticipating LoG to take the stage. The cause of the confusion? HOF missed their turn in rotation due to previously cited van troubles.

On Blessed Black Wings (title of HOF’s newest release), the triumvirate showered the Tweeter Center with their heavier than fuck apocalyptic version of gloom and doom like a ten-ton hammer. They played as though their lives were depending on it, and in a way it was. Vocalist Matt Pike feverishness stated, “We’re High on Fire and we want 15 minutes of your time.” They promptly ripped into their marathon mini-set but the tired and restless crowd had the temerity to boo. They even started to chant “Lamb.of.God, Lamb.of.God!” during the band’s performance. No sooner as our faces was a frown, Randy Blythe popped up from stage right and stomping quickly making his way with beer and smokes in tow, to Matt’s mic. With anger in his booming baritone voice, he quipped, “Hey! Just give them a little bit of your time. They’re here to play for you! This is what real rock n’ roll is all about!” The followers in the Church of LOG clapped and finally shut the fuck up. ‘You tell ‘em Randy!’ The crowd listened to their fearless leader and settled down. Before you knew it was over. Furthermore, it was a damn good set.

Partial setlist (not in any necessary order or limited to): Devilution, Cometh Down Hessian, Blessed Black Wings.

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Lineup: Randy Blythe - Vocals; John Campbell - Bass; Chris Adler - Drums; Mark Duane Morton - Guitar; Willie Adler - Guitar

Virginia’s now known for much more than just their hams, Lamb of God. The band rocked the house! The crowd erupted once they finally took the stage. The boys were in perfect form, they were feeling their craft. With the force of a 100mph wind, belting out and tearing off the faces of us onlookers, they rocked us harder than the capsizing of the Titanic. You couldn’t wipe the Cheshire smiles off their faces. The crowd sucked up all they had to offer, feeling the beats delivered from drummer Chris Adler in our lungs. Bassist John Campbell pulled a couple of Gene Simmons moves, damaging his poor bass and sticking his tongue out playfully. During the intro for “11th Hour”, Randy exclaimed, “Alright motherfuckers, this is our drinking song! Get those horns in the air!” He continued over to the side stage’s rafters, swinging off them like a possessed madman. It was awesome to say the least.

Randy stated that they hadn’t played “Break You” since the very beginning of their careers. He said that they played it at Crazy Horse, north of Tinley Park. Campbell and guitarist Willie Adler slowly turned their heads in sheer horror as their attention was quickly diverted to Randy as they laughed hysterically. John shook his head n’ quickly corrects him and yells “BIG Horse!” [Note: Crazy Horse is a strip club on the North side of Chicago. Not to be confused with Big Horse, the indie music club in the artsy Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago]. For the most part, the reference went right over the youngster’s heads. It had guitarist Mark Morton giving a good belly laugh. Now that’s comedy! The band was having such a great time; they would’ve played all night, barring the strictly enforced curfew laws of Tinley Park. During the Burn the Priest song, “Bloodletting”, Randy belted, “I want the dance floor to look like a war zone!” The eager to please crowd did as their commander beckoned.

Toward the end of the show, Randy asked the crowd to yell since he heard Chicago makes the most noise. The crowd was obviously not loud enough for Blythe. He lashed out by saying, “What, are you a herd of pussies?” That got the crowd going even more. They’d be damned if they went out like that! Once the band exhaustedly, though thankfully left the stage, their frontman lagged behind and with all honesty said “Sounds Of The Underground is new and we are still figuring shit out. If they had it again, would you motherfuckers come back?” The crowd lost it! He exited by bowing to the crowd in worshiping position, then flung his shirt into to his flock. Sounds of the Underground has concluded. We all mindlessly stumbled off the grounds of the venue tanned, burnt to a crisp, and parched but hey, it was SO worth the wait. Let's do this again next year!

Setlist: Laid to Rest, Hourglass, As The Palaces Burn, Now You’ve Got Something To Die For, Ruin, 11th Hour, Bloodletting, What I’ve Become, Subtle Art of Murder and Persuasion, Break You, Vigil, The Faded Line, Black Label.