Sunday August 15, the extreme metal caravan known as The Convalescence brought their traveling horror show to Northern Kentucky for a night of loud, screaming metal. The haunted halls and walls of The Thompson House shook with decibel-laden vibration, causing spirits to come screaming out of hiding. If only they could talk as loud as the bands.
The six-person Northern, Ohio based brood brought a loud, brutal celebration with 10 years of ruthless audio bludgeoning. Blood of Angels provided direct support for the show, as touring direct support act Filth were unable to perform due to unforeseen equipment damage. The show went on with area support from Kentucky, Cincinnati and Dayton.
Scarangella began things with the ceremonially masked Akuma LE scaring up some aura followed by the thunderous four guitar assault of D-Towns Into Pandemonium and Blood of Angels playing an angry set before the stage became a house of bones and sewn up skin.
The Convalescene are possibly best categorized if you took Psycho, The Hills Have Eyes, the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre and added a few bodies from House of 1000 Corpses. They’ve crafted the stage into their own, personalized backroads wasteland complete with authentic animal remains, specific to their own person touch. It’s an Ed Gein inspired visual tapestry that could only be a companion piece to death metal.
It’s a hand-made, homemade morbid bit of arts and crafts time gone serially dark with creations made in a back corner creepy basement or midnight, outside under a full moon.
Scarangella brought the first dose of Southern Ohio sound with “The Six Graven Faces of Ashu-Ra” with the open, alarm-setting solo notes of “Twitch” led to mid-tune breakdown and groove. The band have been staples of the scene for years, cutting teeth in area venues, building a solid reputation for their Fear Factory meets Devildriver sound with the pummel-punch of “Xenophile’s” techno-computer-bite note interplay. “Against Thee Wickedly” opened with marching militaristic might. They’ve united with Exodus to say, the beatings will continue until moral improves.
The second round of Cincinnasty roared up with the melodic, tech, death core of Akuma LE. Masked for different levels of intent, with blood and a body pile as end result. Looking ready and prepped to invoke something malevolent from the deep dark woods, rather than promote safe distancing. Or being the result of what already had been incanted. There’s a fine line between wearing a battle worn skull warrior mask and viral breathing mask.
It was no surprise they opened with “The Pit.” Home sweet home perhaps? While it wasn’t quite the Boston Bad Boys version “Toys in the Attic” could be a future vintage classic to mosh too and a necromancer’s how-to companion piece. The distorted, “The Hunted” came off almost like a twisted nursery rhyme in delivery with a fierce warriors tale ending with blood at the end of the blade. Band name calling card “House of Demons” finished the ritual.
Dayton’s Into Pandemonium went the Iron Maiden route proving two guitars are never enough, while sounding ‘slightly’ different than Eddie’s boys. In this case an extra hard, vicious punch to the mouth and ears via strings left a better impression. The darkest realms of chaos and music were explored starting with the rhythmic waves of “Becoming.” While “Blight” “Cursed from Within” and “Everdark” have yet to see the official skin burning rays of daylight, the six-piece tried them out for experimental neck damage. “Violent Uprising” played like the building of a violent monstrous creation not meant to exist while “Fallen” slowed it down ending in a guitar twisting mind warp.
Watching the band perform was like a laboratory experiment in slow to whiplash motion. The dizzying effect of guitarist Matt Tyndall near perpetual headband-windmill counterbalanced the other lads with more notes to worry about. Though, as a whole, they fit together nicely like pieces of a mysterious Hellraiser box,
Melodic death metal from the sunny, not so happy side of Florida, Blood of Angels came forth. The intro to “Monotheism” could be considered melodic, inspirational, even beautiful. The crashing guitar riff that followed could be considered a beautifully crushing beginning into the near seven minute opus. The guttural rip cord of vocalist Randy Reyes began spreading the initial doctrine.
No animals were hurt doing the show but you’d think lambs were being slaughtered by the sounds on stage.
Flesh eating lawnmowers mauled over riffs and vocals during “Disaster of Supremacy” with its high pitched mid-tune Dime-Bag inspired grinding riff.
They finished paying respect to Lemmy on “Don’t Need Religion” with Reyes taking the message to the floor, the only musician to use the floor as a ground level pulpit, making sure it impacted ears.
Like the road warriors of the damned and Thunderdome beyond the graveyard the twisted remains of The Convalescence took the stage. Keyboardist Katie Sarah may have had the best instrument stance with a propped up protective wall of heads, bones and sun-weathered skin, sewn together for durability and duration. Resembling a jointed doll in movement, body and head mimicking stringed motion by invisible hands while the other stage ghouls thrashed and headbanged like there was no tomorrow. Vocalist Keith Wampler resembled what Bray Wyatt’s swamp swallowed distant relative even he’s a little creeped out by might have resembled. Though their fun house was much louder as the painted up guitarists played as riffing acolytes controlling crowd movement.
The groups been inspired by the greats. A pick your poison match of Rob Zombie, Cradle of Filth, KISS, Mayhem, etc and of course Father Alice, who no band can deny worship.
The saw was family but looked like they had extra-extended kin that could be called upon to help fix family issues. Celebrating five albums of misanthropy in musica they blasted open the gates with “This Is Hell” to throwing limbs and flying bodies.
Old school came quick and early preaching on the slow, spooky crawl-chug of the “Parasite.” Lyrical blood ran over bones as “The Pit” opened for business. Though moshing might’ve been safer than throwing down in a real body pit.
“I Dreamer” pounded subconscious thoughts into participants screaming, your nightmares are more biographical than your dreams.
“Broken Mirror” screeched and roared out confessions of the reflection you don’t want to see mired in the sharp glass. They got animated on YouTube with “A Legacy In Blood” but live its a different level, without the dark looming forest.
The growling, noisy walkers got nothing on this band especially when they want to look like “One Of The Dead.” “Reflections” took them bones a bit old-school.
“Scum” ignited the nights final hell pitched pit, with legs and limbs flying like being cut off with chainsaw blade.
Part II of the Ten Year Anniversary Tour begins September 11 in in Orlando.
