Alrosa Villa/Saturday March 22
It was a night of old school thrash metal globalization with a little taste of power courtesy of Germany, Brazil, North Carolina, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus.
Ohio’s local caliber began with the band formally known as The Harrowing from Missouri. Germany brought us Sodom and that night Cincinnati brought us Gomorrah . They started in 2011 by Colton Deem and brother’s Cody and Mitch Pegg, relocating to Cincinnati in early 2012 in hopes of becoming a part of a larger music scene.
Opening with EP title track To The Depths, they play most of their debut EP cranking out some old school technical death thrash metal with a throwback to the early 90’s scene with some Death influence. Colton Deem’s vocals are yelled/screamed but fairly clean. The technical precession of Tribulations and the guitar medley thrash forward presence of the Tempest are followed by the slow monster stomp of the mighty Colossus. They finish, feeling the heat from the dragons breathe with EP closer Beneath The Falling Sun.
Fade to Oblivion from Columbus bring a uniquely inspired data driven, computerized, conceptual design to their sound forsaking a drummer for modern technology. According to bassist/singer David Merriman (the short haired, most ‘relatively’ clean cut of the group) the laptop gets all the chicks and enjoys long walks on the beach. An interesting approach for a metal band to upload half their show as they go and in case of an outage or power surge, Merriman says the show can and will go on through a cell phone. They start, and by the power of Thor’s hammer, it was time to throw-down with the Slaughter, bringing the hungry crows soaring above waiting for the scavenger hunt. Impending Doom blends black metal vocals, power metal/thrash playing and swords and sorcery in a landscape that could’ve been built from any Dio/Manowar album. Traitor tells the sordid tale of betrayal as a deadly, life changing pact is made on The Forge. Title track Of Death and Vengeance finishes the story overlooking the mighty battlefield.
The record was a mix of local community feedback, what they liked and a search for a sound identity. Science and metal don’t often mix but the band has educated ears in that area. It’s also a fantasy concept record about an average man forced to fight a war not his own then returns to his home to see carnage, vowing revenge. With music and story intertwined we feel the peaks and valleys of the character through the words and music, then decide if there’s a happy ending. www.fadetooblivion.com
Cleveland’s bastards of noise and aggression Vindicator made their first trip to the Alrosa opening with a Global Warning introduction. The crimson plated red knight rides his scarlet draped steer as The Gears of Fate crank, turn and spin orchestrating the oncoming end. The Fatal Infection thrashes out with punk fused speed and Suicidal Tendencies themed vocals and attitude. We slowly slip into the chair like a serpent as Lilith straddles us as we are ravenously Sleeping With Evil. We get an Outbreak of Metal getting old school thrashy releasing the Dog Beneath the Skin and a dose of loud, heavy Humanarchy. We close stalking with horror movie intent to the orphanage, oh yes, there will be terror.
Widow have been warriors of underground metal scene since 2000, releasing four albums, performing countless shows including Kansas City Power Metal Festival, Rocklahoma, Sword Brothers Festival IX, Up the Hammers, and Steel Assassins Festival. They’ve performed in the US, Canada, Europe, Japan and Australia and are continuous road dogs, playing/touring with many of the greats artists like Saxon, Queensryche, Cauldron, Skull Fist, White Wizzard, Icarus Witch, Grim Reaper, Raven, Destruction, Krisiun and more!
Their music explores the neo-classical side of heavy metal taking influence from their own experiences and groups like King Diamond, Crimson Glory, Warlord, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Yngwie Malmsteen.
Metal Hammer named them one of the leaders of the “New Wave of Traditional Metal” and is recognized as a band at the front of the melodic metal uprising. They’ve finished their new release entitled Life’s Blood available now on Pure Steel Records.
The first and only clean sung vocals of the night came from North Carolina’s power trio. They played a classical blend of sorcery and knights of the round metal table riding on their new record Life’s Blood. Singer/bassist, hair whirling enthusiast John E. Wooten IV (yep, there’s been four of them) brings an entertaining element of humorous energy and excitement with ferocious facials of a complementary Spinal Tappish nature, without getting stuck in a stage pod. We start the journey past the evening dusk as we Take Hold of the Night with the power of metal waving goodbye to Lady Twilight. An American Werewolf in Raleigh is loose on the Carolina Moore and only Widow’s music can drive it away with guitar riffage help from the Iron Maiden. The Nightlife brings weird tendencies out of its inhabitants, Beware of the Night. They finish going back to the first record and the Angel of Sin. www.widowusa.com
They are Krisiun and they’re from Brazil. Alex Carmago brings the Cavalera blackened-voiced death metal Brazilian brutality of Krisiun to Columbus with a speaker vibrating roar. The three brothers brought their blast beat extreme metal symphony of violence and sound to the Villa, starting with the Apocalyptic Revelation’s Kings of Killing and the chaos of the underworld is unveiled. The brutal march and fire beat, ground and pound tempo of Combustion Inferno represents the Southern Storm and the blunt cruel devastation of war. The floor pit opened with one friendly push and shove. The Will to Potency is blast beated with chugger charged groove and riffage with thunder bass and drums and the frenetic lighting fingers of guitar Moyses Kolesne. Playing with coyotes, snakes and bones in the hell-hot quiet desolation of the desert can bring out the defiance in anyone. A bit of technical difficulty briefly halted the worship. Carmago seized the opportunity to thank everyone for coming out and supporting underground metal then Max Kolesneg delivered an eardrum pounding on the drums. Vicious Wrath tells the ominous tale of the serpent’s gaze, with shredding high peaked guitar shrieks accompanying its sudden strike with pit worthy adulation.
They’ve brought the Descending Abomination and the guitars yell and weave their tormented story with them. The Blood of Lions pours from the stage as the unrelenting paced Ravager plots his plan of attack under the darkened ground of Eden. They finish with some Ominous Bloodshed. Alex thanked the crowd again saying it was a true honor playing on stage with Dimebag in spirit.
We have the Big Four of thrash metal, overseas Destruction’s alongside Kreator and Sodom are the three kings of Teutonic thrash metal and credited as bringing the beginning elements of black metal. Led by the towering Schmier, they brought the thrash, German style.
The Antichrist opens the show as we Thrash Till Death the way any self-respecting metal head worth his horns would want to go out in a metal revolution. We get our first taste of the newest Spiritual Genocide; mass media covers the carnage as our souls die. Schmier spreads his arms wide as Christ was Nailed to the Cross, a sign of centuries of blood-shed in the name of ‘holy’ causes. We visit the mid-eighties and the seduction of the Mad Butchers hook and meat. A great lover, if you wanna end up in pieces under his freezer cover.
We go back a few years to the Day of Reckoning and get trained and brain drained to kill with the Armageddonizer. First time they played in Ohio was ’89 with the Cro-Mags, Schmier mentions. It’s a double dose of mid-eighties Eternal Devastation with a visit to the morally corrupt, outcasts and normal societies Eternal Ban of them. We’re always the victims of this moral system. Self-torture of the mental, physical style is a Life Without Sense and a Release from Agony and the nightmares that chase you awake.
We pay homage to the life sucking, sin/skin shedding sultry Carnivore. She dances and lashes at your feet with a hot silver tongued serpent’s deceit. The money flies as you feed her need. Backdoor sexual deviance encouraged, they’ve got your money, the butcher’s knife appears, time to bleed and get bloody. Ohio, we need a f’n mosh pit, this is a thrash metal show! Hate is our fuel, the destruction of the world will rule. The old school black metal tint of Tormentor harkens back to the old school days, children shouldn’t play with dead things. They went all the way back to the early demos on Total Disaster, Bestial Invasion and Invincible Force as the early days of darkness brought the dark lords arrival. They end with the Butcher Strikes Back playing devotion to all those who believed in and supported 30 years of Destruction.
Second Gomorrah, Fade to Oblivion and Destruction pics by Mike Ritchie
All other images by Samantha Stewart Photography
