Live Review : Purveyor of Mayhem Metal Fest

by Guest Writer- Lynn Goodson

My experience with local shows outside of  the typical East Atlanta venues is limited , despite the fact I live out in Sandy Springs. I have hit Sweetwater once and North River Tavern a handful of times all to underwhelming results. So venturing down to the Emory area to Club Famous aka Famous Pub for the "Purveyor of Mayhem Metal Fest" was an impulsive change of scenery for me.The bands coincided with my drinking for the night as the first drink was strong then watered down until last call.

The bands coincided with my drinking for the night as the first drink was strong then watered down until last call. The openers Lost Solstice, who was shocked to hear was playing their first show together, seemed to focus on sounding evil and dark, their moments of aggression came across more like Patrick Bateman from American Psycho than an axe murder gone berserk. Their songs went into unexpected places, that  their singer morphed his voice to fluidly suit. The clubs PA was lacking, but Lost Solstice were troopers and played through the technical glitches. Lost Solstice's sound could be best summed up in how my fellow drinkers described them like the blind men and the Elephant, each had their own opinion based on what part of their set they were struck by as comparisons ranged from Tool to Black Flag to "the Cure meets the Exorcist" .

Next up was Dead Rites, came across  like a more Hot Topic take on what Muckraker would do after them , but it would be hard pressed to call them goth, in fact the lumberjack looking Lost Solstice was closer to goth than Dead Rites. Dead Rites might have gotten the best mix , but reminded me too much of the first Misfits album without Danzig on it that came out senior year of high school and I'd rather forget that. They band seemed cluttered on the stage despite their singer's best efforts to take command. Their merch seemed to be selling pretty well and at least two of the other bands were wearing one of their shirts , so they do have that going for them.  

Muckraker tried harder to hit rock start poses than act naturally on stage. They reminded me of Godsmack and all the things about Metallica that inspire me to turn the station whenever they cross the XM dial. They fell closer to what I expect from suburban rockers in Atlanta. They did inspire me to switch over to domestic draft beer and hunt down greasy tater tots. Sound wise their songs were not hampered by the club's murky sound, as every thing was straight up power chords banged out in a manner that did not demand finesse. There style of rock was so straight it could have used a little chaser, but they were certainly into playing it and were giving it their 100 percent.

The domestic beer and the watered down shots that followed, made my head hurt too much to really give  Gored By a Deer my full attention, but I got enough of an ear full, to catch their punchlines.  They played a style of metal that once populated places like Swayzes. I would be surprised to hear that these guys were not from Cobb County. They sported the hair styles you would expect of the KillSwitch Enagey kind of teenage hardcore, they played well, but reeked of the kind of bands that use to send me friend  requests on Myspace. Too hard to be emo, but not enough hair on their chest or testicles to sell me on them being metal. I'm sure there's an audience for them some where, one drunk next to me suggested they should listen to more Slayer and stop dancing around , which would be sound advice.

The Bone Church hit me like my last drink and inspired me to throw it back up in the bathroom midway into their set, which I think saved me from getting a DUI on the way back to Sandy Springs. It was good to hear a female singer fronting a metal band that didn't feel the need to be Night Wish or Flyleaf. One of my friends compared them to IWRESTLEDABEARONCE , which is understandable, but the band was more straight forward and thrashy, they had already taken a drunks advice and listened to enough Slayer to keep them them focused on face melting and less into scene dancing. I wish I had been a little more sober to really take them in,  and the sound did not improve by the time they took the stage, despite the warning of squealing feedback that often ran me from the room,  but what I fully ingested I really enjoyed and made me wish my ten dollars had gone to seeing them and Lost Solstice at some where like the Earl or Drunken Unicorn.    

Issues: " S/T"

The over at Metal Sucks, seem to be fascinated with Nu Metal, so much so they tend to cry out like Chicken Little that it's making a comeback and claimed this band was going to be leading this. Nu Metal died in lets say 2000, for people who live in urban environments and  are aware of changes in the musical climate, it gave way to emo-core stuff of Myspace so 14 years seems premature for a genre to see a cyclic return, but music is pretty stagnant today so stranger things have happened.

I was unaware these guys were from Atlanta...or the suburbs of which makes more sense, and features members of Woe is Me whose Singer Tyler Carter came out as being bi-sexual so the Johnath Davi like ambiguity is in tact at least . He also has a penchant for covering Katy Perry and Justin Beiber songs, for those Punk goes Pop comps.

From the first song "Sad Ghosts" I don't really feel the Adidas, but this is more of  djent like take on the whole Myspace metal, that happens to have some turntables and pop vocal, if they bust out verse or go with the whole soft to loud Deftones thing, I might have this more claim more credence. I find them less annoying than Linkin Park was. The marriage of One Direction to djent, which if we are going to call a spade a spade is what this really has more in common with then Coal Chamber.

The almost Bruno Mars elements to the opening of "Mad at Myself" is pretty blatant and the ATL urban scheme of the lyrics doesn't ever break into rap, it does remind me Framing Hanley's cover of Lil Wayne's Lollipop. The sometimes sounds like a happier version of Enter Shikari, its not until "Life of A Nine" drop that things get krunk in nu metal direction. But is it anything that Blood on the Dance Floor hasn't already been doing ?

The more djent sound returns , but this time is accompanied by a more Korn like harsher emotive vocal.The clean vocals on this album as cheese filled as they are swoop into to save the songs. The trap music elements that are sprinkled with what sounds like j-pop house music bleeps and blips could work, the late 90's don't really do the House of Pain jump until later in the song. There are moments when this sounds like Alien Ant Farm and they don't have the angst of Slipknot, but this is better than half the of the pop on the radio.

There is a more j-pop dance feel to "Late". This one is less djent and more myspace , mall core and I am sure the catchy neon -t-shirts  they sell, will go over big at Hot Topic these days. It is interesting that pop and hip-hop element have replace the Tool influence that prevailed over most of the more worthwhile.. it it was worthwhile Nu-metal in the late 90's and when Tool transitioned over into A Perfact Circle bands started wanting to have their own power ballads and 30 Seconds to Mars started selling tons of albums before doing drag.

An old skool hip-hop element starts off "Old Dena" which is more of an interlude, I am surprised there is not more dub-step on this album as that seems a more logical band wagon to be jumped on here.  There is a much more Meshuggah like riff at the beginning of "Stringray Affliction".  There is one of the more Bruno Mars like breakdowns in the middle of this which is more convincing than the more djent elements.

I am surprised at this point that I have made it this far through the album, they assume a pop punk beat on " Never Loses Your Flames" that doesn't gel with vocals and the whole song seems more disjointed and filler than some of the tighter hooked writing earlier in the album. "Personality Cult" is just more along the lines of Myspace Mallcore, the riffage at times borders on more Slipknot like phrasing but the masked men from Iowa have a darker element they bring to what they did. This also lack any sort of Pantera influence which weighed heavily on Nu Metal. The closest they come to one of Dimebag's farts is on " the Settlement"

The duet with Nylo on " Tears on the Runway" is an odd choice and the song loses what ever advantage it gains in this creative twist with the breakdowns that at this point have gotten old. When the band closes the album, it has exhausted the brief fun pop elements, and seem to try to be taking themselves more seriously than the songs warrant. I'll give this one a 4 and declare if Nu Metal is making a come back it's the fault of of the same djent that Metal Sucks has kissed the ass of.                  

Arctic Flowers: "Weaver"

Reviewing an album off  Bandcamp to me feels like reading the book on a Kindle, I don't like it , so it must tell you how much I was anticipating the new Arctic Flowers to go this route. The first impression is their is more punk here and less of the darkness that earned them the death rock tag. It's also much more straight forward at time even reminding me of bands like Sleater Kinney or Rainer Maria.

Despite the overall more punk direction the bulk of the album tends to head in their are still some overlaying guitar melodies that bring in the more death rock elements , though it doesn't have the  drug gutters of West Hollywood at midnight feel that a band like Christian Death captured.

It's not until the third song "Ex Oblivione" that I hear strains of the more post-punk elements, as the guitar is picked out in a more melodic manner. The bass player still has the New Model Army style chops.The drums however really follow  to straight forward of a punk beat for me. Some of the more punk elements come from the production which is often more raw than not.

"Byzantine" is the first song that really registers with me as being dark enough to satisfy my tastes, and has almost more of a metal drive in places. "Dirges Well" also touched on their dark side. After a few listens and getting over the shock that this album was not the step forward from "Procession" I expected, the more punk direction begins to grow on me, but it's not something that I really feel like I would get much mileage from.

I will give this album a 6 as it might be a slight disappoint me for me to hear them default into punk, but I think there are a few strong songs that might make up for this when it comes to die-hard fans. Hopefullt they have gotten this out of their system and can move on to a more logical place of growth from the superior "Procession"

Dread Sovereign: "All Hell's Martyrs"

This Irish band ignores the black or post trends of the past decades and goes back to a more meat and potatoes traditional sound in the vein of St. Vitus. Despite having a more experimental intro track the opener could have come out of the 80's with the more modern elements not coming into play until the second song, where Primordial influence comes into play.

The retro sound of the first song didn't really blow me away and I feel it's until "Cthulu Opiate Haze" that the band really warms into their songwriting. The vocals stray from the second string Ozzy-isms and gain a little more rasp to them , yet more tuneful than if they were just growled.

The album moves forward with the times as it progresses. Their is more of a sludge grunge to "Pray to the Devil in Man". The vocals border somewhere between Primordial and Solitude Aeturnus . When the growls do come they are right on time. Things build up into a more sludgecore sense making them appropriate. so I applaud the restrain and sparse use of harsh vocals here rather than just defaulting to them. The lyrics are pretty good on this album as well.

There is a little more in the way of sonics in the rumble of "Iron Scourge" . It has a pretty ripping guitar solo to and for the most part simmers around like some of the more recent Primordial. Some Sabbath like moment come later in the album and the St. Vitus comparison only stick around for the first few songs.

His lower mid-range clean voice is only where he sounds like Wino. By the time we get to "Cathars To Their Doom" the album begins to sound the same to me. It comes to a close with the title track that is the longest at a lumbering 13 minutes. They do hit a darker more sonic almost funeral doom type riff here that has some pretty cool accents. The lyrics talk about skinning Jesus's skin and wearing it in mockery, which pretty much outdoes Glen Benton.

While I doubt despite the uber satanic lyrics this will get much play in the ole iPod, but it's well crafted and goes to some places metal has since forgotten in terms of melody. It does reek of Primordial and I would rather have Primordial album taking up the disk space,  but never the less I will round it for to a 7 for excellence in execution.

Nothing : "Guilty of Everything"

The Shoe gaze movement is poised to be the next big thing in indie rock . If you were going to pick a band to bet on to break the biggest waves, the money would be on the  Philly band Nothing. Blending a  dreamy natures with 90's rock sensibility. They are by no means metal , but are still band heavier than Alcest's most recent outing. The vocals  retain their smooth whisper even when the guitar tenses up around them.

Songs like "Bent Nail", carry the propulsion of  rock while floating  away with you. "Guilty of Everything"  earns repeat listens  as these songs breeze right by you. The juxtaposition  more pronounced on the shift in  " Endlessly" . While "Get Well" runs into more rock territory not unlike Sliversun Pick Ups or Smashing Pumpkins. They don't care about radio friendly production as their guitars take on a more indie rock fuzz to them.

The only draw back a few of these song's has is the way the breeze by sometimes doesn't even register , if you haven't had your first cup of coffee and it fades into background music. There are some really great guitar sounds on here like how "Somersault" almost nails the Cocteau Twins heavenly tone. I do think when they allow their guitars to revert to the more indie punk jangle after hearing them able to conjure the clouds down that it's dumbing it down.

"B&E"  is not black metal, but  builds a crescendo into the albums heaviest moment, a blistering tremolo picked section,   closer to black metal than Russian Circles attempt to head in that direction on their last album. The title track closes out the album, with a distorted guitar ringing against the deliberate pound of the drums. This song works off a similar ebb and flow the album seems to work best on, its a formula the band doesn't deviate from , but they approach with a different twist on each song.

They recreate the best of the early 90's on "Beat Around the Bush".They languish on the riffs letting them drone by like water flowing under a sheet of ice.They chant of " god and man our souls are spent" rings out in an eerily. They tend to shimmer even more than Hum, though that would be the band their guitar tone most closely resembles when the distortion pedals are stomped upon. Overall I'll give this album delivers what it needs to and secures there place at the top of the shoe gaze heap.I'll give it a 9 as it's dips into garage punk are the only parts that keep it from perfection.

Masses: " Horde Mentality"

Another entry into the death rock...ish revival is this Australian band  whose biggest claim to fame is their debut EP is produced by Phil Calvert of the Birthday Party. As far as punk goes they are more firmly rooted on the Joy Division side of the fence , though their is still a very reckless Bellicose Minds like punk feel.
This album has some excellent well rounded drumming that drives the point home rather than defaulting to disco beats. The males vocals are a little shaky, but this is their first album and on the first Beastmilk I wasn't convinced on their vocals and now they are their strong point. However when the females vocals supplement the wavering baritone, it works nicely.

The vocals began to remind me of "One Step Beyond" by Madness, though the more Cure inflected guitar manages to keep me generally distracted from this fact. They did achieve a really solid bass sound on this album, which for what they are going for here is a crucial element. The keyboards darken things and keep it just from sounding like punk-rock.

In a smart move the female singer takes on the vocals for the verses. The male vocals grab the chorus creating an interesting interplay, that they should continue to explore. Their songs are more punk than not to the point and punchy. "Seasons" closes out the album. The tension in the guitar work is pretty effective on this one, the vocal pattern shifts and the keyboards continue to creep things out a tad.

I think this band has a lot of potential, the male vocals seemed like a muck less refined version of what Bellicose Minds does, but I appreciate the effort all around. Like to hear some of the dark sounds here expanded into something more sonic and melodic, I'll give it a 6.5. Check it out if you are starving for some post-punk revival .    

Nadja: "Queller"

This is the duo's 35th full length so you hope they know what they are doing at this point. Some friends of mine were raving about this like it was the perfect blend of shoegaze with sludge, so I went in with high expectations. My initial response was rather under whelming, though with further listens the layers of subtle melody do seep in a bit, but the fuzzed out production creates a murk I suppose that is intended by doesn't get with me as a listener even though I respect what is being done here.

There is a very  Jesu vibe on most of this album though the vocals aren't as strong and are more meagerly sung. Some of the more droney elements could but dialed back a bit for my taste buds as well. On the opener what would have been a more dynamic. Sure it is slow but as a general rule you would be hard pressed to call this album sludge.

A more cohesive My Bloody Valentine like distortion cranks up on "Mouths". The hushed vocals step up in the mix here and give it more of the feeling this is an actual song. The chorus seems well thought out , and the vocals as slight of a sonic element as they are don't seem like just an after thought. There is an element to this song that makes me think this is what A Perfect Circle would sound like if they ever got smacked out. It does lift off at the end like a more pounding version of "Obscured by Clouds". But I would not yet say the album hits a metal moment.

The album maintains it's ebb and flow. Only 4 songs it still breaks the thirty minute mark."Liderc" it darkens up closer to what some may consider sludge. The vocals disappear behind the wall of fuzzed bass. It sounds like some growling might be occurring , though the effectiveness of it is diminished as it is so buried in the mix. This song does develop a few pulse point, but is hot and cold in the manner it throbs.

The title track employs more of a riff, which in fact brings Godflesh to mind. This song also is really the only song on here that touches on metal in a tangible fashion. They jame on this riff for the first five minutes of the song , so you better like it. The only problem is when they build it up at the end the pay off is a fuzzed out sonic freak out, sure being experimental is cool and all, but noise here seems to be a slight dynamic cop out.

There are some elements I like, but this is on the inconsistent side for my tastes I'll give it a 6.5 as the second half of the album doesn't hold up as well. If you are a fan and have the other 34 albums then give it another point.