Pre-Show Shenanigans

After a night of girly face masks , care bear onsies and horror flicks in a cabin up in Big Bear, CA, I ventured back into Vegas with enough time to spruce myself up and change before venturing out to the venue. Upon arrival I parked Ernest in my usual lot behind the venue. All night parking prices have been raised from $10.00 to $13.00 just as an FYI but still fairly reasonable in case a lyft ride home was needed. I would have had until 8 am to get my truck back prior to risking a ticket. Not mad at it.

 

The Venue

Backstage Bar and Billiards is off Fremont and 6th Street. It is one of the main metal venues in town. Smash Magazine books shows here and next door at Fremont Country Club pretty much on the regular. This night in particular was exactly 1 year from a birthday bash thrown here for my dirty 30 (courtesy of Charlie Hanks) so it added some sentimental meaning to the night.

I’m sure a few of you read my review on The Black Dahlia Murder show and the sound quality of the venue on each side. Triple B’s side is always outstandingly better than FCC. This night solidified that sentiment for me once again. When I proceeded through the doors the place was already packed with plenty of familiar faces. Including local musician and writer for Technical Music Review, Mike Neely. We talked shop for a bit before the first band went on.

The Show

North Las Vegas locals Man Made God opened up the show playing through their Self Titled EP ” Mad Made God” . One hardcore dancer flipped and kicked around the emptied  floor in between the pool tables and the main barricade.  That was of course until the last song where he was joined by his fellow ninja fighting army companions and some old school push pitters for some slam dancing fun times. The EP released in July following the single release of Janus earlier in the year. This is their Sophmore EP.  I would also recommend checking out their Freshman EP “Prima Materia” They are yet another example of the amazing talent we have locally in Las Vegas.

Featured Songs: Janus, Marduk, Altar of Shiva and Typhon.

Next up, I AM straight up blew my fucking mind. Hailing from Dallas , TX with 1126 Records these guys brought the Southwest brutality to the stage. Coming at you like a wild fist in a mosh pit to your chest🤘🖤🤘. Oh my holy FUCKKKKKK. Killer presence on stage by front man Andrew Hileman and their drums pierced through you with every hit by Ian Scott.

It was clear when they asked the crowd how many people had seen them before that almost no one had seen them live or for the most part heard of them in the Vegas scene, which made the reaction to their performance that much better. Texas was bringing it tonight.

They practically burned the place down. At one point there were roughly 10 or so dudes 2 stepping in unison.They played through their newest album “Hard 2 Kill” that released November of last year as well as one song from their 2017 release “Life Through Torment” . After this show I proceeded to listen to their music front to back and back to front. Definitely adding these guys to my collection of music. You might even see them featured in a playlist later this month 😉 .

Featured songs: Texas Death, Paid In Sin, Sacred Cries, Peel Back The Skin, Grindstone, Hard 2 Kill, and Outro

Shadow of Intent hailing from the land of Connecticut in the Eastern realms had a colorful sound check before their intro track started up.  I was up front and center against the barrier of the stage in front of the platform that vocalist Ben Duerr would be screaming on and off of throughout their set.

There was a fan behind me who was basically reciting every word to their songs that I moved out of the way for and motioned to take my spot. I love seeing this level of excitement in fans / fellow music lovers. I am more interested in moshing and head banging to the music than quoting lyrics but admire those who do and the dedication involved in doing so. This is when you had people rushing the stage to get to the mic for a chance to have it in their face and have their intimate shared moment with the band by being allowed to participate in their performance.

These gents just released a new album, Melancholy,  in August that is worth a listen if you haven’t already submerged yourself in it.

Featured Songs: Melancholy, Barren and Breathless Macrocosm, The Heretic Prevails, The Battle of the Maginot Sphere ,  and Malediction

Ingested coming at you full force on stage. The boys from across the pond brought the Brutal Death Metal vibe to the extreme.  This just added to the kid in a candy store feel of this show. Every band that had played so far had sounded amazing. But Ingested pulled on those slam strings of my blackened heart. They brought those brutal beat downs and epic guttural vocals to melt my face off. I couldn’t help but smile. You ever just listen to music so brutal live or recorded that you just can’t help but smile and scream in your head “Yusssssssss!!!!” well that was me. I was definitely in my  prime happy place during their set. 

After their set the band met up with our local musician (Cordyceps / Arborize) and fellow writer Mike Neely to talk shop. You can read his interview with the band HERE. 

If you haven’t already, check out their new single released back in August “Erotic Depravity” and keep an eye out for more new material.

Kublai Khan TX kills it every-time they come here to play. They were arguably the most aggressive band of the night. Front man Matt Honeycutt  just has this demanding and dominant presence that takes up the room. He commands the pit to be brutal, he is the puppet master, if you will, to the brutality that ensues and it is glorious.

We got to hear some old school tracks off Balancing Survival & Happiness (2014) as well as Nomad (2017) with some new tracks in the mix from their then pending album release.

Absolute was released to the masses for musical consumption this past Friday (Oct 11th). If you are looking for something to assault your ear drums with this is it. You bet your asses we will be reviewing it. I can tell you right now it’s a beast and it hits hard.

Featured Songs: Antpile, Self-Destruct , The Guilty Dog, Boomslang, Ghost Pains Part III, Eyes Up, 8 Years, The Truest Love, B.C., and The Hammer

Despised Icon , per usual, put on a great show. Despite there being a completely idiotic brawl due to some gaping anal cavity not being able to handle himself in the mosh pit (possible small dick / short man complex),  it was pretty fucking amazing.

The unfortunate event was to the point where I had to go to the bar and ask for security while people were squaring up in the middle of the pit and not once but twice the band had to say something over the mic. The second time they stopped playing completely until the shit was squashed and the aggressors were booted out of the show. I appreciate them holding people accountable and stopping when things got too out of hand so it could be addressed.

The vibe of the show following the brawl  had taken a downward turn but was easily picked back up with killer good vibes coming from the stage. The mosh pit started to go again and raged until the end of their set. They came at us with a little bit of everything, going all the way back to 2005 and it was phenomenal.

Afterwards, I had the chance to briefly chat up their guitarist Ben Landreville alongside my good pal and fellow show go-er Ruben. Dude was super down to earth and the chat was much appreciated.

Featured Songs: A Fractured Hand , Bad Vibes, The Aftermath, Furtive Monologue , Purgatory, Retina, Beast , Les Temps Changent, Day of Mourning, MVP and In the Arms of Perdition

The Headbang-Over

Great performances all around and such a blast. Sound was on point tonight with one of the speaker stacks only acting up a couple times but pretty much fixed immediately. After the show came to climax and conclusion I talked with some of the staff and said good bye to familiar faces left inside the venue.

Ingested’s merch lady deserves some props because I almost never buy a white band T-shirt. I mean the design is fucking killer regardless but white clothing and hot sauce don’t get along.  I bought a t-shirt and an album as a birthday gift to myself on top of the experiencing loads of new music from these bands live. It was a great way to low key bring in another year on the planet by doing what I love. Going to shows and sharing that experience with all of you!

Now to address the offending parties: It is unfortunate that one of the offenders involved in the brawl follows this blog. Let me be extremely clear,  I DO NOT CONDONE VIOLENCE AT SHOWS FOR ANY FUCKING REASON. There is a code we follow in the pit. There is a difference between going in a mosh pit to rage with the music and going into a mosh pit with the intent to harm.  Be adults, talk shit out and squash it. If you can’t, fucking leave, take it outside, walk it off…something other than the shit that got pulled during D.I.’s set. Do not ruin a good show for others by being selfish pricks that need to take revenge for the sake of a bruised ego. This may have been the first time someone got to see D.I. live and you twat waffles tainted that memory for that person

For those who sunk low enough to chase after the brawl to catch it on tape,  you are part of the problem. Someone being intentionally physically harmed should not be how you chase after likes and engagement. It isn’t “cool”. If you have to tape fights to stay cool with your friends maybe you should find better friends and re-evaluate your life choices.