Deftones – 4 out of 6

Coheed and Cambria – 3 out of 6

The song is Razor to Oblivion.

Post edited 3:10 pm – November 29, 2010 by babykitten

Went to see Yakuza, Che Arthur 3, Rabid Rabbit, & Bloodyminded on Black Friday (day after Thanksgiving).

Went to the Bottle early because it was cold outside and I did an errand that didn't take long to do. Pre-show meal consisted of a gigantic slice of pizza from Bacci's a couple of blocks away. Always a great place to score pizza before and after a show.

Walked into Bloodyminded doing a soundcheck and it was LOUD. They had the dude from Louisville noise band Cadaver In Drag with them. I asked Mark (Solotroff, Bloodyminded) if the show already started, and he confirmed it's just a soundcheck. I knew right there and there it was gonna be a great evening. The show got pushed back a little bit so that Bloodyminded can get a good crowd.

Bloodyminded – Always wear earplugs if they're playing. They will destroy your ears, literally. Their set contained songs from their 2006 album Magnetism which was recently re-issued on Solotroff's label Bloodlust! Records. The set was great, although it would've been perfect if the hecklers from the Milwaukee noise scene were there too. Cadaver In Drag made the Bloodyminded set a lot more forceful.

Rabid Rabbit–Slow, infectious, atmopsheric, psychedelic doom metal with 2 bass players. I wouldn't be surprised if labels like Crucial Blast or Relapse put something out from them. The vocals have a chant-like quality to them instead of the usual screaming that accompanies modern doom/sludge. The drumming was solid, the riffs were heavy, and the bass-lines were very multi-layered. Mark Solotroff and Dave Rempis joined the band for their recently released cassette single "Suicide Song".

Che Arthur 3–I never heard of this band before, however, they did sound more like a heavier version post-emo bands like Thrice and At The Drive In. Musically, they weren't really that bad, but I just wasn't vibing into them.

Yakuza–What else is there to be said about Yakuza? Besides being a key staple in the Chicago metal scene and always pushing the boundaries wherever they might lead them to, Yakuza always bring a free-flowing yet cohesive musical experience. Yakuza played a good chunk of songs from Seismic Consequence, but they also had a couple of surprise guest musicians onstage: celloist Helen Money and saxophonist Dave Rempis. This was almost identical to their impressive Yakuza Arkestra set at Wicker Park Summerfest earlier this summer, except that Kelly Lamont (Bruce's sister) and saxophonists Ken Vandermark and Mars Williams weren't there. Regardless, my favorite song on Seismic, Farewell To The Flesh sounded apocalyptically perfect.

Yakuza also had free trade coffee for sale along with their merch. I would've bought it if I had a working grinder, but according to the bag info, it's a Nicaraguan blend.

Last show i went to was Hellbender, Corsair, and Earthling in town. I was very familiar with Corsair and Earthling being that they were local bands, but Hellbender was actually pretty cool to watch. Didn't have vocals that night, I think the singer was sick or something so they did an all instrumental set.  Probably gonna go represent the local scene tonight, although the lineup looks like a real mix bag.

NWbrew said:

Went to the Agalloch show last night at Berbati's in Portland.  Great show, they played for a solid 2+ hours and spanned all of their music.  Definetely did not go home disappointed.

 

Up next Neurosis, WITTR and Black Breath in Seattle with Sabas on the 30th of December.

Good to hear about Agalloch. Hopefully the venue in LA wont ruin the sound.

….: shakes fist definately in the air regarding that Neurosis gig :…..

guess who I am calling a retard right now.

Post edited 1:43 pm – December 20, 2010 by babykitten

Crowbar, Black Tusk, & Rue 2 Saturdays ago. Missed Rue cuz I missed the last bus heading east towards Reggie's. Black Tusk were cool, Crowbar were epic. Watched 2 fights break out during Crowbar, and another dude got hauled off by the paramedics after breaking his leg in the pit. No camera action that night because it was -20 outside and I had to walk home fast against a snowstorm.

A few days before that was Cough with Bongripper, Winters In Osaka, and Cyborg at Albion House. One of the best basement shows of the year.

Earthling and A.D. 45 at the Crayola house. Next show, Eyehategod in Baltimore!!

Kylesa – 5 and a half/6

Okkultokrati – 5/6

Howl – 2 and a half/6

Black Tusk – 4/6

The Psyke Project – 3/6

As We Fight – 5/6

Hatesphere – 4/6

Iceage – 4 out of 6

Sexdrome –  5 and a half out of 6. Almost 6. 

The Bellyaches –  A big fat zero, one of the worst bands ive seen in a long time.