I'm on a quest to make my kid into a little metalhead :) As part of that, I took her to a show organized by my friend Bobbie at the Sidebar in Baltimore: Face-Melting Friday, Melodic Metal Edition. The lineup changed a couple times before the show, but I was still excited to see the bands. I'd heard good things about Iris Divine and Cassandra Syndrome, and heard that Dogs And Day Drinkers were folk metal, so I figured they'd be fun.
We got there before they were even ready to start selling tickets, although there were already people milling about inside. Shortly we were asked to form a line, inside. We met up with S and some other friends, and staked out a spot near the front, since besides being rather short and needing to be close up to see, Iz also just plain likes to rock out at the front of the crowd :D Unfortunately, this meant I had to wear earplugs, which I felt seriously dulled the sound. (I never wear earplugs. Why bother going to live shows if you can't hear the thunder of it being played live?) Partly for this reason, I don't feel like I got a very in-depth impression of any of the bands.
Not too long after we got in, the first band, Fair Skies, took the stage. I didn't know much about them besides a friend's comment that they were "power metal but not really." They did have soaring power metal vocals; I got some serious Stratovarius vibes from the vocalist during their second to last song, "More Than a Memory." The music had a bit of an oompah beat in the beginning (something that seems to happen occasionally in power metal) but settled into more of a NWOBHM sound as the set went on.
Next up were Dogs And Day Drinkers, all the way from Chestertown, MD (home of the schooner Sultana :D ). They were supposed to be folk metal, but they didn't actually seem to have much in the way of folk melodies. They perhaps had more of a Viking metal sound, with songs about drinking and war and science fiction. The vocals were average, rather like I think I'd sound if I tried to sing. Their take on Priest's "Breaking the Law" was decent. The crowd was pretty excited for them and there was a bit of moshing.
After that was Iris Divine. They were very proggy, but not in annoying way. The guitarist seemed to have a bunch of pedals that gave his guitar a synth-like sound, and they might have had some synth piped in, too, I couldn't tell. Unfortunately some drama happened during their set so I zoned out a bit and even had to go outside to deal with things :(
Finally, Cassandra Syndrome ended the night. I don't know how I never got into these guys earlier! I think I heard a song or two several years ago but somehow didn't get interested. I definitely should have seen them earlier. They featured lovely soprano vocals - I didn't know we even had a band around here with vocals like that! Their music was pretty straightforward heavy metal, with nice solos, but it was the vocals that really made it for me. So beautiful.
I enjoyed all the bands, although I would have preferred to hear them without earplugs. But Iz had a great time up at the front, dancing for Fair Skies and Dogs And Day Drinkers (and also taking some photos with her Leapster, which I should try to retrieve before she draws all over them :) ). Even though she got pretty tired and cranky by the end, it was still a great night, and everyone was telling her what an awesome little kid she is :D I'm not sure if I'll be able to make the next Face-Melting Friday since it's the day after The Ocean, but I can definitely see these face melting shows becoming a regular social fixture for me and Iz :D
Next show: Hoping to go to a locals show on March 8. After that, Children of Bodom, Death Angel and Týr on March 21. (The Fillmore's website seems to have the wrong date for this show, saying it was Feb. 28 O.o)
Showing posts with label Face Melting Friday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Face Melting Friday. Show all posts
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Concert Review - Face-Melting Friday feat. Odin's Court, Aries, Flag of the White Rose, Channel Volatile, Sin 4 Sin - 12/13/13 at Sidebar, Baltimore, MD
So this should have been on 2013 - but again I was spending December stressing myself out, and then spent the holiday season de-stressing and hanging with family, and so it didn't get done. But luckily I made detailed notes, so even nearly a month later I can give you a pretty complete run-down of the first three bands!
I wanted to get out to support the local bands, but not being able to get babysitting so close to another show, I decided to bring my kid. Actually, that's a lie - babysitting or no, I wanted to bring my kid. Inspired by my friend R, who brought her six-year-old daughter to the Finntroll show at Empire, and by the countless other metal parents I've seen everywhere ranging from this summer's Wintersun show to Tuska Fest in Helsinki, I thought it a great opportunity to continue my daughter's metal education. (I tried to take her to the first Face-Melting Friday in August, but we didn't have the proper ear guards and so she was put off by the rather loud and aggressive thrash band Death Penalty.)
This time, we arrived equipped with noise-cancelling headphones. Since the show had been pushed back to 9:00, we were well in time for the first band, Sin 4 Sin. At that point, Iz was still entranced by her Leapster [a kids game device] and didn't respond much to my attempts to move to the music. Sin 4 Sin was very catchy, and their singer had great voice - he could really soar! They were totally party metal, with choruses like "I quit drinking," "My girlfriend always gets arrested," "I want to stay with you through the night." There were a few unusual moments - a punky intro to one song, some black metal cymbal crashes at another point - but they were pretty much rocking hair metal. The guitarist looked kinda of like my friend D (the musical theater actor) right down to his silly facial expressions. I had such a fun time during their set. Iz did draw a picture of the singer on her Leapster; I'll have to see if we can find it.
Next up was Channel Volatile. I had never heard of them, but I felt optimistic - I mean they had a keyboard! How many local bands have that? The singer had awesome extremely spiky shoes, tights with skeletons on them and a rather short black dress. The guitarist looked pretty metal in boots and a military-ish top. But their sound didn't do it for me. In the first song, I couldn't hear much of the guitar or other instruments; they seemed like just background for the vocals. In the second song, the guitar was much louder, overpowering everything else, so that even the vocals sank into the background. But the guitar didn't do much, just some simple melodies or bland background-music-y riffs. There was a cool part in the second or third song where they suddenly went full out with charging heavy metal riffs and enthusiastic, interesting drumming, the vocalist providing heartfelt "Whoooaaa"s over top. There were a few other moments throughout the set where she belted out the vocals a bit more strongly, but in general her vocals were rather lackluster, and too soft. I only really noticed the keyboard in one or two parts. The sound mixing definitely seemed to be an issue with the guitar being too loud, but I found the music rather lacking overall. Iz seemed to like it, though; after her Leapster ran out of batteries, she spent the rest of the set dancing.
By then it was past ten, and I was tired and thinking about leaving - but with Flag of the White Rose up next, I couldn't tear myself away. I planned to stay for a couple songs, but ended up staying for the whole set. They delivered a much more energetic experience then Channel Volatile, and sounded even better than last time I saw them, with headbang-inspiring heavy metal riffs topped off with Kerri's Halford-like vocals. Once again they covered Priest's "Heading Out to the Highway." As soon as they launched into that song, you could hear that while they're trying to emulate that sound, original Priest is a whole other level - tighter, more intense, not a shred of wasted energy or sound. But Flag sounded awesome playing it, which is a feat in itself. They have the image to back up their music - Kerri with her tall red mohawk and metal stud-encrusted leather outfit, the bassist with his police cap and handcuff belt, and the guitarist also sporting some studded accessories on his black denim outfit. (Nick, the drummer, just needs to add some leather or metal studs to his get-up ;) ) Bobbie, the show's organizer, took my daughter up to the front row and showed her how to rock out, and she was jumping around and waving her fist - so I'd say as far as metal education, the night was a success!
After that it was time to go, but we heard Aries start up while we were in the bathroom, and my first impression was that they sounded a bit like A Sound Of Thunder - the thundering heavy metal riffs, the powerful clean vocals. I'll have to catch them another time, since they sounded promising.
When I asked Iz her opinion of the show, she said, "It was really, really, really, really good!" I was inclined to agree; I really enjoyed two of three bands, and even better, I was so happy that Iz enjoyed the show and started on the path to being a metalhead.
Next show: There are a couple of local shows I hope to see this month - gonna try to see Feritas on Friday, hoping to see Demiz later this month, and I think there's a show with Flag of the White Rose even later on. Next big show is Amon Amarth, Enslaved and Skeletonwitch at the end of the month!
Edit: I mistakenly implied that Aries had a female singer. I should have known they were just channeling Priest. A night of 80's influenced music, FTW.
I wanted to get out to support the local bands, but not being able to get babysitting so close to another show, I decided to bring my kid. Actually, that's a lie - babysitting or no, I wanted to bring my kid. Inspired by my friend R, who brought her six-year-old daughter to the Finntroll show at Empire, and by the countless other metal parents I've seen everywhere ranging from this summer's Wintersun show to Tuska Fest in Helsinki, I thought it a great opportunity to continue my daughter's metal education. (I tried to take her to the first Face-Melting Friday in August, but we didn't have the proper ear guards and so she was put off by the rather loud and aggressive thrash band Death Penalty.)
This time, we arrived equipped with noise-cancelling headphones. Since the show had been pushed back to 9:00, we were well in time for the first band, Sin 4 Sin. At that point, Iz was still entranced by her Leapster [a kids game device] and didn't respond much to my attempts to move to the music. Sin 4 Sin was very catchy, and their singer had great voice - he could really soar! They were totally party metal, with choruses like "I quit drinking," "My girlfriend always gets arrested," "I want to stay with you through the night." There were a few unusual moments - a punky intro to one song, some black metal cymbal crashes at another point - but they were pretty much rocking hair metal. The guitarist looked kinda of like my friend D (the musical theater actor) right down to his silly facial expressions. I had such a fun time during their set. Iz did draw a picture of the singer on her Leapster; I'll have to see if we can find it.
Next up was Channel Volatile. I had never heard of them, but I felt optimistic - I mean they had a keyboard! How many local bands have that? The singer had awesome extremely spiky shoes, tights with skeletons on them and a rather short black dress. The guitarist looked pretty metal in boots and a military-ish top. But their sound didn't do it for me. In the first song, I couldn't hear much of the guitar or other instruments; they seemed like just background for the vocals. In the second song, the guitar was much louder, overpowering everything else, so that even the vocals sank into the background. But the guitar didn't do much, just some simple melodies or bland background-music-y riffs. There was a cool part in the second or third song where they suddenly went full out with charging heavy metal riffs and enthusiastic, interesting drumming, the vocalist providing heartfelt "Whoooaaa"s over top. There were a few other moments throughout the set where she belted out the vocals a bit more strongly, but in general her vocals were rather lackluster, and too soft. I only really noticed the keyboard in one or two parts. The sound mixing definitely seemed to be an issue with the guitar being too loud, but I found the music rather lacking overall. Iz seemed to like it, though; after her Leapster ran out of batteries, she spent the rest of the set dancing.
By then it was past ten, and I was tired and thinking about leaving - but with Flag of the White Rose up next, I couldn't tear myself away. I planned to stay for a couple songs, but ended up staying for the whole set. They delivered a much more energetic experience then Channel Volatile, and sounded even better than last time I saw them, with headbang-inspiring heavy metal riffs topped off with Kerri's Halford-like vocals. Once again they covered Priest's "Heading Out to the Highway." As soon as they launched into that song, you could hear that while they're trying to emulate that sound, original Priest is a whole other level - tighter, more intense, not a shred of wasted energy or sound. But Flag sounded awesome playing it, which is a feat in itself. They have the image to back up their music - Kerri with her tall red mohawk and metal stud-encrusted leather outfit, the bassist with his police cap and handcuff belt, and the guitarist also sporting some studded accessories on his black denim outfit. (Nick, the drummer, just needs to add some leather or metal studs to his get-up ;) ) Bobbie, the show's organizer, took my daughter up to the front row and showed her how to rock out, and she was jumping around and waving her fist - so I'd say as far as metal education, the night was a success!
After that it was time to go, but we heard Aries start up while we were in the bathroom, and my first impression was that they sounded a bit like A Sound Of Thunder - the thundering heavy metal riffs, the powerful clean vocals. I'll have to catch them another time, since they sounded promising.
When I asked Iz her opinion of the show, she said, "It was really, really, really, really good!" I was inclined to agree; I really enjoyed two of three bands, and even better, I was so happy that Iz enjoyed the show and started on the path to being a metalhead.
Next show: There are a couple of local shows I hope to see this month - gonna try to see Feritas on Friday, hoping to see Demiz later this month, and I think there's a show with Flag of the White Rose even later on. Next big show is Amon Amarth, Enslaved and Skeletonwitch at the end of the month!
Edit: I mistakenly implied that Aries had a female singer. I should have known they were just channeling Priest. A night of 80's influenced music, FTW.
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