Concert Review - Primal Fear, Arctic Flame, Flag of the White Rose, MindMaze - 4/29/14 at Soundstage, Baltimore, MD

I had this show on my calendar months ahead of time, and then a bunch of other shows were scheduled at the end of April - things I couldn't miss like Sabaton and Paganfest - so that kind of botched my plans. I wasn't gonna go, but the more I thought about it, the more I didn't want to miss this chance to see one of the heavyweights of the power metal scene - so I finally decided to head out after my kid went to bed, just to catch Primal Fear.

I hoped I'd catch at least a bit of the locals, but I had a long, busy day and then bedtime went slowly, so I didn't get to the venue till about 10:15. Primal Fear had just launched into "Nuclear Fire," which turned out to be three or four songs into their set, according to S. Still, I got to hear "Metal is Forever" (I knew they'd play that near the end anyway), "Bad Guys Wear Black," "When Death Comes Knocking," and a litany of other good songs.

A rather small crowd had turned out on this rainy Tuesday night, so small that I had to wear earplugs even standing near the back of the crowd. The crowd was not very energetic either; people cheered at the end of each song, but hardly anyone was really headbanging or moving. There was one guy right in front of us who was super amped, bouncing around, making faces and gesturing and trying to rouse the crowd. He did not succeed, unfortunately. The place felt rather empty with the small crowd in the large space, and it didn't help that they kept shining the lights on the crowd and showing just how small it really was. It might have been better at a place like Empire where a small crowd wouldn't feel quite so weird.

I also should have stood further back, because where I was standing the sound was a bit distorted, and also muffled by the earplugs. I could hear Ralf Scheepers's vocals clearly, and the thunder of the bass and drums, but the guitar leads were sometimes lost. Also, due to a combination of the sound and the crowd, I felt like most of the songs were not very intense, even great ones like "Bad Guys Wear Black," though there were a few with more oomph to them.

Still, I was glad I got out to see these guys. Just to hear Ralf Scheepers shriek "Metal is forever!" made it worth it.

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.

Stitched Up Heart, Serpent Witch, Flag of the White Rose, Decimate the Tyrant, Transitshop, Valdesa - 10/12/13 at Cafe 611, Frederick, MD

I love shows in Frederick. I can roll out after my kid goes to bed and still get there in time for most of the bands, no guilt, no hassle, no long drive in traffic (not to mention Sheetz snacks after the show!). Case in point, on Saturday I caught a show at Cafe 611 that I probably wouldn't have been able to get to anywhere else.

One of my friends had been talking up local band Flag of the White Rose for some time, but I hadn't managed to see them. (Last time I tried, when I took my kid to a show called Face-Melting Friday at Sidebar, she got tired and we had to go home before they came on.) This time, S and I got to Cafe 611 in time for their last 4-5 songs - we came in to see a tall woman with a four or five inch mohawk stomping about the stage, belting out vocals while the guitars and drums galloped and thundered. I thought I had seen them described as melodic, but they actually had more of a heavy metal sound, with several galloping Iron Maiden moments. Kerri's vocals were powerful, with an old school vibe, and they were very refreshing compared to the simpering singing style (usually with insipid lyrics) that's popular now (I've been spending too much time lately in coffeeshops where bland pop is blasted so loud I'd have to destroy my ears to drown it out with good music on my headphones). Anyway, Flag of the White Rose covered a Judas Priest song, "Heading Out to the Highway," and it was quite obvious that Kerri follows in Halford's footsteps, with her brash, high-pitched vocals. (Someone knowledgeable about the band later confirmed that Halford is Kerri's biggest influence.) I enjoyed the Halford-style clean vocals, but their set did also have some moments of punkish shrieking that made my ears cringe. Kerri's look was also quite punk with the mohawk, a tight leather outfit, multiple metal-covered belts, and high boots draped in more metal. (Overall, I saw more mohawks in one place that night than at any other metal show.) The bassist was also dressed up with a police cap and studded belt, with the rest of the band appropriately, though less flamboyantly, dressed in black and bands shirts. I liked their look, and their overall stage presence was very energetic and cohesive. I was surprised to hear they've only been playing for a few months; they look and sound very together.

Later on, we met and talked with Kerri, and she was actually very jovial and friendly. 

After Flag of the White Rose was another local band, Serpent Witch. I saw them, for a few songs, at Face Melting Friday, where I was not too impressed with them - slow and with a stonerish vibe, which is one of the few metal genres I can't seem to get into. Indeed, they started out their set with a slow doomy vibe. They sounded much better and clearer than at Sidebar, but S and I both thought they should have a thicker, heavier sound to enhance the doom atmosphere. The (small, female) singer's vocals were also very strong and clear, rather strident for a doom band, and she was moving about vigorously. As the set went on, though, they picked up the pace and the doom vibe lessened until they were playing something more like heavy metal. S compared them to Pentagram - read his review for his full analysis of which old school bands each band sounded like. By the end of the set, I was actually enjoying their music since the whole band seemed to have picked up on the energy of the singer. Also, they had an old guy drummer whose delicate movements in the slower segments were amusing to watch.

The headliner was a band I had never heard of, Stitched Up Heart. As were all the bands in the venue that night, they were hanging out with the crowd in the back bar room, which was open this time (the front bar was closed). Unlike the other bands, they were attempting to smear everyone with the black face paint that they had daubed all over themselves. From their look - streaks of black paint, mohawks both stiffened and floppy, (old school) Hot Topic-esque outfits - I guessed they were going to play some sort of angsty music for teens. The drummer telling us about his adventures with Butcher Babies (and the fact he was wearing a Butcher Babies t-shirt) made me further uncertain about how much I would enjoy their set.

But they were actually a lot of fun. Perhaps not the way a band that courts darkness wants to be described, but that was my overwhelming impression: fun. They were catchy and dynamic, with perfect delivery and stage presence - lots of jumping and dramatic guitar swinging. At the start of the set, the bassist (and perhaps also the guitarist?) somehow flung baby powder into the air, maybe from his hair, which created a cool effect, like he was emanating smoke, though the smell lingered for a bit. The band's sound was heavy with an insistent beat - suitable for dancing or headbanging - but not very audible guitar, save for a few solos and bridges. S critiqued the guitar; personally, I thought it was passable, especially since it was obviously not a prominent part of their sound. They turned out to basically be screamo but with bearable vocals - clear soulful pop vocals with occasional harsh screams, and not an overload of whininess. When she addressed the audience, the singer used a sing-song, mechanical, doll-like voice as did the singer of One-Eyed Doll when we saw them. They played a somewhat short set, and at the end, the singer sprinted to bathroom while the rest of band hid behind their merch table as the crowd chanted "encore!" There was no encore, however; that was the end of the show.

I was very glad I went. I finally got to hear (and be impressed with) Flag of the White Rose, I improved my opinion of Serpent Witch, and had a great time during Stitched Up Heart's highly energetic set. I can't say I've become a converted fan of any except the first band, but at least it was fun.

Next show: Tomorrow! Primitivity. Playing Megadeth on four cellos.