Engorged, Impaled, and Bung
06/01/2002
The Satyricon, Portland OR

Due to getting caught in nasty downtown traffic for nearly an hour I missed Bung’s entire set. Sorry guys, if I would have known that there was a big carnival and some Japanese festival going on in downtown Portland at the same time as the show I would have left Seattle a lot earlier! Check out Bung’s web site at http://www.bungcrust.com/

Oakland California’s IMPALED hit the stage shortly after I arrived. While I had heard of the band before I have never actually heard their music so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I soon found out that Impaled was one hell of a band, especially in a live situation. The band played a sick gore/grind/death metal, somewhat reminiscent of older Carcass, with blazing riffs, savage drums, and some sick assed vocals. Most band members contributed their vocal talents so all ends of the death vocal spectrum were covered, from screams to cookie monster growls to the sick low gurgling one expects from gore metal bands. The band moved about the stage constantly (except when “vocalizing”) unlike a lot of other artists in the genre. Bassist Ross Sewage was probably the most active of the lot, setting fire to his bass, breathing stinky lamp oil fire, and generally acting like an escaped mental patient. After they finished their set Ross gave away some cool shirts from Rotten Cotton Graphics and some CDs and other swag from Necropolis. These guys are a VERY entertaining live act, one that anyone with any interest in death or grind metal should check out if the chance arises.

Check out Impaled’s web site at http://www.impaled.info/ and buy their two CDs on Necropolis/Deathvomit.

Set list (corrections welcome):
Intro
Dead Inside
Operating Theatre
Faeces of Death
Choke on It
Until Death…
Raise the Stakes
Back to the Grave

I’ve always maintained that the best place to see a band live is in their hometown and this show did nothing to change my opinion on that. When I saw them a while back at the Hurricane here in Seattle I though they were pretty good but there was just something missing. That something was a crowd that was fully familiar with the band and their highly original blend of death/thrash metal and grindcore. Engorged drew in a good sized crowd for this show to celebrate the release of their self-titled CD on Necropolis/Deathvomit. The crowd (myself included) was with them from the get-go, the band fed off their energy and the audience in return gave them their full appreciation and the response that they deserved. While Engorged didn’t have any fire or fancy props they gave it their all and it definitely showed through in their performance. Their lead vocalist moved like a madman with his wig and false beard helping to achieve that crazed look. The rest of the band cut through their set with ease and looked like they had a great time doing so. After this show my belief that these guys are gonna be the next big thing in gore/grind is only further cemented.

Check out Engorged’s web site at http://www.engorged.net/ and buy their two CDs on Necropolis/Deathvomit.

Set list (corrections welcome):
March
Splatterhouse
Maximum Overdrive
Engorged VS Predator
Death Metal Attacks
Kip Kinkle
Critical Mass (Nuclear Assault cover)
The Thing
The Salamanizer (GWAR cover)
Multinationals
Bonded by Blood (Exodus cover)

Rating: 9 /10