Motorhead, Morbid Angel, Today is the Day, and Brand New Sin
05/14/2002
The Catwalk, Seattle WA

This has been a good week for the old school. We had Manowar on Sunday, then an even more classic band on Tuesday, the mighty Motorhead! Doors were supposed to open at 7 PM but for unknown reasons no one was admitted until around 8:15. The night started off with Brand New Sin, who really did not impress me with their slightly heavy rock. I was really hungry so I ended up missing Today is the Day as I had a tasty sandwich across the street from the venue.

Although other bands played before them Morbid Angel were the ones who really started the night out for most in attendance. The set started out poorly for yours truly as security removed me from the pit and wanted to take my camera not once but twice. After the second time I was finally permitted to speak to the head of the venues security team and all hassles were done with the exception of a nasty rib shot that I'm still feeling quite a bit. If venues aren't going to permit photography then they need to issue proper photo passes for those who have arranged permission to shoot (Thanks Curran)! Enough of my rant, let;s get on with the real reason you are here.

After missing a few songs (hence the incomplete track list) I finally wormed my way back into the pit to enjoy the show. Jared Anderson seemed a lot more comfortable fronting the band than he did the last time they came through town. He talked with the crowd a lot more and seemed to have a lot more energy (actually the who band seemed that way) which reflected very positively on the crowd. As one would expect Trey Azagthoth slayed on the guitar and Eric Rutan did an awesome job providing a strong rhythm. Pete Sandoval tore it up big time on the drums, managing to impress a lot of the people who seemed as they were just there to see Motorhead. They tore thorough their short set flawlessly, closing it off with one of my all time favorites "Chapel of Ghouls". I'm really happy they still play some classics for their long time fans even though they have a lot of material to comprise a short set list from. Getting the support slot for a band like Motorhead was an awesome idea and great opportunity for Morbid Angel as I am certain they have (and will) gain quite a few new fans who wouldn't have seen them (or bought their albums) otherwise. All in all it was a very strong performance from one of the best death metal bands in history..

Morbid Angel set list: (incomplete)
Dawn of the Angry
Blasphemy
Maze of Torment
Day of Suffering
Immortal Rites
Rapture
Chapel of Ghouls

After a twenty-odd minute changeover and some rabid chants of "Lemmy" and "Motorhead" the legends finally took the stage. They played for nearly two hours and covered material from throughout their huge discography. Living legend Lemmy (AKA God) and Phil Campbell were all over the stage and showed no signs of tiring despite being some of the oldest musicians (well, at least Lemmy) in metal that are still performing. Mickey Dee provided a strong beat to the bands wall of sound and proved himself to be one of the finest drummers in rock today. The crowd ate up everything that Lemmy had to say and was completely into the show the whole time. There was an awful lot of hardcore Motorhead fans in attendance, singling along with all the songs and providing the kind of response that a band with Motorhead's stature deserves. Even though Lemmy was having problems with his monitors throughout the set the band played flawlessly. Highlights of the set for me included "Motorhead", "Bomber", "Killed by Death", and "Ace of Spades". While it was incredible seeing the band in a more intimate smaller club setting I wish I could see them again in a larger venue complete with their full Bomber light show. Even the most jaded Seattle death metal fans stuck around for Motorhead, which shows just how much respect the band has earned over the years. If you've never seen Motorhead live before I urge you to do so at your earliest opportunity, these pioneers of metal put on as strong of a live performance as ever.

Motorhead set list:
Motorhead
No Class
Bomber
Civil War
?
Love for Sale
God Save the Queen
Brave New World
Metropolis
Nothing Up My Sleeve
Doctor Rock
Ramones
Born to Raise Hell
Shoot You in the Back
Sacrifice/Drum solo
Orgasmatron
Rock and Roll
Killed by Death
Iron Fist
Ace of Spades
Overkill

Rating: 10 /10