|
|
|
In Memorium, Virgin Black, Agalloch and Antimatter
The Catwalk Club, Seattle Washington 5/16/2003
| Sometimes living on the west coast stinks
as a lot of bands don't make it out this way. Other times it's beneficial
as we get bands that don't hit the east coast. Last December Abigail made
their way from Japan to do west coast dates only. Now I can say with pride
that Agalloch has been in Seattle twice! One would think that they would
have played here more often as they hail from Portland but that's not
the case, they have only recently started doing live appearances. In Memorium
was originally scheduled to open the show but at the request of the bands
(of whom 2 had only been in the US for two days ads as a result suffering
from jet lag) they became the headliners shortly before the show started.
Enough of the chatter, on with the review! . |
|
 |
The evening started out with U.K. based Antimatter,
featuring Duncan Patterson (ex-Anathema) on bass, Michael Moss on guitar/vocals,
and Hayley Windsor doing additional vocals. Having no familiarity with
the group I had no idea what to expect. I was quite surprised when they
came on-stage, sat down in chairs and playing nothing but acoustic instruments!
Despite the low volume (I didn't even put my earplugs in) and calmness
of the instruments and vocals, Antimatter delivered a powerful
set of peaceful, yet at the same time melancholic and depressive, acoustic
music that I found to be quite enjoyable. The crowd didn't get to into
it, mostly hanging out in the distance with only a few diehards (including
yours truly) up in front but Antimatter still got a decent
round of applause at the end of each song. I swear I heard an Anathema
song during their set, I just couldn't place it. I would have bought one
of their CDs but only had a few dollars on me and simply had to have the
new Agalloch 7". . |
 Next
up was Portland, Oregon's Agalloch. Guitarist/Vocalist John
Haughm started things off by coming out and pounding two very low toned
floor toms in a beat resembling that of a battle march while the rest
of the band stood somberly and held their instruments. This drew the majority
of the sparse crowd immediately up front to check out things from up close.
This intro (the same as the last time I saw them) was a perfect transition
from the mellow sounds of Antimatter to what was obviously going to be
something much heavier. Agalloch then proceeded to destroy
the audience with close to 45 minutes of their highly unique brand of
depressive and dark metal. Their on-stage confidence has increased exponentially
since the last time I saw them: even though they have only done a few
live shows Agalloch were consummate professionals, making
everything look easy, not missing a note, and playing with a conviction
and feeling few bands can muster in the live setting. In this regard I
think they can compare with one band that particularly blew me away recently,
the mighty Opeth. Guitarist Don Anderson was particularly impressive,
with his constant movement, flawless playing and obvious love of the music.
Agalloch's set was comprised of material from both "Pale
Folklore" and "The Mantle" and was definitely the highlight
of the evening. The band is simply incredible live, making their epic
albums come to life in a fashion most bands only can hope to do. I wish
the best for these guys in the future; with their haunting music and passionate
performance they nothing less than major international recognition... |
|
|
Photos from this show can be found in our Gallery |
|
All contents copyright 2008 by Chris Slack unless otherwise specified. Do not reproduce or use without express written consent. Images are presented in low resolution to deter copyright infringement. If you represent one of the artists or a publication/website contact me for licensing information. I do not sell photographs to private parties..
BANDS AND LABELS - Want your CD's to be reviewed? Our
mailing address can be found on the contacts
page. NOTE: We do NOT do .mp3 reviews.
For photography rates and information please visit http://www.metalphotographer.com
Gravemusic.com is a part of the Page of Filth network
Virgin
Black was next, yet another band that
I was completely unfamiliar with. They definitely came to perform, wearing
pale makeup, decked out in leather and rubber and looking quite gothic.
This had me a little concerned as there have been a lot of mediocre
goth metal bands over the past few years with only a few that I honestly
enjoy. Virgin Black traveled from Australia to do this
tour so they must have been quite tired as this was only their second
day in the US. Fatigue certainly wasn't apparent; the band played a
very tight set of classically influenced operatic metal. I'm a big fan
of the "heavier" classical composers such as Bach, Beethoven,
Holst, Wagner and Vivaldi, powerful music with thick layers of sounds.
I don't think that Virgin Black came from that school
of music though. I think people who are heavily into gothic metal would
have really enjoyed Virgin Black's show but it honestly didn't do much
for me. Their songs seemed overly melodramatic and the live performance
reminded me of Hammerfall swallowed by the prince of darkness along
with a few yards of leather and a couple of cases of Max Factor. On
a more positive note I have to give Virgin Black credit;
they all seem very proficient with their instruments and songs and obviously
play from the heart. Crowd reaction, while not as loud as the applause
for Agalloch, was pretty good at the end of their set.
Seattle's
own In Memorium closed off the night with an impressive,
albeit too short, set of their European flavored extreme black metal.
I've seen In Memorium a number of times over the years
and this show has got to be their best performance ever. For those who
aren't in the know, In Memorium plays an almost Swedish
style of black metal not unlike bands such as Dark Funeral and Marduk,
but with more melody to the compositions. They were as tight as anything
on this night, professional as all get out and intense as hell. Vocalist
Nihilist took full advantage of the Catwalk's stage and was all over
the place as the rest of the band (even keyboardist Susanna, which isn't
very typical) headbanged furiously. While the crowd did thin out considerably
after the first song (it was near midnight), In Memorium
had those who remained headbanging madly along with the band, something
that simply wasn't happening with the rest of the bands. Check the band
out next time you get the chance, I have a feeling that they'll be signed
shortly after releasing their new CD in the next few months.