From the Vault - NICKELBACK

Alright, I downright detest Canadian rock band Nickelback. They still manage to write a heavy tune now and then, but their formulaic, made-for-radio rock leaves me cold. You gotta respect them, however, and it's hard to argue with sustained success going on over ten years. The band headlined the Target Center a couple weeks back on May 23 with support from like-minded rockers Bush, Seether, and My Darkest Days.


Like all big acts, Nickelback used to be a baby band that was just trying to make it like everyone else. A Roadrunner rep talked me into checking them out a couple times soon after the release of their second album, The State, back around 2000. The first time was at the Whisky in Los Angeles while supporting Fuel. Next, and I'm embarrassed to admit this, I saw Nickelback supporting Creed with Sevendust at Cox Arena in San Diego. I haven't yet come across my photos from the Fuel and Nickelback show at the Whisky, but here's a slew of pictures from the show with Creed and Sevendust from June 18, 2000. I also thought I'd include a promotional photo composite from Roadrunner from the "Leaders Of Men" video shoot. I'll get the Sevendust pictures from this show up in the near future.

Nickelback promo pictures from the "Leader Of Men" video shoot. Click photo to see individual pictures (3).

I don't have any Creed pictures - this was one of only two shows that I've ever been "kicked out" of, haha. Despite my photo credentials, Creed's tour manager was a major a****** and had me and someone else tossed from the security pit as Creed started their set. Of course, no explanation was given. I was offered the chance to watch the show if I left all of my camera equipment with security. Yeah right, no thanks! The only other show I was truly evicted from was an Ozzy Osbourne concert around 1994 at the Five Seasons Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I was up front flipping off openers Slaughter. Singer Mark Slaughter gave me dirty looks and grabbed his crotch in front of me, but bassist Dana Strum went ballistic. Mid-song he pointed me out to someone in Slaughter's crew. A flashlight got shone in my face, and two security goons lifted me over the security fence and hauled me to a door. To my dismay, the door they shoved me through deposited me directly onto the street behind the arena! This was to be my first time seeing Ozzy, so naturally I was more than ticked off, but my friends and I laughed about this for years to come. Okay, enough with the stories, here's the live Nickelback shots from 2000. Click on any of the pictures to see all the photos from this show (32).

Alation Demo Review Update

I recently reviewed the excellent 2010 demo from Minneapolis metal band Alation; I rated it as a 9, and you should read the reviews of the demo and a recent show. The band have now released an expanded version of the demo that includes a fifth song, “Aflame”. I previously posted a video of this song from a performance in May (you can view it below), so it’s great to see this amazing song included. Clocking in at over seven minutes, “Aflame” is the band’s most ambitious song to date. It begins with simple vocal melody, then shifts into some brutal screaming from Angel accompanied by a buzzsaw riff. Drummer Curt really steps it up on this song and adds some interesting fills throughout. The song then leads into an acoustic vocal interlude led by bassist Paul that rebuilds with a guitar solo back into a fast ending. “Aflame” could well be Alation’s best song, and if it’s an indication of the direction of future tracks then things can only get better for this exceptional band. All five demo tracks can be purchased through the band's Myspace page.

 

Click to watch a live performance of “Aflame” from May 21, 2010 at the 7th St. Entry in Minneapolis

 Click photo to see more pictures of Alation (23).

Alation will be playing at the Northern Wisconsin Metalfest 7 Pre-Bash in Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin this Saturday, August 28. Their next two Twin Cities-area shows will be September 24 at the Star Bar in Columbia Heights and November 5 at Crypticon 2010 in Bloomington.

Hypocrisy, Scar Symmetry, And Hate Concert Review

Hypocrisy, Scar Symmetry, Hate

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Station 4, St. Paul, MN

This is long overdue, but here's my accounting of this monster death metal show that rolled through St. Paul recently. Swashbuckle and Blackguard started the evening, but much too early for me to be able get there in time. Poland’s long-running black metal blasphemers Hate were, unfortunately, already well into their set by the time I made to Station 4. Having caught only the last two songs, I can’t comment on their entire set but from what I saw they were fierce and relentless in their delivery. This North American run was their last before beginning work on their next album, so hopefully they will be back before too long.

 Click picture for more photos of Hate (15). 

Scar Symmetry was greeted with a huge roar of approval as they took the stage to the strains of “The Iconoclast”. It had been a few years since they last played at Station 4, and this was the first with new vocalists Robert Karlsson and Lars Palmqvist. As their set progressed, my annoyance was turned to disappointment as their new Dark Matter Dimensions and 2008’s Holographic Universe albums were virtually ignored to focus on 2006’s Pitch Black Progress effort. This was surprising to me since no North America touring was done to support Holographic Universe. Sure, “Artificial Sun Projection” and “Ascension Chamber” were thrown in, but it was shocking how many amazing songs were left out to make room for five songs from Pitch Black Progress. The new vocalists fit in great, and the band was in fine form and full of energy. I just question the wisdom of the band in focusing on an old album at the expense of two recent, fantastic records that hadn’t been played live in America before. “Chaosweaver” from Symmetric In Design sounded great, but “Pitch Black Progress”, “Mind Machine”, “Retaliator”, “The Illusionist”, and “The Path Of Least Resistance” dominated the set. For a band that I was so much looking forward to seeing for the first time, I felt disappointed at thinking about what could have been.

 Click picture for more photos of Scar Symmetry (22).

 

Click to watch Scar Symmetry play “The Iconoclast”.

The stage was cleared and one of Sweden’s premier death metal outfits, Hypocrisy, exploded out of the gate with “Valley Of The Damned” from the excellent A Taste Of Extreme Divinity. This had the be the most impressive light set I’ve seen brought into Station 4, and the effect was almost blinding at times in the small club. After “Hang Him High”, Hypocrisy took the crowd on a career-spanning journey that touched upon nearly every album of their long career. No more than three songs from any one album were played, so their set ranged from more recent material such as “Let The Knife Do The Talking” and “Eraser” all the back to the early days with a medley of “Pleasure Of Molestation”, “Osculum Obscenum”, and “Penetralia”. In addition to the blinding stage lights, the sound was deafeningly loud. The band members largely stayed in place while playing amidst plumes of fog. Peter Tägtgren wasted no time between songs, and his solos were blasted out with mechanical precision. The overall effect was both impressive and overwhelming. The crowd wasn’t as large as it should have been, but it seemed to matter little to the band as those that were there were highly appreciative. Although Hypocrisy’s style has changed throughout the years, their live show has a way of bringing new appreciation to all phases of their career. It’s hard not to walk away impressed by both the style and delivery of Hypocrisy, so you missed out if you didn’t catch one of death metal’s most revered Swedish exports.

 Click picture for more photos of Hypocrisy (29).

 

Click to watch Hypocrisy play “Valley Of The Damned”.

 

Click to watch Hypocrisy play “Adjusting The Sun”.

The Crinn, Ambassador Gun Concert Review

The Crinn, Ambassador Gun

Dreaming Saturn Record Release Show

Saturday, April 24, 2010

The Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis, MN

After getting out of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert (reviewed here) and leaving downtown Minneapolis, I made my way over to the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood to The Triple Rock for what was left of the record release show for The Crinn. Fortunately I caught half of Ambassador Gun’s set of grindcore punk. They played nearly nothing from their When In Hell album (now distributed worldwide by Relapse), instead focusing on newly recorded songs for an EP. They pounded their way through songs such as “The Crosshairs Superior”, “Calamity Jane”, “Chris Brown”, and “Fear And Coercion”, with the guitarist and bassist even switching instruments during the show. Don’t the grindcore tag Ambassador Gun had fool you, because their sound owes as much to death metal and punk. The band sounded tight with the new songs and they look set to begin making a big impact during the next year.

Click picture for more photos of Ambassador Gun (13).

Click to watch Ambassador Gun play “Chris Brown”.

Click to watch Ambassador Gun play “Dynasty”.

Everyone was here to see The Crinn play their first show since the release of their debut album, Dreaming Saturn, which came on this week on Nuclear Blast (reviewed here). The lights were dimmed for a projector displaying psychedelic images, establishing a mood of alternate reality for the next 45 minutes. Listening to Dreaming Saturn leaves you wondering if The Crinn can pull off their feats of technical acrobatics live, but jaws dropped to the floor as the band attacked their instruments and showed that no studio tricks are required for them to level a stage, seemingly without effort. Following the pace of the album, no time was spent bantering between songs as each song blended into the next. Most, if not all, of Dreaming Saturn was played, and the crowd reacted with both a fledgling mosh pit and with people planted with eyes riveted to the guitar wizardry of Cole Leonard. The show closed with the first part of album-closing instrumental “Down, In Waves” leading into “Lucid Dream Field” before segueing back into “Down, In Waves”, sounding much heavier than the laid-back vibe of the album version. While bassist Chad White’s intricate playing could be easily heard, the vocals of John Nelson seemed to be buried under the rest of the band after the first couple of songs. Although the stage setting worked in a small club, the dim lights tended to be too dark (see the videos to understand what I mean). The only legitimate complaint I have is that live, these songs need to be broken up with introductions. Sonically, The Crinn is so dense and complex that the crowd needs occasional breaks to appreciate each song and remember what they’ve heard. Nevertheless, the show was a success and the local crowd was highly appreciative of their experimental, technical hardcore, and eager for more. The Crinn is equally impressive live as on record, and the right tour could help break this outstanding band into the metal mainstream conscience. Be sure to catch one of their next scheduled shows.

Click picture for more photos of The Crinn (26).

Click to watch The Crinn play “Incipience”.

Click to watch The Crinn play “Lucid Dream Field”.

Click to watch The Crinn play “Down, In Waves”.

Ambassador Gun plays at The Annex in Madison, WI on May 15 and Milwaukee, WI at The Rave on May 21 before their next Minneapolis show on Friday, July 16 at Hexagon Bar that kicks off a national tour.

The Crinn plays next on Saturday, May 29 at Station 4 in St. Paul with support from Dead By Wednesday, We Are Legion, Expyre, This Will Not End Well, and She Fach Dahm. The Crinn then opens the night at The Rock in Maplewood on Saturday, July 24 supporting Soilwork with Death Angel, Augury, Mutiny Within, and Swashbuckle.

Out of state, The Crinn plays July 17 at Smoked Out Lounge in Michigan City, IN and is also part of the Soilwork/Death Angel bill at The Rave in Milwaukee, WI on July 23.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra Concert Review

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Saturday, April 24, 2010

State Theatre, Minneapolis, MN

Despite plans to arrive at downtown Minneapolis’ grand State Theatre early, car troubles ensued and made me a few minutes late to my great annoyance. All anger faded away as I was escorted to my front row pit orchestra seat which had me seated directly in front of guitarist Chris Caffery and bassist Johnny Lee Middleton. Information about who was playing in the Beethoven’s Last Night touring company was scant, so it was awesome to see four members of Savatage onstage. In addition to Chris Caffery and Johnny Lee Middleton, guitarist Al Pitrelli was also musical director for the evening, and Jeff Plate sat back behind the drum kit. Nearly all of the two and a half show was devoted to turning the Beethoven’s Last Night album into a full-blown musical show. TSO followed their usual Christmas show format, playing the album with addition of their interpretation of classical music standards and an on-stage narrator who walked the audience through the story of Beethoven’s deafness, pleadings with the devil, and a mysterious musical manuscript. The stage production was over the top for a theater performance (impressive lighting, massive arched windows with light screens) but scaled back from their arena shows (no pyro, fewer props). Musically things were stripped down a bit, too, as two touring violinists were only accompanied by six local string musicians and there were fewer singers. Nevertheless, TSO puts on a stage spectacle like no other band, and the entire performance was nothing short of impressive. I let out a cheer when none other than vocalist extraordinaire Jeff Scott Soto (Yngwie Malmsteen, Talisman, Journey, others) strutted out on stage in his role as the devil to sing three or four throughout the evening. Following Beethoven’s Last Night the band rolled through their versions of Savatage classics “Prelude To Madness” and “Believe”. Although tonight’s show was the entire last lineup of Savatage with different singers and additional musicians, most of the audience of families, theater-types, and grandmothers would never know. A few in the know metalheads were present, so the concert was a special treat for Savatage fans that can live with the commercialization of the Savatage legacy. Aside from some of the between-song narrations being far too long, it was a treat seeing TSO in a theater setting and hopefully more non-Christmas tour outings are in the works.

Click picture for more photos of Trans-Siberian Orchestra (16).

Finntroll, Moonsorrow, And Swallow The Sun Concert Review

Finntroll, Moonsorrow, Swallow The Sun, Minos

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Station 4, St. Paul, MN

Death metal outfit Survivors Zero was supposed to round out the Finnish Metal Tour, but delays in approval of their work visas forced them to pull out of the entire tour. Stepping in to open the show was Rochester’s Minos, a relatively new folk metal band. This was their first show with new drummer James Hamersly, but unfortunately I arrived right as the band was walking off the stage.

This was Swallow The Sun’s second appearance at Station 4, and this larger crowd was much more enthusiastic and familiar with the band. Somehow promoter The SwordLord convinced both Swallow The Sun and Moonsorrow to perform longer than usual sets, so Swallow The Sun absolutely crushed the stage for nearly an hour with their powerful, emotional doom. The band’s imposing stage presence matches the mood of their music, and they ripped through a nice selection of New Moon. “Sleepless Swans” and “These Woods Breathe Evil” sat well alongside older songs such as “Descending Winters” and “Plague Of Butterflies”. The set ended with “Swallow”, with its devastating riffs having the impact of an aural sledgehammer. Don’t miss them when they’re back in town in September with Katatonia. Go here to read the review of Swallow The Sun’s latest album, New Moon.

Click picture for more photos of Swallow The Sun (15).

Click to watch Swallow The Sun play “Sleepless Swans”.

Click to watch Swallow The Sun play “Swallow”.

Click to watch Swallow The Sun play “Plague Of Butterflies”.

Moonsorrow turned out to be the biggest surprise of the night, as the folksy elements of their black metal sound were toned down on stage under the weight of the guitars. I don’t know who can remember the tongue-garbling Finnish names of their songs, but the band played a full hour’s worth of career-spanning selections. Their show is both entertaining and impressive for the high level of intensity maintained throughout their lengthy songs. Judging from the amount of merchandise sold, Moonsorrow has built a dedicated fan based in town and it’s easy to see why. Seeing Moonsorrow live gave me newfound appreciation for the band, they are certainly one of the best folk-style metal bands out there.

Click picture for more photos of Moonsorrow (14).

Click to watch Moonsorrow play “Köyliönjärven Jäällaä”.

Finntroll certainly had a challenge ahead in matching the performance of Swallow The Sun and Moonsorrow. They were the most energetic and on stage tonight, but their heavy folk influences simply don’t interest me that much. The crowd was clearly here to see Finntroll so their headlining status was warranted. Like Moonsorrow, all of Finntroll’s songs are sung in Finnish so titles of songs that were performed escape me. Finntroll seemed to playing in top form, but I quickly lost interest in their style. Nevertheless, the audience response was huge for this band and there’s a large contingent of people whose opinion of Finntroll differs from mine.

Click picture for more photos of Finntroll (9).

The SwordLord, promoter for this concert, interviewed members of Finntroll and Moonsorrow at the venue and featured the conversation was featured on the Root Of All Evil radio show on KFAI. Head on over to The SwordLord’s Myspace blog for details on how to listen to this insightful interview!

Swallow The Sun will be returning to Station 4 in St. Paul as direct support to Sweden’s Katatonia on Saturday, September 18. Additional support will come from Israel’s Orphaned Land and Minneapolis Sleazy Rider Records recording artist Cold Colours.

Fair To Midland, Karnivool, Something To Burn, Samsahra, Severah Concert Review

Fair To Midland, Karnivool, Something To Burn, Samsahra, Severah

Monday, April 12, 2010

The Rock, Maplewood, MN

Two local bands I was seeing for the first time, Severah and Samsahra, drew an impressive number of people to the show early for a weekday night. The Rock was already quite full when Severah took the stage, and the audience responded well to their set of heavy, melodic rock. Singer Aaron Dahl sounds better than most local singers, and his voices fits the music well.

Click picture for more photos of Severah (11).

Samsahra was a bit more intense and heavy, and also got the still-growing crowd engaged. These were two of the best local openers I’ve seen in a while, so it felt worthwhile to have gotten to a show early for once.

Click picture for more photos of Samsahra (15).

Click to watch Samsahra play “Lost In Transition”.

Next up was Something To Burn who greeted the crowd by acknowledging that almost no one knew they were on the bill. The band is signed to Scott Weiland’s vanity label, Softdrive Records, and they wasted little time blazing through their six-song set. The audience was clearly unfamiliar with Something To Burn, but the band seemed to take this as a challenge as they played selections from their debut album such as “Start Again”, “Now & Forever”, and “Lie To Me”. Their polished hard rock sound went over well, and the audience was cheering loudly as the set closed with their latest single, “Say Goodbye”.

Click picture for more photos of Something To Burn (18).

Chants of “KARN-I-VOOL!” filled the air as Australia’s progressive hard rock masters took the stage with the subdued “Simple Boy”, the lead track from their latest album Sound Awake. All the best songs from Sound Awake were played to perfection with the energy that only a live show can bring. The epic “New Day” and “Goliath” were simply stunning, and Ian Kenny’s voice sounded in prime form as he effortlessly sang all the high notes. A couple songs from Themata including “Roquefort” were thrown in, but tonight’s really showcased Sound Awake. The emotional “All I Know” was another apex in the show, and “Set Fire To The Hive” reminded everyone that Karnivool is quite heavy-sounding at times, too. “Themata” ended the 45-mintute set, and it was clear from the crowd’s enthusiasm that they wanted much more. Samples and technology tricks are definitely a part of Karnivool’s sound, but these were kept to a minimum. The extensive roadwork of Karnivool showed, as the whole band sounded tight and well-polished. Singer Kenny has an interesting on stage persona, and combines robotic movements with controlled expressions. The feeling I had was the same after seeing Dream Theater play in a club to 50 people, and I imagine that it’s only a matter of time before Karnivool is playing larger venues. This is a band destined for great things.

Click picture for more photos of Karnivool (48).

Click to watch Karnivool play “All I Know”.

I wouldn’t call myself a fan of Fair To Midland, but I must say that you have to see the band to understand their quirky sound. I was surprised at how heavy this band really can be, and their show is a tsunami of energy. Most people I talked with at the show had seen Fair To Midland before, and it’s easy to see why they have a dedicated fan base that keeps coming back. “Walls Of Jericho” and “Dance Of The Manatee” were part of the set, but being unfamiliar with their catalog has me at a disadvantage of taking you through the set list. Let’s just say that Fair To Midland sounds much, much better live than their studio work would lead you to believe and their show is definitely impressive and entertaining.

Click picture for more photos of Fair To Midland (19).

I sat down for a chat over a beer with Karnivool guitarist Drew Goddard and drummer Steve Judd before their show, so stay tuned for a posting of this insightful interview soon! If you missed it, check out my review of Sound Awake here.

Epica/Threat Signal/Blackguard/Gracepoint/Echoterra Concert Review With Photos And Video

Epica, Threat Signal, Blackguard, Gracepoint, Echoterra

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Station 4, St. Paul, MN

Tonight was the debut live performance of Echoterra, the new band featuring members of Avian and Pyramaze and new vocalist Melissa Ferlaak (ex-Visions Of Atlantis). Despite the early start time, Station 4 was already packed to near-capacity when Echoterra took the stage with “Manifest Eternity”. The band made the most of their time and managed to get through most of their album, The Law Of One. “A Tear Of Her Heart” and “In Your Eyes” went over especially well with the crowd. Bassist Brian Hollenbeck took over the vocals for “Say, Try, Lie, Die” and surprised everyone with his great voice. The experience of the band members showed as everyone looked at ease in front of a crowd for the first time and sound-wise things sounded great. Hopefully tonight was just the beginning of Echoterra playing locally on a regular basis.

Click picture for more photos of Echoterra (14).

Click to watch Echoterra play "In Your Eyes".

Locals Gracepoint were up next with a short set of their technical, groove-laden thrash metal. The band’s musicianship is solid but the band’s weak point is the vocalist, whose aggressive approach doesn’t seem to fit the style of the band at times. Nevertheless, Gracepoint puts on a decent show and they remain a decent opening band for big shows like this.

Click picture for more photos of Gracepoint (5).

Problems with setting up Blackguard’s keyboards delayed the start of their set, but once they took the stage the club erupted into pandemonium. Blackguard is one of the most energetic live bands and their explosive stage presence whipped the crowd into a frenzy. This was first hearing Blackguard, so without any preconceived expectations I was blown away. The band was tight, and made a huge impressive with songs like “This Round’s On Me” and “In Time”. Not enough bands play new songs live, so it was cool that Blackguard played “Farewell”, a song written for their next album. Blackguard is potent live force, and it’s easy to see why they have so many excellent already booked for 2010.

Click picture for more photos of Blackguard (10).

Click to watch Blackguard play "Farewell".

It would be difficult for most bands to follow performance like that just given by Blackguard, and Threat Signal followed with an impressive show of their own. They didn’t elicit quite the same crowd response, and it was a shame that Threat Signal’s set was limited to 35 minutes. “Afterlife” and “Through My Eyes” from the outstanding Vigilance album opened the show, and three tracks from Under Reprisal (“A New Beginning”, Counterbalance”, and “Rational Eyes”) were interspersed into the set. Another new song, “The Beginning Of The End”, was especially well-received. By the time Threat Signal was done I was left wanting more, so hopefully a headlining tour is in the works.

Click picture for more photos of Threat Signal (10).

Click to watch Threat Signal play "Severed".

Click to watch Threat Signal play "Rational Eyes".

The last time Epica played Station 4 two and a half years ago, singer Simone Simons spent the day at the hospital being treated for a bacterial leg infection and took the stage on crutches and sang while seated on a stool. Back in full health, she and Epica were greeted by a near-sellout crowd that was hungry to hear songs their latest masterpiece, Design Your Universe. The first half of the set primarily featured songs from Design Your Universe, opening with “Resign To Surrender” and continuing with “Unleashed”, “Martyr Of The Free World”. “Sensorium” and “The Imperial March” (featured on The Classical Conspiracy) rounded out the early part of the show. Oliver Palotal from Kamelot took over keyboards for this tour, and a brief piano solo from him led into a stunning version of the ballad “Tides Of Time”. More of the Epica catalog was represented in the second half of the show, with songs from The Divine Conspiracy (“Sancta Terra”, “Menace Of Vanity”, and “The Obsessive Devotion”), Consign To Oblivion (“Quietus” and “Consign To Oblivion”), and The Phantom Agony (“Seif Al Din” and “Cry For The Moon”) all being played. The epic “Design Your Universe” and “Cry For The Moon” were both big highlights of the show, and guitarist Mark Jansen got fired up for the fast, heavy parts of these songs. The whole band sounded amazing tonight, and they clearly were having fun on stage. This was a long night of quality metal, so everyone left exhausted and satisfied. Epica is one of the best symphonic metal bands around, so don’t miss them during their yet-to-be-announced North American tour in November.

 Click picture for more photos of Epica (20).

 

Click to watch Epica play "Tides Of Time".

Massive Photo Archive

I have a massive archive of unpublished photographs from concerts and photoshoots throughout Southern California, Kansas City, and Lawrence, Kansas during the time I was publishing a metal magazine. These were shot in numerous clubs, arenas, and stadiums from 1997–2001. Among the bands I've shot throughout the years are Metallica, AC/DC, Slash, Thin Lizzy, Korn, Disturbed, Slipknot, Rob Zombie, Pantera, Danzig, Slayer, Megadeth, and many, many others! I've been thinking about a way to feature these photos here at Twin Cities Metal since there's some real gems that the world has never seen. If a band that I have photographed in the past has an upcoming show in the Twin Cities, I will post photos from my collection. I literally have several boxes of photographs from the past, so it will be fun to relive memories as I go through them!