From The Vault - EXHUMED

Death metal/grindcore band Exhumed was in town last night with Suffocation, Jungle Rot, Rings Of Saturn, and Adimiron; to mark the occasion here are some pictures of Exhumed back in 2000.

Exhumed live in 2000. Click on any of the pictures to see more photos from this show (14).

These shots were taken August 11, 2000 at the Showcase Theater in Corona, California as part of the Relapse Contamination Tour with Cephalic Carnage and Origin. Exhumed had been through San Diego and Los Angeles earlier in the year as direct support to Mayhem but I missed them both times.

Exhumed pulled out all the stops at the Corona show while promoting Slaughtercult. Following the sets from Origin and Cephalic Carnage, Exhumed took the stage and made an indelible impression on the crowd. Aside from the musical insanity, their show included fire breathing, chainsaws, projectile vomiting, and rivers of fake blood.

I don't know if Exhumed still does this type of show, so drop a line in the comments if you were at the show last night in St. Paul or have seen them on the current tour.

In Concert This Week - August 23, 2012

For once in a long time it seems there’s not an overload of concerts this week, but there’s some good ones!

Tonight, Thursday, August 23, local nü-metal crew Blue Felix plays a free show at Neisen’s in Savage.

It’s been a while since Canada’s Into Eternity has visited, but they are back with new singer Amanda Kiernan (who has replaced Stu Block, now the singer of Iced Earth) at Station 4 in St. Paul on Friday, August 24 with support from locals Cold Colours, Climactic, and Northsky.

Saturday, August 25 is an awesome night of death metal at Station 4 in St. Paul as Canadian heavyweights Kataklysm headline an impressive bill with Origin, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Vital Remains, and Rose Funeral. Origin leveled Station 4 back on May 17 (review with pictures here), so don’t miss then this time!

Click photo to see more pictures of Origin (56).

I’ve never counted the number of times Poison frontman/celebrity Bret Michaels plays solo dates here in a year, but it’s a lot. He’s back again for a solo acoustic show at The Pourhouse in Minneapolis on Sunday, August 26. Bret is performing as part of the Breathe Easy Music Fest II, also featuring the Tim Mahoney Band, Cole Allen Band, Crankshaft And The Gear Grinders, Saving Starz, BKS, and Clifton Wales, which is a benefit event for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. According to a great article in the Stillwater Patch, this festival was originally scheduled for last month outdoors at the home of organizer Rob Olson in Lake Elmo but was cancelled after he mistakenly killed his 40,000 square foot lawn with a grass-killing herbicide! Not only did The Pourhouse offer the venue free of charge for the event, but Scott’s (the lawn care company) offered to restore Olson’s lawn for next summer’s festival and provided the money to book Bret Michaels.

Christian metalcore outfit Mychildren Mybride play an all ages show on Tuesday, August 28 at The Garage in Burnsville with Betrayal, Lions Lions, and Famous Last Words.

If you’re willing to suffer the parking and crowd at the Minnesota State Fair, Kiss and Mötley Crüe have sold-out co-headlining concert at the State Fair Grandstand in St. Paul on Wednesday, August 29. Support will come from England’s The Treatment.

ORIGIN Concert Review

Origin

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Station 4, St. Paul, MN

Click on any of the pictures to see more photos of Origin (56).

Early shows are a blessing and a curse. It’s great that shows get done at a reasonable hour, but with five bands being on a bill not unusual (at seven bands played this night!) it’s impossible to get to a club early enough to catch most of the bands. So tonight I arrived just as Origin was getting ready to hit the stage, leaving only enough time for me to briefly say hello to guitarist and old friend Paul Ryan.

It had been years since I had seen Origin, and the level of professionalism and energy now on display was impressive. Following the obligatory intro tape Paul and drummer John Longstreth literally launched the show with “Expulsion of Fury”, demonstrating the the technicality and precision for which the band is known. The first half of the 55 minute set focused on their latest album, Entity, with “Purgatory”, “Swarm”, and “Saligia” earning stares of respect from those not in the vicious mosh pit. Nods to older albums Echoes Of Decimation (“Staring From The Abyss”) and Informis Infinitas Inhumanitas (“Implosion Of Eternity” and “Portal”) were given, while newer material such as “Wrath Of Vishnu”, “The Aftermath”, and “Evolution Of Extinction” filled out the majority of the show. Paul and bassist Mike Flores mainly stick to their spots on stage, but vocalist Jason Keyser controlled the stage and did a great job of keeping the crowd engaged between songs. Ending the night with “Banishing Illusion”, Origin left no doubts as to why they sit atop the plethora of current death metal bands. Their technical execution is incredible, and due credit must be given to John for somehow holding all the songs together from behind the drumkit. A true spectacle to behold, Origin puts on a show that any death metal fan should not miss.

See my earlier post from May 18 (“ORIGIN: New Album Should Arrive in 2013”) for a summary of my chat with Paul Ryan after the show where he reflects on Origin’s longevity and provides an update about the next album tentatively slated for next year.

Origin returns to Station 4 in St. Paul as main support to Kataklysm on Saturday, August 25. Other supporting bands will be Fleshgod Apocalypse, Vital Remains, and Rose Funeral.

ORIGIN Gets a Major Splash in the New York Times

You gotta love this - how often do you see a death metal band receiving this kind of ink in a publication such as the New York Times? The Monday, June 4 edition featured a lengthy review of the Scion Rock Fest held this past Saturday, June 2 in Tampa, Florida on the front page of the Arts sections (page C1), including a sweet, page-spanning picture of Origin. The second page of the review (page C7) also features another large live shot of Origin. These, and other photos of the event, can be viewed in the accompanying slide show. (Note: Registration or subscription may be required to view links). The review ("Metalheads of All Alloys, Swirling Into the Night") by Ben Ratliff, focuses on the stoner/doom acts on the bill (Down, Saint Vitus, Sleep) and the unusual sponsorship by Toyota's Scion brand.

I don't usually read the New York Times, so it seemed weird to then see a positive review of the latest album, Childhood's End, by Norwegian black metal experimentalists Ulver in the June 5 edition. Keep up the great work, Mr. Ratliff!


Origin returns to Station 4 in St. Paul on Saturday, August 25 as direct support to Kataklysm with additional support from Fleshgod Apocalypse, Vital Remains, and Rose Funeral.