Album Review Recap

There's at least one show on the concert calendar (below right) every night for the rest of May, so I thought it'd be useful to provide handy links to recent album reviews for many of these bands. There's some great bands coming to town, so hopefully you have a chance to catch a couple of these!

Echoterra - In Your Eyes EP, 7/10

Echoterra - The Law Of One, 8/10

Echoterra plays their first headlining show tonight, Friday, May 21 at 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis with Alation, Hollowstone, and Dance Of The Mourning Child. The band will also perform Saturday, May 22 at Station 4 in St. Paul as part of the Earl Root Memorial Metal Massacre 2 fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Read the review of Echoterra's first performance (with pictures and video) while supporting Epica with Threat Signal, Blackguard, and Gracepoint

Slash - Slash, 7/10

Slash with Myles Kennedy singing plays tonight, Friday, May 21 at Northern Lights Casino in Walker, Minnesota.

Hypocrisy -A Taste Of Extreme Divinity, 8/10

Scar Symmetry -Dark Matter Dimensions, 8/10

Blackguard - Profugus Mortis, 7/10

Hypocrisy, Scar Symmetry, and Blackguard will perform with Hate and Swashbuckle on Sunday, May 23 at Station 4 in St. Paul.

Read the review of Blackguard's recent show (with pictures and video) while supporting Epica with Threat Signal, Echoterra, and Gracepoint.

Arsis - Starve For The Devil, 9/10

Misery Index - Heirs To Thievery, 9/10

Annotations Of An Autopsy - II: The Reign Of Darkness, 4/10

Arsis, Misery Index, and Annotations Of An Autopsy will be supporting Dying Fetus with Demonicon on Monday, May 24 at The Rock in Maplewood.

Read the review of Arsis's recent show (with pictures) while supporting Arch Enemy and Exodus.

Breaking Benjamin - Dear Agony, 6/10

Breaking Benjamin will support Nickelback with Shinedown and Sick Puppies at Target Center in Minneapolis on Monday, May 24.

The Crinn - Dreaming Saturn, 9/10

The Crinn headlines the bill on Saturday, May 29 at Station 4 in St. Paul with Dead By Wednesday, We Are Legion, Expyre, This Will Not End Well, and She Fach Dahm.

Read the review of The Crinn's Dreaming Saturn record release show with Ambassador Gun.

Primal Fear - 16.6 - Before The Devil Knows You're Dead, 7/10

Primal Fear plays on Sunday, May 30 at Station 4 in St. Paul with Havok, Avian, and Dawn Of Valor.

Read the review of Primal Fear's show at Minnesota MetalFest last year with Athiest, Novembers Doom, Destroy Destroy Destroy, Gnostic, Avian, and Gracepoint.

SwordLord Announcements And Promotions

Some changes to SwordLord-promoted shows have recently been made, along with some ticket promotions.
First, the complete support bill for Primal Fear on Sunday, May 30 at Station 4 in St. Paul has been finalized in light of Luna Mortis's cancellation due to breaking up. Support acts are now Avian, Havok, and Dawn Of Valor.
Next, Avian has announced that they have been forced to drop off the bill with Cage on Wednesday, June 23 at The Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis. Thanks to individual that posted a comment below that brought this to my attention! Replacing Avian is Dawn Of Valor, The Angle Obscure, and Avalon. Bring your ticket stub from the April 12 Sonata Arctica or May 30 Primal Fear show and admission is free! Otherwise, tickets for Cage are $8 in advance or at the door.
Lastly, head on over to SwordLord's Twitter page to get discounts on upcoming shows. Print out the appropriate tweet to get $5 off admission to Overkill/Vader/God Dethroned/Warbringer/Evile/Woe Of Tyrants on Sunday, April 11 at Station 4 in St. Paul, $3 off Sonata Arctica/Mutiny Within/Powerglove on Monday, April 12 at Station 4 in St. Paul, and $3 off Finntroll/Moonsorrow/Swallow The Sun/Survivors Zero on Saturday, April 17 at Station 4 in St. Paul.

Luna Mortis Breaks Up, Cancels Tour

Madison, Wisconsin's Luna Mortis have decided to call it a day, and have subsequently cancelled their upcoming US tour with Primal Fear. Luna Mortis was to have appeared at Station 4 in St. Paul on Sunday, May 30.

Primal Fear Album Review

Primal Fear – 16.6 – Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead

Frontiers, 2009

7/10

With Primal Fear you can be pretty sure of what you’re going to get – classic-sounding power metal and soaring vocals ground out with German precision. Despite the unusual title, 16.6 – Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead delivers quality metal on all fronts. Everything is here, from the speed metal opener “Riding The Eagle”, to pounding anthems such as “Killbound”, “Six Times Dead (16.6)”, and “Smith & Wesson”, to the epic ballads “Black Rain” and “Hands Of Time”. Things even mixed up a little bit with modern-sounding studio tricks used on “Soar” and “No Smoke Without Fire”. The production is crisp and clear, with a solid balance between the instruments while enabling Ralph Sheepers’ pipes to sing and scream above the band. No new ground is broken here, but that’s not what Primal Fear is trying to do. One could legitimately claim that Primal Fear is continuing through a well-worn formulaic path, but this is trumped by the quality of the songs. 16.6 – Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead is a solid, well-performed effort that further cements Primal Fear as one of the leading power metal bands.

Primal Fear put in a long, powerful set during their last visit to Station 4 in September (review and pictures are here), so expect another night of loud, crazy metal when they return in May.

Primal Fear will be appearing at Station 4 in St. Paul on Sunday, May 30. Support will come from Luna Mortis.

Primal Fear Concert Announcement

Way back on October 29 I reported here that Primal Fear would be coming to town. Their 2010 North American tour in support of their latest Frontiers album, 16.6 - Before The Devil Knows You're Dead, has now officially been announced. This tour includes a stop at Station 4 in St. Paul on Sunday, May 30. The only support band announced so far is Madison, Wisconsin's Century Media recording artist Luna Mortis. Check out the review and pictures of Primal Fear's show at the 2009 Minnesota MetalFest.

Upcoming Shows in 2010!

SwordLord Productions posted a message its Twitter page cryptically revealing some shows planned for 2010, with the hint to "unscramble for a sneak peak! RIMLAP RAFE, ROTREAK, ACEPI, ONSTAA CARCATI". This translates to Primal Fear, Kreator, Epica, and Sonata Arctica - looks like some great shows will be announced soon!

Minnesota MetalFest Concert Review

Minnesota MetalFest: Primal Fear, Atheist, Novembers Doom, Destroy Destroy Destroy, Gnostic, Avian, Gracepoint, Grand Demise Of Civilization, Avalon

Monday, September 7, 2009

Station 4, St. Paul, MN

The Minnesota MetalFest was resurrected once again this year, featuring perhaps the most diverse lineup ever. Held on Labor Day, things got off to start early in the afternoon. I arrived late in the afternoon and caught the last couple songs from locals Gracepoint. They seem to straddle the line of aggressive technical metal and did a decent enough job of keeping the early crowd interested. The final local band up was Avian, easily the best and most professional area band going right now. Avian played a short selection of songs from both of their albums, From The Depths Of Time and Ashes And Madness, to rousing applause. This was the first show to feature their new guitarist, who stepped up and admirably replaced the big shoes left by Bill Hudson (ex-Cellador). Fans of Iron Maiden and Savatage would be well advised to check out this amazing band.

Atlanta’s Gnostic then took the stage and played with unbelievable intensity. Featuring three members of Athiest, Gnostic plays insane, jazz-fused technical hardcore that almost defies categorization. Fans of Athiest and Cynic may be put off by the screaming vocal style, but Gnostic is certainly forging their own musical style. I found it to be a little too much at times, but they’re certainly an interesting band. I was thrilled at the inclusion of Destroy Destroy Destroy on the bill, and they didn’t disappoint fans of their Children Of Bodom-influenced thrash metal. They blitzed onto stage looking like redneck Vikings, and received a huge response from the crowd as they stormed through songs from Battle Sluts and Devour The Power. Despite their keyboard player missing this tour, the band played along to tapes to replicate their massive sound. Destroy Destroy Destroy has huge potential, and a larger record label would be wise to discover this excellent band.

The biggest surprise of the day was Chicago’s Novembers Doom. I had never paid attention to this band after not liking their first album some years ago, but I was blown away at how great they sounded. The closest similarity I can draw is to the heavy, crushing doom of Swallow The Sun. Their hour-long set was quite different from all the other bands, and I hope that they can make to these parts for shows in the future. Athiest was a bit of a let down following Novembers Doom’s set. The band, especially vocalist Kelly Shaefer, came across as a bit too relaxed and lackadaisical. A selection from all three of their ground-breaking albums was performed with excellent delivery, but the band seemed to be having an off night. This was definitely better than the disappointing show from Cynic I saw earlier this year, but I still felt like I wasn’t seeing Athiest at their best.

Last up, after nearly an hour-long wait, was headliner Primal Fear, here from Germany on the opening night of their first American tour. The band had to be disappointed by the turnout, as it didn’t seem the size of crowd had grown since late afternoon. Despite this, Primal Fear churned out 90 minutes of power metal that left no one disappointed. Highlights from their new album, 16.6 – Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead, were played (“Killbound”, “Six Time Dead (16.6)”, “Riding The Eagle”) alongside older fan favorites such as “Nuclear Fire”, “Fighting The Darkness”, and “Metal Is Forever”. Vocalist Ralf Scheepers is an imposing force on stage, both physically and sonically. He let loose screams with ease that showed why he nearly became the singer for Judas Priest. The entire band was tight, and seemed to be having fun on stage. Primal Fear was an exceptional end to a long day, and the entire audience stuck around to show their appreciation. All in all, the day was an enormous success with a diverse, unique bill. Let’s just hope that the promoter’s financials worked out to warrant continuation of a superb festival-style experience in a club.