Pissing off Scenesters Since 1995
Sounds of the Underground/ July 2, 2005/ Starland Ballroom Parking Lot
The inaugural run for the Sounds of the Underground tour has gotten underway. Thousands of angst ridden teenagers have come to Sayerville for this all day affair. Its main purpose is to find a less expensive alternative to its metal rival, Ozzfest or its punk rock friend, The Warped Tour. It brought 18 bands from all types of genres to kick our asses for 12 hours. The diversity of the lineup also kept the day from getting boring. You have some metal bands, hardcore bands, hardcore/metal crossover bands, and Gwar. Gwar gets their own category, because seriously how would one define Gwar, they certainly are not a band that can easily define what kind of music they play.
The first band to play was Metal Blade Records artist, The Red Chord. Since they opened the show, they had the unfortunate honor of playing to just about nobody as the line to get into the venue was beyond ridiculous. They did their thing and while not being a fan of the band, I do know that their short set consisted of songs off their recently released album, “Clients†and just they took the time to thank everyone who would watch them. To my surprise, the people who were inside the venue knew their songs and were eagerly singing along to this grind/hardcore band. After their set ends, Devildriver came on.
For anyone not familiar with Devildriver, they are the new band from former Coal Chamber singer, Dez. How they got on this tour, I will never know. They definitely fit the mold more of an Ozzfest type band, which they played last year. Devildriver played material from their last album and a song or two from their album on Roadrunner that is about to be released. I’m not a fan what so ever of this band, but I figured I would be good and give each band a shot. The crowd again seemed pretty into them, which surprises me, because fans of hard rock, whether it be metal, hardcore or whatever are very fickle. But they responded well to Devildriver, and they too thanked us for checking them out so early in the day.
Next up was A Life Once Lost. This Philadelphia group has decided to change up their sound a bit now with their latest release, “Witness.†They’re still a hardcore band but now they’re sounding a bit more like Pantera with their music. Playing “Vulture†and “Needleman†from the new album got the crowd going. Seeing how the album had been out less than a week when the show happened, people were aware what was new and what was not. This is a band that has continually gotten better as time has gone on, and now they played in front of a ton of people, and got over with the crowd, with their intense set. Singer Rob Meadows was all over the place, not standing still for one minute, while intensely screaming into the mic for each song. This group is slowly becoming a band that I feel I should pay more attention to. Their set ends, which seemed a bit short to be honest, but they rocked the house and were up to that point, the strong point of the show, easily outplaying Red Chord and Devildriver.
All That Remains was the next band. I feel that All That Remains had the luxury or getting another bands fan base, instantly because Philip Labonte was the singer of a fairly popular metal band at the time, Shadows Fall. But he left Shadows Fall in 1998, so between now and then he’s gotten fans. They simply tore the stage apart. At times, Labonte would climb down the 8 foot stage to interact with the crowd while singing with them on the guardrail. I recognized some songs off their latest release, “This Darkened Heart†but for the most part showcased some new songs. It was awesome to know that I saw this band in a hole in the wall club in New Jersey in front of 115 kids, and now I’m seeing them destroy the place in front of 3,000 people. They were so good.
After All That Remains gets off stage, a huge banner is raised with “MADBALL†on it and I am pumped. I have seen Madball many times, them being on this tour struck me as an odd move, because this New York Hardcore band really doesn’t strike me as the American Festival tour type of band. But they do have a new album coming out on Ferret Records, so maybe they want to get some new fans. Freddy, Hoya, Riggs and Mitts grasped the crowds attention from the get-go. Opening with a new song, “For my Enemies†which appeared on last years “N.Y.H.C. EP†as well as their new album, “Legacy†and I was hooked. They scattered in some new songs, but did play the now classic Madball Song, “Demonstrate My Style†and “Hold it down†and that was just it. It was exactly what I expected, and I was really surprised they got a good reaction from a crowd that really wouldn’t be into them. I’ve seen them better, but this set was certainly a good way to get someone into them for the first time.
High on Fire took the stage after the mighty Madball and just punched everyone in the face with the power metal that they delivered. This powerful trio led by Matt Pike of Sleep fame roared through their set and in no time were getting off the stage. They rarely spoke in between songs, occasionally saying, “thank you†to the crowd after completion of songs. This band is part Motorhead, part Slayer, and part Mastodon. Very fast, very heavy and very doom and gloom. I’ve heard songs of theirs, but song titles escape me. They were definitely good, but I think they fit the smaller club setting better.
The Devin Townsend led, Strapping Young Lad was up next. Their songs are so intense, his scream is so high pitched you cringe, but somehow it all works out perfectly. Townsend comes on stage to a roaring round of applauds and poses a little bit in a “Look at me, I’m a rock star†kinda way and promptly says, “Thank you San Diego, We are Strapping Young Lad from Canada, Thank you for ruining hockey for us, We hate you… Now go buy our Fucking Merch†and go right into their first song. Townsend doesn’t take himself seriously at all, at one point having a shark puppet on his hand to talk trash on the crowd and then introduce a new song, “Shitstorm†and that was that. They ended their set with the song that got me really into them, “relentless†and they leave the crowd chanting their name. I didn’t expect them to be so intense and heavy live, but they exceeded my expectations.
Orange County heavyweights Throwdown were up next. This band over the last two years have gotten huge, and when I say huge, I’m talking like how Hatebreed got huge in between 2001 and 2002. Throwdown like most of the bands is releasing an album while on this tour, and they had the honor of released Vendetta the Tuesday before the show and showcased some material off of it. But I was happy that they still play “Unite†live, because it’s really a staple for this straightedge outfit. It’s their to let people know about their lifestyle. They now say that the song is about how metal, hardcore and punk kids should all be as one, but come on now, it’s their “firestorm†so to speak. The highlight of the set was something they’ve been doing for a while now, and it’s a cover of Sepultura’s “Roots Bloody Roots†because as time has went on, Throwdown has gotten a sound that is similar to later Sepultura and the crowd reacted well to it.
Buffalo’s Every Time I Die is up next. They were a main reason I went to this show, I love this band. Every time I see them, they never fail to entertain and amuse me. They are not the tightest band in the world, but they make you have fun. They really don’t play material off of their full length debut, but they played plenty off of Hot Damn! And I thought it was a good set. Vocalist Keith Buckley is so strange, his antics on stage never stop amusing me. They played a new song off of their new album “Gutter Phenomenon†and it re-assured me that they continue to evolve as a band. Regulars such as “Romeo A Go-Go†and ending with “She’s my Rushmore†was awesome. They did everything I had hoped for. I was only bummed because the in between song banter from Buckley was minimal. But that’s really my only complaint.
Norma Jean was up next, the spastic grind/hardcore band took the stage and promptly went into “The Entire World is Counting on Me and They Don’t even Know it†which didn’t surprise me, but with them changing singers in between their full lengths , I thought they would play more songs off of “O God, The Aftermath†but that was not the case. Although their new singer sounds exactly like their old one, so it was a seamless transition I thought. They changed styles a bit from one CD to the next, on their recent CD, they’ve taken a bit more of an approach to sound like Botch, which is a good thing. They played a few songs, because most of their songs are a bit long. But they got through “Bayonetworkâ€, “Murderotica†and “Charactuntula†before exiting the stage for the mighty GWAR.
I’ve only witnessed the massacre known as a set from GWAR only once in my life, in 1995. So it’s been a while since I’ve seen them. I still to this day don’t know a song by them with the exception of “Sick of You“, but they are so goddamned entertaining. It’s a shame that they only get a half hour set to kill people on stage, spew blood and whatever the hell else they spew at the crowd, as Oderus Urungus came on stage and belted out hit after hit as the crowd absolutely at it up. The show started with a priest of some kind, possibly the pope having his face ripped off and blood started to go everywhere. The crowd was getting soaked in blood, many of whom held up white t-shirts and let the fluids GWAR sprayed them with to get hit, so they can say they survived a Gwar show. Also killed on stage were George Bush and a monster of some kind. It was so much fun, after a few songs and killings, Oderus looks into the crowd and says, “We’ve been with you for 22 minutes now and we’re Sick of You†and the ended with set with “Sick of You†and left the stage and you looked around and you saw red puddles everywhere. The crowd, bouncers, photographers, everyone and everything was drenched. It was the most entertaining set of a band I had seen in a festival ever. Well worth it. Just a shame, because they should have played longer.
Opeth and Chimaira were the next two bands to play. Opeth is an amazing band recorded, don’t fit in what so ever with a touring festival, because their songs are long and involved and can be boring live to some people. They only played three songs, one of which was brand new one. It was a good break in the action after just witnessing Gwar, but they were really out of place here. Not a lot of people really seemed into them, which is a shame, but those are the breaks. Two of the songs played were “Drapery Falls†and “Deliverance†I believe.
Chimaira was a band I have always thought was awful. I just don’t like them, but I did say that I would give every band a shot today, and that’s exactly what I did and I came out of this with my previous feelings about them. I will never support this band, and how anyone likes them is beyond me. And another thing, when the hell did people start liking them? That was the strangest incident of the day, even more strange than being sprayed with blood and urine from Oderus Urungus.
Florida hardcore rock stars Poison the Well was up next. Word has it, they are in the process of wanting to record another album, which is a good thing, because “You Come Before You†was a very good album for them. That doesn’t take away from the fact that they sounded really off today. They played material that spanned their entire collection, focusing on material from “Opposite of December†with songs like “Slice Paper Wrists†and “Nerdy†so it was a good setlist. They made no mention of new material what so ever, so it makes me wonder how they got so high up on the bill to do this, but the crowd seemed really into them. New Jersey has always supported this band, and they continued the support today.
Massachusetts metallers Unearth were next up. This is yet another band that just absolutely huge in a matter of no time. Crushing breakdowns, metallic grooves, and lots of funneling beers happen on stage with these guys. Ken Susi has to be one of the most talented guitarists around right now, and I feel he should get some credit for what he does. They focused on material off of the “On Coming Storm†but managed to throw in some oldies for their hardcore fans. “Endless†and “Only the People†were the highlights of the set for me. They kicked ass for their set and proclaimed that they’d be back for Hellfest later on in the summer.
Clutch was up next. Mixed in between all the metal, hardcore and GWAR, Clutch at first seemed out of place, but after seeing them in the past and have Murphys Law and VOD open for them, you know they appreciate the harder music in life. When the sun went down, Clutch took the stage and played a handful of songs. Some jamming was done on their part. And the crowd loved it. The funny thing about their set was the fact that for a majority of the day, all you saw were younger people, dancing hard and what not. Clutch gets on stage and we’re all singing along, and I look around and it’s all older people. Where the hell were they all day? It was great. Clutch got a great reaction from the crowd and anyone doubting why they are on this tour, go check them out for yourself. Neil Fallon is a great front man, and he’s got one hell of an impressive beard.
From Autumn to Ashes was the second to last band to play. Earlier in the day, I had heard from a guy that was covering them that they may not show due to mechanical problems. If only were were so lucky. The played one song off “Too bad you’re beautiful†and the others off of “The Fiction We Live†with a new song sprinkled in there. How people could be bored during Clutch but go crazy for From Autumn to Ashes is aggravating. They were out of tune the entire time, constantly reminded us they were wasted, because we care you’ve been drinking all day. Their drummer and his voice annoy me and I have to say I don’t think I hate a band more than From Autumn To Ashes today, they were awful and a waste of my time. They dropped off the tour a few days ago, so people should be lucky they won’t have to encounter their drunken set.
Finally, after 11+ hours of metal mayhem and most pits, Lamb of God took the stage. They had walls upon walls of amps on there. Not sure if they’re for decoration or what, either way it’s impressive, the only band to have more on a stage that small was Pantera. Randy Blythe came on stage and hopped around and couldn’t stand still and they roared into “Laid to Rest†and continued for a while. They closed with “Black Label†which set the crowd off like no one’s business. Lamb of God is a band that I have trouble getting into, but I will admit that they are tight live, probably one of the tightest bands around, and they kickass at what they do. I don’t quite think they are the front runners of the “New Wave of American Death Metal†as people have proclaimed them to be. They are good, but lets’ not get silly here. They did not do the “Wall of Death†where they separate the crowd and basically incite a riot in the mosh pit, so that was a downer. But it was a good set.
After I realized the day was over, I began to think that this was a pretty damn good festival. A definite alternative to other festivals. And much cheaper to boot. It turned people onto some bands they normally would not listen to. And I’m happy about that. It’s about time that Madball was in constant rotation in a kids iPod along with Lamb of God and From Autumn to Ashes. The sets were not too long or short for that matter. It gave everyone a fair chance to see what a band can do. It was totally worth it and I had a good time, I hope this touring festival comes back next year and comes back with an even more powerful lineup.