Zakk Jones -
November 19, 2004Mainzer Theater, Merced -- After going to so many shows and not knowing what to expect, it felt good to finally look forward to seeing a bill that included two personal favorites. Friday night’s decidedly stacked lineup at Merced’s Mainzer Theater turned out to be one such show, featuring two heavyweights of the Central Valley metal scene and some pleasant surprises.
Playing first was Strapping Young Fork. Or was it Forking Tung Lad? Either way, Sacramento's Forktung share some striking similarities with Canadian industrial grinders Strapping Young Lad. Ross, the band's lead vocalist, does an admirable job of approaching that threshold where screaming takes on an atmospheric quality, but lacks SYL singer Devin Townsend's ferociously melodic wail. Nor does the band share much of SYL's industrial underpinnings. What Forktung does possess skillfully is a thorough understanding of Strapping's "controlled chaos" technique, removing hardcore's atonality and incongruity and replacing it with a brutal, precise and flying-headlong-towards-the-sun-at-mach-five death/grind backing. Not to mention a penchant for funny song titles ("Bucket of Meat," anyone?).
The Venting Machine soak up the spotlight |
The crowd thoroughly pumped after Forktung's set, Central Valley favorites the Venting Machine would soon plow through a set of their crunchy riff-laden thrash metal. As anyone who's seen a Venting show can attest, there is no shortchanging of musical ability here. These guys consistently fire on all cylinders and clearly have a good time while they're at it. Singer Brady Hoover in particular was making the most of his free time on stage, announcing the band as "Metallica" and "Poison", and at times performing dance moves more becoming of a member of Parliament than Pantera. Guitarist Jeremy Epp, meanwhile, stomped about the stage without missing a beat, clearing the air every once in a while with a few of his well-known shredding guitar runs.
Next was Thr3efold, another top Central Valley attraction, whose lineup now contains drummer Tristen Costa, formerly of Origins of Consequence. Having seen Thr3efold with former skinsman Chuck Gaither, I can happily report that Costa fits the bill so well it's almost impossible to tell whether or not there was ever a change in the lineup. On this night in particular, Thr3efold's oft-melodic speed metal was purely intact. Guitarist and vocalist Jason James sets the tone well with his drill-sergeant bark and meaty, palm-muted power chords. Jimbo, as always, is a technical marvel on the bass with his spider-like fretwork and keen sense of melody, which is never as apparent as on the band's progressive-tinged opus, "Respect."
Up-and-comers Sickle geared up next, playing a mixture of hardcore, industrial and thrash that isn't exactly unheard of but isn't terribly common either. The ambiance provided by Sickle electronics knob-turner Jibs was a welcome ingredient amongst the sea of breakdowns and double bass-driven thrash runs. Though intriguing in a "Static-X meets Lamb of God" type of way, Sickle sound much better in their thrashier moments, when all of the seemingly disparate elements coalesce with much intensity and tightness. Whether or not their style agrees with you, one can't deny their popularity in local circles. His band having generated one of the largest and most enthusiastic crowds of the night, lead vocalist Adam Raffety had to remind the audience on many occasions to refrain from moshing.
Then came the onstage theatrics of Stigmurder, who played a fairly common style of nu-metal with some flashes of old style thrash and hardcore thrown in. Like Sickle, Stigmurder's music is much easier to digest when they eighty-six the Slipknot and Korn-like conventions and stick with the thrash-influenced corner of the spectrum, which seems to suit them more. Then again, I've historically been no proponent of nu-metal, so do with that assessment what you will.
Particularly enjoyable was Stigmurder's onstage antics, which included members of the band in trenchcoats, tribal facepaint, and in the case of the band's bass player, a full-body paintjob complete with what appeared to be a very long skirt. At this juncture, stage presence looks to be Stigmurder's forte, but it'll be interesting to see how they develop musically as their career moves forward.
Check out more photos from this event in Powerslave.com's Picture Gallery
|
