Last night I emerged from my coma... See, except for an attending an occasional metal show at an arena, I have only stayed connected to my metal roots by being a DJ and a hermitish metal fan. Last night I began the new relationship between BGR and the Jaxx Nightclub in the Washington, D.C. area. I haven't spent time at Jaxx since probably around 2000 when I was playing in bands there. For those of you don't know Jaxx is the ONLY game in town if you want metal around here. Needless to say, after being away for six years, it instantly made me feel 25 again. For anyone who fell into the "life-trap" and stopped going to shows, I beg you to reconsider.
Ok, so what was a great way for me to emerge from my distortion sleep? God Forbid. Goatwhore. Mnemic. Yeah... While I will admit right up front that I know OF these bands, a few singles each maybe, I've never followed any of em', so in a way I was somewhat unbiased when it came to watching them. And I was ready to learn about em'.
My night started off seeing a few old faces that got older while I was away, which reminded me how cool it was to see yer old "mates". I also watched the faces of the new metal generation. They are just like I was. Wired. Pumped. In a state of non-belief. How cool it was to see the excitement in their eyes. I then entered the hall. Jaxx was the same "structure" I remembered, but gone were the dance lights, the flashy 360 degree bars, and the neon. Whoa. This place turned to 100% metal while i was away. Nice. The bars 3 bars were pushed back against the walls now, as if to make room for... destruction. VERY cool.
Unfortunately, a common problem with Jaxx is that their sound system is VERY powerful. Which is something a metal club SHOULD have. What makes it unfortunate is that many metal bands have either a young and inexperienced sound guy OR they have an old engineer who is just looking for work... The older dude can actually tend to be worse because his hearing has been destroyed by a lifetime of metal. I'm pretty much saying that with all three bands, the sound system was more than their engineer could handle, because in no way did volume equal quality. It was PAINFULLY loud all night. As a matter of fact, when I was snapping photos for BGR I had my head next to the stacks. I had to step away because the pressure shift in my ears gave me vertigo. Call me a pussy if you want, but I worked in metal clubs for 6 years. Overkill, Motorhead, and Savatage did damage on me more than once. Anyway, enough on that.
I had arrived five minutes before Mnemic, so I surveyed the digs and found my spot. In the event you wondered, I am guessing that the attendance was maybe 350 people? I dunno... Anyway, within a few minutes the lights dropped and the bands intro began to play. The lights popped on, the blare rang through the air, and the band members let loose with the traditional, whirlwind headbang method. While it was the only time they did that in their show, I would rate their whirlwind execution on a scale of 1-10, as being a solid 9... What a cool way to turn my old motor back on. The five piece band had what THESE days is getting rare. A singer who sings. While he could scream and groan like the kids these days, he had melody. The band featured songs with solid headbanging beats. Good ole' moshin' beats. Double bass was rippin on the drums, but they only blast-beated maybe twice through the set, which was fine with me. They made the music offbeat by flipping time signatures and whatnot. Kept it interesting. The band was also obviously well rehearsed, and looked and acted professional. The bass player was DAMN entertaining. Very animated, very funny. It sounded as if the singer might have been from somewhere in Europe when he spoke between songs. One thing I didn't pick up on in there set was any guitar solos. The guitarists seemed technical enough to pull it off, but I guess thats just not their thing. As the band was getting ready to play their last song, they announced a special guest. I think it just might have been the bass players 9 year old, headbanging kid. So Mnemic tore off into the end of their set, father-and-son headbanging side by side. The band was fun, they had chops, they were good live, and I was smiling at the end of their set. Good start. For a national-level opening band I score em 8 of 10.
Goatwhore was up next. Much to the chagrine of DJ Keoll, I LOVE some Goatwhore. My wife cringes when I speak the bands name in the house. That ALONE is cool as fuck. The club's darkness came to light and the four piece band from Louisiana showed you who they were right from the start. They were all in black. COVERED in spikes... As if to say, "Kerry King, get that kiddie-style nail armband crap outta here". I am being straight up when I tell you that they looked simply dangerous. The singer was thin and tall but commanded an incredible presence. Imagine a hardcore, angry Ron Keel. He was in control. His spider-like arms and fingers tore through the air during their entire set, yet when he spoke between songs he seemed very friendly. The guitarist and bass player were pretty active, but gave the singer his space. I gotta tell ya. The string players in the band had some of the coolest glossy black guitars you will EVER see. Guitars in the vain of BC Rich, but they were amped WAY up. Simply put, some fuckin evil lookin' axes. The guitarist had a NYHC look about him, while the bass player looked like a demonic Layne Staley. The drummer did his job. He was very smooth and didn't get in the way. Between songs the crowd grunted and groaned excitedly as if they were trying to communicate with the band members. It was rather comical to tell you the truth. There was even this bald chick. She was outta control. Trust me on this fellas twas good times for all. The pit was violent, but was not out of control. Ya know, people helping people up. Good clean fun. For those who don't know Goatwhore, imagine Celtic Frost as they USED to be, add blast-beats, and multiply the heavy factor times ten. Hope that helps... The set ended with their single, "Alchemy Of The Black Sun Cult" which was a perfect ending for me cause that's my fave. Score? 9 of 10... They lost a point cause their sound guy sucked.
Ok! Headliner time! . As the stage was being set, I noticed the fog machine kick into overdrive and the crew brought out extra par cans and strobes. I always get excited when the crew adds more lights to the stage. Once set, the lights dropped and the speakers belted out "Duel of the Fates" from the Star Wars Episode 1 soundtrack... Ok, a little geeky to start the show, but lets see how it goes. Guess what. That intro song was the ONLY odd part of their set. They were VERY good. The stage was washed with fog and rare with bands of today, they had LOTS of great colors in their lightshow. The whole band was in control and was full of power. They rocked it out on one song, then would go apeshit the next. The two guitar players did live, harmonic, backup vocals masterfully. Of the three bands this was the only band to bless me with not only guitar solos, but DUAL guitarists soloing together. Thank the Gods! They were VERY tight and in-synch. The fans of the evening went into their largest frenzy of the night and it lasted their whole set. When it comes to the drums, they fit the bill, but unfortunately when they put up all the extra lights, the light guy must have forgotten to point any of them at the drummer. I didn't see him all night. The singer was solid, excited, and active. Unfortunately his mic was mixed and amped horribly so I can't say I understood one word he said the whole night, except for what he said before one song. "Our next song goes out to Dimebag and the troops overseas..... "To The Fallen Heroes". I was glad that of all the words he said last night, those were the ones I heard. RIP to em both. Killer dedication, killer song. Of all three bands this band had the biggest impact on me. I'll tell ya right now... I am giving this band 10 out of 10 as a live band. Why? Because when I watched them, they were having fun. They were happy with their place in metal, and you could read their faces to say, "If it all ended tomorrow, I will never forget the experience". These dudes LOVE what they do. They were simply electric. You could see they were fulfilling a dream right in front of you... How cool.
Overall, the night rated 8 out of 10 and that was merely because these bands needed to find better sound crews. I really enjoyed the journey through last night and it appears that my coma may be over.
Coming next week I hope to give you a review of the Kittie show at Jaxx on the 18th, and the All That Remains show on the 23rd, that is if the wife lets me out. Go to the BGR gallery (CLICK HERE) and check out my pics from last night's the show.
BE SURE to check out our new friends at JAXX NIGHTCLUB! WWW.JAXXROXX.COM
If you would like to attend a Jaxx show please let me know. I might be able to drag you along with me.
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And oh yeah...
Peace and Metal Grease!
berube
