Mastodon, Gojira, Kvelertak Concert Review

               On May 16, 2014, I had the privilege of witnessing Mastodon play live. The show started with Norwegian rockers Kvelertak (which means chokehold in Norwegian) partying it up with their 3 guitar assault. Lead singer Erlend Hjelvik ran around shirtless like a maniac singing in the bands native tongue. I was pretty excited to get to see these guys and all the hype that goes along with them. I read recently in an older issue of Revolver Magazine an interview with the band and how they won Norway’s equivalent of a Grammy award called Spellemannprisen for their debut album. Not a bad way to get the night started.

                Gojira came on next. Having seen them before, I sort of knew what to expect, but boy do they deliver each time. Their live set sounds much like their albums, which delivered the brutality to get the mosh pits rumbling. They would be a band to see as headliners at some point so you can fully experience these French metal monsters.

                Mastodon came out swinging. Their set flowed flawlessly from old to new songs and crushed everything in between. They played a couple songs from Crack the Skye, which in my opinion has to be somewhere near the top of my best metal albums of the last ten years. The riffs, the mind blowing bass lines, and Brann Dailor destroying his drum kit while making it look easy, made for unforgettable metal. Songs like “Blasteroid”, “Divinations”, “Crusher Destroyer”, “Oblivion”, and “Black Tongue” were played in mesmerizing fashion. Combine the brilliantly played metal, with the lights and lasers, not to mention the freaky clown head by the drum kit; it was definitely an amazing show and one to remember!

Death- Leprosy (2014 Reissue)

               Death was one of the most iconic death metal bands of our time. Relapse Records has been reissuing their work and Leprosy is the newest release. Originally released in 1988, the 2014 version comes fully re-mastered and has a second disc of demos and rehearsal material. To say that this album is amazing would be an understatement! Decibel Magazine named it the # 6 death metal album of all time, while Metal Hammer Magazine boldly states “Leprosy splatters blood from the beginning”. Who could argue with that statement with songs such as; “Pull the Plug” and “Open Casket”!

                This was the second official release by Death and by all accounts it hit the metal community like a tsunami. Chuck Schuldiner’s vocals cut like razors straight to the point, while the guitar work shred and chugged in what we now hear as true death metal fashion. In my opinion, Death set the example or blueprint of what death metal should sound like and this album set the bar very high. Throughout Death’s history, many of the band members changed from album to album with Schuldner being the only constant. On Leprosy, Rick Rozz (Massacre) handles guitar duty, Terry Butler (Massacre, Six Feet Under) on bass, and Bill Andrews (Massacre) destroys the drums. It’s no wonder why Massacre’s new album Back From Beyond was the epitome of classic death metal. Death’s legacy is why so many bands reference them as an influence, as well as cover some of their classic songs. A few examples of great Death covers to check out are; Psychotic Gardening covering “Open Casket” or Revocation covering “Pull the Plug”. So check out Death’s reissue and if all else fails, at least check out some great bands covering Death songs.