11/30 Hammerstien Ballroom, NYC

I pulled out all the stops to make it down to the old hometown to see the last big metal tour of the year. Rarely do you get two good bands on a bill let alone three great ones and a decent one for a fair price. So I broke out of work by noon on Friday, caught the Greyhound to NYC by 12:30 and got off the bus at and was chillin on 8^th Avenue by 5:15. After a quick stop at Grey's Papaya for two dogs with mustard/kraut/onions, a cup of pineapple juice and a potential case of botulism; I was ready for the show. The line to get in was already considerable on 34^th street in the freezing cold at 5:30 when they announced that doors would not open until 6:30. I was really turning into a Keithcicle on that line! As turns out they opened up the doors by 6:15 and I was inside thawing out quickly.

My favorite band on the bill was opener Soilwork, but I had no delusions that they would play a long set. Nevertheless it was exciting to see them for the first time in a few years. Even though they lost principle composer/producer Pete Wichers to retirement I really like their new album Sworn to a Great Divide which shows very little drop off from their recent work. Opening up with the title track they immediately set the crowd off with a short but exciting set. Acting more animated than I had seen them before, they really seemed to enjoy the positive crowd reaction.   New lead guitarist Daniel Atonsson (Dimenion Zero) more than ably replaced Wichers trademark riffs and leads. This was proven on the tasty little lead during "Blind Eye Halo". The band then launched into to more new songs "Exile" and "Pittsburgh Syndrome".  "Exile" is the single and video song off the new album. It plays a lot harder live than one would expect which is sure to quiet some of the old school fans who think the band is mining their melodic side too much lately. Pittsburgh… is just a hellish slice of thrash metal. Brilliant! Closing out the all too short set with "Stabbing the Drama" they at least left on a high note. According to Antonsson whom I met after the show it will be mid-to late 2008 before a true headline run.  I will wait until then so I can get my proper fix. Right after their set was over the rest of my team: the Brothers in Metal had assembled: Ojaay, Bill and Curtis were ready to continue the festivities.         

I was squarely on the fence as far as Devildriver was concerned before their set. I didn't feel strongly about them either way and I didn't quite know where they fit in on this bill. They certainly came out of the gate strong. Led by the diminutive and energetic former Coal Chamber vocalist, Dez Fafara, they ripped through a quick set of their well known songs. Dez has always had a good voice and been a charismatic front man and he didn't disappoint. The best song of the set overall was "Clouds over California". The crowd really embraced them and they more than had their own fans in the house which impressed me a lot. One drawback of DD was the sound mix of the guitars. Along with the bass, the tone sounded like one big mix bag of crap as opposed to clearly discernable parts. Except for a few melodic parts that stood out (as in "I Could Care Less") the guitar tone did not stand out. They did leave on a high note as the circle pit for closer "Hold Back the Day" was huge!

Next a fast set change gave way to an ominous black drape that hung over the back of the stage. The co-headliners are alternating the closing spot, but until the curtain fell and the huge LoG banner was revealed we weren't sure who was up next. Since I already saw them earlier this year and twice since Sacrament came out two years ago I knew they were really going to bring the shit!  Many fans have said to me that Sacrament is their best, most complete effort and I cannot argue that point. People in the crowd were already talking about their set the night before in Mass showing the dedication some folks have to follow these bands around.  With a billow of smoke and lights the came out jamming the song Hourglass. Simple and crushing, and coming out of a cloud of evil with some farcified riff-coordinated lighting. Ripping through a set comprised of their last three albums the band blew the minds of the crowd. The energy between band and fans was massive during the chorus of "Laid to Rest" with seemingly everyone in New York yelling the refrain "see who gives a fuck!!"  Vocalist Randy Blythe rarely stands in one place for more than a second during a show. He prowls the stage with unrivaled ferocity and demands a lot from the fans. Plowing through a bunch of songs without much banter and slowing down ,  they just plain killed it. Song after song was spat out like "Walk With Me in Hell", "Ruin" and "Pathetic" with little regard for any delicate sensibilities. I have seen many great bands and these guys are the tightest musical unit I have seen live in a long time.  They look like they are putting in on a clinic of metal musicianship, especially drummer Chris Adler. The dude is flawless! At one point I had a brush with my mortality. During "Ruin" I was finally coaxed into the huge circle pit. I made it about ¼ of a lap before hitting the floor face first. So now that I know I'm officially too damn old for this shit I needed to gather my wits and get to my feet.Well I recovered enough to get back to my original spot after the song. The Pantera-esque "Redneck" also went over big with the crowd. As usual the closer "Black Label" brought the wall of death mosh pit and no doubt some dislodged teeth and bones. The only negative thing I can say is after one powerful hour and eleven cuts, why omit the classic song "11^th Hour"?  Granted they have been on the road for two years, but it seems curious to leave out such a crowd pleaser.

LAMB OF GOD SETLIST

1. Hourglass
2. Laid to Rest
3. Walk with Me In Hell
4. Ruin
5. Pathetic
6. Now You've Got Something to Die for
7. Curse the Blackened Sun
8. Omerta
9. Vigil
10. Redneck
11. Black Label

In what proved to be a polar opposite performance, Killswitch Engage took the stage after a 45 minute set change. Kind of surprising based on how smoothly things had been going up to that point. With pretty much the same staging as they had last spring, KsE hit the stage and immediately tore the roof off with my personal favorite song of theirs: "Fixation on the Darkness." The band sounded like they were in excellent form, re-energized by the return of ringleader/producer/guitar genius/idiot, clown prince, cape wearing dumbass Adam Dutkiewitz. Singer Howard Jones ran around the Iron Maiden-styled scaffolding around the stage and seemed to disappear against the backdrop when the blinding flash-pot lights died down (insert irresponsible black jokes here! He was wearing all black ya know). The rest of the band is rounded out by standout bassist Mike D'Antonio, lead guitarist Joel Strozel (his mom RULES!!) and crazy bearded drummer Justin Foley add their talents to the sonic mix. Next up was the one two punch to the gut of "A Bid Farewell" and "To Sons of Man". Each track was strong and brutal yet melodic and the perfect blend of the bands' style. Unfortunately, minus a few exceptions the show took a total dive in quality after this point. With 9 of the remaining 12 songs in the set being from last years' As Daylight Dies, the rest of the night lost its' verve from the earlier. Obviously this is motivated by KsE's legion of female fans. As many goons were upfront moshing for Lamb of  God, that's were how many fems were singing loudly to every blissfully melodic chorus of  KsE. Don't get me wrong, songs like "This Fire Burns", "Breathe Life", "Life to Lifeless", and "My Last Serenade" we all absolutely killer! Also new cut "Desperate Times" was truly epic, but I was surprised by the omission of the crushing title track of that album. In fact it seems as if many of the brutal cuts from their recent offering were sidestepped for the more sing along friendly tracks, a fact that leaves me limp. Again, the crowd really feeds of off the energy on stage of Howard and Adam. Adam had the quote of the night when he claimed that after the show "he was giving out autographs and STD's in a dumpster in back of the venue." Priceless! Choosing to close with their cover of "Holy Diver" that showed the essence of the band is having fun, which I am not knocking btw. They extended the end of the song and Adam and Joel just kept trading shredding, wailing solos back and forth while Howard screamed away. For every machine tight band like LoG you need to have a loose buncha dudes that don't take themselves too seriously. Unfortunately on this night the wrong band closed the show.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE SETLIST

1.      Fixation on the Darkness

2.      A Bid Farewell

3.      To Sons Of Man

4.      Arms of Sorrow

5.      This Fire Burns Inside

6.      Breathe Life

7.      My Curse

8.      For You

9.      Life to Lifeless

10.  Reject Yourself

11.  Break The Silence

12.  Desperate Times

13.  My Last Serenade

14.  End of Heartache

15.  Holy Diver