Concert Review: The Western Sea Tour

The Armory is a kick ass venue nestled in the depths of Albuqurque’s ghettos, also known as “The Warzone.” Despite the negative reputation that is forced upon the ‘hood, the people were all super cool, and the music was fucking spectacular. The venue itself blew my mind. The walls were covered in animal bones and skulls, and a  NYDM flag was draped magnificently behind the stage as a backdrop. But enough about the scenery. Let’s talk about the concert:

Filling in for Machina’s Void were Holocaustic. They have an old-school thrash style, with rabid guitar shreds, heavy kickbeats, and screamed vocals. They were a blast from the past, recapturing the raw energy and attitude that defined thrash metal  in the 80s. Although their speed and aggression reminded me of Dark Angel, Holocaustic have a  unique sound that is theirs alone. Their technical prowess is a force to be reckoned with, but they still retain a primal rage.

The next band was Visions Of Death, who started off sounding more like hard rock than metal. As their setlist progressed, however, they got heavier and heavier. They also did a phenomenal cover of Evil Dead, which happens to be my favorite Death song. Fuck yeah! Not everyone can do a faithful cover of a classic while still bringing something new to the table, but Visions Of Death delivers. Their original material was also very impressive, revealing a variety of musical influences beyond the scope of metal.

Fallen Prophets are relatively new to the scene, but their performance was insane. The percussion and lead guitar kept up with each other at breakneck speed, each shredding at an inhuman rate. Their complex music was grounded by the slower tempo in the vocals and bass, making a perfect storm of thrashy blackened death metal. Although I enjoyed their entire setlist, I have a special fondness in my cold black heart for Whispers In The Abyss. This melodic track is their most black metal sounding song, a paragon of excellence with which they concluded their show.

 End To End were straight up death fucking metal. The gutteral vocals, vicious riffing, and fast-paced percussion augured for a genuinely wicked  sound. Although they are very focused on technique, End To End is very cacophonous and dissonant. The music was extremely complex, but not particularly melodic. They have a method to their madness, and their music possesses an overwhelming presence of darkness and evil. Each song sounds like it has the power to summon demons.

The penultimate band, Left To Rot, was another ruthlessly heavy death metal band. The mid paced percussion and crunchy riffs were broken up with some shredding  guitar solos. The gory lyrics, delivered in a low pitched growl,  were centered around death and violence. What they lack in speed and technical precision, they make up for with sheer power and brutality.

Dischordia were phenomenal. Their music was furious, energetic, and almost painfully loud. Although I hesitate to label them Progressive, they definitely take musical risks which might intimidate lesser bands. Most songs they performed throughout the night are from their new EP, Sources. Their signature style of syncopated beats, modulated keys, and odd time signatures would be an utter disaster in the wrong hands. However, they pulled it off, and in so doing, they have made a lifelong fan out of me.

One interesting thing I noticed about this show was that every single band had death metal undertones, even though they each sounded completely different. Variety and cohesion are equally important, and it’s rare to see a concert that pulls it off so perfectly. Frankly, it’s one of the best damn shows I’ve seen. Five stars out of five.