Children of Bodom, the Black Dahlia Murder & Skeletonwitch @ Epic
[Skeletonwitch]
While Kings of Leon were busy enchanting thousands of googly eyed 20-somethings and tweenage hipsters at the Target Center, the triple-bill featuring Children of Bodom, the Black Dahlia Murder, and Skeletonwitch played to several hundred at Epic and earned the title of possessing the more interesting marquee on Fifth Street on Monday night. It was the first time I’ve seen an extreme metal show in downtown Minneapolis in quite a long time—maybe even since the Quest shut down at Epic’s location a few years ago—and seeing these names on the marquee on this night gave me hope that Epic plans to book more shows of this variety. Compare the location to the likes of Station 4 in St. Paul or considering the drive necessary to go out to The Rock in Maplewood; when I entered the venue to a multi-camera video feed of Skeletonwitch’s vicious stage performance, I was quickly reminded of how perfect the venue is for shows of this kind. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge (i.e. metal fans are sick of traveling long distances to dingy clubs and would like a reliable home like this in MPLS for their shows; Triple Rock being the saving grace)!
[Skeletonwitch]
Not more than five seconds had elapsed from Skeletonwitch performance’s before a blazing circle pit took root on the floor between the massive pillars, and from the large grins on the faces those who watched nervously from the side it was obvious even the opening performance was eagerly anticipated by all. Underneath the vaulted ceiling of the main room, Skeletonwitch’s powerful set appeared grander than when they decimated Triple Rock earlier this summer. The sound of their stampeding thrash hit all the marks and was an obvious crowd-pleaser with the fans of Bodom and Black Dahlia; even their heed to “smoke weed, drink beer, and eat pussy” received an applause that almost measured up to the crowd’s response to twin guitar riffing of their blackened thrash.
[Skeletonwitch]
[Skeletonwitch]
After several years on tour, the now-seasoned roadogs in Skeletonwitch command the stage like never before—especially on their older, well-honed cuts like “Sacrifice For the Slaughter God” and “Beyond the Permafrost”. However, with this year’s excellent new Breathing the Fire release to support, there was no question about whether they’d have the chance to shred.
[The Black Dahlia Murder]
[The Black Dahlia Murder]
[The Black Dahlia Murder]
The show moved at a brisk pace, with each of the first two bands setting up their own equipment and checking levels before blasting out their first notes of the night. The members of the Black Dahlia Murder dressed decidedly less-”metal” than the dudes in Skeletonwitch, and they clearly didn’t take themselves quite that seriously; it was a peculiar vibe, but I think one that metalheads everywhere could honestly embrace. Truth be told, the band brought the most entertaining performance of the night. Their attack was sledgehammer heavy, taking influences from ’90s death metal and modern hardcore, and the vocalist Trevor Strnad brings a quirky presence to the stage that shows he’s truly loving what he’s doing every night.
[The Black Dahlia Murder]
[The Black Dahlia Murder]
Throughout the performance the band fed off the exorbitant energy that the raging mosh pit sent their way, and though the insanity subsided slightly when they broke out new cuts from Deflorate, the band seemed giddy enough to play their fresh writings that the show never faltered. While I was initially expecting that they might end up getting the cold shoulder from the Bodom fanbase, I was happy to see that the young crowd actually gave TBDM’s bludgeoning set of groovy death metal the most brutal response of the night. Ten years into their nearly spotless career (sure, they could’ve booked better tours), they’ve definitely earned it.
[The Black Dahlia Murder]
[Children of Bodom]
Children of Bodom hit the stage last, and although the crowd had been busy wearing themselves out for nearly two hours beforehand, there was plenty of energy left for the fearsome Finnish metallers. Inebriated as ever, Alexi and crew shredded through a set of Bodom classics had all horns raised in appreciation of the intricate guitar string manipulations.
[Children of Bodom]
Thankfully there was no evidence of the recent bunk related rib injury that had left Alexi all but immobile on the band’s recent stop at the Myth with Lamb Of God. Having sustained the injury just before the performance that night, he had still played his songs note for note, but even his healthy doses of whiskey could not ease the pain enough to let him headbang with his fans. Several days later the band was forced to leave the tour to allow Alexi to receive medical attention.
[Children of Bodom]
Refreshed and reinvigorated, Children of Bodom are now on the road supporting their new covers album Skeletons in the Closet, but they’re staying away from covers in the live setting. The set was peppered with songs from all of their major albums, and it was excellent to see the equally responsive to the blackened power death metal of “Silent Night, Bodom Night” as they were to the catchier death-thrash tunes like “Blooddrunk” and “Are You Dead Yet?â€. After curtain fell, chants of “Bodom! Bodom!’ rang out and the band returned on a noticeable high, playing the beloved “Every Time I Die” and a killer rendition of “Hate Crew Deathroll” to close the night with a bang.
[Children of Bodom]
[Children of Bodom]
The only downer I can think of? The wall of 300+ lb defensive end-style security guards linking arms across the middle of the floor to break up the mosh pit during Children of Bodom’s set. Reallllly killed the vibe when they set up shop right in front of where I was rocking out… all in due time, I guess. Epic is new to hosting extreme metal shows, and hopefully with more experience hosting (wink, wink – see above) they’ll come to realize that these passionate metal crowds can take care of themselves.
[Children of Bodom]
Also: Children of Bodom “Lookin’ Out My Back Door” Video (CCR cover)