Primal Fear

Meshuggah

Jorn

Firebrands

Eluveitie

A.O.T.W.

more interviews?

Band:Exodus Album:Shovel Headed Killing Machine Record Company:Nuclear Blast America Writer: Eric Johnson MP3: Raze Click Album Cover To Buy Now

Exodus/Full Blown Chaos/Hypothermia/Almost Nothing Portland, OR Rock N' Roll Pizza May 17, 2006

First of all, I am very sorry that I'm late with this review.

Anyway, Almost Nothing opened the show with a set which may not have been as brutal as those by fellow hardcore bands Full Blown Chaos and Hypothermia, but was much more engaging. Unlike those two bands, Almost Nothing showcased two guitarists (Jeremy Schafer and Aaron McCoy) who could not only throw down some bludgeoning riffs, but could unleash wicked solos to boot. Unfortunately, they only had time to play six songs: "Hidden in the Shadows," "Long Emergency," "Go Figure," "Perpetually Endowed," "Funny as a Heart Attack," and "Back From the Dead." Fans of hardcore with killer guitar solos and off the wall time changes will certainly dig this band, which many in and out of the Portland area should check out.

Hypothermia took the stage next and did their best to pummel everyone in the audience with an endless supply of bludgeoning riffs. As was stated earlier, Hypothermia is a hardcore/thrash band which leans much more to the hardcore side of their style. As a result, lead guitar playing is unfortunately out of the question when one listens to them, but such a thing did not stop them from shaking the venue to its foundation as they dominated the stage. During their entire seven song set, Hypothermia's music was nothing short of bone-shattering as they unleashed plenty of pinch harmonics, all over the place legato, gut-busting screams, and earth-quaking beats.

Following Hypothermia was Full Blown Chaos, who took top honors as the bill's most brutal band. I know that many Exodus fans will probably want to throw me out of a 30th-story window for such a comment, but guess what, I said that Full Blown Chaos was the most brutal band of the evening, not the best. Anyway, despite the fact that Full Blown Chaos' songs were the most simple of the evening, they made up for it by playing them insanely tight and way beyond brutal. Oh yeah, the hilarious moment of the night came during FBC's set when a fan dove off the stage into an empty area of the floor. OUCH! lol

Then the moment arrived, thrash titans Exodus took the stage. Unfortunately, I had not devoted much time to listening to Exodus before the show, so I did not know which songs were which. However, I did enjoy them all, and made sure to keep track of titles. At any rate, Exodus showed that they were indeed the best that night, and that their reputation as one of thrash's most uncompromising bands was not a bullshit rumor in the slightest as they ripped through old and new songs with unrelenting intensity. While drummer Paul Bostaph, bassist Jack Gibson, and guitarist Lee Altus greatly contributed to Exodus' set, the true stars of the night were guitarist Gary Holt and vocalist Rob Dukes. As Dukes screamed bloody murder and made every track which was penned while he, Steve Souza, or Paul Baloff (R.I.P.) was in the band his own, Holt unleashed frenzied solo after frenzied solo. The best part of this particular aspect was that he played most of them three feet away from me. To fill in those who want to see Exodus soon and would like to know what they are in for, here's what they played:

"Raze"
"Deathamphetamine"
"Blacklist"
"A Lesson in Violence"
"Last Act of Defiance"
"I am Abomination"
"No Love"
"Bonded by Blood"
"Brain Dead"
"44 magnum"
"Deliver Us to Evil"
"War is My Friend"
"Strike of the Beast"

All in all, every band who played did not disappoint and did everything in their power to dish out severe beatings hardcore and thrash style.

Band:Exodus Album:Shovel Headed Killing Machine Record Company:Nuclear Blast America Writer: Eric Johnson Click Album Cover To Buy Now

To post comments CLICK HERE!