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Suffocation
Sleep Terror
Destroy Destroy Destroy
Inferi
Enfold Darkness
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Muse
Nashville, TN
7/31/2006
By: J Sherrod
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This would be a night of firsts for me. First time at this
venue, first interview for NowOnTour and
first time seein'
legendary death metal band Suffocation. I got to the club
early and went backstage to interview Mike Smith and Frank
Mullen of Suffocation. Next, the first of five bands took the
stage to kick off a night of total musical brutality.
Nashville's Enfold Darkness had some problems when the
P.A. system went out three-quarters into their first song.
Some may see this as a problem, I viewed it as a system
that wasn't ready for a long, hard ass whoopin'. The band
took it like champs as bassist Eviean DuReaux shouted at
the sound man to "Give us some JUICE!!!" and then hyped
the crowd by yellin' "Y'all here for a fuckin' metal show
right?!?!?" The problems were resolved and the band blasted
through a thirty minute set. Killer way to start off the
night.
Inferi, also from Nashville, was up next. Their songs were
not as solid as I would like to have heard but all in all they
did a good job. From what I gather these guys are a fairly
new to the scene and this was a great show to get some
exposure.
The third (and last Nashville-based) band of the night was
Destroy Destroy Destroy...and they did just that! These guys
are also about to enjoy a larger level of success when their
debut album Devour The Power (Blackmarket
Activities/Metal Blade)
hits on September 5,
2006. Just the sight of these guys on stage led me to believe
I was
in for a treat - before the first note was even played. With
three guitarists adding a wall of sounded thicker than Jif
chunky style peanut butter, nice fat bass lines and powerful
drums, these guys were thunderous. The singer came out
wearin' an ultra tiny pair of booty shorts (for lack of a better
term) almost like Thor. These guys call their style "Viking
Metal" and rightfully so.
Things got really interesting when Sleep Terror took the
stage. A duo of only guitar and drums (it's not a typo folks,
only two guys in this band) came out and blew every single
mind in the house with the absolute most incredible stuff I've
heard in a long, long time. These two guys are total fuckin'
masters of their instruments. Reminding me of Dream
Theatre to the tenth power, they play the most technical
prog metal mixed with death metal for a sound that will put
you in complete shock. Drummer Dave provided the most
extreme display of drumming I've ever had the pleasure of
witnessing. If you ever get a chance to see this Seattle duo,
cancel your plans and GO!
Finally it was time for Suffocation! Though they had a tough
act to follow, they more than proved why this was their
show...and why they've been around 16 years. Now let me
mention somethin' that was obvious to the crowd all night.
This place was a goddamn sweatbox with no ventilation or
AC. The heat during the entire show was unreal but when
everybody came in the main room to see Suffocation it got
to what had to be 100 degrees of stagnant air and heat. This
was turning out to be Hell - and the soundtrack for it was
about to begin.
I managed to find my way to the very front of the crowd and
ended up dead-center-stage. I wanted to witness these guys
to the fullest extent. In front of lightning speed double bass
chops, blistering guitar solos and an all-around thunderous
sound, singer Frank Mullen prowled the stage like pit bull. As
I was pushed forward, my knees were pressed into the side
of the stage as the crowd surged forward. The heat only
growing, I became totally drenched in sweat and the stench
of not only my own but other shirtless, stinking guys all
around
me. The crowd was outta control and metal moshing mad
and the band ate every morsel of it and played as hard and
fast as possible.
Drummer Mike Smith, a playing machine, laid down almost
unthinkable blast beats. I began to bang my head and pound
the stage as I felt myself almost reverting in time to a
teenager. I must note that I didn't have enough money to
get beer, so I wasn't intoxicated at all. I was witnessing
100% pure, unfiltered adrenaline! As you know, it's a feeling
like no other. I didn't mind the heat, the volume, the crowd
pushing and moshing, nothing mattered but Suffocation!
If Twisted Sister said "You can't stop Rock 'N Roll," then
Suffocation proved the point this night - that you can't stop
death metal either. Despite complaining about the extreme
heat, the band played on and gave everything they had, like
troopers. Also, bassist Derek Boyer played the whole show
sitting down due to a broken leg. Now that's dedication!
I personally had been suffering from mild depression and
personal problems over the previous two weeks. By the end
of this show I felt more alive then I had in weeks. Instead of
tired and worn down, I was sober and energized...almost
reborn in a way.
I needed this show and enjoyed every minute of it.
Suffocation's new self-titled album is set to come out around
the first week in September as well, and if they come to
your town do yourself a favor and go learn what pure death
metal is all about!
Suffocation's set list changes nightly but these are some
songs to expect to hear on this tour:
"Creed Of The Infidel"
"Translucent"
"Abomination Reborn" *
"Liege Of Inveracity" *
"Effigy Of The Forgotten"
"Infecting The Crypts" *
"Breeding The Spawn" *
"Prelude To Repulsion"
"Pierced From Within" *
"Thrones Of Blood" *
"Suspended In Tribulation"
"Torn Into Enthrallment"
"Funeral Inception" *
"Catatonia" *
"Tomes Of Acrimony" *
"Surgery Of Impalement"
"Subconsciously Enslaved" *
"Deceit"
* Denotes this show's selections.
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