My good Wilmington bud Ryan (Ryhan, Ryhan of the Shire, Most crucial dude ever, etc.) did me a huge favor and came to pick me up this past Thursday afternoon from Wilmington, which is about an hour and a half from my area. Considering how ridiculous gas prices are these days, that's awesome he'd go out of his way to this. Of course, I helped him out a little bit on gas, and we were on the way.
Got to his place a little after 7, so we decide to waste some time, seeing as the show probably wouldn't start for a good while. Played the new Soul Calibur game, which I seriously brought the anti-lulz. For you non /B/tards, that means I sucked. Very badly, I might add. Ate some amazing steak and mac & cheese that his mom hooked us up with, and caught a tiny bit of a Christina Ricci flick where she plays a nymphomaniac; the title of the film slips me now. But, onward with the story!
We head out for Lucky's Pub, obviously the venue where the show was located, and it starts pouring like motherfucking Chris Crocker. Do we give a shit? Yes. Syke. Or psyche. However the fuck you want to spell it, you ass. We get in there, and I see some familiar faces, so that's cool. I'm pretty sure it took forever and a day for the show to actually start (Mark, the owner of Lucky's seems pretty notorious for starting shows at least an hour late :p), but what the hell, it was worth it.
Death Machine Weapons - Courtesy of Ryan Wishnia
www.myspace.com/deathmachineweapons
Probably the most entertaining band out of Wilmington opened the show; the all mighty Death Machine Weapons. I'd previously seen them once, coincidentally with Skeletonwitch... good memories. While power metal is far off from my personal music taste, these guys definitely know how to have fun with it. The singer definitely loves to make a theatrical appearance, and instead of coming out as a samurai as he did before, he came out with a sheet covering his body -- a ghost.
I recognized a couple of tracks they did, and they even managed to play a new one, which was definitely a departure from their other material. To me, it sounded more southern/sludge influenced, so that was interesting. I wish I knew the name of the song, but they played a Spanish styled song, and that's always my personal favorite. Kudos to those dudes, hope to see them again.
Rapture Cabaret - Courtesy of Stuart Chamberlain
www.myspace.com/rapturecabaret
Some great dudes are in this band, so it was a pleasure to finally see them again. Will, the bassist and Dan, stage right guitar are always great, and I believe this was the first time seeing Will play with the group. Hearing them live, you can obviously hear the Gothenburg styled playing, which was pulled off very well. My only personal gripe with this band is not in the music, but how the singer (don't get me wrong, guy seems great) kind of milks it onstage. One of those "I scream everything on stage instead of talking" and almost looks like he's posing for a camera at times.
All differences aside, this group definitely brought some well structured metal into the picture, and big ups to Will and Dan. Hope you dudes keep up the serious riffage up!
Gollum - Courtesy of P. Kendall
www.myspace.com/gollum
I mean no personal disrespect towards this band, but man, they were all over the place... unfortunately I don't mean that in the best way possible. Take one part Faith No More, one part High On Fire, add a little wankery, and you get this band. Sounds like it would be awesome, right? I don't mean to be rude, but I guess it's an acquired taste. Not to mention the very eerie projections showcased behind the band; I felt like I should have been on psychedelics. Not to turn any of you away, check them out anyway, and support them if you enjoy what you hear.
Skeletonwitch - Courtesy of Heather Stumpf
www.myspace.com/skeletonwitch
Worship the fucking Witch! Pretty much all that needs to be said is confined into those words, but I'll go into detail, haha. I've only had the pleasure of seeing Skeletonwitch twice, but they are creeping up as one of my favorite live bands. All really nice guys playing nasty thrash/death/black/random subgenre for metal; that combined with excellent stage energy provides for an amazing performance.
The setlist was much more varied this time around; they pulled out some older gems and obviously played a good deal of tracks from their latest lp, Beyond The Permafrost. Personal favorites were "Upon Wings Of Black", "Baptized In Flames", "Soul Thrashing Black Sorcery" and "Vengeance Will Be Mine". Picking favorites is always difficult, though, seeing as they played such a stellar set.
No more needs to me set about the show! Go out and support Skeletonwitch, and more importantly, your local scene! Whether you're into rap, jazz, country, metal, hardcore, or what have you, we all start with DIY roots. Get out there and help some of the struggling bands that deserve your time!
Big ups again to Ryan and everyone at Lucky's Pub. Wilmington shows never disappoint!
-Mario
Currently listening to:
Trash Talk - s/t
Disfear - Live The Storm
Skeletonwitch - Beyond The Permafrost
The Earth Will Shake.
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