crossover thrash

Dayglo Abortions // Rickshaw Theatre

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January 23, 2016 - After the dry spell of concerts over December and January, it was nice to be back out and shooting; what better way to start off than with some metal and punk rock?

First up are thrash metal act Aggression, hailing from Vancouver/Montreal in 1985.  They've opened for major acts including Metallica, Slayer, Exodus but eventually disbanded in '89 due to some members' drug problems but eventually came back to do a few reunion shows and here we are today! All in all, what you'd expect from thrash - rowdy, aggressive and a lot of fun!

Following up are local act, The Golers, which arose in 1998 after the dis-banding of Subversion, where all former members started their self-described "hardcore, crossover thrash with a punk edge."  A bit more raw in their sound, they've toured with acts such as Kreator, Napalm Death and Suicidal Tendencies.

It's been weird knowing that there's a whole scene in Vancouver that I was completely unaware of until shooting for Not Your Scene.  So many alt acts that don't get enough exposure due to lack of publication and radio play.  

Next up comes Process, another local act consisting of vocalist Jim Huhn, guitarists Cambie Kroetsch and Maurice Williams, bassist Vincent Lee Borden and drummer Adrian White.  Not too much is known about them (limited details on their Facebook, no website) but these guys were rowdy and definitely got the crowd rolling.

My friend and former boss introduced me to the next act, the Dayglo Abortions, and I never realized how much of an influence they were on the Canadian punk scene.  Hailing from across the Georgia Strait in Victoria, the boys have been stirring up a shitstorm with controversial album-artwork and lyricism that convey a complete disregard for social norms.  Various obscenity charges have been laid against the band that have been dropped as the Dayglos are willing to push the agenda in our overly politically correct society.  As of late, their lyrics have been somewhat politicized after the release of Holy Shiite, with songs critiquing scientology, the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and the hypocrisy of pro-lifers and evangelicals of our southern neighbors. Despite minor amp malfunctions for one of the guitars, the energy was on high for everyone.  The show was a gongshow to say the least - some of my favourite kinds of shows!  

Setlists 

Unfortunately I was unable to obtain setlists from Aggression, Golers and Process

Dayglo Abortions

  1. Your Facebook Can Kiss My Assbook
  2. Sick of Your Lies
  3. Stupid Songs
  4. The New Plaque
  5. No More Bullshit
  6. Religious Bumfucks
  7. To Prove That We Are Free
  8. Dishwasher
  9. Velcro Shoes
  10. Two Dogs Fucking
  11. Scared of People
  12. Black Sabbath
  13. Dragons
  14. Fuck Satan to Death

The Black Dahlia Murder & Guests // Rickshaw Theatre

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October 13, 2015 - Oh nothing can stop the metal!  (I swear I listen to more than just metal!  Stay tuned for Florence & The Machine, where I will be shooting for Beatroute this Sunday :) )

Getting straight to it, the first opener is grindcore act Maruta coming all the way from Florida.  Now I have never seen grind live (nor have I really ACTUALLY listened to the genre) but for all you non-metal heads out there, it's probably what you would imagine all of metal is.  The specific genre itself is often labelled as abrasive, contains rather graphic lyrics (their name comes from the experimentation on humans by the Japanese in WWII) and is a relatively underground scene.  This really proved for Maruta as most of the audience decided to flood in for the later acts of the night.  Regardless, the band had fun with it and although not super interactive with the crowd, were immensely in their music.

PS apologizing ahead of time for the poor setlist - grindcore for those who don't know, often have "micro-songs" which can be roughly a few seconds to a minute or so in duration.  I will only include the songs that are known, but there was a total of 16 songs.

Second on the docket are hardcore band Harm's Way from Chicago, Illinois.  Originally a joke/side-project for the boys in straight-edge band Few and the Proud, Harm's Way developed from their powerviolence roots (with hilarity in their lyricism including beating up frat boys) to a more serious, refined hardcore sound that draws influence from bands such as Sepultura to Trapped Under Ice.  As one would expect from a hXc show, the boys were stomping, spinning and slamming themselves across the stage - the red lighting only furthering the atmosphere of intensity.

Their third studio album, Rust, released in early 2015 received much praise from critics.

Crossover thrash megagroup Iron Reagan heralded the stage next - with its members consisting formerly or currently of Municipal Waste, Cannibal Corpse and Darkest Hour.  Their imagery obviously is a satire and a mockery of former US president Ronald Reagan, his Reaganomics and obviously his administration's anti-communist, interventionist foreign policy.  Which of course, can be applied to today's society.

The show in itself was a fucking blast - as the genre itself is a mix between thrash metal and hardcore punk, AKA a total shitfest of bruisery and camaraderie.  They definitely were the rowdiest act of the night and easily the most fun, with the audience begging for more at the end of their act.  

You can check out their bandcamp here.

And finally, one of the most popular contemporary American metal bands, The Black Dahlia Murder. With six out of seven records charting in the Billboard 200, the melo-death act from Waterford, Michigan have established themselves in the metal realm.  

Their name comes from the 1947 unsolved murder of Elizabeth Short, also referred to as the Black Dahlia.  (If you value your eyes, please don't look up the crime scene images!)  

Their performance was representative of the genre: high energy exuding from blast beats, fast tempos and growled vocals.  The lighting definitely added to the atmosphere and frontman Brian Eschbach got the crowd riled up into a frenzy.  Unfortunately I couldn't stay due to an early shift the next morning but it was a music to my ears (sorry, bad joke haha) - a fine blend of rhythm and leads, technicality and groove.

Their latest record, Abysmal, was released mid-September.

Setlists

Maurta

  1. Protocol for Self-Immolation
  2. Hope Smasher
  3. Genocide Interval
  4. Minimal Progress
  5. March Forward (Into Regression)
  6. Stride Endlessly Through Scorched Earth
  7. Stand in Defeat
  8. Submergence
  9. In Perpetual Narcolepsy

Harm's Way

  1. Infestation
  2. Law of the Land
  3. Cancerous Ways
  4. Mind Control
  5. Amongst the Rust
  6. Ease My Mind

Iron Reagan

  1. Tyranny of Will (1st half of the song)
  2. I Won't Go
  3. Insanity Plea(se)?
  4. Close to Toast
  5. Cycles of Violence
  6. Obsolete Man
  7. Government Surveillance
  8. Tongue Tied
  9. The Living Skull
  10. Bet On Black
  11. Spoiled Identity
  12. Zero Gain
  13. Miserable Failure
  14. Broken Bottles
  15. Your Kid's an Asshole
  16. In Greed We Trust
  17. I Ripped That Testament A New Asshope
  18. Eyeball Gore
  19. A Skull Full of Maggots (Cannibal Corpse cover)
  20. U Lock the Bike Cop
  21. Paycheck
  22. Eat Shit and Live

The Black Dahlia Murder

  1. A Shrine to Madness
  2. Moonlight Equilibrium
  3. What A Horrible Night to Have a Curse
  4. Elder Misanthropy
  5. Receipt
  6. Vlad, Son of the Dragon
  7. On Stirring Seas of Salted Blood
  8. Threat Level No. 3
  9. Unhallowed
  10. Funeral Thirst
  11. Everything Went Black
  12. A Vulgar Picture
  13. I'm Charming
  14. Raped in Hatred by Vines of Thorn
  15. Miasma
  16. Statutory Ape
  17. Deathmask Divine
  18. I Will Return