Concerts

Silverstein x Guests // Imperial

in

March 8, 2016 - Another quick gig for Aesthetic Magazine, marking some high-school nostalgia after hearing Silverstein and Emarosa years later and Being As An Ocean for the fourth time now.  Here's the quick desc. from Aesthetic's site:

"Burlington-based post-hardcore band Silverstein, who released their eighth album, I Am Alive In Everything I Touch, on May 15th, 2015 via Rise Records/New Damage Records, which features the single “A Midwestern State of Emergency”, performed at the Imperial in Vancouver last night with melodic hardcore band Being As An Ocean, who released their new self-titled album on June 30th, 2015 via InVogue Records, Kentucky-based post-hardcore band Emarosa, who released their third album, Versus, on September 9th, 2014 via Rise, and more."

First up were post-hardcore act, Rarity, hailing from Hamilton, Ontario:

Next up were Vancouver's own punk-rockers, Youth Decay:

Third on the roster were Emarosa, a post-hardcore act from Lexington, Kentucky.

Next up was Being As An Ocean, a melodic hardcore band from Alpine, California.  I've covered them twice before - once with Comeback Kid and again at Warped Tour.  I can't state how crazy Joel Quartuccio is, pretty much always singing/screaming while moshing in the crowd.  A must-see for sure.

And of course, the headliners Silverstein - the post-hardcore act from Burlington, Ontario touring and promoting their latest album, I Am Alive in Everything I Touch, released May of last year.

Setlists

Rarity

  1. Faded
  2. Fifteen Stories
  3. (New Song)
  4. Strager
  5. Anne Hathaway
  6. Anxiety

Youth Decay

  1. Stench of Regret
  2. Balance
  3. Landsldie
  4. Hysteria
  5. Put It Off
  6. Short Fuse
  7. Little Winnipeg
  8. Psycho Cyclist

Emarosa

  1. People Like Me, We Just Don't Play
  2. Mad
  3. A Hundred Clowns
  4. American Deja Vu
  5. (New Song)
  6. 1996 on Bevard

Being As An Ocean

  1. Little Richie
  2. The Hardest Part is Forgetting Those You Swore You Would Never Forget
  3. Dissolve
  4. The Poets Cry For More
  5. Death's Great Black Wing Scrapes the Air
  6. L'exquisite Douleur
  7. This Loneliness Won't Be the Death of Me

Silverstein

  1. Stand Amid the Roar
  2. Massachusetts
  3. Face of the Earth
  4. Your Sword Versus My Dagger
  5. Heaven, Hell and Purgatory
  6. I Am the Arsonist
  7. In Silent Seas We Drown
  8. One Last Dance
  9. Smile In Your Sleep
  10. Late on 6th
  11. Red Light Pledge
  12. Sacrifice
  13. In the Dark
  14. Smashed into Pieces
  15. Vices
  16. Toronto (unabridged - encore)
  17. Call It Karma (Encore)
  18. My Heroine (Encore)

Disturbed // Commodore Ballroom

in

March 11, 2016 - Had a last minute gig for Aesthetic Magazine and was beyond excited to see these guys.  Disturbed, after taking a small hiatus, was one of the bands I listened to growing up and was a gateway to the bigger scene of metal overall.

From Aesthetic Magazine:

"Chicago-based heavy metal band Disturbed, who released their sixth album, Immortalized, on August 21st, 2015 via Reprise/Warner Bros., which serves as their first studio album since 2010’s Asylum, marking the longest gap between two studio albums in their career, performed at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver last night."

Setlist:

  1. Ten Thousand Fists
  2. The Game
  3. The Vengeful One
  4. Prayer
  5. Liberate
  6. Land of Confusion (Genesis cover)
  7. Stupify
  8. Darkness (Acoustic)
  9. The Sound of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel cover)
  10. Inside the Fire
  11. The Infection
  12. Stricken
  13. The Light
  14. Closer/I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For/Baba O'Riley/Killing in the Name (Nine Inch Nails, U2, The Who & Rage Against the Machine covers)
  15. Indestructible
  16. Voices (Encore)
  17. Down With the Sickness (Encore)

Cannibal Corpse x Guests // Commodore Ballroom

in

March 4, 2016 - I'm pretty sure when most people stereotype metal (despite its countless subgenres) they generally imagine death metal.  From the growls to the blast beats, death metal has been known for its extreme sound and perhaps even more, its controversial lyricism including but not limited to: necrophilia, cannibalism, torture and mutilation.  Generally maintaining a cult following, I was beyond excited to see these pioneers of the genre greet the Commodore Ballroom to a crowd of black shirts, long hair and heavily patched jean jackets.

First for the night was LA-based, Abysmal Dawn forming in 2003.  Most of their setlist consisted of tracks off their latest record, Obsolescence, released in late 2014.  Although fairly new to the scene, they've toured with names such as Exodus, Aborted, Decapitated and Goatwhore.  They're up and coming in the scene, and had many diehard fans right up against the railing, screaming along to the lyrics.

Next up was Cryptopsy, formerly known as Necrosis, hailing from Montreal, Quebec back in '88.  Perhaps the most technical of the bands on the roster tonight, it was amazing to see that they sounded even better live as opposed to their records, something almost unheard of due to the complexity of the riffs and timing for all the band members. Lead vocalist, Matt McGachy had the crowd doing circle pits - perhaps some of the largest I've seen at the Commodore to date, taking up the entirety of the wooden floor.  The energy was great and fans were flying left, right and centre - be it in the pit, on the sidelines or being thrown into the air.

Following Cryptopsy's act came Obituary, formerly known as Xecutioner as executioner back in 1984, they finalized their name to Obituary in 1988.  Despite taking a six year hiatus from 1997 to 2003, they have returned bigger than ever - being one of the most successful and influential death metal bands of all time.  With their origins in Tampa, Florida - you can definitely hear the groove and southern influences in their music.  It was a nice complement and change of pace from the earlier bands.  Their latest album, Inked in Blood, was released in October 2014.

And finally, the most notorious of all death metal bands came the headliners, Cannibal Corpse.  Having been at it with a fairly consistent lineup backing all the way to their founding in Buffalo, New York in 1988, they are the pinnacle of death metal - being the most well-known and highest-selling in the genre.  The lyricism and album art have been highly controversial prompting bans from playing in certain countries or banning the sale of their album covers. The performance itself was LOUD.  They wanted themselves to be heard, with people claiming they could hear some fry screams a few blocks away in the heart of downtown on a Friday.  The crowd fed off their intensity and still found themselves moshing and crowd-surfing hours after the start of the night's performance.  For everyone seeking an introduction to metal and its culture, CC is definitely a great place to start.

Setlists

Abysmal Dawn

  1. Programmed to Consume
  2. Inanimate
  3. Perfecting Slavery
  4. Human Obsolescence
  5. In Service of Time
  6. The Inevitable Return to Darkness

Cryptopsy

  1. Crown of Thorns
  2. Mutant Christ
  3. Detritus (The One They Kept)
  4. Two-Pound Torch
  5. Halothane Glow
  6. Slit Your Guts
  7. Probophile

Obituary

  1. Redneck Stomp
  2. Centuries of Lies
  3. Visions in My Head
  4. Intoxicated
  5. Bloodsoaked
  6. Dying
  7. Find the Arise
  8. Don't Care
  9. Chopped in Half / Turned Inside Out
  10. Slowly We Rot

Cannibal Corpse

  1. Evisceration Plague
  2. The Time to Kill Is Now
  3. Scourge of Iron
  4. Stripped, Raped and Strangled
  5. The Wretched Spawn
  6. Pit of Zombies
  7. Kill or Become
  8. Sadistic Embodiment
  9. Icepick Lobotomy
  10. Covered With Sores
  11. Born in a Casket
  12. I Cum Blood
  13. Unleashing the Bloodthirty
  14. Make Them Suffer
  15. Hammer Smashed Face
  16. Devoured by Vermin