Photos by Wayne Edwards.
© Wayne Edwards
Photo Gallery: Bassists, Part 6
I Am
Thy Art Is Murder at The King of Clubs, Columbus, Ohio, February 9, 2023
Thy Art Is Murder brought their Decade Of Hate tour toColumbus, Ohio, with Kublai Khan TX, Undeath, I Am, and Justice for the Damned.
If you live anywhere near The King of Clubs in Columbus, Ohio, you must go see a show there. It is an excellent venue with a generous open floor in front of the stage and a mezzanine-level horseshoe balcony that has a dedicated bar. It is the only place I go to regularly that has an announcer who, between sets, gives you a run-down of the drink specials. Every time I have been there the crowds have been great and the staff are always fantastic. While they host all manner of shows, they have a special affection for heavy metal, and the list of acts that hit their stage is very impressive.
Australian deathcore upstarts Justice For The Damned opened the Thursday night show. They told the crowd many times how they have been wanting to come to the US for years, and how they were fired up to get on the tour with fellow countrymen Thy Art Is Murder. They played like they meant it, stomping the stage and chewing the rafters. The show in Columbus was my first time seeing Justice For The Damned and they made a great first impression on me.
Apart from the headliner, I Am is the band I most wanted to see. I had caught there act last year in Fort Wayne at Piere’s. Ever since then, I have been on the look-out for another opportunity to hear them live. They put out a new album recently, Eternal Steel, which we reviewed favorably here at FFMB (link to that review below). This Dallas, Texas death metal band is one of my absolute favorites working today, with their huge , resounding riffs and just the right amount of groove. They played music from the new album as well as crowd pleasers from their previous two records. In the second slot of five, I Am ratcheted up the expectations for the rest of the night.
Undeath is a straight-ahead death metal band from Rochester, New York – they’ll tell you that themselves from the stage, “We play death metal. That’s all we do.” Supporting their 2022 album It’s Time…to Rise from the Grave (Prosthetic Records), they were on the mark and deadly in their attack. Raucous and ready, the did the deed and got the pit roiling.
Kublai Khan TX is on tour for the first time in a while and, judging by the reaction of the crowd, they have been sorely missed. I was very surprised by how many fans knew the words to their opening number, “The Hammer,” and sang along on the punchlines. Hard- and metalcore pounding is what was served up and their was nothing left over when they left the stage. The band’s latest record is the EP Lowest Form Of Animal, and it’ll give you some idea of what you missed if you weren’t at the show. But really, seeing Kublai Khan TX live is the best way to go.
Australian metal masters Thy Art Is Murder are stalking North America once again. I haven’t seen them for a few years, the last time being at Higher Ground in Burlington. The new tour, the Decade Of Hate Tour, is shaping up to be one that will be talked about for years to come.
Starting off as usual, in the dark with blasts of strobing light, front man CJ McMahon came on stage and sang around a pedestal of the damned, laying is head back and crooning at the night. The intensity of his performance shines through is rolled-white eyes on brutal killers like “Reign Of Darkness” and “The Purest Strain Of Hate.” The show at The King Of Clubs was the second stop on the tour, but already all the bands were firing on all cylinders, and Thy Art Is Murder was ready and waiting to pounce. This was my first metal show of the year and I could not have asked for more.
The tour runs through to the ides of March, crisscrossing the country – see the tour poster below for dates cities near you. It is a must-see for heavy music fans. Grab your tickets before they sell out.
Photos by Wayne Edwards.
Links.
Thy Art Is Murder, https://www.thyartismurder.net/
Kublai Khan TX, https://kublaikhantx.com/
Undeath, https://undeathmetal.com/
I Am, https://iam-eternalsteel.com/
FFMB review of Eternal Steel, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2022/09/08/texas-death-metal-band-i-am-bring-the-heat-on-their-new-album-eternal-steel/
Justice For The Damned, https://justiceforthedamned.com/
The King of Clubs, https://www.tkoc.live/
Photo Galleries.
Thy Art Is Murder, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2023/02/11/photo-gallery-thy-art-is-murder/
Kublai Khan TX, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2023/02/11/photo-gallery-kublai-khan-tx/
Undeath, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2023/02/11/photo-gallery-undeath/
I Am, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2023/02/11/photo-gallery-i-am/
Justice For The Damned, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2023/02/11/photo-gallery-justice-for-the-damned/
© Wayne Edwards
Photo Gallery: I Am
FFMB show recap is here: https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2023/02/11/thy-art-is-murder-at-the-king-of-clubs-columbus-ohio-february-9-2023/
Photos by Wayne Edwards.
© Wayne Edwards
I Am, Eternal Steel (MNRK Heavy 2022)
Texas death metal band I Am bring the heat on their new album, Eternal Steel.
I Am is a deathcore / death metal band from Texas that came to be around 2011. After the Momento Mori EP in 2015, I Am released two killer full-length albums, Life Through Torment (2017) and Hard 2 Kill (2018). Their music is notable not just for its power but also for speed. They have combined thrash and death metal elements with enough of a hook and a groove shining through to make the sound unique. The band is Andrew Hileman (vocals), Tom Reyes (guitar), Chris Burgess (guitar), Erik Rodriguez (bass), and Ian Scott (drums).
I Am gets their point across on the new album through eleven electrifying tracks. “The Primal Wave” poses the first question and introduces the heavy sound punctuated by rapid ripples and brought forth fully by Andrew Hileman’s menacing singing. “Surrender to the Blade” continues the campaign with a steady, driving riff that morphs into a dervish at exactly the right moment. The lead break is eerie and enticing and two thirds of the way through there is another shift. It is impressive how the initiated theme remains in place as it is put through its paces in such variety. “The Iron Gate” follows, a sorrowful, dooming affair, setting up the title track. “Eternal Steel” races through the open field, bewildering all who give it a glance. This song gives you a savage battering you won’t soon forget.
Other stand-out tracks include “Infernal Panther,” again along a doom lane with homage to early heavy metal icons you will recognize right away, and “Heaven On Earth,” a song that pushes on with unswerving confidence – it also has a fantastic lead guitar break. “Manic Cure” is the final statement, and here we go out on a bang when the speed, power, and groove all come together in a signature piece of work. This new album is exceptional, even better than Hard 2 Kill, I think. Go get yours. Recommended.
Eternal Steel is out through MNRK Heavy on Friday, September 9th in digital and an array of physicals.
Photos by Wayne Edwards, taken at Piere’s Entertainment Center, 2022.
Links.
Bandcamp, https://iamtxmusic.bandcamp.com/album/eternal-steel
I Am website, https://iam-eternalsteel.com/
Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/iamtxmusic
MNRK Heavy, https://mnrkheavy.com/
© Wayne Edwards
Nile ~ Incantation ~ Sanguisugabogg ~ I Am at Piere’s, March 1, 2022
It was a night of death metal devastation at Piere’s in Fort Wayne, Indiana when Nile, Incantation, Sanguisugabogg, and I Am rattled the rigging of reality for fans from far and wide.
It was my first time at Piere’s Entertainment Center. I think I am going to be there a lot during my residency in the Midwest because so many heavy music acts make this stop in Northern Indiana. It is an excellent venue with plenty of room for fans and it offers an intimate proximity to the stage.
First up was I Am, a band from Texas. They have an EP and a couple albums out, the latest being Hard 2 Kill. They hit several songs from that recent record and it sounded like there were a couple of new ones in there, too. They got the night off to a great start with some heavy-hitting death metal.
Sanguisugabogg comes from Columbus, Ohio. They are currently touring in support of their latest album, Tortured Whole. I had never seen them live before, and I still don’t think I am pronouncing their name right. I can tell you this: they are formidable. Their songs are filled with savagery and the delivery is razor-sharp. Take the chance to see them whenever you get it, even if you don’t know how to say their name.
I have followed Incantation for many years. I can’t even remember the number of times I have seen them play, and I always come back for more. Their newest album is Sect Of Vile Divinities, which we reviewed very positively here at FFMB (link below). Thirty years in and their music and performance is stronger than ever – my favorite set of the evening.
I think we can all agree that Nile has forged an unforgettable place for themselves in the annals of heavy music. There is not a ton of music out there themed around Egyptian mythology at the jump – it might just be Nile. They have honed their presentation to an unswervingly precise delivery, and the music seeps into you like an ancient curse. The band’s most recent album is Vile Nilotic Rites, and in the live show at Piere’s they didn’t miss a beat.
At first pass you might not have thought to put these four bands together on the same ticket, but their music, in fact, worked exceptionally well together. The tour continues through for a few more stops so if you are in their path make sure you catch this show.
All photos by Wayne Edwards.
Links.
Nile, https://www.nile-official.com/
Incantation, https://www.incantation.com/
Review of Sect of Vile Divinities, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2020/08/18/incantation-sect-of-vile-divinities-review-relapse-records-2020/
Sanguisugabogg, https://sanguisugabogg.com/
I Am, https://iamtxmusic.bandcamp.com/
© Wayne Edwards. All rights reserved.
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