|
|
|
Heart of Steel: Concert
Reviews
Cannibal Corpse
& The Black Dahlia Murder
Monday, July 19th, 2004
The Commodore Ballroom
Vancouver, BC Canada
Review and Pictures by Lord of the
Wasteland
Call the neighbors and wake up the kids (OK, maybe leave the
kids alone)…Cannibal Corpse hit Vancouver on July 19th and, whoa
Nelly, did they ever leave a mark! Touring relentlessly since
the release of THE WRETCHED SPAWN in February, I hung my head
with great disappointment that the band missed our fine city on
the first leg. However,
when I spoke with vocalist George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher back on
January 15th, he assured me they would be by in the
summer and as sure as a skull full of maggots, they did just
that. Bringing along Metal Blade label-mates, The Black Dahlia
Murder, it was sure to be a vicious night of headbanging, vocal
cord shredding and propeller-like hair twirling.
**Openers Severed Savior were left off the bill and an
“official” reason was never given although the word on the
street was that their bus broke down somewhere between Calgary
and Vancouver. Too bad, too, because I had heard excellent
reviews of the band’s live show.
 What
made this night extra special was that Scrape Records (www.scraperecords.com),
Vancouver’s only exclusive metal shop, made arrangements to have
Cannibal Corpse in store for a meet and greet autograph session
before the show. While this is nothing new for Scrape, many
bands want to get these out of the way before they do their
soundcheck, so the bands are often at the store at 3:00 or 4:00
in the afternoon. Not Cannibal Corpse! They did a 5:00
soundcheck and then came to meet the metal masses, which is SO
much better for those of us who work, go to school or live out
in the suburbs. The band arrived right at 6:00 but I was
fortunate enough to be let in early by the Scrape staff (thanks
JJ!!) to get my own stuff signed and to take pictures of the
event. Despite the sweltering heat both inside and out, about
150 or so people met the overwhelmingly gracious band who signed
everything from CDs, DVDs and vinyl, to skulls, boobs and arms.
A few fans dropped off demos and received advice from
“Corpsegrinder” on death metal growling and Alex Webster on bass
plucking. New guitarist Jeremy Turner (ex-Origin)—who is a
beefier doppelganger of Jack Owen—sat stoically at the end of
the table flashing the occasional horns for pictures. Sadly,
because Turner only knew the regular setlist, Cannibal Corpse
was unable to play a longer set to fill the time that Severed
Savior would have played. Webster and “Corpsegrinder” were
extremely affable, shaking hands and posing for countless
pictures with fans for just over an hour before finally heading
back to the venue for the show. They were super-cool guys and
seemed to enjoy talking with all the fans, so on behalf of
Vancouver, I say THANK YOU CANNIBAL CORPSE!! (More pics
from the in store signed are below the review!) On to
the show…
The Commodore Ballroom holds a good 900 people and upon
entering the venue, my jaw almost hit the floor because if the
place was half full, I’d be shocked. Granted, this was a Monday
night but Cannibal Corpse’s shows are legendary and they always
play well to Vancouver crowds. Still, the attendance was quite
disappointing.
Detroit’s The Black Dahlia Murder were new to me other than
the mp3s I heard from Metal Blade’s website. These guys look as
far from death metal as can be, but once vocalist Trevor Strnad
starting barking out his lyrics with evil aplomb, I was hooked.
New drummer Zach Gibson didn’t miss a beat as if he had been
with them from the get-go. The band definitely has a charismatic
presence to their live shows and the songs do sound better than
what I had heard but the crowd seemed a bit tepid to them. They
got a decent response but this clearly was a crowd here to see
Cannibal Corpse. During their 35 minute set, The Black Dahlia
Murder played most of last year’s UNHALLOWED including “Apex,”
“Closed Casket Requiem,” “Funeral Thirst,” Contagion” and “The
Blackest Incarnation.”
During the 30 minute changeover between The Black Dahlia
Murder and Cannibal Corpse, I ran into Cam Pipes and Jamie
Hooper from Vancouver’s own power metallers, Three Inches of
Blood. The band just returned from Chicago where they recorded
their Roadrunner Records debut, ADVANCE AND VANQUISH, due
September 28th. After a brief chat about what to expect on the
new record, I asked the guys for an interview closer to the
release of the new album, so look for that in late
September-early October.
 At
10:20, the lights lowered and the mighty Corpse emerged from the
shadows and launched into “Shredded Humans” from their 1990
debut, EATEN BACK TO LIFE. This wasn’t the only rarity the band
played as they dusted off such little-heard gems as “Puncture
Wound Massacre,” “The Cryptic Stench” and “Vomit the Soul” to
mix with new tracks from THE WRETCHED SPAWN and staples like
“Fucked With a Knife,” “Gallery of Suicide” and “Hammer-Smashed
Face.” “The Wretched Spawn” was dedicated to Gene Hoglan while
“Fucked With a Knife” was—as always—dedicated to the ladies in
the house. “Corpsegrinder” encouraged the crowd to start a
churning pit before “Pit of Zombies,” to which all were more
than eager to comply. Heads banged, bodies thrashed and sweat
flew for 75 minutes as Cannibal Corpse tore through an eighteen
song set. Alex Webster’s nimble fingers tore away at the bass
strings, while Pat O’Brien and Jeremy Turner alternated riffs
and solos. The octopus-like Paul Mazurkiewicz was a blur of
arms, feet and hair behind the kit keeping pace with the frantic
music. Front and centre, though, was the helicopter headspins
and unmistakable growls and screams of “Corpsegrinder.” The
man’s neck must be two feet around, no doubt due to the fact
that he headbangs constantly throughout the show. His guttural
growls and piercing screams on “They Deserve to Die” and
“Pounded Into Dust” are testament as to why he is such a
formidable force in death metal. All in their mid-30s, Cannibal
Corpse show no sign whatsoever of slowing down. The intensity of
a Cannibal Corpse show is something to be witnessed and with
plenty of steam left in this tour, do not miss the band if they
come to your town.
 CANNIBAL
CORPSE SETLIST
Shredded Humans
Puncture Wound Massacre
Stripped, Raped and Strangled
Fucked With a Knife
Decency Defied
Vomit the Soul
Unleashing the Bloodthirsty
Pounded Into Dust
The Cryptic Stench
They Deserve To Die
Dormant Bodies Bursting
Gallery of Suicide
Pit of Zombies
The Wretched Spawn
Staring Through the Eyes of the Dead
Devoured By Vermin
A Skull Full of Maggots
Hammer-Smashed Face
Thanks to Kelli at Metal Blade (www.metalblade.com)
for the ticket & photo pass and JJ & Dennis at Scrape (www.scraperecords.com)
for the cool treatment at the meet & greet.
|