Lamb Of God, Behemoth @ The Complex; 08/18/17 Show Review
by R.G.B. Robb—
Package tours are some of my favorites to attend. There are typically two or more headlining acts, you get a lot of “bang-for-your-buck.” One perfect example of this happened Friday, August 18th, when two giants of the metal underground world came to destroy The Complex. Though the building is still standing, I don’t think it would be humanly possible to put forth any more effort than the bands who performed that night held on display. Let the darkness and evil commence …
As the lights dimmed, the pitch black was met with the tormented screams of humans as a cacophony of evil tones played in the background. Then momentary silence, followed by the blast of blackened death metal from the ultimate litmus test of this sub-genre, Behemoth. Vocalist/guitarist Nergal, guitarist Seth, bassist Orion, and touring drummer The Charn were firing on all cylinders and played pretty flawlessly. Their set was comprised mostly of songs from the 2004 album Demigod forward; highly technical pieces that require a heightened level of precision to pull off. “Conquer All” and “Messe Noire” were highlights in a musical sense, but it was in the stage settings, performances, and stage presence of the members that really caused the songs to have a life of their own. “Alas, Lord Is Upon Me” found Nergal doing a ritualistic piece from behind his microphone stand—a stand which matched the other two flanking the stage: a giant, hollow, upside-down pentagram with snakes wrapping up the sides. “O Father O Satan O Sun” had everyone, sans Nergal, wearing their notorious large, black, faceless masks with giant horns coming out of the head while standing on two large staircases next to the drum riser. Their demonic appearances matched incredibly well with the black tapestries which had a winged, double-headed serpents that were the backdrop. The one musician who held my attention the most though was The Charn. He was on-point and incredibly physical throughout the show. The best example was during the set-ender “Chant For Eschaton 2000.” The song is very difficult to play on drums in the first place, but he was able to windmill-headbang through some of the toughest parts which really amped up the level of respect I have for him. With Behemoth being such a complete juggernaut, I wasn’t entirely sure that the night’s headliners would be able to compete, let alone rise above. I was wrong.
Lamb Of God owned the stage and the show. From the opening moments of “Laid To Rest,” they spent the next 90 minutes stunning the audience with their brand of groove-influenced thrash metal. Vocalist Randy Blythe, guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler, bassist John Campbell, and drummer Chris Adler were on fire. There was a special kind of fury to their set. A set containing many fan favorites like “512,” “Engage The Fear Machine,” and “Now You’ve Got Something To Die For”—a track which opened with Blythe dedicating it to the men and women of the armed forces. But though their musicianship was second-to-none, it was their visuals that truly put their show over the top. Giant screens flanked the drums and the entire backdrop was taken up by many disturbing images set up like they were portions of a horror film, to which the music of Lamb Of God being an incredibly appropriate soundtrack. “Walk With Me In Hell” showed moving pictures of fire, explosions, and death. Spinning skulls, the apocalypse, massive amounts of human destruction, and every other violent/grim idea that man could conjure was shown on the screens with zero respite. Frontman Blythe was truly captivating throughout the show. He would often speak to the crowd, addressing them as family, and throw his body around with complete reckless abandon during every song. The best example of his control came during “Blacken The Cursed Sun.” There was a part to the number which has a call-and-response section where Blythe got EVERYONE in the crowd screaming “Hell no!” at the top of their lungs. During these parts, the room was filled with what sounded like a demonic choir. Really, the only let down of the performance was when the band left the stage after ending the set with “Redneck.”
As the audience walked out of the venue, there was much banter amongst the attendees replaying the magnanimous scenes which had just been witnessed. From the Satanic blackened death metal and corpse paint visages of Behemoth to the Anti-Christ overtones from Lamb Of God, evil had made an appearance that evening. Though the intentions of both bands were to decimate everything in their path, I can’t imagine any two groups performing together that could have come closer to that goal.
Lamb Of God, Behemoth @ The Complex; 08/18/17 Show Review
by R.G.B. Robb—
Package tours are some of my favorites to attend. There are typically two or more headlining acts, you get a lot of “bang-for-your-buck.” One perfect example of this happened Friday, August 18th, when two giants of the metal underground world came to destroy The Complex. Though the building is still standing, I don’t think it would be humanly possible to put forth any more effort than the bands who performed that night held on display. Let the darkness and evil commence …
As the lights dimmed, the pitch black was met with the tormented screams of humans as a cacophony of evil tones played in the background. Then momentary silence, followed by the blast of blackened death metal from the ultimate litmus test of this sub-genre, Behemoth. Vocalist/guitarist Nergal, guitarist Seth, bassist Orion, and touring drummer The Charn were firing on all cylinders and played pretty flawlessly. Their set was comprised mostly of songs from the 2004 album Demigod forward; highly technical pieces that require a heightened level of precision to pull off. “Conquer All” and “Messe Noire” were highlights in a musical sense, but it was in the stage settings, performances, and stage presence of the members that really caused the songs to have a life of their own. “Alas, Lord Is Upon Me” found Nergal doing a ritualistic piece from behind his microphone stand—a stand which matched the other two flanking the stage: a giant, hollow, upside-down pentagram with snakes wrapping up the sides. “O Father O Satan O Sun” had everyone, sans Nergal, wearing their notorious large, black, faceless masks with giant horns coming out of the head while standing on two large staircases next to the drum riser. Their demonic appearances matched incredibly well with the black tapestries which had a winged, double-headed serpents that were the backdrop. The one musician who held my attention the most though was The Charn. He was on-point and incredibly physical throughout the show. The best example was during the set-ender “Chant For Eschaton 2000.” The song is very difficult to play on drums in the first place, but he was able to windmill-headbang through some of the toughest parts which really amped up the level of respect I have for him. With Behemoth being such a complete juggernaut, I wasn’t entirely sure that the night’s headliners would be able to compete, let alone rise above. I was wrong.
Lamb Of God owned the stage and the show. From the opening moments of “Laid To Rest,” they spent the next 90 minutes stunning the audience with their brand of groove-influenced thrash metal. Vocalist Randy Blythe, guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler, bassist John Campbell, and drummer Chris Adler were on fire. There was a special kind of fury to their set. A set containing many fan favorites like “512,” “Engage The Fear Machine,” and “Now You’ve Got Something To Die For”—a track which opened with Blythe dedicating it to the men and women of the armed forces. But though their musicianship was second-to-none, it was their visuals that truly put their show over the top. Giant screens flanked the drums and the entire backdrop was taken up by many disturbing images set up like they were portions of a horror film, to which the music of Lamb Of God being an incredibly appropriate soundtrack. “Walk With Me In Hell” showed moving pictures of fire, explosions, and death. Spinning skulls, the apocalypse, massive amounts of human destruction, and every other violent/grim idea that man could conjure was shown on the screens with zero respite. Frontman Blythe was truly captivating throughout the show. He would often speak to the crowd, addressing them as family, and throw his body around with complete reckless abandon during every song. The best example of his control came during “Blacken The Cursed Sun.” There was a part to the number which has a call-and-response section where Blythe got EVERYONE in the crowd screaming “Hell no!” at the top of their lungs. During these parts, the room was filled with what sounded like a demonic choir. Really, the only let down of the performance was when the band left the stage after ending the set with “Redneck.”
As the audience walked out of the venue, there was much banter amongst the attendees replaying the magnanimous scenes which had just been witnessed. From the Satanic blackened death metal and corpse paint visages of Behemoth to the Anti-Christ overtones from Lamb Of God, evil had made an appearance that evening. Though the intentions of both bands were to decimate everything in their path, I can’t imagine any two groups performing together that could have come closer to that goal.
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