If was a dreary cold 47-degree day (Ohio's grim attempt at Spring) that greeted Florida death metal crafters, Obituary. As they roared into the legendary Cleveland Agora, they brought Pallbearer, Dust Bolt, and Skeleton Witch to ensure that mosh pit warmed everyone up.
Skeleton Witch is a band somewhat similar to that of Arch Enemy with a bit of Amon Amarth thrown in for flavor and every bit as much power.
Their fury was conducive to what the night had in store for everyone. The sharp, crisp low end seemed to blend with the unrelenting growls emanating from the stage.
Dust Bold and Pallbearer take the time to talk
Dust Bolt are being called by some the savior of thrash metal as it makes a resurgence that some metal-heads suspect could revive the whole genre. Similar in some ways to Havoc, their sound is a welcome addition to a field of metal artists that have begun to copy one another too much.
Bassist Bene Münzel and guitarist Lenny Breuss took the time to talk to Blasting News and said that they have three CD's out.
I asked, "how has the tour been going?"
"Really well. Wonderful," Münzel replied.
It was mentioned that due to time constraints, some of the set was missed. "That is fine," Breuss said. "We are happy to see that you made it."
When asked if there have been a lot of people finding the band on this tour, even though they have been on the scene for a bit of time, the bassist nodded. "Very much so. It has been great."
Both members have seen a growing interest from those in the metal community in seeing a thrashy, solo ridden, timing change-driven music return to the scene. They are indeed the band to herald that into being.
Next up was Pallbearer, perhaps the most unexpected treat of the night. For those who did not know this band (though they have been around since 2011, too) could not have found a better night to have discovered them!
A bit like The Sword only more technical, Pallbearer are the future of heavy doom rock/metal.
On top of that, many in attendance expected a night of only growling, but Obituary chose a metal band that has an almost majestic singer, Brett Campbell. He's somewhat in the range of Ozzy or other mid-range greats. His delivery was on key, on point, and flawless. The singer's ax skills are solid, altering from rhythm to lead frequently, while co-guitarist Devin Holt and bassist Joseph D. Rowland also have solid voices, a rare blessing for any band to have.
The bass during soundcheck sounded as though too much fuzz was to be had, but the finesse with which Rowland plays between low and high octaves (adding much melody to each selection) negated that concern.
When asked who writes most of the music, Lierlysaid, "Brett and Joe are the primary writers. David writes some stuff, too."
He continued, "As far as the process...sometimes Brett or Joe will sort of have a whole song, where everything is pretty much ready. And...other times we just jam stuff out and kinda' arrange it together."
Obituary take command
It was clear from the moment that the fog hissed and lights dimmed that the pit was going to explode, and it did. One mosher twisted (broke?) his ankle hopping around merrily by song two.
That track was off of their new self-titled LP, "Obituary," and was called "Sentence Day." It is sometimes thought that as bands age, they soften. If that is the case, these Florida-based metal bashers know nothing about it.
Their new music is as current as anything being produced today, and vocalist John Tardy remains one of the only singers in the genre that is always easy to understand. It hardly does any good to have great horror stories to tell, and no one can hear it.
His brother, Donald Tardy, was never late. Each double foot roll was as crisp as autumn leaves, and that signature guitar scream of Trevor Peres was equally present. It is hard to say what is more instantly noticeable: Tardy's vocals or Peres' guitar sound. In a genre of copycats, that is a huge compliment.
Classics like "Chopped In Half" and "I Don't Care" were also in top form. There was hardly a head not banging, and at one point, a boy of about eight was high-fived by Tardy and welcomed onstage to headbang.
By the closing track, "Slowly We Rot," the enraged but friendly pit reached a brutal force that took over most of the vast floor.
Co-ax master, Terry Butler, said that when it comes time to choose what songs to do from new albums, "we have to really work at finding which four or five are the very best." He admitted that it can be tricky. "We have to do 'Chopped In Half' and 'Slowly We Rot,' so that is always a given."
When asked about the comical video for "Violence" (which is a cartoon of the band attempting to get to a show, bbq'ing a moving van, and stealing birthday cake. The legend from Six Feet Under, Massacre, and Pioneers Death (whose leader Chuck Schuldiner could also always be understood, too) smiled.
"Everyone else has already done the spooky fog and the dark lights, so we wanted to do something different," Butler, also of Spiritual Healing admitted.
As the freezing raindrops fell, the night came to an end, the busses started up, and another city was to experience what Cleveland did...metal greats sounding their greatest.