- Aug 18, 2002
- 9,421
- 16
- 38
Cephalic Carnage / Dying Fetus / Skeletonwitch / Year of Desolation
30 November The Black Sheep Colorado Springs, CO
By Ryan Starr
Its been a long time since Cephalic Carnage came through the springs, and even longer since Ive seen them. I was eager to see one of my all time favorite bands, and I wasnt disappointed. Last night I was given the chance to be a total fan boy, and it was great. But Cephalic Carnage werent the only reason I went to the show. There were three other killer bands, and we start with Year of Desolation
A late addition to the tour, Year of Desolation was filling the spots of The Absence (how ironic) and Demiricous. Quite a large pair of shoes to fill, but they were up to the challenge. Musically they remind me of a death metal/ thrash version of 3 Inches of Blood, just subtract the falsetto vocals and replace them with low growls from a vocalist who likes to flick his nipples.
Goofy stage antics aside, Chad Zimmerman is a great vocalist and front man. He lets the music possess him on stage, and it makes for a great experience. As a whole the band is impressive on stage. They are well rehearsed and give every song 150%. I hope to see these guys again in the near future, and hopefully they make some patches so I can add one to my vest.
Next was Skeletonwitch, who DID have patches. If youre going to play retro music, you better have the retro gear, right? Skeletonwitch is another band coming from the thrash resurgence. And while some link them to 3 Inches of Blood I got a different vibe, something close to Hatchet or Dekapitator. There was a gritty feel to the set, like thrash should feel.
Visually they have a certain look their going for and I think they nail it. Older gear, leather, animal skulls they even brought out their own lights, doing the entire set under red lights and fog. It feels dirty and evil, and it really suits their sound.
In the number three spot was Dying Fetus, which surprised me since they are the veterans on the tour. But I imagine that a change was made to let Cephalic Carnage Headline in their home state, which was a mistake, but Ill address that later. Everyone should know who Dying Fetus is. Theyve been around for ever, and their mix of groove and mind boggling technicality is something that you just cant ignore. They played all their standard tunes, and even though they wouldnt play Anno Clitoris for me, I still enjoyed their set. Every time I see them Im just blown away by their technical ability. Not many people can sweep and tap well in solos, but Dying Fetus do it in their standard riffs, and at a blitzkrieg pace.
Their superhuman talent more than makes up for their lack of stage presence, which has always been a problem for the band. Even though two of the four do vocals while playing, they alternate and their music gives them plenty of time to move around. But after seeing them a couple times now, I have come to the conclusion that either they wear concrete shoes, or their feet are nailed to the floor. A little movement goes a long way, and if they tried a little harder to interact with the crowd, it would make huge difference.
Now for the moment Ive been waiting for. A band that certainly has no problem with stage presence: Cephalic Carnage. I say I because about a third of the crowd left after Dying Fetus. I have no earthly idea why people would leave before them, but they did, and its their loss. The set was incredible. Theyre as tight as they were 6 years ago, despite some line up changes. Their set consisted of tunes off the new album Xenosapien as well as a lot older material like Kill for Weed and one of my favorites Black Metal Sabbath. My only request would be Pseudo, but I dont think they even played that when they toured for Lucid Interval. The highlight of the set, however, was Dying Will Be the Death of Me.They played the song 50% faster than on the CD, which is impressive.
As I mentioned before, Cephalic Carnage are impressive on stage. Everyone but bassist Nick Schendzielos, who was very sick. He even had to take a puff from his inhaler mid set. Kudos to him for toughing it out and giving the fans a musically sound performance. I have always been impressed by their ability to play their intense and demanding music while moving like they do. Spastic stage presence is usually reserved for nu metal and metalcore bands who love to play the same chord over and over again. But for Cephalic Carnage, they are the exception to the rule. But perhaps the most important thing about them is they look like theyre having fun. And why play music if youre not going to have fun?
Over all it was a fantastic show. All the bands played well and everyone had a good time. But for future reference, if youre in a band, you should start selling patches, because I have too many shirts and not enough places to wear them!
More photos can be found HERE.
Official Year of Desolation Website
Official Skeletonwitch Website
Official Dying Fetus Website
Official Cephalic Carnage Website
Official Prosthetic Website
Official Relapse Website
30 November The Black Sheep Colorado Springs, CO
By Ryan Starr
Its been a long time since Cephalic Carnage came through the springs, and even longer since Ive seen them. I was eager to see one of my all time favorite bands, and I wasnt disappointed. Last night I was given the chance to be a total fan boy, and it was great. But Cephalic Carnage werent the only reason I went to the show. There were three other killer bands, and we start with Year of Desolation
A late addition to the tour, Year of Desolation was filling the spots of The Absence (how ironic) and Demiricous. Quite a large pair of shoes to fill, but they were up to the challenge. Musically they remind me of a death metal/ thrash version of 3 Inches of Blood, just subtract the falsetto vocals and replace them with low growls from a vocalist who likes to flick his nipples.
Goofy stage antics aside, Chad Zimmerman is a great vocalist and front man. He lets the music possess him on stage, and it makes for a great experience. As a whole the band is impressive on stage. They are well rehearsed and give every song 150%. I hope to see these guys again in the near future, and hopefully they make some patches so I can add one to my vest.
Next was Skeletonwitch, who DID have patches. If youre going to play retro music, you better have the retro gear, right? Skeletonwitch is another band coming from the thrash resurgence. And while some link them to 3 Inches of Blood I got a different vibe, something close to Hatchet or Dekapitator. There was a gritty feel to the set, like thrash should feel.
Visually they have a certain look their going for and I think they nail it. Older gear, leather, animal skulls they even brought out their own lights, doing the entire set under red lights and fog. It feels dirty and evil, and it really suits their sound.
In the number three spot was Dying Fetus, which surprised me since they are the veterans on the tour. But I imagine that a change was made to let Cephalic Carnage Headline in their home state, which was a mistake, but Ill address that later. Everyone should know who Dying Fetus is. Theyve been around for ever, and their mix of groove and mind boggling technicality is something that you just cant ignore. They played all their standard tunes, and even though they wouldnt play Anno Clitoris for me, I still enjoyed their set. Every time I see them Im just blown away by their technical ability. Not many people can sweep and tap well in solos, but Dying Fetus do it in their standard riffs, and at a blitzkrieg pace.
Their superhuman talent more than makes up for their lack of stage presence, which has always been a problem for the band. Even though two of the four do vocals while playing, they alternate and their music gives them plenty of time to move around. But after seeing them a couple times now, I have come to the conclusion that either they wear concrete shoes, or their feet are nailed to the floor. A little movement goes a long way, and if they tried a little harder to interact with the crowd, it would make huge difference.
Now for the moment Ive been waiting for. A band that certainly has no problem with stage presence: Cephalic Carnage. I say I because about a third of the crowd left after Dying Fetus. I have no earthly idea why people would leave before them, but they did, and its their loss. The set was incredible. Theyre as tight as they were 6 years ago, despite some line up changes. Their set consisted of tunes off the new album Xenosapien as well as a lot older material like Kill for Weed and one of my favorites Black Metal Sabbath. My only request would be Pseudo, but I dont think they even played that when they toured for Lucid Interval. The highlight of the set, however, was Dying Will Be the Death of Me.They played the song 50% faster than on the CD, which is impressive.
As I mentioned before, Cephalic Carnage are impressive on stage. Everyone but bassist Nick Schendzielos, who was very sick. He even had to take a puff from his inhaler mid set. Kudos to him for toughing it out and giving the fans a musically sound performance. I have always been impressed by their ability to play their intense and demanding music while moving like they do. Spastic stage presence is usually reserved for nu metal and metalcore bands who love to play the same chord over and over again. But for Cephalic Carnage, they are the exception to the rule. But perhaps the most important thing about them is they look like theyre having fun. And why play music if youre not going to have fun?
Over all it was a fantastic show. All the bands played well and everyone had a good time. But for future reference, if youre in a band, you should start selling patches, because I have too many shirts and not enough places to wear them!
More photos can be found HERE.
Official Year of Desolation Website
Official Skeletonwitch Website
Official Dying Fetus Website
Official Cephalic Carnage Website
Official Prosthetic Website
Official Relapse Website
