- Aug 18, 2002
- 9,421
- 16
- 38
Deicide, Vital Remains, Order of Ennead, Adrift, Satan's Host
16 February, 2009, Iliff Park Saloon, Aurora, CO
by Ryan Starr
On the night of February 16th, I was shot by Glen Benton. As a matter of fact, there were many victims of Bentons rampage that night. It seems that when he gets bored, he takes out his anger on his tour mates and random fans with a Nerf gun. Yes it was a traumatizing night, one that will be seared into my memory for days to come. But let me start from the Beginning.
The night started with Veteran Denver act Satans Host, who provided their cheesy version of black metal mixed with generic thrash. Throughout their ceremony they summoned demons and cast magical spells onto the crowd. Well, these incantations must have back fired. Most of the crowd stood there confused or laughing. None the less, there were a handful of people getting annoyingly violent in the pit, spilling beer and knocking over tables in the tiny bar. Between the pathetic lyrics and the rude drunk guys, it was hard to enjoy the set. I can only imagine what Glen thought of them.
Next was the start of the tour package, which featured Deicide and their side projects. The first band, Adrift, belonged to Jack Owen. At first I was a bit put off by their sound, and sadly most people stayed that way, which was a mix of stoner and alternative. But as I watched their set, I began to notice some pretty killer riffing, thanks to Jack Owen. Even though the music was too friendly for the rest of the tour, the musicianship was good. My only complaint would be with singer Dean Pskowski. His style is a little too whiney, giving them an emo/nu metal kind of vibe. A stoner singer the likes of James Rota of Fireball Ministry would take Adrift to the next level, and garner some more respect from the metal community. While most people didnt get what Jack is going for, I think he has something here. I encourage people to listen with an open mind, and get past the vocals.
This was also the point where Glen Benton decided to skulk around the club in a black trench coat to shoot people with his Nerf gun and hit random people. At several times he shot the band, scoring some pretty sweet headshots, focusing on Jack and Drummer Kevin Astl. But dont fear, Jack got his revenge later that evening.
Order of Ennead came to the stage next and gave the crowd their first pleasurable metal experience of the evening. Ill admit that I didnt do my journalistic duties before the show, forgetting to do any sort of research on the band. I was completely unprepared for their amazing talent and impressive song writing. I was simply blown away after 30 seconds of their first song. Scott Patrick is probably the highlight of the band, with his astonishing Digiorgio style playing, but every member is blessed with talent. But dont think for a second that Order of Ennead is just another tech band. They excel in blending black metal atmosphere into their music, which sets them apart from most of the bands coming out these days. Order of Ennead is one of those bands you simply must see, not only to get a good live show, but to watch them pull everything off musically. This is where the tour should have started.
Now, to fully understand the set of Vital Remains, and really most of the show, you need some background info on the venue. The Iliff Park Saloon is a relatively small venue, made smaller because the bar is smack in the middle of the venue. The stage is also rather small, and of course, Deicides drums were back lined on the drum riser. That said, every band except for Deicide and Order of Ennead has to put their huge drum kits up front, where a vocalist would be. So what did Scott Wily do? He put the monitor on the floor and stood on a box in front of the stage for most of the set. When he wasnt towering directly over me, he was literally in the pit, in the faces of everyone. While its an inconvenience to set up a stage like that, it helped make the show memorable. How often do you get that personal with a band? Ive seen Vital Remains before and they were great then, but this performance was ten times better because of the intimacy. So Vital Remains plowed through their set, getting the crowd amped, preparing them for their finale. It starts off with a long intro where we see Glen Benton come on stage and then climb onto the box right in front of me. It was time to 'Dechristianize'. Both Wily and Benton performed, and let me tell you, it was a sight to see. And of course, the stage simply couldnt contain both of them, so off they went into the pit. It was certainly an unforgettable ending to a monstrous set.
Headlining the set was the illustrious Deicide. The last time I saw them was on their legendary tour with Morbid Angel, so I was eager to see them again. Unfortunately this is where the train came off the tracks for the tiny bar. Probably due to the center monitor being on the floor, and cables hanging off the cramped stage, there were many problems with the stage sound that were likely caused by trampled equipment. This of course infuriated Benton but oddly enough provided some humor and entertainment to their set. No one knows better than me how important the monitors are during a show, and when things arent working you need the sound guy to fix it. That unfortunate soul is known as Colonel. At several times during the first few songs Benton Screamed at him and threatened to shove numerous objects up his ass. Everyone from the sound guy to members of the other touring bands tried to fix the problem, but nothing worked out. After the fifth song (Stench of Redemption) they simply stopped playing until the sound was fixed. At that point it was 1 AM, and I had a one and a half hour drive home and work the next morning. So my friends and I left. Reports of the rest of the set confirmed what I knew what would happen. The sound was still bad, Benton got even more pissed, and they cut their 25 song set short to about eight or ten. Its a terrible shame to cut a set short like that, but what can you do? You want to give the audience the best possible show, and you simply cant do that if you cant hear whats going on. I can only hope they go to a bigger and better venue next time.
NO MONITORS ASSHOLE!
Official Deicide Webpage
Official Deicide Myspace
Official Vital Remains Webpage
Official Vital Remains Myspace
Official Order of Ennead Webpage
Official Order of Ennead Myspace
Official Adrift Website
Official Adrift Myspace
Official Satans Host Webpage
Official Satans Host Myspace
Official Century Media Webpage
Official Earache Webpage
Official Moribund Cult Webpage
16 February, 2009, Iliff Park Saloon, Aurora, CO
by Ryan Starr
On the night of February 16th, I was shot by Glen Benton. As a matter of fact, there were many victims of Bentons rampage that night. It seems that when he gets bored, he takes out his anger on his tour mates and random fans with a Nerf gun. Yes it was a traumatizing night, one that will be seared into my memory for days to come. But let me start from the Beginning.
The night started with Veteran Denver act Satans Host, who provided their cheesy version of black metal mixed with generic thrash. Throughout their ceremony they summoned demons and cast magical spells onto the crowd. Well, these incantations must have back fired. Most of the crowd stood there confused or laughing. None the less, there were a handful of people getting annoyingly violent in the pit, spilling beer and knocking over tables in the tiny bar. Between the pathetic lyrics and the rude drunk guys, it was hard to enjoy the set. I can only imagine what Glen thought of them.
Next was the start of the tour package, which featured Deicide and their side projects. The first band, Adrift, belonged to Jack Owen. At first I was a bit put off by their sound, and sadly most people stayed that way, which was a mix of stoner and alternative. But as I watched their set, I began to notice some pretty killer riffing, thanks to Jack Owen. Even though the music was too friendly for the rest of the tour, the musicianship was good. My only complaint would be with singer Dean Pskowski. His style is a little too whiney, giving them an emo/nu metal kind of vibe. A stoner singer the likes of James Rota of Fireball Ministry would take Adrift to the next level, and garner some more respect from the metal community. While most people didnt get what Jack is going for, I think he has something here. I encourage people to listen with an open mind, and get past the vocals.
This was also the point where Glen Benton decided to skulk around the club in a black trench coat to shoot people with his Nerf gun and hit random people. At several times he shot the band, scoring some pretty sweet headshots, focusing on Jack and Drummer Kevin Astl. But dont fear, Jack got his revenge later that evening.
Order of Ennead came to the stage next and gave the crowd their first pleasurable metal experience of the evening. Ill admit that I didnt do my journalistic duties before the show, forgetting to do any sort of research on the band. I was completely unprepared for their amazing talent and impressive song writing. I was simply blown away after 30 seconds of their first song. Scott Patrick is probably the highlight of the band, with his astonishing Digiorgio style playing, but every member is blessed with talent. But dont think for a second that Order of Ennead is just another tech band. They excel in blending black metal atmosphere into their music, which sets them apart from most of the bands coming out these days. Order of Ennead is one of those bands you simply must see, not only to get a good live show, but to watch them pull everything off musically. This is where the tour should have started.
Now, to fully understand the set of Vital Remains, and really most of the show, you need some background info on the venue. The Iliff Park Saloon is a relatively small venue, made smaller because the bar is smack in the middle of the venue. The stage is also rather small, and of course, Deicides drums were back lined on the drum riser. That said, every band except for Deicide and Order of Ennead has to put their huge drum kits up front, where a vocalist would be. So what did Scott Wily do? He put the monitor on the floor and stood on a box in front of the stage for most of the set. When he wasnt towering directly over me, he was literally in the pit, in the faces of everyone. While its an inconvenience to set up a stage like that, it helped make the show memorable. How often do you get that personal with a band? Ive seen Vital Remains before and they were great then, but this performance was ten times better because of the intimacy. So Vital Remains plowed through their set, getting the crowd amped, preparing them for their finale. It starts off with a long intro where we see Glen Benton come on stage and then climb onto the box right in front of me. It was time to 'Dechristianize'. Both Wily and Benton performed, and let me tell you, it was a sight to see. And of course, the stage simply couldnt contain both of them, so off they went into the pit. It was certainly an unforgettable ending to a monstrous set.
Headlining the set was the illustrious Deicide. The last time I saw them was on their legendary tour with Morbid Angel, so I was eager to see them again. Unfortunately this is where the train came off the tracks for the tiny bar. Probably due to the center monitor being on the floor, and cables hanging off the cramped stage, there were many problems with the stage sound that were likely caused by trampled equipment. This of course infuriated Benton but oddly enough provided some humor and entertainment to their set. No one knows better than me how important the monitors are during a show, and when things arent working you need the sound guy to fix it. That unfortunate soul is known as Colonel. At several times during the first few songs Benton Screamed at him and threatened to shove numerous objects up his ass. Everyone from the sound guy to members of the other touring bands tried to fix the problem, but nothing worked out. After the fifth song (Stench of Redemption) they simply stopped playing until the sound was fixed. At that point it was 1 AM, and I had a one and a half hour drive home and work the next morning. So my friends and I left. Reports of the rest of the set confirmed what I knew what would happen. The sound was still bad, Benton got even more pissed, and they cut their 25 song set short to about eight or ten. Its a terrible shame to cut a set short like that, but what can you do? You want to give the audience the best possible show, and you simply cant do that if you cant hear whats going on. I can only hope they go to a bigger and better venue next time.
NO MONITORS ASSHOLE!
Official Deicide Webpage
Official Deicide Myspace
Official Vital Remains Webpage
Official Vital Remains Myspace
Official Order of Ennead Webpage
Official Order of Ennead Myspace
Official Adrift Website
Official Adrift Myspace
Official Satans Host Webpage
Official Satans Host Myspace
Official Century Media Webpage
Official Earache Webpage
Official Moribund Cult Webpage
