Dimmu Borgir/Cryptopsy/Krisiun/Diabolic
The Palace
Hollywood, CA
March 12, 2002
The last of three excellent shows in one week in Los Angeles finally rolled into town and it was the one I was awaiting with the most anticipation. First, I had already had the chance to see the 3 main bands live and I had to see them again. I was especially looking forward to seeing Cryptopsy, right now they are one of my favorite bands, and how the new singer, Martin Lacroix, would be like. Second, where else are you going to see 3 amazing drummers in one night? There is Max Kolesne of Krisiun, Flo Mounier of Cryptopsy and Nick Barker of Dimmu Borgir. There was going to be a drum clinic that night.
First band, Diabolic, was nothing really special. They were just a generic death metal band that really didnt impress me that much. They had a lot of energy and were excited to be part of the bill but they really dont offer anything new or exciting. I just got the feeling that I had already heard what they played by somebody else.
They were followed by the excellent Brazilian death metal band Krisiun. Just like the last time I saw them, the band was able to have a huge sound that is amazing considering there are only three band members (Max, Alex Camargo, bass, and Moyses Kolesne, guitar). They absolutely pummeled the crowd with songs like "Dawn of Flagellation", "Conquerors of Armageddon", "Perpetuation", "Evil Gods Havoc" and "Ageless Venomous". The latter song was especially impressive just because of the incredible speed that Max has to play the bass drums and he didnt miss a beat! Alexs vocals were superb and just as brutal as in the albums and Moyses was phenomenal with his guitar. Krisiun is one great band and one that is very easy to approach to. After the show they were all available to sign booklets, shirts, ticket stubs and to take pictures and just chat with them. Very nice guys off the stage but one of the most brutal death metal bands while on it!
The next band was Cryptopsy and I got as close to the stage as possible and I just couldnt wait for them to start and once they did, I was enjoying every second of it! Lets talk about Martin first. This guy is amazing! He is the perfect combination of Lord Worm and Mike Disalvo while adding his own twist to the songs. He was awesome in both his performance of material from both ex-singers as well as with his stage presence. I especially liked how he would stand and do this really menacing pose with his body and face. Finally, how fast can he windmill his freaking head? He was going just as fast as Flos drumming and it didnt affect him one bit. The rest of the band was just as good. To me Flo is the best drummer in metal at the moment and complement him with the excellent bassist Eric Langlois and you have one hell of a tight rhythmic section. Finally, guitarists Jon Levasseur and Alex Auburn were awesome as well. I was standing closer to Jon and so I paid more attention to him and he is really a great guitarist. It was really cool watching him perform some of those solos. The band played songs from all their albums like " And Then It Passes", "Cold Hate, Warm Blood", "Phobophile" and "Open Face Surgery". This was a magnificent set and it was great to see them again. I just cant wait until they record an album with Martin, which should be killer! Also, just like the guys from Krisiun, all the band members were approachable and very nice. It was great to have been able to meet one of my favorite bands.
It was finally Dimmu Borgirs turn and I knew that they were going to put on a great show based on the fact that when they played in this same venue a year ago, they just absolutely killed! This time around, they had better lighting effect as well as the use of a fog machine, which was cool because when the machine was turned on, the effects of the lights with the fog were really cool. I still dont like how they throw Nick in the back and to the side of the stage. Its really hard to really get into his drumming since he is all the way back there. Mustis is also on the back but its easier to see him and he shows more emotion while playing the keyboards, than Nick does while he drums. Maybe thats just the way Nick is when playing live. Vortex, Garm and Silenoz not only were playing their instruments flawlessly but were also doing a great job of getting the crowd involved. Finally, Shagrath sang excellently but at times I felt that he looked kind of bored or just not into it like the rest of the band. Maybe its just me but I remember him being more energetic the last time I saw him. Their set comprised of songs from their last 3 releases and some of the highlights included "Kings of the Carnival Creation", "Blessings Upon the Throne of Tyranny", "United in Hallow Grace" and "The Insight and the Catharsis". What was an absolute surprise was when they came back from their encore and played "Alt Lys Er Svunnet Hen" from Stormblast. It was totally awesome to hear that song live.
This was an absolutely fun evening of metal. The three bands that I went to see where absolutely great and being able to meet the members of Krisiun and Cryptopsy was very cool.
Diabolic Website
Krisiun Website
Cryptopsy Website
Dimmu Borgir Website
The Palace
Hollywood, CA
March 12, 2002
The last of three excellent shows in one week in Los Angeles finally rolled into town and it was the one I was awaiting with the most anticipation. First, I had already had the chance to see the 3 main bands live and I had to see them again. I was especially looking forward to seeing Cryptopsy, right now they are one of my favorite bands, and how the new singer, Martin Lacroix, would be like. Second, where else are you going to see 3 amazing drummers in one night? There is Max Kolesne of Krisiun, Flo Mounier of Cryptopsy and Nick Barker of Dimmu Borgir. There was going to be a drum clinic that night.
First band, Diabolic, was nothing really special. They were just a generic death metal band that really didnt impress me that much. They had a lot of energy and were excited to be part of the bill but they really dont offer anything new or exciting. I just got the feeling that I had already heard what they played by somebody else.
They were followed by the excellent Brazilian death metal band Krisiun. Just like the last time I saw them, the band was able to have a huge sound that is amazing considering there are only three band members (Max, Alex Camargo, bass, and Moyses Kolesne, guitar). They absolutely pummeled the crowd with songs like "Dawn of Flagellation", "Conquerors of Armageddon", "Perpetuation", "Evil Gods Havoc" and "Ageless Venomous". The latter song was especially impressive just because of the incredible speed that Max has to play the bass drums and he didnt miss a beat! Alexs vocals were superb and just as brutal as in the albums and Moyses was phenomenal with his guitar. Krisiun is one great band and one that is very easy to approach to. After the show they were all available to sign booklets, shirts, ticket stubs and to take pictures and just chat with them. Very nice guys off the stage but one of the most brutal death metal bands while on it!
The next band was Cryptopsy and I got as close to the stage as possible and I just couldnt wait for them to start and once they did, I was enjoying every second of it! Lets talk about Martin first. This guy is amazing! He is the perfect combination of Lord Worm and Mike Disalvo while adding his own twist to the songs. He was awesome in both his performance of material from both ex-singers as well as with his stage presence. I especially liked how he would stand and do this really menacing pose with his body and face. Finally, how fast can he windmill his freaking head? He was going just as fast as Flos drumming and it didnt affect him one bit. The rest of the band was just as good. To me Flo is the best drummer in metal at the moment and complement him with the excellent bassist Eric Langlois and you have one hell of a tight rhythmic section. Finally, guitarists Jon Levasseur and Alex Auburn were awesome as well. I was standing closer to Jon and so I paid more attention to him and he is really a great guitarist. It was really cool watching him perform some of those solos. The band played songs from all their albums like " And Then It Passes", "Cold Hate, Warm Blood", "Phobophile" and "Open Face Surgery". This was a magnificent set and it was great to see them again. I just cant wait until they record an album with Martin, which should be killer! Also, just like the guys from Krisiun, all the band members were approachable and very nice. It was great to have been able to meet one of my favorite bands.
It was finally Dimmu Borgirs turn and I knew that they were going to put on a great show based on the fact that when they played in this same venue a year ago, they just absolutely killed! This time around, they had better lighting effect as well as the use of a fog machine, which was cool because when the machine was turned on, the effects of the lights with the fog were really cool. I still dont like how they throw Nick in the back and to the side of the stage. Its really hard to really get into his drumming since he is all the way back there. Mustis is also on the back but its easier to see him and he shows more emotion while playing the keyboards, than Nick does while he drums. Maybe thats just the way Nick is when playing live. Vortex, Garm and Silenoz not only were playing their instruments flawlessly but were also doing a great job of getting the crowd involved. Finally, Shagrath sang excellently but at times I felt that he looked kind of bored or just not into it like the rest of the band. Maybe its just me but I remember him being more energetic the last time I saw him. Their set comprised of songs from their last 3 releases and some of the highlights included "Kings of the Carnival Creation", "Blessings Upon the Throne of Tyranny", "United in Hallow Grace" and "The Insight and the Catharsis". What was an absolute surprise was when they came back from their encore and played "Alt Lys Er Svunnet Hen" from Stormblast. It was totally awesome to hear that song live.
This was an absolutely fun evening of metal. The three bands that I went to see where absolutely great and being able to meet the members of Krisiun and Cryptopsy was very cool.
Diabolic Website
Krisiun Website
Cryptopsy Website
Dimmu Borgir Website
