By Andrew Bansal
[Live photo by Vince Edwards]
May 16th 2013, The Observatory, Santa Ana CA: Death metal mainstays Cannibal Corpse have been an actively touring band in recent times, completing the Summer Slaughter run last year and following that with a short tour of their own. Now they’re back with another headline run, this time with Napalm Death and Immolation as support acts, along with the rotating opening slot going to Cretin for this part of the tour. The caravan arrived at the Observatory, formerly the Galaxy in Santa Ana. As a venue or a promoter you can never go wrong with a Cannibal Corpse show, and the proof of that was there for all to see. The box office window said ‘Cannibal Corpse is sold out’ at least an hour before the start of the show, even as a huge line of people was still hoping to score tickets to get in.
Although the show flyer on the venue’s website and social network suggested the show was going to start at 8, it actually started surprisingly early, with Cretin hitting the stage before 7.30. For those who don’t know, this is the band fronted by Marissa Martinez from Repulsion. She formed the band more than 2 decades ago but after a large period of inactivity it was resurrected in 2003. Elizabeth Schall, known for her work in LA bands like Dreaming Dead and Winterthrall, is the touring guitarist for Cretin on this trek. She’s been an impressive musician over the years, and it was great to see her guitar work whenever she got a chance to play solos during the set. They played a 30-minute set, and if you like Repulsion’s music, it’s safe to say Cretin would be up your alley. I thought they could have utilized the venue’s sound a bit better. Their mix had too much distortion, specially with the drum sound, and if impacted the strength of the two guitars negatively. I was digging the vocals and their music itself was solid. Decent set, but they are well capable of putting on an even better show next time.
Abysmal Dawn went up on stage next. I honestly had no idea they were playing this show as the local opener. There was no mention of it anywhere by the promoter/venue. So that was a pleasant surprise, as they put on an absolutely killer show which satiated the Observatory’s death metal-hungry packed house. Set-list wise, they did the same thing they’ve been doing for the past year or so, not that anyone was complaining. Unlike Cretin, they got their sound levels and mixes perfectly spot-on. Getting to hear the full extent of their musicianship was lovely, and my favorite moments were Charles Elliott and Andy Nelson’s twin guitar melody in ‘Perpetual Dormancy’ and the title track off of ‘Leveling The Plane Of Existence’. It’s typical to enjoy a band’s older material, but Leveling has been my personal favorite Abysmal Dawn track ever since it came out. It’s just the ideal amalgam of modern and old-school death metal which makes it a standout for me. Following that, they ended the set with another great tune off the same record, ‘In Service Of Time’. In all, a fantastic set by Abysmal Dawn, well worthy not only of the ‘local opener’ slot at this show but worthy of being on a full high-profile tour like this one.
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Set List:
1. Programmed to Consume
2. My Own Savior
3. Rapture Renowned
4. Perpetual Dormancy
5. Pixilated Ignorance
6. Leveling the Plane of Existence
7. In Service of Time
The ever-consistent New York death metal giants Immolation came up on stage next to show their wares. With the volume of shows I’ve been attending lately, I haven’t had a chance to listen to the new Immolation album ‘Kingdom Of Conspiracy’, so I was very much awaiting their performance here. They focused almost half of their short set to the new material, and it was a fairly good taste of what the album’s like. It follows the same path along which they’ve been heading over the past few albums, but it’s still solid and fresh enough to garner interest of fans and first-time listeners alike. I thought it was very fitting of them to be on this tour, as both Cannibal Corpse and Immolation have completed 25 years of successful existence this year.
Frontman Ross Dolan was in his elements, well backed up by his band mates. I found it kind of hilarious that even though his voice is exactly like Anthrax’ Scott Ian, he comes across as so much more of a nice guy. Besides Dolan’s bestial vocals, bass and hair, Robert Vigna lit up the set as well. He truly is one of the most underrated extreme metal guitarists. As he weaved his way through the set with power-packed riffs, compelling solos and strong physical presence, his talents were there to be seen and heard. To be honest, I’ve always enjoyed seeing death metal bands live, but there are only a few of those bands I listen to at home. Immolation is one such band that goes the extra mile to come up with something more than generic cookie-cutter extreme metal to force me to appreciate them at home. Great set as always by Immolation. Go pick up their new album!
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Set List:
1. Kingdom Of Conspiracy
2. What They Bring
3. Majesty and Decay
4. Bound To Order
5. Dawn of Possession
6. Swarm of Terror
7. All That Awaits Us
Soon after, Napalm Death took the stage in an attempt to crush this audience with their much highly regarded, respected and admired grindcore that has been blowing eardrums for the past 31 years. I had never seen them before, but heard so much about their wild shows. There’s always been such a huge hype about their shows, I always wondered, ‘What the hell does this band have in them?’ Finally, last night I got a chance to witness it first hand, and I am disappointed to say it really did not live up to that kind of reputation. The band’s fans were happy, of course, keeping the circle pits and crowd surfs going at full tilt. Their guitar sound was muddy at best. I know they go for the ‘wall of sound’ effect with their music, but I’ve seen several other bands, Nails for example, that pulled it off better than what Napalm did last night. Their sound was certainly loud and heavy but not strong or penetrating enough in my opinion. I mean, they were definitely good in the absolute sense, but not amazing by any means.
I did enjoy the few moments where I could actually hear the guitar riffs, and the super-short ‘You Suffer’ song was funny. Besides, vocalist Mark Barney Greenway’s speeches to the audience were awesome. In fact, whenever the band took a pause and he announced the song they were about to play, I was able to enjoy that particular song more than I otherwise would have. The power and command of his beautiful Birmingham accent got to my head, I think. But overall, this Napalm Death set did not blow me away at all. They didn’t convert me into a fan. With that said, I’d definitely see them again when the opportunity arises and hope to get a better experience of their live show.
A huge roar went up around this incredibly jam-packed venue as the giant Cannibal Corpse banner graced the backdrop of the stage while we waited for the band to appear in the foreground. Promptly at around 10.45, the lights went out, the band came out, and madness ensued for the next 75 minutes. It had been a while since I saw this band live, and last night I realized what I was missing in my life. Simply put, they proved yet again why they are one of the best live bands on the planet. But aside from all the insane windmill head-banging by Corpsegrinder in perfect synchronization with that of bassist Alex Wester and guitarists Rob Barrett and Pat O’Brien, they got their sound right. The horde of crazy fans gathered here wouldn’t mind even if Corpse sounded like mindless noise on that stage, but to the band’s credit they ensured that their guitar tones were thick, crisp and crystal clear, bass solid, drums mixed to the appropriate level, and Corpsegrinder allowed to exploit the full strength of his massive vocals.
Talking of Corpsegrinder, he is a legend not only for his vocals and his inhumane neck (or lack of), but for his on-stage banter with the crowd. In comparison to what he said between songs the last time I saw the band, he certainly came up with new jokes and lines this time and wasn’t just going on autopilot. Hundreds of extreme metal bands around the world try to announce the next song in the ‘death growl’ voice. All of them should stop it, because Corpsegrinder is the one and the only death metal vocalist who does it right.
Believe me, I tried my hardest to look for flaws in this performance, but I failed. This Cannibal Corpse set was spotless. People were going nuts in the front GA pit, but there were plenty jumping from the section just behind it, where I was. There was no rail to stop them from doing so, as each section at the Observatory is a couple of feet higher than the one in front, actually making the jump very easy. Talking of which, I had never seen this place so densely populated ever before. Between sets, there was hardly any room to even walk around. Orange County, specially Santa Ana, is supposed to be a ‘smaller market’ for Cannibal Corpse, but if you saw that crowd last night you’d think it was a LA or NY show.
I have to give major props to the Observatory’s sound system. As long as the band’s technicians got their mix right, the PA sounded absolutely fantastic. I didn’t even need ear plugs, such was the control in the level of distortion. I must also mention the lighting, which was beautiful for the photographers but also highlighted the bands on stage excellently well. The blues and reds enhanced the impact of the music even further. The sight and sound of Cannibal Corpse showered in red lights playing one of their typically brutal tunes was a very ominous moment. Of course, songs like ‘I Cum Blood’, ‘Make Them Suffer’ and ‘Hammer Smashed Face’ were phenomenal in this live setting and thoroughly enjoyed by one and all in attendance. Overall, a decimating performance by Cannibal Corpse, one that’s worthy of defining live extreme metal musicianship.
Set List:
1. A Skull Full of Maggots
2. Staring Through the Eyes of the Dead
3. Edible Autopsy
4. Addicted to Vaginal Skin
5. An Experiment In Homicide
6. Sentenced to Burn
7. Gutted
8. Demented Aggression
9. Scourge of Iron
10.Disfigured
11.Evisceration Plague
12.Dormant Bodies Bursting
13.Disposal of the Body
14.Decency Defied
15.Dead Human Collection
16.I Cum Blood
17.Encased in Concrete
18.Make Them Suffer
19.Hammer Smashed Face
20.Stripped, Raped and Strangled
Remaining Tour Dates:
5/17 Oakland, CA @ Oakland Metro
5/18 Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
5/19 Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
5/21 Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
5/22 Calgary, AB @ MacEwan Ballroom
5/23 Edmonton, AB @ Starlight Room
5/24 Regina, SK @ Riddell Centre
5/25 Winnipeg, MB @ The Garrick
5/26 St. Paul, MN @ Mill City Nights
5/28 Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
5/29 Detroit, MI @ Harpos
5/30 Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom
5/31 Toronto, ON @ The Phoenix
6/1 Montreal, QC @ Club Soda
6/2 Boston, MA @ Royale
6/4 New Haven, CT @ Toad’s Place
6/5 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
6/6 Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
6/7 Cleveland, OH @ Peabodys
6/9 St. Louis, MO @ Pops
6/11 Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
6/12 Orlando, FL @ Beacham