By Andrew Bansal
July 20th 2013, House Of Blues, West Hollywood CA: Annual touring metal festival Summer Slaughter began in 2008 with an extreme metal-dominated lineup, but over the years it has progressed and opened itself up to various other genres. The 2013 edition proved to be a fine example of that, as it presented a very diverse group of bands stacked together to deliver for audiences all across North America. The 2013 tour had its first show at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco on Friday, and landed at the House of Blues in West Hollywood yesterday. The doors opened as early as 3 in the afternoon, the first band went on at 3:20, and although I wasn’t able to arrive at the venue any earlier than 4:30, from what I heard there was a large crowd right from the onset.
Because of traffic-induced late arrival and interviewing commitments, I missed the first four bands Thy Art Is Murder, Rings Of Saturn, Aeon and a local opener who apparently no one knew the name of. Revocation was the first band I got to see, a band I was expecting a lot from, and they certainly lived up to it. Their blend of thrash and technical death metal along with tastes of a variety of other genres and musical styles came across fantastically well yesterday and got the crowd moving. I could spot a few thrashers in the crowd with the good ol’ denim vests, and judging by their reaction to Revocation’s set, it was evidently clear which band they had come here to see. They were probably the only band on this lineup that warranted an old-school style mosh pit and sure enough, they got more than just one from this crowd. The song ‘Invidious’ in particular was a highlight of the set. At times it’s hard to keep up with the changes in tempo and time signatures employed by guitarist/vocalist Dave Davidson and his band mates, but this is one band that’s truly breaking new ground in the realm of modern thrash, infusing the 80s influence and giving it a whole another spin. A mighty fine set by the Revocation boys, this.
Set List:
1. The Hive
2. Teratogenesis
3. Invidious
4. Dismantle the Dictator
5. No Funeral
With that said, the band I was most eager to see on this lineup was The Ocean. Their latest album ‘Pelagial’ has made an amazingly positive impact on my everyday life, an album I constantly listen to while on the road. It’s my best travel buddy at the moment, and I was curious to find out how it would sound on a stage. It was great to hear four Pelagial songs in the set, but it didn’t quite live up to the expectations I had built up in my mind. To be fair, the set was heavily marred by technical issues, specially with Robin Staps’ guitar which is basically the main component of the music. Loic Rossetti’s vocals also sounded a bit strained and he didn’t seem primed for this tour as of yet. I’m sure he and the whole band will have better shows on the tour. But more than anything, based on this set I have no doubt in my mind that The Ocean is not a 25-minute band, and it was a pity to see them so low down on the bill, considering that they’re musically the best band on the lineup in my humble opinion. They need to make another visit, play the whole of the Pelagial album and give us a real experience.
Set List:
1. Sewers Of The Soul
2. Bathyalpelagic I: Impasses
3. Bathyalpelagic II: The Wish In Dreams
4. Abyssopelagic I: Boundless Vasts
5. Hadopelagic II: Let Them Believe
The mighty Cattle Decapitation were up next with their brand of insanity led by pocket-sized dynamo Travis Ryan on the vocals. A lot of people in the extreme metal scene dislike or hate this band, which I never have and never will understand, because for me Cattle Decapitation takes extreme metal to a new level, with Travis Ryan’s vocals ranging from deep low gutteral growls to high-pitched black metal-type screams. In Josh Elmore and Dave McGraw on guitar and drums respectively, Travis has two absolute monster musicians to back him up and along with bassist Derek Engemann, the quartet on stage creates a sonic avalanche that just gets bigger on you with every passing song. Another typically awesome set by the San Diego deathgrind masters.
Set List:
1. A Living, Breathing Piece of Defecating Meat
2. Lifestalker
3. Forced Gender Reassignment
4. Your Disposal
5. Kingdom of Tyrants
Due to more interview commitments, I didn’t get to catch Norma Jean‘s set, but looking at the large number of people that occupied the outdoor resting area, it didn’t seem like Norma Jean pulled much of a crowd. I went back in just in time to catch almost all of Periphery‘s set, and those dudes did not disappoint one bit. Performance-wise, they took the cake as the best band of the day. Not only did their musical talent shine through, but the sheer professionalism in their attitude towards this live performance was there for everyone to see. The sound was dead on perfect, Spencer Sotelo’s vocals were fantastic, and of course, the amazing instrumentalists in the band did their already huge reputation no harm whatsoever. Granted, some of the material on each of their two albums is ‘poppy’, but the way I perceive it, they present poppy music with an undeniably metal sound, making it enjoyable for fans of the heavy. In fact, even the catchier tunes on the new record were sounding heavier on stage, songs like ‘Scarlet’ for example. Their 40-minute time slot allowed them to treat the fans with plenty of new material, for which this now packed venue was greatly thankful. They ended with a crushing new tune ‘Ragnarok’ and said their goodbyes with a promise to return soon. Incredible set, guys.
Set List:
1. Icarus Lives!
2. Facepalm Mute
3. Make Total Destroy
4. ScarletZyglrox
5. Luck as a Constant
6. Have a Blast
7. Ragnarok
At 9:30, Animals As Leaders appeared on stage amongst loud cheers. I was honestly surprised to see them above Periphery on this bill, and I really feel it should be the other way around. But anyhow, they began their set with the songs ‘Tempting Time’ and ‘Wave Of Babies’ from their 2009 self-titled debut album. The crowd was loving it, and if not for the fact that Tosin’s guitar sounded slightly out of tune, they would have been even more into it. But that problem was rectified once Tosin and Javier changed to a different tuning for the ‘Weightless’ section of the set, playing three songs from that album. The debut album is, in all seriousness, one of my all time favorite albums, but the follow-up left me largely unimpressed when I first heard it and I have the same opinion of the live versions of the Weightless songs. The music is just a bit too dry, not combining sufficient melody with the heavy riffs and beats. That first album is something quite extraordinary, and throughout their ever-rising career they will have a difficult task emulating or matching up to the musical quality on it. I will be more than happy to be proved wrong, though. The set ended with the best AAL song released till date, CAFO. It was affected by Tosin’s guitar cutting out for a few brief moments. Tosin did not look at all comfortable up there as technical issues were bothering him and the band during the set. They will have better nights on this tour, but it was still a great set nonetheless.
Set List:
1. Tempting Time
2. Wave of Babies
3. Earth Departure
4. Do Not Go Gently
5. Weightless
6. CAFO
The headliners of the show The Dillinger Escape Plan were set to hit the stage at around 10.30. Based on past live Dillinger experiences, I honestly do not understand or am able to appreciate the appeal of this band. I knew what to expect from them. After seeing a couple of songs, I bailed because I realized this set wasn’t going to change my opinion of them. With that said, I certainly have nothing against people who like the band, and I’m sure Greg Puciato and the boys put on a typically wild show for their fans. They’ve earned their spot here after years of hard work, so I respect them for that. Our writer Taylor Younani finds Dillinger more up his alley, and his interview with guitarist Ben Weinman will be posted soon enough. The set list from the San Francisco show is below.
Outdoor summer festivals can be a lot of fun, but this indoor club setting was perfectly suited to the California summer. Ironically, the weather yesterday was very chill and would have been great for an outdoor show. In conclusion, this year’s Summer Slaughter is a musical extravaganza of sorts, with something in it for everybody. On the other side of the coin I did think there were too many bands on the bill, as many as eleven including the local opener. This reduced the set times of all the bands. I’m sure it’s great for all bands involved to be playing a popular summer festival in front of packed mid-size venues all over the continent, but at some point, perhaps lessons need to be learnt about quality control in terms of whether it musically makes sense to play a 25-minute set on such a tour, with hardly any chance to properly set up gear due to the short changeover time between bands. It definitely turned into a clusterfuck for The Ocean and Animals As Leaders in particular, but overall, Summer Slaughter 2013 was a thoroughly enjoyable show that beat the hell out of Mayhem Festival as the metal touring festival of the summer.
Interviews we did @ Summer Slaughter: Animals As Leaders | The Ocean | Revocation | Periphery | Dillinger Escape Plan
Set List:
1. Prancer
2. Farewell, Mona Lisa
3. Milk Lizard
4. 43% Burnt
5. Panasonic Youth
6. Room Full of Eyes
7. Gold Teeth on a Bum
8. Hero of the Soviet Union
9. Nothing’s Funny
10.Dead as History
11.One of Us Is the Killer
12.Crossburner
13.Good Neighbor
14.When I Lost My Bet
15.Sunshine the Werewolf