Cannibal Corpse / Hate Eternal / Macabre / Deeds of Flesh
The Bottleneck, Lawrence, KS
November 25, 2002
After waiting outside for half an hour in 20 degree weather, it was a relief to finally get inside The Bottleneck. I took a quick look at the merchandising area, and didn't see anything from one of the bands scheduled on the bill, Cattle Decapitation. According to their website, there was an "urgent family matter", so they pulled off the tour. But replacing them was Deeds of Flesh. Once the show began, the place heated up pretty quickly.
Up first was
Deeds of Flesh, whom I've never heard. Question: What did I think after the first couple songs? Answer: So this is what happens when you mix old
Deicide and new Suffocation. At least that's my opinion. Excellent vocals/growls, grinding and speedy riffs, and double bass and blast beats through out the set. Not being familiar with their material, I was hoping to be impressed, and I was not let down. Two songs off their new release totally killed, "Cleansed By Fire" and "Fulfilled In Warfare". Their played maybe a 30 minute set, but it flew by in five. I was so impressed, that after the show I went to their booth and picked up their three CD's:
Trading Pieces, Path of the Weakening, and Mark of the Legion.
Macabre has always been one of those bands that I liked because they were fun. They're not really death metal, although some of their songs are. Some tunes are speedy and thrashy. Some tunes are almost punk rock. Very diverse. The thing that sets these guys apart is they really know their mass murderers. Songs about Zodiac
Killer, Albert Fish, Ed Gein, Jeffrey Dahmer, Richard Ramirez, Ted Bundy and many others make up lyrical content. You've got to have a sense of humor about it, and obviously the band does when introducing the songs. It's almost like story time, because they go into who the person is, what they did, how many people they killed, etc. They really have done their research, you got to give 'em that. The songs weren't long or technical, but they were quick, concise, and to the point. "Vampire of Düsseldorf (Peter Kurtin)" was especially fun. For a relatively unknown band, half the crowd was singing along. It was all done so over the top, that you had to laugh. They played some new song in German that I forgot the name of. Overall, it was a pretty fun set.
I've heard a few songs by
Hate Eternal on sampler CD's and their website, and was really looking forward to seeing this band. This was one of the most intense sets I have ever seen. Erik Rutan (ex-Morbid Angel) and Jared Anderson (current
Morbid Angel???) wailed away on guitars and bass respectively, and Derek Roddy was a blur behind the drum kit. You can taste a hint of the
Morbid Angel sound during solos, for obvious reasons, but their set was just vicious. I don't have a clue what songs were blasted through, because I was just amazed at how incredible this band is, and was just trying to follow along. After the show, I went back and picked up both of their CD's:
Conquering The Throne and King Of All Kings. Definitely one of my new favorite bands.
How many times have I seen this band now? Five? Six? Oh well, they always put on a good show and know how to get the crowd going. Blistering music, violent lyrics, and sing-alongs go hand in hand with
Cannibal Corpse. One highlight of the show was when someone was crowdsurfed to the stage. The guy knocked around the monitor for vocals, got up to dive off the stage, grabbed the neck of Alex's bass, and pushed it to side so he could jump. "Corpsegrinder" saw this display of bullshit and kicked his ass off the stage. Too funny. Go nuts, but don't interfere with the band while they're playing, dumbass. Plus, "Corpsegrinder" isn't exactly someone I'd like pissed off at me...he's a big motherfucker!! :) Aside from this little incident, all went well. Songs included (but not limited to...hehe), "I Cum Blood", "Meathook Sodomy", "Gutted", "Pick Axe Murders", "Hammer Smashed Face", "Devoured By Vermin", "Perverse Suffering", "Pit of Zombies", "Dormant Bodies Bursting", "Savage Butchery", "Pounded Into Dust", "Fucked With A Knife", and "Skull Full Of Maggots".
Great show. The worst part of the night was walking outside to the 20 degree weather being all hot and sweaty. I turned into a walking icicle. brrrrr
