Review & photos by Rachel Jablonski
“Who’d
you go see last night?”
“Mnemic, Goatwhore, and God Forbid. It owned!”
“Ummmm… ok.”
It’s slightly awkward telling coworkers, parents, or friends uninterested in the metal genre that you went to see three heavy bands, particularly one called Goatwhore, the night before. But it is a treat to go to a small dive of a venue and see three heavy bands that you have not yet seen live – ESPECIALLY one called Goatwhore.
Black metal, doom metal, math metal, thrash metal, new metal, old metal, no metal… I don’t give a care your poison, go see Goatwhore live. Promoting their new album on Metal Blade Records entitled A Haunting Curse, the stage presence and sound of the band from New Orleans, LA was dynamite. In 1996, the band formed as a side project for former Acid Bath/Crowbar guitarist Sammy Duet. Now, ten years later, the band remains fierce in the black metal scene and beyond.
Having listened to A Haunting Curse a few times prior to the show, frightening theatrics were anticipated. Yet, though the stage presence and music were completely intense, the getup of both guitarist and bassist consisting of all black leather and spikes eased the tension a bit with the brief thought of “are you kidding me?” when the band entered on stage. But the questionable spikey attire was deceiving. The fierce growls, pounding drums, and lulling riffs were stimulating and commanded head bobbing bliss. “Alchemy of the Black Sun Cult,” the album single for which a video was made and highly praised on Headbanger’s Ball, was a smash with which to wrap up the set.
In promotion of their third studio album titled Passenger (Dig), to be released on Nuclear Blast Records, the Danish quintet called Mnemic put on a suitable show for the Iowa crowd. Mnemic, the name meaning “the art of developing,” is indeed continuing to develop after the incorporation of new vocalist Guillaume Bideau (formerly of Scarve) into their lineup. Appreciation for bands such as Fear Factory, Meshuggah, and Strapping Young Lad profound in their music, Mnemic merged principle metal elements into their show. Hair swinging, fists pumping, “evil” faces entertained by bassist Tomas "Obeast" Koefod, the set was what you would expect from your average metal performance.
Headliner God Forbid put on a decent show, but after the fire that was ignited by Goatwhore, they had a lot to live up to.