JaGBaG's Album and Concert Reviews

The "69" list

2009-12-23T01:05:00.000-06:00

After the break, in alphabetical order, you will find the list I am choosing my top 10-20 of the year from.

Enjoy.

1349
Absu
Ahab
Alestorm
Alice in chains
Amorphis
Arkona
Augury
behemoth
Belphegor
Blut aus nord
Cannibal corpse
cattle decap
Cormorant
Dark funeral
destroyer 666
Dethklok
Devin
Devourment
Dream theater
Dying fetus
Eluveitie
Ensiferum
Eternal tears of sorrow
evile
Ex deo
exivious
Felshgod apocalypse
general surgery
goatwhore
god dethroned
Gorgoroth
Gorod
Guilt Machine
Hammerfall
Heaven and hell
hypocrisy
Immortal
Insomnium
Korpiklaani
kreator
lividity
Manegarm
maudlin of the well
megadeth
Municipal waste
napalm death
Obituary
obscura
Persephone
portal
Putrid pile
Rumplestiltskin grinder
Scar symmetry
skeletonwitch
skyfire
Slayer
Sonata arctica
Stream of passion
suffocation
Suidakra
Swallow the sun
Tyr
vader
Vomitory
vreid
Waco jesus
Warbringer
Wolves in the throne room

69 is no longer a sexual position

2009-12-22T20:09:00.000-06:00

69 is the number of bands that have released an album this year that I could consider for a "Top 10" spot. Sadly I think I'm content with my top 7, so that leaves 62 bands (some releasing more than one album this year) to fight out the last few spots. I'll review my top 10, and probably list the 5-10 runners up.

#10 comes out tomorrow. And from then on I'll be posting a new one daily or a few at a time depending on how the holidays are.

And so the 'Top of 2009" list has begun...

2009-12-17T18:17:00.000-06:00

That's right my readers. I have my shitty list I began forming in 2008 and now I'm going to go through the ones that stood out the most and over a period of a few days I will reveal my top 10. For those who know me or follow me or whatever... you should know what has a good chance of making it and what won't. My numbero uno should be obvious and a few of the others will be too but I think there may be a few that many would not have expected me to pick.. Suicide Silence WHAAA?

Ok.. never again will I joke like that with inferior music.

Waste The World Tour 2009

2009-12-17T01:51:00.000-06:00

Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Location: Subterranean

Bands:
Municipal Waste (Headliner)
Phobia
Off With Their Heads
Cauldron

Time: 5:30 PM – 9:30 PM

With the atmosphere that Municipal Waste bring and the reputation of their fans combined with the notoriety of the antics of fans within their genre at show made Subterranean, which is a small, two level bar the ideal place for a show. Crowd surfing, stage diving, and circle pits was only the beginning of this near sold out show (for all I know it sold out). Technically, aside from Municipal Waste, one could look at this line-up and scratch their heads thinking “WTF is with the vast range of musical styles here?” I thought the same thing by the end of the night but I’ll save my logic for the review.. which comes when you click the link =) PS: Cheap merchandise is always a win in my book.

Cauldron/Off With Their Heads
Not often I write “meh” for a band or combine them both, but they just weren’t my cup of tea and didn’t fit in with the atmosphere and setting Municipal Waste bring. I bought merch and just stood around during both.

Phobia
A grindcore band in the vein of Napalm Death but with much shorter songs. I did not know the set but I would not be shocked if they played as many, if not more songs as Municipal Waste did, but only in less time. Once again, a band with a musical style that one would not expect at a Municipal Waste show but I thought they were good nonetheless.

Municipal Waste
The main band everyone was there for. Circle pits. Crowd Surfing. Stage Diving. One dude getting the boot for too much on stage time. One person diving from the balcony into the crowd. These all describe the scene as Municipal Waste played nearly 25 songs within about an hours time. The in-your-face energy was nonstop and the adrenaline flowed through everyone. Granted the space was limited and shoulder to shoulder, there was a great deal of movement from front to back, side to side. Highlights of the set were LandPhils solo/Sadistic Magician, Born To Party (Fuck you, I know it’s cliché to say that but it was), and a special addition to the set, Boner City. The setlist looked like this:

Intro/Unleash the Bastards
Thrashing is My Business...and business is good
Divine Blasphemer
Beer Pressure
Mental Shock
Blood Drive
Accelerated Vision
Wrong Answer
Terror Shark
Masked by Delirium
LandPhil Bass Solo/Sadistic Magician
Thrashin' of the Christ
Mutants of War
Toxic Revolution
Black Ice
I Want to Kill the President
Acid Sentence
Born to Party
---
Guilty of Being Tight
Mind Eraser
Boner City
Headbanger Face Rip

Tour From Afar 2009

2009-12-16T19:58:00.001-06:00

Date: Sunday, November 29, 2009

Location: Logan Square Auditorium (Moved from The House Of Blues)

Bands:
Ensiferum (Headliner)
Ex-Deo (Direct Support)
Blackguard
Urn

Time: 7:00 PM – 11:15/11:30 PM

Sadly, this tour was overshadowed by the visa problems Hypocrisy experienced which ultimately led them to drop off the tour after buzz was built when they announced Alexi from Children of Bodom would be playing guitar for this tour. For this show, Urn became the opener and Ex-Deo played one of their first shows of the tour, which happened to now be in the direct support slot. The show went on though, evident by my review after the break...

Urn
I have not much to say about them, but they weren’t bad and had a decent looking keyboardist. I got there was they were playing already and don’t really know their set. They are no Hypocrisy but they were a good last minute fill in.

Blackguard
This is the third time I have seen Blackguard. Never once have they disappointed me. With each time they play here, their popularity has grown. While there is nothing innovative or special about their brand of music, they bring a fun atmosphere and a wild amount of stage presence and energy while performing. The crowd interaction was top notch and their was constant movement for them. The gong they had with them was a big hit with the crowd. Their set got cut a few songs short, and they ended with their fan favorite (and highlight) “This Rounds On Me”. The set, as I remember, was as follows:
The Sword
Allegiance
Cinder
The Last We Wage
The Fallen
In Time
This Round's On Me

Ex-Deo
This stop on the tour was one of the first for Ex-Deo. Their lyrical themes have some interesting highs, but for the most part I’ll take Kataklysm over this band any day. I disagree with them being direct support and at times the whole Rome thing got a little to cheesy and no longer was an interest to me. Do not get me wrong, I enjoyed the set but I guess this is my side that wanted to see Hypocrisy coming out and expressing disapproval.

Ensiferum
The band many (alright, most) came to see. The band played their blend of folk metal for nearly two hours. The set highlighted some good older songs as well as some tracks from the new album which the crowd belted word for word back at the band. The mosh pits for folk shows are always a riot and this show as no exception. For the last song, the band gave us the option between “Iron” and “Battle Song”. Iron won in a landslide, but it was still a twist in allowing the audience to vocally vote for the final song. Highlights of the set overall included “Iron”, “One More Magic Potion” and lastly “Lai Lai Hei”. As mentioned earlier, the near two hour set was kind and welcomed as well as unexpected. The set for the band was as follows:

By The Dividing Stream
From Afar
Twilight Tavern
Little Dreamer
Elusive Reaches
Wanderer
Stone Cold Metal
Guardians Of Fate
Tale Of Revenge
Smoking Ruins
Slayer Of Light
One More Magic Potion
Tumman Virran Taa
The Longest Journey
-----
Treacherous Gods
Lai Lai Hei
Iron (choice between this or Battle Song)

Chicago Deathfest 2009

2009-11-26T19:57:00.002-06:00

Date: Saturday, November 21, 2009
Location: Jaguar Club, Lemont, Illinois

Bands:
Dying Fetus/The Faceless (Co-Headliner)
Vital Remains
Tons of local and national openers

Time: 2:30 PM - ??? (I left after Dying Fetus)

For starters, Suffocation was supposed to play this show but cancelled yet again. Two times in four months that they have cancelled on Chicago. Before you think my Death Metal Boner deflated like a popped balloon, I was still getting my $20 worth from Dying Fetus, Vital Remains, and Putrid Pile on this line-up filled with so many bands, most of which I hadn’t heard of. For my review, I will discuss the three aforementioned bands, and then just give a list of honorable mentions. If they weren’t listed, check the flier posted here (doesn’t have all the bands though) and the non-mentioned bands sucked due to too much “core” or just pure suckage. For starters they had 2 stages. The main stage and the side stage, for easier rotation purposes and set-up purposes. The line-up order alone is enough to have the organizer fired. Tons of the bands hung out around the venue and the merch booths. I had the honor of talking to Tony from Vital Remains in/outside of the venue for an extended period of time. I’ll save what he said for the review.

Putrid Pile

Putrid Pile went on earlier than he was supposed to. Wait, did I just say said He???!!!??? Yes. Their lead singer/guitarist used back tracks for all instruments except for guitar. I do not have a set but he played a solid 20 minutes (maybe 25). He was spot on, and for one man, he kept the audiences attention and didn’t come off as a “joke one man band”. Tons of brutality and a surprisingly clear sound. Not enough moshing but tons of headbanging from the people up front, where I was plopped for his set.

Vital Remains

Before Suffocation dropped, VR was the second band on the bill I wanted to see the most. For some reason, there was still 4 bands that played after them before Dying Fetus (and there was still a local band playing after DF before The Faceless). Perhaps the number 4 has significance here, since that’s the amount of songs VR played (unless you count the 2 intros to songs). I’m very displeased with the crowd for VR. Tons of vocal support, but the pits sucked. How you can’t get energy from their music is beyond me. I was shocked at how many people just stood there. Needless to say for the minor time they played, Vital Remains had the whole crowd screaming and yelling for more while tearing through their four song set. They announced a new album next year with a tour attached. See this band at all costs, even if you just found out about them because of the Benton era albums (He was not singing, it was Scott Wily).

Dying Fetus

I’d like to start by saying this was the most brutal time I may have had during a set. I could barley stand in the pits without being pushed or knocked down. If I wasn’t moshing I was seen with a whirlwind of hair. The energy during Dying Fetus’ set was unmatched. I would say most of the crowd was there for Fetus by reaction alone (ignoring the amount of people that left after them). New songs sounded fantastic and the old songs were murderous (in a good way). This band knows how to use a breakdown in the right way, which modern bands should take note of. Dying Fetus know how to command the stage, get the crowd moving and throw down like a juggernaut in the metal scene. The set was as follows:

Homicidal Retribution
Your Treachery Will Die With You
Grotesque Impalement
Intentional Manslaughter
Justifiable Homicide
One Shot, One Kill
Shepherd's Commandment
Pissing In The Mainstream
Kill Your Mother/Rape Your Dog
Praise The Lord (Opium of the Masses)

Honorable Mentions:

Decrypt – Grindcore. Amazing live performance.
I forget the band but they were the hockey metal band.
The band that played the MAIN STAGE prior to the band on the side stage then Vital Remains in line-up order.

Monsters Of Death Tour 2009

2009-11-14T23:05:00.000-06:00

Date: Friday, November 13, 2009

Location: Pyrmaid Club, Addison, Illinois (Moved from The Pearl Room)

Bands:
Vader (Headliner)
Decrepit Birth
Warbringer
The Amenta
Augury
Swashbuckle

Time: 6:30 PM – 11:15(ish) PM

My ticket said 7:00 PM, and because of it I missed Swashbuckle, but I’ve seen them before so I can’t say I’m too upset over my lateness. I got to the venue just in time for Augury to go on. The venue was a sports bar. Small stage and small area for a crowd. Tons of pool tables, decent sized bar, yadda yadda yadda. Saw several band members just hanging out prior to Augury going on. Met up with a few dudes from Last.FM. At first there was no moshing but Warbringer changed that quickly. …Not much more to be said besides the review.

Swashbuckle

Missed them.

Augury

I prefer them much more on album than live. Not to say I was disappointed with them but they were lacking something. I’ve read reviews on the sound being bad, and that wasn’t the case. The notes were right, the progressive parts were there, there was enough headbanging on my end. The energy was there, but it kinda seemed like a mechanical motion. I do not remember the setlist off of the top of my head. I’d have to see them again to give an official seal of approval or disapproval on them.

The Amenta

I can’t say I was all too familiar with The Amenta prior to seeing them, and I can’t say I will anytime soon. They were hit or miss from me, with a miss taking more of the spotlight for me. No setlist since I really don’t know them and don’t care to.

Warbringer

Always a fun live show from the youngsters in Warbringer. Energetic, modest, and straight in your face thrash each and everytime from these lads. They were the reason we were allowed to start moshing. I was in and out of the pits and did some crowd surfing. Circle pits, moshing, headbanging, singing along.. all the typical clichés associated with metal heads were present and it was fucking awesome. Fuck shitty music. Hail Warbringer.

Decrepit Birth

They got a new album coming out and played a few songs from it. I was supposed to see them at Summer Slaughter and their bus broke down. They made up for it. Tech Death as I like it, and it didn’t sound like utter shit live. Their set seemed kind of short, but nonetheless they threw down.

Vader

The main band that everyone came for. The mosh pits were intense. Quite a few fights broke out. Vader’s brand of death metal is uncanny and unmatched. These guys put on a hell of a show. Clean sound, they went note for note (from what I could remember) with the songs without many fuck ups. The songs from the new album sounded good. Aside from Warbringer, Vader brought the most intensity. Highlight was 1) This is the War, which was the encore, and immediately once Vader finished, Ace Of Spades was finished and I could have sworn it was Vader playing it, but it wasn’t and yet there was still moshing going on.

Killer show. Go see it and support your fucking metal.

Heathenfest America 2009 Tour

2009-11-11T15:20:00.002-06:00

Date: Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Location: Jaguar Club, Lemont, Illinois

Bands:

Eluveitie (Headliner)
Belphegor
Alestorm
Vreid
Kivimetsän Druidi

Time: 6:30 PM – 11:00 PM

Got to the Jaguar Club (first time there ever, let it be noted) approximately as the doors opened. I walked in and bought an Eluveitie tour shirt. Cheap merchandise for the most part which was nice (Avg: $20). My biggest complaint that I will get out of the way now is that there was NO BOOZE SALES! Whoever decided to do this for this show is a moron. My knowledge on setlists is going to be limited, sorry. Fuck it, lets get this review out of the way.

Kivimetsän Druidi

I’ve listened to these guys a few times and it’s only in moderation. I really have to be feeling them. They were better live than on album. Their chick lead singer is really hit or miss. Played 25-30 minutes. They got a better crowd response than I anticipated. Had booze been served, I woulda been at the bar.

Vreid

Second best band of the night. Kind of a surprise since they were 3rd on my list of bands I wanted to see on this evening. Windir is a great band, and the remaining members that formed Vreid have done a great job (including one of the top 10 albums of the year in my opinion) creating music and it showed in their live show. Their sound was clean, which was a good thing because I wasn’t sure if the black metal side of the band would hamper the vocals with the guitars. A solid 35 minute set. Great crowd response, tons of interaction, and they showed their love for Norway (not only thru the lyrics).

Alestorm

The pirate shit being a gimmick or not, this is a fun band to see. Without a doubt the band that got the best response of the night. They played every song I wanted to hear minus one song from their latest release. The lead singer of Swashbuckle (another pirate themed band) came out to sing a song. For those wondering why he was there, Swashbuckle is playing the Vader tour 3 days after this show. Once again, booze would have made the already enjoyable party atmosphere in the crowd better, but I had fun nonetheless. Highlights were “Wenches and Mead” and “Wolves of the Sea” as well as watching grown men pretend to be pirates and dancing around in what would usually be a moshpit.
1) The Quest
2) Wenches And Mead
3) That Famous Ol’ Spice
4) Nancy The Tavern Wench (W/ lead singer of Swashbuckle)
5) Over The Seas
6) Keelhauled
7) Huntmaster
8) Captain Morgan’s Revenge
9) Wolves of The Sea

Belphegor

This is the third or fourth time I’ve seen Belphegor… THIS YEAR. Not once by choice but I can’t say I have a problem with them being around, granted they always seem to be out of place. I managed to score a guitar pick the lead singer threw out into the crowd that no one managed to pay attention to. Long set (45 minutes) but I can confidently say this was the best set I’ve seen Belphegor play. They interacted more than I’m used to and the lead singers voice when not singing is hilarious. “Chee Cog Go”.. “Hail”… lol.. I think this was the setlist, do not quote me on it tho:
1) Bleeding Salvation
2) Seyn Todt In Schwartz
3) Hell's Ambassador
4) Lucifer Incestus
5) Stigma Diabolicum
6) Walpurgis Rites
7) Justine Soaked In Blood
8) Reichswehr In Blood
9) Bondage Goat Zombie

Eluveitie

The band I’ve waited over a year and a half to see after skipping Paganfest in 2008 much to my regret. I was disappointed in the time they played. Barely an hour. And for a band much hyping playing the acoustic/native language shit on this tour, they only played 2 songs off it, one of them being Omnos. It was funny to see this band pack the tiny stage with all the band members. They debuted a new song and informed us new album in February of 2010. The new song was heavy and pretty good. I want to say it was called Minions or something along those lines. To my surprise, a lot of people had left already, many leaving after Alestorm, so the pits were mainly very weak. The highlights to me were “Your Gaulish War, Slania’s Song, and the acoustic songs. Set was:

1) Primordial Breath
2) Bloodstained Ground
3) Your Gaulish War
4) Slania's Song
5) Brictom
6) Omnos
7) Inis Mona
8) Uis Elveti
9) Grey Sublime Archon
10) Dominion (New Song, it was good as hell)
11) Andro

Encore
12) The Somber Lay

F.M.L

2009-11-04T19:32:00.000-06:00

Classes have my life going 100mph lately. 3 projects (one is for a bar, use your imagination of which project im most dedicated to...)

Needless to say 4 shows in November = me being here more... plus I got a ton of reviews to post regarding albums.. including Devin Townsend's latest.

I am not letting my vision slip. Stay Black.. Bert.

The Way Of All Flesh Fall 2009 Tour

2009-10-10T17:25:00.001-05:00

Date: Friday, October 9, 2009

Location: Logan Square Auditorium, Chicago, Ill

Bands:

Gojira (Headliner)
Burst (Direct support)
Zoroaster
Diamond Plate

Time: 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM

Even though Gojira are on the road supporting Metallica, they managed to schedule some off-dates, which played into my favor as Chicago was one of the dates. I arrived slightly before the doors opened to find I was one of the first people at the venue. Once the doors opened, I purchased a tour shirt and made my way to front row center, where I would be planted from start to finish.

Diamond Plate

Local band from around the Chicagoland area. I recognize their guitarist from going to the many shows I attend. They played thrash metal along the lines of this modern wave currently going on. I take it these lads were young(er) yet they were very energetic and managed to bring a fresh taste to the old school sound. Overall, I wouldn’t mind seeing Diamond Plate again in the future. DO NOT HAVE A SETLIST other than they ended with Criminal Justice (I think).

Zoroaster

Just sounded like noise and it hurt my ears. Literally. Worst band of the night.

Burst

A pleasant surprise to the evening. Sadly, it was overshadowed in a way by this being Burst’s one and only Chicago show, and second to last show in the US, and third to last show EVER. It is truly a shame because Burst showed good musicianship while interacting with the crowd yet not being egotistical as they lit the stage on fire. They played around thirty-five minutes. Good blend of heavy metal and progressive. I do not have a setlist although I truly wish I did.

Gojira

My honest opinion going into this show after seeing the setlist was “This was going to be a watered down version of the tour from May.” Gojira are a force to be reckoned with live, and if you take out the drum solo (which was really lackluster, I’m sorry, sue me), their set was beast. Highlights for me were “The Art Of Dying” and “Where Dragons Dwell”. I managed to score 2 guitar picks after the set when the band shook everyones hands, took pics, and talked. These guys surely have class to go with their amazing music. Setlist was as follows:

Oroborous
The Heaviest Matter of the Universe
Backbone
Lizard Skin
Ocean Planet
The Art of Dying
Drum Solo
Remembrance
Flying Whales
Where Dragons Dwell
Toxic Garbage Island
Vacuity

Ultra Beatdown Tour North America Fall 2009

2009-10-01T21:24:00.003-05:00

Date: Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Location: House Of Blues, Chicago, Ill

Bands:

DragonForce (Headliner)
Sonata Arctica (Direct Support)
Taking Dawn

Time: 5:30 PM – 9:15 PM

I arrived at the venue late, only to my surprise to see a packed venue as Taking Dawn had just taken the stage according to the person who scanned my ticket. I made my way to the back where the merch was, walked right up up to the Sonata Arctica booth and bought their tour shirt. The shirt was $25 and I supplied the man with two twenty dollar bills. He fought relentlessly to get me to buy an album, poster, or another shirt. To his dismay, I didn’t want another shirt, and I had the two albums they had there. I walked to the floor, squeezed through some of the younger kids who were ready to go guitar hero once Dragonforce go on stage and that shall transition my way to my review:

Taking Dawn

A very upbeat band. They had lots of energy and they got the crowd to be interactive. While I would probably not listen to this band outside of seeing them live open, they were a pretty good compliment to the atmosphere that evening. Lots of positive energy from the band that would foreshadow what the rest of the night would behold with the remaining bands. I have no setlist from this band. Highlight was when the lead singer jumped off stage and ran around playing part of a song.

Sonata Arctica

The band that sold me on going to this show seeing as I have seen DragonForce a bajillion times now. Short setlist made for a disappointment, but nonetheless the band played their 6 songs with everything they had. It had been 2 years since I seen Sonata Arctica, and that was a headlining tour. The energy and entertainment was still evident in this band. They band came out on stage and opened with “Black and White” a track off their last album “Unia”. Immediately the band enforced they were there to play good power metal and to have a good time. They played one new song, “Flag In The Ground”, the single off the new album. It sounded really good live. Their staple in their set, “Fullmoon” was good as usual, and during the piano beginning, a mini cover of “Total Eclipse Of The Heart” was played.. They played one ballad, that being “Last Drop Falls” and surprisingly there was a lot of singing along to it. My highlights of their set were “8th Commandment” and “Don’t Say A Word”. Two of my favorite songs with lots of crowd participation for singing the choruses. Their set, in order:

1. In Black And White
2. Flag In The Ground
3. 8th Commandment
4. Last Drop Falls
5. Fullmooon (With “Total Eclipse Of The Heart” teaser)
6. Don't Say A Word/Vodka

Dragonforce

The band 96% of the crowd came to see. They always put on an entertaining show… as long as it is indoors in a small club atmosphere. The band played a solid two hour set,with a lot of good oldies in there that made seeing them again more pleasurable. My highlights were “Starfire” and “Where Dragons Rule”. My two favorites off of VOTD and to hear them live was truly sensational. It felt great screaming along to these songs. My personal opinion is that it was sad that the crowd was more of a Post-Inhuman Rampage/Post-Guitar Hero crowd because the response to these songs was not as strong as the newer ones even though they slay the shit out of the newer material. Henrik Klingenberg came on stage to do a keytar duel with Vadim. Herman Li stage dove into the crowd to play part of a song. The band drank, played exceptionally well, and pleased the near sell out crowd. Setlist:

1. Fury Of The Storm
2. Heroes Of Our Time
3. Reasons To Live
4. Disciples Of Babylon
5. Starfire
6. Keytar Duel
7. Operation Ground And Pound
8. Fields Of Despair
9. Where Dragons Rule
10. The Last Journey Home
11. Valley Of The Damned
12. Strike Of The Ninja
13. Through The Fire And Flames

I got guitar picks from Taking Dawn, and I caught a pick from Fred of DragonForce.

That wasn't a "right out of a movie" kind of night...

2009-09-28T13:47:00.002-05:00

What started out as a quest for me and a drunken friend to find some mac n cheese that didn’t suck more than a pornstar in a bj compilation video turned out to be an unexpected, yet delightful evening that ended up with me finally making it to the restaurant for me after years of failure…

The restaurant I refer to being Kuma’s Corner. While this place is a metalhead’s dream restaurant, it should not scare a non-metalhead away, for this place has tons to offer to all. After leaving a bar to drive around hellbent to find mac n cheese, me and my friend stopped at The Beat Kitchen after giving up on the mac n cheese crave. When asked for id's, we found out she didn't have her wallet, for she had forgotten it at the bar. Not only did she not have her id, but she had no money. This was no issue to me, but we had become limited on where we could go grab good food. Driving a little more was destiny, for we came across Kuma's and I knew this was not an opportunity I should let slip away. After being denied sitting at the bar, we waited out for a table, which surprisingly took only 20 minutes.

The place itself was much smaller than I had envisioned, but now that I have seen it is a small bar with maybe ten tables explains why this place can at times have two hour waits. Half naked pin-up girls line across one wall with pictures of bands such as Metallica and Ozzy, to name a few lie, underneath these very pin-up girls. Loud, pounding, black/thrash/death/heavy metal blasted from the time I walked in to the time I left. Across the bar were vinyls of several bands to go along with the massive amount on bottles of hard liquor. The wild card of this place is the bathrooms. They are lined with more pin-up girls and old school-esque drawn characters with graffiti from customers over the four years this place has been in business. The waitresses were tattooed, fitting in nicely with a majority of the people that were present at the restaurant. It took less than a second upon walking in and glancing around to know that this place was going to hold a special place with me.

I had been told for the longest time that Kuma’s was mostly known for their burgers and selection of beer. For those of you who have never heard of Kuma’s Corner, all their burgers are named after metal bands (Iron Maiden, Slayer, Mayhem, etc.) They have a pretty long list of different burgers, and if you visit the link I will supply at the end if the article, you will see what I mean. As for the beer, Pabst Blue Ribbon was the only “every day” beer, while the rest of the beer, starting at $5 a pint, was from independent brewers. My friend and I split the Iron Maiden burger, and I bought myself a pint of Allagash White. It reminded me a lot of Blue Moon, minus the orange. The burger I ordered came on a pretzel bun, came with the usual lettuce, onion, tomato, and was then topped with pepper jack cheese, cherry peppers, slices of avocado, and chipotle mayo. We got the waffle fries with our meal too. I know I can over exaggerate a lot of things, but this was serious food that I would wait two hours for if I had to. Kuma’s Corner claims to have the best burgers in Chicago, and the diversity of the burgers and what comes on them surely differentiates these burgers from your basic burger. Easily, this was the best food I have had in quite some time. If you live in Chicago or plan on visiting here, get your ass to 2900 W Belmont Ave pronto and experience Kuma’s Corner first hand.

Visit their website (watch out, it is under a little construction) and check out the menu and beer selection. You will not have any regrets.

http://www.kumascorner.com/html/about.html

North American Xecution Tour 2009 Review

2009-09-24T21:59:00.006-05:00

Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Location: Logan Square Auditorium (Moved from The Pearl Room due to closing)

Bands:
Obituary (Headliner)
Goatwhore (Direct support)
Krisiun
The Berzerker
Warbringer

Time: 6:00 PM – 10:30 PM

When I first saw Obituary was coming to town, I immediately thought to myself that I must go see this legendary death metal band...

When I saw the line-up they were bringing with them, I circled this show as my pre-determined “tour of the year”. Walking out of this show, I can say that this tour lived up to the bill and thensome, blowing away the smaller, yet plentiful crowd. For four and a half hours, five bands took the stage and played fiercely through their sets never letting up on intensity and brutality. Several hundred metalheads thrashed their way through circle pits, banged their heads until they couldn’t bang any harder, screamed at the top of their lungs to let everyone know why Chicago has some of the best fans in the world, and in unison lifted our beers and horns into the air in honor of metal and in respect of the bands playing before us.

Warbringer:

I managed to get to the venue approximately 5 minutes prior to the ticketed time of the show starting. As I walked into the hall the show was taking place in, Warbringer was just taking the stage. Being the first band, they were allotted minimal time, but managed to tear through seven songs (according to my memory). The crowd was still coming in, and in small increments I must add, but they managed to get the early birds involved, even getting a few circle pit going. Warbringer brought a lot of crowd interaction, during and in between songs, and they brought the intensity that is a staple of their live shows. After their set, they hung out at their merch booth, spoke to fans, and drank beers with us. John (the lead singer) said that their shows opening for bands were coming to end. These guys are touring machines, look for them headlining at some point in 2010. Their setlist was as follows (off the top of my head, in order):

Total War
Severed Reality
Living in a Whirlwind
At The Crack Of Doom
Jackal
Pray For Death
Combat Shock

The Berzerker
Sadly, The Berzerker was the oddball on this tour, as the other bands are more traditionally rooted in straight up thrash/death metal. While The Berzerker possesses some of these attributes from those respected sub-genres of Metal, their drumming is something that may throw some people off at times. I was happy to see they weren’t using a drum machine live, and I thought their performance was excellent. Their crowd response was limited even though this four piece band was giving it everything they had. I must admit the vocals were too quiet and were drowned out by the drums. Needless to say, it was a pleasure to see them play live in my home town. These guys also ran their merch booth and seemed really cool to talk to. Their set was (based off the paper setlist):

Disregard
Wisdom
Cannibal Rights
Principals
Death Reveals
Deception
Compromise
No One Wins
All About You
Forever Reality

After The Berzerker ended, I found a window of opportunity and planted myself front row, dead center, where I would remain until the end of the show.

Krisiun
I regretfully have to say I do not have their setlist, though I wish I did. Out of all the bands tonight, they showed the crowd the most respect for being able to share the stage with all the bands and play for us. Their lead singer constantly after each song would come and pound the fists of everyone in the front row. After every few songs he would acknowledge the crowd. Good set although I do not remember each song, but these guys put on a great performance and I wouldn’t think twice about seeing these guys again. For some reason Brazilians know how to put on a good metal show.

Goatwhore
I know I have seen Goatwhore before, but I cannot for the life of me recall the tour it was on. Regardless, these guys got some crushing music, especially their newer work. Their live show was very energetic. Their lead singer can get a crowd going. For 40-45 minutes he had everyone pumping their fists and screaming. One thing I enjoy alot about their music is the drums and they were just pounding live. I could not get enough of it. There was a segment when their guitarist had a problem and ran off stage to get a new guitar, but the band played on, and it was a cool opportunity to see them play one of their songs, minus guitar for nearly half the song. Such an intense performance that got the crowd good and ready for the main event. Goatwhore’s setlist (directly from their paper setlist):

Bloodletting Upon the Cloven Hoof
Provoking the Ritual of Death
Blood Guilt Eucharist
The All-Destroying
Apocalyptic Havoc
Shadow of a Rising Knife
Carving Out the Eyes of God
Perversions of the Ancient Goat
Baptized in a Storm of Swords
In Legions, I am Wars of Wrath
Alchemy of the Black Sun Cult

Obituary
The main event. The reason we all came. From the moment they hit the stage until their hour and a half long set was finished, Obituary controlled the crowd and tore up the stage. Clean sound, well-mixed. Ralph was literally in front of me the entire time shredding through his solos and playing his rhythms. The crowd was very active for their set. The drum solo as usual was a little over extended, but it got better when Ralph came out and did a solo of his own with it. The highlight had to be Slowly We Rot because that’s when the crowd got the most into it. Overall, a stunning performance from a legendary band. I got a guitar pick from Travor and shook most of the hands of the band minus the drummer after the set. Setlist goes as follows (off of memory):

List of Dead
Blood to Give
Internal Bleeding
On the Floor
Dying
Face Your God
Threatening Skies
Forces Realign
Dethroned Emperor
The End Complete
Final Thoughts
Contrast the Dead
Chopped in Half/Turned Inside Out
Drum/Guitar Solo
Slow Death
Evil Ways
Slowly We Rot

SIDE NOTE: Guy from Suffocation is a roadie on this tour.
AFTERMATH: The next morning I could not move my neck without pain and it felt like my body was used as a punching bag. Successful concert was successful.

I think I'm good to go.

2009-09-23T00:08:00.007-05:00

Alright, after messing around with settings and kinda working out some kinks, I'm ready to go full out with reviewing. The 23rd is a no-go because I work all day and then have my Obituary concert, but I will post the album and concert review I promised on Thursday night (unless I get swapmed at school with more BS).

Update about me.. I got my Heathenfest ticket, and I discovered CHICAGO F'N DEATHFEST!!!in November. Suffocation, Dying Fetus, Vital Remains, Putrid Pile and many, many others!

Peace everyone. Tomorrow I rock out and throw down at the best tour to come to the Windy City this year.

PS: If you have been checking here consistently, I'm sorry for not updating you sooner on the situation.

PSS: Look for reviews of the new Nile, Skyfire, and Dethklok album. Plus I'll be going old school (kinda sorta) with Cormorant's The Last Tree EP.

Welcome to the website!

2009-09-20T11:47:00.001-05:00

Since I began to post album and concert reviews during this past year on various message boards under the alias "JaGBaG", it became more and more evident that I had a passion for writing about music (what a surprise, right?). As I have evolved and progressed in my writing, I began to ponder about starting up my own blogspot to make it easier for one to access my reviews, and to create a centralized rendezvous point for the people that have taken an interest in my written experiences and opinions. The ending result is this very blogspot which you have kindly taken a moment to stop at. Currently, I will start fresh as of today, September 20, 2009 with album reviews and concert reviews, but do not be surprised if I go back in time and find my old reviews and share them.

First album review will be : Cormorant - Metazoa (I will try to get this posted a.s.a.p.) It is football sunday and my time is a little limited. I will post a song by song review for this one.

First concert review will be: September 23, 2009, Logan Square Auditorium - Obituary, Goatwhore, Krisiun, Warbringer and The Berzerker

Thank you for stopping, I hope you will enjoy the dream I have envisioned.