The renowned Possessed decided to
grace the Pacific Northwest with their presence in order to spread their
message of anti-religion and evil, and the masses were more than willing to
accept them in to their cold, darkened hearts. One of the best things about this
show was that the openers were all local bands! Normally there is only one
local opener for the major headliner bands but this was an exception, the only
touring band was Possessed and 4 local band were more than willing to jump on
board.
First up was Funeral Age, the
blackened death machine was decked out in their usual garb of black leather and
spikes as far as you can see. With a fill in bassist, the band was still able
to bring the vitriol that local metal fans are accustomed to. A no-frills band,
once they took the stage it was nothing but blast beats, rapid fire riffage, and
acidic vocals that could wake the dead. Whether in a tiny bar or a legitimate
venue, Funeral Age always bring the pain.
Next up was one of my favorite local
bands, Gravenloch, a death metal band seems to be on the bill for just about
every big name touring act. With such great songs as “This Is Metal” and “The
Dirge of Sunrise,” the pit is guaranteed to either be singing along or crushing
the spines of the weak. No stage antics, just brutal metal played to melt the
faces of those who dare to witness the carnage.
Following them was Drown Mary, a
band who mixes modern hard rock with groove metal. They are not really my cup
of mead but the crowd sure seemed to enjoy them. The pit was moving the whole
time, maybe next time I will join them.
Storming the stage next was Olympia,
WA’s own Crush Your Enemies, a death metal band that plays like they were
formed in the late 1980s. Old school with a little bit o' grindcore thrown into
the mix, CYE wants to play music that is offensive and will piss off everyone
in the room. The only way to not be offended by them is to bang your head and
pump your fist along with their devilish concoction.
This was a show that everyone could enjoy, the legendary
band that the old guard grew up with and the youngsters saw as pioneers.
Whenever a publication comes up with the greatest thrash or death metal albums
of all time, Possessed is pretty much guaranteed to be near the top. Even
though the band does not have its classic members, the crew that makes up the
band now has the same intensity as the originals. The majority of the band has
only been around for a year, but you would never have guessed that from
watching them this night. And the man that has been around since the beginning,
the man that IS Possessed, Jeff Becerra is still alive and bringing the evil. His
vocals are still the same as when Seven
Churches came out and the young guns are able to play along to perfection.
The crowd was in top form, creating volatile pits and crowding the front row
the entire time. Everyone was extremely excited to see the godfathers of death
metal and the band played up to everyone’s expectations.
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