Ken Geiger's Week with Pig Destroyer, Napalm Death, Carcass, Deafheaven, Dillinger Escape Pan, and more, 11/15-11/18/16

Dillinger Escape Plan by Ken Geiger

Slave to the Grind

by Ken Geiger

Napalm Death, the Black Dahlia Murder, Pig Destroyer, Power Trip and Abnormality @ Le Poisson Rouge, 11/15/16

My week started off at Le Poisson Rouge to see perhaps one of the most insane lineups in recent memory: Napalm Death, Black Dahlia Murder, Pig Destroyer, Power Trip and Abnormality. This kind of show sold out for a reason. Each band has their own take on the wonderful genre of music we refer to as heavy metal, thus giving fans a chance to perhaps open new doors of opportunity with music they had yet to hear… Plus, the absence of a barricade meant anyone could just lose their shit if they wanted to.

Abnormality came up first with a brutal punch of straightforward death metal. What had everyone surprised, though, was how low the guttural vocals of their female singer, Mallika Sundaramurthy, could go. I think there are plenty of guys who wish they had pipes like that. Gender truly does not mean shit in extreme music as far as I can tell, and Abnormality proved that (I would like to add, if they read this: I won the circle pit competition you guys said you were doing in the set. I want a free shirt now.).

Power Trip brought an old school crossover thrash vibe to stage, which I am always down for. The Power Trip fans definitely made the energy for this show, though, as I don't think I could've felt the music as powerfully as I did without millions of young kids stage diving left and right each song. Although they have been a mainstay in underground metal for about 8 years or so, Power Trip are on a great rise and it's worth catching them before they blow up (which I would not be surprised if they did).

Now here came one of the two moments I was mostly here for: Pig Destroyer. I saw these guys play back in March at Music Hall of Williamsburg. It was one of the best shows I had ever seen. This time around was probably even better, in all honesty. Despite the shortened set, I could feel that the intimate setting played so much more into the intensity that the band is known for. The songs were on point; the crowd was going wild and the writer of this show review even caught a few moments of mic time during the set. Always love to do that when these guys roll through. Pig Destroyer are definitely a recommended band to see live, no matter what the rest of the bill is.

Pig Destroyer by Ken Geiger

I took a breather for a bit of the Black Dahlia Murder's set, but from what I saw it was as crazy as I expected it to be. These guys probably had the biggest fanbase of the night, and those who waited to see them definitely took in the moment. Almost anyone who went up onstage was greeted by the band's lead singer with a hug or selfie of some kind. Most musicians would hate that, but it's cool to see a band like Black Dahlia treat their fans with as much respect and dignity as when they first started out.

But everyone knew the big moment was to come after BDMs set was over. Now it was time for the all-powerful Napalm Death to grace us with their presence. Like Pig Destroyer, I saw Napalm Death a few months ago in a much larger venue. And, like Pig Destroyer this time around, Napalm Death were much better. Their set was filled with many more deep cuts, such as the amazing opening number of "Evolved as One" off of From Enslavement to Obliteration, to their big crowd-pleasers like "Scum" and "You Suffer." These guys have earned their place as elder statesmen for a reason with their sheer intensity and relentless work ethic, and that showed on Tuesday. A week after that crazy election, I needed a man like vocalist Barney Greenway to just come out and say, "Fuck that homophobic, bigoted, asshole [Mike Pence]," and play a song called "Nazi Trumps Fuck Off." God bless music for allowing more cathartic moments like this, yet again.

Napalm Death by Ken Geiger

Carcass, Deafheaven and Inter Arma @ the Stone Pony, 11/17/16

Home sweet home. I cannot believe that the Stone Pony actually booked Carcass. That was pretty crazy in and of itself. Whoever is booking shows like that has my respect now. So seeing as I was already going to be home for the weekend, I bought myself a ticket to witness one of the most influential bands in the whole metal genre of the past 30 years play 10 minutes away from my house.
Inter Arma was the first band to play this loaded bill. 2016 has truly been the year for these guys; considering their newest album, Paradise Gallows, has been met with critical acclaim and they now have the opportunity to open for Carcass. That opportunity was not squandered on their part. They tore it up with their great mix of technicality and slow-churning sludge riffs. Although repetition can be a turn-off for many, I felt like they played it to their advantage in songs. I guess now I have to hear the rest of this album to feel the true hype around them.

Deafheaven continued their tradition of overcoming adversity in their career on this Thursday night. The band is constantly being put through the ringer by those who make distinctions on what is "true" black metal and what is not. Although Deafheaven certainly do not follow the definition offered for "true" black metal, I do not think that was ever their goal to begin with. They do what they do well, and it showed Thursday night. Even when guitarist Kerry McCoy had major technical difficulties on guitar, the band managed to throw together a quick improvised jam to alleviate the situation so it would not be as awkward. Props to them.

Deafheaven by Ken Geiger

Carcass came on last and played with the pinpoint precision they are known for on record. Every guitar note, every drum fill and every shrill yell were hit perfectly. Considering this band is nearing 30 years of existence, that is extremely impressive. Many bands would wish to have that skill still (it just requires practice, people)! But along with that technical proficiency was the fun the band was having. It resonated well with the crowd. Guitarist Bill Steer (who also did his time in Napalm Death) looked like he was having a grand time, while the vocalist / bassist was cracking jokes about how they are now "old farts" in the scene and throwing in some Bon Jovi references throughout the night. It's great to see legends be as humble as these guys were. National acts need to be more like that, especially if they want to win over the very kind-spirited base of the Asbury Park music scene.

Carcass by Ken Geiger

The Dillinger Escape Plan, O'Brother, Car Bomb and Cult Leader @ The Paramount, 11/18/16

It is safe to say that I am a huge fan of The Dillinger Escape Plan. Seeing them once on their final tour was not going to cut it for me. Since they were playing in Philly the same night as the Napalm Death / Pig Destroyer show, my only other option was to drive up to Long Island and see them. The hellish traffic was a downer to have in the middle of the day, but would not be enough to dash away the hype around this show.

Coming up first was Cult Leader, who sounded like a whole different band than from what I saw last month at Webster. Their music was heavy, clear and translated well with the crowd. It's pretty clear now as to why they were invited for this whole tour.

Car Bomb were the new addition to this tour I had yet to see. Being dubbed as a band that loves Meshuggah by some audience members had me turned off at first, but I realized more into their set that this band was not so one dimensional. Traces of grindcore, noise, electronic music and even Dillinger could be heard in the mix as well. As much as the Meshuggah rip-off sound is an annoyance to me, Car Bomb earn my mark of approval.

O'Brother has received complaints from many for being slotted right before Dillinger, due to the contrast in sound. They are much more laid back and quiet than the monstrous headliner. I see that as a great calm before the storm, though. Their set was good despite some technical difficulties, and it gave the audience one last chance to hang onto their sense of safety before the featured event of the evening.

Sadly, the Paramount made Dillinger deal with a barricade. What a bummer. That could not stop the insanity, though. The band ripped through the same set as last time (albeit the addition of Dissociation cut "Low Feels Blvd."), and executed them with the same ferocity they did a month ago. Considering this was the second to last night of this huge US tour, it’s amazing any of them could even stand up by this point. What was even more surprising is the fact that singer Greg Puciato even managed to remember my face amongst the thousands he had seen over the last few months. That is either a sign that I did something right in my endless obsession for them, or I should be fearing my life (hopefully not the latter please, Greg!). The set ended appropriately, too, with guitarist Ben Weinman smashing his guitar into millions of pieces for the audience to catch and suffer awful splinters from (that is the one thing I thankfully did have to experience from the band).

The drive back from that night was long. It was certainly exhausting as well. But I can also tell you, it was worth it. When you have the drive for music, whether it is about seeing or playing it, distance should not be a factor. The Dillinger Escape Plan taught me that lesson that night. It's just one of the many lessons they have taught me with their music.

Who knows what the hell I would be like today without all the crazy show lessons? I never want to know.