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Tag: The Concert Critic

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The Concert Critic

The Concert Critic Reviews The Trinity of Terror Tour and He Doesn’t Hold Back

Written By Braddon S. Williams aka “The Concert Critic”

On this date in history, 4/8/2022, my stepdaughter and I attended The Trinity Of Terror Tour at Blue Ribbon Pavilion on the Indiana State Fairgrounds. This show featured a trio of bands with three-word names: Ice Nine Kills, Motionless In White, and Black Veil Brides, with opener Lilith Czar. 

Originally booked at a smaller venue, this triple headliner tour had to be relocated to the much larger State Fairground location due to aggressive ticket sales. I’m the first to admit that I was not the target demographic for this one, but my stepdaughter Emma has been developing a taste for heavier music and I am both proud and supportive of her growing love of attending live shows. Having said that, I had previously seen Motionless In White and Black Veil Brides, and I knew there would be some high energy entertainment and I wouldn’t automatically hate being there. Taking one for the team is one thing, but Emma knew I wasn’t going against my will. Not too long ago her musical taste was obsessively consumed with K-pop, so anything hard rock or metal related feels like victory. 

I knew next to nothing about Lilith Czar prior to the show, and I’m certainly not going to lie and say I became a big fan, but she proved to have a strong vocal presence and a genuinely grateful attitude that built a visible excitement in the crowd as her set progressed. I didn’t hear anything revolutionary going on musically, but after doing a bit of research I learned that she has been steadily building her career for the past decade and that she is married to the Black Veil Brides’ singer, Andy Biersack. 

Lilith Czar appears to be a band on the rise. Speaking of Black Veil Brides, they confirmed what I had already determined from my previous experience of their live performance; these guys are an extension of the best qualities of glamorous L.A. hard rock that ruled the late ’80’s. With singalong choruses, gigantic riff fueled anthems, blazing guitar solos (both singular and harmonized), and endless energy, Black Veil Brides collectively never stop moving and absolutely never forget why they are on that stage…they are there to entertain the predominantly young female fanbase and they do it with enthusiastic excellence. 

Front man Andy Biersack has charisma to spare and doesn’t stray from his comfort zone vocally, which allows him to stay on pitch and full voiced. The rest of the band are adept with support vocals and are definitely great players. I knew going into this show that they would likely be the highlight for me and indeed they were. 

Motionless In White followed and arguably had the most rabid crowd response of the evening. Some of that comes from having the best time slot, but a lot of it was due to the performance of Chris Motionless, who (like Biersack) knows his audience and relentlessly involves them in the gang choruses and hype points of his band’s music. I had last seen Motionless In White on a package tour in support of Slipknot and Lamb Of God in 2015. Clearly, MIW have grown enormously in the past seven years and absorbed lots of lessons from some of the heavyweights in the extreme metal community. 

Overall, I think I enjoyed them more when they were an up-and-coming band. Back then they felt like a more wholesome alternative to Marilyn Manson. This time around they felt a little too derivative of Manson to me, but once again, I’m not their target and their target was ravenous, so hats off to them for their growth. Ice Nine Kills performed the final set of the night and I have both good and bad opinions concerning the horror lyric based metalcore band. First of all, I love the staging, the visuals, and the horror stuff. Everything happening on stage looked so good to me, unfortunately (as is usually the case with bands I don’t like) the vocals just killed the vibe for me. 

Ice Nine Kills have been described as symphonic metal at times, but to me it was almost more appropriate to label them opera metal…and I just couldn’t get around my inability to ignore all that high pitched (i.e., whiny) sound. 

Emma and I decided to call it a night and leave early, both concluding that we had enjoyed a tremendously entertaining evening of heavy music with great theatrics, visuals, energy, and production values. 

Blue Ribbon Pavilion doesn’t have ideal sound, but it was certainly packed with all the elements of a rock show that featured young bands that are carrying the torch for heavy music and helping spread the fire to a hungry young audience. I applaud Ice Nine Kills, Motionless In White, Black Veil Brides, and Lilith Czar for their efforts and their continued success.

Tour Dates:

Aug. 30 – Denver, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre#
Sep. 03 – Omaha, NE – Liberty First Credit Union Arena (buy tickets)
Sep. 04 – Pryor, OK – Rocklahoma*
Sep. 06 – Fort Wayne, IN – Allen County War Memorial Expo Center (buy tickets)
Sep. 07 – Cleveland, OH – Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica (buy tickets)
Sep. 09 – Scranton, PA – Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain (buy tickets)
Sep. 10 – Alton, VA – Blue Ridge Rock Fest*
Sep. 11 – Asheville, NC – Exploreasheville.com Arena (buy tickets)
Sep. 13 – Milwaukee, WI – Eagles Ballroom (buy tickets)
Sep. 14 – Sterling Heights, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill (buy tickets)
Sep. 16 – Bonner Springs, MO – Azura Amphitheater (buy tickets)
Sep. 17 – Saint Charles, MO – The Family Arena (buy tickets)
Sep. 18 – Cincinnati, OH – ICON at The Andrew J Brady Music Center (buy tickets)

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Reviews

Influences and Recollections Of A Musical Mind

Written By Braddon S. Williams aka “The Concert Critic”

Braddon S. William’s playing in the band “Rogers Ritual” as openers for Bret Michaels

Live music has been on my mind quite a lot during this time of quarantine and social distancing, sparking much nostalgia about shows I have attended thus far in my lifetime, along with speculation (and dread) over how concerts will proceed moving forward. Personally, I don’t have a clue what is in store, or even when we will all be able to gather in large groups to experience some live shows again. This break in the action has definitely been fostering a ton of creativity among musicians in many genres, and I am eager to see how many amazing songs and albums await us in the aftermath of this pandemic. 

Social media has been full of inspired collaborations and live performances, and it has certainly been entertaining, but let’s face it…nothing beats the thrill of actually being at a show. The exchange of energy between the artists and the audience is simply something that must be experienced in person. 

Having begun my love affair with live music in 1976, I readily admit I am hopelessly addicted to the thrill of seeing and hearing the music delivered at maximum impact.
My father drove me (along with a couple of my friends) to Market Square Arena (RIP MSA!) in 1976 to see Kiss, Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band, and Artful Dodger (all for the price of $6.50!). Needless to say, the torch had been lit, and from that moment forward I have continually been looking forward to the next time. All the while, I have been compiling this staggering list of incredible experiences at shows. No matter if the venue is a tiny indoor hole in the wall or an enormous outdoor state of the art facility, the recipe remains largely the same; I am with people I love, surrounded by people just like us, people who love the music, bands, energy, and sheer spectacle of the scene. We meet new friends and share stories about past shows and generally learn that our tribe is pretty damn spectacular for the most part. For that relatively brief time we are together, we all escape all the negativity, stress, and anxiety of our “normal” lives. For that time, if we are lucky, we experience a bit of bliss.

In the 44 years I have been attending concerts, I have been fortunate to see many iconic performers and performances, and have crossed a huge chunk of bands and artists from my personal bucket list. Of course, I have also seen people that have passed away since I saw them, making the experiences even more precious. Among my treasured memories are The Rolling Stones, Frank Zappa, Ramones, Iggy Pop, Willie Nelson, Jimmy Page & Robert Plant, The Who, ZZ Top, Rush, Kiss, Queen, Steely Dan, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Robert Plant And The Sensational Space Shifters, Ted Nugent, Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young, Fleetwood Mac, Jeff Beck, Yes, Foghat, Heart, Cheap Trick, Max Webster, The Doobie Brothers, Aerosmith, Supertramp, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, The Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Santana, Foo Fighters, Johnny Winter, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, George Thorogood & The Delaware Destroyers, The Black Crowes, Oasis, Weezer, Ween, The Flaming Lips, The Raconteurs, Patti Smith, Bob Mould, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Paul Rodgers, Joe Cocker, Peter Frampton, John Fogerty, Cher (yeah, I said Cher!) and the list goes on and on.
My list would not be close to complete without my beloved Metal and other varieties of Hard rocking bands: Slayer, Black Sabbath, Opeth, PanterA, Ministry, Rammstein, Jinjer, Baroness, Marilyn Manson, Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie (and White Zombie), Nine Inch Nails, Behemoth, King Diamond, Testament, Anthrax, Megadeth, Mastodon, Strapping Young Lad, The Devin Townsend Project, Amon Amarth, Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, Nile, Tool, Meshuggah, Avatar, Motörhead, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne, Deep Purple, UFO, AC/DC (with Bon Scott and Brian Johnson, too!), Blue Öyster Cult, Whitechapel, Slipknot, Korn, Machine Head, Black Label Society, Down, Hatebreed, Red Fang, Primus, DevilDriver, Clutch, Melvins, Weedeater, Arch Enemy, In Flames, Lamb Of God, Gojira, Cradle Of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, Deftones, Mr. Bungle, Queens Of The Stone Age, Mudvayne, Steel Panther, Van Halen, Mötley Crüe, Guns ‘N Roses, Whitesnake, Tesla, Dokken, L.A. Guns, Great White, Ratt, Poison, Saigon Kick, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, Rage Against The Machine, Fishbone, Monster Magnet, Corrosion Of Conformity, Type O Negative, GWAR, Nashville Pussy, System Of A Down, Static-X, Otep, Jane’s Addiction, L7, Butcher Babies, Walls Of Jericho, Suicide Silence, Unearth, Chimaira, Children Of Bodom, Thy Art Is Murder, Death Angel, Slaughter To Prevail, Masked Intruder, Pennywise, and John 5 And The Creatures.
As I typed that crazy list of bands, I realized there were at least as many that I left out. They can’t all be winners, after all. What is really important (at least to me) is the simple fact that when I am at a show, I am in my element…my true happy place. I miss live music. I miss everything about the ritual of going to shows, and I’m quite sure I’m not alone in feeling this way. I hope this finds you all safe and healthy. I look forward to resuming our passion for shows, for music, for Life!

Braddon S. Williams is a music journalist, musician and avid concert goer residing somewhere in the US.

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The Concert Critic

The Concert Critic Reviews The East Coast RedNeckRun Tour Featuring Obituary, Gruesome, 200 Stab Wounds and Cadaverous

Written By Braddon S. Williams

On this date in history, 4/4/2022, Hi-Fi in Indianapolis hosted an evening of pure brutality as Obituary, Gruesome, 200 Stab Wounds, and Cadaverous combined forces to bring a smorgasbord of extreme death metal flavors to the table.

Indy’s own Cadaverous opened the show with an efficiency and ferocity that set the template for all that would follow. The power trio is not the preferred format for a death metal band, but Cadaverous made it work.

200 Stab Wounds followed up with a much more thrash-oriented variant of the death metal style. Similar to the “fast” zombies in horror films, this style of death guarantees the band will catch and kill the listener at a much quicker pace. In the months following this show 200 Stab Wounds have generated a lot of buzz in the metal community.

Both Cadaverous and 200 Stab Wounds are relatively new bands and welcome additions to the scene, always a good circumstance. Gruesome have been around a bit longer, and the self-proclaimed tribute to Death (the seminal band that influenced myriad fans of the genre that bears their name) took things to the next level with their ferocious twin lead guitar onslaught.

At this point I have to reiterate what I had previously said about the Hi-Fi’s superior sound and staging; every band I have seen at Hi-Fi has benefitted from the excellence of this club. I’m sure these opening bands would have been fine at a lesser venue, but Hi-Fi complimented everything that was good about them and elevated them beyond what they are accustomed to.

My previous experience with Obituary was at another fine club, Bogart’s in Cincinnati, but they were a support act for that show (and a killer one for certain) and as the headliner at an arguably superior venue, Obituary brought their “A” game. I was both amused and thrilled to see the band hit the stage for a buildup riff that went on for several minutes before singer John Tardy made his entrance. This was a technique famously utilized by James Brown in his heyday and it was proven to be a fine entrance for a death metal legend in a completely different musical universe. Tardy even borrowed deceased comedy icon Sam Kinison’s signature move of emitting a mighty primal scream away from the microphone. Luckily my wife and I were in the front row (again!) and Tardy basically yelled right in our faces! Throughout the set, Tardy tirelessly prowled the stage and acted as hype man for his bandmates and showed the appreciative crowd his enormous grin repeatedly. Donald Tardy’s drums were bestial and perfectly crushing, as was Terry Butler’s glorious bass tone. The guitars of Trevor Peres (rhythm) and Ken Andrews (lead) were ferocious, chunky, and lethal, and Obituary delivered a monstrous set of death metal elite tunes. The band seemed relaxed and fully aware of the pristine sound, lights, and stage setup.

It seems that Hi-Fi will be a club I will eagerly attend for a variety of musical styles. If they can make death metal sound that surgically clean, I can only imagine what they can do for more subtle styles of music.