Concert Review: Summer Slaughter Tour, Fillmore, NYC, 6/26/08

Awesome show, incredible tour, great lineup. Don’t miss it!

I’m going to make this brief because it’s early and I’m not firing on all cylinders yet. Plus, by the time I really wake up, I’ll have forgotten everything. Guess that comes with age.

Whitechapel: Missed ‘em because I got caught up in something at work. Sorry.

Psycroptic: Caught the last five minutes. Decent, hard working, technical death metal band. Apparently the sound man was doing something else during their set, because it was really muddy. I’d look forward to seeing them if they opened for someone else, but I’m not going to rush out and buy tickets if they headline.

Born of Osiris: A sprightly bunch of tech/prog/death lads from Chi-town. Nice, razor-sharp set, full of energy. I enjoyed them at 300 BPM, then 50 BPM, then 10 BPM, then 300 BPM, then 20 BPM, then . . .

Aborted: I love Aborted, so I was a little surprised at the run-of-the-mill-ness of their set. I expected just a little more. Perhaps my expectations were too high. I guess I’d still pay money to see ‘em again, though.

Despised Icon: Two singers, and it works! Nice deathcore groove, plenty of breakdowns and tempo variety. They a played really hungry set. I like to see bands work hard. Go see them if you can.

The Faceless: Nice surprise. Are these guys friends with Born from Osiris? Similar tech/prog/death sound, plus a very versatile lead guitarist. Precise and heavy as hell. I predict that this LA-based band will get better with age.

Cryptopsy: For some unknown reason I never got into Cryptopsy, but apparently they’ve taken some flack for their last album. No matter. In my opinion, their set was just OK. They played hard, did the windmill-hair thing, and gave everyone what they expected. I wasn't surprised at the crowd-surge when they took the stage. The greater NYC area is a big Cryptopsy fan-base.

Vader: If I stayed home and had someone fire an artillery shell through my house, that would have been equal to Vader’s set. And that’s just what I expected from the second Piotr Wiwczarek stepped up to the mic and asked, “Are you ready for zome fahkieeng metal!!” I would have paid 20 plus just to see these guys and go home. Obviously, so would the other few hundred people with VADER painted on the backs of aged motorcycle jackets and leather vests. Old-school!!

Kataklysm: Third time I’ve seen Kataklysm, and they were just as good as the first and the second time, with the added bonus of a longer set. Blood on the Swans was pure gravy. I’m a big fan of the new Prevail material (unlike others), and I was psyched to discover that it played well live. To be honest, Kataklysm and Vader were the reasons I showed up to stand through six-plus hours of this shindig. No offense to the other bands, and I did have some nice surprises. But Kataklysm just pounded!

Black Dahlia Murder: Nothing to report. I left before they came on. I know what you’re saying, but I had shit to do and places to go. I’m not a big fan anyway. And why the hell are these guys headlining this tour? Did promoters suddenly forget about that whole ‘paying dues’ thing? No offense, but I dissent on this issue.

Conclusions:

The geographical reach of this line-up speaks to the momentum that extreme metal is gathering. The edge is getting pushed further and further out on a popular level, and that's a good thing.

All newer tech/death/prog metal bands are required by law to send ten percent of their tour profits - if any - to Meshugga.

No photos. Sorry. I’m a lazy-ass.