October 11th, 2004
@ The Troubadour, Hollywood
Terror and Remembering Never were supposed to be the opening acts but Terror couldnt make it for some reason, which I actually saw as a good thing and the latter failed to get much of a reaction from me or most of the crowd for that matter. The hardcore kids loved them and danced the night away but most in the audience just werent impressed with the breakdowns and posturing happening on stage. Remembering Never werent awful, just bland. That didnt stop a slew a kids from chanting "Black DAHLIA" and booing throughout their set.
Even though their merchandise guy was an asshole, The Black Dahlia Murder were amazing! They looked like corn-fed boyscouts but I'll be damned if they didnt annihilate the Troubadour on this night. Their set started off with "Contagion" and was followed by "Closed Casket Requiem" before they went into a new song that was equally intense. When the opening notes to "Unhallowed/Funeral Thirst" rang out the place went nuts. Some guy in the front took the guitar player's mic for backing vocals off the stand and starting growling along to the music. The new drummer sounded great but he seemed to lack the energy Cory had...either way the band was dead on. "Apex," sounds alot more epic/anthemic in a live setting than on record and got everyone's head banging. The second new song they unleased started off with some nice blast beats and had a rather long guitar solo (compared to their other material). The final two songs, "When the Last Grave has Emptied" and my favorite "The Blackest Incarnation." left the already devasted crowd battered yet craving more.
Unearth was going to have to pull out all the stops inorder to top the previous act. The long wait for the band to set up and sound check only drained the crowd's energy more but all that subsided when they kicked into "The Great Dividers." Kids started jumping off the steel columns near the stage and beating the crap out of each other as "Endless" played in the background. Something happened with one of the front monitors and I'm guessing it was bad...smoking electrical equipment isn't normally "good," but that didnt stop the band from going full steam ahead. They ran all over the stage and just oozed showmanship. Watching Ken swing his guitar around like a madman and seeing Mike effortlessly mangle his drum kit was almost more entertaining than seeing the kids in the crowd bombard each other, all trying to reach the stage first. "Zombie Autopilot" got everyone's fist pumping and "My Heart Bleeds No Longer" sounded heavy enough to squash a mountain top. Why do Unearth have so many breakdowns? Who cares?! They do them well and thats all that matters...near perfect metalcore in action.
After "Black Hearts Now Reign" the band took a short break before ending the night with "One Step Away." Explosive set from an amazing live band. As great as Unearth were, I still couldn't get over the BDM's brutal ass set. Both bands ruled and Metalblade Records made the right choice in signing them both as fast as they did. Next time either of these bands come through town I suggest you get off your ass and check them out.