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THE ARCHIVES
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Morrigan's Pit has closed down as of November 2006. The site and its articles will stay online as an archive until September at least, but probably longer.
The Archives
2002-2006
» CD REVIEWS
» INTERVIEWS
» LIVE REVIEWS
» SPECIALS
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THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER - BORN FROM PAIN - MAROON
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The Mean Fiddler - London (UK)
June 18th 2006
http://www.theblackdahliamurder.com
http://www.bornfrompain.com
http://www.maroonhate.com
The crowd at the Mean Fiddler was conspicuously absent of proper old-school death metal kids. Which is a damn shame, because this would be a very memorable night, no matter what your stripe of heavy music.
German band MAROON were a surprise. Having never heard them, I was expecting endless breakdowns and metalcore cliches. I did get (mercifully short) breakdowns, but I also got thrashing drums, long swinging hair and fearless headbanging. The singer bounded around the stage with both fury and self-deprecating humour. In short their fresh sounding approach makes them a continental metal/metalcore secret that won't stay secret for long.
Not so inspiring were the old-school sounds of BORN FROM PAIN. They started strongly, with howling feedback giving way to pummelling double-kicks and crushing powerchords. But their set suffered from too many mid-tempo beats, too many similar riffs, too many breakdows and reminding too much like Hatebreed. That said, they did have conviction in spades, and were heavier than a truckload of lead bricks in a black hole.
One short break later, and Detroit City's tech-metalcore maniacs THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER hit the stage like a metal tsunami. Seriously, it was like watching a bomb go off. The sheer intensity of their show defies explanation. Words like brutality, intensity and insanity are cliches when it comes to describing extreme metal, but in this case they are the only ones that come close.
Pierre's drumming is gutwrenching. Too many drummers make blastbeats by lightly tapping on the snare. Not Pierre. Every stroke cracks like a breaking bone. The double kicks don't let up. The cymbals couldn't cut more if he threw them at us like brass frisbees.
But a band like The Black Dahlia Murder are more than just a ferocious drummer. The rest of the band deliver their sonic mayhem with vicious telepathy. Guitarists Brian and John deliver their tight, making their grind-influenced technical death stylings simultaneously look disturbingly easy and sound absolutely apocalyptic. Recently added bassist Bart holds his own, his right hand plucking the strings far faster than four fingers have any right to.
But the suckerpunch of The Black Dahlia Murder's live show is arguably vocalist Trevor Strnad. He's pudgy, he wears glasses, he has a crewcut and his last name looks like a missprint. Offstage he jokes with fans and crew alike, poking fun at himself while singing the praises of his bandmates.
But onstage he is a metal powerhouse. He doesn't waste time with clean vocals. He goes straight for throat ripping gargles and node-making roars. And he is a tornado of malicious intent. He lashes the air like he's been shot in half-speed and replayed in double time.
Their set consisted of some new songs (hopefully to be recorded soon), not to mention classics like "Miscarriage" and "Statutory Ape". The crowd loved every minute of it, and I can honestly say that the image of all the young metalcore hipsters raising their horns and banging their heads will stay with me for a long time. Put simply, shows like this are the reason why I started going to shows like this. New album coming? Can't wait.
submitted by Jason Logan 23.06.2006
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