OBITUARY / ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSY / FULL BLOWN CHAOS / HEMLOCK / FROM THE GRAVE
September 18, 2007
Clearwater Theater, West Dundee, Il
By Dr. Abner Mality
The Clearwater Theater is a cozy little joint nestled along the Fox River in the bucolic little town of West Dundee. An odd place for the ghoulish death metal of Obituary, for sure. My night didn't exactly get off to a rousing start due to the mysterious absence of my "guaranteed" press pass. Fortunately, I had enough cash to cover a ticket. A line-up like this doesn't come along too often.
I got in just in time to see generic deathcore band From The Grave play a couple of their frantic but nondescript songs to no response. They jumped around the stage like possessed lunatics but what difference does that make if the songs aren't there?
I felt sorry for Hemlock. The crowd tonight was fanatically directed towards Obituary and not inclined to be forgiving to anybody who wasn't. Their "nu-metal trying to be death metal" didn't reach the fans even though the heaviness was there. I really question Hemlock being on the tour...they'd be far better suited to opening for bands like Droid or Static-X. Their burly, dreadlocked frontman made a Herculean effort to get the crowd going but it just wasn't Hemlock's night.
Full Blown Chaos fared better and got some moshpits going but these guys should have really ignited all-out war on the floor. Tonight's crowd is unusually tepid for the generally energetic Chicago area. I'm thinking at House of Blues or Logan Square, there would be bloody mayhem going on. FBC delivered a furious set of Slayer-meets-Hatebreed destruction. These guys are refreshing because they know how to deliver truly crushing breakdowns and mosh parts, unlike 95% of metalcore bands. They were as physically massive as the Bears' front line,too, and I'd hate to tangle with their lead singer. Good job from Full Blown Chaos.
Alabama Thunderpussy seemed an odd choice to open for Obituary but they thoroughly justified their presence here by delivering an incredibly entertaining set of Southern-tinged heavy metal. Hell, this was one of the best short sets I'd ever seen! New singer Kyle Thomas is phenomenal! He has true superstar charisma and an amazing voice that delivered Halford-rivalling screams, deep-throated growls and gritty, blues-drenched snarls. Young guitarist Ryan Lake was also very impressive...he was the first guy tonight who could really shred the frets and to be honest, I'm not even sure Obituary's hotshot Ralph Santolla could have matched his performance tonight. The rest of ATP rocks,too, and they all slammed into killer cuts from their great "Open Fire" CD as well as "Old Unfaithful" from "Staring At the Divine". The shit-kicking set concluded with a faultless rendition of Judas Priest's "Saints In Hell", complete with testicle-rupturing screams from Kyle. The crowd was appreciative of ATP but really, we all should have been on our knees to these metal warriors.
We were all at the Clearwater tonight to bow at the altar of death itself, the mighty Obituary. By now, the theater was full of disciples and and the lower "pit" area right in front of the stage was teeming with fans, unlike the earlier acts, where the crowd was never more than half full. Anticipation was running high and with the lowering of the lights and a crack of amplified thunder, Obituary was off and running.
This show was as warm and cuddly as a teddy bear. There's something really welcoming about the thick, down-tuned, morbid sound of Obituary in full flights...kind of soothing, almost. This wasn't technical mathcore that sounded like a multi-car pileup or gave you a headache trying to follow the songs. It was murky, oldschool death metal that was as catchy as hell and easy to get into.
The band struck first with all the great classics fans wanted to hear, like "Threatening Skies", a chilling "Cause of Death" and a killer one-two punch of "Chopped In Half/Turned Inside Out" that had the fans singing along. John Tardy, whose agonizing voice could cause demons themselves to clap clawed hands over pointed ears, was the happiest guy in the house and seemed to be having the time of his life on the stage, grinning and whipping his incredibly long hair around in a medusa-like swirl. It's true what they say about Obituary...they are ordinary joes who just happen to perform the heaviest, most crushing death metal around.
New guitarist Ralph Santolla was excellent and is a top notch addition to the band. The grizzled veteran of such acts as Deicide and Death moved around the stage and hit guitar hero poses with effortless ease. He's way more interesting to watch than former lead guitarist Allen West, who often seemed propped up by a stick in his back. Santolla could cut loose with either complex James Murphy style melodic runs or the more rocking solos of West. Hammering down the deathly rhythm were the Cro Magnon like forms of hulking bassist Frank Watkins and drummer Donald Tardy, who performed with metronome like precision. Donald got to show his considerable chops with a drum solo encore. Rhythm guitarist Trevor Peres was a menacing figure with his shaggy beard and deep set eyes. All in all, these guys worked together to produce a stage presence that was energetic, natural and crowd-pleasing.
The band also performed a generous assortment of tunes from their new classic "Xecutioner's Return", a really monster album that all death metal fans should check out. Whether it was blistering fast stuff like "Face the Gods", catchy cuts like "Evil Ways" or doomy, tank-like crushers such as "Drop Dead", the new stuff fit perfectly alongside the Obituary classics of old. Best of the new songs was the lengthy, brutal "Contrast the Dead"...so full of headbanging morbid goodness, it threatens to burst from your chest like a hungry alien parasite.
I don't know how any Obituary fan could have been disappointed with this unless they wanted every single track from their catalogue played. Sure, I would have liked to hear "Don't Care" or "Circle of the Tyrants", but there was more than enough to satisfy and the sound was excellent throughout the show.
Yes indeed, it was worth $23.00 to enjoy this outbreak of brutality!