Saviours and Fu Manchu Live at Noise Pop 2008

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Wednesday, 05 March 2008

Let me start this review by saying I went to this show strictly to see Saviours. I have been listening to their new album, Into Abaddon, pretty much non stop since it was released earlier this year, and after missing them live more than a few times lately, there was no way I was going to miss them tonight.

First up was Orchid, a local band whom I surprisingly had never heard of. With a perfect combination of groove and heaviness, Orchid churned out song after song of Black Sabbath-inspired goodness. Although it's obvious that the mighty Sabbath is a major influence, Orchid doesn't sound like a Sabbath cover band, as they have somehow managed to mesh side two of Paranoid with side one of Volume 4 (think "Hand Of Doom" meets "Tomorrow's Dream") while at the same time creating their own unique sound. Guitarist Mark Baker had a very nice fuzz/psych sound to his guitar, while the rhythm section of bassist Keith Nickel and Carter Kennedy held the sound just as tight as Geezer Butler and Bill Ward, even while Kennedy was beating the shit out of his kit. Vocalist Theo Mindell showed off a pretty strong set of pies, and was shaking the maracas better than Ian Astbury shakes his tambourine. I was too busy taking pictures to catch all the song titles, although I do remember both "Black Funeral" and "Into the Sun,” and they both rocked. Needless to say, I was pretty impressed by Orchid by then end of their set, and am totally looking forward to learning more about this band, not to mention seeing them seeing them live again.

After a quick stage breakdown, North Carolina's ASG (Amplification of Self Gratification) hit the stage and launched into a serious riff-induced sludge that kind of got lost amidst some pretty melodic vocals. Don't get me wrong, I can definitely get into more of a melodic sound, but with guitars as heavy as ASG's, I was really hoping for something with a bit more of a bite to it. They reminded me quite a bit of later day Corrosion of Conformity, but it just seemed that something was missing from the package they were presenting. I really can't put my finger on why they didn't do it for me, other than I felt that they would have benefited from losing a bit of the overall melodic-ness of the vocals. With all that being said, I did think both Jason Shi (who also handles vox) and Jonah Citty were pretty kick-ass guitar players, and I really dug their clean yet sludgy tone. I am certainly not giving a bad review to ASG here, and in all honesty, would like to check them out again and listen to their music a bit more before I form an opinion about them.

After another quick stage breakdown (and another quick beer) it was Saviours’ turn on stage, and they delivered the goods from the first note. I can not say enough good things about this band. Their sound can best be described as a combination of NWOBHM with just a bit of fuzzed-out and distorted tone. Think early Iron Maiden meets High on Fire. Tonight they sounded even heavier, and both Tyler Morris and Austin Barber had their guitars on "gallop" mode, and were chugging away with what was easily the most intensity of the evening. Drummer Scott Batiste and bassist Cyrus Comiskey kept their end in check and provided a heavy support for the guitars. The only thing that disappointed me during their set was the crowd’s reaction. It really seemed as though they weren't quite sure what to make of Saviours, and although I was concentrating on taking pictures it seemed to me that the crowd just wasn't pumped up enough about the metal they were taking in. I've noticed this before when a band’s sound doesn't quite fit the mold of what's popular today (metalcore), and can remember early High on Fire shows that had a similar reaction. Hopefully it was just the lame meathead crowd (who at this point were all obvious Fu Manchu fans), because Saviours really kicked some serious ass up there. Highlights for me included "Cavern Of Mind,” "Raging Embers" and "Narcotic Sea.” I am so glad I finally had a chance to see this band, and will not be missing anymore of their shows.

Now I'll be the first to admit I was never really a fan of Fu Manchu, only because I have never really heard much of their music. I liked what little I had heard, but in no way was it enough for me to decide that I am into them. To me, "stoner rock" has always been about the heaviness of bands like Sleep and St. Vitus, and Fu Manchu's "Cali" vibe just didn't seem to fit in with the darkness of other bands in their genre. And after witnessing Saviours, which was the band that I came to see, as well and knowing that I was going to be back at Slim's the following evening for what would be an epic Death Angel show (which would mean 4 shows for me in 5 nights), I almost bailed and called it an early night. But my curiosity got the best of me, and I decided to stick around, and I'm glad I did.

Fu Manchu hit the stage running and never looked back tonight. Right off the bat I was totally impressed with vocalist/guitarist Scott Hill, who was playing his guitar, singing and moving around the stage with absolutely no effort. The Fu's other guitarist, Bob Balch, was also pretty amazing and the heaviness and fuzziness of his sound really got me into their set. What really seemed to set these guys apart from other bands with a similar sound was that, although they were pretty fucking heavy, they still had kind of a "boogie" sound, and their songs were full of hooks, while still showing their punk rock past. It sounds like a pretty weird combination, but it totally works for them. I am now wishing I was more familiar with them so I could identify more of their songs, but I do remember hearing a pretty rocking "Weird Beard,” "Mongoose" and "Grendel, Snowman.”

Walking out of Slim's tonight, I was totally stoked. Not only had I finally seen Saviours, but also discovered one really great band in Orchid, one band with a lot of potential in ASG, and one band whose music I should have listened to all along and will be listening to in the future. Not a bad night.