Live-Metal.Net - Concerts: Arch Enemy, Chimaira, God Forbid

9:30 Club
Washington, D.C.
April 30, 2006

By JEFF MAKI

Sunday afternoons: Ah, yes. Relaxation, family gatherings, mowing the lawn, cook-outs ... AND METAL!!!

This particular stop on Arch Enemy and Chimaira's Jagermeister-sponsored tour was an early show with doors opening at 6 p.m. as the spring sun still shone brightly. A decent, if not spectacular, crowd gathered at the 9:30 Club in Washington D.C. for the show.

Temple Of Brutality
First onstage was a band I had no idea was even playing: Temple Of Brutality. I realized about three songs into their set that Dave Ellefson (Megadeth, F5) was playing bass. When did this happen and why? Those questions went answered, but there he was playing Temple of Brutality’s Soil-esque brand of hard rock with some speedy parts mixed in. Brutal? No. Average? Yes

Hate Eternal
I was interested in seeing this band live, only because I wanted to see if they were as heavy live as on disc, and the crowd's reaction to the death metal trio. While their music was brutal and heavy on the low end, similar at times to Morbid Angel, they didn't quite come across very serious to me. At times they seemed quite comical, with lead vocalist/guitarist Eric Rutan's between song banter spoken in his death metal growl. Cookie monster vocals were abundant throughout set, with bassist Randy Piro also contributing. The music was above-average death metal but lacked any real groove for the crowd to get into or mosh pits to start. The best thing about this band was Rutan's guitar playing. He seems to be a death metal guitar virtuoso, laying down several impressive solos.

God Forbid
The D.C. crowd was amped for God Forbid and the band delivered a 30-minute set. Standouts included "To The Fallen Hero," "Antihero" and "Chains of Humanity." Imposing lead vocalist Byron Davis is a great frontman, with excellent stage presence and vocals ranging from a high-pitched scream to shout-along choruses. The band sounded tight, having probably played these songs hundreds of times by now on their busy tour schedule. Live-Metal had the chance to interview Byron Davis before the show and he talked about his band's touring and his personal take on many musical issues. It was a solid, but short set from God Forbid.

Chimaira
Chimaira have been around for a long while now, but this was the first time I've caught the band live. When they first arrived on the scene many lumped them into the nu-metal genre, but they seemed to have successfully broken free from that with recent albums. Some elements remain, namely the thunderous bass hits features in several songs. "Nothing Remains" was the opener, one of the best from their latest self-titled release. Lead vocalist Mark Hunter's screams were actually hard to hear at times over the band's industrialized sound and menacing twin guitar attack. During "Salvation," two very hot. Scantily-clad dancers joined the band onstage, making maybe the band's best song of the night even better.

Chimaira received all the stage get up for a headliner. The set was complete with superior lighting and a steady cloud blowing from the smoke machine. My only complaint would be that maybe the set dragged on about two songs too long. But at this point of their career, Chimaira is fully capable of headlining clubs of this size In fact, it seemed as if 75 percent of the crowd were here to see Chimaira this night. The crowd even became somewhat rowdy, with some drunk dude throwing up right in front of me and another person attempting to climb down from the balcony. This person was pulled down by security and escorted rather physically out of the club.

Arch Enemy
Guitarist Michael Amott told me before the show that I'd better give their show a good review, so that's what I'm gonna do here. In all seriousness, how could Arch Enemy not put on a good show? Unlike Ozzfest 2005, the band had 60 minutes to churn out their now classic Swedish metal attack. Vocalist Angela Gossow can't be more than 5'2 and she's gorgeous, but she lets out high pitched wails and guttural death vocals with the best of them. Tonight she was in warpaint, leading Arch Enemy through their vicious set. Amott's guitar playing was most impressive, especially at the intro to "Ravenous," during which he traded solos with new guitarist Fredrik Akesson. Daniel Erlandsson's pounding double bass was nothing short of amazing. The band opened with "Nemesis" and other highlights included "My Apocalypse," "Dead Eyes See No Future" and the aforementioned classic "Ravenous." Earlier material didn't seem to excite the crowd like more recent "Angela material," but she did a good job with the band's older tunes. Personally, I would rather have heard "Leader of the Rats" or "Instinct" as opposed to older Johan Liiva material.

Arch Enemy's blend of death and vintage metal was 10 times more brutal and impressive live than on CD. Amott's vision of this band and Angela Gassow's lead should carry them for a long time to come, which is great news for the world of heavy metal.