Shadows Fall live in Towson OR

"I've never seen so many dudes in my life"

Shadows Fall
The Haunted
Bury Your Dead
Gizmachi

Recher Theatre
Towson, MD
September 8, 2005


By GREG MAKI

My concert-going adventures continued Thursday, once again at the Recher Theatre in Towson, Md. My brother and I arrived at the venue about 7:45 p.m. (doors opened at 7) just in time to hear a band playing fast with a guy screaming over top of them. Then he said, "Thank you. We're Gizmachi." You're quite welcome, my friend, because I really I had no desire to see them anyway.

About 10 minutes after Gizmachi finished up, Bury Your Dead took the stage. I have to take a moment here to comment on the so-called "hardcore dancing" a few members of the audience seemed to enjoy. It is quite possibly the most idiotic thing I have ever seen. To participate in it, apparently you flail your arms and legs about as if there is a swarm of angry bees attacking you. It also appears to help if you don't look a day older than 14 and weigh about 90 pounds soaking wet. No, let me correct myself. It is the most idiotic thing I've ever seen.

Bury Your Dead isn't terrible, but nothing distinguishes them from any other hardcore band.

After another short break, it was time for The Haunted. I had seen them twice before (last November at the Trocadero in Philadelphia with Damageplan and Shadows Fall, and just over a month ago at Ozzfest in Virginia), and as a result of those performances, I was not expecting much from them. I was pleasantly surprised this time. They sounded good, and another surprise came when Brian Fair of Shadows Fall joined them onstage for a Slayer cover (Raining Blood) to close their set.

Another comment about the crowd ... I know metal is a testosterone-driven genre of music, but what was with all the dudes? I think I could have counted the females I saw on one hand. Seriously.

When Shadows Fall took the stage, they showed again why they are the best of the metal bands that have emerged in the last couple of years. Aside from being crushingly heavy and having a versatile vocalist, they are incredible musicians. They are an all-around great band that deserves all of the success they have had. Brian Fair said this was the last show of the tour. They're heading home and will begin working on a new album soon. After The War Within, my pick for the best album of 2004, I can't wait to hear what they do next.

The set was similar to what they played on Ozzfest this summer, with a few changes and one or two additions. "The Power of I and I" is a great opener, and I'll say it again, "What Drives the Weak" is one of my absolute favorite songs.