Metal and hardcore will rise again:

SOUNDS OF THE UNDERGROUND 2006

	Anders Friden of In Flames

As I Lay Dying, In Flames, Trivium, Cannibal Corpse, Gwar, Converge, Terror, The Black Dahlia Murder, Behemoth, The Chariot, Horse the Band, Dog Fashion Disco,
Municipal Waste, Through the Eyes of the Dead

Merriweather Post Pavilion
Columbia, MD
July 17, 2006

By JEFF MAKI

The middle of July in Maryland is not much different than, say, a tropical rain forest. But we braved the nearly 100-degree heat and intense humidity to hopefully see the best metal that the underground has to offer. This year's installment of the Sounds of the Underground tour included a diverse mix of bands, from the funk-metal of Dog Fashion Disco to the metalcore of As I Lay Dying to the classic Swedish metal of In Flames to the traveling freak show known as Gwar. It was a good experience despite the heat. Not every band was to my liking, but eight hours of metal was more than satisfying.

For those who have never attended Sounds Of The Underground, the opening bands rotate much like the second stage of Ozzfest. Each band had a set of about 20 minutes, which is enough for only four to six songs. It is nowhere near the scale of Ozzfest, but record labels such as Prosthetic, Metal Blade and Trustkill had tents set up with merchandise for sale. The Jagermeister tent was there, too, bands holding free signing sessions throughout the day.

Through the Eyes of the Dead opened the show and played a decent set of death metal, slightly charging the crowd with their double-bass attack. The band was quality, though not  particularly memorable.

THROUGH THE EYES OF THE DEAD

Old-school thrashers Municipal Waste were up next. This band was retro like you've never seen. Ripped jeans, poofy 80's hair, bullet-lines belts— you name it and this was Municipal Waste. The music was classic thrash in the vein of Exodus. They came across as a fun, party-type band—even if they don’t mean to be— with lyrics like,”Municipal Waste is gonna fuck you up!" After seeing them live, I might pick a couple of their albums to find out what they're all about.

Baltimore’s Dog Fashion Disco came on with a mix of metal, rock, funk and reggae. Their music is reminiscent of older System of a Down. At any given moment, they can go from a funky dance groove to an outburst of speed metal. Their material was diverse enough to keep my attention and they were fun to watch.

Horse the Band are quirky, or at least they try to be. They play rock and metal mixed with Nintendo sounds and Atari bleeps and synthesizers. The crowd was not amused.

What can I say about The Chariot?  I'm fairly certain I could get three of my friends to come jam with me in my basement and we could sound like The Chariot. Keep in mind that none of us actually play any instruments. How did this band end up on this tour?. There are so many other great bands out there and we are subjected to this?

Terror put on a strong hardcore metal set, starting up the first decent moshpits of the day and inspiring a fair share of hardcore dancing. Their music tries to recapture the magic of the Cro-Mags and Agnostic Front and does so quite well. Scott Vogel is an exciting frontman, with his manic delivery and stage presence. His strong effort to keep the crowd into their entire set paid off, as many new Terror fans were born. Terror was on another level compared to the bands that preceded them.

Converge took the stage with some average hardcore, again having me wondering what got the band on this tour. The music was decent, but nothing stood out from anything else I've heard before. If I heard their CD or they walked right through my front door, I'd have no idea who they are.

The blood splattering stage show of Gwar took the stage after a lengthy period of stage set-up. How many people are in this band anyway? There had to have been seven to 10 members out on stage, spraying fake blood and other liquids out on the crowd throughout their set. You have to admit: The costumes and spooky stage set up are cool, the band is funny and they are just fun to watch. They even performed an admirable cover of Alice Cooper's "School's Out."

GWAR

American death metal legends Cannibal Corpse were on next. This band has been around forever. I wasn't particularly impressed by their performance and felt that the band translates better on their albums. Maybe it was the heat, the fact that the pavilion was mostly seated, or that they were playing after GWAR - who knows?

In their brief career, Trivium have placed themselves among metal's elite with their masterpiece, Ascendancy and non-stop touring. Many tout the band as the next Metallica and Trivium seem to have no problem with that. During their set, we were even treated to a four-minute version of "Master of Puppets." They opened with two of their best: "Like Light to the Flies" and "A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation." The crowd was pumping fists and headbanging along, as this band is just energizing when on stage. They also played "Detonation" from their upcoming album The Crusade. The song was a mix of an Ascendancy-like sound and Metallica-type vocals and from what the band members have been saying, should be a good indication of the new album’s direction.

Trivium set list:
Like Light to the Flies
A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation
Ember to Inferno
Detonation 
Master of Puppets
Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr

In Flames was the best band of the day—period. Their set, though only 40 minutes, included crowd pleasers such as “Trigger” and the crunching riffs of “Cloud Connected,” along with four songs from their latest release, Come Clarity: “Leeches,” “Take This Life,” “Scream” and “Come Clarity.” Anders Friden is becoming one of the most recognizable frontmen in metal with his wild dreadlocks and tie—not to mention his mix of screams and clean melodies. The twin guitar attack of Björn Gelotte and Jesper Strömblad is amazing to hear live. In Flames also brought along their customary light show, making the show even more exciting. The only thing I could’ve asked for was a longer set.

In Flames set list:
Pinball Map
Leeches
Cloud Connected
Trigger
Insipid 2000
Come Clarity
Scream
Take This Life
My Sweet Shadow

As I Lay Dying, technically the headliner, closed out the day. Their sound was one of the best of the day and they had tremendous energy on stage. They have begun to emerge as one of the more popular metal bands as of late and their performance showed why.

Sounds of the Underground is worth a look for In Flames and Trivium alone. Some of the more underground bands didn't impress me much at all, but it’s hard to complain too much about the day. For those who are seeking an alternative to Ozzfest or something in addition, check out this tour when it comes to your town.

As I Lay Dying set list:
94 Hours
Fallen Upon Deaf Ears
Forever
Distance Is Darkness
Behind Me Lies Another Fallen Soldier
Undefined
Meaning In Tragedy
Confined
Darkest Nights
Reflection
Through Struggle
Control Is Dead
Illusions