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Exhumed
8/04/2011
Slim’s
San Francisco, CA USA

The true wizards of gore flew into town on Thursday for a performance that was way over due. Exhumed had not played San Francisco for 6 years, but there were no scabs or rust…only perfectly executed gore fucking metal. In true hometown fashion, Mike Beams and Ross Sewage joined the band for an encore that sent the slaughtercult into a frenzy.

Chicago’s serial killer obsessed Macabre and Denver’s hydrogrinders Cephalic Carnage supported.

Exhumed:

Macabre:

Cephalic Carnage:

This entry was written by taylor, posted on August 5, 2011 at 4:13 pm, filed under Posts and tagged Cephalic Carnage, Exhumed, Gore, Macabre, Metal, San Francisco, Slim's.

Ringworm / Nails
7/30/2011
924 Gilman Street Project
Berkeley, CA USA

Just as ancient civilizations sacrificed human gifts for the gods, so must we sacrifice our ears and comfortable complacency for good metal. Nails is good metal…they play fast…they play heavy…they grind. Not only that, they dial in some of the heaviest sludge riffs in recent memory. How can you go wrong?

Ringworm is a good time too. The band lead by the Human Furnace has a lot of history from a simpler time, when hardcore was the music of the hip kids and metal didn’t have so many subgenres.

But what you should really take away from this is Nails. Keep them on tour, buy stuff.

Ringworm:

Nails:

This entry was written by taylor, posted on July 31, 2011 at 10:16 pm, filed under Posts and tagged 924 Gilman, Berkeley, Metal, Nails, Ringworm, Southern Lord, Victory Records.

Nuclear Assault @ Slaughter by the Water
6/25/2011
Craneway Pavilion
Richmond, CA USA

At times like this, a list is in order…

Best:
1. Nuclear Assault
2. Autopsy
3. Undivided

Worst:
1. Zombie Holocaust
2. Skinlab
3. Cattle Decapitation

Autopsy:

Nuclear Assault:

Whiplash:

Cattle Decapitation:

Skinlab:

Zombie Holocaust:

Warbringer:

Undivided:

This entry was written by taylor, posted on June 26, 2011 at 9:55 pm, filed under Posts and tagged Autopsy, Cattle Decapitation, Craneway Pavilion, Metal, Nuclear Assault, Richmond, Skinlab, Slaughter by the Water, Thrash, Undivided, Whiplash, Zombie Holocaust.

Orange Goblin / The Gates of Slumber
6/07/2011
Bottom of the Hill
San Francisco, CA USA

Easily the ugliest show in San Francisco this week…The Gates of Slumber and Orange Goblin brought in a sizable crowd for a Tuesday night. This being the first time the British space travelers have played the Bay Area in seven years is a good reason, don’t you think?

I arrived a little late and only caught the last few songs from the opening band, Naam. From what I heard, it was ok. The guitar player does a little hippie dance while he plays a la the flower rockers of the 60s. I haven’t heard the record, but I think they deserve further investigation. (Check out SF Sludge’s pics of Naam using the link below)

I was honestly looking forward to seeing The Gates of Slumber just as much as the OG. I caught them last at Doom In June 2010. They’re the most no-nonsense metal band I’ve seen in a long time. There is no gimmick, no glossy modern amplifiers, no perfectly rehearsed solos, no overly complicated drum patterns. It’s just three dudes plugging in to loud amps, playing metal, and singing about what really matters…metal. It’s endearing, but not in a pansy way.

Orange Goblin have been at the forefront of the “stoner metal” thing since their first 7″ as Our Haunted Kingdom. I first heard them after I taped a friends copy of Time Traveling Blues (Yes, people still taped stuff in the late 90s). Having never seen them live, I’m glad they brought the rock and scorched through a lot of songs I knew…closing with one of their crowning achievements, “Scorpionica.”

Great no-nonsense show that delivered. Can’t beat that. Check out the pics at SF Sludge for more good times.

Orange Goblin: