Piston: They were OK. The singer had a good voice, very loud.
Al: I agree with you on the singer. They were standard fare to an extent, but well executed. I would like to hear a CD from them, really check out the songwriting to see if it sticks.
Evilution. Piston ain't buyin' it, but Al thinks they're peachy.
Piston: Not bad, need to separate themselves from the pack... find something all their own. That's the problem with death metal. In the beginning is all sounds the same, then you get to hear the differences and you can tell good from bad, but then after a while it all sounds the same again. Then you hear a band like Vader or Nile or Malamor, that start to change things.
Al: I disagree. Some bands do sound the same, but that is their fault, not a downfalling of the genre.To the unfamiliar ear, it all sounds the same, but if you are familiar with the genre as a whole you can notice differences in style. Just like any form of music. Take jazz, for example.
Piston: Come on! There are about a billion bands trying to be either Deicide, Morbid Angel, or Cannibal Corpse.
Al: There are. But then in the 80's there were a million bands trying to be Metallica, Megadeth or Slayer.
Piston: I'm not saying the music all sounds the same, I'm saying the bands all sound the same.
John McEntee from Incantation. SALON!!
Al: It happens with any music that experiences a surge of popularity. It is happening with black metal as well, but it REALLY happened with death metal around '93 or so.
Piston: True, and I think that death metal is past that now. Now is the time for more original death metal bands to step up to the plate.
Al: I think the bands that are going to persevere are still around... Morbid Angel, Deicide, Cannibal, as you mentioned... Suffocation.
Piston: True, but I don't have much patience for run of the mill death metal. That's what I think Evilution is: run of the mill.
Al: I don't think they are radically different, but they aren't run of the mill in my opinion in that they are a step above the masses as far as talent and conviction. The NEW bands we are hearing a lot about are doing different things. There are still some clones, but considerably less, and none of them are generating the buzz that, say, Nile is. How about Incantation?
Piston: I have always found them boring, and they were boring at the show, the crowd wasn't into them either from what I could tell.
Al: It is a shame I missed them, I would have liked to check them out. I have always enyoyed them live and love the albums, especially the new one.
Piston: There are the leaders, the followers, and the new leaders.
Al: Thing is, Vader have been around as long as the "leaders."
Piston: But they are just now breaking big.
Al: We'll see if they break big... at least now their album can be found in stores! There is a good buzz about them.
Piston: They are finding their own niche.
Al: I consider Incantation to be the Manowar of death metal. They really hold true to their style, regardless of trends. On Diabolical Conquest they have perfected their craft.
Piston: Most people say they ruled the show and the tour so far. I've been talking to people on the net and that's the consensus. I don't know Incantation too well, I've heard them live twice and both times I wasn't too impressed.
Al: I think Incantation's style is something you either like or you don't.
Piston: I guess, I'll have to listen some more.
Al: They are brutal to the point where they are unconventional. I wasn't into them when I first heard them, but the more I listened, I heard a lot of subtleties in their music. A lot of atmosphere. Their tunes are actually catchy if you can listen past the chaos.
Piston: Like a really good fart.
Doc and Peter from Vader. Peter shows what Rogaine did for him.
Al: Right, just like a fart.
Piston: They didn't really get the crowd into it. The croud was a very "stand around and watch" bunch.
Al: Well, on to Vader, I know you liked them... they were amazing... much better than when I saw them on the Broken Hope tour. Peter's voice sounded much better. I think the addition of the second guitarist helped their sound a lot. And I must have seen the drummer on an off night last time because he was on fire. Literally.
Piston: Yeah, I thought they were fucking sick! The drummer is wonderful. Fast and tight.
Al: Tight?? Did you find that out during the interview?
Piston: No, he wasn't there, but I heard a rumour.
Al: They tried to work up the crowd... I think people loved it, but no one else was reacting and nobody wanted to be the first to show any enthusiasm.
Piston: Like you were.
Al: I was screaming my head off. I drowned out the entire crowd.
Piston: That is true, you didn't let up either, it was very cool.
Al: People were actually laughing because I was so loud. It seemed Peter didn't know what to make of it. Like he wasn't sure if I was serious or not.
Piston: Maybe that's why he went back to Poland.
Al: Well, we are not sure if they went back to Poland yet...
Piston: True, don't want to spread any rumours.
Al: They are probably related to the people that smashed my car and they recognized me and thought I was out to get them.
Piston: Yeah, but you have no proof.
Al: Let's do this: Top 10 Reasons Vader Went Back to Poland. You give #10.
Piston: 10) Forgot to add the fabric softener.
Al: 9) Were missing the season premier of the popular Polish sitcom "A Dog and His Bowl"
Piston: 8) Forgot to set the VCR to tape Howard Stern on The Magic Hour.
Al: 7) Couldn't find any good Pierogi here
Piston: 6) Missed girls with underarm hair.
Al: 5) They decided to boycott America.
Piston: 4) Wanted to find out who that Yanni guy is. (read the interview).
Al: 3) They heard Michael Jackson wanted to kick their ass and fled the country in fear.
Piston: 2) One night Trey said, "Well, time to go!" and Vader thought he meant "go home", so they did.
Al: 1) They missed their mommies
Piston: Very good.
Al: So, anyway, they were excellent live. How do you think the live show held up to the album?
Piston: I think the catchiness of the songs is better on the album, but their whole pressence made up for that.
Al: Aight. On to Morbid Angel.
Piston: They ruled the show, no doubt about it. They are old hats at this, and fucking killed.
Al: Agreed. Steve Tucker impressed the shit out of me. I expected him to be less confident on stage, but he really took command.
Piston: He was also very good with the older songs. They even had a pit. The crowd was more into them than any of the other bands.
Al: Well, they were the headliners...
Piston: At the end of the show, I was completely spent.
Al: The new material sounded great as well, "Heaving Earth" was amazing.
Stee Tucker, voice of Simba in Disney's The Lion King.
Piston: I personaly liked Deicide live better when I saw them, but Morbid Angel is close behind.
Al: "Rapture" was wonderful. "Lord of All Fevers and Plagues..." I was surprised they went back that far!
Piston: I did miss the Domination stuff though. I still like that shit a lot, even if Trey doesn't.
Al: Trey doesn't like porn either. They sounded HUGE, they were completely tight, insanely fast... a perfect death metal performance.
Piston: True.
Al: And they didn't play any extended solos... I think Manowar is one of the only bands that should do that.
Piston: And Hanson.
Trey Azagthoth on the gitfiddle.
Al: Right.
Al: I thought for sure that both Trey and Pete were going to take solos.
Piston: Ahh, but they didn't.
Al: It is safe to say that each band through the night gave a progressively more intense performance, and it started off strong, so by the end it was pretty phenomenal.
Piston: Yes. To sum up.....first band, OK....Incantation, OK.....Vader, GREAT......Morbid, EXCELLENT!!!!!
Al: Titties 'n Beer
Piston: Jay is a bitch, just wanted to get that on record also.
Al: Done. Goodnight.
