Energymetal14's "Nobody cares but here it is" Recap of All Things 2012 Thread

[markrz]

This thread has been a good read. I went to a lot of shows this year too but it looks like very few of them were the same ones you went to (I think two so far we have in common). So it's kind of neat to read recaps of the ones I wasn't at.

[mastodon421]

Originally Posted by energymetal14

11. Skeletonwitch

Bill: Skeletonwitch, Havok, Early Graves, Razormaze
Venue: Great Scott
City: Allston, MA
Date: Thursday, September 20, 2012

And here we go again! This was my third time seeing Skeletonwitch, and my first time seeing them headline. Plus, this venue was MUCH smaller than where I saw them before, so it was pretty awesome. Super intimate, super fun. Plus this was the only show I met someone from this site at this year, our very own Mastodon421 (sucks we didn't meet up at LOG, hope to see you at Wintersun! ).

Up first was a local thrash band named Razormaze. They are pretty generic, nothing special but not too bad either. They have opened the last three shows I've seen at this venue, and I think i enjoy them more each time. decent stuff, good opener for this show.

Early Graves played next, and holy shit were they better than I expected! I had listened to some of their stuff, and I liked it, but their performance was just so great. It definitely made me check them out more, and although I haven't heard their whole album yet (), what I have heard is pretty damn good. I got kicked in the eye by a stagediver, which fucking hurt and I started to see stars and get dizzy, but I was okay after a few minutes. I would love to see them again.

I spent some time talking to Mastodon421 in between the bands, and he's a pretty cool dude. It was nice to be able to talk to kill time, since I end up going to most of these club shows alone . Havok played after Early Graves. I missed some of their set when I saw them open for English Dogs, so I was excited to see a full set (full suppoet set, at least) from them. They are probably one of the better thrash revival bands, and their performance was a lot of fun. Like all the other bands, they got some pretty decent pits going.

Skeletonwitch played last, and I was so happy to see a headlining set from them. The setlist could not have been more amazing. Songs from all their albums, a good amount of songs I had not heard them play before, and all of them sounded fucking incredible . They are such a great live band, entertaining while still sounding just like their albums. I moshed for a bit in the actually pretty rough pits, and stood off to the side for a bit headbanging and watching the great show. I could not have been more pleased by their performance, and I can say this was definitely the best time I saw them. After the show, I gave Mastodon a ride home (it took us awhile but we got there!) then headed home for the night.

I'm going to talk to my friend I am supposed to go to Eluveite with tonight or tomorrow and see if he still wants to go to. If not, I'll probably just meet you in Boston like last time and get a ride back with you if you don't mind.

[energymetal14]

Originally Posted by markrz

This thread has been a good read. I went to a lot of shows this year too but it looks like very few of them were the same ones you went to (I think two so far we have in common). So it's kind of neat to read recaps of the ones I wasn't at.

Thank you man! What shows were you at?

Originally Posted by mastodon421

I'm going to talk to my friend I am supposed to go to Eluveite with tonight or tomorrow and see if he still wants to go to. If not, I'll probably just meet you in Boston like last time and get a ride back with you if you don't mind.

Okay cool, yeah i don't mind.

[energymetal14]

7. Agalloch

Bill: Agalloch, Taurus
Venue: The Middle East (downstairs)
City: Cambridge, MA
Date: Wednesday, July 25, 2012

This was my first time seeing Agalloch, and it was everything I could have hoped for. They played a long set full of songs I love, and they really did sound amazing. Setlist and my full review here.

Taurus came on first, and they were a duo who played noisy, droney, sludgy stuff. It was pretty much just one long song with a video screen playing creepy stuff behind them. Not really my thing normally, but the performance wasn't bad, and they were a decent opener.

Agalloch was obviously the headliner, and they played a long set of amazing material. Not many bands can keep my attention after about 75 minutes, but I was engaged the whole time for them. They are one of the few bands I wanted a super long set from, and it was great. The band sounded incredible, and the setlist was a good overview of all their albums, including Faustian Echoes, which was so awesome live. They are truly an amazing band, and this performance made me love them even more.

[energymetal14]

6. Revocation

Bill: Revocation, Cannabis Corpse, Ramming Speed
Venue: Great Scott
City: Allston, MA
Date: Thursday, April 19, 2012

This show was the night before the first day of NEMHF, and kicked off a 5 day metal extravaganza, whit this, 3 days of NEMHF, and number 5 on my list finishing it off . Anyway, this show was tons of fun, featuring 2 local bands and a band I had never seen, so good stuff.

Ramming Speed kicked off the night. These guys are one of my favorite local bands, and they are just so much fun live, tons of energy. Plus, they always have a good, energetic crowd, so I love seeing them live. Picked up one of their shirts at the show, gotta support local bands! Fun as always, perfect way to start the show off .

Cannabis Corpse was next, and holy shit were they more fun than I expected. I like their album stuff, but they are so sick live. They got some great pits going, and they even had a guy come out in a weed coustume and jump into the crowd, which was hilarious . I would definitely see these guys live again!

Revocation were the headliners, and this is my favorite of the 5 times I have seen them. They are a great live band, they have great energy on stage and they always sound great. Dave Davidson is an awesome frontman in terms of getting the crowd going, he always says hilarious shit in between songs. Plus, he is a fucking beast on the guitar . So much talent in this band, and I always like seeing them live. Oh, and i chipped a tooth in the pit, luckily it was just a small chip! I went back in though (, but whatever haha). Another great show at Great Scott.


More to come later, down to the top 5! What shows had the best performances, the best crowds, and just provided the most fun? I will reveal them soon! I know I'm kinda taking a long time on this , but I got a life to live, ya know

[mastodon421]

Originally Posted by energymetal14

10. New England Metal and Hardcore Festival

Bill (top bands for me): The Black Dahlia Murder, Nile, Skeletonwitch, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Cruel Hand, Bane, Overkill, All That Remains, Killswitch Engage
Venue: The Palladium
City: Worcester, MA
Date: Friday, April 20 (), 2012, Saturday, April 21, 2012, Sunday, April 22, 2012

Let me start off by saying I fucked up big time on hardcore bands at this fest. I didn't really know many at the time, so I stuck to metal. Although I am a metal guy at heart, I could have squeezed in a few hardcore bands here that I now know are awesome. Awesome feat either way, and I'm so glad I did the three day pass.

Since this is a 3 day fest, I'm just gonna do a VERY brief review of each day. The first day featured the heaviest lineup of all 3 days, with more death metal bands than any other day. Going into it, I was most punped for this day. I saw Fleshgod Apocalypse, who played a super short set, but were great. Skeletonwitch ruled as always, and my first time seeing Nile was fucking amazing, so heavy . The headliner was The Black Dahlia Murder, who I am not in love with, but they are pretty good and are super fun live. Awesome first day to the fest.

Day 2 was a much more diverse lineup. I got there really early and watched Diamond Plate, Hung, Huntress, God Forbid, and Holy Grail. Okay stuff, but none of the bands blew me away really. I had some time to kill before Unearth (yes, I skipped Periphery and Iwrestledabearonce, I don't like either, sorry Periphery fans), so i went upstairs to the hardcore stage. I watched Shipwreck, who were kinda boring to me, then came on Cruel Hand. Wow. I didn;t even really know them before the fest, but they were THE surprise of the weekend for me, so much fun and I have gotten into them a lot since then. Unearth was pretty cool, and Bane was cool too ( I liked em better though when I saw them with Terror). Overkill fucking owned, and Dragonforce sucked, total disaster . All That Remains headlined, and although I don't really listen to them anymore, the performance was fun, the crowd went nuts, and I was reliving high school a little bit hearing some of those songs haha. I feel like if I saw them again though, it would be a lot less specail and would probably not be good at all.

Day 3 was short for me, since it was mostly deathcore bands I don't care about. I got there during For Today, who bored me. I watched Emmure and Vanna from the balcony, and both were really bad. I thought Emmure would at least be a joke, but it was just painful. Every Time I Die was okay, I've just never gotten into them for some reason. The headliner was Killswitch Engage. This was their big comeback show, their first back with Jesse Leach singing again. Although i liked Howard, the change is exactly what this band needed. I was on the floor for the whole performance, and it was AMAZING. The energy in the room was incredible, you would have to be there to understand it. They played a great set, and I spent the entire time moving, headbanging, singing, and holding up crowdsurfers. The crowd was ridiculous for the show, it was so awesome. Somehow it took me till this year to make it to NEMHF, and I must say it was a really great weekend. The only real reason it wasn't higher is because I saw so many other great shows this year. Plus, none of my real favorite bands played, it was just a bunch of bands I like, plus a lot that were just okay. I know this was long , but I had a lot to say about this great fest .

I was there on Friday and Saturday. Probably my two favorite shows of the year, especially Saturday (it did help that was the day of my birthday ) Seeing some of my fave bands (Black Dahlia Murder, Unearth, Skeletonwitch, Fleshgod Apocalypse, God Forbid, The Contortionist, All Shall Perish) again and some others (Protest the Hero, Periphery*) as well as other badass bands like Nile, Overkill, and Rotting Out for the first time (Seeing All That Remains for the first time in three years was cool too) made for a fucking amazing weekend (Pretty much everyone I saw was at the very least watchable except for fucking Dragonforce. )

Cruel Hand is badass, I'm glad you checked them out. I saw in 2008 opening for The Acacia Strain and they crushed live. Unfortunately it seems like every time they play NEMHF they are on at the same time as someone I want to see more. Hopefully I see them again eventually.

*I saw Periphery in 2009 with their old singer, but this was my first time seeing them with Spencer Sotelo.

[energymetal14]

Originally Posted by mastodon421

I was there on Friday and Saturday. Probably my two favorite shows of the year, especially Saturday (it did help that was the day of my birthday ) Seeing some of my fave bands (Black Dahlia Murder, Unearth, Skeletonwitch, Fleshgod Apocalypse, God Forbid, The Contortionist, All Shall Perish) again and some others (Protest the Hero, Periphery*) as well as other badass bands like Nile, Overkill, and Rotting Out for the first time (Seeing All That Remains for the first time in three years was cool too) made for a fucking amazing weekend (Pretty much everyone I saw was at the very least watchable except for fucking Dragonforce. )

Cruel Hand is badass, I'm glad you checked them out. I saw in 2008 opening for The Acacia Strain and they crushed live. Unfortunately it seems like every time they play NEMHF they are on at the same time as someone I want to see more. Hopefully I see them again eventually.

*I saw Periphery in 2009 with their old singer, but this was my first time seeing them with Spencer Sotelo.

I really do feel bad putting it at only number 10, cause it really was an amazing weekend. I just saw so many awesome shows this year. The ones near the top are some of my favorite bands, whereas most of the bands at this fest were bands I liked, with a couple bands I really loved. All of these shows on this list were amazing though, it's hard to really put them in order.

[mastodon421]

No I can completely see why it's at number 10. There was a pretty decent amount of core stuff that you're not into on the lineup and I know you're a huge death/black/grind fan and there clearly wasn't too much of that on the lineup. Metal Fest was my favorite show of the year because it mixes so many different subgenres (I mean where else are you going to see Bane, Protest the Hero, and Nile on the same bill?) and a good number of my favorite bands were on the bill.

[energymetal14]

Originally Posted by mastodon421

No I can completely see why it's at number 10. There was a pretty decent amount of core stuff that you're not into on the lineup and I know you're a huge death/black/grind fan and there clearly wasn't too much of that on the lineup. Metal Fest was my favorite show of the year because it mixes so many different subgenres (I mean where else are you going to see Bane, Protest the Hero, and Nile on the same bill?) and a good number of my favorite bands were on the bill.

Yeah I guess that's true. And I can agree with you that the diversity of the lineup is great. I may not love all the bands, but there really is something for everyone there!

[energymetal14]

5. Origin

Bill: Origin, Cattle Decapitation, Decrepit Birth, Aborted, Rings of Saturn, Battlecross, Face of Ruin, and a couple local openers I missed
Venue: The Railroad Tavern
City: Keene, NH
Date: Monday, April 23, 2012

This "Occupation Domination 2012" tour was one of the most brutal tour packages I have seen in awhile, and I loved it. The closest date for me was Keene, NH, which is two hours from me. Only a few tour lineups could make me drive that on a night where I have class at 9 AM the next day, and this was definitely one of them. It worked out, cause the venue was a tiny bar with a small room off to the side where the show was. There wasn't a huge crowd, but there was no real stage so I was able to get super close, which made it a really intimate show!

The show started super early, like 5 in the afternoon or something. I had to drive 2 hrs, so I missed a couple local openers that played. I walked in during one, and it was just shitty deathcore, so I didn't miss much. The first band I saw was Face of Ruin, and they were a tech-death band that was opening some of the dates on this tour. They were pretty decent, a good way to start the show for me.

Up next was Battlecross, who are not the best or most original band, but they play decent thrash that was pretty fun live. Less heavy than the other bands on this tour, but i enjoyed them.

Rings of Saturn came on next, and they were the only band on the lineup I really didn't like. They play overly technical deathcore, and to me it just sounds ridiculous. They had a few hardcore dancers during their set, but otherwise people seemed somewhat uninterested. One band out of 7 that I'm not into is pretty damn great though, and I was able to ride out their set.

Aborted played after Rings of Saturn, and they were awesome. They play great death/grind that sounded awesome live. They got a pretty good reception from the crowd, and I was headbanging along the whole time. I felt like I was getting hit over the head repeatedly listeniong to them , and that's exactly what I want with this kind of mkusic. Great stuff, super heavy, glad I finally got to see them.

Up next was Decrepit Birth. All I can say is . I love this band, they seriously are one of my favorite death metal bands going right now. The guitar work is incredible, and the music is just always amazing. This was my first time seeing them somehow, and it was as great as I could have imagined. Bill did his rantings about hallucinogenic drugs, and the band just sounded so great. They only played for about a half hour, but it was still enough to impress me. I really want to see them again playing a longer set! Bought a shirt from Bill after the set and talked to him for a minute about how awesome the set was.

Cattle Decapitation was next, and they were great. I was just starting to get intom them when I saw this show, so I wasn't too familiar with their material. But they made me want to listen more with this performance. Travis Ryan is such a great frontman, and he sounded great and really seemed happy to be there. Some redneck guy was getting pissed throughout their set since nobody was really moshing, but the crowd was so small that there just wasn't gonna be constant pit action. Plus, no stage meant everyone wanted to get super close. Great set from Cattle Decap, I know a lot of people on this site love them even more than me so I don't have to prove how awesome they are . Glad I got into them after this show, since not only are they sick, I saw them in a tiny room in Lowell, MA recently and it was fucking amazing.

Origin headlined, and they were the perfect headliner for this tour, at least in my opinion. They play incredible tech-death that is just so super fast and heavy. They really blow me away with the amount of talent in this band . Anyway, their performance was sick, probably better than when i saw them with Hate Eternal in 2011, since I was more familiar with their stuff. Jason is an awesome frontman, he just puts a ton of energy into his performances. Really the whole band puts on a great show. They had a pretty cool, "wheel of Fortune" style setlist, where they had audience members spin to pick each song. There were also a few funny things like "buy a Battlecross CD" or "start a mosh pit," so it made for an entertaining set. They played for about an hour, and it was just a fun fucking set. I bought a tour shirt after the set, probably the only time I've bought 2 shirts at a show. The show ended pretty late, and I had to drive 2 hrs back to school, but it was totally worth it.