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Archive for the ‘Avatar’ Category

Avatar / Oxymorrons / Conquer Divide (Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ, May 12, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Avatar, Conquer Divide, Oxymorrons, Sayreville, NJ, Starland Ballroom on May 12, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 12, 2024] Avatar / Oxymorrons / Conquer Divide

This is a show I was so psyched to go to.  Until I realized it was the same night as Neil Young and my wife and I werre pretty darn psyched to go to see Neil with Crazy Horse.

I’ve seen Avatar three times and I really wanted to see them headline one more time.

I’ve seen Oxymorrons twice and I have loved every second of their shows–I can’t wait to see the again.

Conquer Divide is the only band I was unfamiliar with.  They are a metalcore band, with the twist that all of the members are female, which is pretty awesome.  And frankly, the one really bad thing about metalcore is the vocals.  For Conquer Divide, clean vocalist Kiarely “Kia” Castillo sings in a relatively high register–something that metalcore tends to leave out entirely.  And unclean vocalist Janel Duarte (who just left the band) has a great scream that’s not cookie monster like, it’s a good passionate scream.

This would have been a great show.  Stupid double booked nights.

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Ice Nine Kills (Santander Arena, Reading, PA, November 22, 2023)

Posted in Avatar, Ice Nine Kills, In This Moment, New Years Day, Reading PA, Santander Arena on November 24, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: November 22, 2023] Ice Nine Kills

This was my third time seeing Ice Nine Kills (and my son’s fifth time, I believe).  For this show, I specifically wanted to see them from above the crowd, rather than from the pit.  I assumed that the visuals would be even better if I could clearly see them.

This was true, except that the lighting was rather poor and I felt like things weren’t as clear as they could have been.

But that’s okay.  The band was still great and the performance was really enjoyable.

The last time we saw them, they were co-headlining with two other bands, so their set was only 50 minutes.  This show was longer, but not a lot longer (they played two more songs than last time).

The show was largely the same songs as the last time, but done in a different order and with a different stage setup.  There were two TV screens on either side of the stage and they showed commercials (real and fake) between songs as introductions to the movies the songs were about.

This time, they opened with “Hip to be Scared” and I enjoyed filming the scene where singer Spencer Charnas hacks up the hapless guy who wandered on stage.  (more…)

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In This Moment (Santander Arena, Reading, PA, November 22 2023) [ICE NINE KILLS]

Posted in Avatar, Ice Nine Kills, In This Moment, New Years Day, Reading PA, Santander Arena on November 23, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: November 22, 2023] In This Moment

I had not heard of In This Moment before this show.  I looked them up and saw that they were very theatrical (which makes sense given this tour–Ice Nine Kills does horror movies on stage, Avatar is a circus).  But when I listened to them, I didn’t really love the music.  It was really simple and really angry.

But I was curious to see them, mostly for their stage show.

But the kids wanted to get some merch.  And we wound up on the merch line for a REALLY long time–we missed half of the In This Moment set.

I was able to see them as they opened to the strains of Don’t Stop Believin’ (!) and their stage set was revealed (glowing lights giant crosses).

I looked again during the second song and I really liked their stage setup.  It was very cool.

We missed some of the middle here and then walked in as they were playing Björk’s Army of Me.  I didn’t recognize it as we were heading to our seats but once I sat down, I realized what it was and wished I had heard more of it.

They followed it with a cover of her “favorite” song, Nine Inch Nails “Something I Can Never Have.”  It was quite pretty (especially compared to the loud noisy music of the other songs) but it went on for a pretty long time and I was a little bored by the end.

The show was quite the spectacle–Maria Brink is the ringleader of the bunch.  She was wearing diaphanous robes (I couldn’t see her all that well, so I don’t know what else was going on).   She also had a bunch of background dancers who did very nice choreographed routines, including one where they stood behind her and put their arms out like Vishnu.  Since we were straight on, we could really see the effect and it was great.

I did really like Big Bad Wolf with  the empowering, screamed vocals: “even in these chains you can’t stop me.”  In fact, Brink is a great feminist icon, telling women and girls not to be held back.  I really liked her voice, which sounded almost like  soul singer as she spoke–she sounded like someone, although I couldn’t place it.

It wasn’t until somewhere near the last song that I realize she had a band on stage with her.  The lighting was such that it was hard to see them.  Her guitarists Chris Howorth and Randy Weitzel were somewhere on the stage, kind of lost in the lighting that focused all attention in Brink.  In fact, I only ever saw two guys on stage, so maybe one of them was Travis Johnson on bass.  Her drummer Kent Diimmel was off to the side with a pretty large set-strange that I missed it earlier.

For the final song, the band left the stage and did a kind of encore (INK did NOT do an encore).  It may have just been more of an opportunity to set up the proper for the final song–a lifeguard’s chair (or something like it) with the word WHORE in big red letters on it.

She set the song up with some powerful words to all the young women out there and then sang

You probably thought I wouldn’t get this farYou thought I’d end up in the back of a carYou probably thought that I’d never escapeI’d be a rat in a cage, I’d be a slave to this placeYou don’t know how hard I fought to surviveWaking up alone when I was left to dieYou don’t know about this life I’ve livedAll these roads I’ve walkedAll these tears I’ve bled
So how can this be?You’re praying to meThere’s a look in your eyesI know just what that meansI can be, I can be your everything
I didn’t really love the tone of the music.  It was a little too….something.  Processed maybe?   I don’t know.  But I enjoyed the visuals and the power that Brink exuded.  They’d be very fun to see in a small club too.

SETLIST

Don’t Stop Believin’ (Journey recording)
Salvation (recording)

    1. The Purge ≠
    2. The In-Between ω
    3. SANCTIFY ME ≠
    4. Blood ♥
    5. Sacrifice ≠
      The Infection [recording]
    6. Army of Me (Björk cover)
    7. Something I Can Never Have (Nine Inch Nails cover)
    8. Adrenalize ♥
    9. Big Bad Wolf ⊗
      encore
    10. Whore ♥

♥ Blood (2012)
⊗ Black Widow (2014)
ω Mother (2020)
≠ GODMODE (2023)

 

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Avatar (Santander Arena, Reading, PA, November 22, 2023) [ICE NINE KILLS]

Posted in Avatar, Ice Nine Kills, New Years Day, Reading PA, Santander Arena on November 22, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: November 22, 2023] Avatar

I  had never been to the Santander Arena in Reading.  I don’t think I’d ever been to Reading.  It was an hour and forty-five minutes away which is just abut my limit for concerts. But I knew that this show (and Pierce the Veil in a couple of days) would be worth the drive and would be a fun treat for my son who was home from college.

This show (on Thanksgiving Eve) started at 6:15,which is an insane time of day to start a show on the busiest travel day of the year.

New Years Day had opened for Ice Nine Kills on two shows that we did not go to back in 2019.  I thought they were a heavy screamo band, but listening to them now, I find them to be quite interesting, with a heavy edge and an almost dancey vibe.   Ash Costello is the only constant member and she had a cool vocal and visual style.  Although I instantly bristle at a bad with members named Nikki Misery and Trixx Daniel.

They are surprisingly poppy for an Ice Nine Kills opener.  But I have to say I’m impressed that Ice Nine Kills had two female-fronted bands open for them. It’s nice that metal isn’t a boys club only.

At any rate, the traffic was pretty heavy (on the busiest travel day of the year) and we arrived just before 7.  Which was just in time to see Avatar.

My son and I were supposed to see Avatar, but we bailed on the show.  So this was our chance to see them.

When I saw them the first time I blown away by them (even as an opening act).

For this show I was glad that my son and his friend liked them because I was disappointed.  Not in them but in the venue.  The sound wasn’t great and the lighting sucked.  Avatar is a massively visual band–their whole schtick is like a satanic circus.  Between singer Johannes Eckerström–dressed like a ringmaster, his face covered in white paint with (scary) clown makeup, the three guitarists swirling their heads in moshing style and drummer John Alfredsson using his robotic visual style to hit the drums, there’s always something to see.  But not when the lights obscure everything in a miasma of purple.

Eckerström did drink out of his black gas can but even that was hard to see.

When they opened last time, they played eight songs.  This time they only played seven.  [When they played the TLA, the show we missed, they played 18!]  But the audience seemed to be really into it and I think there were a lot of Avatar fans there. (more…)

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Avatar / Veil of Maya / Orbit Culture (Theatre of Living Arts (TLA), Philadelphia, PA, May 26, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Avatar, Orbit Culture, Philadelphia, PA, Theatre of Living Arts, Veil of Moya on May 26, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 26, 2023] Avatar / Veil of Maya / Orbit Culture

I’ve seen Avatar twice.  The last time was about a year and a half ago.  They always put on a good show with lots of spectacle.

I thought my son would enjoy going to see them with me so I got us both tickets.  I tend to forget that there’s a lot of growling and unclean vocals in Avatar because the parts I remember are more theatrical and campy/circusy.

This tour was for their new album which I didn’t know all that well.  But it turns out they were playing from throughout their career and it seems like they played for two hours.

We were both feeling pretty exhausted this week, and were both kind of hoping the other didn’t want to go.  So when he asked if he could bail, that was fine with me.  Especially since the show wound up with some things I wasn’t that excited about.

The opening band was changed so they would go on at 6:30, which would be fine if I was leaving from work, but a real pain to get home and then drive back to Philly.  On the positive side, this mean the show would end kind of early, but that was a small comfort.

I was intrigued by the opener Orbit Culture, a Swedish melodic death metal band.  They are heavy and brutal and yet there’s something about them (maybe because they are Swedish) that I liked better than most of this kind of music.  Plus you could actually understand the unclean vocals and when Niklas Karlsson sings cleanly he has a great powerful voice.

Veil of Maya is a metalcore band from Illinois.  I think of all of the subgenres of metal, metalcore if probably my least favorite.  This band has a lot going on with different vocals styles, lots of sound effects and some progressive metal time changes.  Frankly, it sounded exhausting on a night when I was tired.

So, I knew I wasn’t going to make Orbit Culture.  If I wanted to Make Veil of Maya, I would have to leave shortly after I got home and I wasn’t prepared for that.

As the time I’d have to leave to make Avatar rolled around, I thought about TLA.  It’s a pain to park there most times.  But a Friday night, arriving after 8PM?  It just seemed like far too much work for only one band.  So I was fine with blowing this show off.  And if I they come back around I can always see them again if I want to.

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Avatar (Theatre of Living Arts (TLA), Philadelphia, PA, September 5, 2021)

Posted in Avatar, Magic Sword, Philadelphia, PA, Theatre of Living Arts on September 7, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 5, 2021] Avatar

When Avatar announced they were playing TLA I knew I wanted to see them again.  When they opened for Babymetal, I was blown away by what a show they put on–for an opening act.  I imagined that when they headlined, it would be even more amazing.

It wasn’t more amazing (I was actually more impressed by their lights last time) but it was certainly a lot of fun–an even more fun since the audience was there to see them.

Their gear was set up and then a small drumkit was brought to the front of the stage (which was pretty unusual).  Then the five of them walked out and stood in a tight v formation.  After a lengthy pause with all five of them staring at us, drummer John Alfredsson began hitting out a loud snare beat.  Then the guitars started playing and singer Johannes Eckerström–dressed like a ringmaster, his face covered in white paint with (scary) clown makeup on–began singing the fantastic growling anthem “Colossus.”  The band played the entire sing in that tight V shape and from my vantage point when both guitarists played the same solo it was like a multi-armed beast on stage.

They followed that up with “Let it Burn” and then the stage went black.  The crew removed the tiny drum set and the band left the stage briefly while Alfredsson climbed up on top of his full sized kit.  When the band came back out they utilized the full stage and when they started “Silence in the Age if Apes” (the actual first song on the new album) the full synchronized headbanging extravaganza was under way.

Both guitarists take some time to show off, although never for too long.  In fact, when they started soloing, it was usually over by the time I had the camera ready.  Jonas “Kungen” Jarlsby and Tim Öhrström (“he’s single, ladies”) both took turns at the front of the stage.  Although it was Jarlsby who stood up front to play the slow pretty intro of “Bloody Angel.” (more…)

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Magic Sword (Theatre of Living Arts (TLA), Philadelphia, PA, September 5, 2021) [AVATAR]

Posted in Avatar, Magic Sword, Philadelphia, PA, Tallah, Theatre of Living Arts on September 6, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 5, 2021] Magic Sword

When Avatar announced they were playing TLA I knew I wanted to see them again.  When they opened for Babymetal, I was blown away by what a show they put on–especially for an opening act.  I imagined that when they headlined, it would be even more amazing.

I was pretty psyched that the opening band was going to be Magic Sword.  I had recently been getting into their brand of instrumental 80’s sci-fi/metal soundtrack kind of music (I don’t really know what else you’d call it) and I was pretty excited to see it live.

There are three members: The Keeper (red, keyboard, audio-visual), The Seer (blue, guitar), and The Weaver (yellow, drums).  Oh yes, they are all masked (and not COVID masked, but like a fencing mask with a glowing light (in the above color) for the eyes).  All of their songs are pretty heavy with a main riff (and bass) coming from the keys (and sometimes guitar) and really heavy drums.  And then The Seer plays some extended impressive and super catchy guitar solos.

Every song feels like the exultant triumph of a cheesy 80s sci fi movie.  Which is not to say that their music is cheesy (it really rocks) but that it would be placed in a cheesy movie–and would sound great. (more…)

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Avatar (Fillmore Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, September 13, 2019) [BABYMETAL]

Posted in AC/DC, Avatar, Babymetal, Marilyn Manson, Philadelphia, PA, Swedish Music, The Fillmore Philadelphia on September 13, 2019| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 13, 2019] Avatar 

I have grown to really dislike the Fillmore (which is not how I felt almost exactly three years ago).  The sound is always excellent and it’s a nice big stage, but I feel the venue is too big and, more often than not the crowd is really unpleasant.  I’m sure this is because I’m a priss, but I don’t need rude people around more interested in the bar than the music, me pushing for no reason (a mosh pit is a good reason to push, but not much else is), and talking through a show.  It’s especially irritating with quieter bands.   Fortunately, Avatar is not quiet.

I had not heard of Avatar when it was announced that they’d be opening for Babymetal.  I didn’t really know who would pair up with Babymetal’s brand of JPopMetal.  Rather than going for another Japanese metal band (of which there are dozens of great ones to choose) they went with a more theatrical outfit.  And if Babymetal’s stage show weren’t as spectacular as it was, Avatar would have blown them away.

Avatar is a metal band from Sweden.  They formed in 2001. They started out as a “melodic death metal” band.  I’ve never quite understood this phrase, but Wikipedia tells me

The genre combines aspects of traditional heavy metal [like] fast riffing and harmonic guitar lines, with the heavily distorted guitars, fast double-bass drum patterns and occasional blast beats of death metal. The vocal style typically combines harsh screaming and growling with melodic singing.

On their first two albums, singer Johannes Eckerström emphasized the growling vocal style.  They became more melodic (with some growling and some singing) and then for their fourth album, Black Waltz, Eckerström added a “Clown” persona.

Since then, the Avatar show has become a, quite frankly, amazing spectacle. (more…)

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