A massive Monday night metal bill took over Southport Hall
with bands from the local scene and bands that have been performing for several
decades. Kits were stacked one in front of the other in an attempt to fit all
of this music into one single night.
Brat is a new force to be reckoned with in New Orleans and across
the nation as they are beginning to tour around. Each of the members of the
band have immense talent and style; Brat is comprised of Gen Zers who were fed steady
diets of junk culture in the 2000s (think reality shows, over-sexualized dolls,
and soulless pop music) and then blamed for all the ills of today's society as
they enter adulthood. Most of their songs were introduced by pop tunes of the
00s including songs by Shakira and Timbaland. I've never seen grown men, much
less metal heads, be so excited to hear "Toxic" by Britney Spears, then the phenomenal
drummer Dustin Eagen would begin playing a beat to launch the band into
something absolutely crushing. Platinum blonde vocalist Elizabeth Selfish (in
her Stone Cold Steve Austin t-shirt) would happily dance along to the pop
music, hot pink microphone in hand, then she would growl from a deep, dark
place as guitarist Brenner Moate, who added some vocals as well, banged out
cutting riffs. I've got to give it up to Dustin; he did some really cool and
innovative things on a set that seemed like a third of the size of the kit of
another band lingering behind it.
Hailing all the way from New York, Contrarian
was the next to take the stage. Vocalist Jakob Sin whipped his long dreads
around so much that I thought he might take out my camera lens if I got too close.
But that wasn't the most impressive aspect of their performance. I've never seen nor heard a bass like Jack Eaton played.
He was playing it almost like a piano. Both Jakob and Jack joined the band in
early 2022 in anticipation of this mega tour, and I believe they did a
fantastic job alongside the veteran players including Brian Mason, the fast-fingered
guitarist.
I always enjoy seeing bands from Europe. They
always have a cool style. Soreption came all the way from Sweden to entertain
us. Vocalist Fredrik Söderberg was quite imposing. Standing still, staring you
down, occasionally flicking his head sideways; he seemed like a man possessed.
He held his old school microphone entirely within his massive right hand while
his left was raised to emphasize his decree that he barked at his army. Tony
Westermark was drumming his ass off. Precise, quick, and ever changing. It was
exhausting just watching him. Frederick's delivery was just as intense, and his
lines were almost rap-like in cadence and speed.
Bang. That's the best way to describe how
Atheist got on the stage. They displayed extreme energy throughout their whole
set, bouncing around in the stage like quarks in the Hadron Collider. I'm
amazed that I have not seen them before especially considering the band, in
some form, has been around since the mid-80s. Their highly-technical, almost
jazz-informed, style is like if Frank Zappa went metal. Vocalist Kelly Shaefer
is a wild man, but a very calculating one. Brandishing the mic stand like a
staff leading the flock through hell and high water as they made their way through
"An Incarnation's Dream" and "On They Slay." Between songs Kelly would speak to
the crowd, asking them, "Wanna go fast?" and admiring New Orleans'
"rich history of metal."
Guitarist Yoav Ruiz-Feingold jumped, flipped, and bent
backwards in order to get out the intense riffs he played. His movements were so
spasmodic that it seemed impossible that he could keep it up for a handful of
songs much less nearly an hour. Through "Unquestionable Presence," "Brains,"
and "And The Psychic Saw," the mind-melting technical death metal outfit revved
up my heart rate to a frantic rate.
Before Suffocation even started, people were seeking out the
legendary Terrance Hobbs hoping to get a picture with him or tell him how much
they love his guitar work. Being a very congenial man, he was happy to give
audience to his fans throughout the night. He was cheered on uproariously as he
and his bandmates came on and immediately launched into "Liege of Inveracity" and
"Effigy of the Forgotten." This was my first time seeing Ricky Myers on the
mic, and he didn't disappoint. He dealt punishing and crushing blows on each
number on the set which included "Jesus Wept," "Clarity Through Deprivation,"
and "Funeral Inception." Near to the end of the show, they played a song that I
had not heard of before: "Bind Torture Kill." No doubt that one was inspired by
serial killer Dennis Rader.
The Forces of Hostility Tour is the kind of event that you only
experience a handful of times in your life. This much force in such a short
time could be harmful to you
