Soae - Mosh Fest Review
Phil Powell
5/12/94
"We who are about to die salute you!" --Kamikaze Babies of America
We interrupt our regular features in Soae to bring you this special
edition of the Michigan Mosh Fest Review (sit back, it's a long one!).. we
will bring you your regular news next week.
UPDATE: I was recently told by Pedro Lopes of Portuguese hardcore band
KHRISTOS that his grindcore band, BENEVOLENCE, was screwed over by their
record company.. he asks that all those interested in their demo "Where Is
Your Benevolence" to *not* write to Infected Productions.. instead write
to: Pedro Lopes, Rua Pedro Gallego No. 7 2-DTO, Santo Antonio dos
Cavaleiros, 2670 Loures, Portugal..
** The Review **
Michigan Mosh Festival, Sparta H.S., Sparta MI May 6-8, 1994
First, let's talk about the trip. Raise your hand and repeat after me: I
will not ever go to Michigan via Florida ever again! Some of us don't
realize that the US is not the size of San Marino (especially if you live
in DC like I do and know going to Florida to Michigan is slightly out of
your way). I took a train from DC to Ft. Lauderdale (and did I get any
sun? Freak, no!) and five minutes later I'm in a car with Eric Hoffman of
A.R.T. Records all the way up through Florida, through Georgia (and
Atlanta, home of FINAL JUDGEMENT and ANTIC), through Tennessee, through
Kentucky (for the first time upping the states I've visited to 25),
through Ohio and finally Michigan. Decades later we find the sprawling
metropolis of Sparta. No hotels, no traffic lights, but hey, they have a
Burger King. If I had to review Sparta, the town would be a total zero
(my apologies to anyone who was there reading this - for living there.).
And finally, at Friday 7:00 a.m. we find the dorms of Grand Valley State
University in the town of Grand Valley, which just happens to be an hour
*the other direction*! Good thing the Fest didn't begin until 7:30 p.m.
that evening (just imagine if this were the only part of the review - man
that would be cruel!).
Day 1: R.E.X. band HOT PINK TURTLE, those silly little reptiles from
Kansas City, began the three-day fest that had to be better than the trip
up there (anything was, well, seeing Kentucky was cool, but..). I'm not
into their music since it's way too alternative for me, but they're so
tight for whatever they play, and they gave my Bible Study leader Chris
the most unique souvenir. But I digress. THE ENGINEERING MORONS were a
local band (Grand Rapids) complete with flying feathers, squirting toilets
and music along the lines of GWAR and the Genitorturers. Just your
typical band. Okay, anyway.. Covenant recording artists CRIMSON THORN
have successfully made the transistion from thrash to death. They were
awesome! Tuned down to.. C I guess, and sounding like Suffocation and
Carcass. Despite the sound problems that plagued nearly every band
including Crimson Thorn, they blew my mind. That was it for Day 1. I did
hear a tape from GODSPEED, a local 6-piece thrash band. Their tape
production was seriously muddy, and they need some work. There, I was
kind, okay Aaron? I also sold half of my copies of Screams of Abel #3
Zine, and sharing the same room with the head of A.R.T. gives you all
kinds of new stuff to listen to, like live ROYAL ANGUISH (less chaotic,
more beefy brutal music), new DERACINATION (nice and heavy!), PERSECUTION
(technical death) and THE DEBONING METHOD (oh most cool death metal). New
NONPOINT FACTOR wasn't bad either.
Day 2: I hate mornings! It is not fun toave to get up for even a concert
on a Saturday morning. Whose idea was this? Oh yeah, Mark Hodges, the
coordinator who paid for my dorm room. Oh well.. first band up was
WEEPING PROPHET. Oh man, they were one strange unit! This 4-piece from
Ohio sounded like a cross between Rush and TOURNIQUET. A couple of songs
I didn't like cuz they were way too chaotic. I needed to wake up so they
helped me out with RITUAL. The 3-piece California band had material that
was death metal, but it was weak, not enough power in their stuff. It was
okay but just that - okay. I felt sorry for guitarist Willie Stenner. He
tried hard but he was terribly nervous and couldn't remember some of the
lyrics. Man that must suck (I was a lead singer of a band, I can
relate!)! Well, at least they sold a lot of tapes so it wasn't a total
loss. Their bassist quit before they went to the fest, so they pulled in
NICENE CREED bassist Bill Burk to sub, and he tood advantage of it by
selling his band's tapes too. Now for the onslaught - DISENCUMBRANCE!
Whoa, man, 40 minutes of horrific fun; bone-crushing music that affixes
you to the nearest wall! The best band of the Mosh Fest, this 4-piece
from Texas assaulted the whole crowd with their Entombed/Dismember style
death (whoa! An American band playing Swedish buzz-saw!); 10-minute songs
including "The Dead Are Among Us". Oh, I quiver when I think of
Disencumbrance's stuff; their sickening bending strings and disturbing
harmonics were such a welcome at this event. So, what could follow them?
How about another death band from Texas - OBLATION! I've been waiting to
hear more songs from this 4-piece since all I knew was "Dead Unborn"
(which they dedicated to me - how touching!). I was not at all
disappointed! Excellent brutal techno-death with fabulous guitar of Mike
Rizzo and polyrhythmic drumming of Billy Fraser. Oh, how superior! Mix
Disincarnate with Morbid Angel and MORTIFICATION and you have Oblation
pretty much. Next up was FRANK'S ENEMY, former LEAD man Julio Rey's new
band. I didn't see much of them because I was interviewing Disencumbrance
at the time. What I did see was unusual, hardcore mixed with metal
guitar.. Ok, next: SIX FEET DEEP, that new band on R.E.X. from Cleveland.
Powerful! I don't even like hardcore that much but I *dig* this band - a
lot! They're full-on; stage presence with anger, attitude, emotion. Mix
THE CRUCIFIED with Pantera.. You know, hanging with bands all the time you
realize they're people just like you. Ok I got that overwith.. the
"Hardcore '94" bands ended the evening. First was CRASHDOG (GRRR/R.E.X.).
I honestly don't like this band so I really didn't pay much attention to
them - sorry, folks! THE CLERGY was next and despite their punk music and
green-haired chick singer, they weren't so bad, stage presence speaking.
I had to ask Jim of the Clergy the question: "Is Tonya Harding a big fan
of your music?" (They're from Portland) He said, "Probably not, but I hear
she swings a mean club!" The night ended with JESUS FREAKS; a newer, much
much heavier Jesus Freaks with an almost entirely new lineup, now a
4-piece. Replace Metallica with Testament and Slayer and you have 'em
pegged! Ooo death picks on the guitar, and I even asked the lead
guitarist if he was influenced by Kerry King, and he said that he never
liked Slayer! Go figure, eh? I spent a lot of time with Hot Pink Turtle
and the new guys from Jesus Freaks. They even came into my dorm room to
hear tapes (turned Mike and Billy of Oblation onto the new SABAOTH), and
became, well, maybe too close (heh) to Oblation, Disencumbrance and
Crimson Thorn (oh and thanx Luke of CT for the use of your tape player
during my seminar!). It's been awesome so far!
Day 3: I'm tired, but I want more! I was serenaded awake outside of my
door by members of Oblation and Disencumbrance to "Dead Unborn" (the
acoustic version). Musicians are sick people. First band up (and I made
it just in time to see them) was ERADICATE. They're a metal band from the
Grand Rapids area that needs a lot of work; they sound like weak, sloppy
Judas Priest. And the Southern-style preaching onstage would be cooler if
your music were much better. Work at it, guys! I left early to go
upstairs to check out the merchandising area. Whoa! Only 2 copies of SOA
#3 left? And I was floored at the Rad Rockers Emporium booth when I
discovered new releases from CHARIZMA and from KREYSON ("Crusaders").
Somebody could've *told* me.. oh wait, that's my job.. oops! :) Anyway,
LOST TRIBE was next and oh what an improvement! Very low-end, heavy
groove metal, like what KING'S X is doing on "Dogman". Their stage
presence was one of the best I saw at the fest; they covered that gym
stage! They're not on a label yet, but they should be, their sound is
new, fresh and heaveee! They've also opened up for Bulletboys and Tribe
After Tribe, and will be playing with Crowbar and Varga Friday May 13 at
the Capitol Theatre in Flint (plug plug!). After Lost Tribe played I hung
out with Terry Cvengros, the (only) dude drummer of Wonderland recording
artists ORDAINED FATE, and his two roadies, Bob and Roy, who themselves
have a death band called SUFFER (wish they played!). After discussing the
cool aspects of death metal I grabbed a bite to eat in the staff room
which was a converted classroom (press people got free food - thank God!!)
and caught Ordained Fate. They're heavier now, much heavier and slower
than their only album out now. They have this one new song that Terry the
drummer shouts/growls out, and the women are death-pickin' it out! This,
of course, led to a comment from my ex-girlfriend: "I told you women could
play death metal!" Yeah yeah yeah.. last but not least came Covenant band
WATER STAIN. They're normally a 4-piece but their bassist quit so they
had to borrow Paul of Crimson Thorn (not like they don't know each other
cuz the bands all live in Minneapolis). They're.. uh.. grunge.
Tool/Alice in Chains mix of music with spastic stage presence. Also doesn't
hurt that vocalist Tracy Stein looks like Jerry Cantrell. Course, the
song "Revelation" got me going (reminded me of PRECIOUS DEATH for some
reason), and guitarist Matt Patrick is such a cool individual (and total
clone of Lance Garvin of LIVING SACRIFICE). Oh dern it all, I had fun
hanging with them anyway, even though I don't like grunge. What a fest!
They needed more bands to satisfy me!
All in all, the Michigan Mosh Fest was superior! I got lots of stuff
there including CRAWLSPACE's new album "Shelter", FINAL JUDGEMENT's 7",
lots of bumper stickers including some from this local band BONES OF ADAM
(formerly SUBSTITUTIONARY DEATH) and, hey, even Mr. A.R.T. Guy found a
quicker way for me to get home rather than going via Oregon or something!
It didn't start off the best way but, if I had it all over again, I'd do
it gladly and experience all the awesome bands, the great friends, the
incredible interest in Screams of Abel, and Kentucky, all over again..
well, maybe not that Florida/Michigan thing again. Mark, if you're
reading this, see ya next year! :)
** End of Soae **
Phil
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