From Iceland — Sódóma

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Ten Steps Away did have moments in their set that were good. Bordering on great, even. Playing their sing-songy emo with harmonized vocals, playing loud and most of the time playing well. But they’re also the ones that remind me that Emo stands for emotional which is good for those who are into that kind of thing but ultimately gets whiny and annoying.
It still surprises me every time I see that kids have picked up their instruments with the intention of playing generic, riff heavy grunge rock. That said, one might also wonder if the late 80s/ early 90s Arena glam rock is an acceptable mix to it all. Why not? Those genres have both had their moments, even if they’re outdated and Noise did a good job with them. Although I would have been happy to see fewer heroic solos, less glam rock posing and more thinking outside the nostalgia box.
Sódóma started filling up for We Made God, who quietly commenced their set with a fiddle bow. Yes I know. The fiddle bow thing runs the risk of being a bit too much, and I admit I instantly started cringing when I saw it but they actually did well with it. Then, by means of a steady crescendo and acappella screams we, the audience found ourselves facing a full blown post-rocky wall of sound. Not bad, not bad at all. Plus the screaming-outside-the-mic trick works every time. In general they manage to stay interesting with in their drama driven and angst-ridden screamo core. There’s an obvious thought put into the sound, using two microphones with different levels of reverb and that fiddle bow thing. I also like their attitude, polite and humble goes a long way, especially since they’re also showing us how awesome they think their music is. We can’t do anything but nod our heads in approval and agreement.
Cliff Clavin, seem to be playing it safe these days. I heard from two individuals in the crowd how they used to play it rough but have softened up since then. 50% of the two person opinion poll I conducted there on the spot thought this was a good thing, the other half didn’t think so at all. But the crowd in front of them definitely belonged to the half in favor. You could hear all kinds of influences from here and there that they managed to make their own, at times. I for one was impressed with the drummer. He could take this honest to God rock n’ roll and turn it into a bulldozer that tumbled down on us in a fashion most crushing. I enjoyed this set but would I have if there would be another drummer? I am sceptic, ’cause this one, carries the band.
Okay. Normally I’m all about the frantic beat changes, the antics, the loudness, the passion, the positivity and the playing the instruments like you hair is on fire. But Agent Fresco are a cock tease. You know what I mean and if you say you don’t, you’re lying. Promises are being made, promises of ultrasexy crazyness and mayhem where we’re getting ready to climb the ceiling, tear down our clothes and bang our heads against the floor and eat our hats for saying that they’re not rocking anybody’s fucking socks off. But then the girl you managed to drag home with all those promises asks to borrow a a t-shirt to wear, sets the alarm really early and puts on some soft jazz, ’cause that’s the type of music you only listen to if you want to go to sleep. They’re extremely popular these days so people seem to be buying into them. Granted, they put on a very good show. The singers radiant charisma is a definite factor, and it is actually nice to see how he rendered the crowd helplessly hanging on to his every word. Every one but this grumpy reviewer in the corner who has been served too many empty promises in his time.
Then something happened, and I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about this right now. I believe everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and me being the one putting it in (online) print doesn’t make it any more important than yours. But if you don’t agree with me on this one, it just means you weren’t there. You’re flat out wrong and not entitled to your opinion any more. Canadian act Cancer Bats put on the most awesome show I have seen in years! In my memory file, I have to go back to some Sick Of It All shows and a Raised Fist show to find a comparison to this hour of fantastic, sludgy hard core with those sweaty blues riffs here and there. You look at these guys and you know they’re the real deal. Everything just works: the licks the riffs and the airtight beat with a natural performer to top it all up. After this show, I will buy a Cancer Bats album. Not download or stream from their MySpace or something. No. I will pay good money to have their music at my house in physical form of a CD or whatever they feel like releasing. Canadian Ross Beaty may be buying our natural resources for cheap, but Cancer Bats are paying it all back in Rock N’ Roll Awesome. That is all.
Metal-core is such a delicate mix and although Shogun isn’t one of few bands, in the world, that can pull it off, I can gleefully testify that despite filling a nightmarish slot following Cancer Bats, they held their own. The pit had dispersed a little, but the ones left were completely owned by the charisma oozing singer. Good show, but the music just didn’t back it up. Sad, really.
Judging by how Sódóma was filling up at 2AM, it was clear that for some, this whole night was just an opening act for the bad boy screamo-core metallers of Klink. I am no exception. They’re a legend in their own time, started out around the millennium shift, ultimately disbanding five years ago. They’ve been making odd comebacks every now and then, but never for long. This time they seem to be writing some new material and probably rehearsing semi regularly. They sounded tight, as ever, but the whole concept of Klink is more than just the music. Hanging over them is a dark cloud of mayhemic intensity. A tainted aura of misadventure and true brutal power and that take-no-prisoners attitude that makes us wanna watch from a safe distance. We, the fans, are drawn to them by means of catharsis. Sometime during the Klink set the singer said that if they weren’t playing he’d definitely be at the Trentemöller show at Nasa. I decided to take his advice after their set. A great band. A great show. A great night with a fitting end.