The Black Dahlia Murder in Hampton Beach on 10/15. It was rescheduled at the last minute after the Lowell date on 10/7 got cancelled on the day of due to venue issues, and given how much of a disorganized nightmare the Lowell venue is, I don't think anyone took issue with the new venue itself, more just the multitude of ruined plans due to the piss-poor planning that has become synonymous with shows at the Lowell venue. Just a word to the promoter: I like you, dude, you're a good guy, but never try to book anything in Lowell again. Anyways:
Wormwitch: Spent most of the time hanging in the parking lot with Decrepit Birth and caught like two songs. They're okay, but they really don't do anything to distinguish themselves from the rest of the Entombedcore pack.
Necrot: Overhyped? Okay, maybe a little, blogs really seem to like crusty Bolt Thrower worship. Whatever. They were a ton of fun and are still excellent Entombed/Bolt Thrower/Jungle Rot worship with just enough hardcore and crust to make the punk kids happy even in spite of the excessive press.
Decrepit Birth: I was looking forward to them, especially after their fantastic performance back in May. Then Matt's guitar decided to die on him for good and he chucked it at a wall and walked off (thing was WRECKED when he finally came back to give it to the first fan who wanted it). So much for getting to see them. I'm going to hold Bill to his word about their plans to come back for a do-over.
Suffocation: Anyone who knows me knows that I very seldom miss Suffocation shows, especially with their new lineup. They did not disappoint. My buddy Kevin is only getting better as their new vocalist (yeah, Frank isn't coming back, get used to it), and the energy and true sense of cohesiveness that the new lineup has provided can be felt everywhere. It's good to see Hobbs and Boyer with a lineup that is on the same page as them for basically the first time since Culross was last in the band.
The Black Dahlia Murder: Few bands can go on after Suffocation and hold a candle to them, but they didn't disappoint. Brandon Ellis has added so much to the band it's not even funny, and while my legs were incredibly sore from pushing people back, being up front was totally worth it. Trevor Strnad is always an incredibly entertaining frontman to watch, "HEARTBURN" tattoo on his increasingly pendulous gut and all.
PS: To the three-level next to the parking lot, I'm not sorry at all about shooting off fireworks with Sean from DB and Charlie from Suffo in the middle of the night. They sounded better than your yappy rat dogs.
