The Dillinger Escape Plan @ Chain Reaction, Anaheim. 5-20-13.

The Dillinger Escape Plan is pretty much my favorite band. Period. They're regarded as one of the best live bands on the planet, and craft some of the most challenging, but rewarding music around. If regular metal bands are akin to terminators, then Dillinger's music is Skynet. No, forget that, they're The Matrix. More technical and often times,  straight up mind bending, than should be humanly possible. The only thing more exciting than listening to new a Dillinger Escape Plan album, is seeing them perform live.

This was my 12th Dillinger show since 2004 and my fourth time seeing them at Chain Reaction. There's something about this venue that enhances the band's performance here. I've seen them play in larger clubs and theaters, in outdoor festivals and even a community recreation center, but Chain Reaction shows are always something special. The venue is a small all ages club, meaning all the crazy energetic youngsters who might not make into 18 & 21+ concerts can come inside and go wild. Also, it's a tiny place with no air conditioning, sold out shows like this one turn into giant sauna's. You hear people talk about artist's playing "intimate shows" and stuff like that, but you really have no idea what intimate is until you've got the band's blood and sweat on you like here at Chain Reaction.

I missed the first opening band Royal Thunder and saw most of The Faceless' set but don't really feel the need to report on it (the highlight of their performance was their super charged new drummer...wearing a Dillinger Escape Plan shirt). 

Dillinger came on at 9:30pm sharp. The sold out crowd was enthusiastic to say the least. I learned my lesson after damn near spraining my wrist at my last Dillinger show, as much as I would have loved to have sweated it out down in the front, old fellas like myself belong on the sidelines. The band opened with "Prancer," the first track off their new record, One of Us Is The Killer. I was pleasantly surprised that the band played such a "greatest hits" stacked setlist. I mean, they have a new album that just came out and they only played two new songs. Don't get me wrong though, I was stoked, STOKED they played old/rare jams like "The Mullet Burden" "Dead As History" and my favorite instrumental, "Calculating Infinity." I guess they'll play all their new material when they headline this year's Summer Slaughter tour...in summer.


So the band was on fire. Literally. The temperature was scorching inside Chain Reaction and by the end of the night pretty much everyone onstage (and lots of people in the crowd) were shirtless, it felt like I was watching The T-shirt Escape Plan. This was my first time seeing James Love perform with the band in almost seven years. James first toured with Dillinger when health problems forced guitarist Brian Benoit to leave the band in late 2004. James played with Dillinger until Jeff Tuttle officially joined the band in 2007. In 2012, after five years of service, Tuttle left the band to study film which has brought James Love back into the fold, circle of life complete.

credit to: chernova.tumblr.com

 I can't really get into specifics but the show was awesome. All of it. Dillinger shows are a participatory event. The crowd is almost just as important as the band in some respects. There was stage diving and crowd surfing galore. Everyone in the band (save for Billy holding it down on drums) spent some time jumping into the audience. An epic stage rush/Royal Rumble free for all ensued during the band's grand finale, "Sunshine The Werewolf" and "43%burnt" played back to back. It was sheer insanity and I loved every second of it. I can't wait to see Dillinger again this summer. I seriously think they might just destroy The House of Blues. 

Rival Schools @ Chain Reaction & Bootleg Theater. 5/20 & 5/21/2011.

Re-United By Fate

I never thought I'd be writing about my experiences at a Rival Schools concert, let alone two of em'. This was not supposed to happen. The band released one awesome album, United By Fate in 2001. They started falling apart in 2002 and by the next year, Rival Schools was kaput.

I was a lowly teenager then, subsisting on a healthy diet of Slayer and Cannibal Corpse. I don't know why, but something about Rival School's "Used For Glue" video (R.I.P. MTVX) struck me. I would come back to United By Fate over and over again throughout the next few years. Songs like "Travel By Telephone," "Favorite Star," and "Undercovers On," were like my bible during this trying time in my life. It always bummed me out that I'd never get to see the band whose songs helped me deal with so much bullshit.

Flash forward to the present. I'm on youtube and come across live footage of Rival Schools from 2011. My jaw drops. The band was back from the dead! They were coming to SoCal the next week and even had A NEW ALBUM out. No way in hell I was missing these shows.

Their first show was Friday night at Chain Reaction in Anaheim. The turnout was ok. It wasn't packed but not dead/empty either. It's understandable though. Chain is an all ages venue and doesn't sell alcohol. I'm in my mid 20's (whoa, scary) and felt like the youngest dude in the crowd. I can't blame a bunch of older peeps for avoiding a drive out to Disneyland after a long day of work and not being able to get plastered. Saturday night's show at the Bootleg Theater in Echo Park was packed. Closer to the city + booze usually = larger crowds.


(This video is better quality than the one I took at Chain. My video can be see HERE)

So THE BAND. Yeah, Rival Schools back from the dead. Holy shit. I can't really describe how awesome they were. And no, this wasn't just a sick nostalgia trip either. I downloaded their newest album, Pedals, in preparation for this show and man, these new songs are amazing as well. Like candidates for favorite record of 2011 good. They opened both nights with their new single "Wring It Out" and it was on from there. Walter Schreifels' voice was as awesomely raspy as on their albums. Aside from his distinctive vocals, dude's an entertaining front man as well. He was hopping all over the stage and adding some funny banter in between songs. Their drummer Sam Siegler was pretty amazing too. He was like a hunchbacked octopus, playing on borrowed drums(from the opening band) and straight ripped that kit to shreds. The band had a few audio/technical problems during the beginning of their set at Chain, but they were pretty flawless at the Bootleg. They played with older material, adding touches of reggae and funk, to make them sound fresh and spankin' new while new songs like "Eyes Wide Open," and "Shot After Shot," show they still know how to bring the rawk.  Overall, I'd say the 2nd show was the better of the two. They had a slightly better setlist (played "Favorite Star") and just seemed to gel together more.


(Same deal as before. My video from Chain is HERE)

As stoked as I am about Rival Schools' new material, all the old songs they played from United By Fate got the best reactions. It was quite surreal during "Undercovers On" at the Bootleg. Standing close near the stage, watching this band I never thought I'd see, singing along, word for word with total strangers to a song that, from the looks on our faces had a significant meaning for all of us, it was intense. United by fate indeed. The band could have went onstage and read the phone book and I still would have bought my ticket as a thank you for those 10 years of awesomeness they provided me and my discman/iPod. Luckily, they came out and rocked our faces off.

*Note*
I made it a point not to mention the long list of bands associated with Rival Schools or Walter's mind boggling resume. Saving that for another post perhaps.

Despised Icon & Misery Index @ Chain Reaction, Anaheim. 9/28/10

au revoir mes amis

So this is it. Despised Icon's final US tour. Sad news for me, because my heart is filled with  regrets when it comes to this band. See, I used to hate on these guys because they were different. The breakdowns/hardcore dancing, the two singers with the wide brimmed hats...it wasn't "metal enough" for me back in the day. I came to see Suffocation and Cryptopsy, dammit, not THIS! Well after a few more encounters (on Summer Slaughter, opening for The Red Chord, etc) and the release of last year's awesome Day of Mourning album, I finally accepted Despised Icon as my deathcore lords & saviors. Then they announce they're breaking up and this will be their final US tour. Ever. At least they brought my favorite East Coast grinders, Misery Index out on this, their farewell tour.

So we arrive early yet still somehow miss the beginning of the local opening band. I normally wouldn't care because most local bands are fucking horrible but this band, Wage Slave were sick. I walked in late and ask the dude on the side of me about these guys and it ends up being the Alex Grind, drummer from Despised Icon, standing there diggin their set. So the first local opener ruled, the next group...not so much. I believe they were called Goliath. I don't really remember, I'm trying to forget about the whole experience actually. I want to say they had energy and charisma but no, none of the guitarists or bass player even looked like they wanted to be onstage. The drummer was sloppy as hell and only one of their two vocalists was any good, and the dude with the cool gutterals was wearing a Slipknot shirt....so yeah. No dice man.

Revocation came out and the contrast in talent between them and Goliath was frightening, and I'm not even a Revocation fan either. They're a pretty competent thrash act. All the dudes shredded the fuck out of their respective instruments and they had mad energy onstage. You could tell these guys love playing and were having fun up there. I dug there set but still wouldn't have minded if them and Goliath had not played and given more time for Misery Index.

conquistadores in action

Ah yes, Misery Index. They owned. It's what they do. New guitar player was awesome live, Jason moving to the left side of the stage and letting Mark move into the center and handle unofficial frontman duties (crowd banter) bothered me for a second but I let it go when I realized how much ass they were kicking. Adam Jarvis on the drums...he's inhuman (thanks for the drumstick man! Wearing old ass tour shirts pays off sometimes kids).  Despised Icon's fans didn't really show that much love for Revocation's thrashy shred fest but most the crowd seemed to enjoy Misery Index's set. Who doesn't love blasting death/grind you can bob your head to?



Sadly, Misery Index had the shortest set of the night which was a crime against humanity as far as I'm concerned but alas, they made the best of what they had and tore the place up.

MVP's

Despised Icon came out to their adoring two stepping fans and went straight into "All For Nothing." I gotta say I was impressed how Icon was able to keep the crowd and their own energy level so high playing in such a tiny sweat box like Chain Reaction (with six dudes onstage plus Alex's monster drum set).  The band rarely addressed the crowd and made no comments about they're impending demise, other than the "...this is your last chance" remark during the nights closer, "MVP" which had a literal meaning this time. From my vantage point near the side of the stage I was able to capture some sweet pics/video but sadly, the view of  the floor become obscured during Icon's performance and as we all know, watching the floor at these type of shows can be as much fun as watching the band sometimes. I couldn't see much but could definitely hear the shouts and "ohhhhhhhhs" during the silent parts of the breakdowns where all the dudes in bright colored shirts demonstrated their style.

Overall, this was an awesome show. Sucks that my first Despised Icon headlining show was also my last but hey, at least they went out on top and brought the house down at Chain Reaction. No really. Watch this video I took, I literally expected the roof to fall. 



*side note*
I was talking to Alex Grind from Despised Icon during Wage Slave's set and a little after the show about this top secret new double bass technique he's working on that is supposed to make all extreme metal dudes shit their pants in the near future. Needless to say, I'm STOKED.

Misery Index is still alive and kickin' and they just released an awesome compilation of all their splits/EPs and non-album material titled Pulling Out The Nails. Check that shit out if you're unfamiliar with the band and in the mood for getting your face grinded off.