Goatwhore & Hate Eternal @ The Whisky, Hollywood. 2/22/12.

I just love it when two of my favorite bands tour together. Goatwhore, my favorite blackened thrashers of the last decade, and Hate Eternal, the pummeling death metal juggernaut, on the same bill. This was like a early Xmas gift. I really wanted to check out Cerebral Bore as well but alas, they had some kind of visa issues and had to drop off the tour. We arrived inside as the other band Fallujiah was playing but wasn't really too impressed with them and their aping Decrepit Birth schtick.

For those of you who've never been, the world famous Whisky a Go Go in Hollywood is actually a dumpy little club I try to avoid like the plague. Fortunately, because the place is so tiny there is no backstage area to store or load gear, meaning the bands have to quickly haul their instruments off stage and run out through a side door to their vans before they get towed or all their gear stolen. Either way, that area near the loading door provides a birds eye view of the stage and since you aren't directly in front of the house PA, can appreciate the band's sound without blowing your eardrums out. That's where me and my girlfriend stayed all night. Yes, I drag my girlfriend to these things.

King of all Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiings

Anyways. Hate Eternal came out and slayed the joint. The sheer power and ungodly amount of racket that emanates from this trio boogles the mind. They opened with "Victorious Reign" off I, Monarch and brought out the inner cave man from everyone in the audience. However, calling Hate Eternal's music primitive or neanderthal-ish is a grave injustice. Not only is their music blindingly fast but it's insanely complex & intricate. From our spot near the left side/loading area of the stage we could hear all the subtle nuances of JJ's bass playing, something I don't often focus upon when listening to an album you know? Also, Hate Eternal's drummer Jade Simonetto is easily one of the fastest dudes in the business. Again, thanks to our viewing spot, I was able to hear the awesome wash from Jade's cymbals than just the bass drum trippgers that usually overpower most death metal acts. You can't talk about Hate Eternal without saying how badass Erik Rutan is. Not only is he a guitar phenom, but his vocals are gnarly as hell and even my girlfriend thought he looked rad (like a pissed off lion or something...) onstage. This was my fourth time seeing Hate Eternal over the years and they continue to impress me. Their music, is the soundtrack Darth Vader would bump while commanding a legion of Storm Troopers on panzer tanks. Just saying. And for the record, my girlfriend likes calling them Hate Internal because she's funny like that.

Masters of Apocalyptic Havoc

Goatwhore took the stage soon afterward to an enthusiastic crowd. Nothing says pumped like a bunch of drunk metal heads chanting "WHORE!" I'll tell ya what. They played a crap load of songs off their brand new album Blood For The Master. So new in fact, I hadn't even heard any of this material yet but it didn't matter. These new jams sounded like the Goatwhore I know and love. Vile bursts of Satanic black metal, meets head banging old school thrash and wrapped up in a grimey punk rock ethos and you've got Goatwhore. I've stopped keeping track of all the times I've seen Goatwhore live, lets just say it's a lot (maybe 10) and as of now I've got 4 different shirts of theirs and a nifty sweater (all black...of course). So the band ruled. Again. Like always. I love that they've now released three killer albums on Metal Blade Records, all of which were produced by Hate Eternal's Erik Rutan, yet still go back and play some of their killer old school tracks off their first two records. "Invert The Virgin" is still one of the sickest songs with the sickest riff ever. I especially love the older stuff because of Sammy's awesome background vocals. It's so rad seeing him and Ben's interplay when they both sing, or as I like to call it, who can make the the filthiest sounding shrieks possible. During songs like "Alchemy of the Black Sun Cult," when everyone's head is bobbing on command, I could totally see an arena of Slayer or even Metallica fans rocking out to Goatwhore's music. Hopefully they continue their rising momentum. They're slated for this years Summer Slaughter tour already. If any underground act can and should make it big, it's these dudes/whores.