Vitriol – A Fresh Breath of Death
Death metal every once in a while will see a new band rise up and give us something new and exciting to listen to. Vitriol is that band for me this year and seeing them live sealed the deal; I’m a hardcore fan of this band. I heard a track on a podcast, listened to them on Spotify and watched some of their guitar play through videos on YouTube. Their passion and visceral aggression while playing guitar had me sold and then to see them perform these songs live with that same level of passion was truly a treat. They sound perfect on stage, just like on their debut album. Production was simple, no gimmicks or anything, just straight forward and pissed off death metal to open the night. The crowd loved it too, I’ve never seen a opening band get such an uproarious response like Vitriol did. They’ll be headlining their own tour soon enough, just you wait. They kicked so much ass.
Primitive Man – Don’t Forget Your Ear Protection
I’ve somehow never seen Primitive Man the several times they came through Kansas City, so I was excited to see them at The Granada. Let me just warn you now: wear ear protection. Their sound is so loud and abrasive, it was off putting at times. They let the guitars ring out and they create loud and ominous noises with their instruments, it honestly hurt. I was in the photo pit for the first song and I won’t make that mistake again of forgetting my protection. However, their destructive tones were enjoyable and it was fun to watch people squirm when they performed. In all honesty, they sounded amazing. Heavier in person than on record, if that’s somehow feasible. Their misanthropic and nihilistic music is perfect in concert, a must see show but just bring some ear protection. Also, positioning yourself RIGHT in front of their amps isn’t smart either.
Atheist – A Welcomed Return
It was told that Atheist hasn’t been back to The Granada since 1992 yet he swore they were coming back soon after they finish recording their new album. The band sounded amazing!!! This style of progressive death metal translates fantastic on stage and the songs sounded superb! I’m probably the most uneducated when it comes to this band but they made a fan out of me seeing them in concert. Atheist performed really well and sounded phenomenal and the crowd loved it as much as I did. Atheist fed off of this energy and just continued to kick our asses. The music sounded amazing, Schaefer’s vocals were stellar and Atheist as a whole is truly impressive. I’m so glad I was able to finally see them!
Cattle Decapitation – Bringing Death Atlas To Life
This is my 6th time seeing Cattle Decapitation and they never ever disappoint…ever. The band has always been very tight performers live, never missing a beat or making a mistake. Seeing them perform with each evolution of their album releases have been nice to witness as well, adding more production and depth to their show and sound. Now with a second guitarist in the mix, the songs sound even better live. Bumping up their production and adding some stage props really bumps up the “fuck yeah” factor for me. Cattle Decapitation’s setlist was mostly Death Atlas and Anthropocene with some Monolith sprinkled in. Fans wanting something from Harvest Floor and older material will be let down.
Cattle Decap absolutely nail the atmosphere that they created in Death Atlas in a live setting, all while still being able to dish out “Forced Gender Reassignment” and “Your Disposal” and make it fit organically. Those wondering if the new songs translates well in concert need to not worry, Cattle are able to play these songs live with grand precision and mastery. Those also wondering if Travis Ryan can actually perform the newer style of vocals on stage shouldn’t worry either, he sounds amazing just like he does on the LP. You’ll be treated to 5 songs off of the new album and it’s probably the most depressing and hopeless time I’ve ever seen Cattle…..and I enjoyed it. They really do a fantastic job of creating this hopelessness in the building, especially playing “Time’s Cruel Curtain” into “The Unerasable Past” then flowing into “Death Atlas”, during this time you can feel the weight in the air just being melancholic as the songs are more intimate, slower and just sad.
Overall, I loved seeing them perform again and would highly recommend seeing them. They are unstoppable and must be firing on all cylinders as they just released one hell of an album and now we get to see them perform more than half of the album live. The production is killer, they sound better than ever and you’d be foolish to miss this show. All hail Cattle Decapitation!
Headbang or GTFO 