ANAL CUNT / QUARTER INCH MICROBOMB / MONGER / DE NADA / 13SOS
The Sidebar; Baltimore, MD; October 5, 2000
Reviewed by Christopher J. Kelter
Deep in the bowels of Baltimore the
Sidebar exists as a stage for the unknown and the unwelcome. The Sidebar
is one of the most unique of all establishments - a local bar that caters to
locals during the early evening and then transforms itself into a haven for
music lovers at night. The wide variety of music featured at the Sidebar
spans indie alt-rock to extreme metal - however, tonight was for those of us
that like our music extreme.
13SOS have a brand of music that combines the speed of grind with the rebellion
of punk yet sounding like neither. These newcomers have a fresh sound that
is in dire need of maturity, but there is camaraderie and uniqueness in 13SOS
that can't be denied.
De Nada was the biggest surprise of the evening. De Nada definitely
brought the most people and the most frenetic energy to the evening's agenda.
De Nada plays a style that can be best described as high-energy, high-emotion,
up-tempo hardcore style with Deftones influences. Each song generated its
own mandatory mosh pit as a seething mass of bodies engulfed the tight confines
of the Sidebar. The lead vocalist led the charge and bridged the gap
between the stage and fans with a relentless physical performance. The
musical explosion that I witnessed this evening only hints at their expansive
potential.
Monger plays a mid-paced mix of modern metal with a no nonsense approach to extreme metal that isn't too contemporary as to sound like the radio-friendly crap that gets passed off as metal these days. The havoc-wreaking vocals reminded me of a cross of Sam Kinison's howl and Tom Araya's demented bark in one tightly wound package. Elements of thrash and speed metal found their way into Monger's music without taking any of their immediate power away.
I appreciate Quarter Inch Microbomb more
now that I've had the fortune to see them a second time. Paul and the boys
exuded a thick sludge with head bobbin' grind. I guess one way for me to
describe QIM is to say that they are like Today Is The Day with a bit more
musical flow. The outstanding feature of Quarter Inch Microbomb is the
fact that the songs are slow enough to be immediately memorable yet fast enough
for liberating catharsis. Quarter Inch Microbomb are now signed to Relapse
- look for great things to happen for QIM in the very near future.
If you haven't heard about Anal Cunt by now you're probably a "momma's
boy" and lead a very sheltered life. Anal Cunt utilize the most
sparse of all set-ups with only guitar, drums, and vocals to decapitate your
lovely expectations. How better to be ultra-abrasive and caustic than with
a simple set-up?
Seth and his frantic duo employ these simple tools to offend everyone and everything. Anal Cunt spared no target (including their fans) while lacing their between song banter with caustic interjections. Every special interest group was singled out for one diatribe after another; other targets included popular musical acts and Charm City itself.
Anal Cunt has a rather unique love/loathing relationship with its fans. Seeming just as eager to please as well as piss off its fans, Anal Cunt was alternately accommodating and belligerent in the delivery of many songs from their huge catalog. Entertainment? Hell, yeah!
No chairs were thrown during the Anal Cunt
set which only means that this show was slightly less dangerous than the average
Anal Cunt performance. Another interesting feature of the show was the
fact that the first set was shorter than the first encore and that the second
encore was longer than the first encore. Much of this was due in no small
part to the constant badgering of the fans with incessant pleas to Anal Cunt to
continue playing. Fans shouted out requests and the band obliged rather
quickly. Actually, the band never actually left the stage throughout the
entire set, but one got the distinct feeling that the band had every intention
of leaving the stage after the conclusion of each song and each mean-spirited
"bye."
Anal Cunt tour in short bursts (i.e. two-week time periods) so pay attention to
the clubs in your area and watch their upcoming shows lest you miss out on one
hell of an entertaining evening.
Hail to Paul of KSB Productions (http://www.ksbmetal.cjb.net) for bringing together the talent necessary to make this a top-notch entertaining evening for fans of the unordinary.
Hail to the Sidebar for providing the proper ambience for this session in depravity. The Sidebar's wonderful brick and deep colors provided all the atmosphere one could ever want in a music joint.
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