Having recently dropped their new album, ‘Lugal Ki En’, Rings of Saturn has been on a tour across the US Austin , TX
The show took place at the Dirty Dog bar, on infamous 6th street Austin Normal
Below is the set list for the evening, which Bury the Rod failed to show (full disclosure):
So, as the first band cranked up, I settled in, and upon hearing the first notes, prayed for the best….
TAKING ON POSEIDON: This sentiment I am about to espouse hung like a storm cloud over the show: Metalcore has been done to absolute death, and your terrible attempts at it simply dig the grave deeper by feet. I don’t need two guitarists playing muddled rhythm, down tuned, with absolutely no character or redeeming qualities. The bassist was okay, and outdid them both, while the singer wasn’t in the zone. He, with the band as a whole, were saved by a drummer who knew how to treat the skins, but I could have done without the clean vocals from him. He outclassed his fellows, however, and was pretty fun to watch. The performance took a turn to cheesy when the guitarists and bassist started doing a synced motion, that weird full body bob that core bands do. Like lackluster air squats, and then a kickspin to finish. I would bet they have better live performances, and would give them a fair chance; that night was a no.
A GOD UNKNOWN: Another ‘core style, Death Metalcore, I think, and it was only marginally better that TOP. Another band with a drummer/singer, they had a very similar sound and style, which is par for the course with these genres. However, in AGU’s favor, they had distinct guitar tones, and played more than just brutal chords. That alone brought the show up. They didn’t stand out from the crowd enough to really suggest looking them up, but they were entertaining enough to watch. The drummer was also really good at his job, handling vocals and technical drumming well.
*side note: the red light was on full for most of the show that night, so the pics aren’t going to be on the cover of Times Magazine anytime soon. They do get better though!*
Bury the Rod: No Show.
THE CONVALESCENCE: Okay, another mash up band, The Convalescence had pure Deathcore, with the facepaint of black metal or dimestore Mushroom Head. A damn fine show, they had a full lineup: 2 Guitars, Female Keyboard, Singer with a good set of pipes, a Bassist who kept the groove, and a Drummer who earned his keep that night. All were coated in white and black corpse paint, with matching regalia including black vests and heavy boots. The sound wasn’t anything groundbreaking, but they put on a hell of a show, with a pretty sweet crowd reaction going. They were typical heavy, with some great breakdowns and small solos, and none of the hallmark hokiness that their genre usually carries with it. The singer was adept at crowd control, getting reactions from the crowd most of the time. Only weak part was the backing vocals from the keyboardist, but this wasn’t due to her not being up to it, more like terrible sound mixing for her mic. Overall a fun band to go and check out, if you’re in the mood for something of that ilk.
THOSE WHO FEAR: Okay! A great band to bring in the middle of the set, and something wholly different, a Philadelphia Texas
UPON THIS DAWNING: Now this is where things really kicked off! Upon This Dawning is from Italy
RINGS OF SATURN: And then the moment of truth: Rings of Saturn popped up for sound check, and the crowd got smaller, but way denser, similar to a collapsing star. The band has been the eye of a recent storm because people want to hate on cool things, and they were lambasted by several sites and blogs because they use programs to make their music faster and heavier than mortal man can do alone. I do agree, usually, but that’s because most people like to make something brutal just because they can. RoS makes it heavy, fast, and nasty, because they damn well can almost play that shit live. They weren’t exactly note for note, but they were one of the fastest bands I have seen live, with both guitars lit up with magical tapping and sweeping fret work for a solid 30 minutes. It was amazing to watch, when I could, as the pit they summoned threatened the fundament of the bar itself. I usually stay out of the pits, but this was too good to miss close up. They sent us on a journey through an alien war with the armies of heaven and hell, and it was worth the bruises, beer spilled on me, and my shoes getting scuffed (Old converse Chucks, no worries). Their newest album, ‘Lugal Ki En’, is a must see for anybody who wants to experience the far horizons of extreme tech death.
AS BLOOD RUNS BLACK: Having also just released a new album, ‘Ground Zero’, As Blood Runs Black came out absolutely slaying! They balanced new material that not everyone may know with some classics out of their discography, and put the hurt on the bodies that came out to circle pit with them! This band absolutely put on a great show in the headlining spot, with some excellent guitar work, both with tone being crystal clear and capability to play some pretty sweet tunes, and bass wrecking shop on that Musicman, it was a devastating combination for the fans. Coupling a drummer who could destroy lesser men simply by flexing his double bass calves at them with a singer who has vocal chops with the best of many modern bands, not to mention being way too cut for a metal guy (NOT JEALOUS!), they locked in a win for the night. It was also really fun to watch them get a wall of death going, with limited success. Completely due to crowd and space constraints, but it kind of happened. Worth the ticket price either way, ABRB and RoS killed the show that night, and wormed their tunes into my black little heart.
Words by: Hunter Young
