Michael Arms of Tatarus reviews the 2013 Metal Alliance Tour

Michael Arms is the guitarist for the band Tatarus and is a guest writer for Rock My Monkey. CLICK HERE for info on his band.

Easter Sunday for most is a nice evening spent with the family, enjoying each others company and a warm home cooked meal. For us at RMM it was pretty far from the normal family tradition... In fact, I think this may work out to be a new tradition! For us Sunday (or Sinday as we'll call it) was an evening (all day spectacle rather) full of Metal Alliance! Take thrashers Holy Grail and Municipal Waste while throwing in the sludgy, yet faster than fuck fury that is High on Fire, and getting back to the thrash-tastic roots of  Exodus and Anthrax, and you have what was possibly the best Metal Alliance line-up yet! They rolled through Seattle (9th stop of the tour) and delivered what seemed to be a well regimented night of... Well, THRASH!

Holy Grail opened the show. Their set was quick and to the point. They made sure that the audience knew who was there to deliver the 80's Priest-influenced metal of the night. The double guitar driven band were spot on with each other. Each guitarist traded off solos that sounded like one cohesive unit! All whilst vocalist James Paul Luna soared through his intense vocal range, hitting notes that paralleled the guitar squeals. Next up was Municipal Waste... One word, PARTY-THRASH!! Okay, technically two words, but anywho, they were the kind of band I could picture playing a friend's rager full of a bunch of pissed off kids that would end up burning the house down. They were great!

Now those two bands alone could have easily played a show on their own in Seattle on a weeknight and delivered a memorable set (which I hope happens soon), but this concert was just getting warmed up.

Now what you may or may not know about seeing a live band is they typically have a wall of full stack amps. Here's the catch.... They're not all on! Usually one or two cabs per guitarist is turned on. That being said, High on Fire was the next on the roster, smack dab in the middle of a five band bill. Matt Pike frontman of HoF does however turn on every amp he's plugged into. He had three cabs and two heads that were visual, and I've got to say they were one of the loudest bands I've ever seen. They also rocked The Showbox and put us heavy metal heathens in a trance of sorts while still having us maintain the urge to slam into one another in the pit!

After High on Fire's set came the one, the only... Bay Area Thrash Veterans EXODUS!!! I had never seen them live, and holy shit they brought it like only they do! Heavy, fierce, fast and in your face just about sums it up. Bassist Jack Gibson seemed to have a laid back southern swagger to him. Kind of like he could jump down in the pit any second and drag you through the dirt, but he was more a gentlemen it seemed. Gary Holt had the intensity that you could tell had been added to his already ferocious stage performance from playing in Slayer this past year. Tom Hunting was almost invisible behind his monster sized drum kit but believe me, you knew who was playing those drums once the set started. As for Altus and Dukes.. Let's just say they fucking killed it! Great performance by a great band.

Only one band was left to play... That's right, ANTHRAX!! 1/4 of the big 4. They played the entire Among The Living album plus some more special diddys I won't mention in case you're reading this before going to the show! They were a spectacle! Scott Ian with his co-frontman approach to the band was on fire as usual. Joey Belladonna ripped through the set, the strongest I've ever heard these tunes! Frank Bello delivered his always consistent bass line and Steve Harris inspired "singing along" by mouthing every lyric to each tune. Jon Donais filled the guitar spot left empty earlier this year and blazed through the solos, adding a little of his own flavor. They had a fill-in drummer whoses name I did not catch, but he sounded like he had written those drum parts himself!! They were excellent!! If you're considering going to this year's Metal Alliance, think no further.  Just GO!!!

For more on the Metal Alliance tour go to
facebook.com/MetalAllianceTour

For more on Tatarus go to
facebook.com/TatarusBand

Review: Uproar 2012 at White River Amphitheatre in Auburn, WA

(The folowing is a collection of live blogging comments Terry posted throughout the day)

Mark and I showed up at the White River Amphitheater about an hour before the first band started on the smaller stages,the line to get in was already six people wide and a quarter mile long,growing by the second.  When we first got in we walked around checking out the bands merchandise setups and the various sponsor booths and tents.  Once they opened the gates the place filled up fast and continued to for hours with all the fun people that fill rock/metal shows.

The first band to play was Drown Mary, super heavy Pantera-ish style and the crowd congregated at their stage.  There was two stages setup side by side, both were semi trailers that literally folded out to make stages, it was pretty cool.  Once one band got done it was seconds later and another band would start on the other stage.   All of this while the roadies tore down and set up for the next band on whatever stage was just finished.  Non stop rockin for roughly six hours on kickin P.A.s that were powerful enough that it felt like I had a second heartbeat at times from the kick drums.  That was great!  Those setups were so clear and powerful sounding you could drop a guitar and it would sound good.

After the bands on the smaller stages were done everyone started to make their way to the main stage for the opener there.  The main stage is outdoors but still under a canopy that resembles the Mariners Safeco Field, the place is huge.  There's two giant screens.  One on either side of the stage about 150 feet away from the stage each for the people way in back.  I didn't get the attendance but it's safe to say there's thousands.  The crowd is huge, loud, and roudy.  As I write this Godsmack is playing "Voodoo."  There's three people I can see crowd surfing and two great big pits mangling bodies.  I love Metal.

Remember in the old days when a ballad would get played and there would be 5,000 lighters go up?  I'm sitting in the 200 section and I can see a sea of cell phones.  Times have changed.
We had a great time at 2012 Uproar.  Every band was kick ass and the music was non stop all day and night.

We have tons of photos from all the Rock bands (none from the Rap acts) from that day on the way. Keep your eyes glued to our Facebook at http://facebook.com/rockmymonkey for updates or just keep checking RockMyMonkey.com/photos

Interviews with Candlelight Red and Atica 7 will be posted soon at RockMyMonkey.com/tv

The Used & Dead Sara

The Used, Dead Sara, and NOT Stars In Stereo

On June 10th The Used rolled into Seattle on the second to last date of their spring headline tour. With supporting acts Dead Sara, and Stars in Stereo, the lineup played to a capacity crowd at The Showbox Market. We here at Rock My Monkey pride ourselves on legitimate guitar driven rock made by real musicians. This is the exact reason Jeffrey Donavan did not give any coverage to Stars in Stereo. The band which features Dr. Phil's (yes that Dr. Phil) son Jordan McGraw on guitar seems like the biggest pipe dream of a true fund kid that has ever existed. For this specific reason we choose to only cover Dead Sara and The Used.

Upon hearing the announcement that Dead Sara would be supporting The Used on their spring headlining tour I really had no idea what to think. Normally a band like The Used would choose a better known seasoned act for direct support. However, upon seeing them I am extremely glad they went with such a group that had such a solid live show. The group fronted by vocal powerhouse Emily Armstrong came on stage to a dreary eyed crowd who was mostly there it seemed to see the headline act. Emily ripped through the first song with insane energy and got everyone’s ears to perk up. The band then took a giant risk in choosing a ballad for the second song. The track "Dear Love" started off slow but then roared to life as Emily blasted powerful vocals that filled the entire packed venue. Drummer Sean Friday provided just as much energy keeping the band in perfect time, alongside bassist Chris Null. Siouxsie Medley landed impressive licks to match Emily's strong rhythm guitar playing. The band picked up the energy with the track Monumental Holiday which saw the crowd come unglued and finally formed a mosh pit. By the end of Dead Sara's set it was clear to see why The Used picked this band as support. They are a band that are able to not only win over new crowds but have them eating out of the palm of their hands by the end of a set.

Following a lengthy set change The Used finally took the stage to a rowdy crowd waiting for the headliner to give them what they paid for. A Rock and Roll show, The Used did not disappoint in this at all. They took the stage and launched right into the new single "Put Me Out", the blistering track launched the crowd into a frenzy as the band took the energy level from zero to sixty. The opening number complete with a stage hand in a giant cigarette costume was the perfect way to open up a show. The band was very forthcoming with the fact that they would be filming a live video that night for the new song, and that it would center on crowd footage. This caused the crowd to proceed to go absolutely crazy through the night as the band played a wide range of tracks off their five full length records. To the delight of fans the band reached back in its catalog and played "I Caught Fire" and led the crowd in an awesome moment of crowd participation. The band counteracted the ballad by playing the crunching "Pretty Handsome Awkward" The band then finished the set, only to come back out to film a scene for the upcoming "Put Me Out" video. The film crew took roughly twenty minutes to get shots of the giant cigarette costume being jostled around in the crowd, those that weren't close to the action seemed bored and just wanted the band to quite jamming the same Metallica riff over and over and actually play an encore. The band and camera crew finally got what they needed, and played the track "Box Full of Sharp Objects" ending the show in true Rock and Roll fashion by trashing the stage. After all fans came to see a Rock And Roll show and The Used are clearly not ones to disappoint.

Both bands are playing this summer "Van's Warped Tour" and we here at Rock My Monkey highly recommend checking out both bands sets when the tour stops in your city.

Decibel Magazine Tour: Behemoth, Watain, Insolitude, The Devil's Blood

About a month ago (4/20/2012), The Decibel Magazine Tour stormed through Seattle's El Corazon. The tour package featured Polish black metal powerhouse Behemoth's triumphant return to a North American headlining position, and saw support from a fine crop of equally talented opening acts. The support bands were of a top notch caliber, and varied perfectly in scope and style from pentagram touting, torch burning Watain, to the 70's sounding Devils Blood.  The tour's openers really knew what they were doing.

The night kicked off with an unmemorable, local opener and less than impressive crowd, who seemed more interested in frequenting the packed bar than they did to see a local opener slog through sloppy dissonant metal. The Devil's Blood hit the stage to a more filled out crowd to much excitement and enthusiasm from the crowd. The band, which features a female lead vocalist, all sauntered onstage covered in fake blood and playing a slew of guitar riffs that seemed to be more at home within a bad 1978 acid trip than a heavy metal show. I must say however, that the band ended up winning me over with the vocalist's impressive range to a fifteen minute jam session in the middle of the set. This was a band that truly knew how to get a crowd warmed up and ready for a night of metal. If you have a couple of bucks I highly suggest picking up the band’s latest release "The Thousandfold Epicenter".

Following The Devils Blood, Insolitude took the stage.  To me this band felt too tired and played out, and sort of an off fit for the tour. The band again had the whole mid to late 70's swagger going on, but in no way did they fit this tour. The lyrics they were singing and the imagery of the band itself all felt overworked, and like they just didn't know quite what they were all about. I really feel like they were added to fill space on this lineup, and not due to the fact that they really had a draw for the tour.

Watain took the stage at around 9 at night.  I must preface the performance review by divulging that I had found out earlier in the day that the band would not be able to use the real dead animal heads that they normally take on the road with them because EL Corazon had deemed it as too much of a health risk to have a rotting animal carcass onstage. I was sort of thinking that this band was going to be a shock and awe campaign of laughable imagery and stage props. However, the band took the stage to thunderous applause looking like they had just crawled up from the deepest pit of hell and planned to bring everyone inside the venue back down with them. This band had burning candles and oil lamps onstage and they ripped through a setlist mostly heavy on songs from their 2010 release "Lawless Darkness". When the band launched into "Reaping Death" the crowd broke out into a decent sized mosh pit and seemed amped as all hell for Behemoth to finally hit the stage. Being that open flames are not allowed in such a small venue, it was a bit laughable when midway through the set a roadie came out and snuffed out the oil lamps, which prompted the band to stop the set, grab a lighter from the crowd, relight them and play on. The band sounded great, but would have been a bit more well received if they would have toned down the theatrics and focused more on the music itself.

Finally around 10:30, the mighty Behemoth took the stage to a now packed house, to chants of "BAH HE MOTH". I confess I was a bit nervous to see how this band would carry a live performance.  Lead singer Adam "Nergal" Darski was diagnosed with severely advanced leukemia and was not expected to survive after a successful bone marrow transplant. The singer has since gone on to regain his strength, and resume a full touring schedule. I wasn't sure going into this show what level he would be playing to so shortly after enduring such a massive illness.

The band came onstage and immediately launched into their biggest single, "Ov Fire And The Void," from their most current studio album "Evangelion". The crowd went absolutely apeshit and the band themselves exploded with a passion I rarely see within the genre of metal. This was a band that not only is back, but is back with a vengeance and stronger than they have ever been before. To my astonishment each song somehow got better through the hour and a half set. While working through the setlist, the band was sure to include its most popular songs such as "Demigod", and my personal favorite "Slaves Shall Serve". Midway through the set Nergal thanked the crowd for coming out and loudly proclaimed "Tonight is a night we celebrate freedom". Not once within the band's set did the intensity ever slow down.  The band was perfect, lock and pin tight, and had some of the best sound quality I've ever heard within a small venue setting. The encore was a visual feast.  As if the black and white corpse paint wasn't enough, all the members quickly covered themselves in fake blood, and Nergal donned a steampunk inspired crown of thowns.

The band announced it had one final song.  They dropped the lights, and upon bringing them back up slowly lurched into "Lucifer" with Nergal now wearing the trademark mask he has worn in numerous videos and onstage performances. The nine minute song was a more than welcome way to end one of the most flawless metal sets I have ever seen. Behemoth is back, and more focused than ever.  Anyone that has ever thought that they are not one of the top contenders in the metal genre is sadly and hopelessly mistaken.

Fight To Unite Tour, Seattle-WA

Fight To Unite Tour Seattle, WA.

The Fight to Unite Tour paraded its way through Seattle this past Wednesday. The parade metaphor is in no way an understatement, with 8 bands ranging from spazmatic death core, the often mentioned and always made fun of "Crunk Core", dance beat Vampires, and scene kids complete with light sabers and a foam machine, along with a band who's two principle members wear a Bunny, and Bear mask during their live show, Studio 7 looked more the macabre funhouse covered in cotton candy and bass beats than an actual venue. 

Upon Arriving a bit late to the show, William Control was about to hit the stage to the mostly packed house where you would be hard pressed to find a fan over the legs drinking age. William Control, The brainchild of Wil Franci (lead singer of Seattle's own"Aiden") hit the stage with an intensity, and passion that you rarely see for an opener. During his short, roughly 25 minute set, he was able to get the crowd to go unhinge Studio Seven. Laying down smooth goth vocals over hard house synth and a pounding bass beat, the crowd was pulsing like that of a London goth club. The set featured a well-rounded assortment of songs from his three full length albums including, his new single "Kiss Me Judas" of off his newest release " Silentium Amoris". The later album fully fulfills his three album deal with Victory Records so it will be sure what the future holds for his project. 

Following the full throttle set of William Control Baltimore's " Polka dot Cadaver" took the stage, an apparent amalgamation of System of A Down, and sporadic tech metal, the band lacked the necessary focus and edge to really capture the audience’s attention, being a virtually unknown band on a tour with some of the hottest acts in the current scene sort of put them in a position to have to win over fans, an act not easily accomplished in the ever trendy universe of the scene kid. 

The artist that was to come next was in and of himself a bit of a cliché, following his formation of Myspace powerhouse rap rock hybrid group "Hollywood Undead" rapper Producer "Deuce" took his solo act and made it his full time venture. When you take into account the band that he started was predicated on the success of a now defunct social network it was a bit hard to see him as more than a studio musician who has done nothing but release tracks and has never played live. To my absolute shock, Duce tore through a half hour set of aggressive rap rock hybrid material that seemed to be enough of a shock and awe for the kids that by the end of the set they were crowd surfing to get on stage a sight rarely seen for a rap artist. 

One of the most hated acts was up next, Brokencyde ran through an uninspired set of "Crunk Core" if they weren't rapping over sloppy rap lyrics they were screaming inaudible growls that sounded more akin to a poorly executed metal band. The worst part about it all was that last fall they sold out El Corazon and seemed extremely on point, somehow this set felt tired and labored as if they just really didn't care what was going on.

As the anticipation built for the Headliners, more staging was brought out; it’s not often for a small venue you see a confetti canon, foam machine, and enough LED lighting for a Vegas casino to be brought onto stage. Blood On The Dance Floor or BOTDF, are the collective brainchild of Dahvie Vanity and Jay Von Monroe. The pair were accompanied by a bass guitarist, violinist, female singer,and a live drummer, a nice touch being that they could have simply gotten away with tracking the instruments. During their hour long set, they ran through tracks such as "Looking Hot and Dangerous", "Bewitched", "Believe" and even gave fans a taste of the upcoming album "EVOLUTION" playing the track "Frankenstein". The set that at one point saw singer Dahvie riding an inflatable turtle across the fans was nothing short of a carnival. The band spoke a lot of unity, freedom, and empowering its fans who are known as the "Slash Gash Terror Crew" to be themselves and to cut out any negativity within their lives. No matter what you say about how "terrible" their music is, the plain hard fact is that this is a band who knows how to bring a live show that is visually and sonically interesting and really does go the extra mile when it comes to supporting their fans and giving them one hell of a live show.