Well, not a traditional review for my return but there are plenty of those coming soon.
I've been a huge fan of Down since Nola was released in 1995. It was a great combo of Southern grit, more traditional metal riffing and doom heaviness. Considering the bands the guys came from that all made sense. Being a huge fan, I never got to see them live and actually figured I wouldn't, well, until they announced this tour.
So down my girl and I be-bopped to Atlanta to check it out. Was it good? Was it bad? Well, here we go...
Spirit in the Room-
These guys started the day and they're not a band little psychedelic rock combo. I was totally unfamiliar with them and I won't say the performance made me a fan but made me curious to check out more of their material. It was solidly performed but there were tech issues with the singer's mic during the show. There wasn't really any banter on stage and the performance felt kind of cold and I felt that was attributable to some of the singer's obvious tech issues. Still pretty decent tunes and a fun enough atmosphere. These guys aren't a band I'd go out of my way for but if they open for another band I like I'd definitely give them a 2nd chance.
Helmet-
I'm not the biggest fan of Helmet. I do love and regularly listen to Meantime but I don't own anything else and I've never seen them live. To be totally honest, I had no idea what to expect when they took the stage. What we got was a band who really went for it. There was no really banter again, but, where that felt odd for the previous band that seemed right here. Helmet tore through a bunch of songs that I didn't really know but sounded pretty damn good. Lots of heavy, catchy riffs that border on industrial music in style. So much you can definitely hear the influence. When the band did address the audience they were affable, a little humble and happy the be there. Solid live showing filled with heart and passion. I would go out of my way to see Helmet again and will probably check out the other records I have neglected.
DOWN-
And now the band of the hour. I was pretty absurdly excited to see them not unlike when I saw Acid Bath and Helloween and, man, they did not disappoint. I have to compare this performance to Helloween mostly because it had a similar vibe to it. It was like 5 really good friends getting together to share their love of music. The whole band were all smiles and interacted really well. Anselmo did his normal affable front man thing. I don't care what you think of the man, he's an excellent front man, full of jokes and humor. He is the consummate showman always winking and nodding at the audience like we're all in on some inside joke together. Pepper Keenan had some guitar troubles but admirably worked through them with a smile on his face, like he'd rather be nowhere else. They ran through a lot of NOLA and a song or 2 off "DOWN II". I knew all the songs by heart and banged my head so hard, my neck is STILL sore as I write this. If you can, check this tour out. Down are firing on all cylinders and are still at the top of their game.
Overall, it was a great show and a good time. Down was great and I'm looking forward to the new album coming out "pretty soon", as Anselmo put it. Though don't really expect me to review it. This is dedicated to more underground bands than Down. Either way, I can't recommend Down live enough.
Thank you again for your patience and reading my blog. I'll be back next week with another record review. Keed banging those heads!
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