The Cauldron

When one enters the Cleveland incarnation of the House of Blues, an instant impression is made, one of class. It is an establishment clearly built to harbor a musical performance of requisite finesse. The venue has attracted more and more attention over the past year or so, showcasing a range of talents including legendary artists like Alice in Chains and Billy Idol to modern day hitmakers Seether and Alter Bridge. However, a relatively small base of music fans has a slight amount of contempt for the establishment; with the closing of the Cleveland Odeon, a number of high-profile heavy metal shows call the House of Blues their home; and the structure is simply not meant for the energy and temperamental violence that a metal concert tends to bring.

Nonetheless, when Metal Blade's 25th Anniversary tour (featuring none other than death metal and controversial media legends Cannibal Corpse) rolled through town on September 30, the turnout was well, and the show itself certainly filled expectations.

Relative newcomers The Absence, hailing from Tampa, Fla., opened the show with a bang; an old school thrash assault complete with barked vocals from thickly bearded front man Jamie Steward. The blistering set lasted nary 25 minutes, but made an impression (albeit a rather cheesy and generic stage presence, including an almost endless repetition of "show me your horns"), most particularly with an energetic and crowd-friendly rendition of Testament's classic "Into the Pit."

Next came Goatwhore, a New Orleans black/death metal band gaining a fair bit of notoriety lately, more than likely due to high profile tours such as this past summer's Sounds of the Underground. Vocalist Ben Falgoust had a much more refined mastery of revving up the crowd; to put it simply, most in attendance found something to love in their admittedly inaccessible craft. Third in the roster was Massachusetts tech-metal hopefuls the Red Chord. The band's stage presence was enjoyable in its own right with sarcastic remarks and entertaining jokes aplenty.

However, sound was not on their side, and the fantastic studio recordings of songs such as "Prey For Eyes" and "Fixation on Plastics" translated into little more than muddy thunder. (Admittedly, the House of Blues may be to blame; only a few months ago, the Red Chord played Peabody's and sounded fantastic.)

The headliners rolled in, and true to expectations, the Black Dahlia Murder delivered. Riding high on the critical and commercial success of their latest slab of blackened melodic death metal (Nocturnal), the energy and excitement came in droves. Curiously absent were crowd favorites "I'm Charming" and "A Vulgar Picture." Instead, the set list heavily relied on selections from the aforementioned Nocturnal, with a notable highlight being a fantastically scorching rendition of "Statutory Ape" from 2005's Miasma.

Finally, Cannibal Corpse rolled onto the stage with little warning; in only a few short minutes, vocalist George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher unleashed a trademark, bloodcurdling scream, announcing the chorus of "Unleashing the Bloodthirsty" and enchanting a near sing-a-long from the ravenous crowd.

The band hardly moved onstage, staying transfixed in their spots as their patently vulgar music bellowed from the soundboard. Perhaps, however, this is their charm; while the bands before them found themselves struggling to appease and win over the crowd through onstage antics and frenetic movements, the veterans knew that it was through simply their ominous atmosphere that incited an almost murderous, primal urge within all in attendance.

So while the critics and skeptics declare the newest incarnations of the genre as innovative and truly relevant, when it comes right down to it, the originators are still the champions.

Here's to another 25 years.

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