The Rim Of Hell

Excellent show at the Alrosa Villa last night, featuring the Unite & Conquer tour & one local group (that unfortunately I missed completely). Here’s the breakdown;

Sister Sin – First band that I actually saw came to us out of Gothenberg, Sweden but don’t have the typical ‘Gothenberg’ sound (melodic Death Metal often associated with the likes of Entombed, Soilwork or In Flames). Rather, they remind me of Warlock in the 80’s & Doro Pesch’s solo work in general. Frontwoman Liv is smokin’ hot, and with a decent set of pipes. Pretty good stuff albeit less extreme than everyone else on this bill.

Walls of Jericho – Should be called ‘Walls of Sound’ as these folks were hands down the heaviest, most asskicking band of the night. Leader screamer Candace Kucsulain, standing all of 5 ft. tall (if even that), is possibly the most fierce female I’ve ever witnessed leading a band (& damn nice once you meet her). Seriously, they sound like Hatebreed with a possessed woman singing, throwing out enough energy to power a city block. Click the link and check out ‘The New Ministry’ if you don’t believe me. I was totally blown away by their show as was everyone they came into contact with. The photo is from a few months back but you get the idea (And thanks to the photography of Natalia Balcerska).

Ill Nino – The reason I came to this show did NOT disappoint in the least. The mighty Ill Nino attacked their set like the commandos out of Jersey that they are. If you’ve never heard’em, I would describe their sound as melodic metal with a definite Latin groove (including two excellent percussionists laying down complex & rhythmic beats). Despite mike problems, singer Cristian nailed the vocals – how he does that night after night is beyond me. They didn’t play ‘Cleansing’ or ‘This Time’s For Real’, which was disappointing but ‘Finger Painting (With the Enemy)’ from the new CD ‘Enigma’ is a very catchy release. Gonna have to pick up that CD now.

Otep – one part metal band, one part performance art is the eclectic act known as Otep. Led by poet/vocalist Otep Shamaya, Otep is provocative nu metal with a brain. Crushing in one moment, softly whispering the next, merging allegory with political savy to create music that is both emotionally charged & full of heart. Not everyone’s cup of tea but I like how the band has evolved over the past few albums, expanding from a death metal-ish crunch to more groove driven & accessible work. My fav’s are the new(er) song ‘Confrontation’, ‘Warhead’ and their cover of Nirvana’s ‘Breed’.

So when all is said and done, for a last minute decision I really ended up enjoying the hell out of this evening. Catch the tour if you can, or at least visit the linked Myspace pages to get a taste of each group’s unique offerings. Very good stuff!