Live Report - Vader, Kataklysm, Destruction, speed\kill/hate, Graveworm, The Absence - May 30, 2006, Jaxx Nightclub, Springfield, VA
Metal Reviews

Release year: 0
Reviewed by Kayla

Last Tuesday evening I found myself on the road to Jaxx Nightclub in Springfield, Virginia, eagerly anticipating an evening of thrash and death metal courtesy of Vader, Kataklysm, Destruction, speed\kill/hate, Graveworm and The Absence, the lineup of the so-dubbed Metal Crusaders Tour 2006. I had only attended one show at Jaxx previously, but had taken away a good impression from the venue; it’s a fairly small club, with one stage and a bar area off to the side. It’s also the only establishment I’ve encountered in my adult life that still allows smoking. Unfortunately for me, they were about an hour late opening the doors that night, and Virginia was suffering from unseasonably hot weather – even at 7 in the evening it was still close to ninety degrees outside. Once I got inside the marginally cooler club, I was slightly damp but all my enthusiasm was still intact.

Fortunately, The Absence was swift in taking the stage, and made sure that no one had their mind on the heat anymore. A melodic death metal band from Tampa, Florida (though with the quality of their music, they could just as easily hail from Gothenburg), their performance was tight and raging. They played a good selection of tracks from their debut album From Your Grave, including I, Deceiver, Necropolis and the title track.

Graveworm were next; they're symphonic/gothic black metal, and a good follow-up to The Absence. Their sound wasn’t quite as crisp as The Absence’s, and I thought the keyboard was buried a bit too far down in the mix, but it was quite good nonetheless. They played a cover of Iron Maiden's Fear Of The Dark; although it was well done, I don't think such a harsh approach was really right for it. However, it did highlight one of the benefits of being in a smaller venue; vocalist Stefan Fiori gave the mic to a guy standing next to me and let him growl during the repeated “fear of the dark” line. He did well, too – audience participation at its finest.

speed\kill/hate was next, and brought some thrash. speed\kill/hate is the side project of Dave Linsk and Tim Mallare of Overkill; unfortunately, Mallare isn't on the tour due to a back injury, but the fill-in drummer was awesome nonetheless. I was suprised at how much I liked them - I can definitely recommend them to anyone who enjoys thrash. About halfway through their performance, I could feel the heat starting to get to me, but I was determined to see it through until the end.

Speaking of thrash, then Destruction descended onto the heads of us puny mortals. These guys have been thrashing for years and haven't lost one iota of stage presence or energy, and have the kind of skill live that you would expect from such seasoned veterans. Bestial Invasion, Curse The Gods, Release From Agony, Thrash 'Til Death, The Butcher Strikes Back and Metal Discharge all made appearances. After that, thrash gave way once again to death, as Kataklysm burst onto the stage and proceeded to make it their own. I think they outdid Vader in terms of performance energy and tightness of playing, but then, by the time Vader took the stage, I was on my eleventh wind and fading. Anyway, Kataklysm opened with, of course, In Shadows And Dust, and made sure to shred everyone's face with Let Them Burn, Crippled And Broken, As I Slither, and Face The Face Of War.

Speaking of Vader, all I can say is, “wow.” These guys know how to obliterate an audience. Unfortunatelly, I think a lot of people were running out of steam at that point because of the heat; I know I was using the barrier at the edge of the stage as a vital support. Still, we all managed to mosh and headbang through This Is The War, Out Of The Deep, Dark Age, Wings, Dark Transmission, Xeper, Carnal, and some others that I couldn’t identify because I was on the verge of passing out again. However, they also did one hell of an encore. Once the audience started chanting loud enough to bring them out again, drummer Daray retook the stage in darkness, and started playing a tantalizingly familiar drum line. Then guitarist/vocalist Peter returned with one of the most unforgettable riffs ever penned – that sly, demonic opening of Slayer’s Raining Blood. It was enough to get the audience re-energized and make us ignore the fact we were all on the verge of heatstroke; who cares about the heat when this is in front of you?

If you’re a death or thrash fan, this is the kind of show that re-affirms your faith in metal, especially if, like me, you prefer your metal free of any hardcore influences. No adulteration, just pure, soul-shredding beauty shared by a bunch of people crazy enough to pack themselves into a stifling hot room for six hours. If you can, I highly recommend catching this tour; you’d be hard-pressed to find a better lineup and a better bunch of performers this summer.

Killing Songs :
Kayla quoted
Other albums by Live Report that we have reviewed:
Live Report - Marduk / Vader - United Titans Tour 2022 - 17th March 2022 - Rebellion, Manchester, UK reviewed by Goat and quoted
Live Report - Genesis - The Last Domino? Tour - 25 September 2021 - AO Arena, Manchester, UK reviewed by Goat and quoted
Live Report - Mgla, Lvcifyre, Wode - 15th March 2019 - Rebellion, Manchester, UK reviewed by Goat and quoted
Live Report - Pestilence, Grimaze, Damim, Cryptic Shift - 23rd February 2019 - Rebellion, Manchester, UK reviewed by Goat and quoted
Live Report - King Crimson - Uncertain Times Tour - 9th November 2018 - Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, UK reviewed by Goat and quoted
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