Wednesday, May 15, 2013

A portrait of the catharsis as a middle-aged man

Space Casino junkies before, Space Casino junkies after, but where's the valet parking for the discerning headbanger, Comic Sans, where, I ask?

The Boys from Sweden parlayed their mood music for mopes into conjuring a joyful sadness. If only they'd fold the electro-noodling in the spaces twixt and bet on guitar runs à la Tonight's Decision or the new platter, they'd be always ace.




















Katatonia @ House of Blues: Buildings, Day and Then the Shade, My Twin, Burn the Remembrance, Soil's Song, The Racing Heart, Lethean, The Longest Year, July, Dead Letters, Forsaker.

Dear Mr. Mike, didja notice the crowd, polite nodding for the smoking jacket rock, raging pits and fists of fury for the death man's hand? Take the hint.




















Opeth @ ditto: The Devil's Orchard, Ghost of Perdition, White Cluster, Hope Leaves, You Suffer, Atonement, Deliverance, Hessian Peel, Häxprocess, Demon of the Fall, Harlequin Forest, Blackwater Park.

10 comments:

Commander Zaius said...

...where's the valet parking for the discerning headbanger...

Given the ticket prices of some concerts it should be free.

Randal Graves said...

Only twenty bucks for this show. Pays to listen to bands that don't really sell that many records.

Lotta lotta lotta oldsters gambling at 1 am, though.

Demeur said...

Catharsis. Isn't that a city in Greece? I hear they're dying for tourists.

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Jim H. said...

The drummer in the first band: his hair wasn't long enough. Maybe that's why they were putting you to sleep. You can't rev it up unless your hair is past your shoulders. That's an iron law of metal, not merely a guideline or rule of thumb.

Randal Graves said...

demeur, as long as I don't have to eat that satanawful yogurt crap.

jim, oh no, Katatonia was fantastic, it's just that their last album (and a song or two on their new one) used too much electronics for atmosphere. Toss on another forty tracks of guitars instead.

Let me answer your cheeky tongue with coconut oil: Scott Ian recorded Persistence of Time bald. Rob Halford, bald (though early rawkin' Priest was way better than their 80s output). Just sayin'.

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Tom Harper said...

A night of Swedish heavy metal; it doesn't get any better than that. I'm not that familiar with Opeth or Katatonia but some of my favorite metal bands are from Sweden. And Finland's no slouch either (Children of Bobom, etc.)

susan said...

You should have switched the sign to guide the geriatric gamblers into the show.

Brian M said...

Saw Opeth and Katatonia in SF a couple of years ago. I still love their stuff. Opeth, which I sometimes find a little self indulgent, were amazingly engaging live. Mikael is hilarious.