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Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Havok/ ANimas/ @ Empire 8/5/2013

Went w/ John n Kate to see Havok at Empire. Got some cheap tickets ($10) from Animas, and needed a break from work (and maybe a starter for Wintersun the next day!). Ran into Ariel n his buddy, Marie, Matt R., Rachel (out of her hair band element!),  and maybe one more person.



As we got there we immediately noticed way more people than I expected milling about outside. About an Anvil's show worth outside, maybe more! This was a good sign, especially for a Monday show, with Havok probably having the main draw. There were about 60 odd people there at the high point- way more than I expected!

Havok had a bunch of merch ($18 shirts, $10 Cds, $5 patches, $25 yoga pants, shorts). Animas had their EP ($5). I got their latest CD and a patch.

Warlitner was the first band I caught- they had a decent overall sound, tho maybe a bit too loud at times. They had a bit of inconsistencies with their drum timing, but apart from that they had a good groove for their brand of metalcore. Their vocals were a bit rough, maybe not mixed well. Overall, they were not that memorable, but pretty decent. The crowd was OK, but not really moving during their set.

Animas, whom I bought tickets from was on next- I didn't know they were a 3 piece, and hadn't had much time to check them out because of work. They started and I was immediately impressed by their obviously Death (the band) influenced proggy technical death metal. For a band, they were very good, and for a trio they were amazing! Meaty guitar leads, crunchy riffs, raspy vocals, and machine gun drums. They were interspersed with some prog passages for good measure. They were simply playing their asses off and I was lovin' it. The crowd had a pretty good reaction to them, but only a few headbangers... a bit different than what most thrashers like. They had a bit of time at the end of their set and they launched into a cover of Megadeth's "Tornado of Souls"- which sounded pretty damn good- especially for only one guitar! If you like Death, you gotta check these guys out- I don't know how I've not heard them before!

Havok came on to a pretty crowded floor (well, at least the first 2 rows). The crowd basically came alive and on the first song the moshing began... and took up the 3rd row to the back of the floor. There weren't a lot of people there, but they certainly made up for quantity with their energy. I got clipped by a mosh, even at the edge of the pit! There was one guy in a Terror shirt who was stomping, almost skanking, almost Karate in the pit... Thankfully most people just moshed and circle pitted. It was a bit too much for me for a Monday... and with Wintersun the next day! There was also some guy who tried to crowd surf...the 2 rows of people.

Sonically, the vocals were a bit muddy, so I couldn't really make out some songs. The guitars and the drums were very solid, tho- the almost nonstop drumming was relentlessly forcing me to rock. The select few clean leads definitely sounded the best. The energy of the band and the crowd (along with some alcohol) along with friends  and not working made this a surprisingly  fun show. I'm a casual Havok fan, but this was the best of the two times I've seen them. And maybe the energetic thrash after the 2 Doom shows (Black Sabbath, Pentagram) kicked things into gear, too.

Photos:

Animas
Havok
HavokII
Havok again!

Setlists:

Warlitner (8:15- 8:45)
  • ?
  • ?
  • Intoxicated
  • Unstoppable
  • Volcano of Fire

Animas (9:09- 9:45) (updated 8/9/2013  as per the band!)
  • Societal Sanity
  •  Untitled
  •  Requiem for Indescretion
  •  The Following
  • Vanquish
  • Tornado of Souls (Megadeth cover)

Havok (9:52- 10:53)


  • (Unknown)
  • (Unknown)
  • Scumbag in Disguise
  • (Unknown)
  • I Am the State
  • (Unknown)
  • D.O.A.
  • Unnatural Selection
  • (Unknown)
  • Time Is Up

  • (Unknown)  

 (Note: Setlist.fm has other dates with the below, and it is possible that the songs missing are the ones below. I swear I heard Time is Up before the encore!)


  • Covering Fire
  • Point of No Return
  • Give Me Liberty...or Give Me Death
  • Scumbag in Disguise
  • Under the Gun
  • I Am the State
  • From the Cradle to the Grave
  • D.O.A.
  • Unnatural Selection
  • Afterburner
  • Time Is Up

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