VITAL REMAINS, UNMERCIFUL, KILL THE CLIENT, DISFIGURED, AYASOLTEC, MANIFESTATION

Over the last couple weeks, New Jersey death metal veterans VITAL REMAINS have taken to the road, hitting venues all across America with THE ABSENCE, UNMERCYFUL, and KILL THE CLIENT. The show in Austin, Texas faced a number of problems. One issue the band faced concerned their touring mates, Metal Blade recording artist THE ABSENCE. Due to problems with bookies, THE ABSENCE decided to forego the tour (the remaining bands were not happy about this decision). This show was also originally slated to play in San Antonio, but the club recently closed, so it was moved to Red 7 in Austin. Red 7 is gaining a reputation as Austin’s “metal bar.” Considering this town is dubbed “the live music capital of the world”, the town needs to have a least one venue for metal.

In addition to three touring acts, the crowd was treated to some of Texas’ finest local extreme metal. MANIFESTATION donned the stage first. Like many bands that open a concert, the group suffered from sound issues. What one fan described as “Jesus Saves era SUFFOCATION” was marred by a murky sound. Also, because all three opening bands shared a drum kit, the drums seemed set up improperly. The snare drum especially sounded poor. Each band member appeared young, so their sound was under developed. However, their youth should play to their advantage. The more this group gigs, the more their music will mature. The group displayed much energy, especially their drummer who proved that women can bash a drum kit, too.

Next up was another local talent, AYASOLTEC. This power trio was quite impressive with their MORBID ANGEL-like sound and theme. Their sound is characterized by rolling, sludgy riffs, constant double bass and cymbal work and death growls. The guitarist, in particular, displayed a high level of skill and professional musicianship. He had a knack for creating memorable riffs. Pedal effects added a layer to the lone guitar sound. Much like their neighbors to the south—HACAVITZ and THE CHASM (originally from Mexico), one could say they are Latin America's answer to MORBID ANGEL. The musical style is similar as are the lyrics to MORBID ANGEL; just substitute ancient Mayan and Aztec gods for the “Necronomicon” entities.

Once DISFIGURED took the stage, the crowd’s energy level began to rise, partially due to the Pit Bulls. Wearing identifying t-shirts, the Pit Bulls are an organization of serious moshers who really know how work a pit. DISFIGURED played a brand of blasting, death/grind that was fast and heavy enough to get the Bulls running. Their style was nothing out of the norm; they just played tight, unabashed death metal. Like Corporate Death of MACABRE, the guitarist contorted his face psychotically, which was fun to watch. The bassist from AYASOLTEC pulled double duty for this band.

Now that the local acts warmed up the crowd, it was time for the touring bands to hit the stage. First up was Dallas-based KILL THE CLIENT. Having never heard this band, I didn’t know what to expect. These guys totally wrecked the joint. Right from the first note, they assaulted the crowd with unrelenting grind blasts. In true grindcore fashion, the band flew through each song. Each song lasted two minutes, at the most. Barking warnings of government corruption and secret societies, their singer terrorized the stage. When a man of his stature—stocky build, bald head, and thick beard—speaks, people tend to listen. As entertaining as the singer was, the drummer was even more impressive. He never halted the speed, constantly blasting away at an exceptional rate of beats. The whole scenario brought to mind watching NAPALM DEATH during the Lee Dorian period or TERRORIZER during the days of “World Downfall.” These guys have CDs out on Relapse and Willowtip. Check them out. They will blow you’re fucking mind!

KILL THE CLIENT's potent act is definitely a tough act to follow, but UNMERCIFUL proved more than able. Although this is the second major tour for this group (they hit the road with CANNIBLE CORPSE, NECROPHAGIST and DYING FETUS prior to this tour), they are still a relatively unknown entity. Any fan that saw them on this tour or with CANNIBLE CORPSE, has probably been won over, though. Simply put, the group plays brutal death metal. Their style draws inspiration from the mosh-worthy sound of DYING FETUS, although “Pierced From Within” Suffocation style appears to be their biggest influence, which was proved during their excellent cover of “Catatonia” by…you guessed it, SUFFOCATION! Other coronary delights included “Unmercifully Broken,” Cast to Flames” and the shit-splattering classic, “Shotgun Sodomy.” The singer displayed deep, yet lyrically-discernable growls. He had an awesome stage presence, swirling his hair and pushing his vocals to their limit. Their catchy rhythms are sure to be embedded in the crowd's mind for quite some time to come!

Those expecting Glen Benton of DEICIDE to lend his trademark satanic bellows may have been disappointed. A band member informed me Benton was at home dealing with personal issues. More incredulous was Benton sitting out DEICIDE's recent European trek. VITAL REMAINS looked to Damien Voyton of DESOLATION to fill in as blasphemous front man. Even though he had mighty big shoes to fill, Voyton did a commendable job. Voyton’s voice doesn’t hit the deep lows like Benton, so he corrected this by adding more screams, which in turn took a noticeable toll on his voice near the end of the show. The fans did not seem to notice, though, due to his charismatic stage presence. As evidenced by his countenance, Voyton genuinely felt what he was singing.

VITAL REMAINS opened their set with “Where is your God Now?” This track is the intro to their latest album “Icons of Evil.” Exactly like the album, they went right into the title track. Watching the solos and harmonies makes for a great argument that this song is the band at its utmost best. Founding member, Tony Lazaro’s guitar heroics show why the band has lasted fifteen years. Playing his signature Beast NT B.C. Rich (with lighted numbers 666), he finds the perfect balance between harmony and brutality. Lazaro and VITAL REMAINS mainstay, Dave Suzuki (who laid down both the drums and guitars on their album) showed great chemistry. The group as a whole showed great chemistry, considering they called on the services of musicians outside of the band for the tour (the bassist, drummer, and singer).

The set list for the night was lifted entirely from their last two, Glen Benton-led albums. Some of the highlights of their set include “Hammer Down the Nails,” “Dechristianize,” “Devoured Elysium,” “Savior to None,” and “Failure for All.” Undoubtedly “Dechristianize” and “Icons of Evil” feature material that is more familar to the audience Both albums were released via Century Media, while their older material was released on cult, underground labels like Osmose and Moribund.

Overall, the show was fantastic. The sound system was clear and loud (for a venue so small). All the bands played well, and mostly had a good sound. Other than some ass wipe cowardly clocking the singer from UNMERCIFUL in the head with a beer bottle, everything was fine. I was even fortunate enough to talk to DYING FETUS drummer, Duane Timlin between bands. He was more than two sheets to the wind; he was about ten sheets to the wind. As I was walking away, he blew chunks all over the bar. I didn’t see any fetuses in the contents, but he sure left quite the pile of bile on the bar. Pictures of his wretched stomach contents and other death metal happenings will soon be available for viewing in the “Gallery” section.