Red Fang, Black Mastiff, We Hunt Buffalo at The Venue – October 8th 2014

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The Venue – October 8th 2014 

Vancouverites seem to have a fond liking for Portland and lately everything that has been popping out of its crispy, sweet, music filled city. Red Fang is no exception and people flocked to see them perform at The Venue on a Wednesday night.

We Hunt Buffalo started off the evening right with some awesome rocking tunes. This Vancouver based stoner rock threesome cover their riffs with enough fuzz to make your ears turn into peaches. No complaining here.

Black Mastiff might be a breed of a dog but it’s also a name of an awesome soulful rock band from Edmonton. Ruled by the bass and drums, Black Mastiff created groovy 70’s inspired songs soaked in gritty guitar and it had me swooning, literally.

Red Fang was up on stage in a matter of minutes after Black Mastiff finished their set and Red Fang set up their gear. No rock star status here.  They continued on in their humble tradition of shaking hands with each other before getting into it. The comradery of this band seeps into the community of fans they attain. A down to earth band playing good old heavy metal infused the crowd on Wednesday and had people shouting out the lyrics to “No Hope”.  “Doen” was played and people got the heavy sound they so desperately wanted and moshing ensued. Several folks found their way to the stage to crowd dive and subsequently someone hit the lead vocalist, Aaron Beam, in the mouth but it didn’t faze him and he kept singing. Crusty and catchy, David Sullivan started the “Wires” opening riff and the excitement of the crowd started to build. Aaron’s beautiful singing lead to the crescendo of the evening and consequently to my ears ringing.

By Serena Navarro

Thanks to The Skinny Magazine for publishing this live review.

Pallbearer -2010 Demo released on vinyl

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20 Buck Spin

Heavy metal vinyl collectors rejoice! Pallbearer, an American doom metal band from Little Rock, Arkansas, just released their 2010 Demo on vinyl for the first time via 20 Buck Spin. It features an early rendition of “Devoid of Redemption” and “The Legend” both of which appear on their 2012 breakout Sorrow and Extinction. Alongside those tracks is a cover of the infamous “Gloomy Sunday” written by Hungarian composer Rezső Seress in 1933.

Beautifully packaged, the cover art for the demo was done by longtime collaborator, Animetalphysical, while Mike Lawrence, whose striking black and white artwork is marked by strong lines depicting death and nature themes, did the B-side etching. At first listen, the demo is more emotional and guttural than the tracks heard on Sorrow…, an invigorating change. The guitars are loud, deep and distorted. Brett Campbell’s voice is fresh and soaring. That said there are subtle differences between the demo and polished songs of Sorrow and Extinction such as the missing echo of lyrics in “Devoid of Redemption,” which detract from the song. In a great addition, there are shouting vocals on the demo. Finishing up, Pallbearer does a marvelous job of infusing even more sorrow and pain into “Gloomy Sunday,” the song also known as the “Hungarian Suicide Song.” All told, the release does doom metal aficionados justice.

By Serena Navarro

Thanks to Beatroute for providing the album to review.