Exodus, Goatwhore, Arsis, Warbringer Played B.B. King's [2/4/08]

by crustcake gerf (photos by Jesse Angelo)


[Warbringer]

We've had a hard-on for Warbringer for awhile around here. Last night, I raced over to B.B. King's after work to catch them in their early (7pm, sharp!) opening slot on an Exodus-headlined bill. They didn't blow me away, but these kids are young-- like really young-- and it was obvious that they were still kind of in awe of the whole thing-- being on tour, being signed to Century Media, sharing the stage with fucking Exodus, man! They were a little stiff, a bit uncomfortable, but they showed potential. No, more than that-- they showed promise. Give 'em a couple years and they'll be the poster children of the thrash revival.


[Goatwhore]

Goatwhore brought their blackened death metal to the stage last night as well and were the unexpected highlight of the show. They were much more compelling live than on tape, and I find myself wondering if bassist Nathan Bergeron's gothic getup had at least something to do with it. I mean, c'mon, that shit's fucking metal. Like, literally.


[Exodus]

As for Exodus... well, musically they were phenomenal-- in the technique department they blew the rest of the field out of the water. In fact, they were so good that I almost-- almost-- turned the other cheek when vocalist Rob Dukes went off on a Bill-O-inspired rant, but when he said outright "fuck the Middle East" I found myself leaving the venue in disgust.

I mean, Dukes seems like an alright dude, and was well within his rights to say something like that-- racist though it may be-- but it just doesn't sit well with me. I wonder how the other guys in Exodus, two of which have been in the band 25 years longer than Dukes, feel about his outwardly bigoted comments.


[Exodus]

Political junk aside, Exodus lived up to their reputation. Despite their age, they weren't the least bit jaded and collectively they had more energy than a college freshman with a six pack of Red Bull and a bottle of Ritalin during exam week. Go see this band, just ignore Rob Dukes if he starts preaching.

Mike Conte and Pete Macy of Brooklyn's Early Man were also at last night's show:



So Rob Dukes was prairie doggin' up there on stage? Maybe that had something to do with his attitude...

Early Man are playing at the Knitting Factory in New York this Saturday with Hull, who are also from Brooklyn. Watch the rest of Early Mike's video blogs right here.

[MP3] Goatwhore - "Alchemy of the Black Sun Cult"

Warbringer's debut full-length, War Without End, is out today.

Warbringer [MySpace] [MP3]
War Without End [Amazon]