Show Review: Greber w/Orchid's Curse
Friday, January 21st, 2011 @ Coconut Grove10pm / $7.00
GREBER (Feat. members of Fuck the Facts and The Great Sabitini)
http://www.myspace.com/grebermetal
ORCHID'S CURSE
http://www.myspace.com/orchidscurse
WE'RE DOOMED
http://www.myspace.com/weredoomedmusic
SOVIET CROWBEAK
http://www.myspace.com/sovietcrowbeak
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http://redtentacle.ca/
http://diminishedfifthreco
Review by Dan Nightingale
Soviet Crowbeak are an easy band to misunderstand. Their set started off with little fan fare and dove right into the tight as fuck technical metal. When they finally broke into a groove on about the 5th song or so it was a sweet relief and it felt like you worked for it. Soviet Crowbeak take tiny slices of metal cliches and stretch and warp them and then beat them into submission. Once again there wasn't a lot of energy or even awareness of an audience coming off the stage, but to be fair these guys are whipping through a lot of fast technical stuff so it's understandable. A reverb soaked scream here or their might help bridge the gap with the audience a little, but they still put everything they had into the music so I can't fault them for that.
Video:
I had briefly seen the second band of the evening, We're Doomed, at the Kestrels CD release a while back, but I didn't catch much of their set. I was able to get a much closer listen this time. The band really has a lot more depth than I had previously assumed; poppy hardcore with dynamic breakdowns and two handled tapping ala the Mars Volta is one major aspect, but they were throwing aspects of indie, post-rock, metal, and plenty of new ideas into the mix as well. I really wish the singer would have stopped walking in front of the speakers with the mic, though. Protip: don't put your fucking drink it front of the speaker stack. You're just pissing off the sound guy and that's not going to help get your band across to the audience any better.
Also, "pacing" is not a cool stage move. Think of something else. Other than the front man seeming pretty disconnected from the band, I was pretty impressed with these guys, and I'm looking forward to seeing them again and hearing an album – I think these guys could be a big thing.
Video:
How many amps does one bass player need? At least 3, if that band is Greber. That's almost one amp per string - and it's always a good sign in my books when you have more amps than members. Needless to say, Greber was loud and thick and heavy to the max. Deep distorted bass assaulted the solar plexus while non stop drums pounded away intense beat after beat. Top with guttural growls and screams and you have Greber in a nutshell. The Coconut Grove light show was comically out of place but Greber satisfied every primal urge any good metalhead could have. I for one could have tolerated even more bass, but the structural foundations of old Halifax buildings can only stand so much.
Video:
The Orchid's Curse are the kind of band who play better and sound better on their worst day than a lot of bands sound at their peak. As always they put on a show full of ripping solos, insane vocal range, two handed bass tapping, and plenty of jumping, moshing, swinging, and a tray of shots at the end.Though it is harder to enjoy the show when you have to keep one eye open for any errant flying meatheads that might get flung your way.
There was much crowd participation for the singalong refrain of their upcoming music video release, which I'm told looks amazing – we can't wait to see it, so rest assure you'll see it here as soon as it's released.
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