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A Taste of Extreme Divinity Tour With: Hypocrisy, Scar Symmetry, Hate, Blackguard and Swashbuckle
The Galaxy Theater: Santa Ana,CA 5.14.10 House of Blues Sunset Strip: Hollywood,CA 5.13.10 Even though the performance of some bands was plagued with technical difficulties at the Galaxy, the crowd made up for it big time. And to be quit honest, the venue in Santa Ana was packed full of metal heads which the HOB lacked the day prior; maybe because it was a Thursday night in LA, who knows.
While still outside and socializing with my friends and Jonas from Scar Symmetry I heard that BLACKGUARD took the stage. (On a side note, go to Scar Symmetry's MySpace site and check the picture with Jonas and his bike; which he rode everyday)
BLACKGUARD is best described as folk/pagan music with melodic death metal elements; this Montreal based sextet is no stranger of making sure everybody has a good time. I actually had the pleasure of seeing them live before and knew exactly what to expect.
The vocals have the clarity of Peter's (Vader) but are much deeper. ATF Sinner and Destroyer know how to keep it interesting; spewing out memorable riffs and constantly switching the pace all the while retaining the brutality of their music. Hexen dominated behind the kit, period! He constantly changed up his patterns with such great style. His drumming perfectly complimented the incredible guitar work, and Mortifer's bass tied it all together. The crowd rewarded them with relentless head banging, nonstop moshing in the pit and a sea of fists and devil horns. I already liked the song Omega before, but fell in love with it hearing it live.
Mark my words, this newest import from Poland will give their countrymen Behemoth and Vader a run for their money, and I can't wait to see them live again.
By the time I finished my drink, had another smoke and socialized a bit more it was time for Sweden's SCAR SYMMETRY. Not that getting the stage ready for the co-headliner went fast, but those of you who know me in real life know that I am a huge “socializer”.
The entire band has so much energy on stage it is unreal; no one is standing still. They just love playing live and it shows in their performance. I am pretty sure that Lars and Roberth won the audience over with their ability to intertwine their vocals.
The setlist was really good, oldies but goodies and songs from their newest album; The Illusionist, Pitch Black Progress and Noumenon and Phenomenon just to name a few. Fans were singing along with almost every song and everybody was enjoying themselves. SCAR SYMMETRY is coming back later this year as support for EPICA, so if you missed them on this tour, you will have another change to see them.
Then it was finally time for the headliner HYPOCRISY to show the Santa Ana metal heads what it really was all about. I haven't seen them in a few years and was glad I was able to see them again, because this awesome tour bypassed the Rocky Mountain region, namely Denver.
HYPOCRISY was as strong and energetic as ever. The guys played each song with such precision, while still head banging and shaking those long hairs all over the place; a sight that was a delight to watch.
Peter showed his fans that the proof is in the pudding. His vocals were a class act that night and I don't even have to mention his guitar playing. Horgh was the machine behind the kit and was complimented properly by Mikael on bass and Tomas (Sanctification) as the second guitarist.
HYPOCRISY Valley of the Damned, Weed Out The Weak and Hang Him High from the new album, and also the crowd pleasers like The Final Chapter, Killing Art and Warpath. Kick ass is the wording that best describes their performance and I'm pretty sure everybody went home satisfied.
Artist Info:
Review and photos by Birgit Haugen
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