I found out about this gig the day before it took place. It
was a fun Friday night, enhanced by a good crowd turnout.
I haven’t seen Stellitius since SummerFest 2012, so I was
looking forward to seeing them again. The set began with a touch of
theatricality; recorded growls in a language I couldn’t distinguish played over
the PA. The experience of the band was evident by their tight performance and
ability to keep going despite glitches – a string snapped on the bassist/vocalist’s
guitar, which left the band without bass and vocals for two songs. Both guitarists played solos, each showing
technicality combined with a composed stage presence. I enjoyed the dynamic
basslines coming from the powerful vocalist. The audience enjoyed the
headbang-inducing grooves, with one young woman getting especially into the
music and air-drumming enthusiastically throughout the first half of the set. At
the end of the set, the vocalist announced that Stellitius will be releasing an
album in the first half of the year, which I look forward to.
Barring their Rock The River 2011/2012 performance, I have
struggled to fully enjoy a Marching Dead set. Not because of any lack of polish
– they are technically brilliant – but because of the strange atmosphere
induced during their sets. By strange atmosphere I mean a vocalist who gives
off a conceited air, which can alienate some audience members. This time, I
think that the vocalist/bassist (usually vocalist/guitarist) got the balance
between stage presence and full-blown ego right this time. I enjoyed Marching
Dead’s set, particularly their original number Demon Song, their cover of Black Sabbath’s Heaven And Hell and their cover of Judas Priest’s Painkiller. Vocalist Igor Crous managed
the falsetto on the latter admirably, putting his own stamp on the song with a
King Diamondlike sound. Both the covers I mentioned were excellent because of
the way the band put their own spin on the songs while still staying true to
the originals.
I hope that the gig circuit will see a little more of
Stellitius in the future, and that Marching Dead will continue to be as
enjoyable as they were that night.
No comments:
Post a Comment