Dec
21
21
Chemlab/Skeleton Key/Cyanotic in Baltimore
In the final days of their Detonation Days tour, their first tour in more than eight years, machine rock heroes Chemlab faced quite a dilemma when it came time to perform in Baltimore. The show that took place at Sonar on Thursday, December 13th, 2007 almost didn't happen due to the unfortunate circumstance of supporting act U.S.S.A.'s departure from the tour due to the illness of Duane Denison. Given that the lineup for the tour had now been reduced to three bands instead of four, with Chicago heirs to the coldwave throne Cyanotic joining the ranks for the last few dates of the tour, Sonar was concerned that there would be a less than suitable turnout. Thankfully, the show went ahead as scheduled, and despite U.S.S.A.'s absence, the trio of Cyanotic, Skeleton Key, and Chemlab put on a show to remember for the small but enthusiastic Baltimore crowd.
Starting the proceedings was Cyanotic, presenting their glitched out brand of aggressive industrial/metal infused with drum & bass, power noise, and all points in between. Known for their almost constantly rotating lineup of players, sharing the stage with founder and vocalist Sean Payne and mainstay guitarist Chris Hryniewiecki were Boston's Dave Schjolden on keyborg (Cyanotic's requisite robotic keyboard stand) and Adrian White on drums, best known for his work with Strapping Young Lad, Dismantled, Front Line Assembly, and most recently The Silent Alarm. Stripped down to a four-piece for this show, Cyanotic put on as good a show as ever, blistering out their loud and raucous set list with all the fervor of an industrial jackhammer, starting with their ode to the medication generation, "Beta Blocker." While no new songs were included in the set, they put on a display of their best known songs from Transhuman, from the scathing paranoia of "Suspension of Disbelief," to the distorted industrial attack of "Deface," to the drum & bass assault of "Order Out of Chaos." Payne belts out his un-effected growl with enough raw power to send most metal singers running in terror, while White's live drums added a new layer of organic quality to the band's synthetic audio torture. It was not the most elaborate stage production the Glitch Mode Squad have performed, lacking the projections and light show histrionics of their more recent shows, but Cyanotic certainly instilled enough anticipation for the main event, and got the audience off to a brutally engaging start.
Next up was New York City's Skeleton Key, a quartet whose fusion of indie rock and classic industrial would certainly confound many first time listeners, but with so dynamic a stage show, they would surely make a few instant fans. With Erik Sanko performing vocal and bass guitar duties, Craig LeBlang on guitars, and Bob Vaccarelli.on drums, they would at first glance appear to be an ordinary rock band, but with the addition of Benjamin Clapp playing behind an assorted array of metallic pipes, cymbals, and even an oxygen tank, the band take on the persona of a punk rock version of Einstürzende Neubauten. More often than not, it was difficult not to gaze upon Clapp's frantic bashing of various objects, forming a blistering cacophony of percussion that most bands relegate to electronic samples these days. Not to be outshined, LeBlang often partook in creating his own clanging affectations on the guitar, adding to the noisome onslaught that was only brought down by Sanko's vocals; not that his performance wasn't up to par, but rather that his voice at times didn't mesh well with the music. Of course, this has more to do with personal taste than anything, and at the very least, he performed to the best of his abilities. Also notable was during one song in which Clapp stepped down from the stage, walking circles around the audience as he performed a trombone solo, made more visually intriguing by the searchlight attachment to the rather unorthodox instrument (unorthodox for industrial music anyway). Displaying a wide range of influences reminiscent of everything from Nick Cave to The Presidents of the United States of America to Beck and back to Neubauten, Skeleton Key made quite an impression with their performance, as if determined not to be overlooked in the presence of legends such as the headlining band.
Finally, the moment that many have been waiting eight years to happen, Chemlab took the stage. One look at front man Jared Louche decked out in his cowboy hat and strutting and jumping around the stage like an industrialized version of Mick Jagger (to use Sean Payne's analogy), and you know you're in for a hell of a performance. With Gabriel Shaw (mindFIELD) and Rick "MindCage" Furr (Mindless Faith) on guitars, Jim McAndrew (Milquetoast) on bass, and Jason Bazinet (of SMP) on drums, as well as Wade Alin (Christ Analogue) on the soundboard, Chemlab's performance was a star-studded event in which they performed virtually all of the band's best known hits, beginning with "Exile on Mainline." Watching the band play so many beloved songs with nothing but smiles on their faces, it was clear that they not only ran as a tight-knit unit but were enjoying themselves just as much as the crowd. The audience reaction could not be stronger, with plenty of moshing, jumping, thrashing about, and lots of shouting along as Jared belted out his vitriolic vocals with as much energy as a teenage rock star. Other songs included in the set list included "Vera Blue," "Blunt Force Trauma," "21st Century," "Codeine, Glue, & You," "White Room, Black Eye," and "Rivet Head," with Payne even joining them on stage as they tackle "Suicide Jag," which Cyanotic recently covered on MOMT Records' Chemlab tribute. In lieu of an encore, Louche even spoke about his eight years of sobriety, claiming that performing for the audience was a more powerful and satisfying experience for him than any substance, continuing the show for a few more songs before collapsing to the ground amid adoring fans as they surrounded him, joining in the ending shouts as the veritable noise poet held out the mic for all to participate. Seeing Chemlab put on such an electric show was not only refreshing for a scene in danger of falling into stagnation and boredom, but also heightens the anticipation for a new album... we can only hope.
If one ever needed proof of Chemlab's power and influence on the industrial music scene, this particular Thursday night in Baltimore was it! Several years after their return, and still facing some derision from longtime fans for the absence of founding member Dylan Thomas More, considering it to be a mere backup band for what has become a Jared Louche solo project, Chemlab still know how to put on a show for fans of machine rock, with all the corrosive distortion and chainsaw sequences one could want. In the end, Chemlab is an entity unto itself, more than the sum of its parts. Cyanotic alone are a testament to Chemlab's significance in the modern underground, and while Skeleton Key may seem at first glance and listen to be out-of-place given their more avant-garde approach, their inclusion in the lineup certainly serves as an indication of the sense of community once inherent in industrial music when Chemlab were in their heyday. While it would have been nice to see U.S.S.A. on the bill, their absence did nothing to hinder the raucous display of coldwave energy put on this night.
Starting the proceedings was Cyanotic, presenting their glitched out brand of aggressive industrial/metal infused with drum & bass, power noise, and all points in between. Known for their almost constantly rotating lineup of players, sharing the stage with founder and vocalist Sean Payne and mainstay guitarist Chris Hryniewiecki were Boston's Dave Schjolden on keyborg (Cyanotic's requisite robotic keyboard stand) and Adrian White on drums, best known for his work with Strapping Young Lad, Dismantled, Front Line Assembly, and most recently The Silent Alarm. Stripped down to a four-piece for this show, Cyanotic put on as good a show as ever, blistering out their loud and raucous set list with all the fervor of an industrial jackhammer, starting with their ode to the medication generation, "Beta Blocker." While no new songs were included in the set, they put on a display of their best known songs from Transhuman, from the scathing paranoia of "Suspension of Disbelief," to the distorted industrial attack of "Deface," to the drum & bass assault of "Order Out of Chaos." Payne belts out his un-effected growl with enough raw power to send most metal singers running in terror, while White's live drums added a new layer of organic quality to the band's synthetic audio torture. It was not the most elaborate stage production the Glitch Mode Squad have performed, lacking the projections and light show histrionics of their more recent shows, but Cyanotic certainly instilled enough anticipation for the main event, and got the audience off to a brutally engaging start.
Next up was New York City's Skeleton Key, a quartet whose fusion of indie rock and classic industrial would certainly confound many first time listeners, but with so dynamic a stage show, they would surely make a few instant fans. With Erik Sanko performing vocal and bass guitar duties, Craig LeBlang on guitars, and Bob Vaccarelli.on drums, they would at first glance appear to be an ordinary rock band, but with the addition of Benjamin Clapp playing behind an assorted array of metallic pipes, cymbals, and even an oxygen tank, the band take on the persona of a punk rock version of Einstürzende Neubauten. More often than not, it was difficult not to gaze upon Clapp's frantic bashing of various objects, forming a blistering cacophony of percussion that most bands relegate to electronic samples these days. Not to be outshined, LeBlang often partook in creating his own clanging affectations on the guitar, adding to the noisome onslaught that was only brought down by Sanko's vocals; not that his performance wasn't up to par, but rather that his voice at times didn't mesh well with the music. Of course, this has more to do with personal taste than anything, and at the very least, he performed to the best of his abilities. Also notable was during one song in which Clapp stepped down from the stage, walking circles around the audience as he performed a trombone solo, made more visually intriguing by the searchlight attachment to the rather unorthodox instrument (unorthodox for industrial music anyway). Displaying a wide range of influences reminiscent of everything from Nick Cave to The Presidents of the United States of America to Beck and back to Neubauten, Skeleton Key made quite an impression with their performance, as if determined not to be overlooked in the presence of legends such as the headlining band.
Finally, the moment that many have been waiting eight years to happen, Chemlab took the stage. One look at front man Jared Louche decked out in his cowboy hat and strutting and jumping around the stage like an industrialized version of Mick Jagger (to use Sean Payne's analogy), and you know you're in for a hell of a performance. With Gabriel Shaw (mindFIELD) and Rick "MindCage" Furr (Mindless Faith) on guitars, Jim McAndrew (Milquetoast) on bass, and Jason Bazinet (of SMP) on drums, as well as Wade Alin (Christ Analogue) on the soundboard, Chemlab's performance was a star-studded event in which they performed virtually all of the band's best known hits, beginning with "Exile on Mainline." Watching the band play so many beloved songs with nothing but smiles on their faces, it was clear that they not only ran as a tight-knit unit but were enjoying themselves just as much as the crowd. The audience reaction could not be stronger, with plenty of moshing, jumping, thrashing about, and lots of shouting along as Jared belted out his vitriolic vocals with as much energy as a teenage rock star. Other songs included in the set list included "Vera Blue," "Blunt Force Trauma," "21st Century," "Codeine, Glue, & You," "White Room, Black Eye," and "Rivet Head," with Payne even joining them on stage as they tackle "Suicide Jag," which Cyanotic recently covered on MOMT Records' Chemlab tribute. In lieu of an encore, Louche even spoke about his eight years of sobriety, claiming that performing for the audience was a more powerful and satisfying experience for him than any substance, continuing the show for a few more songs before collapsing to the ground amid adoring fans as they surrounded him, joining in the ending shouts as the veritable noise poet held out the mic for all to participate. Seeing Chemlab put on such an electric show was not only refreshing for a scene in danger of falling into stagnation and boredom, but also heightens the anticipation for a new album... we can only hope.
If one ever needed proof of Chemlab's power and influence on the industrial music scene, this particular Thursday night in Baltimore was it! Several years after their return, and still facing some derision from longtime fans for the absence of founding member Dylan Thomas More, considering it to be a mere backup band for what has become a Jared Louche solo project, Chemlab still know how to put on a show for fans of machine rock, with all the corrosive distortion and chainsaw sequences one could want. In the end, Chemlab is an entity unto itself, more than the sum of its parts. Cyanotic alone are a testament to Chemlab's significance in the modern underground, and while Skeleton Key may seem at first glance and listen to be out-of-place given their more avant-garde approach, their inclusion in the lineup certainly serves as an indication of the sense of community once inherent in industrial music when Chemlab were in their heyday. While it would have been nice to see U.S.S.A. on the bill, their absence did nothing to hinder the raucous display of coldwave energy put on this night.
Chemlab, Baltimore, MD, December 13, 2007
Skeleton Key, Baltimore, MD, December 13, 2007
Cyanotic, Baltimore, MD, December 13, 2007
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