Napalm Death + Voivod + Exhumed + Iron Reagan @ Club Soda

Presented by Extensive Enterprise

Loud Guitars with a Feeling

This one was a thrasher to be remembered. It provided hours of entertainment, and there was wall-to-wall moshing throughout the night. I was particularly looking forward to seeing Voivod, as I have not seen that band before despite owning a number of their earlier albums. I'm a big fan of their first three or four albums, as they brought new rhythms and sounds to the thrash metal style and influenced extreme metal in a big way. Napalm Death were also looked forward to, as their albums have enthralled me for years, even the ones from the mid-to-late nineties that nobody likes. Either way, this an evening packed with quality.

Iron Reagan is newer project from members of Darkest Hour and Municipal Waste. They helped set the stage for the evening with a set of brief, up-tempo numbers that invoked images of the 1980s American hardcore and metal underground. Front man Tony Foresta entertained the crowd between songs with some amusing banter, including telling the audience that he didn't want to meet any of their kids, because they were more than likely to be a bunch of assholes. It was some pretty tight stuff, and I would watch it again.

Exhumed were up next. I've seen these guys before, but this time their stage show was a little more elaborate than the last time I saw them. It included beheadings, severed heads being placed in a microwave, and a crazed, blood-stained surgeon wielding a chainsaw. They played through a bunch of their newer material, as well as classics such as "Open the Abscess" and "Necromaniac". It was song after song of fine goregrind. It was great seeing this band once again, and I would definitely go another time when they come back.

Voivod were a great time live. They started off their set with "Ripping Headaches", and continued to plough through their set with songs both old and new. One thing I took away from this performance is how understated Away's drumming is presented on their albums. It always seems to be mixed in such a way that it is easily not noticed, but here in the live arena, his creativity as a drummer truly shines. There are a lot of interesting rhythms that he uses in the songs that mesh with the guitars in different ways. One highlight for me was their rendition of "Voivod", the opening song from their debut War and Pain. Everyone chanted along with chorus, and it was a great feeling in the air to behold. Good stuff.

Napalm Death were absolutely awesome. They played a number of tracks from their newest album Apex Predator: Easy Meat, and they also performed crowd favorites such as "Scum", "Walls of Confinement", "Unchallenged Hate", and "Suffer the Children". I think the mosh pit was the most voluminous it had been all night for this set. People were going crazy with circle-pitting, slam dancing, and just general thrashing about. Vocalist Barney Greenway<.strong> talked to the crowd as a long-serving comrade, and the crowd roared with approval each time he spoke. It was distorted madness and brutality for a good hour, and I can't wait to see this band again.

--Sean Z. hosts the Sublime State Of Doom, only the heaviest and most brutal metal every Monday from 8 to 9 PM on CJLO.