Old National Center was the place to be this past Sunday night for goofy, irreverent metal acts and an overall enjoyable night out. The sold-out show attracted numerous fans who dressed up and painted their faces, and didn’t take anything too seriously.
They’ll Bite Off Your Face if You’re up to No Good
Nekrogoblikon is nothing short of pure absurdity. The five-piece melodic death metal band, hailing from Santa Barbara, has got to be one of the most ridiculous (in the best way!) openers I’ve ever seen, with one of the highest levels of crowd engagement as well. For those like me who were heretofore unfamiliar, Nekrogoblikon’s focus in music and on stage is…well, it’s goblins and green and overall foolish ghoulishness. There are two main vocalists, “John Goblikon” and Dickie Allen, the latter of whom primarily screams.
A fair few people were definitely there specifically to see this band perform, including several friends we bumped into (shoutout to Andy and Lindsey!)
Musically, the band is proficient, but obviously the main attraction is the goofy goblin onstage, who cracked jokes between songs and made the 30 minute sent fly by too quickly.
Those who don’t like screamo bands will still enjoy their live performances, as the goblin pantomimes and preens around the stage until it is his turn to sing or speak.
These guys absolutely deserve their own tour, or at least longer sets!
With the Force of a Dragon We Will Conquer Them All!
Here to promote their newly released album, Warp Speed Warriors, Dragonforce transitioned everyone to the nerdy as hell part of the evening. Best known to me as the band with the song from Guitar Hero 3 that I have refused to ever attempt under any circumstances (“Through the Fire and Flames”, anyone??), this British power metal group’s music can best be described as epic and euphoric. The stage setup included two gigantic inflatable dragons, tons of aesthetic fog, and two towering arcade cabinets that doubled as risers. There were several notable points in the set, including the crowd yeeting around a giant stuffed chicken during the Legend of Zelda-themed song, “Power of the Triforce”, and frantic covers of Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” (minus the pennywhistle solo L) and Taylor Swift’s “Wildest Dreams”.
The band did take a brief pause towards the end of their set as an audience member towards the front of the room went down and lead guitarist Herman Li halted everything until he knew the fan was safely removed from the venue and in the care of a medical professional. There have been accidents at just a few other shows I have attended, but I always appreciate seeing band members taking the time to ensure the safety and well-being of individuals at their shows.
The set obviously had to finish off with “Through the Fire and Flames”, with vocalist Marc Hudson ribbing fans about how many plastic guitar controllers were smashed in retribution of this song.
The Duncan Hills Awake You from a Thousand Deaths
This is the first and potentially only time I can say that I have attended a concert of a fictional band. For those who don’t know, Dethklok isn’t real and Dethklok can’t hurt you. All jokes aside, the entire concept of this doom metal band originates from the Adult Swim series Metalocalypse, and on tour is comprised a series of animated videos with accompanying live music. The actual performers are in silhouette basically the entire show, which forces main focus on the visuals.
The show started off with “Deththeme”, literally the theme song of the TV show. It also introduced us to the five animated band members: vocalist Nathan Explosion, lead guitarist Skwisgaar Skwigelf, rhythm guitarist Toki Wartooth, bassist William Murderface, and drummer Pickles (No last name).
The premise of this show was fun and enjoyable, especially since I did watch episodes of the series here and there in high school and college. However, it was at this point in the evening where I almost wished that there was an option to sit, but I think a major reason was that we had to both watch and listen to get the most out of being there. I found myself getting dizzy a couple of times while trying to simultaneously nod my head to the music AND focus on the giant screen in front of me.
A notable point in the evening included “Concert Tips with FaceBones”, which were video shorts featuring the titular, anthropomorphic band logo. These regarded practicing basic hygiene so as not to offend fellow concert-goers, as well as a cheeky yet cautionary message discouraging fans from imbibing in more drugs or alcohol than they know they can handle.
Creator Brendon Small has put so much time and effort into this project since 2007 and it shows. Metalocalypse has not been on the air for some time now, but the Egyptian Room still managed to easily sell out.
The Good
-This was a very fun and unique concert experience, especially with how Dethklok’s set is structured.
-The di-(tri-?)chotomy of the bands’ sounds and stage presentations
The Not-As-Good
-Nekrogoblikon’s set was so short!