Lynora:  Well Lynora, it’s great to have this moment to speak to you about Swashbuckle.

Lynora: Indeed.

Lynora: So, who wants to be a pirate?

Lynora: Well, Lynora, the answer is simple, with such a great rewards program, “Who doesn’t want to be a pirate?” is the more appropriate question.  I hear you get the pillaging and ransacking double pay, and the 401k is phenomenal.  Can’t find a mate?  The pirate law allows you to steal one, and best yet if she starts to get lippy, I hear they have this plank program.  I’ll look into it.

Lynora: So why do you think it’s taken this long to combine metal with pirates?

Lynora: Simple Lynora, while if you’re metal you are a certified badass, possibly get tattooed, pierced, punched in mosh pits, and drunk at bars, but, there is no 401k, the girls find you sweaty and all have dates this Friday with successful businessmen, the pay scale is substantially lower, and there is no double pay for frikkin anything.  But Swashbuckle, they’ve cherry picked their benefits, and clearly they are on to something here…

August 17, 2010

Report, Photos & Drawing by: Lynora

Mutiny Within’s fans were ecstatic to see them play live.  While there were no pits, the crowd sang and screamed back nearly every word to these guys.  Despite their first full length album release being their 2010’s self titled debut, Mutiny Within has been in progress since 2002, doing the entrance music for WWE high flyer Evan Bourne and God of War: Blood and Metal single “The End”.  Their skill is matched only by their eagerness to speak with their fans.  In astonishment, I watched the drummer explain in great detail his entire custom setup to the fan in front of me, giving him the set list and telling him to come by and hang out with them later.  By the merch booths, Mutiny Within laid in wait and spoke to the multitude of fans.  Each fan came to talk, compliment, and enjoy discussing music with the band.  Their years of experience were apparent in their well-executed playing.  The singer was incredibly versatile, as is the rest of their sound.  They appeal to a large array of metal listeners, melodic metal usually does.  But, for me at the end of the day, it was their interest and love of their fans that was so very impressive and intriguing to see.

Soilwork & Death Angel: Panic Over North America Tour - 2010

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I was merrily rowing my boat when Swashbuckle boarded my deck and dragged me kicking and screaming to Gramercy Theater, July 16^th.  Their threads were impressive, their bass player even moreso.  “X Marks the Spot” marked my submission and I could no longer resist the urge to enjoy these guys.  The perfect combination of death metal, (a few times I thought it was Mike DiSalvo, former singer of Cryptopsy, up there) thrash metal, and punk, these skilled musicians outfits will have you thinking gimmick -- until you hear them play.  This power trio, led by an Admiral that I would follow anywhere, has three of the best performers and showman I’ve seen in a long time.  With the bass quality of D.D Verni, Admiral Nobeard’s bass pops out such crisp jaw dropping lines.   Commodore Redrum’s guitar skills and lines are equally impressive, and, well, I’d walk his plank any day.  As for the “new” member, Bootman Collin’s on drums, he keeps the chaos at bay, holding down the percussion with gusto and a smile.  Thank you Swashbuckle, for finally I can truthfully say, something good has come out of Red Lobster.

Augury was working their asses off up there but… no one seemed to notice, or to care.  It made my brain hurt watching the crowd’s reactions that night.  In fairness, Augury did not belong on this tour, not because of their skill, but because Augury is grimy impenetrable death/extreme metal.  Full of experimentation and willing to take risks, being on a thrash metal bill did not work in their favor.  Also, guys, get a new sound guy, hearing you play was impossibly difficult.  Hearing zero vocals, and minimal guitars, if I didn’t watch Patrick Loisel’s hands work I would have heard only Sebastian Pittet’s astounding bass riffs.  If there was some balance and I thusly could have figured out what was going on, I would have much more to say about Augury.  A second listen is in order.  And hopefully it will be at a death metal festival or even with some grindcore bands.

Lead singer, Mark Osegueda, put it better then I could have.  “We came to kick your motherfucking asses.  Where you get in a fight, and at the end your like, Man! That motherfucker can hit!”  Playing tracks like “Lord of Hate” and “Buried Alive” Death Angel did just that.  Maintaining a true trash metal sound, the guitarists Rob Cavestany and Ted Aguilar are a pleasure to watch and to hear together.  Damien Sissom adds a nice intensity to the guitars, both audibly and visually, and Will Carroll has taken over the percussion with finesse.  Death Angel continues to set the standard for performing and creating what I believe to be true thrash metal.  Death Angel is a live band.  And live, by far, Death Angel has the most energy of any other band I have ever seen. 

Catching me swinging, Death Angel did just what they promised.  I was worn out and wild eyed by the end of their set.  Simply, it was like a good romp in Commodore Redrum’s bedchambers, where you’re panting and aching, but crazy enough to still want more!  Experts in the craft, they played “Seemingly Endless Time” off of Act III and “Kill as One” off Ultra Violence.   Just when I thought Osegueda was done kicking my ass, they started back up, playing “River of Rapture” off the new album Relentless Retribution, due out September 14^th.  It sounds like a stellar addition to the Death Angel set list, and was like a miniature encore to their hearty set.  I look forward to hearing the rest of this album.  More importantly, I can’t wait for Death Angel to finish all their tours in the Americas, Asia, and on a crazy metal cruise ship, so they can come back to New York and kick my “motherfucking ass” some more.

Mutiny Within

"Pirates"

© 2010 Lynora Conti

(Click on Drawing to Enlarge)

Blender Theater at Gramercy
127 East 23rd Street
NYC, New York 10010 USA

Friday - July 16, 2010

BANDS:
Swashbuckle
Mutiny Within
Augury
Death Angel
Soilwork

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Swashbuckle

Augury

Death Angel

TO THE TOP

Check out more pics and Lynora's interview with Death Angel's Ted Aguilar here