[Concert review] Dark Descent Showcase: INSANITY, MITOCHONDRION, GRAVEHILL, WEREGOAT, DIRE OMEN @ Ash Street Saloon, Oct 5th '13 (Portland, OR)

After last night's raging, everyone at the fest was initially a bit more subdued than the following day, but that didn't last long. Beers were poured and slammed, and openers Dire Omen had the task of warming the mostly hungover crowd up for another evening of underground death metal in its many forms.

Dire Omen

Day two had a bit more diversity in the lineup than day one (read review), and Dire Omen were a great example of the variety of bands on the Dark Descent roster, playing serpentine black/death metal that kept listeners guessing through the twists and turns the music threw their way.
Unfortunately, their set was cut short after three songs due to carpal tunnel syndrome, which really sucked because they were killing it. I looked around for guitarist/vocalist Rolando Rodas so I could buy him a beer (he looked really bummed out and in desperate need of some liquid cheer), but I couldn't find him.  Oh well.

Weregoat

Tim Call is a champ.  So are Adam Wheeler and Kevin Schreutelkamp for that matter.  Despite having played with their other bands the day before, and with this being second set he played over the weekend, Weregoat brought the blood, fire and death to the Dark Descent showcase with their bestial sonic violence.  For those of you who haven't heard Weregoat yet, imagine every awesome aspect of "bestial" metal thrown together.  Riffs inspired by the very best Incantation, Blasphemy and Morbosidad material, cavernous vocals, and drumming that offered no respite and kept the intensity levels high.  The sonic carnage unleashed was in no way a ripoff of the aforementioned bands, more like a loving tribute done right by scene veterans who have done their time in classic acts like Engorged, Knelt Rote, Ritual Necromancy and Aldebaran.

Gravehill

More beer.  Gravehill were on stage at this point, gleefully cranking out their black/thrash/death metal that harkens back to before the three genres split off with smiles on their blood soaked faces and vocalist Mike Abominator cracking jokes between songs and even managing to squeeze a GG Allin cover into their set.


One of my friends somehow discovered that the bar was doing $3.50 specials on Ash St's normally $9 Long Island Iced Teas, and proceeded to thrust one into my hand prior to Mitochondrion's set.  I was cool with it.  Raging buzz aside, seeing Mitochondrion was probably the highlight of the weekend. Hands down the most off center band of the showcase, the songs (culled from Parasignosis and the Antinumerology 7") were played note for note perfect.  There must be something in the water up in British Columbia, or maybe the legal weed) because damn near every band I've seen from the great green north has been on a whole different level than their American counterparts, and Mitochondrion were no exception.  The Strong Island Iced Tea as they were now being called had really kicked in, and I suddenly felt compelled to drop $10 on one of the 100 clear red copies of the Antinumerology 7" that I had noticed at the merch table.

Mitochondrion

Admittedly, Insanity were my last anticipated band of the evening and definitely the odd band of the weekend.  I had checked out some of the demos and the Death After Death full length they had released almost 20 years ago and wasn't exactly blown away by it.  I didn't even really get much of a death metal vibe off it, more like well played, really aggressive and violent Bay Area thrash with more intense than usual vocals.  Not that I'm writing them off at all.  This stuff has a time and a place, and personally, that time and place is sitting on a porch drinking beer on a hot summer's day with friends while something like this blasts out of the speakers of a ghetto blaster.
Having said that, Insanity gave it a good run live, with Bay Area brutal death bass wizard Ivan Mungia (of Deeds Of Flesh/Brain Drill/Odious Mortem fame) holding down the second guitar slot.


All in all, the Dark Descent showcase was an amazing weekend and here's to hoping this becomes an annual event.

My merch haul for the weekend:
Lantern - Below LP
Adversarial - Prophetic Plain Of Abyssal Revelation LP
Mitochondrion - Antinumerology 7" EP
Diocletian - The War Of All Against All tape
Hooded Menace - Demo tape
Lantern, Temple Nightside, Ritual Necromancy and Anhedonist shirts.
- Tony Howard

Title picture (Weregoat), Dire Omen and Gravehill by Kirstin Marshall.
2nd Waregoat photo by Grond Nefarious. Mitochondrion by Connor Thompson.
Videos by NorthernFury666.

Related story
[Concert review] Dark Descent Showcase: HORRENDOUS, ANHEDONIST, RITUAL NECROMANCY, SEMPITERNAL DUSK @ Ash Street Saloon, Oct 4th '13 (Portland, OR)

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