Between The Buried And Me/Animals As Leaders/The Contortionist – Ace Of Spades, Sacramento, CA 7/15
By Jeffrey Easton
There are so many tours but it seems as if the bands fade into one another sometimes and you come away wondering what you saw, this tour does not fall into that category. The talent level is so high with these three bands that MIT students should be envious. To me, this is the NAMM Show on the road, insane gear and players that are fully committed to their art. The club was sold out and it seems as if everybody in attendance were sitting there slack-jawed at what they were witnessing.
The Contortionist took the stage first and this was my first time witnessing them and I was completely impressed. The have experienced a drastic change with a change in vocalists but with Michael Lessard they have found a viable extension to the crowd to convey their thoughts. They are out supporting their third album Language which was also their highest charting album to date which tells me that the fans are getting what they are delivering and more are latching on. There are so many passages that make the album come alive and they touched on those live with Language I and II as well as Thrive and Primordial. One of the things that brings the music to life is the interplay between Cameron Maynard and Robby Baca. These two guitar players personify talent and should not be overlooked in discussions in who are becoming prodigies. They did dive into Intrinsic with show opener Holomovement and a step further back with Flourish, both dramatic pieces that serve well to bring the crowd into a frenzy.
Animals As Leaders is talent beyond belief and in the live situation that talent boils to the surface and the interplay between Tosin Abasi and Javier Reyes is dumbfounding at best in description. They have been through Sacramento before so the freaks in the crowd were waiting on the edge for the presence to be felt and the roar that was unleashed was unreal. Tosin and company immediately went to the new record, Joy Of Motion, for the show opener Tooth And Claw and it was frenzied. These instrumentalists release album after album of superior material and live it stretches out and arrives at new feels and tonight was no exception. Tooth And Claw only wetted the appetite as they burrowed deeper into Joy Of Motion with Ka$cade, Physical Education, Lippincott, Another Year as well as The Woven Web. As a breather in the chaos of shred came Para Mexer from the new album. The next to delicate acoustic piece showed the band is more than Eight String Ibanez’s at ten but more of a sensitive band with a feel for something different. They did revisit the past with the sheer beauty of CAFO before they were done with their clinic and showing the fans how its done.
Between The Buried And Me are established prog merchants with nothing to prove and they came on stage like they owned it. Having just dropped the album of their career with Coma Ecliptic it was time to hit the road and dominate the sold out stages that awaited them. Coma Ecliptic isn’t just another notch in their belts, it’s a masterstroke that should be reckoned with. They have been climbing the prog ladder for a while and finally they have hit the nail the hardest with Coma Ecliptic. Seeting the feel of the evening they went back to the early days with Selkies: The Endless Obsession from the Alaska album which immediately hooked the crowd in before they fed what I wanted, which was the new album. The Coma Machine really sets the tone for the new album, blending melody and angst and that’s what it did here as the fans engrossed themselves into the new material as the band sublimely delivered it. Memory Palace and Famine Wolf carried the story further into the show as everybody there could feel the struggle of the story’s main character. It would have been nice to hear more from Coma Ecliptic as it is a monumental piece of work that needs to be experienced but hopefully on another tour. BTBAM did mine the catalog fruitfully with the stand outs Prequel To The Sequel, Lay Your Ghosts To Rest as well as Astral Body. BTBAM boasts some of the best musicians and can convey their ideas in the live setting in an unreal manner. If you have yet to experience what they offer live then you are missing out.
Between The Buried And Me Official Site
Animals As Leaders Official Site
The Contortionist Official Site
By Jeffrey Easton
There are so many tours but it seems as if the bands fade into one another sometimes and you come away wondering what you saw, this tour does not fall into that category. The talent level is so high with these three bands that MIT students should be envious. To me, this is the NAMM Show on the road, insane gear and players that are fully committed to their art. The club was sold out and it seems as if everybody in attendance were sitting there slack-jawed at what they were witnessing.
The Contortionist took the stage first and this was my first time witnessing them and I was completely impressed. The have experienced a drastic change with a change in vocalists but with Michael Lessard they have found a viable extension to the crowd to convey their thoughts. They are out supporting their third album Language which was also their highest charting album to date which tells me that the fans are getting what they are delivering and more are latching on. There are so many passages that make the album come alive and they touched on those live with Language I and II as well as Thrive and Primordial. One of the things that brings the music to life is the interplay between Cameron Maynard and Robby Baca. These two guitar players personify talent and should not be overlooked in discussions in who are becoming prodigies. They did dive into Intrinsic with show opener Holomovement and a step further back with Flourish, both dramatic pieces that serve well to bring the crowd into a frenzy.
Animals As Leaders is talent beyond belief and in the live situation that talent boils to the surface and the interplay between Tosin Abasi and Javier Reyes is dumbfounding at best in description. They have been through Sacramento before so the freaks in the crowd were waiting on the edge for the presence to be felt and the roar that was unleashed was unreal. Tosin and company immediately went to the new record, Joy Of Motion, for the show opener Tooth And Claw and it was frenzied. These instrumentalists release album after album of superior material and live it stretches out and arrives at new feels and tonight was no exception. Tooth And Claw only wetted the appetite as they burrowed deeper into Joy Of Motion with Ka$cade, Physical Education, Lippincott, Another Year as well as The Woven Web. As a breather in the chaos of shred came Para Mexer from the new album. The next to delicate acoustic piece showed the band is more than Eight String Ibanez’s at ten but more of a sensitive band with a feel for something different. They did revisit the past with the sheer beauty of CAFO before they were done with their clinic and showing the fans how its done.
Between The Buried And Me are established prog merchants with nothing to prove and they came on stage like they owned it. Having just dropped the album of their career with Coma Ecliptic it was time to hit the road and dominate the sold out stages that awaited them. Coma Ecliptic isn’t just another notch in their belts, it’s a masterstroke that should be reckoned with. They have been climbing the prog ladder for a while and finally they have hit the nail the hardest with Coma Ecliptic. Seeting the feel of the evening they went back to the early days with Selkies: The Endless Obsession from the Alaska album which immediately hooked the crowd in before they fed what I wanted, which was the new album. The Coma Machine really sets the tone for the new album, blending melody and angst and that’s what it did here as the fans engrossed themselves into the new material as the band sublimely delivered it. Memory Palace and Famine Wolf carried the story further into the show as everybody there could feel the struggle of the story’s main character. It would have been nice to hear more from Coma Ecliptic as it is a monumental piece of work that needs to be experienced but hopefully on another tour. BTBAM did mine the catalog fruitfully with the stand outs Prequel To The Sequel, Lay Your Ghosts To Rest as well as Astral Body. BTBAM boasts some of the best musicians and can convey their ideas in the live setting in an unreal manner. If you have yet to experience what they offer live then you are missing out.
Between The Buried And Me Official Site
Animals As Leaders Official Site
The Contortionist Official Site
