Meshuggah/ In Flames/Whitechapel - Hard Rock Live, Wheatland, Ca 11/23
By Jeffrey Easton
Meshuggah are forbearers of extreme, helping to lay the groundwork for all others to follow. The late 80s in Europe were a breeding ground for so many bands vying to make their mark in the metal world and here it is 2023 and Meshuggah are still here with their proverbial boot still on the neck of the metal world. Having dropped Immutable, their 9th studio album, last year on Atomic Fire, they are still out to show they are still developing, still stretching their boundaries of sound and technique, never a band to stay in one place.
Whitechapel opened the darkened evening with their brand of pummeling death metal and as soon as the Hard Rock went dark, the place got loud, their fans had turned up in droves. Whitechapel are no strangers to the stage, having spent close to 2 decades playing live, I forget how many times I have seen an extreme bill that they didn’t help destroy. Still out on their ear pummeling 8th album, Kin, they came out swinging with Let Me Burn from Our Endless War and the purge was lit. Touring of course for the brutal Kin, the set was gorged with the razor sharp I Will Find You and A Bloodsoaked Symphony, two devastating tracks from an album you must have in your collection. Closing out their set was the standout from Our Endless War, The Saw Is The Law. From first note to last, Phil had the crowd with their eyes on the stage and their ears bleeding from what was coming from the stage. It's been almost 2 decades, and Whitechapel has not lost a single musical note.
In Flames took the stage next and did not slow the momentum. Having just released the incredibly powerful studio album, Foregone, they were ready to drop it on their fans. In Flames have never been the band to stay in one place musically, album to album they have taken a melodic progression that has led to Forgone. Opening was the title track to the new record; Foregone Part 1 and the fans were immediately into it. Going back to the melodic piece, I The Mask was drawn in with I Am Above, the lead single from the aforementioned record. Everything's Gone, from the Brilliant Siren Charms, was belted out with unreal passion from Anders as if his life depended on it. As an aside, Siren Charms should have received a better due from the fans, it’s an amazing album and it deserves to move units. Its combination of melodic sense and aggression is rare in the metal genre. Diving deeper in the melodic sense is the track that broke In Flames out from the horde and into the stratosphere, Cloud Connected. Reroute To Remain is over 20 years old now and Cloud Connected never gets old, still elicits rage from fans and every word sang back to Anders. Over three decades and 14 studio albums to pick from must be hard for the band which I need to add also features Chris Broderick as a permanent member now, but the band seems to know what their fans want. Dishing out the rest of the set featured State Of Slow Decay from Foregone as well as Take This Life and The Mirrors Truth. The band was tight and the fans rabid, no matter the age, the years gone by, In Flames still own every stage they trespass on.
Meshuggah were up and ready to destroy the stage as they closed out the night. The members of Meshuggah are musicians' musicians, watching them play is like going to a master's clinic or a demo at NAMM. As stated, they are touring for the blistering Immutable, and the packed Hard Rock was ready for it live. The band opened with Broken Cog from Immutable and the mosh pit lit up the middle of the floor. The new album was well represented with The Abysmal Eye and Ligature Marks. It has been several years since they dropped a new record, and the pent-up creativity came through with an animal of a record. The chemistry between guitarists Fredrik Thordendal and Marten Hagstrom can be felt through Immutable, the way the band experiments and breaks boundaries and progresses with guitar riffs and solos blending seamlessly. Stepping back to the last record, The Violent Sleep Of Reason, Born In Dissonance was ushered out and the fans reacted loudly. Considering the talent, their records aren't releases, they are events awaited, which has been the case for years. A standout in that case was from Catch Thirtythree with In Death – Is Live Is Death. Those two combined tracks showed multiple sides of the band and their progressive side. This is where the clinic comes in, the sheer musicianship from this band knows no realistic bounds. This led into Humiliative and the night's ending, Bleed and Demiurge. For the multiple times I have seen Meshuggah, they have never failed to deliver to their fans, and as the final songs and notes rang, the fans were giving back every bit of energy the band was giving them. Meshuggah are a bands band, musically gifted, articulate, brutal. Those that dared enter this hall were given every penny's worth that they paid.
Meshuggah Site
In Flames Site
Whitechapel Site
By Jeffrey Easton
Meshuggah are forbearers of extreme, helping to lay the groundwork for all others to follow. The late 80s in Europe were a breeding ground for so many bands vying to make their mark in the metal world and here it is 2023 and Meshuggah are still here with their proverbial boot still on the neck of the metal world. Having dropped Immutable, their 9th studio album, last year on Atomic Fire, they are still out to show they are still developing, still stretching their boundaries of sound and technique, never a band to stay in one place.
Whitechapel opened the darkened evening with their brand of pummeling death metal and as soon as the Hard Rock went dark, the place got loud, their fans had turned up in droves. Whitechapel are no strangers to the stage, having spent close to 2 decades playing live, I forget how many times I have seen an extreme bill that they didn’t help destroy. Still out on their ear pummeling 8th album, Kin, they came out swinging with Let Me Burn from Our Endless War and the purge was lit. Touring of course for the brutal Kin, the set was gorged with the razor sharp I Will Find You and A Bloodsoaked Symphony, two devastating tracks from an album you must have in your collection. Closing out their set was the standout from Our Endless War, The Saw Is The Law. From first note to last, Phil had the crowd with their eyes on the stage and their ears bleeding from what was coming from the stage. It's been almost 2 decades, and Whitechapel has not lost a single musical note.
In Flames took the stage next and did not slow the momentum. Having just released the incredibly powerful studio album, Foregone, they were ready to drop it on their fans. In Flames have never been the band to stay in one place musically, album to album they have taken a melodic progression that has led to Forgone. Opening was the title track to the new record; Foregone Part 1 and the fans were immediately into it. Going back to the melodic piece, I The Mask was drawn in with I Am Above, the lead single from the aforementioned record. Everything's Gone, from the Brilliant Siren Charms, was belted out with unreal passion from Anders as if his life depended on it. As an aside, Siren Charms should have received a better due from the fans, it’s an amazing album and it deserves to move units. Its combination of melodic sense and aggression is rare in the metal genre. Diving deeper in the melodic sense is the track that broke In Flames out from the horde and into the stratosphere, Cloud Connected. Reroute To Remain is over 20 years old now and Cloud Connected never gets old, still elicits rage from fans and every word sang back to Anders. Over three decades and 14 studio albums to pick from must be hard for the band which I need to add also features Chris Broderick as a permanent member now, but the band seems to know what their fans want. Dishing out the rest of the set featured State Of Slow Decay from Foregone as well as Take This Life and The Mirrors Truth. The band was tight and the fans rabid, no matter the age, the years gone by, In Flames still own every stage they trespass on.
Meshuggah were up and ready to destroy the stage as they closed out the night. The members of Meshuggah are musicians' musicians, watching them play is like going to a master's clinic or a demo at NAMM. As stated, they are touring for the blistering Immutable, and the packed Hard Rock was ready for it live. The band opened with Broken Cog from Immutable and the mosh pit lit up the middle of the floor. The new album was well represented with The Abysmal Eye and Ligature Marks. It has been several years since they dropped a new record, and the pent-up creativity came through with an animal of a record. The chemistry between guitarists Fredrik Thordendal and Marten Hagstrom can be felt through Immutable, the way the band experiments and breaks boundaries and progresses with guitar riffs and solos blending seamlessly. Stepping back to the last record, The Violent Sleep Of Reason, Born In Dissonance was ushered out and the fans reacted loudly. Considering the talent, their records aren't releases, they are events awaited, which has been the case for years. A standout in that case was from Catch Thirtythree with In Death – Is Live Is Death. Those two combined tracks showed multiple sides of the band and their progressive side. This is where the clinic comes in, the sheer musicianship from this band knows no realistic bounds. This led into Humiliative and the night's ending, Bleed and Demiurge. For the multiple times I have seen Meshuggah, they have never failed to deliver to their fans, and as the final songs and notes rang, the fans were giving back every bit of energy the band was giving them. Meshuggah are a bands band, musically gifted, articulate, brutal. Those that dared enter this hall were given every penny's worth that they paid.
Meshuggah Site
In Flames Site
Whitechapel Site
