Sure enough five minutes later an immense guitar tone heralds the arrival on stage of Goatsnake. It is immediately clear that the crowd is a mixture of genuine fans and early arrivals for the club that follows tonight's bands, meaning that the bands have some work to do to ensure a favourable reaction from the merely curious.

Goatsnake amble into position and set about their demolition of the venue with a monstrous, stalking rendition of "IV." Slower and even heavier than on record, as an opener it succeeds in baffling certain members of the audience (particularly those in Insane Clown Posse t-shirts) unused to such a measured yet still ferocious approach. Obviously unconcerned by this, Goatsnake drop the pace even further for the next two songs, as if challenging the crowd not to like it. But there's little chance of that, as things warm up and people are won over by the sheer force and dynamism of the band's performance.

Visually, Goatsnake are also impressive as Pete Stahl stalks the centre of the stage, almost beside himself as he belts out his distinctive vocals. Greg Rogers is a powerhouse at the back, sweat arcing up from his sticks as he drums. Stage right we see Greg Anderson, totally into it, an opened mouthed guitar hero, swinging his impressive mane as he grooves along. The real star though is Scott Reeder. Bare feet planted, he sways with each rhythm, wielding his bass in a bizarre stirring motion completely immersed in the music.

Goatsnake are incredibly heavy in a live environment, yet the sound remains warm and clear at all times. Something that cannot, sadly be said for Electric Wizard.

As soon as Electric Wizard begin their set it is apparent that things aren't at all right soundwise. Where there should be monstrous riffs and waves of doom, there is only volume. It's all very well being loud, but all power and clarity is lost in the mix. The crowd still react fairly well, but it must be said that Electric Wizard were a disappointment. Whether it was the poor sound or not, it simply wasn't happening for them. I'm sure that they can do much better, but when faced with the task of following the incredible, raging Goatsnake, they fell well short.

Goatsnake(9), Electric Wizard(6)

For further info on both bands check Rise Above Records

Back to main page