In the Beginning
When I learned that “Between the Buried and Me,” the band I’ve been most into recently, was coming to Japan, I couldn’t stay away and went to their show.
Three Japanese bands will participate in a two-man event with Animals as Leaders.
It was my first experience to see a live show at a club.
There was a long counter and I waited for the show to start while drinking beer.
Arise In Stability
The first band, “Arise In Stability” appeared on stage.
Each song was long, with a mixture of intense and melodic parts.
The band was young (or was it?).
It can’t be helped, but their playing ability is still developing for the music they wants to play.
I can expect more growth in the future.
Hammerhead Shark
The second is a Sapporo band called “Hammerhead Shark”.
The vocalist’s performance was cool, and the bass guitar was also on fleek.
Of course, their technique is still in its infancy, but I felt they had the best sense among the three Japanese bands.
I might buy their CD.
Infernal Revulsion
The third is “Infernal Revulsion”.
Is it a hardcore deathcore?
The band is quite powerful as it pushes hard and fast without adding melody.
The audience was also the most violent.
It was funny to hear the growl telling “The divers to follow the rules!”.
Animals as Leaders
Here comes the main part of the show, “Animals as Leaders”.
I was stunned.
They are a superbly skilled band to the point of astonishment.
The difference in performance between them and the previous three bands was too great.
The drums were so incredibly heavy, it was hard to believe that they were keeping the rhythm.
The black guy’s 8-string guitar was also brilliant, and he seemed to be able to play even the fastest phrases with ease.
It was so amazing that I broke out in a cold sweat.
Between the Buried and Me
Finally came the last band, “Between the Buried and Me”.
White Walls
Considering the recent set list, I expected this to be the first song, but as I expected, it started with “White Walls”.
It’s strange that it’s at the beginning of the show since it’s the closing song of the classic “Colors”, but I love it.
Frontman Tommy Rogers’ performance was as good as it gets, pulling back to play the keyboard and suddenly grabbing the microphone with gusto and screaming like a pissed off man.
The last part of the song is so dramatic that I can almost see the end of the story.
Astral Body
A song from the new album “The Parallax II: Future Sequence”, for which a music video was also created.
It is a short and compact song for them.
Cosmic atmosphere with many major chords is the new flavor.
I didn’t like it when I first heard it, but now I love it.
Tommy Rogers’ piano came in at the ending… which means…
Lay Your Ghosts to Rest
Just go with the flow!
This is my favorite song on the new album and I really wanted to hear it today.
The middle part of the song, where the intense part gradually builds up to chaos, is truly a masterpiece.
Of course, it was a long song, but it went by so fast.
I am amazed that they could play such a difficult song so easily.
Disease, Injury, Madness
A song from the previous album “The Greate Misdirect”.
The strangely pop part that appears toward the end of the song is very impressive.
The audience’s mood is very lively when this kind of part is quickly introduced.
It is not only difficult to understand, but you can clearly feel the depth of the band.
Fossil Genera – A Feed from Cloud Mountain
Another song from the same album in succession.
Tommy Rogers is a great singer as well as a great shouter.
It’s amazing how he can use so many different voices in one song.
He sang well in the jazzy part at the beginning of the song.
The main program ended with this song.
Bohemian Rhapsody
An encore began, and soon after, “Bohemian Rhapsody”, a famous song by “Queen”, began to play, and the members reappeared.
They did not play the whole song, just the last part.
The band has such a wide range of musical backgrounds, so I did not feel at all uncomfortable with their cover of “Queen”.
Mordecai
One of the last super strong songs from the second album “The Silent Circus”.
It is an early song, and the rate of death metal blending is quite high.
The super-pop melody also pops out towards the end of the song, and I think it is one of the songs that shaped the band’s identity.
After the performance, Tommy Rogers left like a storm.
The other members stayed on stage and shook hands with the fans.
In the End
So, I enjoyed myself to the fullest.
Now, when will they come back to Japan?
I hope they will come back when they release their new album.
November 12,2012 Freakz
(Postscript)
I just checked and found that “Hammerhead Shark” has already broken up.
“Arise In Stability” is ongoing.
“Infernal Revulsion” seems to be the best of the three bands in terms of career, but I can’t find any recent information.
“Between the Buried and Me” came to Japan in 2016.
Considering this current situation, we should still see the bands we want to see when we can.
March 30,2022 Freakz
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