As previously mentioned, whenever I attend a live show the metal gods fuck with me hardcore; the June 8^th  Marduk show I attended at Reggie’s Rock Club located at 2109 South State Street in Chicago, was no exception.

I left for this show at 4pm because I had an interview scheduled with Marduk at 6pm. I honestly thought two hours would be plenty of time to make a trek downtown that normally takes no more than forty-five minutes to drive – yeah right!

I cursed my head off and nearly pulled out all of my hair as traffic was slowed to a crawl almost as soon as I got on the expressway! I was forced to travel this slowly nearly all the way downtown. A forty-five minute trip quickly became a two and a half hour episode of intense aggravation.

I pulled out my cell phone at 5:59 to make that dreaded phone call to Marduk’s tour manager, Jarrett, to apologize for blowing my timeslot. I hoped we might be able to work something out but in this business that is easier said than done. Fortunately, Jarrett, was more than understanding. He basically told me the band had some more interviews beginning at 7:00 pm but to get there as soon as possible and he’d see what he could do.

At 6:39 I cruised past Reggie’s and gave Jarrett a call with my fingers crossed. He told me the band was currently involved in ‘meet and greets’ but to head over to the venue and keep my cell phone nearby, he promised to find a way to squeeze me in.

Read my interview with Marduk here.

I finished my interview and headed over to Reggie’s Rock Club just in time to catch Withered’s set list.

Withered is a death metal band from Atlanta, Georgia. They have been active since 2003 and have released three full length albums, Memento Mori (2005), Folie Circulaire (2008) and Dualtias (2010). I wasn’t familiar with the group’s music which sounds like high-velocity death metal with some black metal influences, think Decide meets (Old school) Mayhem and you are fairly close to their sound. However, what sets this band apart from the rest of the groups was their ingenious stage show.

Withered utilizes two guitarists/vocalists, Mike Thompson and Dylan Kilgore. They are positioned at opposite sides of the stage like a set of demonic book ends. They face each other, not the audience. Bassist Mike Longoria, who sports a beard the dudes in ZZ Top would be jealous of, occupies the center of the stage while the drummer, Beau Brandon is seated directly behind him. I’ve never seen a stage show or arrangement like this before and I have to say it was really fucking cool. It made me feel like I was witnessing an evil mass and not a concert. This band can really play, which made the performance all the better. Some stand-out tracks were: “Seek the Shrouded” and “The Progenitor’s Grasp”. Definitely a group worth keeping an eye on.

Up next were Norwegian black metallers 1349. The band has been around in some form since 1997.  They have released five full length albums: Liberation (2003), Beyond the Apocalypse (2004), Hellfire (2005), Revelations of the Black Flame (2009), Demonoir (2010). In addition to this, the band has also released 2 EP’s and a DVD entitled Hellvetia Fire released in 2011.

I’d heard of 1349 because they are known for their intense live shows but I was unaware of the awesome theatrical elements of their live set. 1349 look like characters out of a black metal movie, guitarist Archaon ran out on stage during the start of the show, hair practically down to his knees and black metal makeup that would have made Euronymous proud. Bassist Seidemann looked like an evil monk, dressed in a black hooded cloak, his face a sweaty mess of corpse paint but the focal point of this evil attack was headed by vocalist Ravn who donned a set of metal spikes on each arm that would surely impress Kerry King if he were to see them.

The band pounded out tune after tune leaving little time to stop for air or engage the audience, though that was hardly necessary as most of the crowd was involved in some serious head-banging or wasting away in the mosh pit. 1349 definitely lived up to their reputation. Some standout songs were: “Devil of the Desert”, “Riders of the Apocalypse” and “When I was Flesh”.

The headliners were Swedish black metal legends Marduk.  The black metalists first caught my attention back in 1999 with their classic release Panzer Division Marduk. The famed act hasn’t slowed down much since amassing a back catalogue of 12 studio albums, 3 live albums, 7 EP releases and 3 DVDs. The band is currently on a worldwide tour in support of their most recent studio release, 2012’s Serpent Sermon. (Read my review of Serpent Sermon here.)

The black metal legends took Chicago by storm and their aggressive energy and  enthusiasm were highly contagious, mere seconds after guitarist Morgan “Evil” took the stage to a round of cheers, the packed Reggie’s crowd was salivating with fury, ready to unleash the head-banging hellhounds at full throttle both at the stage and in the pit. We were all ignited by a hellfire that could only be Marduk. It made us invite in a musical punishment that was seamless and never ending.

This was my first time seeing Mortuus live and I was eager to hear if he could truly sound as good/evil as he does on the albums. Not only did he live up to that standard but he exceeded it on all levels, belting out song after song with an unbridled fury that could have easily brought Reggie’s to the ground!

Marduk are masters at putting together a set list that will satisfy the young crowd and at the same time reward the old. Some standout offerings were: “On Darkened Wings”, “The Black Tormentor of Satan”, “Baptism by Fire”, “Souls for Belial” and, of course, “Panzer Division Marduk”.

This was one of the most satisfying concerts I have ever attended at Reggie’s. It was a sinister mix of bands that are sure to find themselves in the spotlight for years to come, definitely a tour not to miss. \m/

More of the bands:
Marduk
1349
Withered

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