Tyr & Death Angel (supporting Children of Bodom)
March 14, 2014 – Atlanta, GA
The Masquerade (Heaven)
Children of Bodom is a band that I couldn’t give two shits about. They’re a crappy, Hot Topic metal band and the thought of attending a Children of Bodom show was something that never even crossed my mind. Well, that is until I heard that Faroese prog metalers TYR and thrash legends Death Angel were on the bill as opening acts. How perfect is this? Not only would I get to catch two bands that I’ve been wanting to see for a long, long time, I would also be able to leave early and be home in time to crawl into my Star Wars PJs and have my cup of pineapple sherbet all before 11pm. WIN!
Tyr is one of those bands that over the years I saw the shirts and I heard many people talk about yet never really listened to. I finally broke down about a year ago and gave their album By the Light of the Northern Star and I found myself really enjoying it. I was never a fan of the that Viking death metal shit like Amon Amarth but this stuff I could totally get behind. Much like Sabaton, Tyr is a themed band but with songs rooted deep in Viking lore, mythology, and history. I really enjoyed their albums and I was really looking forward to seeing them live.
Tyr took the stage to a full house which I found to be really impressive, especially for the first band on a three band bill. The band opened with “Hold the Heathen Hammer High” from By the Light of the Northern Star which totally blew my mind. I was so impressed by the performance of this amazing song and I was also really impressed how responsive the audience was. Tyr sounded absolutely fantastic but by the 3rd song in the set “Blood of Heroes”, I found myself taking my phone out, checking the time, playing a game of Words with Friends and just losing interest. Now don’t get me wrong, Tyr was fucking killing it on stage but they were just kind of boring to watch. There is little to no band interaction on stage and again, it was just all a bit dull. By the time the band closed with “Shadow of the Swastika” I was ready for them to be done. In a nutshell, Tyr sounded amazing live but they really did nothing for me. This is a band that I feel I would much rather listen to than actually watch live. Maybe they’re different in a headlining status but all I can say is that as an opening act they brought little and left behind even less on the stage.
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Death Angel has been a bucket list band of mine for years. Since the release of their ’87 debut “The Ultraviolence” I was a Death Angel fan. I was a fan of the Act III album but after that album I just kind of lost track of them. Death Angel was one of those bands that while I was a fan of they weren’t in my top tier of favorite bands. I never went out of my way to see them live and after their split up after a nearly fatal bus accident in 1990 I was kicking myself for having never seen them live. In 2001 the band made a huge comeback to the metal world but it wasn’t until 2009’s Relentless Retribution that I found myself loving Death Angel again and way more than I ever did.
Over the years I would miss no less than three different opportunities to see Death Angel live which killed me. Suddenly Death Angel became a bucket list band for me so you can imagine my excitement as the house lights went down and the crowd erupted with a roar. The band took the stage with all of the confidence and power of a headlining band that should be playing in a place 3x the size of this room. Lead vocalist Mark Osegueda takes center stage and says, “Atlanta. Let your presence be known! The audience went insane and with that Death Angel launched into “Left for Dead” from the latest This Dream Calls for Blood album. Immediately I could feel my face sliding off of my skull. Finally I was getting to see the band I had missed out on all these years. Part of me was so pissed at myself for having missed them all these years but another part of me knew that I was seeing a band that was at the top of their game and proving just why they are the legends that they have come to be known as.
Death Angel’s setlist boasted some great material from their latest album “This Dream Calls For Blood” such as “Succubus”, “Execution – Don’t Save Me” and the stellar title track. Before launching into “This Dream Calls for Blood” Osegueda gave a pep talk to the crowd encouraging them to follow their own path and to stick to living their own dreams, not the dreams of others. This was such a powerful statement to this crowd that seemed to be mainly made up of younger kids but a message that still resonates to the older kids like myself. Death Angel is a band that has stuck to their dreams and continues to live them so the message behind this song made that song even more powerful which was quite amazing. The real highlight came with Osegueda spoke of the deep love and appreciate that Death Angel has for Atlanta and reminisced of the old days in their blue van and playing the now defunct Metroplex. The band launched into “Mistress of Pain” from The Ultra-Violence which brought on a huge roar. Death Angel drew the set to a close with “The Ultra Violence Intro” and then slamming into “Thrown to the Wolves” from The Art of Dying.
As Death Angel left the stage, I felt this huge shit eating grin take over my gigantic head. I really witnessed something special this night. Death Angel is a band that I had never seen before yet with one short performance made me a fan for life. The integrity, the passion, the fire, the dedication, and the appreciation was all there for the whole room to witness. Death Angel gave Atlanta everything they had that night and there’s no doubt in my mind that they give this kind of show in every city they conquer. Death Angel is a band that is in their prime as we speak and are showing no signs of being tired or out of ideas. If Death Angel comes to your town go see this fucking show. It’s good for your ears, your heart, your soul, and your face. You can thank me later.
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