Our friends inMurdoc held an all out bruiser of a show at KC’s Tap in Pawtucket, RI to celebrate the release of their debut EP on April 27th 2012. Along for the ride were old friends, Mechanical Process, Necris, Sirens Of Poveglia,Acaro & Thy Will Be Done. Yea, this was definitely a Rock Karma Promotions show to remember, with an almost capacity crowd at KC’s. By the time Sirens Of Poveglia had finished their second song, the EMT’s were carrying a guy out on a stretcher! Thankfully we hear that he will be OK, even though he did suffer some serious injuries. It was a rough and tumble night all around, so the photos and videos may not be up to what we would normally post. The audio of the videos is especially disappointing. It was painfully obvious from the get go that MikeD was not on the boards. We did the best we could with what we were given, so if you think they suck…blame the sound guy!
Mechanical Process opened up the night (which by the way was also Mike’s birthday show) with a full on audio assault on the quickly filling room. These guys are intense, so if you haven’t checked them out yet we highly encourage it. We will be picking apart their debut CD very soon, so stay tuned for that.
We hadn’t seen Necris since last years Summer Karma Breakdown and were quite surprised at how much the band had improved in that time. These guys have really tightened up their stuff and are a thousand times better than the first time we saw them, at what I think was their first show at the New Wave Cafe a few years ago. Necris also had the best sound of the night, at least that’s how I feel watching the videos. Check out the video for “Don’t Touch My Child”, a song that has been refined almost to perfection.
Sirens of Poveglia always gets the crowd moving. The fact that they have their own “dance crew” has a lot to do with that, but Sirens pits would be rough even without the crew. Some poor bastard found that out during the second song of the set after he was pushed into the middle of the pit and took a hard elbow to the face that KO’ed him on the spot. This meant the show had to stop for about 15 minutes while EMT’s were called and he was taken to the hospital. Thankfully, we have been told he will be alright despite some broken face bones and a concussion. Remember kids, pits can be dangerous, enter at your own risk. We want to see everyone having fun and nothing spoils that fun like having to put on the house lights and wait for the medics. Even with the shortened set, Sirens still tore it up and showed why they are one of the best new bands on the RI scene at this time.
Acaro has been a staple of MikeD birthday shows for the past few years and this one was no different. By the time Acaro hit the stage the crowd was starting to get rowdy and as they were closing the last song of the night (ROJ), the pushing and shoving caused some tempers to flare and shit got a bit out of hand. Unfortunately we were in the middle of all this, something that we truly regret, as it goes against our main goal of capturing the show without causing much distraction to the bands and fans. The fact that we are all a big family in the metal community showed through and within seconds all parties had been separated and a few minutes later we were all drinking in the bar together laughing at what a bunch of idiots we were. This stands in contrast to an incident that happened a few weeks earlier at a dance club up the road in Providence, RI where 5 people were stabbed in a brawl. Why is it that you almost never hear of stuff like that at metal shows? Hmm…makes you think.
Thy Will Be Done played a bunch of their older stuff mixed with new songs from their upcoming EP and they kicked ass as always. In case you missed it, TWBD has been chosen by Metallica to play at the Orion Music + More event this June in Atlantic City, NJ. This is a pretty big deal and will hopefully help to put these guys into more of a national / international spotlight where they belong. Until that happens though, it’s still great to be able to see them tuning their show at the small clubs around the area.
Murdoc hit the stage to a still packed house a little after midnight, proving once again that no other band right now draws better at KC’s. Murdoc played all the songs on the new EP, along with a bunch of others that we hope to see on a future full length. If you don’t have your copy of the EP yet, you can get it here. You can also check out our review of the disc here. If you have not had the pleasure of seeing them live, they have just been added to the Hope Before The Fall CD release show at the Met on June 9th!
There are certain bands that when you hear them for the first time you say to yourself, “Holy Shit!” Murdoc out of Attleboro, MA. is just that sort of band. Our first taste of Murdoc was at their 2nd show ever last year. At that time the lineup was a bit different from it is currently, but we knew right then we were witnessing something special. So it was a treat to open up the mailbox a few weeks ago and find a shiny new Murdoc CD sitting inside. The bands current members are, Dom Dimonte (vocals), Matt Meserve (Guitar), Neil Dumaine (Guitar) Stephanie Curran (Bass) & Joe Danner (Drums). The thing that will burn into the brain of a first time listener to Murdoc is the vocals. Dom Dimonte is one scary sounding motherfucker. I mean seriously frightening. For the record, Dom is a clean-cut all American guy who is arguably one of the nicest dudes in metal, that just happens to sing like the spawn of Satan. The songs on the band’s debut EP are the soundtrack of your nightmares. There are no puppies and rainbows in the Murdoc world and that suits me just fine. Murdoc is straight up metal, no splintered genres in this band. They seamlessly blend elements of most styles of metal that are prevalent today with a solid old school death metal sound. The band that I am most reminded of when listening to Murdoc would probably be Misery Index, but with vocals that would frighten the devil himself.
Murdocs self titled EP features 4 songs, Creatures Of The Night, Six Deep, The Problem & Fallout. It was recorded and mixed by Shane Frisby at The Brick Hit House in Hyannis, MA. and was mixed and mastered by Pete Rutcho of Damage Productions. The recording and mix are top-notch. I can’t find any fault with it and to be honest, if I did it would have been very surprising with that caliber of a production team.
The first song on the disc Creatures of the Night, is best listened to in a well-lit room. This is not a song to play while walking through a foggy forest or right before bed. Six deep invokes Hitchcockian images of fresh dirt being thrown on your grave while you claw at the cover of the casket that you are being buried alive in. The Problem? Yea, I don’t think I want any part of being Murdocs problem. I don’t see that ending well. The last song Fallout brings to mind visions of a post-apocalyptic nuclear wasteland inhabited by various nefarious sorts, who would kill you painfully and steal your shoes!
I’m writing this as I recover from the Murdoc CD release show last Night at KC’s tap in Pawtucket, RI., which was probably one of the most intense shows we have covered in the last three plus years. If you are looking to check out some of the amazing local talent we have in New England, you will not find a better bet than a Murdoc show. This band has the potential to grow into something really special and we at MusicInPictures would recommend them to any record label looking for a sure bet!
Our boys in All For Blood finally got their asses into the studio to record what will eventually (we hope) become a full length CD sometime later this year. For now they will be releasing the first tracks that they have nailed down as a 3 song EP. The upcoming EP will feature the songs, Ashes in the Shadows, The March and live show favorite, WAR (title track). I was lucky enough to get my grubby paws on an advance copy and have been listening the shit out of it for the past week. This is going to be one of those FOX news style “Fair and Balanced” reviews because, well, I friggin love these guys! For any one who does not know, All For Blood is Ray Rogala (vocals), Kyle Heon (guitar), Mike Palaski (bass) & Lou Scolardi (drums).
The EP was recorded at No Boundaries Studios in Providence, RI and produced and mixed by Chris Piquett. The quality of the recording and mixing is decent. My only complaint is the vocals sound like they could use a little bit more tweaking. Some parts tend to sound a little too loud for the instruments and I think the clean vocals could use a smidge of something, don’t know what, but something. Although the more I listen, the more natural it sounds. That could be my ears adjusting or maybe I just don’t know what I’m talking about!
I don’t have a physical disc, so the order of songs is unknown to me right now. So I’ll just talk about them in the order they are on my iPod. The first song is the epic Ashes in the Shadows. This is a long song, 7 minutes and 10 seconds to be exact. However, it is one of those special songs that does not feel long, starting out slow and building to an all out metal crescendo before winding back down to a soft finish. This song is the epitome of All For Blood music and the first thing that strikes me when the song gets going is that Ray Rogala is a beast of a vocalist! I always knew he was good, but once I heard him in the relative quiet of my car, I realized just how good. Rays vocal work on this EP is almost perfect. His screams are smooth and steady and seem to jump out of the speakers and surround you. Even the clean vocals are very well done. Bravo my friend! Job well done.
The March is one of my favorite All for Blood songs, so I’m glad to see it well represented on this EP. The first time we saw All For Blood live, the song WAR turned the pit into an all out brawl. It left us wondering if that was the type of crowd these guys draw, but after getting to know them we realized it was just the idiots at the show that night. This song does get the crowds moving, so if you’re at an AFB show, watch out for the pit when you hear the WAR chant!
Ok, so what are the cons of All For Bloods EP? I’m really hard pressed to find a major fault with it. There is one thing, and I suppose it is something I can rant about here. It really bugs me when a song fades out at what you think is the end and then roars back for just a breakdown and a few repeats of the chorus. I know…1st world problems…but, both The March and WAR do it on this EP. It’s one thing to do that live, where those things work well, but on a CD it tends to pull my focus out of grooving on the song and the flow of the album. It’s not just on this disc, I notice this on a lot of songs from many different bands. Being that I am an old school hardcore kid, when songs start going over the 3 1/2 minute mark my attention tends to drift. Knowing when to end a song is, IMHO, a very important part of recording. If a song ends at just the right spot, I tend to find myself hitting the repeat button to get back into the groove.
Alright, enough whining. Get your ass out to a show and check out All For Blood. These guys kick ass and have yet to disappoint us. Hell, get your ass out to ANY local show, because it’s the only way we can expand the scene and get our local boys and girls heard!
Rock Karma Promotions has been around for several years doing shows in RI, MA, and CT.
We are small and family oriented. What we promise is a community for metal bands who are just starting out or who are just looking to get back to basics.
Our friends in Murdoc held an all out bruiser of a show at KC’s Tap in Pawtucket, RI to celebrate the release of their debut EP on April 27th 2012. Along for the ride were old friends, Mechanical Process, Necris, Sirens Of Poveglia, Acaro & Thy Will Be Done. Yea, this was definitely a Rock Karma Promotions show to remember, with an almost capacity crowd at KC’s. By the time Sirens Of Poveglia had finished their second song, the EMT’s were carrying a guy out on a stretcher! Thankfully we hear that he will be OK, even though he did suffer some serious injuries. It was a rough and tumble night all around, so the photos and videos may not be up to what we would normally post. The audio of the videos is especially disappointing. It was painfully obvious from the get go that MikeD was not on the boards. We did the best we could with what we were given, so if you think they suck…blame the sound guy!
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