Holy Grail
w/ Death of Kings and Volume IV
June 29th, 2013
The Earl – Atlanta, GA
Holy Grail has been killing it on the road this year in support of their latest masterpiece Ride the Void and their latest and most extensive headlining tour brought them back to Atlanta at The Earl. I’ve seen Holy Grail 5 times now and each time they were an opening act. To finally have the chance to see one of my favorite bands play for more than 30 minutes was something I was truly looking forward to. The sparse turnout at The Earl on a Saturday night didn’t seem to affect that vibe of the show that night whatsoever. While there weren’t too many people there (maybe 50 or so?), the room was abuzz with excitement and anticipation of the facemelting festivities that awaited us all.
Kicking things off this night was local titans Volume IV. Volume IV has been a band that since it’s incarnation never ceases to blow my mind. On this night in particular, Volume IV was not only playing with a fire that I hadn’t seen yet but they were also playing with a kind of swing that I have never seen them play with before. Part of what I loved so much about those early Sabbath albums was the swing and looseness that they played with and Volume IV seems to have reached this place where they are totally comfortable with each other, the songs have grown up and stand on their own, and the live show has really come to be almost a spiritual experience. As a front man, guitarist/singer Joe Carpenter may be light on banter but doing so allows the music to do all the talking. Joe has a commanding yet non arrogant or egotistical presence as does the rest of the band. Just watching these guys so in touch and connected with the songs makes you feel connected to them as if to try and join them in this connection. Their 45 minute set contained some now fan favorites like “To The Mountain”, “Black Water” and “Wager” but for me, it’s “One Eyed King” that I have come to feel is Volume IV’s signature song. That song never gets old and totally embodies what that band is all about in my opinion. The sparse crowd that was there was extremely vocal in their approval of Volume IV and that energy was reflected back to the audience by the band. Some bands play “to” an audience and some bands play “for” an audience. Volume IV is a band that plays for an audience as opposed as they work hard to draw people in with their music and make those people their own.
Volume IV Setlist:
Long in the Tooth, Awake the Dreamer, To the Mountain, Black Water, One Eyed King, Low for High, Save Your Servant, Wager, Kong, Locust
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Up next was local EPIC/POWER/DEATH/THRASH band Death of Kings. I’ve seen them before, I’ve 
heard their album, and seeing them again still didn’t do a single thing for me. As we all know, opinions are like assholes so I’m just going to show my asshole here. I talked earlier about how some bands play “for” the people and some play “to” the people. Death of Kings is definitely a band that plays “to” the people. It’s almost like walking into a room where you’re the only person not being let in on a joke or story and while everyone laughs and what not, you’re left scratching your head thinking, “I don’t get it.” They obviously have a lot of friends/fans and they play just “to” those people. While the songs themselves aren’t appealing to me, the stage banter of their singer/guitarist Matt Matson just has me rolling my eyes. With his over use of the word “fuck” in his stage banter, it just kind of reminds me of watching a juvenile high school metal band saying stuff like, “Fucking I’m so fucking inebriated. Buy some fucking shirts at our fucking merch booth. Fucking awesome.” Really? Ok, I love to use the word “fuck” myself but c’mon, enough is enough. In all honesty, I didn’t take in much of their set but what I did take in just solidified to me that these guys are not the band for me.
Death of Kings Setlist:
Lots of noisy songs with lots of screaming and lots of stage banter with the over use of the word “fuck.”
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As the houselights drew to a dim, the audience made their way to press against the stage and await the return of the mighty Holy Grail. I could feel the anticipation of the crowd and the energy in the room was nothing short of electrifying. Lead singer James Paul Luna announced, “Atlanta. We are Holy Grail and this one is called ‘Immortal Man!” The crowd roared and the band just ripped everyone’s fucking heads off. I knew right away this was going to be a truly magical show. For the next hour and fifteen minutes Holy Grail delivered a high energy, passion filled set made up of a fair mix of songs from both their debut album Crisis In Utopia and their latest masterpiece Ride the Void. Classics like “Call of Valhalla”, “Chase the Wind”, and “Crisis in Utopia” were so much fun to hear after what seemed like forever but it was getting to hear new songs like, “Bestia Triumphans”, “Rains of Sorrow”, and “Bleeding Stone” that really made my night. Hearing these songs live just took them to a whole other level. “Ride the Void” just may be Holy Grail’s best song to date as that song really encapsulates everything that I love about this band. Holy Grail drew their epic set to a massive closing with “My Last Attack”, and epic cover of the Rainbow classic “Kill the King”, and “Fight To Kill” which just whipped the crowd into a frenzy. As the band bid everyone good bye, I surveyed the room and saw nothing but smiles, high fives, and looks of absolute disbelief. All I could do was nod with a shit eating grin thinking to myself, “I know… I know.”
While the crowd may not have been huge in numbers but they were huge in energy, 
excitement, and appreciation. Pressed up against the stage, headbanging, and doing “guitar fingers” at guitarists Alex Lee and Eli Santana, I felt like I was transported back to the days of seeing Iron Maiden at Ruskin Arms or something. Holy Grail put out so much energy and without a doubt proved to be a band that plays “for” an audience. These guys were giving the same performance that a band would give to a sea of thousands and this very display of skill and professionalism is what makes an audience truly feel that they are seeing some magical and something special. James Paul Luna truly worked the crowd and the band as a whole played with a fire that was more intense than I had ever seen them play. Holy Grail strikes me as the kind of band that when they walk out onstage in front of a sparse crowd, instead of being bummed, they choose to give them a truly unforgettable concert experience. This practice is why Holy Grail’s following continues to grow at a steady pace. When someone like me walks away from a Holy Grail show singing their praises, it just makes others want to see if for themselves. That’s the old school way of doing things and whatever it is they’re doing it right.
Holy Grail is without a doubt a band that continues to grow by leaps and bounds and they never cease to amaze me. I have seen so much growth in this band and with each passing tour and each passing album they just continue to blow myself away and anyone else to turns an ear to them. As an old curmudgeon fuck, I can feel good knowing that a band like Holy Grail is out there doing what they’re doing and doing it so well. Holy Grail is a band that should make bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Accept feel that when their time does come, they can retire comfortably knowing that they’re carrying the torch.
Holy Grail Setlist:
Immortal Man, Bleeding Stone, Crosswinds, Chase the Wind, Ride the Void, Too Decayed to Wait, Bestia Triumphans, Call of Valhalla, Dark Passenger, Crisis in Utopia, Rains of Sorrow, My Last Attack, Kill the King, Fight to Kill
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