Concert Review: Holy Grail – November 9, 2013 – Atlanta, GA

Holy Grail
(supporting Orange Goblin)
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Atlanta, GA – The Earl

Holy Grail is without a doubt one of the hardest working metal bands on the circuit. It’s hard for me to believe that it’s only been a mere 3 years since the first time I saw this young band of metal freaks from Pasadena taking the stage as the opening act for Exodus here in Atlanta. The crowd had really no clue who this band was but by the end of their set, Holy Grail was rapidly becoming the buzzword of the night. Three years later Holy Grail was back in Atlanta as the support act for Orange Goblin and this time things were different. This time a good sized crowd was pressed up against the stage chanting for the almighty Holy Grail!

Out of a nowhere, a hip hop beat was filling the air and as it played on, it became obvious that this was a rap song about Holy Grail which was absolutely hilarious. The band took the stage to a loud roar from the crowd and slammed right into “Bleeding Stone” from their latest album Ride the Void. Right away I know this was going to be a special night. The band slammed right into “Crosswinds” which completely whipped everyone into a headbanging frenzy and it was just up and up from there. I’ve seen Holy Grail countless times but this night there was a certain fire behind that that I had not seen before. This definitely wasn’t the same band I had seen three years ago. This was a confident, matured, and refined metal band far beyond their young years and it showed as the band played on.

Lead singer James Paul Luna continues to astound me and prove to be a powerful metal front man. Matter of fact, I’d go on to say that he just may be the greatest modern metal front man out there today. He really knows how to work the crowd and everyone is totally captivated by him as he holds up the giant invisible orange and sweeps invisible cobwebs out of his way with a fury unmatched. This guy really knows how to work the crowd and he does it better than anyone out there (except for Dickinson of course). The guitar team of Eli Santana and Alex Lee also continues to amaze me and everyone else who takes them in as they perform Shrapnel like shredding while physically running from one end of the stage to the other. At one point Santana made his way to my side of the stage and pinched my nipple all while executing a flawless guitar solo. If that’s not skill folks I don’t know what is.

holygrail_EPcoverHoly Grail definitely wasn’t playing it safe when it came to the setlist and for the first time I’d seen they jettisoned their long time opener “Immortal Man” completely from the set list. This was a pretty bold move but the band completely owned the night with a set list heavy on material from Ride The Void. The facemelting title track and “Dark Passenger” just annihilated everyone but in my opinion it was on “Bestia Triumphans” that the band truly locked it in and pushed it to the edge and never looked back. Listening to this song proves to me that Tyler Mehl is without a doubt one of the best fucking metal drummers out there. This dude without a doubt deserves some serious props as this guy just fucking slays it.

Watching Holy Grail perform is watching a performance unlike any other. Holy Grail has grown into this spectacular band that knows absolutely no limits or boundaries. Every time I see them is that much better than the other but this performance was truly special. It was magic. It was lightning captured in a bottle and then unleashed unto the devoted fans who were there to hail the grail. I looked around and saw people singing, headbanging, thrusting fists in the air, and showing their allegiance to the band. It’s nice to see a band who gives so much finally start to get that energy back from the crowd and it’s very well deserved as well. Holy Grail’s set was without a doubt one of the single greatest displays of integrity, passion, and flat out metal that I believe I’ve ever seen (aside from Maiden of course). These guys continue to grow by leaps and bounds and its shows like this that makes me proud to be a fan of a band. They brought it, sold it, and all out owned the night. Hail the Grail!

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