Eluveitie/3iOB/Holy Grail/System Divide
02/26/2011
Atlanta, GA
The Masquerade (Hell)
Swedish folk metal band Eluveitie (pronounced EL-vey-TI) brought their “Everything Remains As It Was” tour to Atlanta. Normally I couldn’t have been too bothered about seeing this band as they are not a band I particularly love but it was the opening acts Holy Grail and 3 Inches of Blood that drew me in and made this a show worth checking out. It’s rare that I go see a band mainly to see the opening acts but when two of the opening acts are two of your favorite bands, how can you not? The best way to describe it is this. Imagine if this girl (or guy) that you think is just “OK” wants you to hang out. You’re on the fence but then you find out that this girl (or guy) has two REALLY awesome friends that will be there so you just go to hang with them. That’s how this night was for me.
I got there shortly after doors opened and the place was about 1/2 full which was a good sign. Metal shows are the best when it comes to people watching. You’ll never see a more diverse looking audience and this show was no exception. Everyone from dads to a guy in full on Viking attire were present and ready for the metal onslaught that awaited them. I made my rounds surveying the scene like I always do and right away it was apparent that Holy Grail was the “buzz band” of the night. I overheard quite a few expressing their anticipation of seeing these guys. I made my way as close to the stage as possible to take in Belgian metal band System Divide, the first band of the night. System Divide is fronted by both a male singer and a female singer. This dynamic is obviously a similar one to Italian metal band Lacuna Coil but System Divide lacked in the melodic side. None of their songs stood out from the other so it pretty much sounded like the same song over and over again. What System Divide did excel at was getting the crowd pumped up. Being the first band on a bill is always an impossible task but they managed to really work the audience and get them moving. Their energy was really great on stage and they seemed willing to do anything they could to get the audience to focus on them. The female vocalist Miri Milman was really pitchy and at times it was hard to take. There were quite a few moments where I made a stink face because of the sour notes she was hitting. System Divide did a great job and prepping the stage for the following bands but did little to stand out and make an impression on me.
As the houselights went down, the nearly full house erupted with a roar as Holy Grail’s intro music filled the room. The band took the stage with a vengeance as lead vocalist James Paul Luna announced, “Atlanta! We are Holy Fucking Grail and this song is called IMMORTAL MAN!” The band slammed into the song with all the fury and hunger of a band that is doing all they can assure that nobody will be left with their face intact. Drummer Tyler Meahl and bassist Blake Mount create a thunderous foundation for this song and the audience responded by not only moshing and losing their minds in approval but also by singing the chorus in volume back to the band. I was so floored to see that Holy Grail had won over these people. Holy Grail possesses an old school spirit and it totally shows in their performance. There is zero ego on that stage and no pretentiousness to their performance. This is a metal band playing some of the best metal out there today and just by being themselves and connecting with the people they are winning them over left and right. I have yet to hear anyone say, “Wow, they were just OK” after seeing them live. Luna is without a doubt the best metal front man out there besides Bruce Dickinson. I don’t say that because I’m a huge fan. I say that because it’s true. He addresses the audience like a horde of followers and everyone acknowledges it returning a loud roar each time. Luna also introduces each song by screaming the title which beckons back to the metal front men of long ago. Guitarists Eli Santana and Ian Scott seemed to really wow the audience with their impressive playing abilities on songs like “Crisis In Utopia” and “Hollow Ground” but it was on “My Last Attack” where they really stepped it up to the front and completely melt everyone’s faces clean off. Closing the set out with “Fight To Kill” whipped everyone into a frenzy as the pit got so intense I had to make my way to keep from getting booted in the head. Holy Grail left it all on the stage as they bid Atlanta a good night. In my opinion, Holy Grail is just what classic metal needs. They not so much “saviors” of metal as they are “preservers” of the sound. A sound that seems to have been forgotten by many only to be brought back to us reminding us just how great it was and can be.
I would hate to be any band that has to follow Holy Grail but leave it to 3 Inches of Blood to be able pull it off. Much like Holy Grail, 3 Inches of Blood are preservers of the all that is classic and awesome about heavy metal. Also much like Holy Grail, 3 Inches of Blood have managed to take all the elements of classic metal bands like Grim Reaper, Judas Priest and Merciful Fate, put them into a blender and drink it all down creating a metal juggernaut to be reckoned with. 3iOB took the stage looking like a horde of metal vikings opening with “The Goatrider’s Horde” to a roar. Lead singer Cam Pipes has a voice that would make Rob Halford jealous and a presence that commands the attention of all in attendance. It was obvious that 3iOB had left their mark on Atlanta a few times before because this crowd knew just what to do. The band slammed right into “Destroy the Orcs” and at the end of the song, Pipes stood tall and with his commanding voice said, “Atlanta! Prepare to to enter “The Trial of Champions” which had everyone going nuts! This was the highlight of the set as the energy that was put out on this song was over the top. Guitarist Justin Hagberg’s gutteral growling vocals along with Pipe’s over the top vocals created a dynamic that had my face sliding clean off my skull. “Night Marauders” was another highlight that showcased what an amazing drummer Ash Peterson is. Song for song 3iOB was killing everyone. The twin guitar attack of Justin Hagberg and Shane Clark was reminiscent of the NWOBHM gods of old as Cam Pipes soaring voice just slaughtered everyone to nothing. The set closed out with “Battles and Brotherhood” which proved to be appropriate as it was like a battle cry that drew this stage of the battle to a close. It was official in my opinion: THE SHOW IS OVER!
Eluveitie took the stage to a roaring crowd and while the audience was enthusiastic and welcoming, I couldn’t help but feel the opposite. Eluveitie’s folk metal core is something that I thought I would totally click with but it totally failed to do so. I can’t stress enough how much I can’t stand death metal singing. I don’t mind it in the case of bands like 3iOB where it’s used to create a dynamic with a mix of clean vocals but when it’s song after song of that, I just don’t connect with it. The band obviously has some serious talent and seeing such instruments as a hurdy gurdy, fiddle and mandolin on stage in a metal band is cool. The band opened with “Nil” and by the time the third song “Grey Sublime Archon” I was ready to go. Let’s face it. Having to follow Holy Grail AND 3 Inches of Blood is impossible. I’m sorry but those two are the best of the best these days. I was totally open to allow Eluveitie to wow me but they didn’t. I managed to make it through 5 or 6 songs before I knew for a fact that I had already seen the best sets of the night. Eluveitie is definitely talented to say the least and they definitely have a following. I just didn’t feel that connection that I feel with 3iOB and Holy Grail. Those guys remind me of everything I loved about metal as a kid where as Eluveitie just seemed to kind of lose me in the shuffle.
At the end of the night, it was Holy Grail and 3 Inches of Blood that proved to be the reigning champions. They both came out swords, fists and spiked gauntlets flying and completely pillaged Atlanta leaving a floor full of melted faces and crushed skulls in their wake. These two bands are preservers of all that is classic about metal and they are just the leaders this battle needs. It seems in this day and age that metal bands not only forgot how to sound like a metal band, they don’t even look like metal bands. They look more like employees at Hot Topic or a movie theater. Holy Grail and 3iOB are not only preserving the sound but the image of everything that heavy metal stood for and should still stand for. These guys are the real deal and in my opinion they just don’t get any better. All hail 3 Inches of Blood and Holy Grail. If you choose not to, prepare to meet your fate.
Holy Grail Set List
Immortal Man, Call of Valhalla, Crisis in Utopia, Hollow Ground, My Last Attack, Fight to Kill
3 Inches of Blood Set List
Goatrider’s Horde, Destroy The Orcs, Lords of Change, Trial of Champions, Fear on the Bridge,
Night Marauders, Strike Of The Blade, Deadly Sinners, Battles and Brotherhood
Eluveitie Set List
Intro: The Otherworld, Nil, Bloodstained Ground, Grey Sublime Archon, Your Gaulish War, Thousandfold, Inis Mona, Slania’s Song, Brictom, Omnos, Quoth The Raven, The Song Of Life, Kingdom Come Undone, (Do)Minion, AnDro
Encore:
Primordial Breath, Uis Elveti, Tegernakô
Thanks to Aaron Arthurs for the Eluveitie and 3 Inches of Blood Photos!
[svgallery name=”All That Remains 2011″]
About The Author
