The crowd loves them, the first song had just started and the crowd already opened a pit. The drummer's kicks were a bit unsynchronized here and there and I can't tell if it was intended or a mistake, but it was a problem in my opinion. Let Us Be Spoken participated in this year's Metal Battle, and thesong they've played for the clip is written well, touching and memorable, and I very much enjoyed listening to it live. There are 2 things that really bothered me, however; the first is the vocalist's falsetto parts, for most of it was out of key. Secondly, was the fact they thought about the choreography a bit too much. I am 100% into bands whom synchronize their moves, but this time it came off as cheezy.
WALKWAYS began with a humorous intro and smashing into a well-built song, full of power, these guys are professional; I'm glad that they are the band representing Israel in Wacken this year. The singer has a fantastic stage presence, clean vox are tight and powerful, guitar work is superb, a nice balance of heavy and calm, djenty and groovy riffs. The vocalist performs a unique variation of rap singing, reminding a bit of Jonathan or KORN, mixing well with the song and getting a big 'thumbs up' from me. They know how to draw a crowd in; WALKWAYS are undoubtedly a great band, and I can't wait to see their name on world tours.
TEXAS IN JULY commenced with an energetic intro, right into an energetic song, super tight guitar sounds, my drunk friend kept pushing me inside the moshpit. I usually don't like bands using too many "trancy" digital effects on their guitars, but TEXAS' guitarists played it off amazingly.
Although the performance is surely energetic, something pulls me off from their music, in my taste it's too full, always on the high edge, high tempo, a bit hard to keep up with them, there's no time to relax. In my opinion a performance should have at least some breaks in it; repeating the same affair over and over again makes for monotony, even though they amazed me with their skills and energy, I became exhausted pretty fast since it almost all sounded the same.
And here it came, that part I was waiting for, finally something a bit different, though it came too late and was too short, and I think they don't do it enough. The guys dedicated a song to an Israeli public figure named Omri Ligi, I really appreciate bands that are informed about stuff going on in the place they perform, so, TEXAS, kudos. The last song they played in my opinion really fits an ending song, really energetic and they let the crowd listen to what this band is best at, but, in my opinion, their songs are all so energetic; I appreciate the sentiment, but it doesn't ease the monotony.
The CHELSEA GRIN show started with exactly what I was missing with TEXAS IN JULY: a slow break down. The music is technical and heavy; I enjoyed the first song a lot, a great opening for a good concert, I really liked the fact they're not afraid to leave us hanging in their ending breakdowns. The playing is really tight but still heavy enough to make it not sound uptight and the performance is on-point. Something I must say is that I dislike the bass guitar's sound, filled with distortion, which I think should stay an effect for guitars only, though I must admit, it fits the music well. Another thing I really liked is the melodies, dark and fitting well in the song, giving it much more depth than just an entire set of breakdowns.
The crowd looks possessed and mesmerized; these guys know how to make the crowd move and the moshpits are some of the craziest I ever saw. Most of the show I was sure some of the vocals are on playback, after a while I noticed that all those vocals were the drummer singing. I loved it; one has to appreciate a drummer who can sing, and their vocals were so alike so it's noticeable that they've put a lot of effort into their vocals and they actually know the right techniques. It's truly professional, and I give all my respect for bands who think those things through, and CHELSEA GRIN, you're doing damn splendid work.
And encores, oh how I love encores. They always keep the best for the encore; I loved watching all of the crowd going crazy and jumping, and CHELSEA GRIN nailed the encore perfectly, tight and heavy. I love the fact that the melodies are spot on, both guitars play those beautiful mesmerizing harmonies so very tightly. I used to think Chelsea Grin is a band too heavy for me, but, tonight they proved me wrong; I found so many things I like in this band and their set was highly memorable.
