The annual Summer Slaughter tour is hyped as the 'most extreme tour of the summer' and usually has some brutal lineups with a good mix of death metal veterans and metalcore youngsters. The 2011 installment that rolled through Milwaukee was perhaps one of the weaker lineups the tour has pushed out, but some tried and true blast technicians helped save the day from complete breakdown dominance.
Now, I can't and won't attempt to give a complete analysis of every band as I have in past reviews because plain and simple, I don't give a fuck about at least half of the bands on the bill. There were plenty of talented and girted musicians that performed on that stage, but their lack of creativity is something I can't overlook. The metal scene has been flooded with some true sub-par music and I think the tour lineup reflected that.
I walked into the Rave with my good pals Peter and Ben in time to watch Fleshgod Apocalypse crank out about a song and a half. Being 7 beers deep at this point and unfamiliar with their music, I wasn't too concerned I had missed anything. The dudes were dressed up in body paint, suits, and weird bullshit that they don't need, but theatrics help sell it for some bands so w/e. Within The Ruins was the opening slot we had missed entirely, which again, take it or leave it. I would have liked to see if they expanded on their debut album, but the live setting may not be the place for that kind of judgement. As Blood Runs Black bounced onto the stage with plenty of energy but again, standard issue metalcore at its blandest. I saw these guys some years ago at Robot Mosh Fest and busted out my "eh" face. Needless to say by the end of this day I had it down to a science. The absolute worst part of the set was when the band chose to bust out only the "epic breakdown" of their track "In Dying Days". Why not play the whole song? Or is the chance to use "motherfucker" in a breakdown the only redeeming part that kids may find? Signs point to yes. Continuing right in stride was Oceano, complete with tough guy stances, hordes of breakdowns, and encouragement of physical violence amongst crowd members. I had seen and heard enough after a few songs (actually, seeing them set up should've been enough) so I decided to wander around to see what was going on in the other bar areas. Low and behold, I eventually climbed stair after stair to reach an open air styled bar above the ballroom. I was shocked. I didn't know such a thing existed. I always assumed the ballroom was as high as a patron could go, but apparently the Rave staff have been holding out on me or I'm that oblivious. Don't get me wrong, this isn't nearly enough to change my opinion that the Rave and surrounding area should be leveled, but it made things easier to digest. A decent bar, flat screens to see what shitty band you were missing, and fresh air amounted to the one pleasant surprise of the day.
Things finally took a turn for the better when Dying Fetus took the stage in their kick ass 3 piece lineup. This was the second time I had the pleasure of seeing them destroy with 3 members and it blew the 5/6 piece lineups out of the water. They played a good variety of crowd pleasers from across their catalog and brought more fury than pretty much every preceding band put together. At this point in their career, Dying Fetus are a true force to be reckoned with and respected for their contributions to the metal scene. It's always a pleasure to see them tear shit up, which they certainly did.
I had a good idea of what to expect from 6 Feet Under, and I can say that honestly nothing has changed after seeing them live. they've never been a band I've paid much attention to and most likely won't in the future. I don't mean this in the kind of disrespect I have for a lot of the bands on the bill. Rather, this is more of an indifference. It's another notch on the 'ol metal headboard, but nothing too notably exciting. Classic styled death metal in which you know exactly what you're getting.
Darkest Hour were one of the oddest fits i my mind, but they pulled it off a few years ago on the same tour, so what the fuck. I was glad just to see a change in style more than anything else. I haven't really kept up with Darkest Hour since Undoing Ruin from 2005, and since then I've missed 3 full lengths. I figured they couldn't have changed for the worse if they were invited on this tour, but I had my reservations. I knew they wouldn't come out with bass drops and breakdowns, but they one-upped me with their slick elixir of thrash infused metalcore. I'm sure there were plenty of straight brimmed kids in the crowd who hated Darkest Hour, but they provided much needed relief and change of pace. Musically they were on top of their game playing faster than your average Milwaukee metal fan can think, topping off their songs with sweeping melodic solos. Their performance really got me curious about those full lengths I've been missing out on and re-lit my fire of fan appreciation. Hats off to Darkest Hour for playing Summer Slaughter. Hope I get another chance to see them again.
Whitechapel followed with an uninspiring set that I've seen twice already. I saw them on Summer Slaughter 2008, and again with Job For a Cowboy, Cattle Decapitation, and Gaza in Madison almost 2 years ago. If you've seen one of their sets, you've seen it all. I will say that I own and at times enjoy This Is Exile, but I haven't had a reason to buy or listen to anything further, because there's no way it gets better. There's just no way. 3 guitarists are completely unnecessary, I'm still wondering what the bassist does, and the breakdowns have been done before, even if not that low tuned.
The main event, The Black Dahlia Murder, are always fun to see. They've been one of the most consistently energetic live bands I've ever seen, and Summer Slaughter was no different. Their latest release, Ritual, had the band in full on blast mode and the momentum carried into the crowd. I chose to watch from the balcony because I've been in my share of Dahlia pits and I really just wanted to take it all in. Their set covered every studio album and while it didn't uncover every gem, they played to their strengths of fist pumping melodic death metal madness. By now they shouldn't have to close with "Funeral Thirst" but I doubt anyone was complaining.
Bottom line: a lot of breakdowns got in the way of some killer death metal, but those veteran acts made it all worthwhile.
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