Scattered Hamlet CD Release Party at The Viper Room on 3/4

Sucks to be you if you weren't at The Viper Room for Scattered Hamlet's CD release show cuz that shit was outta sight! It was the last show of their tour and they clearly saved the best for last. I've never seen the Viper Room so sweaty and grimy after a concert! That building needed a cigarette and a cold shower by the time the show was over.

Redd was shredding on the cat walk.

Adam was wailing on the mike.

The newest addition - Chili Bowl on guitars!

Jake stayed hidden from view most of the night.

Rich hammered out some bitchin' bass lines.

If you like dirty, unapologetic, southern rock overflowing with killer guitar riffs and sleazy wah pedal licks then this is the stuff for you. I finally heard the Skeleton Dixie album played in its entirety and I bought the CD as soon as it was over.

If you missed Scattered Hamlet this time around, you might be able catch them again in May or June. In the meantime, be sure to check  out these hellacious hillbillies on Facebook!

Scattered Hamlet at The Viper Room on 11/07

My buddies in Scattered Hamlet played a truly rockin' show at The Viper Room last Wednesday! These guys are a sweaty, southern hard rock band, and their music makes for good dancing or head-banging - whichever you prefer. I like to call it blue collar rock 'n roll and I think they're giving their predecessors of southern rock a run for their money! This was the first show Scattered Hamlet has played with their new guitar player Branden. He seems like a very cool dude and he wasted no time carving out his own sound alongside veteran guitarist Redd.

As anticipated, it was a great show! Lots of people turned up and the crowd was rockin' out along with the band. Scattered Hamlet played a bitchin' new song for us along with my favorite songs Skeleton Dixie and Shotgun Symphony. Apparently they're just starting to record an album so I'll be waiting patiently for it to hit the stores.

For the first time ever, I remembered my camera.

                                                       Redd knows how to shred.

                                         Jake was commanding the hell out of that drum set.

I accidentally clocked singer Adam Joad in the face after the show while swinging my arms wildly for some forgotten (and stupid?) reason but he was totally cool about it. Sorry!

Check these guys out on facebook: Scattered Hamlet

The next even on my concert calendar is Desecrate, Ascendancy, Legal Tender and a crap load of other bands at The Whiskey on 11/16. Municipal Waste is actually playing tomorrow night at The House of Blues but I won't be able to make it because I have Kendo practice and I've already missed too many practices. Daaaaamn.

Skeletonwitch and Havok at The Whiskey on 10/30

Much head banging was had last Tuesday at The Whiskey for the Skeletonwitch and Havok show! Since it was the night before Halloween there was a smattering of costumes and skull face-paint. Major props to the giant banana circling in the pit!

The first band I caught was a local band named Legal Tender. Seemed like kind of an odd name for a thrash metal band but maybe there's a story behind that. Anyway, they were pretty choice. The bassist and the guitar player shared an incredible dynamic and played really well off of each other. I'll definitely be catching another Legal Tender show!

The big surprise of the night for me was seeing Havok. I've heard a little bit of their music before and I seem to recall thinking it was pretty rad but not ever following up with a second listen. Needless to say, I was not prepared for the face crushing, adrenaline surging show that they brought to The Whiskey. As soon as these guys hit the stage, the crowd erupted into a voracious, frenzied circle pit! Both guitarists stormed up a whirlwind of rapid rhythms, furious melodies and immaculate solos, although it was the drummer who really drove the train with his pounding, relentless drum fills and double bass. This band was seriously tight. I will definitely be picking up a CD soon, and a "No Karate in the Pit" T-shirt.

Few bands could have followed a set like that without falling short but Skeletonwitch didn't miss a beat. They tore right into the audience with a song off of their newest album and kept hammering away with all of their old fan favorites like Beyond the Permafrost, Soul Thrashing Black Sorcery, Submit to the Suffering, and Upon Wings of Black. The nightmarish song lyrics combined with Chase Garnette's despair inducing scream really make Skeletonwitch seem like a band that teleported here straight from the bowels of hell. There's a visceral quality to their music. It has the heaviness and complexity of death metal with the speed and dexterity of thrash. 

My throat was mostly hoarse by the end of the night from screaming along to Skeletonwitch. It was the perfect end to a crazy run of six concerts in seven days. Check out Legal Tender, Havok and Skeletonwitch on facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/skeletonwitchmetal

https://www.facebook.com/HavokOfficial

https://www.facebook.com/legaltenderband

The next event on my concert calendar is (hopefully) Scattered Hamlet on Wednesday, November 7^th, at The Viper Room. I'll also be seeing Enslaved on Saturday, November 10^th at The Roxy.