There were five bands on this bill, two of which were locals: Nemesis and Ceremonial Castings. Usually, five bands push my attention limit, but Fear Factory was worth the wait.
Kicking off the night was Nemesis. We met Joshua, who was a 14 year old boy there with his father….it was his first concert ever. For the rest of his life, he’ll remember that Nemesis was his first band he ever saw live. The members of Nemesis heard about this and took the time to greet him, give him a high five, and even gave him a shirt. This was also Nemesis’ first live show with their new drummer – and he fit in and sounded great.
Next up, from the “Battlegrounds of Washington,” was Ceremonial Castings. Unfortunately they experienced some technical difficulties, but they handled it very well and managed to put on great show. They played one of my favorite Ceremonial Castings songs, “Bewitching Black Metal.” Having toured with some very heavy hitters, here in Oregon/Washington we are very lucky to call them our own.
Kobra and the Lotus took the stage next. This Canadian metal band put on an awesome show. Fronted by a powerful female singer, Kobra and the Lotus had a bit of a Dragonforce feel to them. I enjoyed the band members’ interaction with the fans, and you could see all the men fall hard for the beautiful singer, and she was very cordial and flirty back. I personally loved the singer’s dreadlocks; I was totally envious. Kobra and the Lotus set the energy bar so high, the next band had a challenge to match it.
Hate Eternal was the fourth band to play. You could tell that some fans definitely came for Hate Eternal, and the others came for Fear Factory. Even though they are very different sounds, I think fans of both bands likely enjoyed the show. The very heavy Hate Eternal started off a little predictable and low energy, but then by the third song they found their groove. The now three piece (I was told by a fan that as a four piece they were more intense) – was still heavy, but the type of heavy that you need to love or it becomes monotonous – well, at least for me. The pit was intense. Unfortunately for me, with the predictable movements from the band, the pit was more entertaining to watch.
Finally, Fear Factory took the stage. I was impressed! They sounded great! The vocals were deep and clear, the bass hit hard and you could feel the entire building shake. My favorite songs were: “Shock” and “Edgecrusher.” People were enjoying the pit, and the energy on stage was great. The flow of the show was an energy roller coaster to me, but the apex of Fear Factory was definitely the highlight of the night. Fear Factory fans are intense…. I will definitely see them again.
