Metal Massacre 2012: Acheron • Dismemberment • Prosanctus Inferi • The Conquering • Beneath the Sea - January 28, 2012 - The Shrunken Head, Columbus, Ohio

I guess I'm going to start this one completely out of chronological order and may well ramble a bit, too. It's not that I don't appreciate Acheron. I am thankful we have a metal act with some history and some heft right here close to home. I am thankful that they obviously undertook a labor of love to pull together a show like last night's Metal Massacre at the Shrunken Head because, for eight dollars, anyone in attendance got a hell of a lot of entertainment. That said, the headliners did not do it for me and, three or four numbers into their set, I hit the street.

Acheron went on last, of course, and the music was preceded by an inordinate amount of set dressing. Anti-Christian, anti-Muslim and anti-Judaism banners were hung just so, drugstore skulls were placed at the perfect angles and, in case anyone wasn't clear who was playing, an oversized Acheron banner was hung from the curtain rods. Before they hit the first note Acheron were sweaty from all of their interior design as well as their uniforms of long-sleeve black shirts, leather pants, cumbersome boots and enough metal spikes to make even Kerry King say really? A couple angry songs in they remembered that they needed to shred the Bible and the Koran, much to the crowd's delight. All of this is fine, I suppose, for a band firmly devoted to Satan but, in the end, they are a band and, at some point, the music has to speak for itself. It didn't. The loud, mid-tempo, repetitive churning echoed that from my recent listening to The Final Conflict and ultimately came across as just a misfocused, less dynamic alternative to a band like Immolation, who I have recently come to appreciate more and more, especially following a no-frills live set that delivered exactly where Acheron fell short. Simply put, the metal did not move me in any way aside from out the door.



Acheron
do these pants make my ass look evil?

Back to the beginning, then. The Shrunken Head is apparently generally a Goth hangout and was a cozy bar atmosphere with a small stage in the corner. A cooler full of PBR tallboys screamed hipster! but didn't keep me from imbibing. The venue's website never did quite deliver on its promise of a ticket/t-shirt combo offer and merch was awkwardly placed in what I guess may be adjacent dining space but that was also used as an area for the bands to stage their gear prior to the show. It was cramped and difficult to browse so I gave up on that prospect early on. Still, I have to give props to the proprietors and bands for making a show like this possible at such a low price so it's hard to complain. The staff were all very pleasant and parking was free and easy along the streets outside. Sound in the space was very good and credit is due to the man at the board. Volume was appropriate but not overwhelming and each instrument was well-balanced with the vocals.

Beneath the Sea opened and were not half-bad. Pretty damn good, actually. They delivered death metal on an ambitiously epic scale and, when they hit their groove, were a lot of fun to hear. Visually, they need some work on stage presence and weren't as engaging as more well-seasoned acts. I have no idea how long the lineup has been together - it just seemed as though they weren't 100% comfortable with one another. Leads were a little underwhelming and the vocalist's dedication to death growls even during between-song crowd banter was a little odd. That said, if they had a record for sale, I'd buy it. If they were on a bill at any future show I attended, I'd make it a point to catch their set.

The Conquering followed and I was utterly confused by their horribly off-key clean harmonies and lack of anything approaching melody for a band supposedly offering nordic/black/folk metal. I spent most of their set trying to imagine punny descriptors for the band. We can't carry a Rune was all I came up with and ultimately opted to spend the time in line for the john to make room for more beer.



Prosanctus Inferi
despite the ululating and palpating the candles never went out

Prosanctus Inferi. Damn. God damn. Acheron should take a page from these guys' book. Jake Kohn, unencumbered by leather, spikes or banners, silently lit several small candles and, along with a fucking kick-ass bassist (who the hell was that?) and drummer Jeremy Spears, proceeded to spew forth a brand of blackened death metal so dense it nearly took my breath away, choked in the best possible way (you know, just short of a Hutchence-Carradine). They demanded pure focus. I kicked myself for not braving the narrow merch table to seek out a record and righted that wrong this morning by ordering Pandemonic Ululations of Vesperic Palpitations and the Red Streams of Flesh EP. There is a lot going on here and it begs for headphone listening and dissection. The band themselves emanated zero bullshit posturing and were still absolutely engaging in their musicianship. I had no idea there was something this powerful right here this close to home and will seek out another Prosanctus Inferi show as soon as possible.

Dismemberment
soon you'll join them and the damned

Following the Prosanctus Inferi set I overheard a concertgoer I recognized from other local shows telling a woman, "There are two bands worth hearing here tonight. Prosanctus Inferi and Dismemberment." True to his word as well as my own prior experience seeing these guys live, Dismemberment did not disappoint. The crowd was obviously in-the-know and both Dismemberment and the preceding Prosanctus Inferi definitely drew the most bodies to the floor. And Dismemberment delivered. They tore through about a half-dozen numbers, drawing largely from The Condemned but also offering new material from their upcoming Denied Salvation EP. These guys are focused. They're having fun. But, most importantly, you can tell they're fans. They listen to metal, they watch metal, they know what makes metal and they have forged this into a damn-near perfect product.

Watching this band in a venue this small almost makes me a little sad. Because, before long, they will be huge. When the word spreads and people hear their music - and they will - these guys are going to require much larger spaces in which to ply their craft. This kind of intimate setting will be a thing of the past and it is almost difficult to absorb the experience fully enough to carry a memory that will deliver long after they're off playing Damnation, Sonisphere, et cetera.

All in all, another great evening of metal in Columbus well worth the 75-mile trek and worth many times the $8 fee. Thanks, as always, to the bands, the venue and the organizers for making something like this available. It is insane that music of this caliber is available relatively close to home and at a price lower than most fast-food. The only thing crazier is that there are not literally hundreds of people lining up to fight their way into these shows. Get off your ass and get out there - there's metal to be heard.