This show was supposed to feature headliner Sacred Leather (with members of Skeletonwitch & Coffinworm) but, while they were touring, they were met with personal incidents and so, therefore, were not able to play this show. Respect to Sacred Leather! We'd love to see you again when you're in St. Louis.
When I arrived at the Firebird, it was still daylight and the lot was nearly empty save for Thorhammer's Kyle McNeil (guitar, vocals), Ian Parks (guitar) and Chuck Scones (of Tropical Storm! and Melursus). They greeted me with waves and, when I said hello to Kyle, he joked that my voice sounded "so sexy and burly." It's just the result of smoking packs and packs of cigarettes on a daily basis; there's hardly any special practice to it all. We talked about ten minutes and filed inside the club, where I paid the door charge and received my tough, metal wrist bracelet decorated with bumblebees and flowers. After a short time with McNeil, Parks & Scones, Thorhammer's Chris Naes arrived. He and I talked a good deal about his podcast, On The Road With Thorhammer. He showed me a field recorder he'd purchased, which looked a bit like a tricorder from the original Star Trek series to me, and we talked about our respective projects and how they've been faring. Chris has guests on a weekly basis and has, since May of 2015, logged over forty episodes.
In fact, take a listen to On The Road With Thorhammer. This shit rules: hilarious and awesome!
So, after Naes and I talked, there came a tall, mustachioed young guy who chatted up the band and myself while we sat on the leather lounge seats near the bar. I mistook him for Matt Albers from Damnation STL, actually. I'd thought that because the guy was friendly and early, too, and I'd never seen Matt before. Well, it wasn't Matt Albers.
When Kyle and I stepped outside, this guy followed us out the door. He saw Kyle's fanny pack, a handsome, grey Casino Queen hip pouch and asked, "Does that mean you're gay, or something?" I palmed my face, looking down, dreading where this would go. Where I felt compelled, at first, to take it! Kyle seemed puzzled but cool saying, "Well, I don't see what this fanny pack has to do with me being gay. And even if I were, what would be the big deal?" I'd added, "It doesn't have anything to do with him being gay." I glared at this guy, looked to Kyle's hip and pointed, and resumed my stare.
After a few seconds of looking in to this man's grey-blue eyes, observing his gaunt face and aquiline features and sizing him up, I'd decided he was very harmless and just speaking rude shit out of turn. There would have been no need to get very hared up about this anyway, but I'm protective of friends when it comes to people I don't know.
Kyle is a much cooler character than I, and it's to his great credit that this is so.
After some silence, our conversation resumed. The tan young man with the thin mustache continued his monologues on "peace and love," "hippie stuff" and mood rings. He also explained at some length his situation. Over time and, as I heard him, I honestly felt for him. As the night passed, I borrowed him some cigarettes. I'd figured it was right to do as I'd watched him in between the sets pace the street, telling people who'd listen his disjointed ideas and trying to engage them in conversation. It's only right. He was among peers and wanted to thrash.
It was perhaps forty minutes after the door opened that Oracle, the opening band, a very new power metal outfit from St. Louis, had arrived to begin packing indoors. I caught a look at them all. Perhaps most striking among the members at first was their young bassist who was extremely tall. Six-foot-seven, to hazard a guess, but very skinny. Then came the rest of them, a curly-haired guy in baggy, faded blue jeans and a Skeletonwitch shirt (guitarist for Oracle), their drummer, a larger, bearded man in black, another long-haired kid (guitars) and their singer, another thin young, blonde fellow with a Gorguts shirt.
I hadn't heard Oracle prior to my arrival and hadn't a clue what they'd play but, after they set up their gear, they did a short sound check. It was nice to hear a sampling of their sound prior to their set; particularly striking was the singer's voice, which sounded trained and melodic. The others, there, from Thorhammer watched them and Kyle joked: "Oh man, we have to go on after that?"
The first impression, however brief, was good.
A short time later it seemed a group of nearly thirty of Oracle's friends, family and maybe coworkers came through the door. It was their first show in St. Louis. I'd played shows like this before, years earlier, but hardly with the benefit of very many friends or family members to watch: it's familiar.
Nice of them all to show for Oracle but all but two or three stayed for Thorhammer. I'd figured as much; the majority of them didn't seem like fans of even heavy rock, never mind power or thrash metal and certainly not the usual show-goers for St. Louis metal.
I heard Oracle's first salvos of sound from outside The Firebird. I'd missed their first two songs because I was outside talking to a friend to Thorhammer and myself, Alex "The American Viking" Rudolph. He's a huge man, a professional wrestler and barely has any days off or time to himself, so it was a good opportunity to say hello and catch up. If you're a fan of wrestling and St. Louis metal and don't know him, I'd first ask where you've been? And then I'd suggest you go catch one of his (many) appearances for Outlaw Wrestling and watch him, sometime.
Alex and I went inside to watch Oracle and I was almost right away taken with the clarity and volume of the vocalist's voice. It did not take me very long to find their galloping, power metal groove and begin headbanging and dancing. I always listen for bands' rhythms and can sometimes easily catch them: this was another one of those times. The drum patterns, over their set, did not often vary from these paces but were played very sharply and without error on the part of the drummer. He smiled often during Oracle's set, pausing in between songs to twirl or flip a drumstick. It's good to see metal drummers have a nice time of it.
The guitarist in the Skeletonwolf shirt seemed to possess nearly the most physical energy of the quintet and certainly the most virtuosity of the guitarists. It was great to hear his leads and soloing juxtapose against the (very) simple bass rhythms and the competent guitar work from the other side of the stage, and it was also nice to see someone besides the vocalist actually MOVE.
Besides him, the bassist and rhythm guitarist were extremely static and the rhythm guitarist's hands seemed at times hesitant, playing riffs that were a fraction of a second off time with the remainder of the musicians. I could excuse this, once, and chalk it up to a case of nerves and youth. However, I'd hope very much that, with time, Oracle's bassist and rhythm guys would begin to be more animated on stage because what they're doing is not at all so mired in technicality as to render them nearly immobile.
Unfortunate.
Oracle's singer has apparently spent time on television as a contestant for the show The Voice. One in the crowd pulled me aside and said, "That guy's been on The Voice! He's got a set of pipes!" I agreed with him there, saying, "Very good voice." The Voice is a singing competition broadcast over NBC and the guy, I suppose, did reasonably well on it but he explained, after their set, that there was "too much politics" to major show business. I agreed with him wholeheartedly and told him that, "Maybe it's not in you or of you to be part of pop music like that, but this is different. Perhaps you're best suited to smaller shows and the St. Louis scene."
The singer's voice was a good Bruce Dickinson impression. That's what I left with after hearing Oracle. There were no extraordinary examples of his vocalizing to be heard through their set but his spirited and proficient delivery was unique and appreciated. He was also, at times, very much in the small crowd gathered at the front of the Firebird's stage but leaving me mostly alone to sing to his friends.
He'd also take time to commit to brief and theatrical poses during their songs which may have been an extension of his singing spirit but left me mostly very unimpressed. Perhaps it's a personal thing! I don't go to power metal shows, so maybe that's part and parcel with the genre. While it's good to be engaging and fill as much of the stage as you can, it's unfortunate to have to be so very busy onstage while most of your band mates stand flat-footed and play the music.
During their set, the drummer's snare drum fucked up. He'd asked for help from Thorhammer's drummer and, during this, I'd went to the bathroom. It was about four minutes of unplanned intermission. Things happen, but I can't guess how they filled the down time. I didn't hear much in the bathroom and usually a person can hear everything and then some as the sound rattles the Firebird's men's room stall walls.
During their set, the drummer's snare drum fucked up. He'd asked for help from Thorhammer's drummer and, during this, I'd went to the bathroom. It was about four minutes of unplanned intermission. Things happen, but I can't guess how they filled the down time. I didn't hear much in the bathroom and usually a person can hear everything and then some as the sound rattles the Firebird's men's room stall walls.
Apart from that and, in all, Oracle sounded their best, to me, when they engaged in more heavy sounds in minor keys and took time to build tension and mood through their songs which was only, at this show, very occasionally. I think Oracle was at their most unimpressive when the singer exhorted us to mosh during one of their tunes. He'd suggested one of us "claim the throne of the king of mosh." None did and, not because we're all a lot of sticklers or unwilling to throw down; quite the opposite! Oracle's tunes, by now, seemed hardly mosh material. Great to headbang to! I never once had a problem banging my head to this music or enjoying it when I wasn't busy eyeballing the rhythm guitarist's hands or dissecting the performance in my mind. But this was not to mosh to.
A few of the friends in the crowd would occasionally, drunkenly moan the word "More-acle!" which I suppose was something very clever thought of on the spot by one of them. When Oracle's singer told the crowd to stick around for Thorhammer, I just heard more low, wailing refain of, "Yeah, for more of ORACLE!" I wasn't surprised. I was more surprised to see one of these wailers stick around and watch Thorhammer.
As for Thorhammer, this band rules so goddamned hard. They're known and respected in the metal scene in St. Louis for hard-hitting shows and were nominated by the Riverfront Times for best metal band of the year in 2013. This band absolutely owns a stage.
As for Thorhammer, this band rules so goddamned hard. They're known and respected in the metal scene in St. Louis for hard-hitting shows and were nominated by the Riverfront Times for best metal band of the year in 2013. This band absolutely owns a stage.
When Oracle tore down their gear it wasn't long until Thorhammer's Chris, Tim, Ian and Kyle began to set up. Kyle and Ian checked their guitars and vocal levels, which were fine for them but their voices were far too low for my liking, and Chris and Tim took the stage to check themselves as well. Very soon after this check and after a good bit of odd shuffling and dancing from Kyle, he howled in his now-signature and engaging, sometimes comedic growl that they were Thorhammer and they began their set with a song called "The River," which is featured on their 2015 debut album "Indomitable."
Here's "Indomitable" on Bandcamp so you can hear for yourself how much this song (and more!) rips:
Here's "Indomitable" on Bandcamp so you can hear for yourself how much this song (and more!) rips:
Thorhammer blasted through the paces of this song and I could see Kyle's eyes widen and become more mad-looking as the "The River" progressed. Chris Naes' extremely tight and unique thrashing rhythms always make me lose my goddamned mind every time I see them live and Ian's fierce playing, low, wide stance and hair-whipping is always good to see. This is frenetic! This, now, is true physical energy and technical prowess!
It was through "The River" we thrashed and trudged in to bloody terrain, but barely pausing to catch a breath before rocketing in to the next songs. If anything, Thorhammer's paces usually quicken and tighten as their sets advance forward which is always awesome to see and hear.
This is a band that has, over six years, gotten their sense of timing down very well and their sudden stops and starts in songs, always orchestrated and executed extremely well, are good cues to throw your fists up and dance along.
This is a band that has, over six years, gotten their sense of timing down very well and their sudden stops and starts in songs, always orchestrated and executed extremely well, are good cues to throw your fists up and dance along.
Thorhammer had the remaining few from the first set going mad, actually. A small guy in a powder-blue polo and a hat with a curved brim (why is this style of hat becoming so rare, now?) would hang on me, now and then, drunkenly hollering "Whooo!" into my ear.. this he did four times. I was polite the first few times. He placed his arm around my shoulder in an attempt, I think, to be convivial. I don't drink and I wasn't drunk, so his want to shuffle with me in some shambling, alcoholic pattern was rejected pretty soundly. I just pulled his arm off of my back with two hands and resumed thrashing and, later, when he tried it again, I pushed him far away from me. I'm there for a band and, when I know you, that's fine, but I don't do that with people, generally, and definitely not with guys who I never see at metal shows who stand up at the front of the stage pretending to fuck it.
But, for Thorhammer, it's always excellent to see guitarist Kyle and bassist Tim Kutterer play back to back. It's something I see at nearly every Thorhammer show but it's always awesome to see good unity and shared purpose in a band's live setting.
But, for Thorhammer, it's always excellent to see guitarist Kyle and bassist Tim Kutterer play back to back. It's something I see at nearly every Thorhammer show but it's always awesome to see good unity and shared purpose in a band's live setting.
Another remarkable song from their set is a more recent one they've begun to feel very comfortable with, live, and that is "Crimson Mask." Kyle barked in to the microphone, "Do we have any professional wrestling fans in the audience tonight?!"
Small cheers emerged from the floor to which he quickly interjected, "IT DOESN'T MATTER if there's any pro wrestling fans in the audience tonight! This is a song about the nature boy, Ric Flair, and it's called.. CRIMSON MASK!" Of course it was a nod to The Rock's patented smack talk and a metal ode to Flair's notoriously bloody mug from matches and magazines.
Small cheers emerged from the floor to which he quickly interjected, "IT DOESN'T MATTER if there's any pro wrestling fans in the audience tonight! This is a song about the nature boy, Ric Flair, and it's called.. CRIMSON MASK!" Of course it was a nod to The Rock's patented smack talk and a metal ode to Flair's notoriously bloody mug from matches and magazines.
These songs of theirs have such a furious and honest quality to them that I can't help but enjoy them immensely when I see them played live. The showmanship of each musician is vital to their cohesion as a live unit and has improved a good deal in the time since I began to see them.
It's shows like this that make them candidates for best metal band in St. Louis from magazines like the Riverfront Times and it's in the songs they have; they're great thrashers which never cease to inspire tremendous response from a crowd, whether big or small, and these songs are played just the same whether the room is very packed or thinly attended.
It's in their music and attitudes as musicians. They'll be honest with you, they'll talk to you. They don't have dick rock star attitudes. It's because they have respect and pay dues, locally and abroad. This is what helps Thorhammer comprise, with other underground metal bands, the heart of St. Louis metal.
It's shows like this that make them candidates for best metal band in St. Louis from magazines like the Riverfront Times and it's in the songs they have; they're great thrashers which never cease to inspire tremendous response from a crowd, whether big or small, and these songs are played just the same whether the room is very packed or thinly attended.
It's in their music and attitudes as musicians. They'll be honest with you, they'll talk to you. They don't have dick rock star attitudes. It's because they have respect and pay dues, locally and abroad. This is what helps Thorhammer comprise, with other underground metal bands, the heart of St. Louis metal.
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