If you see a band for the fourth time, you might think you know them. But if they’re like a good friend – what good music is often like – they’ll surprise you. They’ll show a side of themselves that you’d never seen before. Or maybe they’d had it all along, and you didn’t notice it because they had so many other great traits. Good friends are like that.
Last night, Landmine Marathon were the most metal I’d ever seen them. That might seem strange, as they are definitely a metal band. But each time I’ve seen them, they’ve been a little different. The first time was very metal, packing the mammoth power of early Earache into a tiny living room. The second time was pure adrenaline rush. The third time was one of those nights where anything could happen. This fourth time was Metal.
“Red Days” (live)
Complete bootleg here
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Landmine Marathon are seasoned enough to just walk in and flatten a place. I don’t see them observing any pre-show rituals. They carry and set up their own gear. They move smoothly and quickly from song to song. If they are neurotic people, they don’t show it onstage. Like the best live bands, they know they’re good.
The last time they played The Blvd, the show felt like a firefight. This time, the band lobbed missiles. Guitarists stood tall and delivered big riffs with big tones. Vocalist Grace Perry is small, however, and therein lies Landmine Marathon’s magic. While her bandmates made the earth quake, she ran around getting in people’s faces. At one point, she took off her shoes. She knelt barefoot on the floor, then sprang up and struck me in the chest. Then she was off in a flash, doing the same to others across the room.
So Landmine Marathon are big, yet small. In this respect, they recall early Bolt Thrower, who had one foot in death metal and the other in punk. I got that exact feeling last night. I also noticed that I had become familiar with each guitarist’s pick hand posture. The last few times that happened, the guitarists were named Hetfield, Hammett, Hanneman, and King. It’s like getting to know the body language of good friends. You may not know what they’ll do next, but it’ll make complete sense.
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LP GIVEAWAY
I am giving away a 12″ LP of Landmine Marathon’s latest album, Sovereign Descent (reviewed here). For a chance to win it, simply state in the comments box which metal band you’ve seen the most often, and the number of times you’ve seen them. International entrants are welcome. I will pick a winner randomly. This contest closes at midnight EST, Sunday, July 4.
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TOUR DATES
Landmine Marathon are on tour until late July. See dates below.
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I’ve seen both Opeth and Undefined four times, and they were pretty different each time. With Opeth I experienced the effect of line-up changes and the overall stage presence being improved as the tour was progressing. With Undefined it was totally different: small band with a good record on the way, a couple of good gigs and then they released the album and then another couple of not so good live acts before disbanding. Rise and fall condensated in two bands I both love, too bad…
I don’t really understand all the hype that seems to surround Landmine Marathon. Maybe I need to see them live for it to click. On record they just sound like another derivative band with irritating vocals to these ears.I don’t doubt that they give 200% to what they do, but I think I’ll stick with Bolt Thrower and the rest of the classic Earache catalog.
I’ve seen GWAR 5 times now. I never miss them when they come to town because their shows just flat-out slay.
Josh Haun, Same here. They just sound very mediocre and unmemorable to me.
@ ballener agree with you about Opeth… i’ve seen them 9 or 10 times (can’t recall off the top of my head which number I’m on) and it’s been interesting to see the progression.
And Grace Perry small? I thought she was 5′10″. Either way, you seem to revel in getting struck in the chest at Landmine shows, Cosmo. I think that would piss me right off, whether its a cute girl doing it or not. Still, I wouldn’t mind seeing them live, as I agree with Josh in them not being a very exciting band on CD. But, as they continue to ignore the southeast (a common lament), I guess I won’t be seeing them on this goaround.
Whilst young (16)and impressionable I fell hard for the funk metal fad that Kerrang seemed to get behind in a big way. During 1991/92 I saw Mordred at least 3 times in 18 months at the Marquee on Charring Cross Road in London each time supported by an equally faddish Brit metal funk band, Ignorance and Scat Opera if I remember rightly. On the final time I saw them I managed to make off with one of Gannon Hall’s drumsticks which has sat quietly at my parent’s home for the last 17 years until I rediscovered it a couple of Christmases ago.
Photographic proof if needed can be found here!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/red5standingby/tags/mordred/
chimaira – 27 times
The metal band I’ve seen live more than any other is the Melvins, whom I’ve seen play a total of seven times. I’ve seen them play in three different cities (Cincinnati three times, Louisville twice, and Indianapolis twice), and I’ve seen them play with four different line-ups (five if you count the time when an unannounced Jello Biafra joined them on stage for a surprise bonus set). The first time I saw them I was in high school when they were touring in support of _Stoner Witch_ and opening for L7, and the last time I saw them was this past September when they were touring in support of _Nude with Boots_ and opening for Down. All of the other times I’ve seen them they’ve been the headlining act, and three of those times they’ve played multiple sets.
Part of the fun of seeing the Melvins is that you never know what to expect, as they’re even more radically different from show to show than they are from album to album. Sometimes they’re a punk-metal band, sometimes they’re sludge, and sometimes they’re crowd-baiting noise merchants coaxing wave after wave of coruscating feedback from their amps. Sometimes they’re all of those things combined, and sometimes they’re none of those things. They’ve always been good though (hence why I keep coming back for more). They always play songs from throughout their massive catalogue, and they often play them in arrangements different from the ones on the albums. While the last few times I’ve seen them they’ve addressed the audience, they used not to even take breaks between the songs, which I always thought was cool. Dale Crover would just transition from one thunderous drum beat to the next.
I missed Landmine Marathon at the Scion Fest, but based on the glowing reviews of them I’ve since read here and elsewhere, I’ve been thinking about driving to Indy next Friday to watch them play as part of that night’s Dudefest. I’m reluctant to go though for a number of reasons: 1) I’m broke; 2)the only other band on that bill that night I’m really interested in seeing is Coffinworm; and 3) I’m in my thirties, and so might feel kind of weird standing around at an all-ages hardcore show. Should I go?
I’ve seen GWAR 3 or 4 times now.
I’ve seen Goatwhore six times now. I once saw them with Cattle Decapitation and dearly wished Pig Destroyer had been on the tour and that they called it the Barnyard Metal Tour.
I would actually kill to see this gig, ticket holders beware
I’ve seen Rosetta 8 times. I feel really lucky getting to see them so much. They don’t tour all that extensively, but they play in NYC (where I am) pretty often on little weekend trips. I think they play here even more than Philadelphia (where they are).
I third Josh’s and Nekromantis’ sentiments.
I’ve seen LM live, and while they certainly do put everything into the performance — they’re largely a novelty due to Grace. It reminds me of the Sasha Grey phenomenon. Guys see a girl who has sex appeal and is also into “cool eclectic stuff” and the idol worship commences.
Remove the spectacle of the live performance and LM goes from being mildly interesting to boring and annoying.
I’ve Seen Tombs 4 times here in Austin. The first time I saw them was at a small vinyl store where they were playing a free show with Eagle Twin, Black Cobra, and a bunch of other bands. I had just picked up Winter Hours and was blown away. I actually got Mike and the other Tombs guys to autograph my copy of Winter Hours and got to talk to them for awhile before the show and they turned out to be down to earth nice guys! Oh and Wino was there too, so thats was a plus!
I’ve seen Moonsorrow seven times, in six different countries. Would have been eight in seven countries had Ville not needed emergency back surgery late last year.
Best gig of theirs I’ve seen: After breaking up with an ex, my treat to myself was to fly to Finland to see them do a hometown gig. Amazing set – I cried because I was so happy.
@ Tony – Sasha Grey phenomenon… interesting comparison.
I admit that I tried to get into Dreaming Dead for similar reasoning; however, I eventually found them to be pretty mediocre over time too (less so than Landmine Marathon, however).
I’ve seen Mastodon 5 times and that so far is the most I’ve seen of any band. Behind that I’ve seen Behemoth and Royal Thunder each 4 times.
Living in Chicago, I think I’ve seen Sweet Cobra and Yakuza more than 15 times each. I’ve seen these two bands at small shows at the old Fireside Bowl and at big shows at the Metro. It’s also nice to cultivate friendships with them over the years. A non-local band I’ve seen the most is High On Fire, maybe 12-13 times. I don’t really keep count on how many times I’ve seen per band, that gets really dorky.
The Melvins. Not to hard either because they’ve been killing it forever.
Slayer and Metallica both 8 times back when that meant something, followed by a slew of bands multiple times. AC/DC always had the most women so that was a huge reason to always go—no mosh pit and testosterone overload.
4 way tie between Mastodon, High on Fire, The Dillinger Escape Plan, and Between the Buried and Me, all of which I’ve seen 3 times.
It’s Misery Index for me, seen ‘em 7 times. Howl is making a run, because they play like every show in the MA/NH/RI area these days.
5 times each for Opeth, Clutch, Between the Buried and Me, and Lungs (local Dayton post-rock outfit who end up on every post-anything bill in Dayton). Not complaining.
It’s a tie actually, two bands who cruised through Albany often during my high school years…
Sam Black Church — five times:
QE2, Albany, NY with Crisis
Bogies, Albany, NY with Candiria, Burning Human
QE2, Albany, NY with Straight Jacket
Bogies, Albany, NY with Burning Human
Paradise, Boston, MA with Only Living Witness
Candiria — five times
QE2, Albany, NY with Internal Bleeding, Skinless
Bogies, Albany, NY with Sam Black Church, Burning Human
Bogies, Albany, NY with Shadows Fall
Lost Horizons, Syracuse, NY with Clurch, Biohazard
Bogies, Albany, NY with Isis
I respectfully disagree with the LM-is-a-gimmick crowd. THE ALMIGHTY RIFFS put them in the top 99% of modern metal. The music manages to be fun and genuinely vicious at the same time, which is very hard to pull off, IMO. Why did you skip the NW, guys??
I’ve seen High on Fire five times.
I saw From A Second Story Window nine times in four different states.
Slayer and Cannibal Corpse. Lost track but it’s a lot of shows dating back a few decades.
I must have seen Goatwhore 10 times in recent years because at one point they opened every touring package.
Karl, I didn’t say LM’s a gimmick band. I just think they are very mediocre and don’t do anything better that some other bands already do.
By ‘94-95, I must have seen both DRI and Exodus half a dozen times each…this was only because they were the supporting bands on so many bay area shows.
Strangest bill with DRI: Body Count, DRI, Uncle Bud Green.
Strangest bill with Exodus: Red Hot Chili Peppers and Exodus (w/ Christina Applegate in the audience).
I was also forunate to see Heaven and Hell both times they passed through. The last time, with Judas, I got to shake everyone’s hands, and Dio gave me a big hug. Two actually.
David
Locrian 6 times, and those have all occurred within the first half of the year.
Slayer and Nachtmystium are tied for 5 each.
Cosmo and Grace, sittin in a tree, KAY-EYE-ESS-ESS-EYE-IN-GEE
I don’t get to enough shows these days. In my younger years, I was really into power violence and California grindcore, and I think I saw Capitalist Casualties about five times at Gilman St. in Berkeley, and I probably saw Phobia and Godstomper at least three times each, although I can’t really remember all that well. These days, well, I’ve seen Opeth three times, first time opening for Dream Theater (I really don’t like DT, by the way, but I’m seeing them again with Iron Maiden this summer), and the other two times headlining club shows, much more fun, and also I’ve seen Ludicra three times, the first time before they were well known, the second time on their first tour to the East Coast (I moved out here), and the third time to a packed and insane crowd that was just loving every minute of it. Great to see their progression as a band.
I’m actually really looking forward to those Landmine/Salome shows in NYC. Both bands remind me of the glory days of Crisis and 13 at CBGB’s in the early 90s. So many people treat women in metal like gimmicks or attention whores. I hate that. Karyn Crisis and Alicia 13 were the real deal and I think Grace and Kat are too.
Coliseum-5 times, yes I know they aren’t very “metal” but they seem to love STL and we love them
I think there are lots of reasons to see great bands/acts multiple times. Not only do they change, but you change too. My experiences seeing Mike Patton Faith No More as a 15 year old differ a lot from seeing Fantomas a string of times in my late twenties.
In that 1995 show, he was a hero for a teenager like me. By the time of the last Bungle to Australia and the early Fantomas gigs he was actively trying to antagonise the audience. He rocked up 90 mins late to gigs in my hometown on consecutive gigs. He was a personality to be tolerated because of how great his music was. I was older and I was no longer hero worshipping.
Now like Buzz from the Melvins (who I’ve been lucky enough to catch a stack of times too), Patton has mellowed a lot. He no longer seems to be trying to weed out the non believers in the audience – they’ve probably long ago left. But he and Buzzo don’t seem to have the disdain or contempt for the crowd as maybe they once had. At the ATP festival in the UK, Buzzo and Trevor Dunn walked the grounds of the festival and chatted with the punters. I was very hesitant to bother him, but he was unexpectedly really nice. In his interviews he seems to have mellowed a lot too.
The other thing is, I have been lucky enough to have the chance to see bands in different countries around the world. The biggest difference was when catching bands in Japan. I went to Loudpark in Tokyo for bands like Napalm Death, and the different crowd created a completely different experience. There is no aggression in a Japanese crowd – they treat metal as a experience to jump up and down, and to have a party.
Similarly the differences to catching Dillinger in Belgium compared to catching them in London is huge. Brussels was very chilled, whereas London was the crazy pit you usually expect. The band react differently to what is given to them from the crowd. There’s not a massive distance between Brussels and London (in fact its like travelling between neighbouring cities back home in Australia), yet the experience was so different.
Wow. My comment was way too fecking long.
A lot of people have listed High on Fire already, but they’re probably the band I’ve seen the most, too. I’ve seen them seven or eight times, maybe, from little stages in San Diego to arenas in San Jose. Their shows aren’t that different from each other, seems to me–Matt Pike is always Matt Pike, which is to say shirtless, sweaty, and making the sort of noise you feel in your guts. But I’d say this consistency is a good thing.
I’ve seen Isis five times now. The interesting thing is, I actually found them very boring live, except their 10 year anniversary tour where they actually looked like they wanted to be there and play. Don’t get me wrong, I quite enjoy the band but they really don’t carry any vibe with them. I’ve seen some Youtube videos of their last show in Montreal and it feels like it could have been any show to them, nothing special, nothing interesting.
They have brought some great bands with them (These Arms Are Snakes, Jesu) and that has usually been more of the impetus for me to see the show.
I also live in western Canada, we don’t get much in the way of good underground tours.
If I recall correctly, I’ve seen The Dillinger Escape Plan seven times.
I’ve seen Integrity and Napalm Death 6 times each.
red5standingby,/b> – Seeing Mordred three times in 18 months should win some sort of award…perhaps the “only Mordred fan” award.
pseudonymous – Every person I know who goes to Dude Fest comes back full of crazy stories and memories. Also, Coffinworm is one of the best bands out there today. I can’t vouch for them live, but their new record is high on my list this year.
VOEGTLIN – Sorry, Stew, Perry is not my type. I believe she’s your type, though.
Noise Road – No problem. Bring it.
Cosmo has us all beat on marathons — he’s seen the “Twilight” movie 50 times.
I have a quick, crazy Dudefest story:
I stagedived during Pig Destroyer’s set, landed hard on the concrete floor, amidst the sea of sweaty bodies, inflatable whales, a stuffed blue dinosaur, and a big banner of Rick Astley’s face, and came home with a busted knee that resembled a rotten beet for a month. Stupid? Yes. Fun? Fuck yeah.
I have many more, but my lunch break is almost over.
Goddamnit, I put in the wrong user name.
Landmine Marathon are not interesting to me and if some frontman or woman in a band kicked me at a live show I’d be pretty upset, not ‘YEA DUDE, METAL!!!’.
I’ve seen Candlemass four times. The last time was at Sweden for the 25th anniversary show, on which original singer for Epicus Doomicus Metallicus, Johan Langquist, sang most of that masterpiece. Nobody in the band kicked me.
Wolves in the Throne Room – Three times
She’s into Proust and anal probes too?
which reminds me of a story about that time I almost suffocated on a cracker
High on Fire-7 times.
As much as I love HOF (easily one of my favorite bands) the reason that I keep seeing them is less due to my adoration and more due to the fact that they tour a lot and seem to have a knack for playing at venues near me on nights that I am available.
Of course, now that I am back in Africa, it will be a while until I see any metal shows.
I came into metal through hardcore, initially, and cut my teeth during the height of the Boston/Hydrahead metalcore days… I’ve seen Converge more than any band ever, probably over 30 times. For fun, I made a list off the top of my head and came up with 23 seperate shows, but I know there were a lot more. Strangely enough I haven’t seen them since before “You Fail Me” was released… suffice it to say I’ve seen “the saddest day” live more than any other song.
Its fascinating to watch the rapid evolution of a band like that from show to show. Back then they were still changing members, and the dynamics would change in such a huge way with the loss or addition of a new drummer. When Aaron Dalbec (2nd guitarist) finally left for Bane before Jane Doe came out it was fascinating to watch them adjust to the lack of a 2nd guitar. They were always energetic live, but they were forced to compensate, each of them, in some way to bring a different level of intensity. Those dual guitar shows were something else though, with a much more METAL vibe, for sure, despite Dalbec’s obvious penchant for hardcore. I’ve got some great memories of that band, and to watch them develop from my old hometown heroes into the premiere band in their genre has been a trip.
Second place would probably go to Isis, with about 15 shows or so, all from that same period.
Korn, 5 times, 1997ish opening for Metallica, headliners w/ Rob Zombie in Bakersfield 1999ish, Sick & Twisted w/ Staind, Family Values in Bakersfield w/ Flyleaf, Trivium, Evanescence and (can I get a) Hellyeah and the other time escapes me. Incubus 4 times, Slipknot and Opeth 3x each. In my defense, I only wore Adidas sweat suits to the first 3 or 4 Korn shows.
Black Dahlia Murder 14 times
@pseudo – Dudes of all ages will be there (I’m 36). Good mix of folks at Dudefest and always a good time/vibe. I can’t wait for LM as I’ve always heard good things about the live show and I get to witness GP live. I hear she puts on quite a show.
Strangely enough, I’ve seen Pantera more than any other band live and they haven’t been around in a while. I was a fan boy of sorts and went to see them every time they were within 150 miles or so. I’d say it was about 6 times. Slayer is a close 2dn.
OK, Helm: This is where you ask your readership what they’ve suffocated on.
Gwar, god… must be 7 or 8 times all together.
Not in a while, but still.
I’ve seen Trap Them four times in progressively larger venues (small DIY space, larger DIY space, midsize bar, Scion Fest); other than that, I actually don’t think I’ve seen any other band more than twice. Strange…
And, for my part, I have to agree with some of the others that Landmine Marathon is very overrated. Their performance at Scion Fest was lackluster at best (although, in the spirit of full disclosure, Grace didn’t kick anyone in the chest that night), and their music always struck me as mediocre death metal with the female vocalist used as a gimmick rather than as an integral part of the band. That said, I personally liked Dreaming Dead when I saw them as I thought that the female members were actually a vital, vibrant part of the band rather than a mere ploy capitalizing on their sex.
I’m happy to say that I saw Dim Mak over 10 times! Believe it or not, living in NJ does have it’s advantages.
Cool post Cosmo. Great show and good meetin’ ya. And thanks for gettin my mug in the foto!
Converge 4 times
Hmmm. For metal, it’d have to be Metallica. At least 10 or 12 times between late 1982 and late 1985 (last time I saw them – long story). Exodus holds a close second, for roughly the same time period. Yup, I’m old(ish). And from SF.
Jucifer, 6 times.
I’ve seen slayer 3 times in a row in one of those nights some douchebag broke a fire extinguisher so Slayer had to cut their set, but still with that incident the show was great.
Entombed- 4 times. In ‘93 to an almost empty Ventura theatre w/ Unsane and The Obsessed opening. Cool lineup but i didn’t appreciate the openers at the time – I was a freshmen in H.S. I don’t think the show would be empty if it played today. Two times within a couple of days in ‘04(?) when they did a run w/ King Diamond. The San Francisco gig King cancelled but Entombed played a full set anyways for 5$!!! Two nights later saw them open up for King in Palo Alto. I caught Entombed again when they played San Francisco touring w/Crowbar in ‘05(?). Great live band, wouldn’t mind seeing them another four times if they ever make it back to the west coast.
Melvins 34x
Man, I feel like my live metal attendance history is quality is over quantity…
Agalloch – 3x
Bolt Thrower – 2x
Corrosion of Conformity – 2x
Krallice – 2x
Opeth – 2x
Atheist – 2x
Landmine Marathon are NOWHERE near as overrated as Trap Them.
Seen Neurosis 7 times…seen the Melvins almost as many times as Umlaut has.
I’ve actually seen Mindfunk, that’s gotta beat Mordred in the bad funk metal camp!
Integrity (in the 90’s) x6
Mastodon x6
If I eliminate high school bands like Walker, Endpoint, and Falling Forward, then it leaves me with a tie between Cattle Decapitation, Behemoth, and Between the Buried and Me. Behemoth has consistently put me off with Nergal’s abuse of the sound guy, while Cattle Decap has always seemed less than happy to be there. So I guess the winner is BTBAM, who whatever you guys may think played their ass off every time and was happy to mingle with the crowd.
I’ve seen converge ten-fifteen times but I’m really not sure how many exactly. Bit of a big fan, and growing up a few hours north of Boston helped me catch them a lot when I was young.
…and Trap Them are not over rated, they are just really, really good.
AND sweet Fucked Up shirt Grace is rocking.
Lamb Of God and Fattura Della Morte – 4 times each (Fattura are a Sydney, Aus. band, who have the Eyehategod worship going on, which is much welcome in our stale metal scene)
Gamma Ray – 5 times.
They seem to play in every single festival I go to.
Landmine Marathon is fucking boring and so is Trap Them.
i’m surprised there’s so few of us with show counts in the double digits. i assumed there’d be a lot more folks like me, since I’m not even a diehard Converge fanboy. They were just the biggest band in that particular scene, and they played constantly, which was a great way to get exposed to some brilliant bands who wound up opening. In hindsight it was fucking amazing to randomly catch Discordance Axis, then to find out after the fact how rarely they played live.
I guess the other side of that coin, being a part of a local scene, is that you end up seeing the same shitty bands over and over too. Back then you’d have all these straight-up hardcore bands playing with the “chaotic metalcore” bands, as they were called. So I’ve seen Reach the Sky probably 15 or 20 times, and even Buried Alive and Terror probably 10 times each. Hard to suppress a shudder looking back on those sets where you basically just sat there, waiting for the better bands, while huge gang-mentality meatheads would prowl the venue looking for pussies like me to pound on. Ah, the memories!
add me to the Masshole club. I’ve seen Converge more times than I can count since 96.
eeyup. i’ve seen converge more than i’ve seen my family the past 10 years. at least 15 shows, but only one in the past 3 years. the last war-town show was sick though.
I’ve seen The Funeral Pyre a good 20 times, most of which has to do with me handling the booking for their Arizona shows. They are fucking AMAZING if you haven’t seen them yet.
Speaking of overrated, I’m seeing a lot of mentions of Converge. When I saw them with Mastodon/High on Fire/Dethklok last year they were atrocious.
Frankenbok, Australian band who make the effort whenever they tour in our state to play at the Junk Yard, a real old pub where men are men and women are shielas and there’s ceiling fans and atmosphere, not air conditioning and designer chic. I’ve seen them there more than I’ve seen most other bands period, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen the same line up twice.
Tool – 10 times (1997 – 2007)
Pantera – 9 times (1993 – 2001)
for people who are so lukewarm on Landmine Marathon, y’all sure do want a piece of that vinyl.
@Josh Huan
that tour was literally the worst possible way to see converge ever
Also,
Mastodon by a long shot.
Last time I saw them was on their recent tour with Baroness/BTBAM/Valient whatever.
Man what a far cry from the first show I saw them play in Atlanta. It was also the third time I saw their run through of Crack the Skye and it seemed tired and unenthusiastic. The second set was full of deliciously sludgy old stuff though. Hadn’t heard them play Crusher Destroyer live in a dog’s age.
I’ve seen Max Cavalera and Soulfly 10 times over the last 10 years and they’ve had so many lineup changes from year to year that it has really made me realize the type of “energy” that each band member brings the performance… pretty sure i’ve seen them play with 3 different guitarists, 2 different drummers, 3 bassists (all in varying combinations) and i’ve seen cavalera conspiracy with both joe duplantier and johny chow. it’s definitely put to bed the notion that sometimes goes around about the original lineup of the band being the best. personally, i think soulfly has found their best lineup so far, but who knows if they’ve truly found their groove even with this lineup…
with that said, max’s performance are much more-hit-and-miss than they used to be. sometimes these days it’s clear that he would rather be a stay-at-home dad than have to lug his guitar out and play “roots” every night of his life…. i’ve noticed that their touring schedule isn’t as rigorous as it used to be, and i take that as an indication that he is personally slowing down a bit.
when i think of bands that i’ve seen multiple times, my thoughts quickly turn to local bands who can’t often leave minneapolis and go on tour (whether it be because of lack money, a need to maintain a job, family, etc.). they develop their craft in the bars and small clubs, and when their good enough they gain a local following (partly because it’s a free/cheap place for the crowd to enjoy brief conversation, beers and enjoy good music). it’s what “scenes” are all about. on the top of my head, i could name about 10 local bands that i’ve seen upwards of 5 times (wolvhammer, cocaine, ambassador gun, muja messiah, blue ox, daughters of the sun, p.o.s.,….).
oh, and last year i accidentally saw the faceless 3 times (as in i didn’t go because i knew they were on the bill, but they happened to be playing anyway).
Uh, I’ve seen Black Spiders about 4 times, a fifth time in August which I’m definately looking forward.
I guess both Opeth and Suffocation come out on top, I’ve seen both of them about seven or eight times. Then there are a bunch of bands that are usually openers that I’ve seen 4/5 times at this point-Krisiun, Arsis, Unexpect, Warbringer, Cattle Decapitation, Decrepit Birth, The Faceless.
I feel like with all these glowering reviews Landmine Marathon’s live show is getting, I should lower my expectations so I’m not disappointed.
I’ve seen the melvins 8 0r 9 times.
Roughly a tie, at about 4 each between High on Fire, GWAR and the Melvins (tomorrow will add one to that, when they play with Who the Fuck Cares in Eugene), if you discount YOB because they’re a local band.