Kreator, Voivod, Nachtmystium, Evile @ Nokia Theatre

Nokia Theatre is in Times Square; wading through tourists and families going to ESPN Zone to get to a metal show is a bit surreal. The venue itself – new, clean, corporate-sponsored – gives off a decidedly non-metal vibe. But to its credit, the sound is great and drink prices are sane, so let the headbanging commence.

The show started promptly at 6, which meant Lazarus A.D. had already played and Brit thrashers Evile were into their third song by the time we arrived at 7. They’ve been lumped in with the rest of the retro-thrash revivalists, but like Warbringer and Toxic Holocaust, they raise the bar with good songwriting and an honest approach. This was my first time checking them out, and what I heard was serious love for Metallica circa ’84 and early Sepultura. The crowd was really into them, too, which must be heartening for a young band.

Nachtmystium was a casualty of very short set times for openers, but the band took that to heart and played twice as hard. I thought the old-school crowd might not “get” what Blake Judd & Co. do, but I’m glad I was wrong. The first circle pit of the night emerged during “Hellish Overdose”, which makes sense considering it won “Best Song Celtic Frost Didn’t Write – 2009”. The band benefited greatly from the aforementioned sound. Every instrument had a clear place in the mix, and Judd’s delay-and reverb-drenched riffs were godlike. The extended set closer “One of These Nights” reminded me of what I love about Pink Floyd and Nachtmystium’s interpretation of them.

. . .

. . .

No band encapsulates the idea of “Canadian metal” better than Voivod. There’s just something delightfully “off” about them. Vocalist Snake Bélanger skipped and tripped across the stage like your favorite drunk uncle at Thanksgiving, while drummer/Alex Skolnick doppelgänger Away smiled comically throughout the set. Martyr/ex-Gorguts guitarist Daniel Mongrain was more than competent to fill in for (NOT replace) the departed Piggy D’Amour, capturing Voivod’s thrashy, crusty essence on cuts from Rrröööaaarrr all the way to last year’s Infini. I wasn’t a big fan before this show, but I bought two Voivod albums before leaving, which is “Mission Accomplished” for any band.

. . .

. . .

Megadeth, Metallica, and Anthrax should check out a Kreator show one of these days. A swift sonic kick to the balls would do them all some good, and that’s exactly what Kreator deliver. They came out charging with the title track from new album Hordes of Chaos (reviewed here) and never let up. One song after another whipped the crowd into a frenzy. From “Pleasure to Kill” to “Terrible Certainty” to “Extreme Aggression” – how could anyone stand still? “Phobia” had everyone screaming the call & response back to the stage, while first encore song “When the Sun Burns Red” was a pleasant surprise. Mille Petrozza was in top form, imploring the crowd to “start a fucking circle pit, this is New York City on a Saturday night, fucking kill everyone!”. Kreator’s passion for their music is unassailable. If they can maintain the excellence of a show like this, there’s no end in sight.