The last time I saw All Out War was either 1999 or 2000. I was in Tallahassee where the hardcore scene was pretty weak. I had been to a few hardcore shows there and for the most part they were tame so when I saw All Out War was coming I didn't expect anything different. That show ended up being one of the best hardcore shows I would ever attend and cement All Out War as one of the classic live bands I've seen.
Since that show I haven't had the pleasure of catching All Out War. When I saw they were playing at CBGB's with Merauder I had to get tickets. A friend of mine got me into Merauder about a year after that All Out War show and I was impressed but I never became much of a fan. None the less I've been wanting to see them play since the first time I heard them five years ago.
Yesterday I arrived at CBGB's at about 5PM. I knew a shitload of bands were playing so I wasn't planning on staying - I just wanted set times. I asked the doorman and he couldn't help me so he yelled inside to the singer for Leeway. He said it would be about four hours before All Out War went on. So I went across the street to the Bowery Poetry Club and had some coffee and then we went to a few shops on Broadway to kill some time.
We got back to CBGB's around 9PM and the Leeway dude was standing in the doorway. I asked him who was up next and he told me Uppercut was coming up. Since I keep hearing good things about Uppercut I decided to head inside and check them out.
After about 15 minutes of set up time they started to play. I immediately noticed the riffs - they were pretty good. But what really stood out was the singers voice - not so good. When I used to be in bands doing the scream/growl shit people used to say to me, "Anybody can do that". And I would hand them a microphone to test their theory. Now what would happen is they would scream but it just sounded like a guy in the street yelling - no rhythm, no style, just yelling. That's kinda what this guy sounded like - in no way did it sound musical.
Needless to say I wasn't really feeling Uppercut and I was happy when they finished. They didn't suck they just didn't stand out. Up next were my boys - All Out War. I was pretty damn excited and I pushed my way threw the crowd and got a spot on the side of the pit against the wall. Once the music started the floor exploded.
I've been to lots of shows at CB's and I have never seen a pit as big as what I was looking at. It went from the stage all the way back to the gap in the bar. It was totally fucking crazy and pretty much stayed that way the whole time. I knew All Out War had a following but not even the Madball or Blood For Blood shows at CB's had pits that size.
During the set the band did some talking. Of course they said some kind words about SOB and said their farewells to CB's. They also talked some shit on Hawthorne Heights and, Victory Records chief, Tony. Apparently they have a new album finished but Victory won't release it. The new shit they played was pretty damn good. The whole fucking set was good - not as good as Tallahassee but they were a lot more lean and mean back then.
After All Out War left the stage Outburst was up. I had heard of Outburst before but honestly I don't know much about them. I really didn't know what to expect so I just listened. After the first song I could see why these guys were big back in the early 90's but I wasn't into it.
Also after the first song a guitar broke and the singer started yapping about retarded shit. He said something about Priest inventing metal, not Sabbath. Also he made a bad and old joke about how things have changed since the early 90's (Bush, Iraq war, etc.). He also mentioned his "paint your face shit, black lip stick" metal band he was in, which doesn't go over well the hardcore kids.
I ended up going outside after about 3-4 songs. They were taking long ass brakes between every fucking song and I couldn't take that dude running his mouth anymore. So anyway I stood outside for a while doing nothing. A lot of other people went outside during their set too. Once the mobs of people came pouring out I headed in because I wanted to get my spot back while everyone was outside.
Before the set started Merauder had a moment of silence for recently deceased member SOB. Then all the DMS heads got ready to represent. As soon as the first note was struck the place went nuts. The All Out War pit was bigger but this was a lot scarier. There were a few 300 pound goons just fucking pummeling people in the pit. Then there were a few skinny bastards flipping off of everything more then 4 feet off the ground.
The scene was utter chaos yet oddly choreographed. Like I said, I've been to lots of shows and I've seen some crazy ass shit but this pit had more high risk maneuvers than any. The odd thing was I didn't see a single damn person get hurt. There was everything from backflips and handstands to dudes swinging from the pipes in the ceiling. You could tell everyone knew everyone and they also new the building.
Anyway, back to the music - Merauder killed it last night. I never really noticed how technical the band was. Much more so then nearly all hardcore bands. The riffs were like something out of Kerry King's scrapbook and the drums were tight as hell. I was simply amazed by how good of a bunch of musicians Merauder were. It was also cool to see 20 people up on stage with them. Everyone was passing around mics and taking turns helping out on vocals. That's what hardcore is about - everyone at the show is just as important as the band. Just because you're not in the band doesn't mean you aren't part of the music.
Since that show I haven't had the pleasure of catching All Out War. When I saw they were playing at CBGB's with Merauder I had to get tickets. A friend of mine got me into Merauder about a year after that All Out War show and I was impressed but I never became much of a fan. None the less I've been wanting to see them play since the first time I heard them five years ago.
Yesterday I arrived at CBGB's at about 5PM. I knew a shitload of bands were playing so I wasn't planning on staying - I just wanted set times. I asked the doorman and he couldn't help me so he yelled inside to the singer for Leeway. He said it would be about four hours before All Out War went on. So I went across the street to the Bowery Poetry Club and had some coffee and then we went to a few shops on Broadway to kill some time.
We got back to CBGB's around 9PM and the Leeway dude was standing in the doorway. I asked him who was up next and he told me Uppercut was coming up. Since I keep hearing good things about Uppercut I decided to head inside and check them out.
After about 15 minutes of set up time they started to play. I immediately noticed the riffs - they were pretty good. But what really stood out was the singers voice - not so good. When I used to be in bands doing the scream/growl shit people used to say to me, "Anybody can do that". And I would hand them a microphone to test their theory. Now what would happen is they would scream but it just sounded like a guy in the street yelling - no rhythm, no style, just yelling. That's kinda what this guy sounded like - in no way did it sound musical.
Needless to say I wasn't really feeling Uppercut and I was happy when they finished. They didn't suck they just didn't stand out. Up next were my boys - All Out War. I was pretty damn excited and I pushed my way threw the crowd and got a spot on the side of the pit against the wall. Once the music started the floor exploded.
I've been to lots of shows at CB's and I have never seen a pit as big as what I was looking at. It went from the stage all the way back to the gap in the bar. It was totally fucking crazy and pretty much stayed that way the whole time. I knew All Out War had a following but not even the Madball or Blood For Blood shows at CB's had pits that size.
During the set the band did some talking. Of course they said some kind words about SOB and said their farewells to CB's. They also talked some shit on Hawthorne Heights and, Victory Records chief, Tony. Apparently they have a new album finished but Victory won't release it. The new shit they played was pretty damn good. The whole fucking set was good - not as good as Tallahassee but they were a lot more lean and mean back then.
After All Out War left the stage Outburst was up. I had heard of Outburst before but honestly I don't know much about them. I really didn't know what to expect so I just listened. After the first song I could see why these guys were big back in the early 90's but I wasn't into it.
Also after the first song a guitar broke and the singer started yapping about retarded shit. He said something about Priest inventing metal, not Sabbath. Also he made a bad and old joke about how things have changed since the early 90's (Bush, Iraq war, etc.). He also mentioned his "paint your face shit, black lip stick" metal band he was in, which doesn't go over well the hardcore kids.
I ended up going outside after about 3-4 songs. They were taking long ass brakes between every fucking song and I couldn't take that dude running his mouth anymore. So anyway I stood outside for a while doing nothing. A lot of other people went outside during their set too. Once the mobs of people came pouring out I headed in because I wanted to get my spot back while everyone was outside.
Before the set started Merauder had a moment of silence for recently deceased member SOB. Then all the DMS heads got ready to represent. As soon as the first note was struck the place went nuts. The All Out War pit was bigger but this was a lot scarier. There were a few 300 pound goons just fucking pummeling people in the pit. Then there were a few skinny bastards flipping off of everything more then 4 feet off the ground.
The scene was utter chaos yet oddly choreographed. Like I said, I've been to lots of shows and I've seen some crazy ass shit but this pit had more high risk maneuvers than any. The odd thing was I didn't see a single damn person get hurt. There was everything from backflips and handstands to dudes swinging from the pipes in the ceiling. You could tell everyone knew everyone and they also new the building.
Anyway, back to the music - Merauder killed it last night. I never really noticed how technical the band was. Much more so then nearly all hardcore bands. The riffs were like something out of Kerry King's scrapbook and the drums were tight as hell. I was simply amazed by how good of a bunch of musicians Merauder were. It was also cool to see 20 people up on stage with them. Everyone was passing around mics and taking turns helping out on vocals. That's what hardcore is about - everyone at the show is just as important as the band. Just because you're not in the band doesn't mean you aren't part of the music.
Merauder
All Out War
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