PATHFINDER METALFEST IV
120 Tavern & Music Hall, Marietta, GA
July 7, 2012
Atlanta’s Pathfinder Promotions (led by fearless music promoter and all-around
great guy Hoyt Parris) has been pushing a boulder up a mountain for years now,
working tirelessly to bring the best of local, regional, national, and
occasionally international underground heavy metal acts to the metropolitan
Atlanta area. Hoyt’s formula is both elegant and effective. He
starts with a recently-renovated venue (120 Tavern & Music Hall), located
in Marietta, just 15 minutes from downtown Atlanta. In its present
configuration, the 120 Tavern is an approximately 300-capacity music venue that
is friendly to fans, artists and promoters alike. It features utterly
professional sound, lighting, stage and staff; reasonably priced, tasty food and
beverage offerings; and a large restaurant/bar area outside the music hall with
pool tables, televisions focused on sports programming, and other forms of
between-bands entertainment.
The venue is a critical piece to Pathfinder’s puzzle, but not the only
one. In terms of roster, Hoyt refuses to be hemmed in by narrow, limiting
sub-genres, but instead runs the gamut from thrash to power to traditional to
progressive to gothic. Not every band is going to be every attendee’s cup
of tea, but so what? Hoyt’s selection criteria focus on high-quality
music and (almost always) down-to-earth, easy-to-work-with musicians with no
egos or rock-star baggage. He treats his bands incredibly well, earning
him a sterling reputation in the industry and prompting one artist to exclaim
from the stage tonight that this was the most organized show her band had ever
been a part of, “and we’ve been doing this for a long time.” And Hoyt is
absolutely committed to not gouging the good people who buy the tickets.
For tonight’s seven-band lineup, the ticket prices were a crazy-affordable $12
in advance, and $16 at the door. Perhaps most importantly, Hoyt has a way
of treating everyone like family, and never lacks a kind word or expression of
gratitude for the staff, the friends, the bands and the fans that make
Pathfinder Promotions what it is.
Jen and I arrived at the venue at around 4:45 p.m., and wandered inside.
Immediately, we could discern that this was going to be a good night, because
there were already as many people in the concert hall as there have been at
peak times in some previous installments of the Pathfinder Metal Fest.
The day’s first band was Draekon, who went on promptly at 5 p.m.
The Indianapolis-based quintet plays a brand of symphonic melodic power metal
that is often likened to Kamelot. (Just listen to “The Value of All” and
tell me it doesn’t put you in mind of Messrs. Youngblood, Khan and so on circa
‘The Black Halo.’) Draekon did a very nice job kicking off the show with a
crowd-pleasing 35-minute set drawn heavily from their recent EP, ‘Prelude to
Tragedy’ (excluding the acoustic “Lost Reflections”-type ballad at the end of
the EP), as well as a new song called “Only Ashes Remain,” if memory serves
correctly. Draekon’s vocalist seemed to sound less like Khan in a live
show than he does on the EP, but that’s a good thing because he was able to
carve out a bit more of an identity for himself that way. There were a
couple of minor signs of inexperience as a live act (guitarist came in too
early on one song, between-song banter seemed a little forced and awkward), but
as a festival opener, Draekon acquitted themselves well and almost certainly
made some new fans.
Draekon’s lush symphonic power metal sound gave way to the hammering,
take-no-prisoners melodic thrash assault of Brazil’s Machinage.
(The transition may have been too jarring for some, as it appeared there was a
slight dip in the attendance for Machinage’s set. Makes sense, as
Machinage is a little on the heavy side for the power/prog centered
crowd. Still, I was pleased to see that a good number of folks remained
in the room to check out Machinage and gave them rousing applause.) Jen
and I had witnessed Machinage’s live punishment just a week earlier at the
Warriors of Metal Fest in Ohio, so we knew what to expect, but the boys from
Brazil delivered the goods once again tonight in Marietta. I’ve said it
before and I’ll say it again: Their U.S. tour has galvanized Machinage
into a tight, unified wrecking ball of a live act. All of the members
were high-intensity and high-power, and the band exuded the confidence and
comfort that can only come with the routine of playing gigs on a regular
basis. The songs ripped and tore with deadly precision, and if anything
I’d say Machinage played a better gig at Pathfinder than they did at the WOM
Fest. The only mild disappointment was that they ran out of time to play
their crowd-pleasing Sepultura cover, “Territory.” Still, as the sands
ran out on their 35-minute set, it was quite cool of Machinage to emerge from
behind the curtain hoisting aloft the flags of Brazil and the United States in
a display of unity and triumph. In Thrash We Trust! Extra credit
goes to the Machinage guys for wearing their WOM Fest shirts and passing out
free WOM Fest compilation CDs to attendees. This cross-pollination is
beneficial for both festivals, and the organizers of both go out of their way
to support and cheer for each other. We’re all in this together, folks.
Band #3 was the long-time D.C. area female-fronted act, Brave.
Several members of Brave are also members of tonight’s headliner (While Heaven
Wept), so it seemed a simple, prudent use of economies of scale to put Brave on
the bill as well. Despite their long-running status and much-beloved cult
reputation in our nation’s capital, Brave had never played the Atlanta area
before. Sure, if you want to quibble with categories and labels, Brave is
probably more of a melodic hard rock band with gothic touches than a pure heavy
metal band, but who cares? It’s not much of a stretch to see headbangers
who love While Heaven Wept gravitating to Brave, as well. The sextet
featured WHW vocalist/keyboardist Michelle Schrotz (in shimmering purple
sequined top) front and center as frontwoman, with like-minded double-duty
members guitarist Tom Loose and drummer Trevor Schrotz, plus a second
guitarist, bassist and pink baseball-cap wearing violinist/keyboardist.
Michelle has a beautiful voice and a warm, kind-hearted, genuine demeanor on
stage, and the songs were mostly catchy, easy to listen to, and well
appreciated by the ever-growing audience. As for me, I’m afraid my head
was still stuck in the thrashing mania of Machinage, so I wasn’t quite able to
click with the more sedate vibe of Brave. But people obviously enjoyed
them, they’re good at what they do, and diversity has always been the watchword
of Pathfinder Metal Fests, so good on ‘em.
By now it was 7:40 p.m., and Jen and I were famished. So we headed out of
the music hall part of the 120 Tavern and into the restaurant portion, where we
wolfed down some delicious burgers and fries before racing back into the
legitimately crowded venue for the next act, which was slated to begin at
8. (Set changes mostly ran seamlessly and on time all night long, a
tribute to the skill and professionalism of the venue staff, the Pathfinder
folks, and the cooperative spirit of the bands.) Indiana’s
Lorenguard took the stage just a few minutes after their scheduled start
time, and one glance at the crowded stage explained why. There were eight
people and gear crammed onto the cozy 120 Tavern stage: male lead singer,
blue-haired female backing singer, two guitarists, bassist, drummer, keyboardist
(same guy from Draekon, actually), and male backing vocalist/ narrator (looked
like a dead ringer for Hagrid). If the number of performers didn’t catch
your attention, their stage garb surely would have. All were decked out in
elaborate fantasy costumes, whether they were robes of crimson, a bright blue
knight’s tunic, leather breastplate, and so on. It made for quite a
striking spectacle. Not surprisingly, Lorenguard’s genre of choice is
fantasy-laden power metal bearing influences from the likes of Blind Guardian,
Rhapsody and Iced Earth. And they’re way into this fantasy stuff, as
their ‘Eve of Corruption’ CD is a concept album whose lyrics are adapted from
drummer Brady Sadler’s novel of the same name. (The band were hawking the
rather thick paperback book at their merch stand for $20, and sold out of all
the copies they brought to PMF IV well before the night was out.) I am
quite fond of this ‘Eve of Corruption’ CD, and was eagerly anticipating hearing
live renditions of these songs. Musically, Lorenguard sounded
fantastic. Songs like “Wrath Divine,” “Black Sails and Phoenix Flames,”
and “Dragonsbane” sounded every bit as powerful and thrilling in the live arena
as one would hope. My only disappointment was with the band’s lack of
stage presence. With the high-powered music and elaborate costumes,
Lorenguard could have elevated their performance to the next level with some
stage moves, headbanging, and interaction with each other and with the
crowd. Instead, they sort of stood still and looked tentative, nervous and
uncertain (one guitarist often had his eyes closed). Only youthful
guitarist Christopher Cruz was visibly having fun as he rocked out, sang along,
and smiled gleefully during the set. Perhaps it was a function of the
close confines on stage, or live inexperience. I don’t know. But
this music and these costumes cry out for a high-octane performance that wasn’t
quite there. That said, I enjoyed Lorenguard’s set for what it was and
remain convinced that they are a talented band with a bright future.
Setlist: Eve of Corruption, Wrath Divine, Greenstone, Black
Sails and Phoenix Flames, Dragonsbane, Hands of Chaos.
The fourth act on the PMF IV roster was local favorite Void of
Reason. This four-piece has been a mainstay of Pathfinder events for
as long as Jen and I have been attending them. It’s easy to see why.
After all, they have amassed a sizeable Atlanta following and a reputation for
being easy to work with. Unquestionably, Void of Reason have progressed
and matured considerably as a live act from their rather humble beginning in the
early Pathfinder days. Tonight they looked and sounded professional,
undoubtedly giving the by-now crowded venue a solid dose of
entertainment. At one point during their set, they even arranged for a
stack of old Void of Reason CDs to be distributed to anyone in the crowd who
wanted one. And they tried their hand at an Iron Maiden cover, the
somewhat unconventional choice “The Clairvoyant.” (Probably makes sense in
context, as Maiden had performed in Atlanta on their ‘Seventh Son’-focused
Maiden England tour just two weeks earlier, so many in the audience were decked
out in their latest Eddie garb.) My qualms with Void of Reason are purely
subjective. They’re just not my bag. Although I don’t question their
skill and proficiency, style-wise they’re something like Queensryche mixed with
modern hard rock, which is just not a genre that interests me. Still,
there were clearly many audience members who felt differently, and it’s not like
it was painful or torturous to sit through them. Again, the motto of PMF
IV was quality, and Void of Reason flew that banner proudly, albeit in a sound
that doesn’t quite jive with my own personal tastes.
Honest to God, I’ve never seen this venue look so crowded before. No, it
wasn’t nuts-to-butts, but the music hall was well over half full (nearly 200
paying attendees according to the official tally). For probably the first
time in my experience, one could not roam freely about the room, up to and
including the front of the stage, at will. There were lots of people
here. What’s more, many of them were quite obviously on hand to see
Theocracy. Jen and I talked to a guy who had driven up from New
Orleans for the express purpose of seeing Theocracy. There was a carload
of people who had driven 900 miles from Michigan for the same reason.
Looking around the room, there were many fans who looked neither familiar to me
nor your expected heavy metal audience. It seemed quite clear by the buzz
of anticipation, the sheer volume of Theocracy t-shirts, and the crush of people
six or more rows deep in front of the stage that Theocracy was the primary draw
of tonight’s event. That unassailable truth brings me to two
observations. First, when did Theocracy attract such a rabid, hardcore
following (many of them apparently from outside traditional heavy metal
channels)? By my recollection, Theocracy has performed at multiple
Pathfinder events in the past without ever pulling in either the number of
people or the degree of devotion/dedication that they did tonight. What
changed? It’s not like their latest CD, ‘As the World Bleeds,’ is some
sort of creative departure or commercial sell-out as compared to its
predecessors. Theocracy’s musical style has been nothing if not firmly
consistent over the years. Second, as fantastic as it was for music fans
to be turning out from near and far to see Theocracy, there was kind of an
unsettling underbelly to the whole phenomenon. At least a segment of
Theocracy fans flaunted the fact that they cared not whit about any other act on
the bill. One of the Michigan folks even brandished a sign saying, “We
Drove 900 Miles for Theocracy. All Other Bands Can Go to Heaven.”
Listen, I know what it’s like to go to a gig where I only care about one band on
the bill, but this kind of narrow-minded attitude drives me nuts at a
high-quality fest like PMF IV, and is antithetical to the sort of metal
community that Pathfinder seeks to cultivate. I don’t know. It’s not
my place to criticize, and honestly my intent is not to criticize, berate or
belittle. Anything that puts fannies in the seats is a good thing.
I’m just sort of befuddled by the entire phenomenon, that (i) so many people
would have heretofore-undemonstrated fanatical devotion to Theocracy, or (ii)
said fanaticism would be manifested to the exclusion of even mild interest in
(or tolerance of) any of the other acts. Interesting …
By the way, none of the above should be taken as any sort of knock on
Theocracy. I have always enjoyed Matt Smith’s troop, and own their entire
catalog. Sure, the “rockin’ for Jesus” vibe is a little unorthodox for my
evil-and-darkness-centric playlist, but Smith’s lyrics are intelligent,
thoughtful and introspective, managing to discuss his faith in a heartfelt
manner that rarely comes across as preachy or judgmental. And lyrics
aside, Theocracy play a scintillating brand of highly melodic, supercharged
European power metal, sounding a bit like old Edguy on a speed-metal
bender. What’s not to like about that? Also, Theocracy have evolved
and improved considerably over the years as live performers (no longer
exhibiting the kind of painful tentativeness and anxiety that marked their gig
at the ProgPower showcase a few years ago) and songwriters (just find me a song
on ‘As the World Bleeds’ that is not hugely catchy and memorable, I dare
you). And Matt Smith and the boys did not disappoint in the slightest
tonight. Although a wireless microphone snafu right of the gate cast a
pall on opener “Nailed,” the rest of the gig was damn near flawless.
Indeed, Theocracy’s set was characterized by great playing and energy levels
from the band members (bass player was rockin’ out so hard that he lost his hat
at one point), a crowd going absolutely bananas, and a well-chosen set list
hitting many high points from Theocracy’s last two albums (as well as the tune
“Wages of Sin,” which I guess is a bonus track on a re-released version of one
of those albums). The Theocracy guys were all visibly ecstatic with the
audience reaction, with Smith commenting that the warm reception had “made his
weekend.” The one-two punch of “Martyr” and “Laying the Demon to Rest”
was probably the highlight for me, but tracks like “30 Pieces of Silver” and “As
the World Bleeds” sounded phenomenal too. Great gig all the way around,
and the crowd seemed unanimous in its concurrence.
Setlist: Nailed, Master Storyteller, Martyr, Laying the Demon
to Rest, The Gift of Music, 30 Pieces of Silver, Wages of Sin, As the World Bleeds.
As the curtain closed on Theocracy, with the crowd still chanting “Encore!
Encore!” Hoyt Parris and his son Patrick took the stage to make a few
Pathfinder announcements. The first was to thank everyone and to
acknowledge the extraordinary distances that many hardy fans had traveled to
attend this event. By all accounts, this was the most successful (and
flat-out best) Pathfinder Metal Fest ever. So Hoyt used this happy
occasion to announce the core of the lineup for PMF V, which is set for
November 10, 2012 at the 120 Tavern. Headlining will be 80s metal masters
Raven (who, remarkably enough, have never performed in Atlanta in the band’s
30+ years of existence). The undercard will include New York’s Dark
Empire (progressive power thrash metal with clean and harsh vocals), Maryland’s
Burning Shadows (excellent epic power metal), and Atlanta’s Mnemosyne
(retro-thrash). It’s going to be a fantastic lineup, which Hoyt has
subsequently announced will also feature Fiakra (dark old-school metal with a
slight folky edge and cool costumes and stage props) and prog-rockers
VanGough. At the conclusion of these announcements, the Parrises left the
stage as Raven’s “Take Control” kicked in over the PA. Can’t wait for November 10!
But all was not said and done yet for PMF IV. Headliners While Heaven
Wept made sure that the smaller-but-still-respectable audience was in for a
treat. Having seen them at last September’s incarnation of ProgPower USA,
I knew what to expect. But everything seemed to work better for WHW on
the more intimate 120 Tavern stage, which was occupied by six band members
(singer, two guitarists, bassist, drummer, and seated female keyboard
player/harmony singer). This was actually one fewer than the band’s ranks
at ProgPower, as the other keyboard player (Jason Lingle) was absent.
Still, the name of the game for While Heaven Wept remains lush, heavily
orchestrated, beautiful and often melancholy music with stellar clean vocals, a
doom undercurrent and ample nods to classic and progressive metal. It’s
the kind of music that seems to work best when I sit back and let it wash over
me, without trying to analyze it. It’s almost hypnotic as it soothes the
soul and touches the heartstrings. And so it was tonight. Singer
Rain Irving turned in a stupendous performance, pulling off the challenging
emotional vocal lines with ease and gracefully taking time to shake everyone’s
hands in the front rows repeatedly. On either side, Irving was flanked by the
imposing long-hairs, guitarist/mastermind Tom Phillips and bassist Jim Hunter
(also of Twisted Tower Dire, October 31 and other bands). The rest of the
lineup was the Brave contingent of guitarist Scott Loose, drummer Trevor
Schrotz and the aforementioned keyboardist Michelle Schrotz, whose harmonies
with Irving were stunningly beautiful.
Some months prior to the gig, it had been announced that While Heaven Wept were
planning to try out some new material on the Pathfinder crowd. That plan
did not come to fruition, but the band did turn in a compelling 75-minute set
leaning heavily on the ‘Of Empires Forlorn’ and (to a lesser extent) ‘Vast
Oceans Lachrymose’ albums, with a measly one tune from their latest release on
Nuclear Blast Records. Although the attendance predictably dwindled as the
hour grew later, this was a room of WHW die-hards, as the remaining audience
members sang along and seemed enraptured by the performance, particularly on the
obvious crowd favorites “Voice in the Wind” and “Vessel.” I thought that
While Heaven Wept delivered a very impressive performance. They may be
lighter and more sedate than most of what I listen to, but it was impossible to
witness this gig and not admire the beautiful melodies and solemn emotion
dripping from every note. And holy crap, “To Wander the Void” (WHW’s
tribute to Arch-era Fates Warning) is all kinds of awesome and a brilliant way
to close out the set. Only song that really dragged for me was the
ponderous “Thus with a Kiss I Die,” which was aired late in the performance and
seemed to have widdly bits that went on forever. It’s tough to expect a
tired festival crowd to indulge such flights of fancy at the end of a long day of music.
There were a few funny/interesting anecdotes to emerge from While Heaven Wept’s
performance. First, Irving had the lyrics to various songs taped to the
floor in front of his monitors, and was glancing at them for the first few
songs. Several songs into the set, Irving abruptly jerked several sheets
off the floor and handed them to an audience member, stating that he knew his
lyrics and did not need to read them. A couple of tunes later, he
sheepishly asked the woman for his lyric sheets back because he couldn’t quite
remember all of the words to the next song. (She obliged.) Second,
it was obvious that the WHW members had been favorably impressed by their
experiences at ProgPower, as they mentioned it several times from the stage,
with Tom Phillips urging the crowd to get on the ball and get the additional 80
tickets sold for this year’s PPUSA to ensure that next year’s event will also
be a go. (Phillips also asked if the audience might have any interest in
seeing John Arch in Atlanta? Hmmmmmmmmm, the fit between Arch/Matheos and
ProgPower is both natural and obvious. Make it so, oh Gods of
PPUSA.) Third, when the band came back out to play encore “To Wander the
Void,” Irving was brandishing a Budweiser. He said then that he’d been
saving a special craft beer to crack open tonight in honor of this special
occasion, but that it had disappeared. Boooo. So he had to make do
with watered-down Budweiser, undoubtedly a weak and unacceptable
substitute. All in all, While Heaven Wept did a superb job, and I left
their gig as more of a fan than I was before it started.
Setlist (order only approximate): Drowning Years, Of Empires
Forlorn, In Aeternum, Voice in the Wind, Soulsadness, Saturn and Sacrifice, Thus
with a Kiss I Die, Vessel, To Wander the Void.
What else is there to say? It really felt like everything gelled with
Pathfinder Metal Fest IV. With the recent venue improvements, the 120
Tavern is a killer place to see a show because of the great stage, lights,
sound, and staff. Hoyt selected a diverse well-balanced roster that had
something to recommend it to almost any metalhead. And for once, people
actually showed up. Here’s hoping that tonight’s strong attendance
numbers are not a Theocracy-induced aberration, but a sign that folks in and
around metro Atlanta are finally paying attention to Pathfinder’s trailblazing
commitment to excellence. Time will tell. Either way, I’ll think
back fondly on the fine night of music that was PMF IV, and look forward to
doing it all again in November, this time with the Gallagher brothers’ special
breed of lunacy. Crash bang wallop, indeed. Be there.
Postscript: Despite the lateness of the hour when the
concert ended, Jen and I elected to hit the road early the following morning to
put the 330-mile drive home behind us as quickly as possible. So we were
stumbling around the breakfast area of the Hampton Inn shortly after 7 a.m.,
looking for some grub to tide us over on our drive, when we encountered WHW’s
Rain Irving doing the same thing. We said a quick hello and congratulated
him on a great show. He took the time to thank us, shake our hands and
ask our names, coming across as very kind, humble and unpretentious. I’m
not surprised, but it was great to see nonetheless. Then he sauntered out
(breakfast in hand) to begin his drive north, and we did the same to commence
our trek south. Until next time, y’all …
~ Review by Kit Ekman ~
120 Tavern & Music Hall, Marietta, GA
July 7, 2012
Atlanta’s Pathfinder Promotions (led by fearless music promoter and all-around
great guy Hoyt Parris) has been pushing a boulder up a mountain for years now,
working tirelessly to bring the best of local, regional, national, and
occasionally international underground heavy metal acts to the metropolitan
Atlanta area. Hoyt’s formula is both elegant and effective. He
starts with a recently-renovated venue (120 Tavern & Music Hall), located
in Marietta, just 15 minutes from downtown Atlanta. In its present
configuration, the 120 Tavern is an approximately 300-capacity music venue that
is friendly to fans, artists and promoters alike. It features utterly
professional sound, lighting, stage and staff; reasonably priced, tasty food and
beverage offerings; and a large restaurant/bar area outside the music hall with
pool tables, televisions focused on sports programming, and other forms of
between-bands entertainment.
The venue is a critical piece to Pathfinder’s puzzle, but not the only
one. In terms of roster, Hoyt refuses to be hemmed in by narrow, limiting
sub-genres, but instead runs the gamut from thrash to power to traditional to
progressive to gothic. Not every band is going to be every attendee’s cup
of tea, but so what? Hoyt’s selection criteria focus on high-quality
music and (almost always) down-to-earth, easy-to-work-with musicians with no
egos or rock-star baggage. He treats his bands incredibly well, earning
him a sterling reputation in the industry and prompting one artist to exclaim
from the stage tonight that this was the most organized show her band had ever
been a part of, “and we’ve been doing this for a long time.” And Hoyt is
absolutely committed to not gouging the good people who buy the tickets.
For tonight’s seven-band lineup, the ticket prices were a crazy-affordable $12
in advance, and $16 at the door. Perhaps most importantly, Hoyt has a way
of treating everyone like family, and never lacks a kind word or expression of
gratitude for the staff, the friends, the bands and the fans that make
Pathfinder Promotions what it is.
Jen and I arrived at the venue at around 4:45 p.m., and wandered inside.
Immediately, we could discern that this was going to be a good night, because
there were already as many people in the concert hall as there have been at
peak times in some previous installments of the Pathfinder Metal Fest.
The day’s first band was Draekon, who went on promptly at 5 p.m.
The Indianapolis-based quintet plays a brand of symphonic melodic power metal
that is often likened to Kamelot. (Just listen to “The Value of All” and
tell me it doesn’t put you in mind of Messrs. Youngblood, Khan and so on circa
‘The Black Halo.’) Draekon did a very nice job kicking off the show with a
crowd-pleasing 35-minute set drawn heavily from their recent EP, ‘Prelude to
Tragedy’ (excluding the acoustic “Lost Reflections”-type ballad at the end of
the EP), as well as a new song called “Only Ashes Remain,” if memory serves
correctly. Draekon’s vocalist seemed to sound less like Khan in a live
show than he does on the EP, but that’s a good thing because he was able to
carve out a bit more of an identity for himself that way. There were a
couple of minor signs of inexperience as a live act (guitarist came in too
early on one song, between-song banter seemed a little forced and awkward), but
as a festival opener, Draekon acquitted themselves well and almost certainly
made some new fans.
Draekon’s lush symphonic power metal sound gave way to the hammering,
take-no-prisoners melodic thrash assault of Brazil’s Machinage.
(The transition may have been too jarring for some, as it appeared there was a
slight dip in the attendance for Machinage’s set. Makes sense, as
Machinage is a little on the heavy side for the power/prog centered
crowd. Still, I was pleased to see that a good number of folks remained
in the room to check out Machinage and gave them rousing applause.) Jen
and I had witnessed Machinage’s live punishment just a week earlier at the
Warriors of Metal Fest in Ohio, so we knew what to expect, but the boys from
Brazil delivered the goods once again tonight in Marietta. I’ve said it
before and I’ll say it again: Their U.S. tour has galvanized Machinage
into a tight, unified wrecking ball of a live act. All of the members
were high-intensity and high-power, and the band exuded the confidence and
comfort that can only come with the routine of playing gigs on a regular
basis. The songs ripped and tore with deadly precision, and if anything
I’d say Machinage played a better gig at Pathfinder than they did at the WOM
Fest. The only mild disappointment was that they ran out of time to play
their crowd-pleasing Sepultura cover, “Territory.” Still, as the sands
ran out on their 35-minute set, it was quite cool of Machinage to emerge from
behind the curtain hoisting aloft the flags of Brazil and the United States in
a display of unity and triumph. In Thrash We Trust! Extra credit
goes to the Machinage guys for wearing their WOM Fest shirts and passing out
free WOM Fest compilation CDs to attendees. This cross-pollination is
beneficial for both festivals, and the organizers of both go out of their way
to support and cheer for each other. We’re all in this together, folks.
Band #3 was the long-time D.C. area female-fronted act, Brave.
Several members of Brave are also members of tonight’s headliner (While Heaven
Wept), so it seemed a simple, prudent use of economies of scale to put Brave on
the bill as well. Despite their long-running status and much-beloved cult
reputation in our nation’s capital, Brave had never played the Atlanta area
before. Sure, if you want to quibble with categories and labels, Brave is
probably more of a melodic hard rock band with gothic touches than a pure heavy
metal band, but who cares? It’s not much of a stretch to see headbangers
who love While Heaven Wept gravitating to Brave, as well. The sextet
featured WHW vocalist/keyboardist Michelle Schrotz (in shimmering purple
sequined top) front and center as frontwoman, with like-minded double-duty
members guitarist Tom Loose and drummer Trevor Schrotz, plus a second
guitarist, bassist and pink baseball-cap wearing violinist/keyboardist.
Michelle has a beautiful voice and a warm, kind-hearted, genuine demeanor on
stage, and the songs were mostly catchy, easy to listen to, and well
appreciated by the ever-growing audience. As for me, I’m afraid my head
was still stuck in the thrashing mania of Machinage, so I wasn’t quite able to
click with the more sedate vibe of Brave. But people obviously enjoyed
them, they’re good at what they do, and diversity has always been the watchword
of Pathfinder Metal Fests, so good on ‘em.
By now it was 7:40 p.m., and Jen and I were famished. So we headed out of
the music hall part of the 120 Tavern and into the restaurant portion, where we
wolfed down some delicious burgers and fries before racing back into the
legitimately crowded venue for the next act, which was slated to begin at
8. (Set changes mostly ran seamlessly and on time all night long, a
tribute to the skill and professionalism of the venue staff, the Pathfinder
folks, and the cooperative spirit of the bands.) Indiana’s
Lorenguard took the stage just a few minutes after their scheduled start
time, and one glance at the crowded stage explained why. There were eight
people and gear crammed onto the cozy 120 Tavern stage: male lead singer,
blue-haired female backing singer, two guitarists, bassist, drummer, keyboardist
(same guy from Draekon, actually), and male backing vocalist/ narrator (looked
like a dead ringer for Hagrid). If the number of performers didn’t catch
your attention, their stage garb surely would have. All were decked out in
elaborate fantasy costumes, whether they were robes of crimson, a bright blue
knight’s tunic, leather breastplate, and so on. It made for quite a
striking spectacle. Not surprisingly, Lorenguard’s genre of choice is
fantasy-laden power metal bearing influences from the likes of Blind Guardian,
Rhapsody and Iced Earth. And they’re way into this fantasy stuff, as
their ‘Eve of Corruption’ CD is a concept album whose lyrics are adapted from
drummer Brady Sadler’s novel of the same name. (The band were hawking the
rather thick paperback book at their merch stand for $20, and sold out of all
the copies they brought to PMF IV well before the night was out.) I am
quite fond of this ‘Eve of Corruption’ CD, and was eagerly anticipating hearing
live renditions of these songs. Musically, Lorenguard sounded
fantastic. Songs like “Wrath Divine,” “Black Sails and Phoenix Flames,”
and “Dragonsbane” sounded every bit as powerful and thrilling in the live arena
as one would hope. My only disappointment was with the band’s lack of
stage presence. With the high-powered music and elaborate costumes,
Lorenguard could have elevated their performance to the next level with some
stage moves, headbanging, and interaction with each other and with the
crowd. Instead, they sort of stood still and looked tentative, nervous and
uncertain (one guitarist often had his eyes closed). Only youthful
guitarist Christopher Cruz was visibly having fun as he rocked out, sang along,
and smiled gleefully during the set. Perhaps it was a function of the
close confines on stage, or live inexperience. I don’t know. But
this music and these costumes cry out for a high-octane performance that wasn’t
quite there. That said, I enjoyed Lorenguard’s set for what it was and
remain convinced that they are a talented band with a bright future.
Setlist: Eve of Corruption, Wrath Divine, Greenstone, Black
Sails and Phoenix Flames, Dragonsbane, Hands of Chaos.
The fourth act on the PMF IV roster was local favorite Void of
Reason. This four-piece has been a mainstay of Pathfinder events for
as long as Jen and I have been attending them. It’s easy to see why.
After all, they have amassed a sizeable Atlanta following and a reputation for
being easy to work with. Unquestionably, Void of Reason have progressed
and matured considerably as a live act from their rather humble beginning in the
early Pathfinder days. Tonight they looked and sounded professional,
undoubtedly giving the by-now crowded venue a solid dose of
entertainment. At one point during their set, they even arranged for a
stack of old Void of Reason CDs to be distributed to anyone in the crowd who
wanted one. And they tried their hand at an Iron Maiden cover, the
somewhat unconventional choice “The Clairvoyant.” (Probably makes sense in
context, as Maiden had performed in Atlanta on their ‘Seventh Son’-focused
Maiden England tour just two weeks earlier, so many in the audience were decked
out in their latest Eddie garb.) My qualms with Void of Reason are purely
subjective. They’re just not my bag. Although I don’t question their
skill and proficiency, style-wise they’re something like Queensryche mixed with
modern hard rock, which is just not a genre that interests me. Still,
there were clearly many audience members who felt differently, and it’s not like
it was painful or torturous to sit through them. Again, the motto of PMF
IV was quality, and Void of Reason flew that banner proudly, albeit in a sound
that doesn’t quite jive with my own personal tastes.
Honest to God, I’ve never seen this venue look so crowded before. No, it
wasn’t nuts-to-butts, but the music hall was well over half full (nearly 200
paying attendees according to the official tally). For probably the first
time in my experience, one could not roam freely about the room, up to and
including the front of the stage, at will. There were lots of people
here. What’s more, many of them were quite obviously on hand to see
Theocracy. Jen and I talked to a guy who had driven up from New
Orleans for the express purpose of seeing Theocracy. There was a carload
of people who had driven 900 miles from Michigan for the same reason.
Looking around the room, there were many fans who looked neither familiar to me
nor your expected heavy metal audience. It seemed quite clear by the buzz
of anticipation, the sheer volume of Theocracy t-shirts, and the crush of people
six or more rows deep in front of the stage that Theocracy was the primary draw
of tonight’s event. That unassailable truth brings me to two
observations. First, when did Theocracy attract such a rabid, hardcore
following (many of them apparently from outside traditional heavy metal
channels)? By my recollection, Theocracy has performed at multiple
Pathfinder events in the past without ever pulling in either the number of
people or the degree of devotion/dedication that they did tonight. What
changed? It’s not like their latest CD, ‘As the World Bleeds,’ is some
sort of creative departure or commercial sell-out as compared to its
predecessors. Theocracy’s musical style has been nothing if not firmly
consistent over the years. Second, as fantastic as it was for music fans
to be turning out from near and far to see Theocracy, there was kind of an
unsettling underbelly to the whole phenomenon. At least a segment of
Theocracy fans flaunted the fact that they cared not whit about any other act on
the bill. One of the Michigan folks even brandished a sign saying, “We
Drove 900 Miles for Theocracy. All Other Bands Can Go to Heaven.”
Listen, I know what it’s like to go to a gig where I only care about one band on
the bill, but this kind of narrow-minded attitude drives me nuts at a
high-quality fest like PMF IV, and is antithetical to the sort of metal
community that Pathfinder seeks to cultivate. I don’t know. It’s not
my place to criticize, and honestly my intent is not to criticize, berate or
belittle. Anything that puts fannies in the seats is a good thing.
I’m just sort of befuddled by the entire phenomenon, that (i) so many people
would have heretofore-undemonstrated fanatical devotion to Theocracy, or (ii)
said fanaticism would be manifested to the exclusion of even mild interest in
(or tolerance of) any of the other acts. Interesting …
By the way, none of the above should be taken as any sort of knock on
Theocracy. I have always enjoyed Matt Smith’s troop, and own their entire
catalog. Sure, the “rockin’ for Jesus” vibe is a little unorthodox for my
evil-and-darkness-centric playlist, but Smith’s lyrics are intelligent,
thoughtful and introspective, managing to discuss his faith in a heartfelt
manner that rarely comes across as preachy or judgmental. And lyrics
aside, Theocracy play a scintillating brand of highly melodic, supercharged
European power metal, sounding a bit like old Edguy on a speed-metal
bender. What’s not to like about that? Also, Theocracy have evolved
and improved considerably over the years as live performers (no longer
exhibiting the kind of painful tentativeness and anxiety that marked their gig
at the ProgPower showcase a few years ago) and songwriters (just find me a song
on ‘As the World Bleeds’ that is not hugely catchy and memorable, I dare
you). And Matt Smith and the boys did not disappoint in the slightest
tonight. Although a wireless microphone snafu right of the gate cast a
pall on opener “Nailed,” the rest of the gig was damn near flawless.
Indeed, Theocracy’s set was characterized by great playing and energy levels
from the band members (bass player was rockin’ out so hard that he lost his hat
at one point), a crowd going absolutely bananas, and a well-chosen set list
hitting many high points from Theocracy’s last two albums (as well as the tune
“Wages of Sin,” which I guess is a bonus track on a re-released version of one
of those albums). The Theocracy guys were all visibly ecstatic with the
audience reaction, with Smith commenting that the warm reception had “made his
weekend.” The one-two punch of “Martyr” and “Laying the Demon to Rest”
was probably the highlight for me, but tracks like “30 Pieces of Silver” and “As
the World Bleeds” sounded phenomenal too. Great gig all the way around,
and the crowd seemed unanimous in its concurrence.
Setlist: Nailed, Master Storyteller, Martyr, Laying the Demon
to Rest, The Gift of Music, 30 Pieces of Silver, Wages of Sin, As the World Bleeds.
As the curtain closed on Theocracy, with the crowd still chanting “Encore!
Encore!” Hoyt Parris and his son Patrick took the stage to make a few
Pathfinder announcements. The first was to thank everyone and to
acknowledge the extraordinary distances that many hardy fans had traveled to
attend this event. By all accounts, this was the most successful (and
flat-out best) Pathfinder Metal Fest ever. So Hoyt used this happy
occasion to announce the core of the lineup for PMF V, which is set for
November 10, 2012 at the 120 Tavern. Headlining will be 80s metal masters
Raven (who, remarkably enough, have never performed in Atlanta in the band’s
30+ years of existence). The undercard will include New York’s Dark
Empire (progressive power thrash metal with clean and harsh vocals), Maryland’s
Burning Shadows (excellent epic power metal), and Atlanta’s Mnemosyne
(retro-thrash). It’s going to be a fantastic lineup, which Hoyt has
subsequently announced will also feature Fiakra (dark old-school metal with a
slight folky edge and cool costumes and stage props) and prog-rockers
VanGough. At the conclusion of these announcements, the Parrises left the
stage as Raven’s “Take Control” kicked in over the PA. Can’t wait for November 10!
But all was not said and done yet for PMF IV. Headliners While Heaven
Wept made sure that the smaller-but-still-respectable audience was in for a
treat. Having seen them at last September’s incarnation of ProgPower USA,
I knew what to expect. But everything seemed to work better for WHW on
the more intimate 120 Tavern stage, which was occupied by six band members
(singer, two guitarists, bassist, drummer, and seated female keyboard
player/harmony singer). This was actually one fewer than the band’s ranks
at ProgPower, as the other keyboard player (Jason Lingle) was absent.
Still, the name of the game for While Heaven Wept remains lush, heavily
orchestrated, beautiful and often melancholy music with stellar clean vocals, a
doom undercurrent and ample nods to classic and progressive metal. It’s
the kind of music that seems to work best when I sit back and let it wash over
me, without trying to analyze it. It’s almost hypnotic as it soothes the
soul and touches the heartstrings. And so it was tonight. Singer
Rain Irving turned in a stupendous performance, pulling off the challenging
emotional vocal lines with ease and gracefully taking time to shake everyone’s
hands in the front rows repeatedly. On either side, Irving was flanked by the
imposing long-hairs, guitarist/mastermind Tom Phillips and bassist Jim Hunter
(also of Twisted Tower Dire, October 31 and other bands). The rest of the
lineup was the Brave contingent of guitarist Scott Loose, drummer Trevor
Schrotz and the aforementioned keyboardist Michelle Schrotz, whose harmonies
with Irving were stunningly beautiful.
Some months prior to the gig, it had been announced that While Heaven Wept were
planning to try out some new material on the Pathfinder crowd. That plan
did not come to fruition, but the band did turn in a compelling 75-minute set
leaning heavily on the ‘Of Empires Forlorn’ and (to a lesser extent) ‘Vast
Oceans Lachrymose’ albums, with a measly one tune from their latest release on
Nuclear Blast Records. Although the attendance predictably dwindled as the
hour grew later, this was a room of WHW die-hards, as the remaining audience
members sang along and seemed enraptured by the performance, particularly on the
obvious crowd favorites “Voice in the Wind” and “Vessel.” I thought that
While Heaven Wept delivered a very impressive performance. They may be
lighter and more sedate than most of what I listen to, but it was impossible to
witness this gig and not admire the beautiful melodies and solemn emotion
dripping from every note. And holy crap, “To Wander the Void” (WHW’s
tribute to Arch-era Fates Warning) is all kinds of awesome and a brilliant way
to close out the set. Only song that really dragged for me was the
ponderous “Thus with a Kiss I Die,” which was aired late in the performance and
seemed to have widdly bits that went on forever. It’s tough to expect a
tired festival crowd to indulge such flights of fancy at the end of a long day of music.
There were a few funny/interesting anecdotes to emerge from While Heaven Wept’s
performance. First, Irving had the lyrics to various songs taped to the
floor in front of his monitors, and was glancing at them for the first few
songs. Several songs into the set, Irving abruptly jerked several sheets
off the floor and handed them to an audience member, stating that he knew his
lyrics and did not need to read them. A couple of tunes later, he
sheepishly asked the woman for his lyric sheets back because he couldn’t quite
remember all of the words to the next song. (She obliged.) Second,
it was obvious that the WHW members had been favorably impressed by their
experiences at ProgPower, as they mentioned it several times from the stage,
with Tom Phillips urging the crowd to get on the ball and get the additional 80
tickets sold for this year’s PPUSA to ensure that next year’s event will also
be a go. (Phillips also asked if the audience might have any interest in
seeing John Arch in Atlanta? Hmmmmmmmmm, the fit between Arch/Matheos and
ProgPower is both natural and obvious. Make it so, oh Gods of
PPUSA.) Third, when the band came back out to play encore “To Wander the
Void,” Irving was brandishing a Budweiser. He said then that he’d been
saving a special craft beer to crack open tonight in honor of this special
occasion, but that it had disappeared. Boooo. So he had to make do
with watered-down Budweiser, undoubtedly a weak and unacceptable
substitute. All in all, While Heaven Wept did a superb job, and I left
their gig as more of a fan than I was before it started.
Setlist (order only approximate): Drowning Years, Of Empires
Forlorn, In Aeternum, Voice in the Wind, Soulsadness, Saturn and Sacrifice, Thus
with a Kiss I Die, Vessel, To Wander the Void.
What else is there to say? It really felt like everything gelled with
Pathfinder Metal Fest IV. With the recent venue improvements, the 120
Tavern is a killer place to see a show because of the great stage, lights,
sound, and staff. Hoyt selected a diverse well-balanced roster that had
something to recommend it to almost any metalhead. And for once, people
actually showed up. Here’s hoping that tonight’s strong attendance
numbers are not a Theocracy-induced aberration, but a sign that folks in and
around metro Atlanta are finally paying attention to Pathfinder’s trailblazing
commitment to excellence. Time will tell. Either way, I’ll think
back fondly on the fine night of music that was PMF IV, and look forward to
doing it all again in November, this time with the Gallagher brothers’ special
breed of lunacy. Crash bang wallop, indeed. Be there.
Postscript: Despite the lateness of the hour when the
concert ended, Jen and I elected to hit the road early the following morning to
put the 330-mile drive home behind us as quickly as possible. So we were
stumbling around the breakfast area of the Hampton Inn shortly after 7 a.m.,
looking for some grub to tide us over on our drive, when we encountered WHW’s
Rain Irving doing the same thing. We said a quick hello and congratulated
him on a great show. He took the time to thank us, shake our hands and
ask our names, coming across as very kind, humble and unpretentious. I’m
not surprised, but it was great to see nonetheless. Then he sauntered out
(breakfast in hand) to begin his drive north, and we did the same to commence
our trek south. Until next time, y’all …
~ Review by Kit Ekman ~