Incantation, Goatwhore, Bewitcher & Caveman Cult
Rustbelt Rock Reviews
By: Z.M. Delgado
Zackolantern.com
Volume #25: Incantation, Goatwhore, Bewitcher & Caveman Cult
August 10, 2022
Grog Shop2785 Euclid Heights Blvd, Cleveland, OH 44106
Hello, Rustbelt! I hope this finds you well, and I would like to invite you to this: The 25th installment of the Rustbelt Rock Review. Tonight I have a real banger to tell you about. I had the pleasure of checking out four great Metal acts in my favorite small venue: The Grog Shop. The bands in question were Incantation, Goatwhore, Bewitcher and Caveman Cult, and if you know anything about these acts you know I was in for one seriously heavy affair. With me as always was my wingman, Chen Killingsworth, loyally by my side for this Wednesday night audio onslaught.
We arrived at the Grog about fifteen minutes before doors and as we crossed Coventry Road, I was approached by an odd young man. From behind squinting eyes, he greeted me and offered his hand. I shook it and as I did he said something unintelligible. You see, there was loud R&B music playing from somewhere nearby which drowned out his voice. I asked him to repeat himself and he asked me louder, “Are you Egyptian?” I was immediately confused by the astounding randomness of his query. I laughed and replied “I don’t think so.” To which he asked, “Don’t you want to go home?” I told him, “No man, I just want to go to the Grog Shop.” He then laughed and slowly walked away. The R&B began to fade out, and I realized that the song had originated from his pants. It was baffling. Chen and I didn’t quite know what to make of the interaction; laughing heartily we filed into the club. “Only on Coventry” is all I can say about that. Perpetually one of the raddest spots in Northeast Ohio, “the street” draws some of our… most colorful characters.
The door guy checked me off the list, and Chen coughed up his dough. We were both fitted with our wrist bands and walked into a sparsely populated Grog Shop. It was no surprise, as it was early and as I said, a Wednesday. We perused the merch and I grabbed up a Bewitcher pin I’d had my eye on since their last visit to town (RbRR #16). After that Chen and I grabbed seats near the bar and relaxed as we watched the crowd trickle through the door. Before long the first act, Caveman Cult, was plugging in and the show began.
Caveman Cult
Caveman Cult immediately grabbed my attention before they started the set, as we caught sight of their stage ensembles. They were dressed as, well, as cavemen. Each member of the band was adorned in some sort of war paint. Their singer/bassist wore a necklace of animal bones. The rhythm man was sporting some sort of moss-like foliage based vest. Their lead guitarist had a tree twig attached to his guitar neck, and from beneath his own glorious yeti-esc coat of fur, snarled and scowled like Vigo the Carpathian.
Caveman Cult
Taking a swig from a jug on stage, their frontman let fake blood run down his face as they slammed into their first song. What followed was a very noisy and aggressive form of Death Metal. The vocals were deep, guttural and for the most part indecipherable. Though the crowd was of modest size this early in the evening, there were many who crowded the stage in support. These diehards broke into frenzied and enthusiastic headbanging.
Caveman Cult
Caveman Cult
The droning quality of the music clearly grabbed many and lit a fire under them. I found their drummer to very impressive, as was their lead guitarist. He exhibited considerably technical acuity though his work did lack much along the lines of melody. In general, I am not a big fan of this style of Metal. I decided I needed another perspective in order to figure out what I had just seen. I turned to two certified experts in the field: Chris Maggot of Mutilation Barbecue and Jake Espinoza of Necroprophecy. Chris described Caveman Cult as “Sick as fuck, Dude! Live performance: Great as fuck. What they look like: Bestial as hell. And finally their music: fucking kicks ass!” I asked Chris to categorize their sound and he said they would fit somewhere between War Metal and Brutal Death Metal.
Caveman Cult
Jake told me “I like them a lot” and he categorized them as War Metal or Black Death Metal. Jake broke it down like this: “I love the stage energy, the presence. I love the theatrics of it, with the blood spewing out his mouth. Very good band. I’d see them again.” Well, there you have it. While Caveman Cult’s sound was not my style, I do agree with Chris and Jake that their stage presence and energy were pretty great. If you are a fan of Brutal Death or War Metal, check these guys out because the stage show sets them apart from many of their peers.
Bewitcher
Second on the bill was a personal favorite of mine, Bewitcher. For those of you who read RbRR #16, you already received a closer look at this Oregon power trio. They jumped into their set and without delay threw things into high gear. I was immediately impressed by how great they sounded. Apparently I wasn’t the only one, as this song spawned the first moshpit of the night. Bewitcher would go on to provide us with a jackhammer of a setlist of “The Devil’s Heavy Metal”, as frontman, M. von Bewitcher put it.
Bewitcher
His dreadlocks swirling like the Hydra, Mr. von Bewitcher growled his way through high speed assaults such as “Satanic Magick Attack,” “Under the Witching Cross,” the title track from their latest album: “Cursed be thy Kingdom” and my personal favorite “Valley of the Ravens.” About halfway through the set I turned around and was pleased to see the room had begun to fill up nicely.
Bewitcher
The moshing continued from the opener “Death Returns” all the way to their closer, “Bewitcher.” This song is an absolute killer, and I swear they play it at double speed live. For a band that challenges its fans to “Speed til you Bleed” that is saying something. Bewitcher left the stage to feverish crowd support. After this set I have come to a conclusion: This is an incredible band that I will never willingly miss seeing live again. I suggest you do the same.
Zack Simmons/Goatwhore
The third spot on the bill was due, and it was time to break out the really big guns. Up next was New Orleans legendary Blackened Death Metal powerhouse Goatwhore. I was really excited for this set. Though Goatwhore is a band I have followed for some time, I have never had the privilege of seeing them perform before. So when they accepted my proposal to come review their set, I was obviously pleased. All that being said, I had a job to do, and a performance to review, so my fanboy delusions had to be set aside long enough to take some notes. I am pleased to report, Goatwhore did not disappoint. They came out hard with “Externalize this Hidden Savagery.” The crowd immediately threw themselves into a violent maelstrom of swirling bodies.
L. Ben Falgoust II/Goatwhore
Frontman, L. Ben Falgoust II, rushed from left to right and back, pumping his fists and raking his demonic voice across our defenseless eardrums. I was impressed by his energy, as well as how good his vocals sounded. For a band that has been grinding night after night, Ben’s voice sounded album perfect. Speaking of perfect, Sammy Duet, a legend in his own right, shredded flawlessly throughout the entirety of the set. Meanwhile Drummer Zack Simmons and Bassist Robert “Trans Am” Coleman held down the foundation of the abysmal southern symphony, rumbling the floor and ceiling to the delight of listeners.
Robert “Trans Am” Coleman/Goatwhore
Wearing their signature spiked wrist guards; Goatwhore took us into the depths of Hell on songs like “Baring Teeth for Revolt, “Alchemy of the Black Sun Cult,” and “Mankind Will Have No Mercy.” They also treated us to their new single “Born of Satan’s Flesh,” from their forthcoming album “Angels Hung from the Arches of Heaven” (Out October 7th/Metal Blade).
Sammy Duet/Goatwhore
In total they tortured our bodies, minds and souls through 14 magnificent and diabolical songs. Closing with the fan favorite “FBS,” Goatwhore left fans screaming for more and this author thoroughly impressed. Celebrating their 25th anniversary, Goatwhore has proven to me that they have not lost a single iota of their intensity over the years. In fact, a quarter of a century into their careers, and based on the strength of their new single, I would say Goatwhore is better than ever.
Incantation
Closing out the night was veteran Death Metal outfit Incantation. They opened up with an audio recording taken from the film “Evil Dead.” (The part when they play the tape with the Necronomicon being recited.) This was a very fitting intro, and really helped weave a web of looming dread around the room. In the unlikely event that Goatwhore hadn’t already put you in an evil state of mind, hearing verses from the Book of The Dead certainly did the trick.
The four piece outfit came out hard and heavy. I noted early that I found their music and musicianship very impressive. I was wowed with the lead work of guitarist Luke Shively. Founding member and vocals/rhythm guitarist John McEntee delivered deep animalistic growls that perfectly showcased how he became such an influential artist in the genre. The crowd had thinned some after Goatwhore’s set, leaving the pit loose and sloppy.
Kyle Severn & John McEntee/Incantation
Chuck Sherwood/Incantation
One fan took a shot to the knee and had to be helped out. A few more got into a tussle, with one girl putting another in a choke hold. This altercation was broken up by Chris Maggot and Jake Epinoza, and thankfully it didn’t escalate any further. Meanwhile, Incantation continued their bombardment of the Grog. Hard, fast and brutal, they hammered through their set without relent. McEntee gave an emotional talk about a time when he had lived in Cleveland. He told us that he had many old friends in the room, and lamented for some he had lost. He was clearly emotional and very appreciative of his time here.
Luke Shively/Incantation
Following his speech, Incantation delved once more into their devilish catalogue. (I apologize, I was unable to get a copy of the setlist.) They finished the night with McEntee holding his guitar out over the crowd letting the fans hammer on his strings. He then raised it to the ceiling girders and sawed the neck across the course steel beam, creating a hellacious grating din. Incantation received a booming explosion of applause from their grateful fans, and exited the stage like conquering heroes.
Incantation
Chen and I said our goodbyes and headed out. It had been one hell of a night. I love a good show at the Grog Shop. The sound is great, the staff is friendly and crowd is usually excellent. With the exception of girls fighting in the pit, it was a great night. That incident was unfortunate. I don’t want to get into a whole thing about Moshpit etiquette here, but the bottom line is this: No fighting in the pit. Despite how chaotic it gets down there, we are all friends and no wants to get hurt. If you don’t understand that, stay in the back of the club or just stay home. It’s pretty simple. Anyway…
It was a phenomenal show. Caveman Cult started thing off with a bang. You really can’t get more Metal than blood spewing cavemen, now can you? I always love when up and coming acts create a solid stage show. It shows artistic commitment, as well as good old fashioned balls, to paint your face, strap on your moss vest and drink fake blood six days out of seven, as the first act on a bill. Bewitcher played even harder on Wednesday than they did when I saw them as the headliner. I don’t know if it was because they felt they had something to prove, or if they were just having a great night, but either way their fire was appreciated. Those flames got the crowd good and warmed up for Goatwhore who was truly a savage spectacle to behold. Finally getting to see them was a real privilege for me, and as an old school Acid Bath fan, it was great to watch Sammy do his thing. I was not much of a fan of Incantation going into the evening. I am hit or miss on early Death Metal. Some I love others I can’t stand. What separates the rankings in my head is nonsensical and contradictory. All I can say is I like what I like and I don’t like what I don’t. There are no real rules. All that being said, Incantation really impressed me. Their set was very strong and John’s connection to the crowd was honest and legitimate. He had once called Cleveland home, and you could tell part of him always would. Walking out of the show I discovered a new found respect for Incantation. As so often happens, I connected with a band live, in a way that I never had via recording. It is phenomena we all experience at one point or another and it’s great whenever it occurs. That is one of the reasons why I fell in love with live music the way I did: That connection with the artists. The stories you get between songs. The passion you see in their eyes as they play. And the appreciation they exude when they watch the fans respond. That, my friends, is what it’s all about. That is Rock N’ Roll.
Until next time, Rock on, Rustbelt!
-Z.M. Delgado
Rustbelt Rock Review
Zackolantern.com
8/12-8/13/2022
