Rustbelt Rock Review

By: Z.M. Delgado

Rustbeltrockreview.com

Volume #140: Mythrias, The Behest of Serpents, Terranoct, MeV

May 31, 2024

The Foundry Concert Club, 11729 Detroit Ave, Lakewood, OH 44107

Hello friends and welcome back to the revolving door of Rock N’ Roll lore, aka the Rustbelt Rock Review. This week I had the distinct pleasure of returning to The Foundry for an evening of headbanging. Joha scooped me up around 7pm and we pointed his ride West. We rolled out, vapes blazing and tunes up. We arrived on the scene perhaps a half hour before the music began and settled in for the show.

First to the stage was MeV (Morir es Vivir). This is a three piece instrumental Death Metal outfit made up of Guitar, Bass and Drums. Now I’m gonna be perfectly honest with you right here: MeV kicks ass. This band came out and shook the room without preamble or apology. Their music was fast and pounding. It was a wave of relentless noise that chewed its way through the band’s time slot. I was awed with this group at every position. The drums were killer. I made multiple notes throughout the set pertaining to the percussion, describing it a “Killer,” “Bad Ass” and “Stomping.” The Bass man was equally impressive, as he punished us with his 5 string. His presence was always apparent as he projected his instrument with a powerful rumble. He also put on a noteworthy display of onstage movement; grooving to the songs as he played. Finally the Guitar work was fire. The chords were hammered home, often at lightening quick speed, with significant flourishes to keep the riffs interesting. Beneath the flashing strobe lights he soloed like a mad man, amazing all those who looked on. And about those folks… Well, from note one, MeV held the crowds attention, that’s to be sure. In fact people danced, headbanged and cheered in plenitude as MeV did their thing. At one point the fans began to chant “Ay! Ay! Ay!” in time with the music, which further inspired the band to Rock even harder. Over the coarse of their 6 song set, MeV tore the roof off of the Foundry and left all who stood looking in awe. They produced a set of penetrating force that, suffice to say, impressed me thoroughly. They finished up to strong applause and a lot of cheers. MeV was brutal without a doubt and the perfect animal to open up the show. Sometime during this set Joha and I were joined by our homeboy Dom. With MeV all finished up we stepped outside to enjoy the air and blast a few joints.

Now thoroughly stoned we returned to the club and parked ourselves in front of the stage. Up next was Terranoct. This is a four man band made up of two Guitars, Drums and a Vocalist. They hail from Akron and are some kind of hybrid of Death, Black and Thrash Metal. Here’s what I can tell you about this act: Terranoct was not fucking around. Not even a little bit. These guys came to rip and that is exactly what they did. Their frontman was energetic right from the get go. He never ceased in moving about the stage, motioning with his arms and rolling his eyes into the back of his head like a man possessed. His expression was one of pure evil as he led the band with his grating and vicious vocals. Their Drum work was thunderous in it’s application. Like sledgehammers falling, the rhythmic onslaught kept the crowd banging their heads to the beat. Finally, the dual Guitar attack was truly bestial. The twin axes merged together into an overwhelming cacophony of heaviness. Whether delivering pulse pounding riffs, or jaw dropping solos, Terranoct’s 6 string section was impressive. It was perhaps their third song when one of the Guitarists raised his fist and began to chant “Ay! Ay! Ay!” into the mic. The crowd joined in and the room absolutely shook. It was a powerful moment. They played 5 original numbers before closing out with a very nice cover of “Guardians of Asgard” by Amon Amarth. It had been a monster of a set. The crowd erupted in cheers sending Terranoct off with a lot to be proud of. With the second band now at a close we… you guessed it, slipped back outside to burn another doobie.

Eric Stevenson: The Official Tattoo Artist of the Rustbelt Rock Review

With another joint down, we returned to the stage to check out our third act: The Behest of Serpents. This is a five man group hailing from Canton, that I would classify as Melodic Death Metal. They are built of Vocals, two Guitars, Bass and Drums. (They also used some piped in samples of Piano and Strings for an added effect.) Their singer had what my notes describe as a “sick voice: growls, roars and snarls galore.” His stage presence was also noteworthy as the man was rarely seen to stop moving during the set. Guitar wise they were very impressive. The chords came with fury and the solos were fantastic. My notes on the ax work read: “Powerful waves of Metal fury.” I also wrote that I was repeatedly mesmerized by the Guitars and simply forgot to take notes at times. (The six string action was just that good.) The Drums were “Killer, driving and intense.” I describe the sound as “hammering,” “furious” and “an avalanche of double bass pedal.” And all in all the song writing was great. I really enjoyed the overall sound and structure of the compositions, finding them to be consistently interesting while remaining heavy to the bone. For their 8th and final song the crowd began again to chant “Ay! Ay! Ay!” in response to a monster riff. The track was fast, driving and was a fitting end to a magnificent set. The crowd roared as they finished up and rightly so. The Behest of Serpents was savage. They really and truly were. Their sound was nasty, their stage energy was strong and I just couldn’t get enough of their tandem Guitar action. I was so impressed that I went over to the merch table where I picked up a copy of their newest effort “Regicide.” (Which I have to say is a solid album that I highly recommend.) With The Behest of Serpents now finished we smoked again before making ourselves ready for the final act.

Our headlining act of the night was Mythrias. On the evening in question it would seem that Mythrias was taking the stage with mixed emotions. Last year their frontman, Taylor, tragically lost his battle with mental health. This show was thrown in his honor and was meant as a celebration of his life. His band, Mythrias, would be performing with a guest vocalist in order to complete this one show in his name. Mythrias is a five piece Melodic Death Metal band, made up of Vocals, two Guitars, Bass and Drums. They began their set with some sort of atmospheric intro music playing. The band jumped in soon enough and came out hard and heavy. The Vocals were like a saw; they had teeth and were ready to bite. The Guitar work was very nice, and I made numerous notes about just how ripping they were. I also jotted down a few lines about the Drums and Bass. However the majority of my notes were dedicated to the emotional aspects of this set. The band was clearly playing from the depths of their souls. Each of them making it apparent that they had not forgotten the reason they were all there. After their second song they stopped the show and their Bass player said a few words. He discussed Taylor and his legacy, as well as the importance of mental health awareness. He made it a point to tell us all to look around the room and see that we have a community to help us. We, as Metalheads here in Cleveland, have an incredible network of like minded individuals who care about each other. We are never alone, and in this scene we look out for each other. It’s just this simple: No one in this scene needs to face these sorts of battles on their own. We are here for each other. Having made his point, it was then back to the music. Keeping with the highly emotional quality of the set, Mythrias brought up a special guest vocalist: Taylor’s brother. This young man also said a few touching words, before adding his voice to the tapestry of sounds. He stayed on for the remainder of the set. Rocking out hard, often with tears in his eyes, he channeled his pain, sorrow and loss into his microphone and hopefully found some sense of closure. The impassioned performance continued, gaining momentum with each song. For their sixth number, they broke out their cover of The Offspring’s “The Kids Aren’t Alright,” which had the whole of the club singing along. On their seventh number a moshpit erupted and the crowd began chanting “Ay!, Ay!, Ay!” with their horns hoisted to the sky. The moshing continued into their final song and carried on until it’s completion. Mythrias finished very strong and the fan reaction reflected that. The crowd roared. Hands clapped, horns went up and Mythrias took their final bow. It had been a touching, emotional and profoundly bad ass set. It left us with a ringing in our ears and with a lot to think about. The lights came up and slowly the crowd began to disband.

Joha and I headed out into the night and then off to secure some cheeseburgers. We drove home with that sort of satisfied smile that can only come after an evening of fantastic Heavy Metal. MeV had been fantastic. Their instrumental assault was just what we needed to open the show. Terranoct was nothing short of intense. Their sound was all balls and razor wire and I definitely dug it. The Behest of Serpents was a thing to behold. Their tight play and unquestionable heaviness pushed the intensity of the evening to the next level. Finally, Mythrias, brought a level of personal connection to the stage that we rarely see. The shared their grief with us, and as they said farewell to a fallen brother, they played us a show that we won’t soon forget. I hope that the men of Mythrias found some solace in this performance and that it helps them to heal. On that note, I will bring this edition to a close. Stay strong and thank you for reading.

Until next time, Rock on, Rustbelt,

-Z.M. Delgado

Rustbelt Rock Review

Rustbeltrockreview.com

6/2-6/3/2024

Links:

Mythrias

https://www.facebook.com/Mythrias/

https://mythrias1.bandcamp.com/music

The Behest of Serpents

https://www.facebook.com/thebehestofserpents/

https://thebehestofserpents.bandcamp.com/