Rustbelt Rock Review

By: Z.M. Delgado

Rustbeltrockreview.com

Volume #149: “Ashes of Leviathan Tour” feat: Lamb of God, Mastodon, Kerry King & Unearth

August 9, 2024

Jacobs Pavilion 2014 Sycamore St, Cleveland, OH 44113

Good evening my friends and welcome back to the most esteemed periodical of the arts that you’re likely to find advertised in a bathroom stall, aka its the Rustbelt Rock Review. This week we have a certified banger to discuss, and I’m sure you’ll want to discuss it too, because I’m willing to bet a good amount of you were there. The event I am referencing is of course the “Ashes of Leviathan Tour.” This is the tour that celebrates the 20 year anniversary of the release of two now legendary albums: Lamb of God’s “Ashes of the Wake” and Mastodon’s “Leviathan.” These two bands teamed up, recruiting the talents of Kerry King and Unearth along the way, and put together what is surely the hottest tour of the summer. Keeping all of this in mind, I began smoking copious amounts of ganja in preparation for the festivities. In good time Chen arrived to pick me up, with him were Joha and Young Joseph. With me safely onboard Chen pointed his car west and we made for The Flats with all speed. Once we got down there it was a chore to find parking and predictably the prices were murder. None the less we sucked it up and paid the man. Once that was taken care of it was off to the show. We navigated the streets and made our way to Jacobs Pavilion with haste. Through the gates, passed security and into the venue we danced. Once inside we chose to hit the merch line immediately where I scored a sweet tour shirt. It was here when I first encountered Jimmy “The Dook” Fedor of Roxxxstarradio. As he is a constant scene supporter, it is inevitable that I run into The Dook frequently on my travels. Add in that he too is a lover of Cleveland Metal, as well as Marijuana, it seems almost inevitable that we have become great friends. The Dook and I shot the shit for a few while Chen completed his purchases. Once our business at the merch booth was concluded we bid Jimmy a fond farewell and then it was off to the pit.

Here we encountered another ticket checkpoint where we received our red wristbands for the floor area. By the time we cleared that hurdle Unearth was already tearing it up. We made our way to an acceptable spot to view the stage and settled in. Along the way I bumped into Joe from Voices of the Damned, who is an excellent dude, if I do say so. After that I gave my undivided attention to the stage, where Unearth was moving deeper into their set. This was my first time hearing Unearth so I had no idea what to expect. According to the innerwebs, they are a Metalcore band from Boston Massachusetts. They are a five piece act built from a Vocalist, two Guitars, Bass and Drums. They were without a doubt heavy as fuck. With nasty, gritty lead Vocals, as well as backing Vox coming in from Bass and one guitar, they addressed the crowd at a roar. The music was heavy, driving, fast and fantastically melodic at certain points. I noted early that Unearth had good energy, particularly their lead singer who moved about the stage constantly. He called out the crowd, demanding a circle pit and on the very next song he got one. The bodies swirled as the moshers ran in a ring. Even as this unfolded the many in the crowd had raised their fists and, pumping them in time with the music, began to chant “Ay! Ay!” The Pit continued to roll on, from the end of one song and into the beginning of the next the violence went on without pause. This total audio onslaught was excellent. It had the pit churning and the rest of the crowd completely engaged. I for one really dug what Unearth was doing. They brought a fire and passion to the stage and they fired the fans up in just the right way. By the time they finished up the crowd was amped and ready for more. Lucky for us, we still had three acts waiting for us.

After Unearth we left the pit to get a drink and bumped into The Dook again. We smoked a joint and talked about our favorite subject: Cleveland Metal. After that it was back into the pit area to await the next act, the exciting new band led by the legendary Kerry King. We positioned ourselves near the stage and off to the right. From there we would have a fine view of what was to come. The band took to the stage and I was in awe of the fact we were standing before super group built from legends. With the talents of Mark Osegueda, Phil Demmel, Kyle Sanders, Paul Bostaph and, of course, the man himself, Kerry King, this was a band I was very excited to see. The crowd cheered as each member of the band walked out, with the loudest ovation being reserved for Kerry. Then they began and they came out vicious. It was Thrash Metal and it was blazing right out the gate. The Vocals were gritty and aggressive and delivered with pure intensity. The solos were shredding to say the least and they came in plenitude. I found myself banging my head from the get go and I had a hard time stopping so I could take notes. The band had great stage presence, particularly Vocalist Marc Osegueda who moved about the stage nonstop engaging with the crowd. I was quite impressed with the drum work, noting: “Hard charging drums; Bostaph kills.” In fact over all I was loving the sound and I was not alone. All around me Metalheads were Rockin’ out. Heads banging, horns in the air, screaming at the tops of their lungs; the crowd was loving it! They had good reason too with songs like “Toxic,” “Shrapnel” and a “cover” of Slayer’s “Raining Blood” there was plenty to be excited about. It was around their 7th song when our homeboy Dom turned up. We sparked a celebratory doobie in honor of his arrival. With my mind severally roasted I directed my attention to Kerry King and enjoyed the remainder of the set. I believe they played a total of 9 songs, closing with the title track from their debut album, “From Hell I Rise,” which was an excellent way to end the set. The crowd screamed, sending Kerry and his boys off with something to be proud of. I have to tell you that I thought it was great. And I know, yes, they do sound an awful lot like Slayer, but if that’s the only criticism you can level at the band then honestly, what’s there to complain about? It is Kerry King after all and his new band kicks ass. If you liked the work this man did for the first leg of his career, then definitely check out the new material. You will not be disappointed.

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

With the opening acts now behind us, it was time to get on to the first of our dual headliners: Mastodon. For those of you who are not familiar with the band, they are originally from Atlanta, Georgia. They tour as a five piece, built from Guitar/Vocals, Bass/Vocals, Drums/Vocals, Guitar and Keyboards. Mastodon’s return to the North Coast was of course a big deal, as they are easily within my top ten favorite bands of all time. I’ve seen them many times and I make it a point never to miss a tour. This night in particular was special as they would be performing 2004’s “Leviathan” in it’s entirety. The boys and I were stoked for this to go down and in accordance with the prophecy, I decided we should smoke another joint to prepare for the set. And so we did. By the time Mastodon took the stage, I was ridiculously high, and that was exactly how I wanted to be. Well in due time the volume faded on the house music and a video of “Moby Dick” began to play. This ran on for a few minutes, cutting off when the band emerged and took the stage. And so, without introduction or preamble of any kind, they began “Leviathan.” Opening with the aptly named “Blood and Thunder,” they exploded. Known for their phenomenal light show, Mastodon delivered a serious visual experience. Images of churning water, ships and other nautical themes were displayed keeping with the tone of the song and album. Rolling into “I Am Ahab” I was taken with the lasers which danced through the amphitheater. Despite the glory of the spectacle, it was but a taste of what was to come. The sun was only just setting in the west, sending beautiful colors up into the Northeast Ohio sky. Once night was finally upon us I knew that the true power of the Mastodon light show would be revealed. Another joint appeared for “Seabeast” as Octopus images graced the screens and crowd surfers began to sail through the air. When Mastodon began “Island” I noted both that the band sounded amazing and that the songs seemed to take on a whole new shape on the stage. They just sounded so much more alive. It was incredible.

Things were just heating up, and the intensity was about to jump as it was time for “Iron Tusk.” Driven to madness by the infectious riffs, the amphitheater erupted in activity. The pit went wild, as moshers sprang to life. On the stage jets of flame erupted, sending waves of heat across the crowd. The fog machine rolled massive cloud banks out over the fans and Mastodon fired up “Megalodon.” Multiple small pits opened up as satellites to the larger central pit as fans were driven into a frenzy. More crowd surfers sailed over our heads for “Naked Burn” and things certainly didn’t calm down as “Aqua Dementia” emerged. At this point I was incredibly stoned and was completely enamored with Mastodon’s stage show. Screens, lasers, smoke, flames, lights and the constant Rocking of the band themselves all add up to what is one of the greatest spectacles in Rock N’ Roll. Next they took us on the true sonic journey that is “Hearts Alive.” The screen likewise took us on an oceanic quest filled with ships and harpoons, jellyfish, tentacles and all other manner of aquatic life. They then performed the instrumental “Joseph Merrick” bringing “Leviathan” to a close. But Mastodon wasn’t through yet. No, they had a few more tricks up their sleeves for us. First the rolled out the gorgeous “More Than I Could Chew.” This is one of my favorites from the newest album, so I was pretty amped to see it brought to life live. Following that the broke out the maddening “Circle of Cysquatch” and with it, an actual Cysquatch ambled out onto the stage. Covered in purple and green hair, the one eyed monstrosity had to have stood thirteen feet in height. He wandered the left side of the stage for the duration of the song, before returning to the shadows. At long last in closing they rocked us with “Steambreather.” There was this amazing moment where the entire crowd was singing the chorus along with the band; our voices collectively rising to an incredible crescendo. And then it was over, The band took some time to throw out guitar picks and drumsticks and Drummer Brann Dailor said some parting words before they called it a night. It had been an amazing set. Both sonically and visually Mastodon had blown our minds wide open and left us screaming for more. Yet the night was not over. Despite the show stopping power of Mastodon’s set, we still had one more band to see and it was a monster. Up next was Lamb of God.

For those of you who don’t know, Lamb of God is a Heavy Metal band from Richmond, Virginia. They are a five piece band built from two Guitars, Vocals, Bass and Drums. Much to our delight, Lamb of God would be performing their 2004 monstrosity “Ashes of the Wake” from front to back. With the force of a nuclear strike, Lamb of God began with the utterly savage “Laid to Rest” A pit erupted and grew to staggering size as it devoured a significant portion of the floor. The band had incredible stage presence and also made use of the screens projecting a mixture of images and live shots of the band, to tantalize the eyes. “Hourglass” was next and here I noted that their frontman, Randy, was on point and dialed in. He was wild eyed and filled with energy as he ran about the stage and leaped from risers. The moshing was nonstop, pausing only briefly as the band switched from one song to the next. On “Now You’ve Got Something to Die For” I noted that their were now multiple pits surrounding the larger central pit. Like planets orbiting a star, the moshing formed a solar system of violence. Even those who chose not to mosh, couldn’t contain themselves. Everywhere you looked you would see headbanging and horns up in the air. There were crowd surfers galore as they dropped “The Faded Line,” and I noted that Lamb of God held the crowd in the palms of their hands. Next the lights fell, and a lone spotlight pinpointed Randy on the stage. He then delivered the legendary opening speech to “Omerta.” Flames jetted upward as the crowd raised their voices and screamed “OMERTA!!!” with bloodthirsty passion. “Blood of the Scribe” was relentless in it’s rhythm, driving fans wild. “One Gun” was dedicated to Cleveland’s own Chimaira, which earned a big cheer. Here in my notes I recall writing, “Lamb of God has not lost a step” and I meant that. This is a band I have seen many times and I can’t say they’ve ever disappointed me. That being said, I have to acknowledge that Lamb of God was especially on point this past weekend.

Next they dropped one of my favorites, “Break You.” As anticipated, it came across like a riot bringing unprecedented rage to the mosh pits. “What I’ve Become” fueled the fires and pushed the fans to the limits of their endurance. Yet still they moshed on. An image of the galaxy appeared, intermixed with shots of things like forest fires and computer code. This was the backdrop for the instrumental “Ashes of the Wake.” Randy left the stage for the duration of the song, returning only upon it’s completion. Then he ordered the crowd to “Light this place up!” A few thousand cell phone lights came on and the amphitheater glowed. Then the band broke into “Remorse is for the Dead.” It’s haunting intro rolling out, lulling the fans into a false sense of security. Then when the song breaks, well, you get broke. The explosion of sound that follows is like a crashing wave. It is pure fire and brimstone, raging Metal fury. The stage presence of the band reached new heights as they brought the album “Ashes of the Wake” to it’s climactic close. The crowd roared in approval. It had been all we had hoped for and more, but Lamb of God was not quite done yet. For the encore they brought two of the heaviest hitters in their arsenal. First the pummeled us with the brutality incarnate that is “Walk With me in Hell.” The crowd lost their minds to this and you could hear them singing along; screaming “You’re never alone!” at peak volume. Next they devastated all who still stood with the fan favorite “Redneck.” This spawned a circle pit of epic proportions which enveloped a large swath of the floor. Cleveland went absolutely wild for Lamb of God one last time and damn… did they ever make the most of it. The ending pit was pure unadulterated violence at it’s most beautiful. And then it was over. The fans screamed themselves hoarse, sending our headliners off like conquering heroes. Lamb of God said good night, and so did we.

If I remember corrector we smoked one last doobie on the walk back to the car, before beginning the long and arduous process of exiting The Flats. We drove home, puffing vapes, talking shit and listening to Anthrax. The boys dropped me off and I headed in to cure my munchies. Then it was off to bed and so on. But seriously, wow! What a show! Talk about a great time! We got to see four bands, each one excellent. Unearth really fired things up right from their first notes. They put on a good set and the homies and I all really enjoyed them. Kerry King was awesome. As an old school Thrasher, I can tell you that this is a band that you need to check out. They just have that classic sound that Thrashers love. As always, seeing Mastodon was a mind blowing experience. They were visually and audibly exceptional and performed with expert musicianship. Getting to experience “Leviathan” live was something truly special. Finally, Lamb of God was a beast. They were nothing short of power and passion and force incarnate. They proved to me once again that A) They are among the top tier bands in American Metal, and B) That they have not slowed down one iota in their now long and storied career. Seeing them perform “Ashes of the Wake” was incredible and is something I will not soon forget. So I suppose that, is that. I will bring this edition to a close and bid you a fond farewell. As always bang your heads, wear your earplugs and thanks for reading.

Until next time, Rock on, Rustbelt,

-Z.M. Delgado

Rustbelt Rock Review

Rustbeltrockreview.com

8/11-8/12/2024

Links:

Lamb of God

https://www.lamb-of-god.com/

Mastodon

https://www.mastodonrocks.com/

Kerry King

https://kerrykingofficial.com/