Vol. #90: Gojira, Mastodon & Lorna Shore
Rustbelt Rock Review
By: Z.M. Delgado
Rustbeltrockreview.com
Volume #90: Gojira, Mastodon & Lorna Shore
Aug 10th 2023
Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica, 2014 Sycamore St, Cleveland, OH 44113
Good evening my friends and welcome back to the Rustbelt Rock Review. It is with great pleasure that I get to sit down and talk to you about a most fantastic show that I just recently took in. I received my ticket as a birthday gift back in March and had been anxiously staring at the calendar ever since, waiting for the day when it would finally come. The show in question is of course “The Mega Monsters Tour 2023” featuring co headliners Gojira and Mastodon with support from Lorna Shore. Chen, with Joha and young Joseph in tow, picked me up around 5pm. We headed west toward The Flats and Jacobs Pavilion. It was a beautiful evening and spirits were high as we rocked some new Stoner Metal I recently acquired along the way. We arrived at the venue about a half hour before doors and were stuck in a sizable line for a while before finally reaching the gate. Once inside we made for the merch line and waited even longer for our chance at the new tour items. It took a while. By the time we had secured our loot, and made our way to the Pit, Lorna Shore was just getting started.
Lorna Shore
Lorna Shore, originally from New Jersey, is a five man Deathcore outfit made up of two Guitars, Bass/Backing Vocals, Drums and a Vocalist. Now I am new to Lorna Shore. I had never heard them prior to the tour announcement and, though I meant to, I never got around to checking them out. I only tell you this so you know I walked into the set with zero preconceptions and no expectations. Lorna Shore had me with a blank slate; I was theirs to win or lose. So what did I learn? Well, Lorna Shore came out heavy, like, really heavy. Their frontman has absolutely nasty vocals, with admirable range. He switches from high end screeches, to vicious growls then drops into deep gutturals, all in the space of a few breaths. The music is… choppy, with a lot of abrupt tempo changes from one part to the next. There was some very nice melodic guitar work at times, set over punishing drums. Applause was strong, and I noticed early that many fans were singing along word for word. It was during their second song that I first saw the moshpit down in front was already working. On their third number, “Into the Earth,” they got into some ripping, fast shit and exhibited some intricate Bass work. We got more of that melodic guitar and I’ll tell you I was really feeling it. Next they broke into “Pain Remains” and based on what I’ve dug up on line, it is a three part song, which comprised the remainder of the set. From here my notes describe the songs part by part. They read: “Nice melodic intro, then heavy as fuck,” “This song is great,” “Explosively powerful chords” and “Passionate Vox.” You also see things like: “Killer solo work,” and “Sweet Riffs and epic snarls.” My last note on the set reads “Fire climax; what a closing moment!” And it was. From what I recall the final moments of Lorna Shore’s set were cataclysmic in their intensity. The crowd cheered with fervent appreciation as the band finished up. For me, it had been an outstanding performance. I was really pleased with both the quality of the music as well as the fiery stage presence of their frontman. Lorna Shore had put on one hell of a show and I was more than impressed. They had opened the evening just right and warmed the crowd to a low boil in preparation for what was to come.
At some point during this period I ran into Cam, frontman of Striga. We shot the shit for a few and he caught me up on what he’s been working on lately. Allegedly there will be a new Striga single coming soon. I for one am very excited for the prospect. Our homie Dom turned up around this time, and we all settled in for the first of our two headliners: Mastodon.
Mastodon
Mastodon, from Atlanta, Georgia, performs as a five piece made up of two Guitars, Bass, Drums and Keyboards. Vocals are served up in three part harmony by the Bass, Guitar and/or Drums. This is a band I have seen many times and have covered for the review at least once (RbRR #8). They are among my favorite bands and I try to never miss a tour. They took to the stage and the crowd went wild. Opening with “The Wolf Is Loose” they exploded; hard and fast. Immediately the Moshpit reemerged with renewed vigor. The band is renowned for both their incredible stage presence as well as their top notch light show; both of which were on par Thursday night. The stage backdrop was an enormous screen which played an endless array of bizarre and trippy images throughout the duration of the set. Jumping into “Crystal Skull” followed by “Megalodon” they continued to drive the moshers to a maddening frenzy. Fan favorite “Divinations” came next, eliciting a roar from the crowd. The two vocal, back and forth, dynamic on this song is simply excellent. I noted just how good Mastodon sounded here; the vocals soaring and the guitar shredding.
Mastodon
Next they broke into “Andromeda” just as the sun began to fall behind the horizon. In the fading day, the light show became even more brilliant as the lasers began to dance across the amphitheater. Jets of flame began to rise from the stage and from where I stood I could feel the heat on my face. Another favorite of mine, “Sultan’s Curse,” summoned the first of the night’s many crowd surfers to the air. Below the Pit continued to rage unabated. “Falling Torches” and “Pushing the Tides” drove the intensity even farther. Dom came through with a much needed doobie around this time, and we enjoyed it to the outstanding sounds of “More Than I Could Chew.” This song is just gorgeous. When the vocals begin to rise with the lines “Say when… and I’ll come running back!” it is pure Heavy Metal magic. From here Mastodon hit us with a classic banger, “Aqua Dementia.” They chased that with “Steambreather,” before readying for their final assault.
Mastodon
Here Mastodon unleashed a furious barrage of absolute crushing tracks: “Iron Tusk,” March of the Fire Ants” and “Mother Puncher.” The Mosh Pit was berserk and fans went wild, but Mastodon wasn’t finished yet. Next they broke out “Cycle of Cysquatch,” and then “Crusher Destroyer.” Finally closing out the night with the show stopping “Blood and Thunder,” they brought the house down. The fans roared in approval as Mastodon took their final bows. As they spoke to the crowd, sharing Cleveland tour memories, the bleachers began to rumble as fans stomped their feet in approval. Without a doubt Mastodon had been amazing. They always are. Over the course of their 17 song set, they managed to impress me once again. Their playing is flawless, the light show superb and energy in incalculable. In short they are one of the best damn shows money can buy; you can quote me on that. With Mastodon now behind us, we were already satiated, but the night was far from over. Gojira was gearing up to take the stage.
Eric Stevenson: Official Tattoo Artist of the Rustbelt Rock Review. @ericstevensonart
After the Mastodon set, Dom ran to the merch line. I only tell you this because about ten minutes later it started to rain. And I don’t mean a light sprinkle either; it was coming down hard. From beneath the covered amphitheater we were all safe from the precipitation. However, the merch table is not under the canopy. Suffice to say, Dom and everyone else who went t-shirt hunting got soaked. The shower passed over quickly but the damage had been done. Here and there you would see random people absolutely drenched… but sometimes that’s the price you gotta pay for a sweet new shirt. I digress.
Gojira
Closing out our evening was the French powerhouse Gojira. This four piece act is made up of Guitar/Vocals, Guitar, Bass and Drums. I have seen them once before and it was an excellent show. I was excited at the prospect of witnessing the boys do their thing once more. Now I’ll be honest with you, my notes and the online setlist info that I‘ve found don’t exactly jive. Either I got confused about the song order, or the internet is wrong. I don’t’ know which. That being said, I’m gonna do my best to piece this together for you. So let’s begin. The stage was shrouded in fog, and whale song played over the PA as Gojira assumed control of the stage. The drums pounded and the vocals roared as they opened up with “Ocean Planet.” They had this weird, “screens within screens” image behind the stage. It showed repeating pictures of the stage, almost like when two mirrors are placed opposite each other. It was super trippy and kind of difficult to look at, at first. The Moshpit started up anew and flames leapt from the stage as they jumped into “Backbone” followed by “Stranded.” Crowd surfers went bananas, sailing in all directions. I had to be constantly on guard as I took my notes, to ensure I didn’t get booted in the head by one of these soaring lunatics.
Gojira
My notes read: “Pit rages. Horns up. Headbanging Metalheads pumping their fists and chanting!” The crowd lost it for “Flying Whales.” Singing along with every word, the entire amphitheater echoed with raised voices. Next Gojira began “The Cell” the crowd began to clap along with the music. “The Art of Dying” was followed by “Grind” and then “Another World.” At some point in there we got a lengthy and impressive drum solo. Moving onward, they broke out “Silvera” and then “Amazonia.” Here they did a little sing along to their song, “The Chant.” The crowd lifted their voices to the wordless notes and collectively we filled the air with song. Gojira joined in and, with the addition of their instruments, the song rose to deafening proportions. At last Gojira came upon their final song and they absolutely made my night when they played “The Gift of Guilt.” This is my all time favorite Gojira song and I was blown away to finally get to see it performed. Images of falling snow were projected across the stage as the set came to a climactic and mind blowing finale.
Gojira performs The Gift of Guilt
What else can I say about this? Well the music was fantastic. It was a constant onslaught of sound, mechanical and devastating. The stage show was excellent. In addition to the weird screen thing they had jets of flame and smoke, and about a dozen other cool effects including a wicked lightning barrage and a confetti explosion. And most importantly the crowd was really into it. The pit never ceased and as I said the crowd surfing was abundant. Without a doubt Gojira rocked Cleveland Thursday evening and left all in attendance with sore necks and hoarse voices.
Gojira
With the show at a close, we began our long trek out. We ran into Dylan (Assault/Mutilation Barbecue/Olathia) and Larry (Mutilation Barbecue/The Brakes) and walked out together. Along the way we talked about news in the scene, including 200 Stab Wounds upcoming date opening for Metallica, as well as the Muti BBQ album release party (September 2nd/Grog Shop). When we finally reached the car we loaded up and headed east. So what can I say in closing? Probably not that much that you can’t figure out for yourself. I just saw Gojira, Mastodon and Lorna Shore on the same bill. What more needs to be said? These are three high caliber acts, at the top of their games. All three acts put on killer performances and had the crowd completely in thrall. Lorna Shore really impressed me. Their set was heavy and passionate, and that’s just how I like it. Mastodon did what they do and they did it really well. They played their own maddening style of Metal to perfection and reminded me exactly why they are one of my fav’s. Finally, Gojira closed things out right. They were powerful and precise. Even if I jacked up their song order, I can tell you that every song was delivered with passion, vision and undeniable heaviness. Without a doubt this was one of the best shows I’ve seen in some time.
Here begins a rant of sorts. Read it or don’t, it’s up to you. I have something I need to get off my chest. There was an event that I saw at the show that really ground my gears. There was a pair of little dudes there. Probably 10 years old at most. They were rocking out and having a good time, which was awesome. THEN, their adults (dads presumably) decided it was a good idea for the boys to crowd surf. Now I don’t know how I feel about that. These dudes were small, and one of them did come very close to being dropped at one point. If they would have gone down, they could have been seriously hurt. As a father that possibility gives me pause. That being said, I saw the look on those kids faces as they rode the crowd and it was nothing short of pure elation. As a headbanger I know that feeling all too well. So as a dad and as a Metalhead, this makes me wonder: How young is too young? I don’t know that I have the answer to that question. All I can say is when my kids are finally old enough to follow the old man down to the show, they will not be riding the skies until they are well into their teens. HOWEVER, that is not the main reason that I bring these boys up. The main reason is this: One of them had NO EAR PROTECTION. Now if you are a regular reader you know how I feel about that issue. The crowd surfing thing is a judgment call, and a parents prerogative. I have to live with that, I guess. But earplugs for a little kid, are a must! I consider any adult who goes to shows without earplugs to be somewhat foolish… but a parent taking their kid without any, in my humble opinion, is derelict of duty. Plain and simple. (Looking at you, dude in the Primus shirt. Yes you! You took your kid to a LOUD ass Metal show with no earplugs. That’s seriously not cool.) Please, please wear your earplugs. Metal is our life’s blood. You can’t listen to metal if you go deaf. I plan on enjoying my Metal until the day I die, so I protect my ears. You should do the same. End rant. As always, thank you so much for reading. Horns up!
Until next time, Rock on, Rustbelt!
-Z.M. Delgado
Rustbelt Rock Review
Rustbeltrockreview.com
8/13/2023
LINKS
Gojira
Mastodon
Lorna Shore
