September 2, 2023

Grog Shop 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd, Cleveland Heights, OH 44106

Hello my fellow Metalheads and welcome back to the Rustbelt Rock Review. This evening I will be telling you all about a banger of a show I took in Saturday night. It was a fine evening and I found myself outside one of my favorite haunts: The Grog Shop. It has been a while since I’ve been there I have to tell you it was good to be back. I don’t know what it is about Coventry on a summer night, but truly there are few places I’d rather be. I arrived shortly before doors and ran into Mutilation Barbecue’s, Chris Maggot and Dylan. We shot the shit and they caught me up on their tour preparations. (That evening’s gig marked the first night of a two week run.) I met some of the members from Inoculation and Sarcoughagus as well. The boys from Ignominious appeared as did the remainder of MutiBBQ and before long it seemed that all the talent had arranged itself in front of the club. David “Rolling Thunder” McJunkins (Assault/Atomic Witch) strolled up and slid into the chatter. Like I said, the weather was great and we passed the time between doors and show time discussing Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Heaviness. Soon enough 8 o’clock drew near and I excused myself and headed inside.

Ignominious

Positioning myself at the front of the stage I settled in for the first of the evenings performers: Ignominious. This is a band that surely needs no introduction, as they have been the focus of the RbRR on numerous occasions. (Check out RbRR #36 & #49 for my interview with the band and review of their EP “Omnideath.”) In from Norwalk, OH this Death Metal foursome has made a considerable amount of noise since entering the scene last April. Made up of Vocals, Guitar, Bass and Drums the band took to the stage ready to conquer. I learned early in the night that Ignominious would be recording their set, with hopes of harvesting a future release. Opening with “47 Lacerations” they absolutely exploded. I don’t know if it was the fact that they were recording, or if the boys were just really feeling it, but either way, they came out on fire. The whole band was moving; particularly the frontman, Colin, who stalked the stage like a caged beast. There was a nice sized crowd in place even this early in the night and they were all ready to rock. The crowd was noisy from the get go, cheering on the band with fervor. Next they broke into a newer number entitled “Gorgy.” This one had a galloping rhythm, brutal breakdowns and exceptional energy. “Bestial” followed with its trembling Bass and slippery riffs. The crowd began chanting “Ay! Ay! Ay!” for this one and I hope that the moment was caught on the recording. “Sewn Inside a Whale Cock” was the next offering and with it came the inflatable orca. The frontman straddled the beast for a time before launching it into the pit where it became a melee weapon for the rabid moshers. After that they broke out one I had never heard before called “Huge Alligator.” For this one there were two inflatable gators thrown into the pit, one large and one small. They joined the battle with the orca and the madness continued on the floor. The moshers persevered as they dropped into “Dunkleosteus.” Here the Bassist Josh delivered five stringed thunder pure and simple. The rhythm chugged along and Ethan’s riff bit in huge hungry chomps. The band was playing with power and passion and the crowd was responding accordingly. They broke into the Death Metal hoedown that is “Tractor Smasher.” This song had the crowd clapping along to the rhythm before spawning another vicious pit. They closed out the set with my personal favorite: “Mothman.” Cody’s drumwork was punishing as they hammered out the monstrous track. Colin threw a t-shirt out into the pit for some lucky mosher to take home, which was pretty cool of him. They finished up to vile screams and frantic clapping. Ignominious had throttled the Grog. Over the course of their 8 song set they had pulverized the ears of all in attendance and left us begging for more. Once again Ignominious impressed me with both the quality of their play and with the precision in which it was performed. I hope that the recording of the set went well because if it did I can foresee “Ignominious: Live at the Grog Shop” becoming a Cleveland Underground classic.

Sarcoughagus

The crowd continued to swell as our second act, Sarcoughagus, readied to play. This is an act new to the RbRR. They are a four man Death Metal group, built form Guitar/Vocals, Guitar, Bass and Drums. They opened up very hard with a fast handed riff. I was immediately impressed with the lead guitarist. This dude laid out a serious solo in this opening track, and it wouldn’t be the last. In fact he consistently produced facemelters in seemingly every song. Their second number, which may have been entitled “Fractured,” was the first of many new songs we would be treated to. My notes on it read: “This song chews you up and spits you out.” On their third offering, another new one, I noted how tight the Drummers cymbal action was. I was also impressed by the speed of the Bassist’s fingers were moving. Sarcoughagus’ frontman roared like a beast as they plunged deeper into their set. By their fourth song, “Fantasizing Sanity” I was sold. This one begins with a slow and plodding intro, set beneath an intricate solo. The tempo builds and as it does it ignites into an absolute ripper. The drummer wowed me on this one with his really excellent fills, spicing up the beat with elaborate flourishes. Their fifth song was another new one. Fast and hard edged the music tore, even as the vocalist’s voice soared into more animalistic realms. Their sixth song, yet another new track, was a very driving piece. So driving, in fact, that it sparked to life another mosh pit, led by Colin of Ignominious. For their final song, “Exsanguination,” I had to throw my horns up in salute. The room was alive with head banging and with good reason. The song was intense and ravenous. With a ripping fast riff, more top notch drum work and another razor blade solo it was one hell of a way to end a set. Sarcoughagus was phenomenal. They brought with them a true authority. Their set was strong, and I say that to mean it was a projection of strength. There was a pure visceral and primal force behind the sounds of Sarcoughagus and it resonated with all in attendance Saturday night.

Eric Stevenson: The Official Tattoo Artist of the RbRR. @ericstevensonart

Inoculation

The clock on the wall continued to spin and soon enough it was time for our third offering for the evening, Inoculation. Another band that is new to the RbRR, Inoculation is a three man wrecking crew made up of Guitar/Vocals, Bass/Vocals and Drums. They began the set with some piped in sound effects. Screams of pain filled the air as the band prepared to unleash their own little slice of hell. A blistering riff opened the first song, and I immediately noted the bands outstanding stage presence. Both the Guitarist and Bassist were headbanging like maniacs as they played. That is, when they weren’t singing. The two men had an excellent back and forth dynamic that really punched up the sound. The Guitarist roared and the Bassist snarled; the two styles complimenting each other perfectly. The moshpit started up and it was soon joined by a mysterious mans in an alien suit. He crept about the room and threw his body into the pit before vanishing as quickly as he had arrived.

Alien sighting at the Grog Shop

Meanwhile Inoculation continued on into their second song, which had some killer double action on the kick drum. I noted just how awesome the Bass player was and was blown away by a second grisly Guitar solo. Two songs in and I was already blown away by Inoculation, with so much more still to come. The third song had more of that excellent vocal back and forth. Next they played a new one which they explained was about “a million timelines collapsing into one.” This song had an excellent opening riff, some killer drumwork and an absolutely heart stopping breakdown. Their fifth song was EXTREMELY heavy; packing hard driving rhythms and utterly demonic vocals. Around this point the band teased the possibility of a new album next year, before breaking out a new one, which I categorized as absolutely nasty. This one was aggressive and powerful, and it even triggered a small moshpit to start churning. That energy carried over into the bands final song. This one was extremely hard and very fast. It took that small pit from the prior song and turned it into a very big pit, very quickly. The kids went ballistic and the alien even reemerged to help send Inoculation off in style. The crowd screamed enthusiastically as Inoculation said good night. It had been a truly excellent set. Full of savage solos, explosive stage presence and fantastic dueling vocals, Inoculation impressed the hell out of me. If you want to see some Death Metal played with absolute burning intensity, then I would suggest you check out Inoculation right away. They are the real deal.

Mutilation Barbecue

At long last, it was finally time for our headlining performer, the crushing force that is Mutilation Barbecue. This is a band you should be familiar with by now, as I have covered them many times, including my very first live review, good old RbRR #3. Slimmed down to a four piece, Mutilation Barbecue is made up of a Vocalist, Guitar, Bass and Drums. A pit erupted from the first notes and I was once again floored by the abysmal depth of their Vocals. I have said it before, and I stand by it to this day, Chris Maggot has the throat of a Japanese Kaiju. His voice sounds like it should be emitted from the mouth of a 50 story tall monster, and not a mere man. Next to him stood Dylan, absolutely shredding up and down the neck of his guitar. It was nonstop power and aggression as they jumped straight into the second song, hard and fast. The breakdowns were earthshaking as the guitar squealed. Never one to respect personal space, Chris was on the front edge of the stage directly in the faces of the fans. He stomped about as the third song hammered into our ears. Larry tore up the neck of the Bass, his fingers like rubber, bending improbably. On the fourth song another nasty pit was birthed and I got hosed down with some ladies drink. I don’t know how it happens but lately I always seem to end up in some drunk’s line of fire. Alas, thems the breaks. You can’t be down in front where the action is, and avoid all the action. It just not possible. Mutilation Barbecue continued their onslaught and I went right on banging my head. The fifth song of the set my notes describe as “Ripping fast & absolutely killer shit. Excellent riffs. Heavy Pantera influence.” A fantastic guitar solo followed and as usual I marveled at the skills of Dylan on the six string.

Mutilation Barbecue

Next they played their flagship song and my personal favorite “Mutilation Barbecue.” This song has incredible drum work by Harrison and Larry laid out a great Bass breakdown. My notes describe the moment as “Fucking epic. Crowd enthralled. Headbanging all around.” Next they played a new one, which was really solid. A pit broke out for it and halfway through Maggot split the floor and initiated a Wall of Death. On his signal the two sides rushed each other and collided with cataclysmic fury. A massive pit formed in the wake of the W.o.D. and it was pure pandemonium on the floor for the remainder of the track. “Acid Tub” was next and it chugged along like a freight train moments before derailing. The inflatable gators returned to the pit and fans began to battle with the vinyl reptile. For their last song, and in honor of their new tour, Mutilation Barbecue did a cover of Sepultura’s “Nomad.” They nailed the song for all intents and purposes, and added yet another moshpit to their total score. But Mutilation Barbecue wasn’t done yet. Feeling generous they played an encore track, which sent the kids into one last fit of relentless violence. They finally closed out the evening with the breakdown from Pantera’s “Domination,” before saying goodnight. The room exploded in appreciation. Mutilation Barbecue had unequivocally killed it. They had stepped up and without a doubt assumed 100% ownership of the Grog Shop. They rocked their entire set and along the way had devastated all they surveyed. They pummeled us with their old stuff, and blew our minds with the new. That new material sounds like it will end up being some of the strongest the band has written to date. I know I am not the only one who is extremely excited about the prospect of a new Mutilation Barbecue album early next year. Until then we just have wish the band safe travels, and wait.

With the show at a close I said my brief goodbyes and headed out to my car. I rocked a new Thrash album I’m checking out and drove my exhausted ass home. With the windows down and the tunes up, I mused over my evening of Death Metal. Ignominious did what they do best. They played heavy ass Death Metal. They sang about insane topics and they brought the orca. They started the show off with a bang and had the crowd good and warmed up by the time they passed the torch. Sarcoughagus picked up right where Ignominious left off. They packed a serious punch when they took control of the stage and they held us in the grip of their savage music for the entirety of their set. Inoculation was absolutely intense. Their off the charts stage presence and amazing two man vocals really set them apart from their peers. Finally Mutilation Barbecue was nothing short of pure destruction. With their shredding Guitar style and unparalleled Vocals they are without a doubt in a class all by themselves. All in all it was a fucking monster of a show. The crowd was sizable and lively. The pit raged on and off all night and each band earned a piece of the action. Most importantly the music was a clinic on Death Metal magnificence. What more can I say? It turns out not much. So I suppose that’s all I have for you this week. Thank you so much for continuing to follow along each time I journey into the underground. Bang your head, hoist your horns and wear your earplugs.

Until next time, Rock on, Rustbelt!

-Z.M. Delgado

Rustbelt Rock Review

Zackolantern.com

9/3/2023

LINKS

Mutilation Barbecue

https://linktr.ee/MutilationBarbecue

Inoculation

https://inoculationmetal.bandcamp.com

Sarcoughagus

https://sarcoughagus.bandcamp.com