Review: 3 Inches of Blood | The Black Dahlia Murder 1.20.2008

#1
Sunday January 20 2008
The Black Dahlia Murder
3 Inches of Blood
Hate Eternal
Alley Katz

I felt so guilty about missing the Baltimore show on Thursday (there was weather!) that I drove down to Richmond for this one (even though I had planned on going to both...). Anyway, I always get lost in Richmond (and this was no exception), but once I finally got into the right part of town, Alley Katz was easy to find (it's right by that horrible Mexican restaurant where I had the worst tamales ever). Alley Katz gets a lot of the same tours as the Ottobar and it's roughly the same size, though it's narrower and has a kind of catwalk balcony all around the second level. The sound system was great though - you could hear all the vocals clearly (uh, once the mic started working for Cam) and it wasn't too loud (I didn't have any earplugs but my ears aren't ringing now, so either I've gone more deaf or it wasn't that loud).
Hate Eternal I think I've seen before with some similar bands. This type of music does nothing for me. Some may be interested to know that the one dude plays a BC Rich.
Jamie's still out of the 3IoB lineup and they had a different drummer than even the last time (some white dude who looked like a HxC kid). Cam's mic wasn't working for the first half of the first song but once that got straightened out, they sounded great. Didn't play nearly enough songs for me though. The redneckiest rednecks ever were standing behind me during their set too....so annoying.
Also, for the record, there were several hot dudes there - neck tattoo, beardo, HxC dude with big chops that I think I've seen at Jaxx before.
Then, finally, The Black Dahlia Murder. I really like them and I've seen them several times before, even if I don't listen to them that often. Of course I always like bands with screaming vocals and bands with growling vocals, so if they have both (and it's coming from the same shirtless guy with a stomach tattoo) so much the better. They had a pretty long set and apparently have a lot of local fans/friends since they recorded one of their albums in Richmond. I chatted with 3IoB Shane for minute during their set but didn't manage to meet up with them later. Oh well.

3 Inches of Blood 12.06.2007

#36
Thursday December 6 2007
3 Inches of Blood
9:30 Club

Still no Jamie. No idea who the drummer was. How many different members are/were there anyway?

Review: 3 Inches of Blood 9.2.2007

#23
Lamb of God
Hatebreed
Alabama Thunderpussy
3 Inches of Blood
Toad's Place, Richmond VA

Toad's Place is nice - very fancy sound system, interesting flooring. The only problem is that there's apparently only one way up to the balcony and it was nearly impossible to get down. Which was probably my own fault for not staying through the entire Lamb of God set, but dude, I just can't stand for that many bands. I'm old! and lazy! What I saw of it was good though - crazy crowd, as you would expect for a hometown show.
Hatebreed was same as usual. Very sweaty.
Dear Alabama Thunderpussy singer, the 1990s are over. Sincerely, PH
3 Inches of Blood only played about 6 songs. I miss Jamie.

Review: 3 Inches of Blood 3.3.2007

#7
Saturday March 3 2007
Cradle of Filth
69 Eyes
3 Inches of Blood
Rams Head Live!

So we had to wait in a pretty long line but made it in time for 3IoB. In the car, we had been trying to figure out how many times I'd seen them - this was #11. [It would have been 12 if I'd seen them with Satyricon that time]. Anyhoo, I was happy to see them, as always, but sad that it was not 'Night Marauders' night.
Then, I guess we must have decided to get ripped. There was definitely some drinking involved during the 69 Eyes set. I didn't really pay much attention to them or CoF since I was at the bar, pestering my 3IoB boys and plying them with drinks. One of you....mwah ha ha ha [through tented fingers]. Oh yeah, so we had a good time. 5 stars.

Review: Cradle of Filth / 3 Inches of Blood 1.24.2007

#2
Wednesday January 24 2007
Cradle of Filth
69 Eyes
3 Inches of Blood
Trocadero
PHOTOS!!!

Boy, it's been a while since I've been to Philly. Interestingly, I brought snickerdoodles that time too.
So I got there pretty early since I knew 3IoB was going to be the opening opener. I waited in the line outside (which I never do, so you know it was a serious situation) from about 6:30 until the doors finally opened and I actually got inside. As vaguely promised, I was left a photo pass, even though Jamie apparently does not know my last name. Although I was only allowed to take photos during the first 3 songs and with a total lack of lighting, I didn't get many good shots. Longer songs would have been helpful in this situation. I do like this photo of Cam headbanging where it looks like his tongue is sticking out. And I got a great shot of Nick, who always looks like he's having the best time on stage. And one very cute one of Alexei, who is, uh, cute...and stuff. Or whatever.
Oh, 69 Eyes. I should have figured what this was going to be like based on their fans in the front. Imagine if Avenged Sevenfold was from Finland and ripped off Billy Idol and HIM... I could only take one and a half songs before I escaped to try and find friend of a friend of a friend in the upstairs bar. Surprisingly I did find Mr. R and had a nice chat about various shows and cities and the awfulness of 69 Eyes.
Although this show didn't sell out, it was pretty packed. One of the bouncers said that it took over an hour just to clear the people who were lined up before doors opened. This was my first time seeing Cradle of Filth and it was a good show. I recognized a lot of songs, in spite of the fact that I'm not actually familiar with their music at all. Of course, I do enjoy some good screeching vocals. I'm not as excited by dudes in makeup - speaking of whom, the one guitarist looks like Herman Munster. Overall they played for probably an hour and a half - old and new songs. The spoken-word parts reminded me of a taped reading of 'The Fall of the House of Usher' we used to listen to in school. Weird. Also weird - CoF has a myspace. Oh, and here's the link to the spin.com article that the real photogs were shoot for.

Review: 3 Inches of Blood 1.22.2007

#1
Monday January 22 2007
3 Inches of Blood
ShadowMancer
Jaxx
PHOTOS!!!

At last, the inaugural show of 2007: 3 Inches of Blood. So good.

I got there slightly early after I finished baking chocolate chip cookies for my 3IoB boys. No one was playing when I arrived but then ShadowMancer came out. I don't know how old these kids are (young) but I thought they were pretty good. I think a crowd would have been helpful - they need to develop some stage presence. Their songs are also quite long and could be tightened up a bit.

Special thanks to Mr MP for coming out to the show, even though you don't know your way around Springfield (although West Springfield is three times the size of Texas). I think we only missed the first half of 'Night Marauders' which is my new favorite. Anyway, they just burned through the set - both old and new songs -and it was way too short, even on a Monday night with my dreaded 8 AM Tuesday teleconference to rest up for. I tried to take a good photo of Alexi and this is the best one. Ms. dW said it looks like he's being attacked by flying saucers.

International Insanity: Fall 2006 edition

#41
Friday September 22 2006

The Illuminati
3 Inches of Blood
A Javelin Reign
Lee's Palace, Toronto Ontario

#42
Saturday September 23 2006
3 Inches of Blood
The Illuminati
The Underground, Hamilton Ontario

Starting miles: 29666 (really)
Ending miles: 30910
Best gas mileage achieve: ~39 miles per gallon

Yes, this was crazy. But, it was my 29th birthday so I obviously had to do something crazy. I left DC about 10am and got to Toronto about 10pm (I stopped a couple times). I was able to borrow my friend's GPS so it was pretty easy to get to the club, even though it was dark and rainy. I parked in a lot near the club and lucked out that someone had left their $5 parking receipt in the machine (I only had $20's). I did make it inside in time to catch part of A Javelin Reign's set. At this point I don't really know how to describe them - go check out their myspace page or something. The 3IoB boys remembered me and all wished me a happy birthday before and after their set. It was awesome. Nick got a nosebleed halfway through - too metal to stop, he played the rest of the set with a paper-towel in his nose. They played a couple new songs that I hadn't heard before - 'Assassins of the Light' and 'Black Spire' - and my new favorites 'Night Marauders' and 'Goatrider's Hoarde'. Oh, and Cam doesn't like to play 'Balls of Ice' anymore because it was 'a song they wrote in 10 minutes' and they have better songs now. AND Brian did get married off (Congratulations!) and is just working now. The Illuminati I had not previously heard (of) but I really enjoyed them. Toronto natives, some of their instrumental stuff really reminds me of Verbal. They were quite rockin. One thing that was nice about clubs in Ontario is that there's no smoking inside. Friday night people were kinda testy though - a couple of dudes in the front got into some kind of argument over a beer bottle and there were some really really drunk people who ran into me numerous times because they could barely stand. There was also a guy with a pierced back-of-the-neck...

Saturday I went to bed about 7am after checking into a hotel right on Lake Ontario. I slept for a few hours and then drove around Ontario's wine country (I don't drink wine, but it was still fun) and looked at antiques and smelled grapes and stuff. Then I took a 3 hour nap and headed over to Canada's answer to Pittsburgh - Hamilton. I actually liked the club in Hamilton better than the one in Toronto. The sound was a little better and the stage a lot lower. There was also actual moshing, which was very refreshing. [pits in Baltimore always turn into hardcore dancing showcases, regardless of the genre of the show] I missed A Javelin Reign because I slept too long but this time 3 Inches of Blood headlined the show. The set was basically the same as Friday night. One thing that really struck me on Saturday was just how much Alexei adds to their sound. The new songs they wrote have super-heavy and complicated drum parts and even some cowbell, which is not to be missed. So, in addition to adding some essential inks (neck tattoos) Alexei adds a depth of sound not present in their older songs. [ooh, a musical review for a change] I wanted to hang out longer, but had plans at 5pm in MD on Sunday, so I had to get up early and drive back.

Sunday - Medieval Times is fun!
Monday - my friend made me an awesome Bear vs Shark necklace for my birthday - yay!

Review: 3 Inches of Blood 7/20/2006

#34
Thursday July 20 2006
3 Inches of Blood
Early Man
Bad Wizard
Ninetail
50 Caliber Kiss
The Silo, Reading PA
PHOTOS!!!

I don't know why I ever bother to look up directions when I usually just end up navagating by the sun or using Google Mobile anyway. Direction-providing bastards! Anyway, thanks to Google Mobile, miniHoops and I made it to the show and parked next to the 3 Inches of Blood van. This was one of those venues where you couldn't go outside once you were in so I watched all the bands. Great.
50 Caliber Kiss - local PA band. I thought they were pretty good. Don't yell at me to 'support our troops' though.
Ninetail - obnoxious fucking hipsters with fucking obnoxious hipster hair and the requesite hamming for their hipster girlfriends who (of course) were videoing them both on and off-stage.
Bad Wizard - this time I got to see their whole set. Good, old style hard rock. For whatever reason I was reminded of AC/DC. I got a couple good photos of drummer Frankie (and you know how hard it is to photograph drummers...he apparently used to be the Ramones drum-tech). They're also awesome people. I look forward to seeing them again.
Early Man - drummer Adam is from Westerville OH (home to my uncle and numerous cousins) which is pretty random. I think the PA crowd was way more into them than the VA crowd the previous night (well, there were also more people there). Pete is awesome too. Love those guys.
I don't know what else to say about 3 Inches of Blood, except that this show was even better than the night before. The crowd was bigger and pretty crazy so that probably helped. They played a different set too - including more new songs - which is more than I can say for some bands *cough*Coheed*cough* I've seen multiple times in a row. I also saw Cam in his underwear. Enough said.

Review: 3 Inches of Blood! 7/19/2006

#33 (woo!)
Wednesday July 19 2006
3 Inches of Blood
Early Man
Bad Wizard
Jaxx
PHOTOS!!!

As you can tell from the photo of miniHooper with a beer, we had a wild time at this show. This was only my 5th viewing of 3 Inches of Blood, although it feels like more (probably because I spend so much time obsessing...uh, listening...to them.
I didn't see the local opener, so much the better for me. I only caught the end of Bad Wizard's set, though it was enjoyable. More about them in the next post.
Early Man - they look like dudes I went to high school with and play the kind of metal guys like that play. Old style, straight up metal. I'm not going to reveal the deficiencies in my metal knowledge by comparing them to anyone in particular. Just imagine watching 'Headbanger's Ball' back when it first started and you'll get the idea.
I can never say enough good things about 3 Inches of Blood. I have no idea why there was such a small crowd for them. Better for the rest of us, I guess. They played several new songs (including Goatriders Horde and Night Marauders). They did the 'Upon the Boiling Sea' series completely through and of course my favorites 'Premonition of Pain' and 'Wykydtron' (which can be the middle name of my 3IoB love child). I forgot to ask Cam why he won't perform 'Balls of Ice' live anymore though. I also didn't ask what happened to previous bass player Brian (he got married off perhaps?). Nick is awesome though.
I met some very nice friends of theirs whom I hope to see at future Jaxx shows. But what is up with people who just interrupt me when I'm talking to band members? This guy with his 10-12-year-old son got in the way when I was talking to Shane, then again when I was showing miniHoops to Jamie, then again when I was talking to Shane and Nick in the van, again when Justin was playing with miniHoops who kept falling into his beer bottle, then again when Cam and I were playing with miniHoops. Fucking rude. Non-rude: there were some kids outside who had brought a mace and an axe for 3 Inches of Blood to sign. That was pretty cool. Lastly, some 'old lady' drove up in an Infinity FX (I love those because they look like the Monopoly car)...anyway when she backed up to leave she backed into one of the box trucks parked there and smashed in her whole back window. She didn't seem too upset, but maybe she was just embarrassed or something (that was pretty much how I felt approximately a year ago).

Review: 3 Inches of Blood 10/14

#41
October 14, 2005
3 Inches of Blood
Sterling Hotel, Allentown PA
Photo album

Oh man...traffic was insane. It took me 6 hours to get to Allentown. The ride back was only 4, even counting the unscheduled route through downtown Philly. I really can't do any more overnight drives like this again...except for Coheed...for three months. It was actually a lot like the time I drove to PA and it took me twice as long as expected to get there and I thought I was going to miss Bear vs Shark but they got there after I did because they were stuck in traffic all the way from North Carolina.
So anyway, the Sterling Hotel is on my list of places to never ever go again. Even if it has the longest bar east of the Mississippi. Allentown is hella ghetto too. Yeesh.
Unfortunately I missed opening opening openers Watch Them Die which is sad because they rock and they are hott. Crisis was OK, not my thing.
Since 3 Inches of Blood only arrived a few minutes before me, they were pretty rushed to get onstage and get set up. The stage was really tiny and the whole place is actually three long (separate) rooms. Not a particularly great concert venue. Anyway, I was trying to get close to the front to take pictures and Jamie said I could stand on the side but then the bouncer wouldn't let me. Of course then later the promoter brought some blond boobalicious chick up there and she got to take photos from there, but whatever. Such are the problems of the non-hot chick: I only got three really good photos. And I almost got crushed by an equipment case that was blocking part of the stage front for some reason. I did get complemented on my 'I {heart} Beards' shirt though.
Overall great set (mostly the same as Aug). Seemed kind of rushed and there were a couple problems with the sound. Not that I would ever criticize my heavy metal loves.
I didn't watch much of Exodus - I was more entertained by Justin's Toxic Waltz/Billy Joel medly and fish stories. And Exodus drinking stories and WTD banana tricks and Jamie's leg tattoos and Cam's beard. And Shane. Next time I will bring a big jug of Wild Turkey...
Hi Brian! and Alex! (whom I only just met this time) and Ross! Also: Boys who like cats are sexy!

Review: 3 Inches of Blood

Weekend of Blood, part II
#26
August 14, 2005
Chimaira
Six Feet Under
All That Remains
3 Inches of Blood
The Recher Theatre, Towson MD
Photos!!!

Mmmm, oh baby....OK, I think I'm OK now...or possibly not

Due to yesterday's traffic nightmare and the fact that I really had nothing else to do all day, I headed up to Towson early and explored their giant air-conditioned mall for a couple hours. I got some nice booty jeans and a cute top that's kind of pirate-wench looking. I also had an excellent cheeseburger at the Rec Room next door to the Recher and chatted with a couple of PA people who had come down for the show (we were all there for different bands).

So anyway, 3 Inches of Blood are fuckin awesome. I was right up front and took over 100 photos (quite a few are stalker-wall-worthy). Their new drummer is amazing too AND he's got neck tattoos. I'm not sure how I managed to keep myself together...beards, a cute redhead, neck tattoos, they're foreign...mmmm. Oh yeah, they played for a decent amount of time, even though they were the first of four bands. Included of course were my two favorites 'Premonition of Pain' and 'Wykydtron' and even 'Ride Darkhorse Ride' from Battlecry Under a Winter Sun. Oh and 'Crazy Nights' which was also awesome because I love that song too. OK I love all their songs, so what?
5/5

All That Remains were pretty much the same as last time. Oli is an awesome guitarist and what's-his-name looks good shirtless. That one other one is cute too. It was funny watching him check out some chick when he was sitting at the merch table - ah, booty shorts...
4/5

Six Feet Under...not my thing, so I decline to comment. They were cool to their fans though - taking pictures with people and stuff.

My second viewing of Chimaira and I think I was just about as tired of standing as the first time. They really put on a great show though, playing old old stuff, in-between stuff, and brand new songs. The entire set must have been over an hour. Those fog/smoke machine things really bother my eyes and lungs though. Ugh. They were also super-nice to the fans.
4.2/5

After chatting with Justin at the merch table and going to 7-11 with Jamie, Shane, and Brian, I finally found Cam to give him the 'Real Men Hit the High Notes' shirt that I made for him. I did not follow through on my threat to kidnap one of them and take him back to my basement lair, though. I was trying to figure out when I became THAT GIRL that hangs around even though I'm not like an FOB or anything (I'm still not one of THOSE GIRLS, though, thank god). I blame Coheed...
I forgot to ask any of 3IoB THE QUESTION and I forgot all about the pirate pick-up lines too. And I had a good steel-cage match question and I forgot about that too. I get all distracted by their hotness, dammit. Nothing can ever cure my thirst except for more 3IoB.

Random Stuff:
-Don't forget about Talk Like a Pirate Day (we plan to do it all day at work)

Review: Trivium/3 Inches of Blood/Still Remains/The Agony Scene, 3/12/05

March12, 2005
Trivium
3 Inches of Blood
Still Remains
The Agony Scene
Jaxx, Springfield VA

This review is dedicated to our dear departed Jasmine: may she find the coziest lap for all eternity.

This show is part of the Roadrunner Records 'Road Rage Tour' and y'all already know how I feel about Jaxx (though they were somewhat redeemed tonight). Special thanks to my fellow VIPs for hangin' wit me and especially to my personal photographer Miss L (photos possibly coming soon!).

We walked in just in time for 3 Inches of Blood, the best Canadian band I've seen this week. Now there are three things that will endear me to any band: double-bass drumming, high-pitched male vocals, and growling/screaming vocals. Add to that songs about outer-space warfare (either by cyborgs or by comic book characters) and I'm hooked. In my retro-review-a-palooza I called 3IoB 'groin-grabbingly good' and I stand by that, because, really I can think of no higher complement. 3IoB has an old skool 80's metal feel that incorporates elements from hardcore/screamo/punk just to keep things fresh and interesting. They're excellent musicians and put on a fun live show for the very enthusiastic crowd up front. Also, while I usually work to keep those guys busy doing something else, I do understand that 'warheads are the only way to stop the Wykydtron' so if future space cyborgs try to kill us, I know who to consult. After the show (thanks to our VIP status) I got to talk to Jamie a little bit and gave him a shirt I made for him with a picture of the White House with 'This Castle is Set to Burn' and 'DC *hearts* 3IoB' - may he wear it in good health and away from the Secret Service.
5/5

I think I'd seen The Agony Scene before...I missed their set because I was busy drinking Coronas (even though I was still limed-out from Wednesday's drink disaster). I'd probably check them out in the future - they remind me of a lot of other metal-core stuff that's out right now. That one guy that I always see at the Ottobar was there in the bar too (see Atreyu show post).

Still Remains may or may not be the same Still Remains I saw with Across Five Aprils over the summer. All I remember about that is that two of them were hott! not that this Still Remains is without it's charms. I also find it hard to believe that Still Remains would be that popular of a name for a band that there would be two. I was going to ask the singer if they toured with AFA over the summer but I felt he was kind of unapproachable. Whatever. They could almost be classified as 'one of those keyboard bands' but they're way heavier than most of those. I just put on the EP I bought so I could describe their music a little better. It's like metal-core meets goth keyboards, but good. Very high energy set and there were definitely some fans in the pit for their set.
4.429/5

Finally, the big headliners (one of this year's 100 bands to know for 2005) Trivium. I'd only heard one of their songs before (in the same Revolver magazine download which introduced me to my new loves 3IoB) and I really like the singer's voice on the clear vocals. The guitar player can shred too. I think I like their brand of metal more than Unearth, whom I saw last week. Overall I thought they put on an excellent set and I would definitely check them out again (esp. if it wasn't at Jaxx). Plus the drummer's got some sexy neck tattoos... I almost forgot to mention that they had a big banner and some back-lit screen thingies with their logo on it which were pretty cool. It's probably neat on a bigger stage where they're not so brightly lit.
4.307/5

Please leave me some comments - click the link in the lower right where it says '# Comments' and then click 'Post a Comment'. You don't have to be registered or anything...
You can also hit me up on AIM: MurrainofSwains