Anytime Cannibal Corpse, true legends of Death Metal, roll into town, you can't help but get excited. When Cannibal Corpse rolls into New York City, and they bring the mighty Behemoth with them, well what can you say? You just better brace yourself for an unmerciful onslaught of ferocity, gore, blasphemy; and of course, flying bodies. Tonight would be a special night, as these two bands played to a sold out Irving Plaza. The rest of the bill would consist of some decent up and coming bands, some of which just didn't seem to fit. Not that it mattered; when you have Behemoth and Cannibal Corpse together, the rest is just preamble, the calm before the storm so to speak. On with the show…….

Read on for Ken Sanford's full review of the Irving Plaza show, as well as some comments from the show at The Chance in Poughkeepsie!

Psyopus: These guys are an interesting band. Kind of like Primus, meets Hella, meets….. some heavy metal band. Its hard to put a finger on it. I've heard them called Tech Metal, or "Mathcore". There were plenty of heavy guitars, screaming vocals, and odd time signatures. While not for everyone it was clear that they had their supporters in the crowd. Guitarist Chris Arp definitely stood out in the band.

Job For A Cowboy: Job For a Cowboy are one of the newest acts to join the Metal Blade record label. Their debut full length album, Genesis, is slated to hit stores May 15th, 2007. Much of their short set was comprised of tunes from that album. One thing about these guys is they try very hard to be heavy and brutal. While not breaking any new ground, the band was good enough live to spark my interest to hear Genesis when it's released.

The Red Chord: This was one of the strange additions to the bill that didn't seem to fit. The Red Chord market themselves as Death Metal, and as Grind Hardcore, but I just didn't understand how they would fit on a bill with Job For a Cowboy and Cannibal Corpse. (and on this night Behemoth also) They seem so much more like a Metalcore band that just wouldn't work here. Well, the Red Chord was a pleasant surprise. The boys from Massachusetts came out with fire in their eyes; seemingly knowing they better, since Behemoth were up next. Blasting through Red Chord tunes like "Antman" and "Dreaming In Dog Years" the band was tight. Vocalist Guy Kozowyk was at his best, really enjoying himself on stage and entertaining the crowd. Although still not quite fitting, The Red Chord did a fine job of just being themselves and entertaining the crowd.

Behemoth: The new Behemoth release The Apostasy isn't slated to hit stores until later this summer, but the Polish Metal masters wanted to get a head start in the States by joining up with Cannibal Corpse for a few shows, as well as Dimmu Borgir. Behemoth is one of those bands that have earned every bit of praise heaped on them the hard way, through hard work and perseverance. While only recently becoming a rising star in the Metal world, Behemoth are far from newcomers. They've been around since the early 90's. They tour, and they tour, and then they tour some more. Behemoth will play any time, anywhere, and with anybody. It just doesn't matter to them. They've worked hard and have become one of the top live acts in the world of Metal today. The lights go down in Irving Plaza and the intro to "Demigod" filled the air. The crowd erupts into a frenzy. It was clear New York City was excited to have Behemoth back. Nergal and company hit the stage donning their typical Behemoth brand of corpse paint and leather. Immediately Nergal held the crown in the palm of his hand, compelling everyone in attendance to sing along whenever he saw fit, to which the crowd happily obliged. From the opener "Demigod", to "Christians To the Lions", to "Conquer All", the band was at their best. Inferno continues to take his drumming to the next level. They also put one new song in the set, "Christgrinding Avenue", which was very intense and seemed to be enjoyed by all. As they played their set finale, "Slaves Shall Serve" the crowd was singing along to every word, still in the frenzy that had begun what seemed like only minutes earlier. Behemoth once again proved what there are made of. After seeing this spectacle, seeing the crowd reaction, and speaking with the fans, what I have suspected for some time may be true some day. If there is any one band in the Black/Death Metal scene that can break through and put on a show big enough to fill an arena, headline an arena tour, and do it right, (Ala' what Metallica did on the ..And Justice For All tour), Behemoth is that band.

BEHEMOTH SET LIST
Demigod
Antichristian Phenomenon
From The Pagan Vastlands
The Act Ov Rebellion
Summoning Ov The Ancient Ones
Christians To The Lions
Conquer All
Transylvanian Forest
Christgrinding Avenue (new song)
Decade Ov Therion
Slaves Shall Serve

Cannibal Corpse: As the headliners were about to hit the stage it was nice to see the place was still jammed to capacity and that the crowd was still full of life after Behemoth, who the crowd loved; but they were here to see Cannibal Corpse. As the band took the stage and opened up with "Unleashing the Bloodthirsty", it was pure devastation. By this time the venue was extremely hot, like a steam bath, and the bodies started flying everywhere. It was very old school. Cannibal Corpse are not a band to fool around. They just come out and pummel you with everything they've got. Tonight would be no exception. After almost twenty years of touring, these guys are such veterans it's almost impossible for them not to be good. George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher was at his usual ready position front and center, head banging and wind milling at every opportunity. Bassist Alex Webster continued to prove why is one of the best bass players to ever play Heavy Metal. Special note should be given to the twin guitar attack of Rob Barrett and Pat O'Brien. These guys are a monstrous duo when together on stage. Having them both in the band at the same time is helping to prove this is the best line up to ever perform as Cannibal Corpse.

Any fan, of any era from Cannibal Corpse's career would not be disappointed on this night. The band played something from every studio release in their catalog, and played many songs which fans would deem as classics, such as "Born In a Casket", "Covered With Sores", "Vomit The Soul", and "Fucked With a Knife". The crowd loved everything the band did from the "classics" to the newer songs such as "Pit of Zombies" and the brand new songs off KILL. As "Corpsegrinder" tells the crowd this is the last song of the night, the already frenzied crowd gets even more unruly, knowing full well what's coming next. The band begins the assault which is "Hammer Smashed Face", the floor at Irving Plaza shakes under the bedlam which it is being forced to withstand. Things don't improve for it when as the song ends, "Corpsegrinder" very ominously tells the crowd, "I lied"…..as the band breaks into "Stripped, Raped, and Strangled". When it's finally over the crowd is happily left devoid of any energy they may have once owned. Cannibal Corpse have never been tighter, and they have never had a better lineup at any time during their career. No one left the venue disappointed on this night.

CANNIBAL CORPSE SET LIST
Unleashing the Bloodthirsty
Murder Worship
Decency Defied
I Cum Blood
Fucked With a Knife
Covered With Sores
Born in a Casket
The Wretched Spawn
I Will Kill You
Vomit the Soul
Disposal of the Body
Make Them Suffer
Dormant Bodies Bursting
Pit of Zombies
Five Nails through the Neck
Devoured By Vermin
Hammer Smashed Face
Stripped, Raped, and Strangled

THE CHANCE 4/30/07

After witnessing the devastation that was Cannibal Corpse in NYC the previous night, I was excited to see how the band would react at playing in a smaller, more low profile venue like the Chance in Poughkeepsie, NY the following night. Minus Behemoth, the bill would be the same. As far as the opening acts go it was the nothing special, same as the night before.

The crowd was slightly smaller than on the previous night, but it didn't matter. While doing the same set list, Cannibal Corpse didn't care if there were 200 people, 500 people, or 2 people. They came out as tight and brutal as the night before, maybe even better. The crowd at the Chance may have been smaller, but they were no less frenzied as the NYC crowd. The band was once again at their best and the crowd appreciated every minute of it. Everyone was excited and a lot of comments were passed around on how good the band sounded, and how great the set list was. Once again it was a job well done from one of the great Metal bands of our time.

Ken Sanford