Deep In The Heart Of Metal - Part 3

The exciting conclusion to Deep In The Heart Of Metal - Part 1 and Part 2!

The stars at night are big and bright...

Let's just say that it's been awhile since I last woke up in a hotel room with a band.....

Landmine Marathon / Book Of Black Earth / The Funeral Pyre
Hoek's Death Metal Pizza, Austin, Texas
March 18, 2010


I had some work-related meetings to take care of in the morning, so Landmine went on ahead to the day's venue: A Pizza Parlor on 6th Street called Hoek's Death Metal Pizza! Throw The Horns and The Claw... I'll wait. Once I was done with my work duties, I had to wander around a bit looking for the place (Thank dog for Google Maps on iPhone). I finally found it and hung out on the sidewalk with various members of Landmine, Book Of Black Earth, and The Funeral Pyre and also some record label friends as well. I liked how the set times were posted on a paper plate at the door.


Hoek's is the type of place that doesn't exist in San Francisco: A pizza parlor that plays nothing but Death Metal on its stereo with a small patio out back with a bar and a small stage for bands to play... and a wide alley behind for easy load-in / load-out. It's the type of venue that makes me question just how "cool" my hometown really is... Just being honest.

Anyway, with the afternoon sun high overhead, it was an interesting contrast seeing Book Of Black Earth in bright sunlight after the previous night's pitch black performance. I'm happy to report that the band managed to block the rays of the sun with their wall of sonic darkness and volume... Although if the new bassist had been wearing a BLACK shirt the effect would have been more complete.... Just being honest. Pastel = NOT Metal... at least in Umlaut's Metal style guide... I wear black on the outside 'cause black is how I feel on the inside.. Just saying.

Book Of Black Earth in the daytime.
(Pic by Umlaut)

Literally minutes before Landmine were due to start playing I was checking messages when someone came up to me and said "I MADE IT!"... It was Umlaut's music journalist friend Hard Rock Chick! It's always cool to see a familiar face from home when you're on The Road, right? Combined with the PBR I had in my hand and my final day at SxSW was starting off alright.

Once again, Landmine were in their element playing a venue that allowed their Hardcore side to drive their Metal side. Under a blazing sun, '25th Hour' got the afternoon pizza crowd going as PBR talls were served up at the patio bar. It was interesting how each of the band's Austin shows had a different vibe: Emo's was a classic Punk riot, Mohawk was a DIY basement party... and Hoek's was like a kegger in someone's backyard.

It's funny when a gap opens up between Landmine and the audience as the boyz in the crowd get intimidated by Grace. Her Velociraptor presence was magnified in the small, confined space of Hoek's patio... and maybe the fact that she "accidently" kicked a dude in the nads early in the set gave the boyz reason for concern. Pussies... Anyway, besides the Velociraptor on the mic, I liked how the band's musical fury had more of the Hardcore vibe than at the other Landmine shows I've seen so far. Their set felt like a fucking prison yard fight... the kind of prison brawl where the guards simply look at each other, shrug their shoulders, and just let the inmates shiv and beat the living shit out of each other.

'Skin From Skull' at Hoek's
(Vid by VicthortheViking)

The band winged the setlist this time, which only added to the Hardcore feeling of the performance and the beat down was pretty complete. If Hoek's had been a prison yard, Landmine would have walked away with the bloody respect of the guards and inmates alike and taken anyone they wanted as their bitch in the showers.

I said this after the first time I saw Landmine in San Francisco 7 months ago: They are the real fucking deal. That's not something I say very often about a band (even ones I like); it's just a gut feeling I have about Landmine. I've never seen a band play so many different venues (from the stage at a major concert venue to a backyard patio..) under different circumstances (high pressure major show to a backyard patio..) in such a short time (4 shows in 6 days). I was seriously gobsmacked how the band approached each of the gig's circumstances and molded their performance accordingly; I'm sure it wasn't a conscious thing on their part. They collectively just grabbed each moment by the throat and went at it Landmine Marathon-style. Drink up, shoot in, let the beatings begin.

By the way, the band's performance at Scion Fest caught the attention of no less than the fucking NEW YORK TIMES, who featured a photo of the band onstage with their coverage of the festival in their March 15th print edition. Click HERE to read the NYT review online, which has some nice ink on the band's set as well.

(Pic courtesy of Landmine Marathon)

After hanging out for a bit, I knew it was time for Umlaut to move on and I said my goodbyes to Landmine as they prepared to continue their tour in Dallas that night. THANKS to Team Landmine (Matt, Ryan, Grace, Mike, Dylan, and Valerie) for putting up with me in 2 time zones in less than a week... and I'll never listen to *that* Kings Of Leon song in the same way again.

"Shreds" Rule!

The Dillinger Escape Plan / Orphaned Land
Emo's, Austin, Texas
March 18, 2010

My parting with Landmine Marathon was perfect timing since it dovetailed into another Metal showcase back at Emo's. This one was to feature a "surprise" appearance by The Dillinger Escape Plan. However, before DEP I found myself at Emo's outside stage watching Orphaned Land. I have to be honest and say Orphaned Land aren't my thing... I can appreciate what they're doing with their music... combining cultures and trying to bridge the rifts in their homeland... but I like my Metal Satanic. Just being honest.

I had never seen DEP live before but had heard how insane they are onstage. Although Umlaut knew about this performance several weeks ago, DEP's appearance at Emo's was a secret to the public until they issued an announcement via their Twitter a mere 30 minutes prior to the 5:15pm start time. Luckily we were inside Emo's well in advance; THANKS to Metal Joh for walking us in the back door! However, we made a serious miscalculation thinking DEP were playing the outdoor stage, when in reality they were playing the stage inside. DOH!

Long story short, there seemed to be an insurmountable line to get in the room's back door... but amazingly people were leaving the room and security let new people in as the sweat drenched lightweights left... and it wasn't long before we found ourselves amongst the lucky 300 or so inside the sweaty box. I'm not sure what band played the room just prior to DEP, but I wonder if those kidz leaving even knew what was coming next. Oh well! The sweaty energy in the room was thick enough to cut with a Bowie knife, but cold Lone Star talls cured that.


We got inside in time to watch DEP finish setting up their gear and then walk back to Emo's "dressing room". Oh, the drama..... After leaving the stage for a few minutes the band returned to the stage and as soon as the first note of the first song was hit... ALL FUCKING HELL broke loose!! HOLY SHIT!


During the FIRST song, guitarist Ben Weinman jumped into the crowd and rode it not once but TWICE... and during the entire set various members of the band dove straight into the mass of fans jammed against the stage. Pretty unreal... At one point during a song I glanced back at the bar and rhythm guitarist Jeff Tuttle was standing on top of the bar facing back to the stage. I literally said "What the fuck!?" out loud because Emo's was pretty packed and how he got through the sea of humanity is beyond me. Unreal. I'm not familiar with any of DEP's material so my reaction was purely to their performance... Non-stop mayhem. During the final song Weinman climbed up onto the stage right PA speaker... Kneeled on top of it for a bit... and then leaped off it to land on the stage. Unreal.

(Pic by Umlaut)

Holy shit DEP are an INSANELY GREAT live band; I can't fathom how they generate that kind of mayhem consistently at every show. They're like Jesus Lizard or Gallows onstage, with that same brand of danger and spontaneity in their performances. If you bought one of every Dillinger Escape Plan merch item you would have paid $50 out on the sidewalk... which is where their merch was set up.

After DEP's set my SxSW experience was over. I headed back to my hotel to chill and cancelled plans to stay out late again and opted for room service instead. I know... BORING... but Ohio the previous weekend and SxSW had finally caught up with me. However, the next day The Rock Godz arranged for a final magical conclusion to Umlaut's week.

As I was about to head for the airport, I received a text from my brutha Jason of Black Cobra telling me how he and bandmate Rafa had just ran into Landmine Marathon at a vegan restaurant in Fort Worth, Texas (about 200 miles from Austin)! Landmine were on their way to San Antonio and Black Cobra were headed to Austin for their SxSW appearance on Saturday. What are the ODDS of that happening?! I trip on coincidences like that, man... Unbelievable, right? The Rock Godz work in mysterious way... On the flipside: Austin Buzzkill = A teenage prayer circle in the middle of the airport terminal as I checked-in.

While boarding my connecting flight home in Houston, I realized I really needed to take a mental shower because my brain was jammed up and bruised from all of the METAL hand-to-hand combat I had experienced over the previous 6 days. So, at 40,000 feet I put THE SMITHS on my iPod and ignored the inflight movie. As the plane landed back in San Franfuckincisco I had decided Umlaut's theme song for my SxSW experience would be:


Yeah, NOT METAL... but it summed up my feelings about my experience ending.. and a text exchange with Landmine Marathon after I landed applauded my choice. So fuck you if you don't like it.

"To die by your side, the pleasure, the privilege, is mine..."

So ended my debut SxSW experience. On the way back to San Francisco, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag... which makes sense I guess. Yeah, my SxSW experience was limited. Yeah, I didn't embrace the whole SxSW *thing*... but I was there on a work-related agenda of meetings so that was my focus... and I generally hate people... so being around thousands and thousands of people generally puts me into a less than perfect mood. I honestly don't know if I'll attend SxSW again... while the shows I saw were awesome, everything else about the event (the crowds... the congestion... the crowds... the crowds...) aren't my thing. My Scion Fest experience had been inspiring and, while I liked Austin, SxSW was like that drunk girl you see from afar who you think would be cool to hang out with... but after awhile you realize she's not your type... and her record collection has too much crap in it that you don't like.


... deep in the heart of Texas.

Deep In The Heart Of Metal - Part 2

The exciting continuation of Deep In The Heart Of Metal - Part 1

The stars at night are big and bright...

Sometimes the best laid plans don't pan out. Only 2 days earlier Umlaut had been in deepest, darkest Ohio and had an epic Metal Adventure that featured quality time with my favorite Arizonians, Landmine Marathon. The band's new album (Sovereign Descent) was released on the 16th and we were going to celebrate on the day of release in Austin. Unfortunately, their drive from Albuquerque to Austin didn't cooperate and they were too fried from the trek to hang out once they got into Austin late in the night... so we made plans to meet up the next day instead.

Withered / Landmine Marathon / Salome / Dark Castle
Emo's, Austin, Texas
March 17, 2010 (Day Show)


In a cruel and ironic twist, Music Geek icon Alex Chilton (The Box Tops, Big Star) passed away during the day. Evidently Big Star were scheduled to be one of the closing bands at SxSW... and Umlaut had been reintroduced to his 60's band The Box Tops while in London in January. Sad, man... cue 'The Letter'.

The tone of my time at SxSW was set as I drove down 5th Avenue and noticed Matt Pike of High On Fire waiting at a crosswalk wearing his leather on a warm Austin morning. METAL. Officially it was St. Patrick's Day and I made sure to note that the theme song for the day would be the Landmine Marathon song 'Bile Towers'. When was the last you helped a band carry their gear? It's been awhile for Umlaut, but I can now add Landmine to the list of bands whose gear I haven't dropped while pretending to be a roadie.

The tone of my SxSW experience with Landmine was set soon after load-in at Emo's was done. As we strolled around the streets of downtown Austin, Grace almost stepped on a dead bird and I almost punched a Hipster who was ironically wearing a Venom - Black Metal shirt. We also passed a block-long tent where they intended to charge people a $15 admission fee to drink Guinness later that day. What would Phil Lynott do!?

Back at Emo's I only caught the very end of Dark Castle's set because I held a business meeting in the "dressing room" of Emo's while they played. It wasn't the ideal location, but it did the job. I was very interested in seeing Salome and their brand of Doom Metal. Salome are a trio consisting of vocals, guitar, and drums... and the absence of bass might cause some concern, but Rob (guitar) and Aaron (drums) manage to create a trench of blackness that Kat (vocals) fills with some of the most soulful Doom vocals I've ever heard; I didn't expect such a mesmerizing set. It was like having a black canvas sack put over my head, but in a good way... Unfortunately, by the time I got to Salome's merch table after their set they had already packed up and left! Dudes! Oh well....

Before Salome's set a random guy came up to me and asked "Are you Umlaut??" Since I was in Texas, being recognized caught me COMPLETELY off guard. If that guy is reading this: THANKS, man!

It was an interesting contrast being with Landmine in Austin after having seen them at Scion Fest only days earlier. Despite the clusterfuck nature of SxSW, the band was obviously more in their element on the small stages of Texas. More often than not, Landmine are closer to a Hardcore band than a Metal band and that's especially true when they're confined liked caged beasts in a small space. I always picture Landmine as angry badgers (possibly rabid)... but you can imagine whatever animal you want for reference.

As an opening song, '25th Hour' feels like being caught in a firestorm and having the oxygen sucked from your lungs while you're being kicked in the chest and your head is shoved into a plastic bag... and a sledgehammer is slammed into the back of your skull... and you fall into a muddy trench.

Landmine Trench Warfare at Emo's
(Pic by Umlaut)

Today's modern warfare is distant and impersonal, with triggered drums and packaged guitar effects taking the human element out of the mayhem. Landmine are students of the ancient and, some would say, more honorable craft of hand-to-hand combat. They get into the face of their opponent in order to smell their sweat and fear as they plunge their volume dagger into the soft underbelly and rip the blade upwards. The final thing your mortal eyes will see is dressed in black...

Hand-To-Hand Combat: 'Crisscross Thoughts' at Emo's
(Vid by Umlaut)

The dichotomy of seeing Landmine in their element again after Scion Fest was profound. In Ohio they had played to The Eternal Void since the audience was far away from them on that big stage. At Emo's they were back to their beloved hand-to-hand combat that makes them such an explosive live band. You could almost see the red mist in the air from spilled blood that the band's volume was whipping up... and you could almost imagine the gore dripping from the mic as it was raised towards the sky in triumph. During the set-closing 'Rise With The Tide' Grace kicked a hipster in the front row in the chest who was wearing a V-Neck tee and sunglasses. Then she charged back into audience to exact a final body count.

After the set audience and band members alike stumbled out the front door into the sunshine and fresh air... and the first thing Grace said to me was "Did you see me kick that Hipster in the chest?!" Epic.

Emo's setlist written on the hand of Perry
(Pic by Umlaut)

Earlier, as Landmine were setting up their gear, a 9-year old girl was standing next to me with her mom; I overheard mom excitedly say "This is the first time you've been in the front row at a concert!" Then all HELL broke loose... Afterwards the little girl asked to have her picture taken with Grace. CUTE!

Withered took the stage after Landmine and while I like them, their smoke machine made it impossible for me to watch them as it filled Emo's with a thick white smoke that had no where to go. I finally stepped back outside and the smoke venting from the front door made it look like there was a Texas-style BBQ going on inside. Plus, after all of that, I completely forgot that Fucked Up were due to play the outside stage at Emo's not long after Landmine's set.... and I missed them. FAIL.

Landmine Marathon / Withered / Book Of Black Earth / The Funeral Pyre
Mohawk, Austin, Texas
March 17, 2010 (Night Show)


This was a long ass day, man..... After the Emo's show, the band's gear was carried several blocks to the next venue on their Austin Tour: Mohawk. Once we arrived at the venue we had to wait for the previous showcase to end and the place to be cleared out. As we were sitting around I observed Matt Pike of High On Fire (who were playing the outside stage that night) wearing his leather jacket in the afternoon heat; keeping it real, man. I also chatted with some record label contacts who were there and almost broke my ankle. ALMOST. After sitting around and waiting for the clusterfuck to catch up to us, we were finally able to load-in the gear (Wow, the room was SMALL)... and get FOOD. I don't think any of us had really eaten all day.

Sidebar Rant: There should be a version of Guitar Hero or Rock Band that accurately depicts the reality of being in a band. A gamer should have to sit around for 5-6 hours before they can play the first song in the game... because that's the reality of being in a band on tour.

Real Life Rock Band: No cheat codes or level skips..
(Pics by Umlaut)

Evidently there was a Hospitality Compound for SxSW bands not far from the venue... so off we went looking for it. Magically, the compound did exist and it was an oasis in the middle of the clusterfuck. Nestled in a fenced off grass field, tents were set up offering SxSW performers FREE food (including veggie options), FREE drinks (including alcohol), FREE massages, and FREE... haircuts (?!). Haircuts: NOT Metal.. It was pretty cool and awesome to sit down like civilized humans to eat and drink and swear loudly. The only buzz kill was the overbearing SxSW staffer who lectured us WHILE WE WERE EATING that we needed to clean up after ourselves. WTF... We weren't even done MAKING a mess, let alone ready to clean it up. I think she only lectured us because we were sweaty Metalheads; I didn't see her lecturing the cardigan sweater-wearing Indie Rock kidz. To quote Landmine Marathon: "Steadfast hate..."

Anyway, once we were back at Mohawk we discovered that it was actually a cool venue. On the roof was a patio bar where we got free shots of some spiced thing and drink tickets got us beer. Adjacent to the patio was a green room with another bar and couches. Nice. The patio offered a view of the outdoor stage and of the street below; it was the perfect place to hang out and shoot the shit. It was kind of funny to watch Matt Pike hold court at a table in the middle of the patio, cradling his 9-string axe and riffing on it every now and then. He chatted with friends as VIPs tried to discreetly take phone camera pics of him.

I completely spaced and didn't watch The Funeral Pyre (Sorry, guys..)... but some of this night was a blur. I'd been wanting to see Book Of Black Earth again since first seeing them in S.F. last August. The band had gone through a lineup change since then, but their live assault was even more blowtorch than it was 7 months ago. The Northwesterners played in complete darkness which ratcheted their power up that much more and the new songs were darkness personified. Watching them on that blackened stage reminded me of vintage Neurosis... and that's a huge thing in my book.

After Book Of Black Earth's set, 2/5 of Landmine Marathon and I hung out in the corner of the green room and chatted, killing time before their set. There was no place for me to sit except on a guitar case that had been put in the corner for safe keeping. I learned that Prosthetic Records (whose showcase this was) had all of of their bands autograph the guitar inside the case and it was going to be auctioned off for a Ronnie James Dio cancer benefit. Very cool, but weird that my ass rested on it for almost an hour on St. Patrick's Day 2010. After awhile I noticed smoke was seeping up from the stairwell that led to the downstairs concert room and it was obvious Withered and their unnecessary smoke machine had started their set. I wandered down to watch a song, but the smoke was simply ridiculous in that small space. Sorry, guys... Lose the smoke machine and I'll watch your entire set no problem.

It wasn't St. Patrick's Day anymore by the time Landmine Marathon went on at around 12:20am. As I said earlier, Landmine are in their element when playing in a small room on a small stage. As their set exploded off to its start on the dark Mohawk stage I felt like I was trapped inside a sealed metal garbage can with a live hand grenade as it detonated. KA-BOOM... SPLAT.

I recognized at least a couple of people who had been at the Emo's show earlier in the day, and while the crowd was small the hand-to-hand combat continued. Partly as an experiment to see if I could finish it before it got knocked over, I put my Lone Star tall in front of me on the knee-high stage in between sips. I'm happy to report that I finished it before any of the precious liquid was wasted on the floor. For better or worse, I was actually standing next to the PA so most of the volume (mainly the vocals) was blasting behind me...

'Exist' at Mohawk
(Vid by Umlaut)

Yeah, it's a shitty video but 'Exist' was the stand out performance of this set for me. Hand to hand combat at night always has a different aura about it... you don't really see the blood as much as you smell it. You have to stab and punch more by feel and instinct than by sight... The chaos is more horrific... and that's the vibe that Landmine's set had at Mohawk... Black fighting darkness with a heavy dose of brutality and the bar is still open for another hour.


High On Fire
Mohawk, Austin, Texas
March 17, 2010

It wasn't St. Patrick's Day anymore by the time High On Fire went on at around 12:15am. As soon as Landmine's set finished I walked back through the bar, past the merch stand (Hi Valerie!), and through a door to catch High On Fire's set on Mohawk's outdoor stage (which holds around 700)... and with perfect timing they had just started 'Frost Hammer'.

'Frost Hammer' hits Austin
(Pic by Umlaut)

I stood by the soundboard and most of the crowd around me seemed clueless; a young girl turned and asked me "WHO IS THIS??" However, just when I thought I was going to let the non-Metal element of the crowd get to me, I was saved by the appearance of a blond woman who I immediately recognized as artist Tara McPherson! She was about to pass me on her way towards the stage when I tapped her arm and said "I'm a big fan of your art!" (which I am... but it was still a total GEEK move..). She stopped and seemed surprised to have been recognized in the middle of a concert, but she asked my name and thanked me... shook my hand.. and then tipped her can of beer to mine. Pretty cool.

Snake Charmer by Tara McPherson

This was High On Fire's last one-off show before their U.S. Tour with Umlaut's bruthas Black Cobra kicks off at the end of the month. The new songs were SOLID live and only supported my opinion that the band is at the top of their game right now. 'Bastard Samurai' is already in the running for my favorite song of 2010.

The bizarre thing about the entire day and night was that I never really encountered any out of control projectile vomiting drunken St. Patrick's Day behavior. Seriously. I wonder if most of that was contained on the surrounding streets where the younger Indie Rock crowd was gathered. Not that I'm complaining, but it was bizarre being in Austin on St. Patrick's Day and not have to dodge projectile vomiting revelers.

If you bought one of every Landmine Marathon merch item you would have spent $60, but I didn't see any High On Fire merch for sale. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. It was considerably easier sneaking a band into my hotel room in Austin at 2:30am to crash for the night than it was getting service at a Denny's in Austin at 2:30am. Who woulda thunk?!

... deep in the heart of Texas.

TO BE CONTINUED.