Paganfest America Part III | Alestorm – March 29, 2012

Paganfest America Part III
Yesterday’s Saints, Deranged Theory, Huntress, Arkona, Alestorm, Turisas!!!
March 29, 2012 @ Sonar in Baltimore, MD

Alestorm!!! Somehow, I’ve only managed to see them twice (including this time) even though they’re here often enough. The first time I heard of them was in 2006 through Myspace, but it wasn’t until the Heathenfest Tour in November 2009 (check out my Heathenfest posts!) that I really got into Alestorm. That’s also the show where I met my buddies from MD/PA who make it a tradition to go to every Alestorm show in the DC/MD/VA area. Since my buddy Ethan is a very good friend of the band, he invited me to chill with them before the show in Baltimore. So we ended up going to the harbor with Gazz and Pete and bojanglin’ at an Irish restaurant called Tír Na Nóg overlooking the harbor (hmmm…toxic water-hehe). The food was good, but the decor was better!

Besides the fact that the guys are absolutely amiable and fun to hang out with, their music is pretty damn legit (as we say in VA). Definitely check out their work, most notably their most recent album: Back Through Time. Check it all out on their official site, Facebook, and Myspace.

Also, I would like to thank Ethan for setting me up with a photo pass and everything else that he did for me!! THANK YOU THANK YOU!! Thanks go to the tour manager as well (sorry, I forgot his name; I know, I’m a horrible person)!! It was great to see all the familiar faces-shout out to Antonio, Joel, Adam, Keith, David, Josh (the random, cool guy that fended the crowdsurfers from my poor camera), John, Johnny, and especially Elyse for driving my tired ass back to campus. You all are amazing.

Ok, regarding photos. Certainly not my best batch, but I don’t think I cared that much at the time. The set was too fun to look through the lens, but I did manage to catch some decent shots. The lighting at this point was getting progressively worse (you can compare it with the local bands’ lighting in my other posts).

Note: All the dudes you see in these pictures that are onstage but are not carrying an instrument…..yes, those are friends, but they’re not part of the band! (Though they are all good friends). Enjoy!

Alestorm is:

Chris Bowes – Vocals, keyboards
Gareth Murdock – Bass
Dani Evans – Guitars
Pete Alcorn – Drums

“‘Cuz being a pirate is really badass” … – G.G. \m/

Paganfest America Part III | Turisas – March 29, 2012

Paganfest America Part III
Yesterday’s Saints, Deranged Theory, Huntress, Arkona, Alestorm, Turisas!!!
March 29, 2012 @ Sonar in Baltimore, MD

Somehow I’ve managed to miss all two or three times that Turisas has come by my area for the past 3 years…finally I see them live! The show war running about an hour and a half behind and I think they had to cut short their set (all bands probably did). The lighting was just atrocious during their set-probably the worst out of all of the other bands, which is why I only have 10 semi-decent pictures of Turisas here…otherwise, the show was amazing and Mathias is-as always-such a beautiful man….

Check them out if you haven’t already. Official site. Facebook. Myspace.

Turisas is:

“Got all I want and I don’t need to pretend…” (No, they did not play “Supernaut”) -G.G. \m/

Paganfest America Part III | Arkona – March 29, 2012

Paganfest America Part III
Yesterday’s Saints, Deranged Theory, Huntress, Arkona, Alestorm, Turisas!!!
March 29, 2012 @ Sonar in Baltimore, MD

So this is the second time I’ve seen Arkona, within 3.5 months no less. Since I first saw them live with Korpiklaani back in December (see Ukon Wacka Tour posts!), I have not been able to spend a day without listening to at least one Arkona song (the favorites being “Goi Rode Goi”, “Zakliatie”, “Rus”, and “Slovo”). I’m a huge fan of their latest albums especially: Goi Rode Goi and Slovo. I absolutely recommend them-check out their work on their official site and Facebook!They always put on a great show (though I’m not a fan of Masha’s fur).

Some photos are somewhat blurry here, too, though I got several good shots. Taken with my Nikon D3000.

Arkona is:

Masha “Scream” – Vocals
Sergei “Lazar” – Guitar
Ruslan “Kniaz” – Bass
Vlad “Artist” – Drums
Vladimir “Volk” – Wind ethnic instruments

-G.G. \m/

Paganfest America Part III | Huntress – March 29, 2012

Paganfest America Part III
Yesterday’s Saints, Deranged Theory, Huntress, Arkona, Alestorm, Turisas!!!
March 29, 2012 @ Sonar in Baltimore, MD

Another first for me for the night-Huntress, hailing from California. Apparently, Jill, the vocalist was classically trained when she was young which explains her strong voice. Very friendly band- check them out at their official site, Facebook and Myspace. During their set, there was this random guy next to me and he kept trying to touch Jill during the first two songs. As soon as they had a break in between songs, Jill flipped out on the guy to set him straight: “Touch me again and I will have you kicked out!” Yessss….you tell ‘im, Jill!!

The photos came out very blurry, even these, so the number is once again very small. I was too busy at the time with my Yuengling anyway…haha. Photos taken with my Nikon D3000.

Huntress is:

Jill Janus – Vocals
Ian Alden – Guitars
Blake Meahl – Guitars
Eric Harris – Bass
Carl Wierzbicky – Drums

-G.G \m/

Paganfest America Part III | Deranged Theory – March 29, 2012

Paganfest America Part III
Yesterday’s Saints, Deranged Theory, Huntress, Arkona, Alestorm, Turisas!!!
March 29, 2012 @ Sonar in Baltimore, MD

Deranged Theory hails from Manassas, VA and they are absolutely LEGIT. I think this was my second time seeing them live, and I can assure anyone that they just keep better and better. They have some awesome shirts out now, but check out their work on Myspace or Facebook. Thanks to Joe, the vocalist, for being such an awesome dude/friend. Let’s hope they’re signed soon!

The lighting was atrocious during their set, unfortunately, which is why there are fewer photos here than I normally post, but that’s okay. Most of these are decent. I admit that a lot of them are just of Joe, but not only is he ridiculously photogenic, he was in the only spot onstage that got decent lighting…..or maybe it’s because the light reflected off of his weapons…? Photos taken with my Nikon D3000

-G.G. \m/

Paganfest America Part III | Yesterday’s Saints – March 29, 2012

Paganfest America Part III
Yesterday’s Saints, Deranged Theory, Huntress, Arkona, Alestorm, Turisas!!!
March 29, 2012 @ Sonar in Baltimore, MD

This was my first time checking out Yesterday’s Saints from DC. If you’re familiar with Loculus (and you should be, especially since I talk about them quite a bit), then you’ll notice that Al Born is also the drummer in Yesterday’s Saints. Check out their site-their set was great!

Some of the photos are a bit blurry-I was still playing around with the settings for the rest of the night. Used Nikon D3000 of course…

-G.G \m/

Summer Slaughter Tour 2010 | Decapitated-July 30, 2010

Heck yes-Decapitated! Almost every metalhead I’ve met knows Decapitated, but if you don’t, check them out on their Myspace page or their official site (which are very sexy-I love the aesthetics.)

After some big lineup changes (RIP VITEK) these guys-hailing from Krosno, Poland-are still kicking ass. Let me know what you think of the photos!

I’d like to thank Nuclear Blast and (especially) Gosia from the Decapitated crew for hooking me up with the VIP photo pass. Thank you so much!

Decapitated is:

Rafal Piotrowski – Vocals
Waclaw “Vogg” Kieltyka – Guitar
Filip “Heinrich” Halucha – Bass
Kerim “Krimh” Lechner – Drums

Ah, yes….I feel the “winds of creation”…RIP Vitek -G.G \m/

Summer Slaughter Tour 2010 | The Faceless-July 30, 2010

Check these guys out on their Myspace page! They’re a deathcore band from Encino, CA…and they played one of the heaviest sets of the night. I know a lot of my friends are really into this up-and-coming band, and I can’t blame them (I love their breakdowns.)

Also, I think they had the second best lighting the entire night (Carnifex probably had the best lighting-and that’s really not saying much.) Let me know what you think of the photos, etc.

I’d like to thank Nuclear Blast for the VIP photo pass

The Faceless is:

Derek “Demon Carcass” Rydquist – Vocals
Michael Keene – Guitar, Vocals
Steve Jones – Guitar
Brandon Giffin – Bass
Lyle Cooper – Drums

Camera used: Nikon D3000

We’re all in a “planetary duality”…-G.G. \m/

Summer Slaughter Tour 2010 | All Shall Perish- July 30, 2010

All Shall Perish are a deathcore band from Oakland, CA. They definitely played one of the strongest sets of the show. Check out their official website for more info, and/or their Myspace page for actual audio clips of their music.

Should I mention the lighting at this point? If you’ve been following my other Summer Slaughter posts, then you already know the terrible lighting situation. So enjoy anyways-these didn’t come out that bad, actually.

I’d like to thank Nuclear Blast for the VIP photo pass

All Shall Perish is:

Hernan “Eddie” Hermida- Vocals
Ben Orum- Rhythm Guitar
Mike Tiner- Bass
Adam Pierce- Drums
Francesco Artusato- Lead Guitar

“HateMaliceRevenge” -G.G \m/

Summer Slaughter Tour 2010 | The Red Chord-July 30, 2010

I first heard of The Red Chord back in 2005 when I lived in Rhode Island and the guys were doing an in-store signing event in Attleboro, MA (about a 15 minute drive from our house.) This was right before they were setting off for the Sounds of the Underground Tour 2005 (though my friend and I were only able to make it to Ozzfest-absolutely no complaints there, though!!!!) We talked to Guy “G.Dubbs” and Mike for a solid hour-just chillin’ and crackin’ jokes. I got my denim jacket signed, my Red Chord shirt signed, and a funny “yearbook” picture that you can check out below. Musically, they’re great-check them out on their Myspace page.

Recently, The Red Chord took part in a Peta2 campaign along with GWAR against dogfighting-something I absolutely commend and respect (check it out HERE.) These guys are awesome

OH, and that guy in the wheelchair in the last photos is a fan that was crowd surfing during their set and was pulled up by the guys. He was totally jammin’ for the last 2 songs-it was awesome!

I’d like to thank Nuclear Blast for the VIP photo pass

The Red Chord is:

Guy Kozowyk – Vocals
Mike “Gunface” McKenzie – Guitar, Vocals
Gregory Weeks – Bass
Mike Justain – Drums

The Red Chord comes from a German play in which a schizo cuts his wife’s throat and asks: “Honey, what is that red chord on your neck?” -G.G \m/

Summer Slaughter Tour 2010 | Veil of Maya-July 30, 2010

Veil of Maya are one of the most popular bands out there right now. Second time seeing them live-check them out on their Myspace page.

I absolutely love the name-it can be attributed to Hinduism as well as the ancient Maya culture, the latter being a very philosophical discussion of how one person can view the entire universe. It’s something everyone should read about!

I’d like to thank Nuclear Blast for the VIP photo pass.

Veil of Maya is:

Marc Okubo- Guitar
Brandon Butler- Vocals
Sam Applebaum- Drums
Mathew Pantelis-Bass
*FYI: The bassist pictured below is Dan Hauser, NOT Mathew Pantelis*

Camera used: Nikon D3000 (Napoleon)

Sumeriancore -G.G \m/

Summer Slaughter Tour 2010 | Cephalic Carnage-July 30, 2010

I got into Cephalic Carnage fairly recently thanks to my friend Sam who gave me the album Anomalies. Normally, I’m not too crazy about grindcore/technical stuff, but these guys put on a great show. Check them out on their Myspace page.

These pictures do Cephalic Carnage no justice! The lighting was definitely the worst during their set, which is why I have very few posted on here and those posted are really dark and blurry. You can refer to my last two Summer Slaughter posts regarding the horrible lighting, etc. Rest assured, these are not my best pictures by any means…

I’d like to thank Nuclear Blast for the VIP photo pass

Cephalic Carnage is:

Leonard “Lenzig” Leal – Vocals
Steve Goldberg – Guitar
Brian Hopp – Guitar
Nick Schendzielos – Bass
John Merryman – Drums

Camera used: Nikon D3000 (Napoleon)

Are you “Misled by Certainty”? -G.G \m/

Summer Slaughter Tour 2010 | Decrepit Birth-July 30, 2010

This was my second time seeing Decrepit Birth-always such a pleasure! Check these guys out on their Myspace page if you’re not too familiar with them. They are a death metal band hailing from Santa Cruz, CA. Bill was actually standing right next to me backstage while Decapitated was playing-yay!

Notice that I have now put a second watermark in the middle. This is to make sure that no one steals my pictures (this happened in the last day, actually.) If you would like to see the originals (aka unwatermarked), you will have to ask me via email, etc.

A note about the lighting: I had mentioned in my last post (Carnifex pictures) about the lighting that night at the Sonar. It was really atrocious-just blues and reds, when I needed bright lights in front for great lighting. You will tell the difference with these and my other pictures (Death Angel ones, for example.) I did what I could as far as editing, but some of these came out blurry, so much so that they look like abstract paintings (I guess that’s not bad at all, huh?)

I’d like to thank Nuclear Blast for the VIP photo pass

Decrepit Birth is:

Bill Robinson- Vocals
Matt Sotelo- Guitar
Joel Horner- Bass
Chase Fraser- Guitar
Samus Paulicelli- Drums
*Chase and Samus are touring members for now, according the DB Myspace page*

Camera used: Nikon D3000 (Napoleon)

“…And Time Begins” -G.G \m/

Summer Slaughter Tour 2010 | Carnifex-July 30, 2010

I had only heard maybe 3 songs from Carnifex (deathcore band from San Diego, CA) before Summer Slaughter 2010. Considering they’ve only been around for 5 years, that’s not that bad; it’s great that they’ve gotten big enough to play alongside metal giants like Decapitated and Vital Remains! On that note, they played one of the best sets the entire night. Check them out on their Myspace page.

I must say, the Sonar in Baltimore had the worst lighting that night. They had red and blue lights (all behind the performers for that matter) and no bright lights in front for good photography. Also, flash was not allowed, which made it worse. Therefore, a lot of the pictures came out blurry, etc. These are actually some of my best from the ENTIRE night-the lighting kept getting worse and worse as the night wore on.

But anyway, the show was awesome-photography or no photography

Carnifex is:

Scott Lewis- Vocals
Ryan Gudmunds- Guitar
Cory Arford- Guitar
Fred Calderon- Bass
Shawn Cameron- Drums

CARNAGE….SLAUGHTER -G.G \m/