IN BETWEEN, THOUGHTFUL METAL AND CAPTIVATION: GIGAN AND COMPANY PERFORM AT MALONE'S IN SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA
April 27th, 2018
Challenging your well-being, your world view, and the life around you, in essence will open your imagination to exponential heights. Through music, that same imagination can bring to life some of the most extravagant, and astonishing ideas and perseverance you can ever feel. One of those bands that has met said challenge, enter Gigan. Hailing from Chicago, Illinois, front man and music extraordinaire Eric Hersemann created Gigan in 2006, a psychedelic Technical Death Metal group that defies the meaning of a "guitar chord." With the structures, riff patterns, compelling atmosphere, and the viciousness it combines to, Gigan is cannot miss. Announcing their tour for their most recent record, "Undulating Waves of Rainbiotic Iridescence", I was honored and elated for their return! Their second night of the tour would be right here in Southern California, at Malone's Bar and Grill in Santa Ana. With 6 other bands on the bill, including the only other touring band with Gigan, Sunless, tonight's festivities couldn't be here sooner.
The show started right at 7:30 PM, with the bands setting their equipment inside the venue. Metal Assault was in charge of putting on this fantastic show, and despite various information for the show, and heavy promotion, the turnout was shockingly disappointing. Consider that people will pay for a worn-out Danzig, Metallica playing 5-6 songs off of Hardwire...To Self-Destruct a night, this kind of show is definitely for the underground, as well as fans who want high quality Metal in their lives, all for $10. I don't say this often, Orange County, you disappointed all of us.
With that rant out of the way, Swartwoud would get the evening under way. A one-man Black Metal band, certainly something that was ever so popular in the mid-90s, this also felt similar to that vibe. The Black Metal played was old-school, raw, and normal tempo, unfortunately the opposite of how I enjoy Black Metal. But the aspect I really appreciated honestly, was the man himself under the name Lord Ogun. Not only was he playing guitar, and to his credit, the vocal work was not too shabby either, but he also played with a drum machine. To be able to work a drum machine for your tempo, music, and to keep time, it's impressive no matter whether you enjoy the music fully or not. I did find it strange that Lord Ogun read a lyric sheet to every song, but for what it was, I didn't enjoy the music too much because it's simply not the kind of Black Metal for me, but I respected for sure the ability to make your band a one-person piece, and going as far as you can with it.
To the second stage a mere 50 feet away, Vampire Squid played to a crowd that was certainly into their style of Technical Death Metal. I reviewed the Madrost album release party for "The Essence of Time Matches No Flesh", with Vampire Squid playing that show. While I enjoyed their technical presence and dark uniqueness within the riffs, the live performance itself felt lacking. However tonight, this was a much more representative version of the band. The sound was much louder with a ferocious bite in the guitar amps, movement on stage present and accounted for greatly, and more band members this time around too. As with the other Vampire Squid show I attended, the highlight is certainly the founding member and guitarist Andrew Virrueta. The swaying like riffing structures and impeccable timing of them is fantastic to watch, and especially being only 22 years old, I can't imagine how much more his songwriting and technique will grow. For fans of modern, tasteful Technical Death Metal, Vampire Squid continues to impress the local scene.
Due to a shift in the band schedule, Crematory Stench was third up, presenting Malone's with some old-school Death Metal. Sadly, they made no impact on me whatsoever. While the musicianship wasn't terrible by any means, the riffs and music felt lifeless, staying at a particular 120 BPM tempo with little variation. Old-school Death Metal can be done correctly, ask Gorguts circa The Erosion of Sanity, but here, it felt like a flatter version of Obituary riffs, bleeding into one another. It was difficult to recollect anything at all, and I've heard their name being buzzed around for tonight, as well as other gigs in Southern California. Perhaps they need more experience honing in their craft, and their next show supporting a full on Death Metal gig might be better for them. But tonight, Crematory Stench absolutely did not deliver for me.
To get the "stench" out of my clothes and memory, Sorizon thankfully made a more lasting impression for sure. The crowd were the most rowdy at this point, headbanging and enjoying the Progressive Metal, that Sorizon provided. I noticed the joy that the band had on stage, with singer Keith McIntosh interacting with his guitarists Danny Mann and Tim Hall on several occasions. It blended out in the music as well, harmonics woven in their technical passages, clean singing along with Danny Mann providing some powerful growling in the background. "Virtual Deception" and "Lady of the Sea" highlighted their set for me, something definitely refreshing to hear, a solid Progressive Metal. Fans of Mastodon would love Sorizon I feel as well. Sorizon performed greatly, and I look forward to their upcoming shows and growth.
Sorizon setlist:
1. Hidden Evils
2. Falling
3. Thanatos Rising (new song)
4. Virtual Deception
5. Lost in a Dream (new song)
6. Lady of the Sea
"Wow!" The first phrase I mouthed with no sound, when Sunless went on stage. Progressive Death Metal from the frigid state of Minnesota, this stellar 3 piece destroyed Malones sonically. "Wishes Fallen of Deafened Ears" took me by a raging storm, abstract Death Metal, gloomy dissonant chords played at a frantic pace, the musicianship creating goosebumps and shocks throughout your body, Sunless pulled no punches. Guitarist/vocalist Lucas Scott commanded the stage, being very humble and thanking the crowd in between their stellar yet short 5 song set, and at the same time providing some hellish vocals while breezing through the difficult Metal being performed. Bassist Mitch Schooler's bass tone fit the pounding guitar extremely well, and visually, he sports some long dreadlocks that would slowly make a motion of pendulum, no matter the speed of the songs. The new song played displayed the skills of drummer Ben Iburg beautifully. Cymbal work is the most criminally underrated aspect of drumming in my humble opinion, and the significant degree to which Ben incorporated them was happily exhausting to witness. The room felt freezing and captivating from Sunless and their profound performance. It's been quite a while since a new band has impacted me like this. Sunless cannot be missed for anyone in Minnesota and for the rest of this tour. One of the best bands of the entire night.
Sunless setlist:
1. Wishes Fallen of Deafened Ears
2. Gathering at the Skull's Eye
3. Aberrant Clime
4. New Song
5. Disintegration of Man
Siva would be second to last of this Friday Metal evening. It was going to be difficult to exceed Sunless and attempt to outperform them in any way, and unfortunately, it wouldn't be the case. For myself, I was doing my best to figure out of Siva was either Metal or Hard Rock, as throughout the songs, there would be moments of light breakdowns and chugging riffs, and to the next, some intense tremolo picking and growls. The part of the audience that were interested in Siva, seemed to enjoy them very much. I did like the keyboard moments that the singer performed in the clean interludes. Overall, I couldn't get a real sense of Siva being at least for me, being the most different band on this bill, in comparison to the rest of the bands. Decent performance, their audience loved them, just a weird fit to this mostly Death Metal bill.
11:30 PM, 6 bands of various impact have played, and the best for last, Gigan, enshrined by green color lights and heavy fog for their psychedelic atmosphere, blasting the crowd from their 2006 debut The Order of the False Eye, "Undead Auditory Emanations." The songs are just as interesting and complex as their song and album titles, for the record. Without knowing at least some of Gigan's material, the beautiful and chaos this form of Death Metal beholds, the songs can feel like a whirling blur, but for the ones who have some past knowledge, it's tremendous, harmonic, and a surging blitz of carnage. Frontman, guitarist and creator of Gigan, Eric Hersemann steals the show every time, simply witnessing his bombastic, technical guitar chords and frantic tapping, will leave your eyesight and brain, dizzy and feint. To observe Hersemann easily wave through "Vespelmadeen Terror" and "Still Image Symphony", it's monumental to the ever growth of extreme music, where the limits become larger and rapidly increasing in difficulty, imagination, and character. Half of the crowd looking at a hypnotic gaze, the other half moving around creating some mosh pits along the way. You're as good as the band members around you, (Sorry, Metallica. Lars doesn't cut it.) and Hersemann has done just that, longtime Gigan drummer Nate Cotton putting his drum set through the crippling ringer, constant time changes, impeccable blasting, and allowing Hersemann's guitar work to create more patterns and mystery through each structure. Vocalist Jerry Kavouriaris's contributions to "Mountains Perched Like Beasts Awaiting the Attack", was downright heavy and full of command. With the band's constant vocalist lineup changes, it's great to see some consistency with Jerry, and hope he stays permanently. Their 60-minute set swiftly flew by, and the dedicated Southern California fans of extreme Death Metal, appreciated every minute of Gigan. Along with Sunless, one of the best acts of the night.
The challenge of growth as a musician in the world of underground extreme music, is no simple feat. To not only ascend what you feel your limits are, and to be able to create something astonishing and reality warped, is a unique joy that is difficult to put into words. Once again, Gigan takes that responsibility and in turn, concocts a magical potion of Psychedelic Technical Death Metal, that needs to be heard on record and absolutely, witness to their live show.
Gigan setlist:
1. Footsteps of Gigan (Instrumental)
2. Undead Auditory Emanations
3. Influence Through Ritualistic Projection
4. Elemental Transmography
5. Plume of Ink Within a Vacuum
6. Still Image Symphony
7. Vespelmadeen Terror
8. Clockwork with Thunderous Hooves
9. Space Coffin Hallucinations
10. Bio-Engineered Molecular Abnormalities
11. Mountains Perched Like Beasts Awaiting the Attack