Meatlocker Performances Review

Crowds of people gathered at the Meatlocker music venue last Tuesday, excited for a night stacked with superb bands, local and touring.

Full of Hell and more at the Meatlocker.

meatlocker
Photo courtesy of Eddie Trefurt Photography.

The headliner of the evening was the eminent Maryland grindcore band Full of Hell, currently in the midst of a small east coast tour. Other acts on the bill included New Jersey-based bands Organ Dealer, Dutchguts, Inertia, Sunrot, Toxicology and Philadelphia’s Die Choking.

Organ Dealer put on a noteworthy performance, expelling a chilling blend of grindcore and death metal to audience members. The precision in which each of the musicians played their instruments was reminiscent of the skill that goes into technical death metal, without straying too far from their commanding deathgrind sound. The speed at which drummer Eric Schnee was able to execute his blasting and aggressive beats was nothing short of brilliant.

Dutchguts provided us with some thick stoner metal, executed through their distorted, bass-heavy sound. Dutchguts’ use of groovy basslines and slower-paced, rhythmic drumming and sludgy riffs produced a delightful heavy psych rock sound. At certain parts they upped the tempo, incorporating elements of punk and hardcore into their playing, making for a really fun set.

Hardcore band Inertia delivered raw sadness and hostility to listeners, with lyrics touching upon topics such as contempt for the external world, and the unforgiving realities of life. The subtle math rock-esque elements provided a seamless contrast to the vehemence expelled by the screams of Stephen Edwards. This was the third time I have seen Inertia, and over time they have developed an extremely unique and idiosyncratic sound, composed of dreadful riffs and basslines.

Toxicology put on a brutal performance, exploding with ruthless riffs and merciless vocals. The shredding riffs and blastbeat drumming, in conjunction with the pugnacious growls and heavy bass portions, inflicted pain on the ears—the good kind of pain. Toxicology performed songs off of their recent Discredit the Badge demo, released in April. I saw Toxicology perform in New Brunswick in December of last year, and was very impressed. Seeing them perform again was a testament to how much they’ve progressed. Be on the lookout for their full length EP, coming out at some point later this year.

Sunrot’s use of pedals contributes to their unique and idiosyncratic sound, comprised of fuzzy bass, doomy riffs and slow-paced, heavy drumming. Sunrot can’t really be labeled as one genre, floating somewhere in the realm of sludge metal, incorporating elements of noise, punk, drone and post-metal. The muffled and angry vocals of Lex F complemented the hateful sound the band has fashioned.

Full of Hell, the headlining act, have become a prolific band in the scene over the years. They release new music relatively frequently, with their work never dwindling in quality. They released an album in March titled One Day You Will Ache Like I Ache, which is a collaboration with the popular Oregon experimental doom metal band The Body. Their Meatlocker performance was nothing short of the brilliance delivered on record. Dylan Walker’s powerful vocals and vigorous presence draw all eyes on him, as he inflicted a deep sense of all consuming dread and depression upon his listeners. Full of Hell attacked with rage and barbarity, leaving audience members begging for more.

All of the bands that performed put their best foot forward, exceeding any and all expectations. Each band possesses a truly unique and exceptional sound, all exhibiting the fervent intensity which holds true to hardcore music.

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