I was delighted to feast my eyes and ears upon the sights and sounds spilling out of the doors of the newly renovated Club Infinity in Williamsville, NY this past Wednesday night. The venue, now under new management, was packed with metalheads from all over Western NY offering a fitting welcome home to their beloved sons of carnage, Cannibal Corpse. Original bassist and co-founder of the band, Alex Webster, played the gracious host as he greeted fans and friends near the front door, posing for pictures and catching up with old pals from back in the day while opening bands Vital Remains, Dying Fetus and Devourment delivered their respective death metal assault on a sea of hardcore fans of the genre.
The hairstyles were as diverse as the ages of those in attendance. Mohawks, dreadlocks, hair that hung to the hips, men, women, girls, boys, parents, grandparents, EVERYONE decided to throw on their favorite black T-shirt and enjoy a night of ear-splitting renditions of such holiday classics as Hammer Smashed Face,” “I Will Kill You,” and “Skull Full of Maggots.” It didnt take long to appease the crowd who dutifully chanted Corpse!…Corpse!…Corpse!, as the boys strapped on their guitars and began rifling through an extensive set of their guttural, blood-soaked melodies. Both the heads of Alex
Webster and singer George Corpsegrinder Fisher were in full speed rotation throughout the night. Props to Chief working the soundboard; he provided the proper mix and volume to fit the venue. All too often just because its a death metal band or thrash metal band, sound engineers tend to make everyones ears bleed by pounding too many decibels into them. Another pat on the back goes out to the boys running security; they allowed the enthusiastic crowd to enjoy the night without any incident. Crowd surfers were safely escorted over the barrier and placed back into the crowd.
I find it hilarious to look back to 1989 when the band began; a time in music history when Cannibal Corpses recordings made Tipper Gores hit list of the most offensive and obscene material in the music industry. We all heard the accusations that heavy metal music spawned all these horrible, uncontrollable youth who would undoubtedly go on to be drug addicts, murders, psychotic zombies and the like. There is no question the band, and other like them, can sing about vile things like death, mutilation, maggot infestation, blood and guts, to the point where some are shaking their heads in disgust thinking these guys are sick and twisted individuals! But heres the thing, its all in good fun and what I experienced at this show was a night of pure, unadulterated entertainment that was enjoyed by all. There was no discrimination, no age limit, no altercations, nothing negative that I could detect. Just a brotherhood of metalheads who continue to prove the non-believers wrong. And that is the loudest statement our metal enclave can make. Welcome home boys, we missed you!
Set List:
Scalding Hail
Unleashing The Bloodthirsty
Savage Butchery
Sentenced To Burn
The Wretched Spawn
I Will Kill You
I Cum Blood
Gutted
Death Walking Terror
Evisceration Plague
The Time To Kill Is Now
Shatter Their Bones
Make Them Suffer
Priests of Sodom
Staring Through the Eyes of the Dead
Devoured By Vermin
A Skull Full Of Maggots
Hammer Smashed Face
Stripped, Raped And Strangled
We would like to thank Kevin McCarthy from Club Infinity for allowing Backstageaxxess.com to review the show. For more information on Club Infinity, please go to: http://infinityconcerts.com/.
