Philadelphia’s Union Transfer venue recently got a serious dose of metal by an eclectic mix of four of the genre’s leading practitioners including High On Fire, Primate, Goatwhore, and Lo-Pan, as their national tour package dropped by the City of Brotherly Love.
Ohio’s Lo-Pan kicked off the evening as the band continues spreading their rock and roll gristle in support of 2011’s Benny Grotto–produced Salvador full-length, released via Small Stone Records. Lo-Pan proceeded to launch into a blistering set that was extended to the delight of crowd seeing the band fire off tracks from their latest album with a handful of choice older cuts for good measure. Blow The Scene‘s resident giant, Andy McNeil caught up with Lo-Pan shortly after the release of Salvador for full-feature interview, so be sure to scope that if you are just tuning into this band.
Atlanta’s supergroup of grind punks, Primate are no strangers to Blow The Scene as we premiered a new track from the band’s latest on Relapse Records, Draw Back A Stump +3 Songs re-issue, earlier this year with an exclusive interview. Featuring Kevin Sharp (Brutal Truth), Dave Whitworth and Shayne Huff (of Atlanta’s The Despised), Bill Kelliher (Mastodon), and Mike Brennan, the band members need little introduction. If you are into old-school punk and grind, Primate is an absolute must. With a furious concoction of dirty d-beat and murky grind, Primate ripped through a blazing set that was punctuated by a cover of Black Flag‘s “Rise Above,” which saw an already rowdy crowd completely loose control. Definitely a band to keep an eye on in 2013.
This show marked the first time we’ve got to cover New Orleans’ blackened death-metallers Goatwhore live since Summer Slaughter Tour 2012, and we were quite impressed. Having a chance to focus on the band during a co-headlining run made for a poignant display of blazing riffs and unrelenting speed. Now 15+ years deep in the game, the band is in the midst of a definite stride, firing off a smoking set that looked like second nature to these touring vets. Goatwhore‘s latest studio work on Metal Blade Records, Blood For The Master, has been making waves across the worldwide metal community since its release earlier this year.
Last and certainly not least, stoner metal titans, High On Fire broke off a commanding performance with a newly sober Matt Pike at the helm. You’ve got to tip you hat to this band, as a sober trifecta of metal riffin’ monsters, they sounded sharp and blistering, with no need for extra stonage to match their potent stoner rock. It’s always inspiring to see a person, musician or otherwise, come to the brink of unraveling only to pull in the reigns and re-invent. Apart from Pike’s new healthier lease on life, the band has much to celebrate with a recent album on
We know you are here for the pictures, so without further ado..
All photos by Blow The Scene’s Senior Staff Photographer Dante Torrieri (Useless Rebel Imaging)
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