Earth Crisis, In Flames, Skinlab
August 4th, 2000
Columbus, OH @ Al Rosa Villa

The Creeps and Burn It Down opened the nights show, but unfortunately I had prior plans and could not get to the venue in time to catch these two bands. The Creeps are an outstanding local hardcore band, and I was sorry to miss them. In addition, I heard nothing but good things about Burn It Down from the people I spoke to at the show, and I really wish I could have seen them.

Unfortunately, due to lack of promotion, this concert drew very few people, and the club was less then half full for the show. This is rather disappointing, as these bands deserve to be seen, especially In Flames, who came here from Sweden. Anyway, as soon as I entered the club, the lights dimmed and Skinlab took to the stage.

Skinlab's set was good. They were definitely better this time then the last time I saw them, but they still are not that impressive. They are a good band, but their live show is nothing special. They would not rank very high on the "best live band" list. Skinlab played mostly songs off of 'Disembody: The New Flesh." They play with a really muddled sound, from which you cannot really decipher the guitar parts, but nonetheless sounds really heavy. They received a decent response from the crowd, and had some mosh pits, but their pits were pitiful compared to those that would come later in the night. Skinlab tried to incite a circle pit, but the circle pit that was spawned was pitiful, and probably the worst circle pit I have ever seen. It lasted about 3 seconds. The band had good stage presence, nothing to scream about, but they looked like they were into the music. Skinlab turned in a mediocre performance, but I do not really expect that much more from them.

After Skinlab came those warriors from Gothenburg, In Flames. One word would describe their live show: Amazing. The first thing worth mentioning about their set was their incredible sound. In Flames' sound guy did an incredible job mixing the guitars together, and getting the best possible sound out of the band. Jesper and Bjorn, despite having to play rather difficult guitar parts and solos, had awesome stage presence, and gave off tons of energy, which in turn was absorbed by the headbanging crowd. The two guitarists never missed a beat, and sounded incredible. At times it was hard to not just stand in awe of the masterful guitar work. Vocalist Anders was equally energetic, thrashing about on the stage and twirling his cordless mic. The set consisted of new songs and old favorites, and had a hard-hitting theme. Off of the new album, 'Clayman,' the band played "Bullet Ride" (the shows opener), "Pinball Map," "Only For The Weak," "Clay Man," and "Swim." The band had an excellent crowd response, as after every song the audience erupted in yells and applause. In Flames was awesome, and needs to be seen by all. I would not hesitate to call them one of the best metal bands of today.

After a stunning set by In Flames, Earth Crisis came onto the stage. Most of the metalheads cleared the floor, and the pit this time was ruled by hardcore kids. I can fault Earth Crisis' set for very little, as they had a great show. Unfortunately, they had the difficult task of following In Flames, whom I doubted could be topped. I was right. I found it hard to get into the Earth Crisis after watching In Flames, but for the hardcore crowd in attendance, Earth Crisis was everything. The band played mostly songs off of 'Slither,' but threw in some off of 'Breed The Killers,' 'Gomorrah's Season Ends,' 'All Out War,' and 'Firestorm.' The band had good stage presence, especially bassist Bulldog, who was crazy up on the stage. Karl's growl sounded great, but unfortunately his singing was terrible. He was totally off-key and struggled to get through the singing parts of the new songs. It was painful to watch. He definitely needs singing lessons. Otherwise, his growl was excellent and he sounded good. The pits were huge for this set, and got pretty intense. Karl incited a circle pit, and this time it was done right. It was great. Luckily their were no fights during Earth Crisis' set, and everyone got along. During the closer of 'Gomorrah's Season End's', a huge pile-on erupted and everyone rushed the stage to participate in the closing lines of "I am straight edge." It got pretty crazy. Overall, Earth Crisis was great, but it was just impossible for me to enjoy them fully after watching In Flames.

This is a great tour. An awesome package at a good price, definitely check this one out when it hits your town.

Reviewed by: Dave Benson