Fans of Dead Eyes Open, Southern Death Threat, and Ninjaspy get crazy at the Media Club

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      Southern Death Threat
      At the Media Club on Friday, December 17

      If metal music has taught us anything, it’s that its fans are fucking crazy. Take the four willing participants who were crucified—nude—for the Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth’s Black Mass Krakow 2004 concert video. Or that time a 21-year-old metal-head jumped to his death at a Metallica gig in Baltimore.

      Luckily for the Media Club, last Friday’s three-band line-up didn’t inspire Satanic ritual sacrifice or suicidal followers, but fans of Dead Eyes Open, Southern Death Threat, and Ninjaspy were determined to show how fucking crazy they could really get.

      As soon as Victoria’s Dead Eyes Open hit the stage, a wave of devil-horned salutes and wild screams swamped the room. It didn’t take more than a couple of songs to get the eager crowd moshing to the five-piece’s heavy, progressive-metal melodies. Lead vocalist David Fraelic deftly switched between a chilling croon and true-metal growling on songs like “City Falls to Ashes” and “Newspapers and Empty Streets”. The heavily distorted synchronicity of guitarists John Phan and Matt Gladman gave the band its balls, but the guys showcased their softer side by weaving in prog-rock descants while bassist Matt Harder kept the tunes on-point.

      Vancouver’s own Southern Death Threat was up next, boasting a considerable handful of devotees. And, gosh, what gems these guys were! When not drooling over the three hot sluts who took to the stage for a bit of—ahem—dancing, vocalist Nick Oszinski was screaming “You took my load in your face. Oh yeah, bitch, you liked it! You’re such a lucky girl” into the mike. Oszinski went on to suggest that the audience “roll up a hundred-dollar bill and snort this ”˜line of destruction’?”. The song’s generic riffs, snare-heavy drumming, and Fred Durst-inspired rage suggested that the trio would be better suited to play at a UFC match than a beloved bar on Cambie Street, and that might be the exact thing the guys are going for.

      Last up was Ninjaspy, the band we’d all been waiting for. The group’s reggae-tinged hardcore is anything but generic, and the group’s unique swagger had fans creating a skank-mosh hybrid that quickly turned into a circle pit.

      The clear anomaly during Ninjaspy’s set was the tongue-in-cheek “Out of Tampons”, a progressive, uptempo song intermittently sprinkled with metal elements. Although announcing that he was battling bronchitis, singer-guitarist Joel Parent seemed to keep up the reggae-to-metal vocal shifts with relative ease, and the crowd’s synchronized head-banging and limb-shaking was perfectly coordinated with the music.

      With bassist Tim Parent finally getting to showcase some funky lines while drummer Adam Parent (yes, this is truly a band of brothers) laid on the skins, Ninjaspy attempted to wind down with “Evolution of the Skid” at a little past 1 a.m. The sweaty, gleaming show-goers still weren’t finished knocking each other around, though, and chanted for one more song. Happily conceding, frontman Joel announced he’d be singing about his imaginary friend Ted, capping the group’s hour-long set with “Hey Ted”.

      After three and a half hours of being knocked over tables and drenched in their neighbours’ sweat, the clear champions of the night were the fans. And although they didn’t crucify themselves for the bands they love, I believe they would have if asked.


      Watch Dead Eyes Open perform "We Rule the Wasteland" at the Media Club on December 17.

      Comments

      14 Comments

      richard wilcox

      Dec 21, 2010 at 3:13pm

      Why wont Ninja spy just go back to the forest and survive on lichen and tampons?

      Dec 21, 2010 at 5:32pm

      Southern Death Threat effing rock wicked show !!!

      Vance Vandervan

      Dec 21, 2010 at 6:54pm

      Its never good when they say you have a "considerable handful of devotees" in a club that only holds 150 people. Southern Death Threat you fail again!

      Kiki jones

      Dec 21, 2010 at 8:56pm

      Love DEAD EYES OPEN

      Pauliewannacracka

      Dec 22, 2010 at 11:04am

      Once again Ninjaspy stole the show! (as always) too bad they had to go to (and tour) Japan to get signed

      hello Canadian A&R? music "buyers" do not like Down with Webster or Die Mannequin, good for pirating...bad for biz. Ninjaspy theres a CD I would pay for and read the liner notes like when I was young that's what a good album was all about

      Sigh.........

      Dylan Woelders

      Dec 22, 2010 at 11:50am

      Fuckin awesome show; all of the bands!!! Thanks for rockin the shit outa my Birthday for me!! Special cheers to David of Dead Eyes Open for sharing a birthday shot with me and the free CD!!!!

      Janice Wilson

      Dec 22, 2010 at 12:35pm

      Dead Eyes Open are unreal , Should big huge in Canada!!!!!

      SDTfan

      Dec 22, 2010 at 1:11pm

      So the writer obviously didn't see the same show I did.
      The singer from SDT didn't say shit that was all derogatory as the writer implies...those quotes are from their song Wanted Sevenfold, and they're not even right.
      Do some research on the bands you review.

      Janice Wilson

      Dec 22, 2010 at 3:15pm

      DEAD EYES OPEN RULE CANADA

      David Sears

      Dec 22, 2010 at 4:14pm

      Dead Eyes Open were excellent , very unique. Hope they do well in the future . Hope to see them back in Vancouver soon.