Cancerslug hit venues across the frozen US on their 33-stop Storm of Hatred tour promoting the release of their latest album, Rootwork.
Cancerslug has developed a unique horror-punk sound. They have been likened to The Misfits, but derive their musical influences from several sources, including GG Allin, The Dwarves, Samhain, and Elvis. They are associated with Doyle, who vocalist Alex “Wolfman” Story collaborated and toured with supporting the release of Abominator in 2014.
They kicked off the Storm of Hatred tour at Swayze’s in Atlanta Georgia on January 19. With dates to play in areas hardest hit with brutal weather and arctic temperatures, Cancerslug had only a few setbacks and pressed on proving the metal this band is made of.
15-FEB-2015: El Corazón in Seattle, WA
First on stage were The Famished, a new band to the Seattle punk scene that started November of 2013. The four-piece consists of Walker White (vocals), Jacob Roos (bass), Ethan Overton (guitar), and Chris Sorensen (drums).
Next up were Hades Machine, a Seattle based horror-punk band whose love for horror film shined through with their stage performance and the splashes of blood on their faces. The band is fronted by Jake Hades, and includes Nick of the Grave (guitar), Count Bassey (bass), and Matthew de los Muertos (drums). Included in the lineup is Randy Haines, who is filling in while the band looks for an additional guitarist. Each musician played enthusiastically through a highly animated set.
Following them and warming up the stage for Cancerslug were No Buffer, playing a blend of old fashioned punk and alternative with a hard rock feel. The band formed in December 2011. Their sound is reminiscent of a wide spectrum of music from hardcore punk to arena rock anthems. The lineup includes Bryan Bach (guitar, vocals), Jeff Odell (bass), Bryan Dietrich (guitar), and Jared Brown (drums). No Buffer released their self-titled debut album in 2012, followed by Everything Will Be Just Fine (2013) and West Coast Punk (2014).
As Cancerslug started into their set, fans whipped up a pit to hits off of their latest release, Rootwork, such as “Girls Chained Up in the Basement Making Babies to Kill,” “I Want to Fuck Your Girlfriend,” and “Rape Train” to name a few. She Wolves Joceylin Gonzalez (guitar) and Cassie Baher (bass) played ferociously providing the hooks and grooves. Mike Horgan (drums) set the tempo as frontman Alex Story (vocals) leaped from the shadows with the intensity of a wounded and restrained hybrid human, desperate to break free of its chains. Story impatiently circled the stage before lashing out to his next victim.
The unfortunate detail of this night was a rather light turn-out for the show. Cancerslug and the supporting acts had traveled a long way. The anticipation had been a packed house due to the support artists being local Punk favorites in the Portland scene with a strong following. Even so, all the bands played hard and from the heart, giving those at the show their money’s worth.
16-FEB-2015: The Tonic Lounge in Portland, OR
The Tonic Lounge is “where drinks come true,†as stated on the venue’s website. It has a great atmosphere, being spacious but cozy, with a large stage. The Tonic is a regular host of national acts, and a select number of local bands are lucky enough booked in support. Last night, three local bands opened for Cancerslug; God Bless America (GBA), The Brass, and Clackamas Baby Killers (CBK).
God Bless America tend to spawn new fans with every show they play. They make people laugh, and were decked out in Caribbean dad ware… Hawaiian tourist shirts, pink or plaid shorts, sunglasses, and flip-flops. Frontman, Eddie Kancer, declared the band was “just back from their Caribbean island cruise.”
GBA is open and honest hardcore punk/crossover thrash, spewing disdain for religious hypocrisy in “One Kross Three Nails†and a love for Satan in a song titled just that. They live and breathe satire, sarcasm, and dry humor, with songs such as “Fuck the Homeless,” “Dwarves Ain’t the Meatmen (But They Still Suck),” and their infamous rendition of The Misfits’ “We Are 138,” in which Kancer sings, “We are GBA!” The rest of this unconquerable band include Fluffy Kettering (bass), The Reverend Pat Riot (guitar), and Captain Mittens (drums).
The Brass are made up of Matt Forbes (vocals), Ryan Brodie (guitar), Nick Wilson (guitar), Richie Petrillo (bass), and Steve Simmons (drums). Their sound is a blend of melodic hardcore and pop-punk, reminiscent of 90s pop-punk band Ten Foot Pole. The Brass are youthful and energetic, as Forbes works the front of the stage and nearing the end of their set, the audience is asked to clap along.
Though they play infrequently, Clackamas Baby Killers played their brand of hardcore punk that is parallel to what most angry, curious, and misfit teenagers start out listening to: NOFX, The Adolescents, 7 Seconds, The Germs, late era Cro-Mags, and late 80’s New York hardcore… you get the point.
On this night, they played fresh and anew without their second guitar player, who is no longer in the band. This leaves Paul Scholes (vox and guitar), Todd Hall (bass), and Jordan Lewis (drums). Cracking jokes and not taking anything seriously, they ended their set with their raw and poignant version of “Day-Man,” the favored song from TV show It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Cancerslug is known for big shows with great fan turn out and violent pits, which Alex Story clearly has an innate ability to provoke. Unfortunately, that was not to be in the Pacific Northwest this time around.
The turn out on both nights was disappointing. Alex Story nailed it in a comment where he suggested the audience “come closer to the stage… Dance a little… all five of ya.” It was clearly not the typical turn out for the death sleaze band from Huntsville, Alabama. Despite the turnouts at these venues, Cancerslug played a set similar to the previous night’s show with hits off of their latest release Rootwork and taking a request from the floor.
The Cancerslug tour continues, with dates in the US through early March. For a hard hitting show rounded out by solid local talent, this is the event to see. Be sure to pick up a copy of Rootwork, released on January 2015.
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The Famished
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Hades Machine
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God Bless America
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Clackamas Baby Killers (CBK)
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Cancerslug
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El Corazón
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Tonic Lounge
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