Obscure Chaos Zine

DarkTranquillity

Stage 48 in New York City, NY

February 3, 2014

Reviewed by: Lady Lea

This weather sure sucks, train delays and walking , its so cold that I've been trying to hide some of my face into my husbands chest. I'm not one to wear scarfs and now thinking maybe I should. This evening we are heading to to a new venue called Stage 48 located on 605 West 48th Street, Manhattan, between Eleventh and Twelfth Avenue. that we haven’t' had the chance to go too and the only reason was because I wanted to see Dark Tranquillity.

I was concerned that it still would have a horse shit smell since it was once a horse stable from the 1950s but probably not since it was remolded. It has an old vibe of industrial architecture but it has more of a classier look for upper class. I can only image how much the drinks are here.

I'm glad we arrived a little early but wow they have nice black tables and if this place was completely packed I would have bang into them trying to get to the bar in between bands. My husband whispers in my ear this place would have been good for the Italian Mobs and I had to laugh because its just has that type of vibe for the modern world. They have a nice balcony with its own seating arrangements, nice size bars, and nice size stage.

This venue is definitely very upscale and I wonder how metal bands like playing a venue like this must be a change of pace from playing dive bars and don't get me wrong dive bars are just the best places to hang out at.

I can sense some issues this evening as I hear two people bitching about this club all ready on photographer complaining about not having a special photographer area, hum not every club does, he must be a new one coming out, and maybe I should bitch about not having a well lighted area to contribute a review but that's retarded. You're here to have a good time and remember what was most impressive to you. I bet they even got on the guest list where as I paid for mine and my husbands tickets. So, suck it up and toughen up.

Exmortus is a metal band with some heavy technical tunes that blew me away and I believe they have won two new fans (my husband and I). To me they had a a mixture of melodic death, thrash metal power metal, Conan's grunts and snarls had me in a in a memorize state of mine. As if I was in a trace just enjoying ever note that came out of this mouth,"Triumph by Fire," definitely set my metal passion on fire. Some may have found the two guitarist showing off with their acrobatics guitar tricks, playing each other guitars, swinging their axes on their backs while the other one controls it but hell they were entertaining and fun. Not only was I having fun so was this band.

By this time I had a a bit much to drink, passed my two limit when traveling on the trains even though I have my husband but I still like to be more in control of myself, by hey, I'm having a blast as if I was 21 all over again.

Omnium Gatherum was awesome as well. Progressive, Melodic Death Metal who was heavy, enthusiastic, and got the crowd going with chantings, fist in the air and purely had me headbanging along to “Nail”, “New Dynamic” “Deep Cold” and “The Unknowning” were the songs that took my attention.

Dark Tranquillity is one of my favorite bands from Gothenburg, Sweden and I begged my husband to get us tickets and wished that we knew about the VIP package deal where you could have had a meet and greet with the bands ahead of time. Next time, I guess. You know when a band is good if they've been around for 25 years. Kicking off their North American ‘Construct’ Tour, I'm sure many fans like myself are thrilled. Dark Tranquillity took the stage with “The Science of Noise,” “White Noise/Black Silence,” “Monochromatic Stains,” “Lost to Apathy,” “The Fatalist,” “The Silence in Between,” “Zero Distance” and I almost wanted to cry whey they started playing “The Mundane and the Magic,” which is one of my favorite songs, which lead into “Punish My Heaven,” “The Wonders at Your Feet ,” which I could use a nice foot rub from my hubby, “What Only You Know,” “Iridium,Terminus (Where Death Is Most Alive),” “State of Trust,” “ThereIn,” and “Final Resistance.” A set that was filled of layers of power, brutally, dark, and beautiful melodies that was fully complex and insightful. We are greedy metal-heads in NY with a three song encore with “Lethe,” “Endtime Hearts,” and Stanne himself jumped into the crowd a few times during their closing song, “Misery's Crown”. What a pack set-list reaching all ages and metalheads. With ending the night with a 7' EP entitled, “A Memory Construct.”

This cold, snowy night turned into one of the best nights I've had so far this year. The truth is at first I was a bit uncomfortable because how the crowd has changed with newer people and a younger crowd, both my husband and I felt like parents and we even had an inside joke now we know what our parents left like taken us to shows. I always had a thing for Melodic Death Metal bands and was glad to have the chance to seen one of my faves at Stage 48 in NYC. This place looks a bit up-class to have metal shows but I happen to like the set up and the vibe of this place and had a great time. Overall each band was superb check out this tour and this venue if you're in NYC.