I had promised a friend I made during the school year I would drive up to visit her up by Toledo, and when this tour decided to make a stop there, I made good on the promise. Another mutual friend and I made the two and a half hour drive up, and despite losing our way for a couple of miles, we managed to make it to her place before doors opened at Vamp's. 

After catching up briefly, we headed out to the venue. And what a strange venue it is. Three stories (another being completed, I think) with a main stage on the second floor and a smaller stage for the local bands on the third. It is also linked to a Masonic Temple. However, the most noticeable thing was the unbearable heat. No air conditioning, I figured. As the bands began setting up, we headed out an adjoining Burger King to grab a drink and encountered what I have to say was a trans-sexual behind the counter. She (he?) had a moustache worse than I'd ever be able to grow! We quickly high-tailed it out of there and got back to the venue, half-amused and half-disgusted. The first major band, Odious Mortem, had taken the stage. They played some surprisingly interesting death metal, though not very original. There were some sound problems towards the end of their set, during which some members jammed out on a Dio number. 

After the brief setback they finished their set and began to unload. Next up was Decrepit Birth. Their brand of brutal death metal was hard to get into at first, but I slowly warmed up to it (as did a lot of the crowd). They even threw in a cool Suffocation cover in their set, and seemed to play off us fans' energy pretty well. There was the obligatory dedication of one song to "all the stoners out there". They were very impressive, though the same could not be said of their merch.

During most of the next band's set, I was upstairs catching my friend's friends' band on the smaller stage. They're called Day of Pentecost, and they were really good for a band just starting out. Check 'em out at their MySpace listed below. 

I managed to catch the last song of Vile's set, and stuck around for the headliners. Deeds of Flesh, were really brutal, almost too much so I thought as their set wore on. But I guess that's what you get with a tour lineup on which the bands sound quite similar to each other. The only band I'd really given a listen to before Decrepit Birth, and the others did not sound very different from them. But all in all a good show. I must also mention another good local band on the smaller stage: Forever Lost. If you like the Gothenburg/melodic death metal sound, this band is for you. 

www.myspace.com/deedsofflesh

www.myspace.com/vile

www.myspace.com/decrepitbirth

www.myspace.com/odiousmortem

www.myspace.com/dayofpentecost

www.myspace.com/foreverlost
 

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