MAY 5th, 2024
THE MACHINE KILLER TOUR
Review by Metallic Barbie
Photos by Peter Ruttan

http://www.metaltitans.com/concertpics/machine-killer-tour/

Heads were banging and beers were flowing Sunday night at the Vogue Theatre in Vancouver, BC, where a quad lineup melted faces.  The crowd was hydrophobic, my friends, and absolutely mad for metal. 

Short sets from Wisconsonites Lines of Loyalty, who dropped their debut album in October 2023, and seasoned NYC nu metal maîtres Dope amped the crowd to eleven and set the bar at an awesome height for the co-headlined Machine Killer Tour.

Vocalist Edsel Dope, guitarists Acey Slade and Virus, bassist Daniel Fox, and drummer Chris Warner ripped through nine tunes, including classics “Debonair” and “Die MF Die” all while making the time for jokes, humility, and good ole fashioned musical debauchery – and in under 40 minutes, no less.

After the obligatory bathroom/beverage break, Sevendust took on the runner-up spot and kicked right into new material from their 2023 release Truth Killer.  Lajon Witherspoon (vocals), Clint Lowery (guitarist, backing vocals), John Connolly (guitarist, backing vocals), Vince Hornsby (bassist, backing vocals), and Morgan Rose (drummer, backing vocals) seamlessly worked together to shred hearts and pummel minds.   The band treated rabid fans to faves like “Black”, Bitch”, and “Denial”, spanning their 30 years in the biz, keeping it heavy and minding the energy.  Special mention to Rose behind the kit - no matter how many times I catch them, no matter how ripping the set, I always fall under his spell.  He is arguably one of the most entertaining skinmen on stage and rallies me with every embattled howl.

The (sometimes) controversial return of Static-X to the stage post-death of lead vocalist/guitarist Wayne Static in 2014, was all but forgotten when the first notes of “Hollow” rang out from the 2020 release Project Regeneration, Vol 1.  Like a robot zombie from the future, frontman Xer0 (vocals, rhythm guitar) embodied at least the sound of Static-X of yore, and caged by Koichi Fukada (lead guitar), Tony Campos (bass), and Ken Jay (drums), reincarnated much of the Wisconsin Death Trip album, with a dusting of Project Regeneration, Vol 2, and Machine for good measure.  The nu-industrial metal militia distended necks and throat punched gullets with a continuous stream of hard and heavy jingles to ring on and into the night.

The Machine Killer Tour continues into mid-May for the third leg, with music festival quick hits for Sevendust at Louder Than Life in Lousiville, KY, and Static-X at Aftershock in Sacramento, CA, into the fall.  Now quit reading this review, and instead get your ass out to a live show.