King Stench | Dayton937

Horlet (photo by Mike Ritchie)

Friday the 13th has been associated with many bad things for a long time. Historically, theories suggest the combination of two superstitions claiming 13 as an unlucky number and Friday as an unlucky day are partially responsible for its original bad reputation. In numerology 12 stands for divine organized arrangements and completion (12 months, 12 hours of the clock). 13 is thought of as irregular, offsetting the pattern. There’s also a superstition possibly derived from the Last Supper that having 13 guests at the table meant the death of one, and Friday was the day of the crucifixion. Historical references are almost non-existent before the 1907 novel Friday, the Thirteenth where a shady broker takes advantage of the superstition creating a panic on Wall Street. There’s also a fear of Friday the 13th called friggatriskaidekaphobia, if you can pronounce it.

The most popular version of Friday the 13thaka ‘Jason Day’ began at the dawn of the early 80’s slasher era, introducing the world to one of the longest running film franchises in history, the creepy effect of two whispered one syllable sounds and the craziest mother since Norma Bates. According to some die hard horror fans, Friday the 13^thshould be a national holiday worldwide and with a proven track record that nothing goes better with horror than heavy metal, a metal show on Friday the 13th is a machete to the head no-brainer.

SITH, Horlet, King Stench and Zuel fit the blood soaked bill delivering loud, killer performances providing the music for any screaming chase scene.

Shadows in the Hourglass take the stage at Blind Bobs opening with the eerie ambient trance of bass and drums. Zack Ryan plays bass like a lead guitar with effects pedals making it the center of attention and conversation, his fingers spelling out the intelligent intricacies of the strings. Cliff Burton would be proud. The Lovecraft-inspired Behind the Veil of Sleep is a high neck, frantic sounding interpretation of an MMA fighters walk to the cage. Illusions of Serenity pour schizophrenic sweat down the face of a deep dark jagged cliff starring into the dark mirror of water below. Ryan turns his bass into a dark voiced reverberation of a tortured soul’s inner turmoil as drummer Travis Abling hits the skins providing the musical canvas for the two man tapestry of sound. They finish with namesake SITH, as Ryan plays the dark lord on bass.

Death metal lovers of Egypt, Horlet play next, promoting their new CD The Keys of Life and Death. Starting with the musical pile-driver Wings of Ariel, we walk through the hallowed Halls of Amenti. We’re Taken to a place where Iron Maiden and Amon Amarth coexist on the same stage at the same time. Next is the potential ‘CD single’ and hit Annabelle’s Curse, which might conjure up visions of evil but has nothing to do with raggedy dolls. We get a warning From the Clouds then they finish with their own special heretic anthem Children of the Light. The band played as loud as Allen D. McCowan’s neon green bass strings.

Zuel (photo by Mike Ritchie)

The stench has arrived, worse than any bottom of the lake drowned body or stalking masked corpse. King Stench has come with their working class black/death metal legions. Hell Gates open with the hellacious blast beats of the hammering Eric Barnes with Slayer solos bringing the crowd up front and necks rapidly mobile. They deliver the electro shocks, shrieking notes of False Prophets and the down in the dirt on the knees riffs of Fight. They unleash the army of hungry, fanged mongrels on Hell Hounds. Visions of Death bring the violence of the battlefield to the stage. They finish with a Behemoth sized cover of Ov Fire in the Void.

Intelligent, instrumental thrash and pound masters Zuel headline starting with the neck power-bombing Facemelter giving out fast secondary beatings with the grunting, thudding concrete wallop of the S—thammer. Rapture’s heavy mechanic, destructive, industrial sound captures the human panic of a world without mobile technology, texting and computers for a few days. There’s a nice guttural mixture of Godflesh, Meshuggah and Morbid Angel without evil/violent vocal intentions. Though, lyrically silent Zuel showcased a healthy experimentation with the elements of the periodic metal table, finishing with the five minute chug juggernaut Johnny.

On Saturday April 27, Zeently Productions presented the benefit show for local musician Mike Nye. Five bands came out to support the cause and play some seriously heavy sh- with Architects of Doom, Forces of Nature, King Stench, Spike Opera and The Reefer Hut alongside a crowd of local talent, friends and fans showing up to support Nye in his recovery.

While hanging out at a fellow musician’s house Nye suffered a freak, fluke injury coming down a flight of concrete steps planting his foot. His momentum caused an awkward shift resulting in several leg injuries including 2 cracks in the tibia, 1 fibula and a top ankle crack. A halo was placed on his leg with 9 insertion points used to reset bones with wires and three metal rods attached to bones. There’s a 6-8 month healing window expected and Nye hopes to be back to full metal strength ASAP.

Nye’s been a fixture in the Dayton scene since the late 80’s starting in Killust then playing in the original version of local legends Decay, appearing on Dayton’s Metal Mania public access show then joining Foul Stench, recording 4 CD’s and 3 more with Maximus Crispus.

Architects of Doom (photo by MIke Ritchie)

Within 24 hours of hearing the news, Marc and Shannon Godsey of Forces of Nature booked and organized the event at McGuffy’s including a 2 dollar raffle for CD’s and T-shirts donated by McGuffys, Foul Stench, King Stench, Internal Bleeding, Horlet, NDEX, Engraved Darkness, Vein Collector and Incurable Misogyny. Gift cards were donated by Subway on Linden/Smithville, 4 free drum lessons by Brian Harris at Absolute Music in Fairborn and Randy Gaines offered free body piercing. There was also a silent auction for a 21” Magnavox TV, with remote and table stand donated by Zeently and a HP-PC donated by Dayton Metal Mania.

Not even 24 hours after supporting Fear Factory on the same stage, Architects of Doom played double duty starting the party at 7pm for all the early evening diehards, Amish time for almost any metal band. Tonight they’re playing for ‘stripper money’ and all bets are off when Keith goes shirtless. They’re proud to call McGuffy’s their second home playing One Less Worry and a kick ass version of Sepultura’s Slave New World.

King Stench (photo by Mike Ritchie)

Forces of Nature came to thrash with their brand of clobbering sound. They’re a band that’s cemented a strong following, and they always have lady luck on their side. They play rapturous thrash with legit end of the world cred playing the Dec 21^st show last year, playing Reverbnation chuggers Magnus Lee, Rotten Tooth and As Seen on TV among others.

Next up Dayton’s black metal blasphemer King Stench spewed its version of evil incarnate. But even the most dark and sinister forms of the genre aren’t as insidious when used for a good cause, to help out a fellow human. Nevertheless Hell’s Gate opened with a fury as 10 songs of Devastation followed from their available CD’s Ungod and Visions of Death including new tune Eternal Fire. Hell’s Gate, Ungod and Goat Lord can be heard on Reverbnation. Marc Godsey played back to back double sets like a proud sweat stained metal soldier. The music is much like what you feel during those something’s chasing you and your feet are stuck in something/not moving dreams. King’s voice sounds like the last thing you’d wanna hear walking into a dark room.

Spike Opera (photo by Mike Nye)

Springfield’s newly resurrected/regrouped Spike Opera brought a blitzkrieg cacophony of sound to the senses. They’re a little bit punk, a little thrash with the frenetic pace of Slayer and Testament with hints of Yngwie Malmstein and the chaotic structure of black metal. Vocalist Dug Brown has a little bit of John Connely and Chuck Billy in his lungs and blood along with some heavy whiplashed dreads. Their music definitely inspires Blood-N-Bruises and Bloodspray. Leatherface gets a facelift and props on The Saw Is Family with all victims going in The Hearse. Their recording/touring history dates back to the mid-eighties. After many changes and a long hiatus the planets have aligned, and they’ve returned.

It was time for Confessions Of…A Near Death Experience playing and pulverizing anyone who dared to Talk Sh-. They pulled out the good ole ballpeen Hammer just for audience testing. Recently playing the Earth Day bash, tonight seems like they’d rather pummel and pillage rather than save it.

The Reefer Hut finished the show with a nice, cool, calm and mellow collection of pleasantries… but seriously, Adam Baumann also pulls double duty Moving Forward until he falls into a coffin and gets gurney out, that’s dedication. With many member changes, good times, hard times they’ve had their share but they have great Inner Pride in their Hardcore Urban sound adding elements of Cypress Hill, tribal sounds and Sepultura/Cavalera Conspiracy.

For all those loyal late nighters who stayed till the end, Shannon Godsey’s mother, Mrs. Rebecca Naylor baked and built a huge 3 layer Foul Stench hardcore delicious sugar bomb cake special for the occasion.

Nye thanks everyone for all the positive support, responses and everything done for the benefit. “I feel lucky for the support and friendship everyone’s shown”

REVIEW: SITH, Horlet, King Stench, Zuel Bang Heads on Friday the 13th

REVIEW: Zeently Productions Presents Mike Nye Benefit Show