Turning The Neptune Into A Popcorn Moshing Frenzy - DECIBEL TOUR w/Kreator, Obituary, Midnight, and Horrendous! Seattle, WA 3/28/17!

Decibel Magazine Tour

Kreator

Obituary

Midnight

Horrendous

The Drip

March 28, 2017

@ The Neptune Theater

Seattle, WA

Greetings!

I covered the Decibel Magazine tour last year headlined by Abbath.  This year the tour sports another mix of metal headlined by Kreator with death metal legends Obituary as special guests with old school metal masters Midnight and the death with technical abilities Horrendous as openers.  Regional bands have been added to each show with The Drip getting the slot in Seattle.

I arrived right before the doors opened to see a very small line waiting outside the Neptune.  I had a video interview scheduled (see link below) with Terry from Obituary.  The last time I had been at this venue was a month ago and the line went down one block and then some.  So, seeing such a short line was strange.

After getting my credentials and heading inside, a few minutes later I met up with Terry at their merch table and headed upstairs to conduct the interview. 

After the interview I was heading downstairs when I heard a band playing which confused me.  The show was supposed to start at 7pm.  Well, apparently the local band The Drip came on and played a 20-minute set before the actual show time.  This was unfortunate for them, as no one knew they were starting early.  There was a smattering of fans inside the venue (and others may have mistimed their arrival thinking what I did - first band is on at 7pm when in reality they meant first "touring" band is on at 7pm).  I only got to hear part of one song from their set.

Horrendous came on around 7pm and played a brief 30-minute set.  A mixture of death metal with some definite technical ability, the band started to warm up the crowd toward the end of their set.  A bit of moshing broke out at times which is always a good sign at these shows.

Old school Venom/Motorhead/thrash worshipping trio Midnight were up next.  Decked out in their all-familiar hoods, which covered their identities, the guys simply tore up the Neptune with their brand of metal.  They played with reckless abandon complete with smashing a donated guitar/bass (they were doing this every city this tour); Midnight went over really well with the Seattle crowd. 

Next up were the one and only Obituary.  I was really hoping they were going to give them a bit more stage to work with but that wasn't the case.  It didn't matter (other than from a photography stand point).  The band hit the stage, supporting their 10th album, titled "Obituary", and the place went nuts.  Clearly sounding professional after all the years they've existed as a band, John, Trevor, Frank, Terry, and Don just crushed their set.  Playing a 45-minute set of old and new starting off with, “Internal Bleeding” and ending with, “Slowly We Rot”, Obituary showed why they are leaders and not followers.  I would have preferred either a longer set (co-headlining) or even headlining, they were the band to beat Tuesday night.

Once the stage was stripped of the monitors and other assorted items, Kreator were ready to take the stage.  As soon as they broke into their first song, the pit started up, massive headbanging everywhere, and there was no looking back.  Mille and the band played a blistering 90-minute set of pure Germanic thrash.  Complete with lighting, fog/steam shooting machines, the band played songs from their newest album, "Gods of Violence" along with plenty of old classic tunes like, "Pleasure To Kill".

Once the last notes rang out from Kreator's set, the houselights came on and the crowd at the Neptune looked worn out in the best possible way.  Booking this tour at the Neptune was a great move for the fans (not sure for the promoter as the gig wasn't sold out) vs. some of the smaller clubs around town, I hope next year's Decibel Tour is booked at the same venue.

The tour continues on until mid-April so check out the tour if it hits your town!

Cheers!

Mark

EA

Special Thanks:  Terry for doing the interview, Don for scheduling, and Jon for the credentials!

Interview w/Terry Butler!

OBITUARY

HORRENDOUS

MIDNIGHT

KREATOR

All photos are web sized/low resolution