If He Dies He Dies

Eyehategod / Akimbo / If He Dies He Dies: live in Chicagolive in Chicago (2005)
Century Media

Reviewer Rating: 4.5

Contributed by: JesseJesse
(others by this writer | submit your own)
Published on May 27th 2005Recently, I had the opportunity to ride along with Akimbo for a few days of their tour to get an interview and review a few shows. This show marked the start of my ride along. It started with me going up to the house of Scott and Cara (who run Seventh Rule records) to meet the band at the pre-sho.

Recently, I had the opportunity to ride along with Akimbo for a few days of their tour to get an interview and review a few shows. This show marked the start of my ride along.

It started with me going up to the house of Scott and Cara (who run Seventh Rule records) to meet the band at the pre-show BBQ, but due to my train running late, I missed the band who had to go set up and instead, was subjected to the extreme hospitality of Scott and Cara. I still can't thank them enough for their generosity. Why do you ask? Well, besides inviting me to their BBQ and lettting me crash with the band there that night, they also helped me get into the club, seeing as how it was a 21+ show and I am only 20. So that is why I must start this review, to publicly thank these two for everything they have done for me. Also, this preface is to note that while I was at the BBQ, there were rumors of Eyehategod whining about having to play last and trying to switch set times with Akimbo.

Pretend that Eyehategod didn't play, and you've got yourself a sweet show.

At the actual show itself, Sweet Cobra was opening. Now, I've said this before (or at least have thought I have), but Sweet Cobra is easily one of the best bands in Chicago right now. From the moment they hit the first chord, their staright-forward hardcore/metal bombarded the hall. I knew I was a fool for not bringing ear plugs. They played furious, hard, and hectic, and there was a real anger propelling their performance. This was even more evident when the bass player/singer slapped the mic stand to the ground. He was not happy with the whole Eyehategod situation. I guess they were being bigger pricks than I knew of. Regardless, Sweet Cobra's set seemed too short, and like always, I was left wanting much, much more. So go see these guys, go buy their records, go give them the love they deserve. I mean it.

If He Dies He Dies was up next, and after Cara scrounged up a pair of ear plugs for me, I made my way up to the front of the stage to fully experience them. Unfortunately, the ear plugs were in too far for their set, so I didn't get a chance to fully experience them. They were from Michigan, and played really good, technical Mastodon-like metal riffs with metalcore blast beats interspersed. It's hard to peg them into a sub-genre, but I think it's safe to say that they covered all aspects of metal. I'm not sure I'd be interested in buying their records, but I would definitely see them if they came into town again. Perhaps my favorite part of their set, though, was the two ex-football player hardcore kids up at the front, one in a Comeback Kid shirt, the other donning As I Lay Dying. They took turns doing floor punches and spin-kicks like the toolboxes they were. It seemed like a sorry attempt at a breakdance competition where each competitor took 15-second turns to show their stuff.

Akimbo was next, and I had been waiting for this moment for months. They took the stage and set up, but were delayed for some reason. I had to wait ten more minutes. The crowd seemed to solidify a little bit more. People were ready. They took the stage again, and set up. They were playing as a four piece for that show, and it would be the first time I saw them with two guitarists. I can't remember the set list exactly, but I know for sure they played "Delilah," "I Think I'm A Werewolf," "The Art Of Asphyxiation," a couple of new songs that I never learned the name of (oops), "Harpoon," maybe a few others that I'm missing, and closed it all off with a full version of the eight-minute "Uranaburg." They nailed everything perfectly, and put on a killer show. I always am amazed at how they manage to flawlessly play their songs while rocking out as hard as they do. Mind-blowing.

For Eyehategod's set, I instead hung out by the pool tables that are behind the stage and introduced myself to a few people that I saw at the BBQ but was too shy to introduce myself to. I met the band Conifer that was out for the Pre-Emissions Fest and thier friend (Damien?) who was in some oher band (Bellrays? Delrays?) that I couldn't quite catch the name of since most everyone was slurring their speech by now. I also saw Francisco from Gasoline Fight who I had met earlier in the night. The guys in Akimbo were busy getting their equipment together, and Eyehategod was busy pissing a lot of people off by taking forever to set up. Soon they bagan playing their dumbed-down stoner metal, and the crowd of metalheads went nuts while we all stood backstage and made fun of the fact that Eyehategod only really had one riff that they played over and over again. And they played it for an hour. So, instead of talking about how much that band sucks, I'm going to talk about how awesome Francisco and Conifer are. Yes, I am shamelessly plugging Conifer and Gasoline Fight based solely on how awesome these guys were. Eyehategod were a bunch of washed up druggies that played dumb stoner metal that lost its pull in less than a minute. So I highly suggest looking into Conifer and Gasoline Fight, instead.

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

Anonymous (February 19, 2006)

eyehategod racists believe what you want, don't like it don't listen it's that easy

Anonymous (May 31, 2005)

"its mostly genetics that make people go deaf" that comment is complete bullshit in this situation.....i don't wear earplugs but i'd love to get a pair of those moulded ones they are nothing like the shitty styrofoam ones, ioo just can't be bothered.

Anonymous (May 31, 2005)

Lets make this REAL easy for everybody...

EYEHATEGOD kicks all these puke rock asses.

Pride in your southern heritage does not equal racism

If you'd rather lick the TV screen durning notGood Charolette's DONKEY KONG BONGO commercial than jam some EYEHATEGOD, suicide is your only option. You don't know what good music is. Give it up. Try needle-point.

When you've been listening to loud music for 15 years, earplugs are neccisarry and make the music sound better. If you don't think it's "punk" to wear them, just take an icepick and gouge out your eardrums. Then you'll be soooo "punk".

rkl (May 30, 2005)

i dont think you have to be a logged in user to check past posts.

Anonymous (May 30, 2005)

In Jesse's defense, he seems like the last kinda guy that would listen to pop-punk.

Archangel (May 30, 2005)

rkl-- The PMFS comment was directed at Jesse, who said something about the band sounding like a typical nu-metal band a few months ago. It's kind of like Scott's comment to Horace Pinker... no matter how much time passes, you just can't live down a genuinely stupid comment on this site.

rkl (May 30, 2005)

hey i never said planes mistaken for stars were a nu-metal band. i just said that they sucked.

the pop-punk comment was based on prior reviews. thanks once again for taking one part of the comment and attacking it, instead of reading the whole thing.

this scores for collective reading comprehension

Jesse (May 30, 2005)

Because Akimbo sure is pop-punk.

More on the Eyehategod situation: they have a $1000 guarantee for every show they played on this tour. No, they did not come off getting less money.

Anonymous (May 30, 2005)

I can't wait for all you dumbfucks who rip wearing earplugs at shows to lose your hearing at 40. Then I can easily sneak up behind you and steal your wallets without you hearing. And I can also laugh when you talk like Mushmouth because you can't hear your own words beyond the vibrations they make on the bones in your skull.

-Icapped2pac

elliot (May 30, 2005)

hey, remember when you said planes mistaken for stars are a nu-metal band? that sure was cool.

rkl (May 30, 2005)

eh, seems like you were prejudiced against eyehategod from the beginning. they came here, played our crappy little club, came away with a lot less $ than they would have anywhere else, and were still nice about it. then again, we're also in the south.

come from the south to the north and youll see a great prejudice in how youre treated. its like a southern accent automatically makes you an idiot.

id like to hear more about the situation, instead of just one(quite obviously biased, from the content of the review)side. but i guess its hard to deal with dumbed-down stoner metal when youre listening to pop-punk and trying to find your ear plugs, eh?

Anonymous (May 30, 2005)

Sweet cobra!

Anonymous (May 30, 2005)

i need to see akimbo.

-501

Jesse (May 29, 2005)

Sorry if the review read like name-dropping.

I usually don't wear earplugs either, but when the band is really loud and the club is really small, I'd rather not spend the next day crying.

prankish (May 29, 2005)

I can fully understand wearing earplugs to shows for bands you have no real interest in, but under no circumstance would I wear them at a show for a band I actually cared about. I like to let the sound crew and the band decide what volume the music is best experienced, not a piece of styrofoam in my ears.

Even if the show is horribly loud, sometimes the head rush you get from that just makes the experience even better... though this is certainly the exception and not the rule.

Anonymous (May 29, 2005)

ear plugs are over rated. You only need them if you are constantly around the loud sounds you are trying to muffle. I've been going to shows for 12 years now and my hearing is the same as it was then. I have been to at least 250-300 shows. Its mostly genetics that cause deafness or severe loss of hearing. Key word "mostly". But fuck me, do your own thing if it makes you feel better.

Anonymous (May 29, 2005)

don't be that guy

CherryColaRain (May 29, 2005)

I agree with the dude who said "who cares wat ppl wear to Shows?" no one really does. Ppl who wear ear plugs just do it to keep from going deaf, ppl who bring backpacks probably are a lil too ready for the show and the band t-shirt u wear...WHo gives a fuck?! if u like that band ur obviously going to wear the t-shirt and it doesnt make u less a fan of the band ur seeing live. thats just my opinion anyways.

TheOneTrueBill (May 29, 2005)

The one time I tried to wear ear plugs they didn't work too well. All it did was block out everything but the bass drum and vocals. I took them out before the second song was over.

Anonymous (May 29, 2005)

who cares if he wore earplugs?
do you guys actually care what people wear to shows?
despite the name dropping, i still think its an interesting short story of the night.

-benz

maverick (May 29, 2005)

I've been driving to shows and turned around mid-trip to go home and retrieve my earplugs, if I happened to forget them. My ears have been ringing-free since August 1999.

Frankly, it's kinda pathetic that people are making fun of someone for wearing earplugs. That's so absurd, it's almost hard not to laugh.

-Scott

Anonymous (May 29, 2005)

Eyehateakimbo

lushj (May 28, 2005)

Yeah, you get used to earplugs, and how to listen to live music with them. I've had tinnitus since 1990, and have worn earplugs every show since (except during our sets). So I only have a minor high-pitched tone in my ear every moment of every day, not high volume tones or actual hearing loss.

Score's for earplugs.

Kenjamin (May 28, 2005)

In my opinion, wearing a decent pair of earplugs makes the sound better. Ringing ears were awesome when I was 15 after my first punk rock shows but after a couple hundred of these, it's going to fuck up your hearing permanently. You've been warned.

lushj (May 28, 2005)

What a thread killer!

It depends. Did the Avengers get called racist for "White Nigger" or Patti Smyth for "Rock and Roll Nigger" by anyone with half a brain in their head? No, since most of us have the ability to look at context and not just reflexively shout "racist." Of course, there was that weird guest column in MRR 4 years ago that did just that, but I just figured that was some weird glitch.

I have absolutely no idea about the context of Eyehategod's use of the word, but I just wanted to point this out.

Benjasaurus (May 27, 2005)

If you use the word "nigger" in your song lyrics and you're not black, I think you are running the risk of being called a racist. Especially if you use it in the same context as "douchebag".

There are more artists than Good Charlotte who feel that using the word "nigger" in a song is fucked up. Being a racist and/or using racist language does not make you a badass, it makes you an idiot.

ElVaquero (May 27, 2005)

Score is for Akimbo.

johnnydanger (May 27, 2005)

hey reviewer, you suck. stop being such a pussy. and people who wear earplugs to a show are lame. people who review a show but don't know what was up because they couldnt hear are even lamer.

Anonymous (May 27, 2005)

Dude, EYEHATEGOD are not racist in any way.

I haven't heard anything by them in years, but I'm from New Orleans and they used to OWN the scene down here.

prankish (May 27, 2005)

"and after Cara scrounged up a pair of ear plugs for me, I made my way up to the front of the stage to fully experience them."

I find that sentence a bit contradictory.

Anonymous (May 27, 2005)

Akimbo is one of the best bands out today, those dudes never dissappoint.

Oh and could you name drop some more people please? Keep in mind this isn't just a review of a show, it's an insight into the complexities of your life and I for one would like to know everything about every person you have ever met so that I can acurately judge your coolness and know how much to jock you. Will you please be my friend so I can live vicariously through you?

lushj (May 27, 2005)

... and yes, I know what they sound like too.

lushj (May 27, 2005)

Hey, even though you traveled with Akimbo, the rest of us didn't. Can you describe their music instead of just their songs?

This score's for the review.

Anonymous (May 27, 2005)

i know a couple dudes in eyehategod. they aren't white supremacists, but they are definitely southern rednecks and most em of are druggies and criminals.

also, akimbo signed for their next record to alternative tentacles.

Anonymous (May 27, 2005)

White supremacists or not, they were a bunch of assholes with track marks like the Nile.

Anonymous (May 27, 2005)

You ...the ones who think Eyehategod are white supremacists...get off the crack. If you really believe that you shouldn't listen to ANY music. Not every band is as squeaky clean as Good Charlotte, which you probably consider punk, and hate-filled? Well, what do you expect with a name of the sorts.

and just because a band is from the South, loves the South, enjoys all things Southern does not mean they are white supremacists, jackass.

Anonymous (May 27, 2005)

Is it just me or is this the worst review ever written?

Anonymous (May 27, 2005)

"He's like a peice of iron!"

Joe

Anonymous (May 27, 2005)

score is for rocky 4 and ivan drago

Anonymous (May 27, 2005)

People who wear ear plugs at shows are even lamer than people who wear backpacks at shows. Or people who wear Senses Fail t-shirts at shows.

Anonymous (May 27, 2005)

There was actually a time when Eyehategod were awesome. They blow now, but their first two are awesome.

-BSD

Anonymous (May 27, 2005)

ok, now lets talk about bands people may have heard of.