Concert Review: Valient Thorr rocks The Frequency: October 1st, 2010

I was told going into this show that The Frequency was a small venue.  What I was not told was that it would be smaller in square footage than my 3 bedroom apartment, which of course made for a very unique concert experience. 

For Valient Thorr, the Frequency was packed to a capacity of about 60-70 metalheads, in a relatively small room.  Things got intense.

The show was kicked off by Junius, a Boston progressive metal outfit that pumped out a few heavy jams to get the crowd going.  The beers were flowing all throughout the warmup acts - everyone knew there'd be no time for drinking when Valient took the stage.  Junius made a fan out of me, and I'll be picking up their new album, Martyrdom of a Catastrophist, soon.

Junius was followed by HOWL, who played an amazing set.  Even the most stoic of the standing-in-the-back-with-their-arms-crossed attendees were bobbing their heads to the sludgy, powerful grooves of HOWL.  Those of us in the front row were headbanging in unison throughout the set, to music most of us had never heard before.  They describe their music as "bong-rippin' labyrinth metal" and I suppose that's pretty accurate.  I guess you had to be there.

Valient Thorr takes the stage - photo by Dryad Media

By the time Valient Thorr took the stage the crowd had been worked into a frenzy, and upon the first bars of "Double Crossed," a sizeable mosh pit had formed, and the whole place was going nuts.  Valient Himself, our fearless leader, was sweating all over everyone as he jumped around on stage, howling lyrics and ranting in between songs about...I don't even remember what he was talking about, but everyone was shouting "YEAAAHHHHH" after everything he said.  The band's energy was contagious - you couldn't help but jump in that mosh pit and smash into some people.  At one point, Valient Himself hopped down off the stage into the crowd and led us all in a synchronized floor-rowing session, never missing a beat on his vocals.  It was about an hour and a half of pure metal power and energy in a small venue, something that really has to be experienced to be believed.  Afterwards, I met the singer from HOWL and Valient Thorr's guitarist when I sat down at the bar to rest for a bit and have one more for the road.  Both of them were great guys, and convinced me that these are bands that I will need to catch every time they come through town.

Here's "Double Crossed" for those of you looking to hear what these guys are all about:


I woke up the next morning (afternoon, actually) with a few bruises, a splitting headache, and a piercing ringing in my ears.  It was all worth it.  I'd love to go on describing this show for you, but really, you had to be there.