The Black Dahlia Murder w/ Throwdown @ Majestic Theatre- February 25, 2006
VS.
Bleeding Through w/ Every Time I Die @ St. Andrew’s Hall- March 2, 2006

If you are trying to get an encapsulation of the current metal scene; Detroit had two up and coming metal groups, hitting town within the same week. In the first round, we had the hometown show for the Black Dahlia Murder in front of a wild, near sell out crowd of about 1,100 at the Majestic Theatre.

Complete with hundreds of kids sporting the regiment new metal uniform (painter style cap, tight black jeans, white studded belt, and t-shirt worth about 20 cents), the hometown Dahlia proved that they had the drumming and the riffs to play with the stars of the rising metal movement; but suffered from a bad case of “singerus terriblus”. In case you were wondering what that meant; that means “terrible singer”. The Black Dahlia raced through a hour song set, that mixed classic metal riffs; only for singer Trevor Strnad to destroy what potential the song had with a bad impression of old Cannibal Corpse type material.

This is too bad, because Strnad seems to have an amiable approach to the crowd, and comes off as likable, even if we got to see an overweight and shirtless singer. But his rantings and screaming does not give the band much of a chance outside of their core base of fans. Meanwhile, recently hired drummer Kevin Talley (ex-Chimaira) replaced the Dahlia’s current drummer for an indefinite amount of time; due to visa issues. Talley nailed down the double bass as well as someone would since Vinnie Paul of Pantera. Guitarist Brian Eschbach ripped through solos with vigor, and made you wish Strnad would slow down and actually sing a few of the lyrics to the song.

Meanwhile, in between tepid opening sets from The Red Chord and The Agony Scene, and Dahlia’s set, was the most blazing set of the night; courtesy of the Orange County, California hardcore band Throwdown. Sporting a bad cold; lead singer Dave Peters gutted through a 50 minute performance which had the mosh pit going nearly the whole time.

With tracks such as the opener “We Will Rise”, and “Burn”, the band had arms swinging and kicks flying through the pit. You could tell Peters was sick halfway through the set; and ran off for a moment towards the end, hopefully not to be sick. The group ended with their signature tune “Forever”, which had numerous fans running onto the stage and dove into the crowd. It seemed as if the support group stole all the thunder from the hometown headliner; something you don’t see everyday.

Unlike the Black Dahlia Murder show; there was no support band upstaging at the March 2nd Bleeding Through show. Dozens of teenagers were waiting outside the sold out St. Andrew’s Hall, hoping to just catch a glimpse of the Orange County goth metal sextet. The group, whose album “The Truth” is out now; had the crowd furiously moshing around the cramped confines of St. Andrew’s.

The fans in the pit seemed to be escorted one by one during the band’s 60 minute set, starting with the opening track on the new album, “For Love and Failing”. Lead singer Brandon Schieppati growled and wailed through most of the set; but the singer is bringing more melody to his music; which will probably help the band attract more listeners. The most melodic track, the current single “Kill to Believe” was met with solid enthusiasm, as were with most of the songs. The material relied heavy on the new album, but older tunes such as “Number Seven with a Bullet” were covered as well. Bleeding Through looks like a band that is on the verge of metal stardom, and has the right ingredients to do it.

Meanwhile, it seemed that a hardcore group showed off strictly for Buffalo’s Every Time I Die, who looks like they improving as a band as well. The set was littered with songs from the band’s latest record, “Gutter Phenomenon”. The crowd almost knew as many songs from this band as the headliner. Lead singer Keith Buckley raged through the 40 minute set; starting with their latest single “Kill the Music”. Tracks such as “Ebolarama”, and “Apocalypse Now And Then” showed that Buckley and the band are almost hitting their creative peak, and giving out a strong energy. Opener Haste the Day provided early support, and the metal band provided the crowd with an odd choice for a cover song; The Goo Goo Dolls’ “Long Way Down”. It wasn’t quite what this reviewer was expecting; but the crowd surprisingly seemed to like it.

Verdict: The Bleeding Through show wins the New Metal Smackdown, with decent performances from the headliners and Every Time I Die!