Cryptopsy Rages At The Fineline
Friday nights in Minneapolis are usually a bit wild, but since it was the first day of Memorial Day weekend, bit sleepy and quiet. Effortlessly parking as a slick $1 an hour meter spot, popped into Hometowne Pizza for bar spot before heading to Fineline. Awesome tap choices (got a Summit Saga IPA) and probably the most accurate Goofy Movie pizza slice I’ve ever seen in real life (if you know, you know) for five dollars. It was a meal in itself, and seriously may be the best deal in the Twin Cities. Lots of other pizza slices in the area for $5-7 bucks, but wow, Hometowne has the big boy. Also the employees were very chatty and attentive. The bartender made sure I knew that a new pizza would be out in a few minutes, and to wait for a fresh pie. Def will be back soon.
Blood Monolith was first up. The crowd was already filled in quite nice for a 7pm Friday night opener (and four bands on the bill.) Spied the usual patch boys and tour shirt bros, but there was a fantastic amount of young kids in the audience. X’s adorning their hands, holding tight to their front row spot. Ya love to see the new generation filling the shoes us Olds are a bit too weathered to rage with. Knew this show would be a bit wild, the pit got going right away. They had a nice intensity and seemed very comfortable on stage. A mix of grindcore and death metal, this fresh 2023 Washington D.C. born-band has the legs to go the distance I think. Their one and only album “The Calling Of The Fire” is a banger, add it to your next playlist, it’s 27 minutes of intense fast fun.
Spirit Adrift was the odd man out for the line up. More classic American metal, the audience was a bit more quiet than I would have hoped at first. Vocalist Nate Garrett seemed very contemplative throughout the set, dedicating a song to his wife who is battling cancer currently. Announcing that this would be their final tour a few songs in, was hard not to hang on every note. With such heavy emotions, no one could ignore how passionate though melancholy their final set in Minneapolis was. Stating that they had only 5 days notice before deciding to join the tour, so thankful and glad they did. Their guitar tone is heavenly, the progression of the songs are constructed in a mindful manner that makes any music fan happy. Even though their flavor of metal was different, the fans relished it just the same. Headbanging throughout the set, Minneapolis said a sorrowful goodbye to Spirit Adrift. They ended with “Buried In The Shadow Of The Cross” with full participation from every person on the floor. Hope all the members navigate their future in a way that brings them back together, but if not, they have made such triumphant impact on the metal scene and will be missed very deeply. All the best to every member.
Necrot has some hardcore fans. Squished myself by the side of the stage to make sure I was nested just right to avoid the brunt of the pit. Right as “Empty Hands” started the show, the crowd started raging. Friday night crowds typically have a bit more energy than your midweek folks, but wow, something was in the water. And it was very angry. A few crowd surfers, but mostly body flailing action from where I was standing (and avoiding blows.) “Rebirth Of Chaos” making an appearance on the setlist fit like a glove. The “Necrot” namesake curtain behind them kept billowing and rippling due to the band’s energetic movements, but seemed to get most of its main power from drummer Chad Gailey. A founding member of the group, the amount of effort it takes to keep everyone on track/beat is mindboggling and he had a full deck of it.
Time for some Cryptopsy. This Canadian band has been destroying since 1991, so have plenty of experience to source from. I thought the audience was boisterous before, these guys pushed even those levels up. It is a Friday night, after all. Why not? One of the most recognizable intros ever, Metallica’s “For Whom The Bell Tolls” played over the speakers as their pre-song. Was funny to see all the cool kids try to not bop along to the radio monster, trying to keep their metal cards unblemished by enjoying a well known song. I grinned to myself as I mumbled the lyrics and danced along. A few other folks near me did slightly, but most were focused on being stoic and and eye-locked on the stage. Don’t worry, was asked by many decerning critics while in the audience of my worthiness for being there aka what I call the “metal test.” You know, when a guy comes up and asked you the new bassist’s neighbor’s dog’s favorite appetizer. I passed with flying colors as usual, not my first gatekeeping arsenal to navigate, and always return the favor of asking hyper specific questions back.
Their set was so epic. Second song in was one of my favs, “Until There Is Nothing Left,” which seemed very on-the-money for this crowd. Colliding against each other, the pit swirled and bashed throughout the rest of the night’s performance. Another banger “Godless Reciever” got a wonderful reception. Went by far too quick, and was just what everyone needed. A little explosion of stress release to some badass songs.
