Jahai, Hyperthermia, Livid Minds, Northwest Royale Ash Street Saloon in Portland, OR
By Robin Steeley
Jahai opens tonight and I have to say they get better every time I see them. They have Luke Wilson from Mindcell filling in on bass tonight while they are breaking in new bass player, Brook. Buzzard is an energetic Frontman and their set is full of flashing scrolls and metal mayhem. The scrolls have Japanese lettering for melodic chaos and metal meditation, definitely fitting for this band. Jahai can maybe be best described as melodic chaos and true to that description, it seems like they have gotten more melodic with cleaner vocals and more singing overall. Buzzard plays drums during one song; Nick, guitar player is just insane, not only musically, but never missing a beat with crazy expressions running across his face every second. He is one of the few guitar players I have seen take over the front of the stage and work the crowd the way he does.
Although I came out to see Jahai tonight, the rest of the bill certainly didn’t disappoint with Livid Minds, Northwest Royale, and Hyperthermia. Northwest Royale also features an excellent Frontman; the band is a powerful trio from Eugene Oregon, a Jager band who recently opened for Slayer. The band has dynamic instrumentation, rapid changes and growling vocals mixed with cleaner more melodic choruses, the percussion is pounding and the heavy bass lines underscoring it all. Guitars are fast and ripping and worthy of this kind of sound.
Livid Minds has an almost rap or nu metal influenced sound that is both meaty and full of hooks. They are cohesive, as a band and put on a good show overall. I missed part of their set but what I heard was very catchy and had some nice heaviness mixed with more modern influences.
And last but never least is a band that I can't ever say enough good things about. Hyperthermia is a brutal metal band out of Portland that delivers the goods every single time they hit the stage. Full of a driving energy and chaotic noise, they play songs that are easily recognizable by the crowd and it is obvious by the huge crowd in front of the stage for their set that they are a Northwest favorite. Overall, it was a great show and I couldn't have asked for a better line up.
