[Concert Review] Wounded Giant (Kraken, 2017)

Wounded Giant are so captivating that I missed something exciting during their performance. Considering my bias for soon seeing them six times, they have the potential to become massively successful. Their musicianship is top notch! Distinctly vibrant melodies guide you through each song like a narrative told through doom metal instead of through letters and words. Other than distributing their music to wider audiences, two hindrances they could refine toward achieving bigger success might be–

Missed everything except the last song from the first bandx2KlixxKraken Bar in the U-District of Seattle only has limited parallel parking, so arrive early to find acceptable parking, and to avoid missing much.

Aethereus
Straightforward with potential. While having a good sense of stage presence and showmanship to get the small venue’s audience hyped naturally, without needing to encourage or provoke as I’ve seen some performers do over the years, they could improve most in writing more memorable riffs or ripping melodies. Their performance was nine days ago and I can’t tell you anything exact about how they sounded. They played slightly above average in a style that closely matches death metal with technically intricate musicianship and a vigorous vocalist. After developing their own distinct sound, they could do well.
Rating: ★★★☆☆ [3/5]

Bonus non-blurry Aethereus shot

Kraken should crack open a window.

They get the second place “poorly ventilated venues” trophy.

Dangg
Here are some concert trends I’ve seen over the years, with conceptual credit to IDKFA: The “obligatory three song” rule is where you can typically figure out most of a band’s flavor within the first ten minutes. If you’re bored, leave. A “starter kit band” is almost entirely forgettable. They’re likely to do a gimmick to become memorable, such as Dangg’s vocalist jumping into the audience and thrashing himself around during their last song. He shoved someone that crashed into me. I was fine and everyone was having fun. With more exciting or musically interesting material, that’d be a footnote.
Rating: ★★☆☆☆ [2/5]

When El Corazón hosts sold out shows, they’re the undisputed “poorly ventilated venue” trophy winners.

Wounded Giant
Their motto is “shirt’s off!” With my angle to the band and audience, and my attention rarely drifting away from the stage, I apparently missed one of those moments during their last song. Good!
Would’ve just been distracting from “King Rawhead.” That’s on my list of the ten heaviest songs ever recorded, along with: Black Sabbath’sIron Man,” Sleep’sJerusalem,” and The Beatles’sI Want You (She’s So Heavy).”
–So, those teased hindrances?
While they have some of the most exciting riffs around, their showmanship is average. Like most metal performers, they mainly just nod their head to the beat. Unless you catch a glimpse of their drummer showing how drumming is a really good workout, that stillness could invite distraction for potential fans.
Briefly concluding and introducing songs with dramatic flair could also hype audiences while not sacrificing what’s performed for the performance. They are otherwise captivating and fully worth seeing live.
Rating: ★★★★★ [5/5]

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