A Dedication to Those En Absentia/A Tribute to Followers

This was certainly a curious show.  After a lengthy drive from central Texas, we arrived at our hotel room to discover that our brothers in Plutonian Shore had encountered truck trouble and would not be able to make the show, which was most regrettable.  The other two bands, for whatever reason, also had to cancel, which meant like it was looking like it would be Xapharon and Humut Tabal as the sole acts for the night.  Upon arriving at the venue, we learned that Dis (whom we have a show with on August 5th) had agreed to play on extremely short notice.  As such, the order was switched around to where the lineup would be Xapharon, us, and Dis, which worked well.  Xapharon's performance was stunning, and when it came time for us to initiate chaos, we found our audience to be incredibly supportive.  This was easily one of the best audiences we've had since I joined Humut Tabal, with many people personally complimenting us, purchasing merch, shouting words of support during the set, and they seemed legitimately excited for our return on August 12th.

Setlist:

Wielder ov the Demon Blade

Nemesis Triumphant

Into the Cold

Manifestation ov the Darkness Within

Through the Forest and the Twisting Shadows (Frozen Death)

Furious Winged Helldaemons Soar

Denizens ov Eternal Night

Misanthrope ov the Barren Waste

NOTE:  We forgot our usual printed setlists, so this may be a little off.

This show was dedicated to our brothers in Plutonian Shore.  We shall share the stage soon, my friends.  Our next appearance is this Friday in San Antonio opening for Church ov Melkarth, and the next day, we open for Quarter the Villain in Austin at Trophy's.  We would like to thank Xapharon for bringing us to Corpus, we can't wait for our return!  We also thank Dis for playing on such short notice, and for playing a great set with a killer Cannibal Corpse cover!  We will be back for additional shows in the future, mark our words, and hopefully, we'll bring some friends.  Who those friends are, only time will tell.  We also just booked another show in Austin, the details of which will be released shortly.  We can promise it will be killer, though!

Baphomet Dawn

In January 2010, I attended a small local metal show in San Antonio at the Ten Eleven that featured Hexlust and Birth A.D.  That show was absolutely life-changing, and ever since that day, I wanted to share the stage with Hexlust and Birth A.D.  One-half of that dream came true on Thursday, July 14th, when Hexlust and Humut Tabal played at Headhunter's in Austin, Texas.

Regrettably, the night started with some confusion that was thankfully ironed out, and Parasitic Reign were added to the bill at the last minute, starting the show an hour early (which was fine by me).  In any case, once this was worked out, we were joined by our friends and we began to prepare for our performance while Trench Wrench and Feral Rex performed killer sets.  Averse Sefira's Wrath Sathariel Diabolus had shown up to watch the performance, and I introduced him to my bandmates, some of whom were nervous about meeting him since they are all big Averse Sefira fans (a fact that should be evident in our music).  Nonetheless, everyone got along very well, and shortly before Hexlust's set, it was time to don the corpse paint and discard our normal selves once again.

Once I have completed the transformation into Prokingu, I prefer to avoid human interaction to concentrate on my impending performance, so I mostly stuck around backstage, where I could hear Hexlust giving an absolutely visceral performance.  The band was performing as a three-piece due to guitarist JT being unable to make the show due to academic commitments - an unfortunate circumstance.  I dedicate this performance to him, and I can only hope to share the stage with him soon.  There was a surprise for extreme metal fans at this show, as I took the stage during Hexlust's set to perform Sepultura's classic "Troops of Doom" on vocals, which was a highlight of my musical journey.  After the performance, I went backstage to tune, and after Hexlust performed "Tombs of the Blind Dead" and an encore of Sodom's "Agent Orange", it was time for Humut Tabal to initiate madness.

It was quite an enjoyable performance, and while it took place at a late hour, there was quite a good crowd that stuck around well into the night that (somewhat bizarrely) included several old friends of mine from high school.  Reuniting with them was a highlight of the evening, and they seemed to be enjoying our set.  We broke out an old one (albeit one that was new to me) in the form of "Into the Cold", an energetic and furious number that was enjoyed by the crowd.  There was also a gentleman who kept heckling us (presumably affectionately, as he looked like he was having a good time) who grabbed the mic during the instrumental bridge of "Denizens" and began screaming something into it.  It was odd to say the least, and I am unaware of how my bandmates thought of this.  In any case, we played well and played a great set, one that bodes well for future Austin appearances with Quarter the Villain (July 30th) and Xapharon (August 19th).  Thanks to Headhunter's for having us, and we can only hope to return in the future!

Setlist:
Frozen Death
Manifestation ov the Darkness Within
Soul Void
Denizens ov Eternal Night
Into the Cold
Wielder ov the Demon Blade
Furious Winged Helldaemons Soar
Misanthrope ov the Barren Waste

After the show, we cleared out everything with help from friends and departed, mentally and physically exhausted.  Two days later I would witness Devourment (an influence on Humut Tabal, if you can believe it) in a small club in San Marcos, which was an absolutely killer show - one of the best in a long time - and I got to see my comrades perform in Disfigured, VBT, Pervserum (as well as seeing Grotesque Formation, although I don't know any of them personally) as well as catching up with friends in Engaged in Mutilating, Venomous Supremacy, Prolicide, and many others at an afterparty that raged well into the dawn.  It was a weekend that will live in infamy, and I am glad to have been a part of it.  Next week, we conquer Corpus Christi with our brothers in Plutonian Shore and Xapharon!  Expect a lengthy entry with tales concerning our trip.

The Shadows of Faith

After finally completing my month-long struggle with academia, it was time to celebrate by playing a show.  Practice went stellar that day (minus the absence of Hravan due to work), and after a nourishing dinner at Torchy's Tacos, we ventured out the Trailer Space Records, where we met Severed Faith and Shadows of Creation.  We discussed the mighty Absu, which is always fun, and it makes me happy to hear other metalheads praising their glory, even those outside of Texas.  Before the show even started, I did some browsing around the record store and found some excellent purchases:

A bonus to playing a show in a record store.  There was also an encounter with a toothless old man who kept trying to sell us flowers, which was interesting to say the least.  There were also two LED displays from the infamous bomb scare caused by viral marketing for the "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" movie, an incident that amused me greatly at the time, so getting to perform with the LED lights in our presence was great fun.

We had soundchecked early, and by 7:30, it was time for the ritual to start.  We were playing without corpse paint for this show since the ambiance didn't entirely seem right to initiate that transformation.  In any case, it was a fine set and we had a good time.  The audience seemed to enjoy us, although we didn't get to play an old favorite that we were planning on bringing back.  There's always next time, especially in the busy world of Humut Tabal.  This was our friend E's cousin's first real metal show as well, and she apparently enjoyed our set, which is always good to hear.

Setlist:
Wielder ov the Demon Blade
Manifestation ov the Darkness Within
Nemesis Triumphant
Furious Winged Helldaemons Soar
Frozen Death

After hauling our gear off, we watched Shadow of Creation, who blew me away with their songwriting ability as well as technical prowess in terms of musicianship.  Their bassist was very good, and was quite nice to me when we met.  Severed Faith's performance was also very impressive, and I bought a shirt after their set that I shall wear with pride (curiously, I wore the same shirt to a club afterward and got some odd looks).  I was also given a sticker that I stuck on my bass case (next to my Birth A.D. sticker), which was a most hospitable gesture that was highly appreciated.  The show ended at ten - an unusually early hour - and we would have been able to roll out, but Grimzaar had unfortunately locked his keys in his car.  The situation was quickly dealt with, though, and I was able to head out in time to celebrate a friend's birthday party downtown.

Overall, this was not the typical type of Humut Tabal show, but one that was quite enjoyable nonetheless.  Many thanks to our new friends in Shadow of Creation and Severed Faith, for I hope to share the stage with them again someday (especially if we're ever in Georgia).  Thanks to all those who came out to the show!  Our next performance is on July 14th at Headhunter's, we hope to see our Austin friends there!

Pathway to Shamash

This entry was somewhat lengthier, but a problem with this blog's HTML forced me to start over from scratch.  In essence, Morgengrau played its first show on July 2nd at the Korova basement in San Antonio, and I can safely say that it was one of the best nights of my life.  All of my bandmates brought their "A" game, and it was an honor to share the stage with them.  I feel obligated to mention that this was Nick's first show, and he absolutely surpassed everyone's expectations to deliver an amazing set.  Adding to the joy of the night was whenever two former members of Demolition Hammer showed up at the venue, and while they did not make it in time for our set, the mention of an Exhorder cover had them impressed.  Demolition Hammer has been one of my favorite bands for years now, and I am very glad to have met them.  Also, special thanks must go to Zvs of Plutonian Shore, who once again helped me out by loaning me his amp.  We are eternally grateful.

Setlist:

Extrinsic Pathway
Ordered Eastward (Hail of Bullets cover)
The Sickening Dwell (Asphyx cover)
Chronic Infection (Pestilence cover)
Shamash Enlighten
Out of the Body (Pestilence cover)
A.L. (Exhorder cover)

I dedicate this entry to the numerous fans who tore things up in the mosh pit at the end of our set.  You are truly the best we could ask for.  Special thanks go to E.A., who provided me with water when I was dehydrated three songs into our set (apropos given Pestilence's "Dehydrated").  To the numerous people who asked:  Don't worry, we will be back soon enough.  In case you missed out, I believe that these videos will tell much of the story:

A Favor Owed to Ereshkigal’s Sanctity

Two weeks after Humut Tabal’s headlining appearance in Houston, it was time to return to San Antonio.  We had not played in this city for three weeks, and we were glad to once again take the stage in “Satantonio” (as it is often called in the Texas extreme metal underground).  After meeting up with an old friend and getting released from academic commitments (which are growing more and more tiresome the closer I get to the end of the summer semester), I drove to Bond’s 007 Rock Bar, where I was quickly joined by Jay and Jacob from Emperial Massacre, as well as a few of their friends.  My bandmates in Humut Tabal arrived shortly afterwards, and we began to load our gear up into the Bond’s elevator (yes, elevator).  After I was wristbanded (no more blasted Xs on the backs of my hands!), I began to warm up, and before long, Hellbound Jeff and his fiancée BJ showed up.  Conversing took place, and as Beyond Death’s Reach finished their set, Njord and I were ready to take the stage with Somniferum.  At this point, things took somewhat of a sour turn, so I'll just move on.  If you were there, you know the story.  Next.

Somniferum:

Setlist:

Of Sorrow and Seclusion

Only Death Remains

In the Arms of the Cold 

Humut Tabal:

After swapping out basses with Plutonian Shore’s Waar (yet another favor we owe the Plutonian Coven), Grimzaar and Hravan emerged, completely painted up, although this was a luxury I was not afforded due to time constraints.  Performing without paint was odd to say the least, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel like Prokingu up on the stage, but my normal, human self.  Regrettable, but it did not detract from our performance.  We raged through our “greatest hits” (as I facetiously dubbed it) to much fanfare among the crowd, who were banging their heads and getting into the music, which is always great to see.  We played very well, and we made a few new fans that night that were very friendly to us in conversation later on in the night.  I was even compared to jazz bassist Jaco Pastorius, which was highly appreciated as he is one of my favorite players (I was also compared to “the Simpsons” character Sideshow Bob, hehe).  I had dedicated this set to my bandmates in Morgengrau earlier, but I would also like to extend a portion of the set to all fans of Humut Tabal, new and old:  Our gratitude is eternal. 

Setlist:

Denizens ov Eternal Night

Manifestation ov the Darkness Within

Furious Winged Helldaemons Soar

Wielder ov the Demon Blade

Frozen Death (now retitled “Through the Forest and Twisting Shadows”

After Humut Tabal exited the stage, it was time for our brothers in Emperial Massacre to slay San Antonio once more.  Their set was brutal, but was marred by a bass drum head breaking when they still had three songs left.  Sad indeed, as they are always fun to watch, but knowing Emperial Massacre, they’ll be back soon enough.

Once again, Plutonian Shore showed why they are so highly revered in this city; delivering a killer performance that even featured some guest vocals from none other than our very own Grimzaar at the last song.  It was an evening highlight, for sure.  We cannot wait to go to Corpus Christi with them on July 22^nd.

Angel Flesh closed out the night with a superb set that reminded me of Dissection, and afterwards, it was time to go get some nourishment after a night of dehydration.  Unfortunately, as we pulled into the restaurant, I realized I had left my backpack at the venue, and drove back to retrieve it.  Sadly, they did not have it, and I went home, angrily ranting in my car.  Luckily, I woke up to a message from none other than Plutonian Shore’s Zvs, who had recovered my bag.  That’s another time he’s pulled us out of the fire, and we can only hope that one day, we will repay our debt.  The funny thing was, I’d had a premonition that said it would be Zvs and Devastation that retrieved it, and I am glad to say that premonition was correct.  Zvs and Amethyst will be treated to a meal in Corpus; that is for sure.

Overall, it was an evening of extreme highs and lows.  The highs should be obvious; the lows will not be discussed here.  Needless to say, we look forward to returning to San Antonio on August 5^th with our brothers in Venomous Supremacy to deliver a unified Dread Lair assault on this city.  We are also in talks of an Austin show in the upcoming weeks, but we are just waiting to hear back from a few people so I don’t want to say anything here yet.  Whatever the case, I cannot wait for the next show.  The Helldaemons will take flight once more…

Nemesis Triumphant

On June 10th, we headlined the Dread Lair showcase in Houston, Texas.  This show was especially significant to me because I would be performing on the same stage where I witnessed my idols Averse Sefira for the first time, so once again, there was a heavy burden on us to do them justice.  Fortunately, I am proud to say that the show went very, very well, as we shared the stage with some amazing bands and surpassed our own expectations.

After I was released from my academic commitments, I was picked up by Hravan, Grimzaar, Njord, and Hravan's girlfriend, E., and after a lengthy drive that took us through many small-time Texas towns (La Grange included, get your ZZ Top references ready), we finally arrived at Walter's on Washington in Houston, Texas.  After paying for parking (since we apparently parked in a private lot), we began to load our things into the venue, where Bound in Flesh was playing a killer set.  Unfortunately, we'd missed Pariah Messiah, which was vastly unfortunate since we were all looking forward to seeing them.  Alas.  Regardless, what we saw of Bound in Flesh was superb, and the members of the band were very friendly and hospitable.

Speaking of which, we had opted to put on our paint as soon as possible (with the exception of Njord, who prepared during Spectral Manifest's set).  We are trying out a newer style of paint that focuses on grey, like decaying matter, although my paint came off as very much like Absu's Proscriptor McGovern.  Not that this is a problem, but I would have liked my paint to be a little more original.  The green room was very nice, and everyone who came in was very friendly and accommodating.  They have our utmost gratitude.  Grimzaar and I ran through "Soul Void" and "Misanthrope ov the Barren Waste" in an unplugged manner since it had been ages since we ran through them as a full band, and I was confident that we would perform well.  However, there was a minor issue:  One of my tuning pegs had fallen off at some point in the night, but thankfully, the soundman had a pair of pliers on-hand, which allowed me to tune my G-string.  I believe his name was Terry, and once again, I would like to extend my thanks to him.

Our new friends in Mhinotahn performed after we finished putting our paint on, and they did a stunning job with their crusty black metal that even included a cover of Celtic Frost's "Dethroned Emperor".  This was apparently their first show, and they did an excellent job.  We would love to play future shows with them, and everyone should keep an eye out for them, as I see this band going places.  Spectral Manifest performed next, and while we couldn't catch all their set (due to performing pre-performance business), what we did see was killer as always.  Further appreciation was whenever Cryptos recognized a riff from Averse Sefira's "Vomitorium Angelis" that I played during soundcheck, and while some may accuse me of incessantly worshiping them, there is no denying that without them, I would not have taken the path I took.  I was also approached by a gentleman who requested I play "some Cliff Burton".  As Burton is my biggest influence, I obliged, butchering the intro of "Anesthesia" since I hadn't played the song in ages.  He seemed appreciative nonetheless and complimented me after the show, along with many others.

Finally, it was time for us to perform.  To put it simply, it was one of the best hours of my life.  Every little mistake that was made the last week was rectified, and a gallery of the devoted were up in the front row, banging their heads, showing their enthusiasm in a way most admirable way.  We ended on "Wielder", an excellent choice on Grimzaar's part, and it is safe to say that we satisfied our current fans and made several more.

Humut Tabal setlist:

Misanthrope ov the Barren Waste
Manifestation ov the Darkness Within
Nemesis Triumphant
Frozen Death
Furious Winged Helldaemons Soar
Soul Void
Wielder ov the Demon Blade

Needless to say, it was an amazing show, and while I said it before, everyone who made it possible has our eternal gratitude.  Special thanks go out to The Adversary, Spectral Manifest, Mhinotahn, Bound in Flesh (especially Tony), Pariah Messiah (we'll catch you next time, we promise), our brothers in Venomous Supremacy who came out to support, the soundman who was so good to us, and anyone else who enjoyed our set.  We'd like to return to Houston at least one more time before the fall starts, so if we get anything booked, we'll definitely let you know about it.

Whenever it was all over, we embarked on a journey to IHOP where we quickly consumed a meal that was delivered to us by an exceptionally polite waitress.  After that, we ventured to Cryptos's place, where we talked until about five in the morning about various subjects (the man is always engaging to have a conversation with) before we passed out and woke up at around noon.  On the way home, we paid the famous Buc-ees rest stop a visit and restocked up on food.  I arrived in San Antonio and promptly passed out, reflecting on a wonderful time.

I leave you with this photo of me, taken from the official Mhinotahn band blog:

Horns up.

Flight of the Helldaemons

After over two months of preparation, the June 3rd show with Canada's Woods of Ypres was finally upon us.  I had been with Humut Tabal for nearly three months, and a member of Somniferum for two, and we had prepared ourselves to the best of our abilities.

Due to academic commitments (taking three summer classes may not have been as good of an idea as I'd thought), I arrived at Somniferum practice at approximately five in the afternoon.  It was an unusually good practice which would foreshadow the rest of the night.  At about seven, Njord and I left for Zombies, arriving on-time but incredibly frustrated with my GPS, which seemed to be trying to kill us with its foolish "keep left" and "keep right"s.  Upon arrival, I found the Woods gentlemen setting up outside and introduced myself.  They were very polite and friendly, and I am glad to have met them.  After some chit-chat, I began to load my things into the venue.  Soon, we were greeted by our good friends in Plutonian Shore as well as my bandmate, E. Morgengrau.  The latter noted that I seemed particularly energetic, and while some of that could be blamed on the two energy drinks I had consumed in order to keep myself awake through class, most of it was likely due to the anticipation of finally playing with Humut Tabal on the stage.  As the evening went on, we were joined by Aaron Goregrowler, Walt of VBT, Hellpreacher Johnny and friends, Eric and Fry, members of Emperial Massacre, Spectral Manifest, and another of my Morgengrau bandmates, Nick, among others.  We began our soundcheck at roughly eight, and before long, the madness was underway.

Somniferum:

Having gotten over any potential stage jitters from whenever we played at Meat and Metal Mondays, Somniferum emerged as a much tighter band, and things went very smoothly on a musical level.  We could all hear each other, there were no off-key moments to notice, and any technical difficulties were kept to a minimum.  Adrianna and Rachel both sang very well, Zach's guitar playing was top-notch (and his Absu reference was most appreciated), and Njord was as good a drummer as ever.  I had initially decided that this would be my last show with Somni since balancing one's time between three active bands is incredibly difficult (to say nothing of the PKT and academic studies), but I will be playing one last show with them on June 24th at Bond's Rock Bar in San Antonio since Humut Tabal is also playing (and since Hellbound Jeff of Emperial Massacre asked us very politely).  Hope to see you all there!

Somniferum Setlist:

In The Arms of the Cold

Only Death Remains

Death’s (I never remember this title)

Of Sorrow and Seclusion

New Song

Humut Tabal:

After Somniferum finished, we were a bit behind schedule, so we quickly donned our paint and took the stage.  "Frozen Death" was the first hymn of the night, and we played it very well.  Unfortunately, I had neglected to crack my knuckles in between sets, so my plucking was a little slower than usual, but it was a minimal issue.  The majority of the performance was good (albeit with a few hiccups), with Grimzaar, Njord, and Hravan giving their all in terms of intensity, and I don't think I stopped headbanging once, except for whenever I went to do some backing, Impaled-style vocals on "Wielder" and "Helldaemons".  I myself felt transformed into a completely different entity once I was onstage.  Once we started playing, I ceased to become my mortal self and transcended into an entirely different beast.  My paint and blood was running, but it felt entirely natural, and by the end of the night, my shirt was covered in its fair share of corpse paint.  We decided against playing "Nemesis Triumphant" in favor of "Denizens ov Eternal Night", and while I was hesitant due to not having rehearsed it in a while, we absolutely slayed it, ending on a strong note before we hauled off our gear with the help of Bryan from Plutonian Shore.  Grimzaar's choice of an ending was the right one, indeed.

Humut Tabal Setlist:

Frozen Death

Manifestation ov the Darkness Within

Wielder ov the Demon Blade

Furious Winged Helldaemons Soar

Denizens ov Eternal Night

After we hauled all of our gear off, we had an excellent time watching the rest of the bands.  Most regrettably, I missed the first half of SM's set due to breaking down our gear, but once I had returned I witnessed the duo of Depravis and Cryptos tear Zombies up.  It was their first time playing this city and I am proud to say that they clearly made a good impression.  We'll be on their turf next week, and we can't wait to show Houston how the Dread Lair operates.  Plutonian was absolutely stellar.  I've said that they are the best up-and-coming black metal band from San Antonio, and after Friday's show, it would be a statement that would be tough to argue.  Vesperian Sorrow were also very good, and I happened to catch a long-sleeved shirt that was thrown by their singer.  Woods of Ypres played for about an hour-and-fifteen minutes, which was an excellent experience.  Our friend Erin helped film the show, which was appreciated by the Woods gentlemen.  Their show in Houston the next day was regrettably canceled, but they'll be back in November at the Goregrowler's Ball.  Needless to say, I will be there in the front row banging my head. 

After the show, we all went to a local restaurant with Spectral where we discussed topics ranging from the Houston metal scene to the luck in retrieving a potentially-stolen camera bag to how big of a travesty the new Morbid Angel album is (but that is a post for another day).  Overall, this night was a grand success, and I am personally honored to have shared the stage with all of these amazing bands.  Next week, we aim to conquer Houston as part of the Dread Lair showcase featuring Spectral, Mhinotahn, Bound in Flesh, and Pariah Messiah.  Hope to see you all there!