Wednesday night a pair of long running metal bands teamed up to co-headline a show at Chicago’s Thalia Hall. Voivod and Prong are currently on a US Tour and both of them have fairly recently released new albums as well. What better way to spend a cold Wednesday night than this?
First up was Black Cross Hotel. This relatively new Chicago act features members of The Atlas Moth and Stabbing Westward. The band played a mix of metal, industrial, and horror. They had crunchy, heavy riffs, gruff Rob Zombie like vocals (with far less processing), and an overall dark and spooky vibe. Their set was short but it was quite enjoyable and you should check this band out if you get the chance. Apparently they are working on some new material already and have an album out that was released in late 2022.
Next up was New York metal legends, Prong. The band released a new studio album last fall, proving they still have a lot to offer after 38 years of being a band! Prong is a three-piece band that sounds as heavy as bands with twice as many. members. Depending on the era their blend of metal was either heavy on the thrash/crossover metal, or more akin to industrial or groove metal. Whatever era you pick ,the band has been consistently good to great. Guitarist/vocalist/founder, Tommy Victor is a legend in heavy metal circles and aside from Prong has done time in other bands including Danzig and Ministry.
The band opened with “The Descent” and they sounded great. Victor was smiling a lot while playing which was a pretty clear indication that the man enjoys performing this music on stage, and the band was as tight as ever. Tommy Victor and bassist, Jason Christopher both stalked around the stage while working their instruments like fine surgeons and they pummeled the audience with intense riffs while new drummer, Tyler Bogliole kept it all together with some excellent drumming that kept the energy strong the entire set. The band did a cover of Killing Joke’s “Seeing Red” which sounded really good (and Tommy even hit the high note during the song) as a tribute to the late Geordie Walker. From there the band played a really balanced set of old material and new songs, and they even played stuff from their very first album! Highlights included “Whose Fist Is This Anyway?”, “Beg to Differ”, “Revenge Best Served Cold”, and of course “Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck”. The band ended their 70 minute set with a good cover of “Working Man” by Rush. All in all it was a really great performance and it was great to see the band active again.
Canadian metal veterans, Voivod, one of the best and most underrated bands of their generation, are on this tour to celebrate 40 years of being a band. Few bands can go a decade without making a bad record or breaking up, and Voivod has gone all four without a blemish on their record, despite various linup changes and the sad loss of their guitarist and mastermind, Piggy. The band has endured a lot over the decades, but they kept on persevering and keep making really good records.
Voivod got the night started with “Forgotten in Space” from their Killing Technology album and man did it sound good. These guys have not lost a step in all these years and continue to amaze whether they are playing their faster, thrash material, or the more experimental/prog stuff (my personal favorite style of Voivod). They are able to blend these styles together in such a way that it just feels natural and right. The band played a nice mix of the old and the new, giving fans a nice sampler platter of their entire career. They even played a song of the Phobos album which Snake didn’t even sing on! That’s a rarity in itself and it was cool to hear how that song sounds with the true Voivod vocalist at the helm. Snake talked a lot between songs and the band totally killed it on stage, playing with the same precision they’ve been famous for their entire career. Age has not slowed them down at all, every song sounded as good as the previous one and the crowd in attendance was loving every minute of it. The band played a 70 minute set and there wasn’t a dull minute but the true highlights were the incredible “Tribal Convictions” and “Voivod” from the band’s first album. The set seemed to fly by in the blink of an eye and it’s a shame they couldn’t play longer because the band has so many good songs.
This Voivod/Prong tour is a must see if they come to your town, you couldn’t ask for a better pairing of bands, both of which still have a lot to offer these days. Go out of your way to catch one of these shows if you can!
