THE FACELESS ARE THE BEST LIVE BAND EVER! NO, WAIT, CYNIC ARE THE BEST LIVE BAND EVER! NO, NO, WAIT! MESHUGGAH ARE THE BEST LIVE BAND EVER!!!

So, as Vince mentioned, we went to see the Mesuggah/Cynic/The Faceless last night. It should go without saying that the show was killer – still, having never seen Cynic or The Faceless live before, I was somewhat unprepared for just how killer the evening turned out to be.

First of all: The Faceless. Look, if some people don’t like this band’s music, c’est la vie. Different strokes for different folks. Whatever. But anyone who thinks that this band doesn’t consist of top-notch, ridiculously gifted musicians is a moron. Seriously: there’s just no arguing that these guys don’t know how to play their instruments, and play their instruments better than pretty much anyone (Also, they’re all, like, ten years old or something, so that just makes them seem even more incredible.). Seeing them live, it becomes apparent that there’s no studio chicanery with these dudes; they really can play that shit, note for note. There was a moment – I think it was during “Legion of the Serpent” – when guitarists Michael Keene and Steve Jones and bassist Brandon Giffin were all playing identical parts, their fingers dancing up and down the fretboards in perfect unison… and it was just an amazing thing of beauty to watch. They only played for half an hour, but I could’ve watched this band all night. (Side note: Michael Keene’s guitar glows under black light. I know that sounds cheesy as hell, but it’s actually really, really cool. But I digress.)

Of course, if The Faceless had played all night, I wouldn’t have gotten to see Cynic. I don’t know quite to say about this band; whereas I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from The Facelss, I kind of assumed that Cynic were going to be incredible, and somewhat muddy sound mix aside, they were. I heard some people complain that they noodled too much, but – c’mon, it’s Cynic. They’re the kind of band that can somehow seem incredibly metal even though their live show is somewhat laid back – but that made them a perfect respite from the unrelenting heaviness of the two bands on either side of them. Hopefully they’ll come back around soon and play a full headlining set, because they really are a sight to see.

And then, finally, there was Meshuggah. They were filming a DVD apparently, and played a whopper of a ninety minute set. I’ll be honest: as much as I love this band, it was almost too too much. After awhile, Meshuggah’s music can all kinda blend together, and after about an hour, I needed a break. But I recognize that my need for a breather might just have to do with the fact that I’m rapidly turning into an old man; I don’t think the crowd, which was like a solid wall of mosh, relented in their enthusiasm for a second. It was a pretty excellent capper to an amazing night.

Unfortunetly, the tour plays it’s last show tonight in Maryland, so if you didn’t get a chance to go, well, you pretty much blew it. Make sure you get off your ass and go see these bands the next time they come to your town.

-AR