Wednesday 06/12/06 Children Of Bodom, Amon Amarth, Gojira, Sanctity @ The Marquee Theater, Tempe, Arizona

Hang on to your senses. It’s going to be a face melting night with category five hurricane force vocals, freight train riffs and screaming licks as some of the best metal bands in Europe take over Arizona’s Marquee Theater. Excited and devoted fans descend on the venue in mass and the place fills quickly. From North Carolina Sanctity gets the crowd more than warmed up with a heavy dose of pristine Thrash. They play with fervor and enthusiasm even though their band equipment has been stolen. Gigwise feels there is a special place in hell, for perpetrators who steal instruments, where they are forced to listen to Political Speeches and Doris Day 24/7.

From France, Gorjira, Japanese for Godzilla, can almost be described as New Age Death Metal. Their fearless music recognizes no boundaries yet is savage to the core. They bring us ‘Ocean Planet’ and a dreamscape world filled with the eternal majesty of mighty whales calling out whilst adrift in a heavy metal sea. It’s a fantastic piece. Next, madman drummer Mario Duplantier teams with bassist Christian Andreu to become a crushing convoy of sound during the harsh and threatening ‘Backbone.’

‘Flying Whales’ begins with an exquisite lick akin to a slow walk through darkness. It quickens, the bassist chugs and Joseph Duplantier’s deep, guttural vox is greeted by a crowd beating their horns skyward. With meticulous decelerations, killer licks and furious riffs the band rampages on. They finish with ‘The Heaviest Matter Of The Universe.’ On a blood red, smoke filled stage a sweet tension lick triggers a spontaneous roar from the jumping mob. Amazing, revolutionary and unforgettable Gorjira is an absolute enigma.