Mose Giganticus, Zeus, Chivalry, Labyrinthe, Monarchist
The Milestone
Nov. 6, 2011
How often do you get the opportunity to see somebody rock a keytar live now that the ’80s are long over? Philadelphia’s Mose Giganticus resurrects this spectacle, wrapped in a synth-progressive-sludge package that is never short of bringing Charlotte, and many cities alike, to their knees. There have been better shows with them — in the past, they’ve packed out the Milestone to damn near capacity — but this night, in an intimate setting of 30 to 40 people, they embraced the different vibe and created the same effect on a smaller scale.
After three opening bands, Chivalry, Labyrinthe and Monarchist, the Mose boys began their strikingly original amalgamation. Because it was the touring guitarist’s birthday, they were in party-go mode — which is not something these boys typically participate in. The hype was up and spectators gathered around, like squirrels seeking the final nut before the winter, in anticipation of the music they love and seldom get to witness.
Led by keytarist Matt Garfield and his robotic, distorted vocals, the band followed him into the land of Mose Giganticus — a hip-shaking, head-rocking progressive mix of electronics and rock. They primarily played material from their latest album, Gift Horse, amidst a set of old and new songs. They also tugged at the crowd’s heartstrings with favorites such as “Days of Yore” and “My Machine.” Bodies rocked and fists pumped in the air as fans screamed lyrics loud enough to challenge the levels of the music itself.
It was too bad the opening bands, sans Monarchist, left because they missed out on some hints on how to progress their skills. The openers barely drew a crowd and Labyrinthe offended the audience by seriously singing pro-rape songs. At the end of Moses’ set, drummer Dan Eppihimer clarified they do not approve of misogynistic music, citing the earlier band.
Zeus brought the night to a close with a new bassist and metal nothing short of brutal. In celebration of their CD release and touring with Mose Giganticus, they tore up the venue like an old love note — sprinkling musical bits on the audience as every fans’ hair flew in all directions in appreciation.
Make sure to check out Mose Giganticus as they make their way back through the area to Salisbury at 315 on Nov. 9. Zeus will also be coming back to Charlotte on Nov. 13 to play with Exhumed, Goatwhore, Havoc and Columns at Tremont Music Hall. Support these guys as they make their rounds on tour. It’s never fun having to pay out of pocket for expenses when you’re a dedicated musician. And really, why would anyone want to miss a keytar played so ferociously?
This article appears in Nov 8-14, 2011.
Hey, Mark from Labyrinthe here. I was recently informed of this article by a woman this evening while in NoDa. I am upset by your claim that we play “pro-rape songs” while last time you attended our show and made a review of it – it was about the same song in question….”Raped By Trees” which is based off of the movie “Evil Dead”, which is a work of fiction as well as a very well-known movie. None of our songs are misogynistic although they are about killing, people as a whole, not women as a sex. Thanks.
Never said I was offended. I was just documenting what I saw and heard. Sorry it it upset you.
Lets be honest. The details you decided to document are a bit biased. I was personally in the venue to hear Mose And Zeus, including what Mose’s drummer said. Besides implying that a deathcore band would need to take hints from a prog rock band, this is the line that specifically bothers me.
“The openers barely drew a crowd and Labyrinthe offended the audience by seriously singing pro-rape songs.”
At the risk of sounding like we have an ego: we drew. We had kids dancing. That’s a fact. Now on to the real issue. I refuse to have us portrayed as misogynistic or pro-rape without giving readers an opportunity to hear the truth. Mark’s comments that night were literally a summary of the song’s lyrics (which I invite you to read on our facebook, under the “notes” tab) which describe a scene in a cult classic B-rated horror movie, Evil Dead. They are fantasy, simply descriptive, and reflect no opinions or ideals of the band. Mose’s drummer simply heard the word “rape” and decided it was time to be a white knight.
Too Long, Didn’t Read?
We are not misogynistic and we, like you, are disgusted by the concept of rape or any type of sexual assault on either sex. We just gave tribute to one of our favorite horror movies.
-James, guitarist of Labyrinthe
You have every right to defend yourself. I, however, was just going on the commentary I had received by disgusted patrons throughout the night. Please understand that your lyrics are, for the most part, inaudible and people will gather what they can and make assumptions from the pieces they can fit together.
As you have made it apparent, it is a tribute to Evil Dead, which makes sense, I am a fan of the movie myself despite it’s brutal tree rape scene. However, as stated above, with lyrics that are pieced together containing such subject content, audience members have and will continue to make assumptions. People were upset. I was an eyewitness to it. I’m sorry you were not privy to this, maybe you should discuss making this connection apparent to deter this reaction.
Nonetheless, fact is, Moses’ crowd did draw a great deal more than all of the openers and the comment made about skill progression was based upon this fact and that the entire opening band (which has nothing to do with you) and to my understanding, your band, had left the show which is disrespectful to the musicians you are sharing the stage with, which was voiced by several musicians throughout the night. I apologize if you had stuck around. Again, I just go by what I observe and hear from staff and patrons. I apologize if you were offended.
You’re alright, didn’t mean to take it out on you. Just need people to know that’s not how we roll. Also we are slow as hell when it comes to packing our equipment, we end up staying most of the time.
-James