The Scion Rock Fest

MARCH 2009

Harder Beat Magazine Online

The Scion Rock Fest – The Masquerade (Atlanta, GA), 2/28/09

By D.J. Ivie • Photos: Misty Johnson

When announced, The Scion Rock Fest set the metal blogosphere on fire. The lineup was almost every band that’s making heavy music exciting, including Mastodon, Neurosis, High on Fire, Converge, Baroness, Pig Destroyer and dozens more.

Baroness

The best part - it was entirely free! You just had to RSVP through the Scion website or pick up tickets in the Atlanta area. The worst part? It was rainy and cold. Tickets did not guarantee admission, so the 4,000 capacity crowd started gathering before 8 a.m. amidst a downpour. Once the gates opened, the rain stopped - but there were big mud holes to dodge all day.

Almost 40 bands were crammed onto four stages making it impossible to see everyone. The three inside The Masquerade were a little more sub-genre specific than the outdoor main stage.

In a room called Purgatory, there was a stoner/doom vibe from bands like Zoroaster and Rwake and a little folk-metal courtesy of Alestorm. The thrash and hardcore bands were in Heaven (of course) - Skeletonwitch, Warbringer, Toxic Holocaust and Converge. In Hell were black/death metal with Withered, Wolves in the Throne Room, and 1349. At one point it was so packed, security had to temporarily close the doors to the inside stages.

Outside, female-fronted Kylesa got the ball rolling with an impressive set of sludgy hardcore, which featured two drummers…. Technical difficulties plagued Torche’s performance. The band, minus their recently departed lead guitarist, muscled through it nonetheless. In between songs, it appeared the drummer had a few choice words with the soundman. He was not the only one, as it was obvious that none of the bands were happy with their monitor mix.

Savannah, Georgia favorites Baroness followed with the tightest set, sticking mainly to their critically acclaimed Red album…. Boris was the most flamboyant of the day, with fans shaking their asses to their happy stoner-punk tunes.

Pig Destroyer, who never properly tours, decimated the stage even though their guitarist could not be heard for the first few songs. Their brand of grindcore was exactly what the people needed. They had the biggest mosh-pit of all the main stage bands…. Stoner rock luminary Matt Pike’s High on Fire had an above par set that had everybody singing along.

Mastodon

But the night belonged to the legendary Neurosis. It’s a crime these guys are not mega-successful bazillionaires. Even though everyone was walking around in cold, wet shoes all day, Neurosis’ grandiose post-metal made everything all right. Heaviest live band ever.

Headliner and hometown heroes Mastodon finished things up with a set heavy on their newest release, Crack the Skye. Their highlight was when Neurosis’s Scot Kelly joined them for the title track of said album.

Hopefully, The Scion Rock Fest is not just a one-off thing. For a first run, it was successful. It probably was not the marketing blitz Scion thought it would be (only a few people were seen sporting the free tote bags). Sure, nicer weather would have been better, but what’s so metal about a sunny day anyway?

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