Impaler Comes To (Up)Town For Scary Krampus

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Friday night the Uptown VFW was rocking when Impaler and 3 other local bands celebrated Merry Krampus. The beer and (fake?) blood was flowing, moshers were slamming and the bands left rock in concert goers stockings.

VolsungaSaga, a local 4 member band formed in 2013, started the evening off and didn’t waste any time. They were loud and they were heavy and the crowd was rowdy and ready for them. Their set could have gone longer if it were up to me, but with 4 bands trying to fit into 4 hours, they had to be brief. They sounded great and are on my list to see again.

The next band was Blackbird Bridge. I haven’t seen them before but heard good things about them. They are a 3 piece local band that advertises “We are looking to connect to people that appreciate loud, aggressive, heavy, original music.” And they were right on in their description of themselves. Songs were announced as the first song, the second song, the next song, etc. – no names. The band was tight, fast, loud and very entertaining. If you haven’t seen them, they are a must see.

The third band was Plague of Stars. I have seen them a couple of times in the past and loved them and always enjoy seeing them again. Plague of Stars is a female fronted, local Gothic/Doom/Death band with 4 members that began playing in 2012. Their sound is best described by their latest release (“Daedalus”), which says they capitalize on defying metal genres, vocal styles, and absorbing additional genres outside of metal into the ultimate sound. The crowd loved them, as did I and I look forward to seeing them again in the near future.

It was after midnight by the time Impaler took the stage and the crowd was ready for them. Several hours of drinking and great music had the audience chanting and screaming before they started their set. They were setting up behind a closed curtain and the crowd erupted once the curtain was opened. Minnesota Krampus, who spent most of the evening in the audience, joined Impaler on stage for a few songs. I have seen Impaler more times than I can remember and they are always a treat. Tonight they emphasized a Christmas theme and even substituted red tinsel for intestines during “Shock Rock”.

The crowd included members of the previous bands and people were constantly rushing the stage for photos and videos. As usual, a lot of beer was spilled by Impaler and the audience and (fake?) blood was sprayed into the audience. A dummy crowd surfed and was thrown around in the crowd and finally on stage before it was dismembered by Impaler. At the end of “Shock Rock”, the crowd cheered wildly and convinced Impaler to come back for an encore. It was after 1 am before they finally left the stage, but the audience stayed – not wanting the party to end. I say it every time I see them and I will say it again – if you haven’t seen Impaler, they are a must see. And if you stand near the stage, get ready for spilled (fake?) blood and beer.

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