We arrived at the Gothic Theater at about 6:30, and the doors opened only twenty minutes later. Last time I was at this venue, for the Art of Noise tour, it was bitter cold and the doors opened an hour and a half late, but the weather was decent today so it didn't really matter. They had seating and tables out, for some reason, so I grabbed a spot and went through the usual pre-show routine of meeting up with acquaintences from other shows, chatting about new releases, and looking for musicians to jam with.

First band up was Kataklysm, who came on about 7:45. I was surprised to see them up first; I figured they'd be right before the Haunted. I've heard very little from this band before, but their show certainly warrented further attention. I got up front for their set, which was an incredible and energetic display of creative death metal, equal parts speed and groove. The drummer was simply incomprehensible, and the set included a short drum solo in which he played the single fastest blast beat I have ever heard. Ever.

I returned to my seat for Shai Hulud, whom I've never heard of before. They're yet another band in the rising metalcore scene (Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage, and a thousand others), which explains the juvenile hardcore punks who ran around pissing off the metalheads during Kataklysm's set. Shai Hulud played with a lot of energy, but their music was just no damn good. Noisy, meandering, and dull, with extensive use of rap and atrocious hardcore vocals. Like most metalcore bands I've heard, they threw in some really great riffs, as if to say, "Sure, we can play good music. We just don't want to!" They announced towards the beginning of their set that Bleeding Through would not be making it. Can't say I was disappointed.

Finally, the Haunted, who opened up with "Privation of Faith, Inc." using one of the worst live mixes I've ever heard. The bass was at the top of the mix, loud enough to bury the other instruments. The guitar was audible under the bass, but the drums and vocals could barely be heard. The volume was set too high for the system, so the sound was heavily distorted. Despite the poor mix, the Haunted played with enough energy, sincerity, and presence, to make up for it. Their performance was technically flawless, and the intensity level was through the roof. I've heard much criticism of Marco Aro for not living up to his predecessor, but the man has amazing stage charisma.

Great show all around. Kataklysm played one of the better opening sets in recent memory and introduced me to some great new music; Shai Hulud was far from the worst band I've seen live (not that that's saying much); and the Haunted did an incredible job of bringing life and intensity to their music.