Epic Kings and Idols Tour feat. Devin Townsend and Katatonia – TOUR REVIEW

Here is our review of the Chicago date of the Epic Kings and Idols Tour featuring co-headliners Devin Townsend and Katatonia, as well as Paradise Lost and Stolen Babies. This tour hit The Bottom Lounge on September 17th and you can check out our review after the break.

You want to talk about a unique-out-there tour going on in the States?! Well this was IT. This was a rare tour packaging of other-world-y sounds that suited the vibe and the appearance of the Bottom Lounge perfectly. Monday nights be damned!

California’s Stolen Babies brand of avant-garde infused music had caught me off guard within a heartbeat. Nowadays, copy cats and clones of bands are in greater numbers than the amount of soldiers battling overseas. This is for the Oingo Boingo fans of the world by a landslide. Vocalist Dominique Lenore Persi even rocked the accordion and fluidly. Talk about a true rarity in any form of aggressive music. Keep eyes and ears open for their sophomore album Naught October 6th of this year!
Seasoned veterans Paradise Lost blended gothic sounds and spiced it with traces of doom that made for one tasty appetizer of music that fed these fans to much delight. Despite a lengthy discography, PL managed to capture 20+ years of their sound in the sum of just 40 minutes. Wanted the straight doomy sounds from their inception? Check. Were you a fan of the left curve synth rock era? Check that off too. Closing epic “Say Just Words” might be the doom fan’s version of Amazing Grace. O how sweet it was! Salutes!

Fresh off their already critically acclaimed new album “Dead End Kings”, 1st headliner’s Katatonia went above and beyond with their brand of doom laden metal. Imagine if Opeth had taken out the progressive and folky influence and went with the doomy depressive atmospheres. There you have Katatonia in a nutshell. Little to nothing was said in between songs besides the occasional “thank you’s,” the Swedes spoke best with the ethereal vibe of the music. This 10+ song set list heavily consisted on the latter half of their discography and rightfully so as the response was strong and commanding from their committed fans.

Last and definitely not least, 2nd headliner Mr. Devin Townsend himself finally got rolling. Devin is an enigma. A frontman’s frontman. Engaging. Enticing. Yes. All that in one. Movements of all sorts were happening song to song. Head bobbing, even some people DANCING. Yes. You read that right. Moshes were slim to none and though the show could have been labeled as metal, the vibe was honestly not far from that of a Pop concert. By all means, this isn’t a bad thing at all for Dev. Rather, it was his benefit. A translation of a full live concert brought into a small venue setting was a perfect fit. Poppy songs like “Lucky Animals” scarily fit right in with the metal sounding efforts of “Juular” and Liberation” all without coming off like an identity crisis. May I also add Devin would be an excellent stand-up comedian?! Stage banter is usually annoying but what he says is quick, random, funny and then back to the music. Musicians AND comedians should get pointers! His backing band deserves the honorable mention as they are the true backbone of the show between Dev and his “Stage show” that keep it going swimmingly. The happy faces in the crowd looked close to the ones you’d see in an episode of the Looney Tunes. Safe to say, people were enjoying themselves rocking the cheesy fun grins! I stand by it when I say each and every one of these people will be counting down the days(some even hours!) for the next chance they have to see the happy madman once more. That is satisfaction!

I really can’t say this show appeals to a specific type of person considering the amazing diversity it had. However, if you’re open minded and want to step outside the box and go for something “different” this is the show I would recommend you catch. If your already a fan of any of these bands, then this treasure here is gold!

Information about the review…
Tour: Epic Kings and Idols Tour
Bands: Devin Townsend, Katatonia, Paradise Lost and Stolen Babies
Reviewer: Nicholas Wier
Date: September 17, 2012
Venue: The Bottom Lounge in Chicago, IL