Colliding Dimensions Tour-Report

by Jason Mantis

Thursday, September 2nd
Frederick, MD.
Interzone Music
Lineup: Ex.Order, Schloss Tegal, Inade

Arrived at Richards early Thursday evening and was happy to see a core of tumorlist members among the usual assortment of freaks and degenerates. Even ex-member James Hanna managed to drag himself away from his porno mags and whatever else it is he does and make it to the show (though I can't say I was happy to have him there). Come show time, the front part of the store was filled pretty much to capacity, with a decent overflow into the back of the store. Didn't get an exact count, but suspect it was in the area of 35 or so… so not bad at all for a redneck town in semi-Western Maryland ! Kudos to the DC / VA crowd for making their presence felt. Mostimportantly it seemed to consist of knowledgable people who were generally interested in seeing Inade and Ex.Order, not just there because there was nothing else to do on Thursday night. Rene and Knut took the 'stage' as Ex.Order around 10:00 or so (don't remember now) and played a half hour set of blistering power electronics. After years of listening to the stuff on records and CDs it was nice to finally be assaulted in person! The small environment of Richard's store seemed to add a nice dose of weightiness to their sound and tracks that are somewhat subdued on their releases came off as much more aggressive and intense. Rene's flanged vocal effects were nothing short of outstanding and heightened the tension built by the oscillating, rhythmic electronics and hypnotic flash of a lone strobelight. Schloss Tegal followed suit with a set consisting mainly of newly released tracks from the Black Static Transmission CD. Having seen Richard perform several times before I knew pretty much what to expect… nothing visually exciting per se, but a nice solid 30+ minutes of dark ambient noise, drugged voice samples, and surreal textures that moved away from the ambient realm of his CDs and moved towards the chaotic and harsh realm of power electronics. If nothing else, it certainly made for a good segue into Inade, who started (I believe) a little bit past midnight. While the line-up remained the same as Ex.Order, musically it came from an entirely different dimension; thick, pulsating atmospheres and monstrously deep ambience that swirled and throbbed in dense patterns, condensing the already small quarters into a claustrophobic vortex of sound. An astounding American debut that left me anxious to hear what lay ahead for the remaining three shows. Noizguild wrapped things up nicely with a few quick delicacies from their sordid collection. A fun and succesful evening and a great way to start off the next few days.

Friday, September 3rd
Cleveland OH.
Speak in Tongues
Lineup: Ex.Order, Baal, Inade

Ah, Cleveland… what could have been, what should have been, what was. Several elements contributed to the disappoinment of this show, chief among them being the crew (myself, Rene, Knut, and Praveer in one vehicle, Sasha and Shane in another) getting stuck for literally an hour and a half on the Pennsylvania turnpike while a fatal accident was cleared from a tunnel upahead. Finally, we were ushered off the highway and detoured into the rolling hills of Pennsylvania. While it was a beautiful drive (much like German Rene commented), it was also a good forty minutes out of our way. So, finally back on the turnpike, we booked it to Cleveland, arriving at the club tired, frustrating, hungry and stressed out at around 10:00. Small crowd present consisting of a smattering of tumorlist folks (cheers to Scott, Robert, Anton, and perhaps a few select others) and an otherwise friendly and talkative group of people. You can question the lack of promotion for this show (yes, we spent money on this and I have no doubt Stephen busted his balls to make this night a success), but the fact of the matter is a *large* degree of people who said they'd show up did not… that includes not just tumorlist people but people from the Malignant mailing list from Indiana, Michigan, and of course Ohio. At any rate, so Rene and Knut went about setting up their soundcheck, while myself, Praveer, Sasha and Shane ventured into the 'wilds' of downtown Cleveland in search of something resembling food. Suffice to say there's not a whole lot happening in Cleveland and it was easier said that done… the bottom line is, not eating was *not* an option and I question anyone's ability to drive for 9 hours and stay up until 3:00am without having anything to eat. At any rate, Ex.Order started soon after we got back, this night with the addition of a vcr and monitor. Not quite as intense as the night before (larger room acoustics?), but still quite confrontational and highly charged, the riot videos and strobe lights adding a nice element of violence and unstability. Local act Baal was next with a brutal (if not frighteningly loud) set of crushingly heavy electronics that shook the foundation of the building, shooting sonic bullets at anyone daring to get too close. Unique, dark sounds and really quite impressive material… if John manages to pack half the intensity into a studio recording heads are sure to explode. Only complaint is that it was getting god-awful late at this point and the set was maybe 20 minutes over the expected time, so the decision was made to bump In Death's Throes and get Inade on as soon as we could. Unfortunate, but for the sake of our mental health we didn't have much of a chance. Apologies to those guys, I know you were looking forward to it (as were we), but circumstances warranted… Anyhow, so Inade rolled onstage late enough (2:30 ???) so that most of what was left of the crowd had dispersed. Can't really blame 'em per se, but they missed one hell of a show. Even deeper tonight, with the accompanying video (footage from Tibet, space, flowing textures) syncing up perfectly to the hypnotic pulsations and throbs of tracks from Aldebaran, Flood of the White Light, and an amazingly dark and crunching rendition of V.I.T.R.I.O.L. After hearing that track live I have to say it's probably one of the most well crafted and frightening pieces ever done by Inade, period. 3:30am… maybe 4:00am, we're outta there! One day that was way too long and one I'd just plain like to forget.

Saturday, September 4th
Toronto, Ontario
Holy Joe's
Lineup: Urban Refuse Group, DJ Chris Twomey, Ex.Order / Inade

Breakfast at Denny's and numerous cups of coffee to get things rolling, then a quick stop at the local CD store to pick up some easy listening items (Metallica 'Kill 'Em All' and the Doors soundtrack for us, two Dead Milkmen CDs - one of which was a double (!), for Sasha and Shane). Then it was off…easy drive today, though a strain on the tired eyes (slowly burning). Got to Praveers house around 7:00, checked in, relaxed, took a quick nap and watch some tennis with his parents (hey, nothing else to talk about). Didn't get to see much of Toronto unfortunately, but the club and street it was on was awfully cool… very vibrant, very active. It just so happened that Dimmu Borgir was playing on the second floor (which he had to walk through to get to the third floor obviously) so it was jam packed with Canadian black and death metal freaks. The third floor was much more intimate and artsy…a bar, tables, and stools in the back, couches and chairs for lounging near the stage. A different crowd tonight than the previous shows…more artsy, with very few tumorlist people (cheers to Sebastien from Montreal though for making the trek!) and very few people from my mailing list, but a good showing of around 40 nonetheless. This show also featured an exhibition of paintings by Charles Acethorpe to coincide with the release of Ex.Orders 'Silence + Brutality' mCD, so they lined the sides of the club. To commemorate, Rene and Knut did a special set, fusing Inade and Ex.Order into one show. Despite the mono PA system (????), Rene and Knut on the verge of fatigue collapse, and the high humidity and heat index inside the club, musically it turned out be the highlight of the tour (I think). An hour set that grew in intensity, previously unheard Inade material blending into Ex.Order material as well as some of the more classic Inade tracks, and ending in a grinding, rhythmic climax. Pure brilliance.

Sunday, September 5th

Day off spent sleeping in, lounging around Praveers house & checking out his record collection, and a quick jaunt to Lake Ontario. Nice easy drive ending in Utica New York at about 11:00pm.

Monday, September 6th
New York, NY.
CB's Gallery
Lineup: Noizguild, Inade, Ex.Order

Got to Sasha and Shane's pad in Greenwich Village in the mid-late afternoon. Great to be in New York and great to get into a city early for once, giving us time to actually relax on the couch, shoot the shit, buy some wine and pizza and just flat out chill. Arrived at CB's around 9:00-ish I think and was met by a host of familiar faces and names. Like Frederick, it was a decent sized crowd (40+), but more importantly comprised of people there specifically to see Inade. *Great* showing from the tumorlist as well as the Malignant mailing list and it made for a very comfortable, friendly atmosphere. Unlike the graffiti filled, grimey charm of CBGBs, the gallery is actually very clean and well kept and perfect for dark ambient shows. Noizguild finally got to do a proper set after being denied in Cleveland and Toronto, playing more ambient / dark industrial material since Inade was to play first. This the same day after wrapping their rental car around a tree on their way home from Toronto !! Much to the chagrin of those that showed up late, Rene and Knut took the initiative to play as Inade first, opting to end the tour on a more aggressive note as Ex.Order. Another beautifully hypnotic offering that opened with The Grinding Inside (I think, can't quite remember) and ending with another rousing rendition of the amazing V.I.T.R.I.O.L. Despite some disturbances from some 'goths' on the overhang, it was very well focused and well exectuted set complimented again by the accompanying video images. Noizguild spun some hardcore power electronics in preparation for Ex.Order, who took the stage at around 11:20 or so. Rene and Knut seemed especially fired up this night, and in showed in Ex.Order's set. A full throttle, power electronics attack with hardcore vocals and bristling, pulverizing rhythms, this was Ex.Order in it's finest form. An unrelenting and uncompromising set that I imagine let out all the frustration and aggression from being cramped in the car for 4 days straight. Great show all around and we happily mingled afterwards, drinking beer and relaxing knowing no further obligations lay ahead. Despite some glitches, Colliding Dimensions was very much a succesful tour both musically and supportwise. Thanks to all those that helped make it a reality: Phil Easter, Shane and Sasha, Stephen Petrus, Praveer Baijal, Richard Schneider, Butch Clough, Nicky Elezovic, and of course Rene and Knut for coming over and putting up with all this shit. Flat out, two of the coolest and most genuine people I've had the pleasure of meeting. And of course, thanks to all those that came out and showed their support. Next stop…TumorFest 2000 ????

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