Imapler – Turf Club – St. Paul MN – May 24th 2019

VVolf Mask, God Came From Space, Kublai Khan, Impaler – Friday May 24th – Turf Club

A lot of working type folks tend to think “Fridays don’t suck”, May 24th this was especially true. A great night for the Minneapolis metal scene and another great show in the books! Not a huge turn out for this event, but that didn’t stop each act from getting up there like they had a thousand people to keep happy for a few hours.

A little after 9:00 VVolf Mask opened the show with a set that was tuned for full speed and packed with aggressive metal. The trio hit the stage, and laid it down for the crowd of around 100 people. The guys certainly wanted to make sure that if you’d never seen them before, they’d be on your list for other shows to catch this summer. They made themselves available to the showgoers both before and after their set and made time to talk to everyone who stopped by. I’m thoroughly convinced that they all have something in common with everyone they talked with, which stands to reason why their set left everyone ready for the rest of the night.

Right on the heels of VVolf Mask was God Came From Space. I’m gonna be completely honest, not everyone is going to like this band the first time you see them, but everyone will find something to appreciate about them. From crunchy, grinding, punch in the face metal to somewhere out of Woodstock melodies that came out of nowhere, each song was unique and made you watch just to see where they were going next. One thing that wasn’t a mystery was their passion for the music they produced. Every note was thought out and plucked straight from the soul. Part creative genius, part mad scientist with a mix of time to start moshing, this was an entertaining band that I’ll be interested in seeing again.

One genre that many thought was dead for ages is speed metal. There’s a direct line to my heart through speed metal and Kublai Khan found it and exploited it. Every song had a mix of adrenaline filled, damn fast excitement and melodic riffs. A very well polished stage presence kept you locked in, in spite of minor technical issues. The guys handled any issues in stride and delivered a performance that you might well not have even noticed anything out of the ordinary if you’d never seen them before. In a larger venue with more people, I could see Kublai Khan inspiring an epic mosh pit full of energy and a great time for all.

Impaler knew why you were there and they delivered it. Their shock/horror set was something that if you haven’t seen, you’re just missing out. Long time shock rockers weren’t swayed by the small stage at the Turf Club. They packed it and delivered their unique brand of a show that is unlike anything you’ve seen or will ever see again. Impaler is one of those bands that would put on the same show regardless of crowd size, they’re in this to entertain with a unique shock/horror show that will have fans coming back for more every time. From crowd interaction to total stage presence, they nailed it, like they’ve done for more than 30 years. Their show was much larger than the Turf Club, but they made it work by taking the show into the crowd and offering an interactive experience that you’re not going to get anywhere else.

At the end of the night I left with a smile on my face and totally exhausted from the experience. With the small venue, it was readily apparent how much work goes into tearing down one act and setting the next one up. I just wanted to take a minute to acknowledge all of the labor and technical skill that goes into all of the work it takes to deliver an entertainment experience that was certainly worth the cost of admission. All of the folks involved in this part of the show deserve a pat of the back and your dedicated patronage, they’re busting their asses for you and the quality of their work really comes through.

Review and photos from Paul Allen