At The Left Hand Of God

"At the Left Hand of God commanded the most committed audience. The locally based band’s utilitarian thrash was the clear crowd favorite."

- The Kansas City Star

"At the Left Hand of God commanded the most committed audience. The locally based band’s utilitarian thrash was the clear crowd favorite."

- The Kansas City Star

The point in the night where I should probably just go home had arrived. But I didn't go home. I texted some friends, “Come watch metal with me.” No takers. The men of At the Left Hand of God kept giving the soundman the thumbs-up. Shit was about to get loud.

I'd already quit drinking by this time. Much of the crowd cleared out, but a fresh one came in, bigger than the one before it. (At the Left Hand of God refers to itself as “ATLHOG,” pronounced “at-uhl-hog.”) I had to quit yawning and put my party face back on.

Frontman Brett Carter apologized for “having a few cocktails” and promised a short and sweet set. They started up. The two guitarists and the bass player stood still as Carter thrashed about the stage, all metalhead crazy. The crowd loved it. One dude ran around the periphery of the crowd with one hand raised in a devil horn while doing high kicks. A man moved quickly from behind me, slammed half of a beer down on the table and bounded into the crowd. A dude holding his girlfriend's purse was rocking out by the side of the stage. Crimped-hair lady's head banged. Everyone in the crowd stood very close together despite all the open space around them.

“Don't take yer fuckin' foot off the gas yet, guys!” Carter yelled. “This last one is for all the zombie-lovin' motherfuckers out there!”

I had noticed a man in a wheelchair earlier when TDYL was onstage. He looked really excited, like he wanted to jump up and dance. Dude must have loved zombies because he just wheeled himself directly into the pit, barreling into two surprised-looking guys. Pretty soon, someone grabbed hold of one of the handles of the wheelchair and started spinning him in circles. Holy shit. It was 2 a.m. That's what I call a night out. - The Pitch

The point in the night where I should probably just go home had arrived. But I didn't go home. I texted some friends, “Come watch metal with me.” No takers. The men of At the Left Hand of God kept giving the soundman the thumbs-up. Shit was about to get loud.

I'd already quit drinking by this time. Much of the crowd cleared out, but a fresh one came in, bigger than the one before it. (At the Left Hand of God refers to itself as “ATLHOG,” pronounced “at-uhl-hog.”) I had to quit yawning and put my party face back on.

Frontman Brett Carter apologized for “having a few cocktails” and promised a short and sweet set. They started up. The two guitarists and the bass player stood still as Carter thrashed about the stage, all metalhead crazy. The crowd loved it. One dude ran around the periphery of the crowd with one hand raised in a devil horn while doing high kicks. A man moved quickly from behind me, slammed half of a beer down on the table and bounded into the crowd. A dude holding his girlfriend's purse was rocking out by the side of the stage. Crimped-hair lady's head banged. Everyone in the crowd stood very close together despite all the open space around them.

“Don't take yer fuckin' foot off the gas yet, guys!” Carter yelled. “This last one is for all the zombie-lovin' motherfuckers out there!”

I had noticed a man in a wheelchair earlier when TDYL was onstage. He looked really excited, like he wanted to jump up and dance. Dude must have loved zombies because he just wheeled himself directly into the pit, barreling into two surprised-looking guys. Pretty soon, someone grabbed hold of one of the handles of the wheelchair and started spinning him in circles. Holy shit. It was 2 a.m. That's what I call a night out. - The Pitch

Tonight's Riot Room bill originally included both At the Left

Hand of God and Christ Hate, a pairing that, judging by band names alone, seemed

to promise conflict, especially given that Christ Hate destroyed Bibles on

stage during its February Riot Room show.


atlhog.jpg
But the holy war has been averted, not only due to Christ Hate dropping

off the bill (reportedly to assist Cannibal Corpse on its current tour) but

also because At the Left Hand of God maintains religious neutrality. The latter

fact remains relevant, with Goatwhore (new album title: Carving out the Eyes of

God) still in place as the show's headliner.

At the Left Hand of God bonds around the cauldron.
At the Left Hand of God bonds around the cauldron.
"We'll play with pretty much anyone, despite their antics,"

says singer Rikk Wolf. "One thing none of us really care for is when bands

vocally and blatantly preach religiously to the crowd one way or another, but

that's not something that would deter us from the opportunity to play in front

of a crowd unless it was particularly over-the-top and there was danger of

people associating us with the same views. At the Left Hand of God is just

supposed to be an ironic, spooky metal name, with no religious reflections."

At the Left Hand of God literally picked its moniker out of

a hat, eliminating Knife in a Gun Fight, among other contenders. (While it wasn't the inspiration for this

group's christening, Behemoth's "At the Left Hand ov God" is a fucking

incredible song. Also, Behemoth's singer boasts the awesome name Nergal.)

Wolf has experience with deity-centric monikers, having fronted

the melodic-death group The Messiah Complex from 2004-2006. He joined ATLHOG

already in progress, performing double-duty as the band's fill-in singer while

still power-grunting for Behold the Alliance. His current vocal style blends

his previous approaches. "I call it 'dirty clean' because it comes from the

same place my screams do, and takes just as much if not more out of me," he

explains. "My natural singing voice is a little too what people call 'emo' for

ATLHOG." Occasionally, ATLHOG recordings contain simultaneous screaming and

clean vocals, but Wolf actually handles both parts. Live, he chooses one or the

other. "We've been meaning to get some backup vocals going, but it seems to be

something we never get around to rehearsing," he explains.

The acronymn ATLHOG brings to mind Atlanta's Pink Pig.
The acronymn ATLHOG brings to mind Atlanta's Pink Pig.
ATLHOG's demo tracks combine dual-guitar harmonies and

intricate solos (from co-founders Chris Joslen and Dave Thompson), keyboard

ambience (Wolf), and a rhythm section (bassist David Herron and drummer Scott

Eggelson) that handles plodding breakdowns and thrashy beats with equal aplomb.

ATLHOG's latest song "An Anthem for Honor" seems to suggest

a new direction for the band, from its inspirational hardcore-style lyrics to

its lack of solos. But Wolf says not to read too much into it. "The next song

we write could be straight-up melodic death metal," he says. The titles

certainly promise something along those lines: "The Tower is Tall but the Fall

is Short" and "From Coffins Choirs Rise."

"I sing about what I feel the music inspires thematically,"

Wolf says. "I joined the band a year and a half ago, and the band's early stuff was very darkly melodic and inspired a lot of horror-movie images in my mind. So you end up with songs like 'Heaven Sent Death (On Swifter Wings).' However, I attach personal feelings and motives to even works like that, so they're at least somewhat empathic to a person that doesn't wanna just hear songs about vengeful ghosts and zombies." - The Pitch

Tonight's Riot Room bill originally included both At the Left

Hand of God and Christ Hate, a pairing that, judging by band names alone, seemed

to promise conflict, especially given that Christ Hate destroyed Bibles on

stage during its February Riot Room show.


atlhog.jpg
But the holy war has been averted, not only due to Christ Hate dropping

off the bill (reportedly to assist Cannibal Corpse on its current tour) but

also because At the Left Hand of God maintains religious neutrality. The latter

fact remains relevant, with Goatwhore (new album title: Carving out the Eyes of

God) still in place as the show's headliner.

At the Left Hand of God bonds around the cauldron.
At the Left Hand of God bonds around the cauldron.
"We'll play with pretty much anyone, despite their antics,"

says singer Rikk Wolf. "One thing none of us really care for is when bands

vocally and blatantly preach religiously to the crowd one way or another, but

that's not something that would deter us from the opportunity to play in front

of a crowd unless it was particularly over-the-top and there was danger of

people associating us with the same views. At the Left Hand of God is just

supposed to be an ironic, spooky metal name, with no religious reflections."

At the Left Hand of God literally picked its moniker out of

a hat, eliminating Knife in a Gun Fight, among other contenders. (While it wasn't the inspiration for this

group's christening, Behemoth's "At the Left Hand ov God" is a fucking

incredible song. Also, Behemoth's singer boasts the awesome name Nergal.)

Wolf has experience with deity-centric monikers, having fronted

the melodic-death group The Messiah Complex from 2004-2006. He joined ATLHOG

already in progress, performing double-duty as the band's fill-in singer while

still power-grunting for Behold the Alliance. His current vocal style blends

his previous approaches. "I call it 'dirty clean' because it comes from the

same place my screams do, and takes just as much if not more out of me," he

explains. "My natural singing voice is a little too what people call 'emo' for

ATLHOG." Occasionally, ATLHOG recordings contain simultaneous screaming and

clean vocals, but Wolf actually handles both parts. Live, he chooses one or the

other. "We've been meaning to get some backup vocals going, but it seems to be

something we never get around to rehearsing," he explains.

The acronymn ATLHOG brings to mind Atlanta's Pink Pig.
The acronymn ATLHOG brings to mind Atlanta's Pink Pig.
ATLHOG's demo tracks combine dual-guitar harmonies and

intricate solos (from co-founders Chris Joslen and Dave Thompson), keyboard

ambience (Wolf), and a rhythm section (bassist David Herron and drummer Scott

Eggelson) that handles plodding breakdowns and thrashy beats with equal aplomb.

ATLHOG's latest song "An Anthem for Honor" seems to suggest

a new direction for the band, from its inspirational hardcore-style lyrics to

its lack of solos. But Wolf says not to read too much into it. "The next song

we write could be straight-up melodic death metal," he says. The titles

certainly promise something along those lines: "The Tower is Tall but the Fall

is Short" and "From Coffins Choirs Rise."

"I sing about what I feel the music inspires thematically,"

Wolf says. "I joined the band a year and a half ago, and the band's early stuff was very darkly melodic and inspired a lot of horror-movie images in my mind. So you end up with songs like 'Heaven Sent Death (On Swifter Wings).' However, I attach personal feelings and motives to even works like that, so they're at least somewhat empathic to a person that doesn't wanna just hear songs about vengeful ghosts and zombies." - The Pitch

The Riot Room, located in West Port right off of Broadway, is a must see for metal fans wanting to get up close and personal with any band. The stage is small but the music is big. There is truly not a bad seat in the house. With the atmosphere charged with heavy riffs and growling vocals, it aims to please the metal head in all of us.

One of the bands that graciously etched their mark at this venue is local Kansas City band, At the Left Hand of God. This was the first time I have seen them live, and everyone knows that first impressions last a great while. I have seen advertisements and heard good things about their shows, and finally had to the opportunity to see them for myself. And I must say they did not disappoint.

From the first chord to the last growl, the music was in your face the entire time. The constant hard riffs coupled with the heavy hitting drums alone would be a metal fans dream. With the addition of melodic and loud growls of the vocals, truly making it a complete package. Watching them on stage, appeared as if they were in a natural environment. At times, through out the show, Rikk Wolf (vocals/key) would crack jokes with various people in crowd. Making the experience that much more enjoyable.

I got a chance to talk to David Herron (bass) and Scott Eggleson (drums) after the show to get some insight about the band. The band it self has been around for about five years now, but the current members have been playing together for about three years. They have one album out now, The Apocalypse Tapestry, and are currently working on another. And from what they tell me this coming album is going to be louder and heavier than the previous, but with the same At the Left Hand of God feel. And when it comes out, you better believe that Project Backstage will be there.

Like I said before this was the first time I have seen them live, and I was very impressed with what I saw. This independent band played as well as any signed metal band I have ever heard. The professionalism they portrayed on stage was uncanny.

J Babs (Jason Babiuch)
Projectbackstage.com - Project Backstage

The Riot Room, located in West Port right off of Broadway, is a must see for metal fans wanting to get up close and personal with any band. The stage is small but the music is big. There is truly not a bad seat in the house. With the atmosphere charged with heavy riffs and growling vocals, it aims to please the metal head in all of us.

One of the bands that graciously etched their mark at this venue is local Kansas City band, At the Left Hand of God. This was the first time I have seen them live, and everyone knows that first impressions last a great while. I have seen advertisements and heard good things about their shows, and finally had to the opportunity to see them for myself. And I must say they did not disappoint.

From the first chord to the last growl, the music was in your face the entire time. The constant hard riffs coupled with the heavy hitting drums alone would be a metal fans dream. With the addition of melodic and loud growls of the vocals, truly making it a complete package. Watching them on stage, appeared as if they were in a natural environment. At times, through out the show, Rikk Wolf (vocals/key) would crack jokes with various people in crowd. Making the experience that much more enjoyable.

I got a chance to talk to David Herron (bass) and Scott Eggleson (drums) after the show to get some insight about the band. The band it self has been around for about five years now, but the current members have been playing together for about three years. They have one album out now, The Apocalypse Tapestry, and are currently working on another. And from what they tell me this coming album is going to be louder and heavier than the previous, but with the same At the Left Hand of God feel. And when it comes out, you better believe that Project Backstage will be there.

Like I said before this was the first time I have seen them live, and I was very impressed with what I saw. This independent band played as well as any signed metal band I have ever heard. The professionalism they portrayed on stage was uncanny.

J Babs (Jason Babiuch)
Projectbackstage.com - Project Backstage