review by: Roberto Martinelli

Behemoth's first trip as a band into the United States was a bit like freshman hazing. A good part of the audience at The Pound in San Francisco was appreciative, with the faithful naturally being concentrated at the centermost front part of the stage. Some didn't seem to care all that much, while calls of "fuck you! And…Deicide!" made it clear that for some this was the only band that could possibly take the stage this night.

Of course it wasn't fair. Behemoth (above) played very well. The sound wasn't half bad, and the material from the new record, Zos Kia Kultus, in a way was better live. Surprisingly, much of the lead vocals that one would expect frontman/bassist Nergal to do were performed by one of the guitarists. Still, Behemoth may have sensed that is could never really win the hearts of this crowd over, and their dispassionate stage presence in comparison to the succeeding bands was noticeable.

Amon Amarth (below) was next. They put on a good show. Their sound was better than Behemoth’s. Amon Amarth played a very solid set that seemed to surprisingly impress a lot of people. Amon Amarth clearly made some new fans on this night.

With total professionalism exuding throughout their set, Deicide proved that it was the best band this night. It wasn’t solely because of the energy and conviction. Glen Benton really knows how to work a crowd, and interacted with the faithful much to their delight, chatting with them and even pouring Jack Daniel’s into their mouths from a bottle he had on stage. Benton’s on stage personality shines through by his use of his regular voice, which comes along nonchalantly between songs, a huge contrast to his bellowing death metal attack when the music kicks in. He sounded great, and so did his band.

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