It has been a whirlwind of a week, but we couldn’t imagine skipping out on Beasto Blanco’s first night on tour with Lord of the Lost. We’ve been fascinated with this band since the first time we caught a glimpse of their theatrical show on in a crowded room on the Monsters of Rock Cruise back in 2017. And, after meeting frontwoman Calico Cooper on the beach in Mexico that same week, my youngest became one of their biggest fans.
So, we ventured out on my second road trip to Cleveland this week on Friday evening for what turned out to be one of the many highlights of this insane sting of shows. Calico is of course joined by Chuck Garric (Alice Cooper) on lead vocals and guitar. To complete the band, Bryan Blumer could be found filling in on guitar for “Brother Latham” as Chris couldn’t make the shows due to family commitments, Lee Valak performed on bass, and Trent Tieken was on drum duties.
Over the past several years we’ve seen the evolution of the band, and have to say that while there is much familiarity with their set, this was by far the most riveting delivery of their unique stage show, and as the Cleveland crowd at the House of Blues looked on in amazement, they had clearly won the audience over by mid-set.
Their performance included a cover of Alice Cooper’s “Feed My Frankenstein” as well as Calico’s anthem “Machine Girl,” while Chuck drew us in with the fan favorite “Grind” as the played on with grit and vigor we’ve come to expect. As music from the new album was sprinkled in throughout the set, we couldn’t help but notice an evolution as well, and as the band continues to light things up, all we can do is watch in amazement and applaud them. Not to worry, they brought their own fire extinguisher!
This is a quick run for Beasto Blanco whose latest album KINETICA, with the first single “Run for Your Life” from the album having been produced by frontman Chris Harms of Lord of the Lost, the duo makes a perfect pairing on the Lord of the Lost’s first return to the states from their home of Germany in nearly a decade.
It is no surprise that Beasto Blanco had kicked off their set with “Run for Your Life,” but the new song that stood out by far was “Lowlands,” which offered Calico the opportunity to deliver some pop rock vocals to get the crowd dancing over the heavy grind that is Beasto Blanco, making it the perfect fit for this tour with Lord of the Lost.
Honestly, we weren’t at all familiar with Lord of the Lost, but they had our attention from the moments the lights hit the stage. We’d been listening (and singing along) to a soundtrack of ABBA music between bands and wondering why you’d hear Swedish disco music at a metal show, but it quickly hit us how well the prelude fit the mood as frontman Chris Harms was adorned in a silver sequin jack and the band danced just as well as they banged their heads to the pulsating mix of metal and industrial dance music.
Harms, who first started the band as a solo effort back in 2007, is joined by Gared Dirge on keys and percussion, Pi Stoffers on guitar, Niklas Kahl on drums, Class Grenayde on bass, and Benjamin Mundigler on guitar and keys. While the band can be categorized as goth and dark metal, there are definitely some glam metal roots shining through their material. They have gain recent notoriety having supported Iron Maiden on multiple runs in Europe.
The band can be found on Napalm Records with their latest studio album Weapons of Mass Seduction, and a new live album recorded at the notorious Wacken Open Air festival. We certainly hope they don’t so long to return next time, because as one could quickly see from the show-stopping crowd response, this band has a reason to be here!
Coverage by Editor and founder Kara Marie Uhrlen on 9/22/2024. All event photos © Kara Uhrlen and The Pure Rock Shop.
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