Show Review: Havoc Theory, Möbile Deathcamp, and Solar Burn In Pittsburgh

Last week I had the pleasure of seeing my first show at The Smiling Moose on the south side of Pittsburgh to see some local talent. Entering the bar, I was beckoned up a rickety flight of stairs to find a small, unspectacular stage adjacent to a bar. Already, things were looking extremely promising for a metal show.

First up was the three-man instrumentalist group, Solar Burn. Do you like Between the Buried and Me? Because these guys sure sounded like they did and in their case, it was only a good thing. These guys could shred for so long, a weaker lot’s forearms would have snapped right off. They were a welcome surprise.

Next up was Havoc Theory, a purely metal lot who ended the “local support” portion of the bill. This three-man outfit had an old-school metal sound, best displayed in their song “Teufel Hunden”. Sections of their songs brought back memories of bands like Metallica. They had a very raw edge to their sound that made them the best part of the night. The set was short but sweet. This could very well be a band to look out for in the future.

The show ended with the Ohio-based headliner, Möbile Deathcamp, and it did end in a lot of ways; the audience that almost immediately swapped itself out for those there for the local bands and those there for the headliner. About halfway through their set, I did the same. If you’re into some of the heavier stuff like Cannibal Corpse, you might like them. However, while I see the appeal, I’m not in that category of people.

To that end, it was almost as if two different shows occurred that night given the shift of tone and almost the entire audience. The local talent particularly stole the show, giving me hope that the local metal scene in Pittsburgh is on its way back. While the headliner was not my cup of tea, Havoc Theory stole the show.