It's hell to be a venerable metal band who has to play against a different venerable but more popular metal band on the same night. Despite appearing on the same night as St. Vitus at Emo's, Dallas' Divine Eve made a strong showing at the Frontier Bar last Saturday.
The Frontier Bar is actually not a bad joint overall. It's minimal and shaggy, but there's plenty of room between the bar itself and the back patio. There's also a full PA, which is a lot to ask for in this part of town. Openers Feral Rex, Steel Bearing Hand, and Austin's own Vex made solid showings, but Denton's Enormicon started too late and played too long. It has been demonstrated again and again that after midnight the crowd starts to thin out, so to play for an hour on a night with a maximum attendance of 20 is downright rude to the headliners. This reviewer stayed out back for the set in any case.
About 1:15am, Divine Eve took the stage and played a killer set to the remaining stalwarts in the room. The guitars were thick and fuzzy, and the group burned through their now-classic material with conviction, despite their bemusement at the circumstances. Still, even as a dress rehearsal they sounded great and did justice to a selection of heirloom songs, along with a cut from their more recent EP Venegeful and Obstinate. Divine Eve lives somewhere between Autopsy and early Entombed, with a liberal sprinkling of Celtic Frost to make things extra punchy. They are heavy all the way around, and they use lingering three-chord trudges and galloping death metal hammering to equal effect.
While it wasn't a surprise, it was a shame that Divine Eve's show was moved and scheduled against such a large opponent. If 100 people had made it out, the night would have been a total blast. As it was, the band put on a great show and did the Texas metal legacy proud. This was their first time in Austin, and with any luck we'll have them back to the fanfare they deserve.
For more info: Divine Eve plays The Gathering of Bestial Legions Fest V in Los Angeles on Saturday, August 27. They will also appear at this year's Rites of Darkness III Fest in San Antonio this December.
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