Mudvayne and The Psychotherapy Sessions Tour rolled through the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Sunday night. The alternative metal aliens are traveling the US with nu metal pioneers Coal Chamber. In support of these two on tour are also the Butcher Babies, Nonpoint and GWAR.

    Butcher Babies opened up at 5:30 for what would turn out to be a long, hot Texas evening. Butcher Babies consist of dual frontwomen Heidi Shepherd and Carla Harvey, guitarist Henry FlurY, bassist Ricky Bonazza and drummer Chase Brickenden. The Butcher Babies are known for their aggressive stage appeal, such as wearing nipple tape in the earlier years of their career which was reminiscent of Wendy O. Williams of the Plasmatics. Butcher Babies' music can be described as heavy metal, groove metal, thrash metal and metalcore all rolled into one. On jult 7th 2023 the band released their fourth album, which came in the format of a double album titled ‘Eye for an Eye… / …’Til the World’s Blind’.

    Up next was Nonpoint. Nonpoint is an American rock band from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The band has toured extensively and has had their music featured in various video games, movies and soundtracks. They have been described as a mix of groove metal, hard rock, heavy metal, rap metal, nu metal and alternative metal. The band currently consists of vocalist Elias Soriano, drummer Robb Rivera, rhythm guitarist Rasheed Thomas, bassist Adam Woloszyn and lead guitarist Jaysin Zeilstra.

    Third on the bill for tonight was the heavy metal “shock rock” band GWAR. GWAR is composed of and operated by a frequently rotating line-up of musicians, artists and filmmakers collectively known as Slave Pit Inc. Identified by their distinctively grotesque costumes, Gwar's core visual concept revolves around an elaborate science fiction-themed mythology which portrays the band members as barbaric interplanetary warriors, a narrative which serves as the basis for all of the band's albums, live shows and media. With over-the-top violent and sexual humor, Gwar has attracted both acclaim and controversy for its music and stage shows, the latter of which notoriously showcase enactments of graphic violence that result in the audience being sprayed with copious amounts of fake blood, urine and semen.

    Coal Chamber is an American nu metal band formed by Dez Fafara and Miguel Rascón in Los Angeles, California in 1992 initially under the name She's in Pain. The current lineup is rounded off with bassist Nadja Peulen and drummer Mike Cox. Coal Chamber is considered to be one of the bands that defined the nu metal sound.

    Finishing off the hot Texas summer night was Mudvayne. Mudvayne is an American heavy metal band known for their sonic experimentation, face and body paint, masks and uniforms, the band has sold over six million records worldwide. The group consists of guitarist Greg Tribbett, drummer Matthew McDonough, lead vocalist Chad Gray and bassist Ryan Martinie. The band became popular in the late-1990s Peoria, Illinois underground music scene and found success with the single "Dig" from their debut album L.D. 50 (2000). After releasing four more albums and touring relentlessly for nearly a decade they went on hiatus in 2010. They reunited in 2021 and have been touring ever since.

    Through the evening and into the night all the bands performed flawlessly throughout the evening that had started off in the 100-degree range. Butcher Babies got the show off to a good start and they sounded great but their limited stage space had a feeling that they were just a little too tightly squeezed into a space on the pre-set stage for the  girls’ athletic jumps and movements. Carla and Heidi have lots of energy and more stage space would have been nice to see.

    Nonpoint came on after Butcher Babies and also performed their set in a more confined space than usual. Having seen these rockers a few months earlier with them headlining the show, it felt like they were just getting through their set as best they could under the conditions. This appearance just didn’t do them justice since they are such an entertaining band.

    Once the stage was mess-proofed (plastic was placed over anything that could get ruined) for GWAR the warriors took the stage. They were entertaining to say the least. While belting out heavy metal guitar licks they proceeded to dismember, disembowel and mutilate each other the whole time sending streams of fake blood in blue and red all over the pit and into the front of the reserved seating. The even brought some lucky fans onstage with then to be dismembered.

    Coal Chamber’s stage setup was pretty simple but finally they were able to use the whole stage. With lots of smoke and accent lighting the band performed an entertaining show for the crowd that was blessed with darkness since the sun had now set.

    Mudvayne ended the night with all members sporting full makeup and bouncing around the stage much to the delight of those in attendance. Chad did spend a lot time during his performance in front of a fan that was blowing onto a riser he was kneeling on while singing. They sounded very good and the crowd returned the all the energy that the band was dishing out.

    With this being my third night in a row of attending 100-degree outdoor concerts I wore down a little earlier than usual. The heat had basically worn me out by the time Mudvayne hit the stage. This show could have been better suited to a smaller venue and because of the soft ticket sales all general admission lawn seats were upgraded to reserved seating under the canopy.