About Me

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Forty-something lover of Doom, Death, Thrash, Technical, Brutal, Black, Power, Grind, Progressive, NWOBHM, Industrial, Viking, Drone, Ambient, Sludge, Speed and Alternative metal styles..Sure, I like other genres of music but this blog isn't about that...

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Anvil! My Story of Anvil

Dear reader,

Your intrepid blogger had EVERY intention of going to see Anvil at the Gothic theater tonight but forces greater than myself conspired to thwart even this most determined metal fan...

First off, it was a late Saturday at the 'Metal as Art' show at the Lion's Lair...That show (see previous post) started late and had four bands.  These travellers were not giving short shrift to those of us in attendance and it was well past 1:00 a.m. when headliners Hypno5e collapsed in a pile of sweat and feedback on the tiny stage.  This, and the tickle at the back of my throat assured me I was to have a long night.

My wife has a hard time sleeping without me home and was cranky about the Mike situation (buying him drinks) and the lateness of the hour.  Had this been an Andy Capp strip, she might have had a rolling pin behind her back waiting for yours truly to arrive.

By the morning, with a full 4 hours of sleep (!), I wrote my previous blog entry, and scooted off to work at my second job of pizza guy.  That tickle at the back of my throat was slowly but surely turning into heavy petting.

Work at Pudge Brothers was what it always is when you are the only driver, are sick and haven't slept; busy.  I had a ton of "coast to coast" deliveries; trips from one farthest point of our delivery area to the opposite farthest point in our delivery area.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I haven't ever seen Anvil...I haven't heard Anvil...My relationship to Anvil is seeing the trailer and the trailer alone.  It was enough to get me to support these sad sack workhorses with my dinero. I suppose like many folks, I just passed over them because of the name.  I mean, it is a stupid name right?  Sure, its heavy and gets beaten on but does anyone younger than 50 know what the hell an anvil is?! or what its used for?!  I guess they belong in the list of great bands with stupid names (I am looking at you, Decrepit Birth, Psycroptic, Baroness, Moss, Celtic Frost, Gojira...man the list is practically endless).

Alas it was not to be...

After work, I had to go to my friend Jim's house.  Jim is a friend I met when I was a meter reader for Public Service and we hit it off because he was into comic books just like I am.  I had been putting him off for days in helping him fix his computer because my schedule has been crazy.  He's a bit of a shut-in and has terrible luck with computers.  I am that dude; the one who fixes his relatives' and friends' computers.  Earlier in the week I had to move a big dresser from my mother-in-law's storage facility to our house, take a woman I help take care of to the dentist TWICE and get a person I take care of a physical, H1N1 shot and a new winter coat.  When my unmarried, childless friends say they're busy I usually say "BULLSHIT.".

I was starting to get more sick as the hours were going by and there was nothing I could do about his computer.  My head was feeling like it was half helium and half water.  After the looks my wife was giving me last night, there was no way I was going to push my luck and go a SECOND night to a concert.  Plus, not much money thanks to paying for drinks for Mike and his date and cheapskates wanting pizza today but not tipping. That tickle that turned to heavy petting before? Now was full on molestation.

I was disheartened, tired, broke and sick.  I just didn't have the energy or the WILL to go to the show...

How do they do it?  How did these guys, on whom the rays of fame never shined on save the reviews about the movie 'Anvil! The Story of Anvil' showing their pathos, keep going?  Bungled tours, manager problems and just being ignored by the media? Am I  a total wuss, because a little sinus infection and lack of funds got me down?  not. very. metal.

I even showed the trailer to my wife who got misty and said I should go, but quickly recanted.  I did have to help with Ruby, our 8 year-old, I don't have any extra cash and I do need some rest to keep being the provider I am for my family and to recover from whatever this is... The boys in Anvil will have to wait; see you next time around fellas.

My wife wondered aloud whether or not Anvil's historically bad luck was just that everyone around them has bad luck in dealing with them? How strange would that be? The story of Anvil could just be a circle of people connected loosely to Anvil, (fans, managers, friends and family), that are just being beaten like the item of the band's namesake and its Anvil that suffers for it. Strange indeed...

Metal As Art 1-30-10 French Reactions and Alternator Dung

Many things need be sacrificed on an altar of madness on my way to being the Lester Bangs of heavy metal journalism...Health, hearing in my 60s, rest, time with my long-suffering wife and patience with friends. For those of you whippersnappers unfamiliar with the Great Lester, he was a Hunter S. Thompson of rock journalism (now, if you don't know who he is, Cobalt's 'Gin' was dedicated to him and maybe pick up a book for Chrissakes!) All sacrifices were worth it to see the 'Metal as Art' tour sail in.

Vince Neilstein of Metalsucks.com said I should check out the "Metal As Art" tour and, after finding out it was $6, (!), I figured it would be worth the time to support some bands. I invited my oldest friend, Mike, who was the first kid I met in 1983 into metal, to go with. I remember back in the day taking his jean jacket to the mirror to see if his Dio patch spelled 'devil' when looked at backwards...This was the early 80's mind you when evil intentions in bands were hidden rather than proclaimed loudly from corpsepaint and pigs' blood. He had a lady-friend Sheree that wished to go as well...(More on this later).

As soon as we got to the Lion's Lair, I could smell the hunger from the bands. It was like when Burgess Meredith was talking to Rocky in 'Rocky III' saying he needed to be hungry for it right before he croaked in the movie. These bands were sweating for their art; this was metal at its purest. A bunch of guys making shit money, drinking shit beer (PBR all around!) in a bar known for its shit ambiance. You know the kind of bar; stickers of bands plastered all over smoke-blackened walls (and toilets), long-suffering bar mistress with tattoos and worn eyes looking at you like she just knows you aren't going to tip(which you probably can't afford to).

Mike and his date were much more into consuming alcohol than watching bands, but I was trying to find out who was who... I first bumped into Dan Gargiulo, touring guitarist for Revocation. They are trying him out for the tour to add a dual guitar attack. The band, along with tour mates Binary Code have had some van troubles. The lads in Revocation broke down a stones throw from Mexico. (Binary Code had it worse and were forced onto a guardrail by some crazy driver which totaled their van). Anyway, I talked to Anthony (bassist) and Phil (drummer) about actually getting one decent meal on the tour at the Buckhorn, a famous eatery in Colorado that serves all sorts of animals including alligator, elk and hometown favorite Rocky Mountain Oysters (for the uninitiated, they're not from the sea).
Turns out the Revocation guys had some of the bulls balls and found them quite chewy. A local patron then regaled us with stories about how he got to do dome snipping and cooking himself. A laugh was had by all at the expense of the cows tasty testes. The guys from Revocation also have an informal bet with Binary Code to see who can go the longest without an actual shower. My sinuses have been screwed for days, so I smelled nothing...

First up was a local band Frozen Eternity; well, by local I should say the same state. This Colorado Springs band were all probably half my age (remember, dear reader, I'll be 40 this year). Still, their musicianship was strong; I felt a 'Children of Bodom' sound emanating from the speakers. Now, anytime a keyboardist is thrown into metal, the comparison goes 1 of 2 ways; Bodom or Norwegian Black Metal wankery. Luckily, the keyboardist was restrained unlike Bodom and our Scandinavian 'ELP/Yes' men. Tight and well rehearsed, and hard-working, they were enjoyable in the small venue. I spoke to bassist Michael Hylands who had just been added to the lineup along with rhythm guitarist Stuart Hetzler about about how they were excited to play with the other bands. A good opportunity for a young band.

Next were Binary Code. I got to meet Jesse, the lead guitarist, who apparently works for the Metal Sucks website that Vince (Ben?...your secret identity is OUT) runs. Before the show, we had a good talk on his band and the tour thus far. He was initially concerned with the bands that were to tour together but now feels the "flow of the line up" has been great. Anyone can see that the camaraderie of all the bands is strong...I know the image of touring bands being a ship of pirates sailing through the lands is about as old as likening traveling musicians to cowboys; but you do get a "take no prisoners Jolly Roger" vibe.

Now, Mike and his date were getting drinks on my tab...This of course, sucked...I was assured I would be paid back but between Mike, the perpetual "starving artist" and this 23 year-old (!) woman I don't know from Adam, how the hell was I going to get paid back?! Plus, I have one rule about these shows; I have to buy merch to support these road-trippers. After ordering 2 more drinks on my bill (~@#$!), they decided to get something to eat...They came back shortly with Mike saying they couldn't hold out, specifically SHE, couldn't hold out for the rest of the show. I was pissed but didn't show it...I wanted to do this concert write up as a writing sample for SkullNBones, I was NOT leaving. So, they got some more money from me (cue storm cloud over my head and daggers from my eyes) and were taking a bus back to Westminster, a northern suburb of Denver. Their tab made this an expensive show.

Binary Code had a little bit of a "Between the Buried and Me" sound and progressive touches. There's was a high energy set with lead singer, Mike Appritch running off the stage and the bassist, Brett Bamberger, flailing like a metal version of Flea. Also a tight band with interesting slow melodic passages in the maelstrom of their deathcore-ish center. Song structure seems to be the Binary's key. (Also, do I hear Zappa in there? NICE!)

After the Binary Code was Revocation, easily the group of guys who I hung out with the most. Between talking about Colorado's quirky cuisine and van troubles, I got to talk with touring guitarist, the previously mentioned Dan, a bit. I was wondering how the young guitarist, who reminded me of Vincent Gallo in looks not temperament, would fit. He was a friendly fellow and had that 'hungry' quality I mentioned before. I had talked to David Davidson, lead guitarist, earlier who is, along with the rest of Revocation, staying at Dave's place (from the local band Havok). David is a HILARIOUS guy, and we bullshitted with Dave and his penchant for the cougar-ish ladies of the world. This was AFTER a grizzled barfly patron tried to suck on his neck like an elderly Vampira.(Dave, its because of the Troy Polamalu locks, buddy!)

Revocation's show was a twisting, turning, thrashy, technical death-ish, musical meltdown. David and bassist Anthony Buda do the majority of the vocals with Phil keeping crazy time on the drums. I did like the addition of Dan on rhythm guitar; the band has been a trio for a decade but the addition of Dan for the tour allows for probable prodigy Dave, to showcase his stellar playing. Then you get the twin guitar attack ala Tipton and Downing (look it up if you don't know who they are and bow your head in shame when you do). The rhythm guitarist of Binary Code would share his PBR with the band members while they were playing to keep the good vibes alcohol propelled. All of the chaos of this show was NEVER an interruption on the musicianship and the band was excellent live.

See, I don't buy that a metal band has to be a group of assholes who you wouldn't leave your kid alone with. Guess was jerkwads, you can play metal and NOT be a douchebag. Why do I need to fear my entertainers?! Isn't paying taxes and living in a world of sociopaths who blow up buildings fearful enough? I don't need my metal musicians to be as horrifying as the music. I got into a conversation with a guy named Todd who was there to see Revocation and he was as pleased as I was about their show...(He told me to get the New Megadeth and Alice in Chains which I must remember to do).

Anyway, a solid set that was followed by Hypno5e, a French band of post-metal experimentation. While they were tuning up, a woman in one of those Nordic ear flap caps that you see hippies in Boulder wear in the winter was playing jokey songs. Nothing wrong with a Manic Pixie Dream Girl playing ukulele and singing indie versions of rap songs while you're waiting for the band.

Hypno5e play a crunchy, atmospheric, post-y kind of metal; slow and fast mixed with precision. When I was talking with Anthony from Revocation, he was saying that Hypno5e get drunk before they play every time and still sound great. He also told me that the band did a 2 minute song and dance about Taco Bell when they were in Spokane when they found out they were going to go to the eatery...TACO BELL! There was plenty of dancing before the show and during from their entourage. They were a beautiful mess; the music was practiced and tight but the band was loose limbed and jovial. A sort of serious playfulness. By the end of the set, lead singer and guitarist,Emmanuel Jessua, was on the ground with Binary bassist and rhythm guitarist hovering over and the stage was a shambles. Anthony from Revocation remarked "You can tell the tour is almost over, huh?"

So now, let's do the numbers...The sheer joviality and camaraderie of all the bands plus the professionalism of the playing plus the doing it for the love of the music times the originality of all of the acts equals a solid 5 points of the pentagram from me. Were there sound problems, sure, did the ship sail in late, yeah, but the sheer,pure FUN of the 'Metal as Art' show made even paying my friend's tab worth it... So, support this tour...With all the hipsters talk about tr00 metal when referring to tours that dwarf a U2 show, this is what the scene is really about...Word of mouth about bands hungry to play you their original music...

Thursday, January 28, 2010

OPINION: Black on Black (part 1 of, who knows how many...) Some initial thoughts...

As a metal fan, while not required to listen to every genre, one typically gives every one a chance.

Black metal, that rather petulant and rambunctious bastard child of a three-way between Wagner, punk and metal, comes across every metal fan's plate at some point in time and reactions certainly vary...Some feel it to be pretentious and cartoonish, others find it the only tr00 metal genre around... Whatever your opinion, it probably has dozens of forum posts from dozens of sites agreeing with it or disagreeing with it. I am still working my opinion on it out...

Now, my first exposure to the form was scant proto-black metal artists like Bathory and Venom. I had a little bit of curiosity in college in 1988 after my friend Sam turned me on to metal, so, I figured I check stuff out. Outside of Anthrax, Motley Crue and Priest, my experience with metal was minimal. I eventually would get into all genres, strangely enough, in order of their appearance in the history of the music scene. In college towns, (mine was Ft. Collins, Colorado) there are plenty of good record stores. There was a local shop named Finest Records that I would go to and pick up vinyl (!) and cassettes (!!) for my Walkman (!!!).

I was a new wave/punk/industrial/alternative kid, but I would look at the metal and found the Venom covers just friggin' intimidating. At the time, the Norwegian Black Metal kids scarcely could play instruments much less play with fire...I also remember seeing Black Sabbath's "Born Again" cover and just wrote off ALL metal as satanic conformity. See, I was given a ton of $#@! for liking the music I liked in my black Baptist family. College, being the time of questioning, would eventually lead me to shed the anti-life, anti-truth, anti-reality aspects of Christianity in favor of the non-theistic, non-religious, philosophical and scientific Buddhism and actually break down and buy some metal records. (Some?! I probably have over 300...)

Off and on, it was the sheer audacity of black metal I was intrigued by. Death metal was intimidating with its overtly satanic lyrics and technical proficiency but it was its kid brother (that sometimes was thought to be the older brother)that seemed to grab the headlines... Burning churches for goodness sakes?! Really?! WTF!

Now, outsider art and pop surrealism has always been interesting to be; Joe Coleman, Robert Williams and Robert Crumb were necessary extensions from my love of comic books...These artists and others were always interesting to me. John Waters, John Woo, George Romero, Gus Van Zandt and Russ Meyer were outsider directors that I loved. As an 'alternative' kid in the 80s (we really didn't have a name outside of 'new waver' or 'weirdo' or 'fag'), I wasn't threatened by the odd... but this was... WHOA!

The corpsepaint, inverted crosses and, did I mention burning CHURCHES?!?

But still, there was something there...There was some primal need for expression, a proto-civilization vibe that was just... enticing...

Now, hearing that first Mayhem record or Emperor or Immortal... That felt like what it felt like to listen to Zepplin's "Houses of the Holy" for the first time; kinda scary in that wow-this-is-cool-but-am-I-going-to-hell-for-this??? kind of way.

I DON'T want this blog to be about race but the National Socialist vibe of some of the Norwegian Black Metal bands makes listening to the records daunting. (Satanists AND Racists?!? What the hell?!)

I can't help but enjoy the genre but investigation has been difficult. I know the stories about Euronymous, Dead, Varg and Faust. I am not bothered by them (Easy E and Suge Knight would eat those kids for breakfast). However, this strain of fascism that has been hinted at in the lyrics and band imagery in metal for a long time now, is metaphor, not as something actually to embrace. Not with some of the Norwegian Black metal guys though...

This side of black metal seems to be a de-evolution to a naturalistic nationalism and suffers from the Pre/Trans fallacy; the notion that going back to some sort of way of experiencing reality of the past is a transcendent state rather than just going backwards... Nationalism and a desire for a simpler time of warriors and the like is not an advancement either spiritually or psychologically and is doomed to find itself clashing with modernity.

Plus, is anyone really more intimidated by a group of folks from the place on earth with just about the lowest crime, poverty, unemployment, homelessness and the highest standard of living? It sometimes makes me think the whole Norwegian Black Metal thing is a product of Seasonal Affective Disorder and a good dose of vitamin D and Zoloft would have saved a bunch of folks a great deal of heartache...

...Still, the music is raw, creative and primal...And mostly good.... I still have thoughts about it rumbling around my cranium, so, I'll have to continue this in part 2 of, who knows how many.

...No High on Fire, but...

For those of you that don't know(and I assure you, I will tell the tale throughout these posts), my interest in metal bands follows the actual metal timeline. I was first interested in doom (Black Sabbath, natch) then NWOBHM bands like Judas Priest. I moved on to Slayer almost simultaneously with my interest in NWOBHM. Then onto death and black metal with some sludge thrown in.

So, when I heard that High on Fire was playing FOR FREE tonight, I was super stoked. Alas, dear reader, I was scheduled to work at my second job as a pizza guy for Pudge Brothers Pizza. I consider Sleep, and by extension, High on Fire part of my doom necessities. And as doom/stoner metal is my first love in metal, I was super bummed by not seeing them...

On my last delivery, the one that sealed the deal of me not going by occurring after 10 p.m., I met Nick, who was wearing a Whitechapel t-shirt. We started talking about bands and it turns out A) he was at the Nile show and the Devildriver show and knows those guys, B) can get into shows for nothing and C) would perhaps be able to help yours truly in his quest for metal show supremacy. Turns out he used to roadie and may be able to get me into some shows! More importantly, I may have a new metal friend and someone to hang with while seeing bands, Pretty cool...

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Metal As Art Tour

The Metal As Art tour sounds intriguing but I have only heard Revocation....This is a possibility for Saturday but I've got to find out about Hypno5e and Binary Code...

Revocation sounded like they were about an album and a half away from greatness. Their debut "Existence is Futile" sounded a wee bit busy the way tech death can sound when it forgets the riff... Enjoyable, but without knowledge about the other two bands, this show has to go on the 'maybe' pile..

Nile, Immolation,Krisiun, Dreaming Dead and Enemy Reign at the Bluebird 1-25-10

My ears are bleeding and my eyes are bleary from a truly awesome show. I initially went to see Nile and Krisiun but all the bands tore my face off.

Now, I know what you are thinking, dear reader, "ALL the bands?!? Impossible! What is the standard?!" Nay, it is absolutely possible. Believe it.

I was a bit bummed being at the show alone...My wife is a metal widow at home with the folks we take care of and our 8 year-old. So, I trudge out in the cold to go see these bands and feel a bit like some kind of metal geek holding up the wall and rocking by my lonesome. I knew Peter from Angelo's Records was going to be there and the dude from Ace Hardware that comes into Pudge Brothers Pizza every now and again. I looked for them in vain.

First up was Dreaming Dead... I don't often see a lead singer who also is the lead guitarist....Well, actually the lead singer trades solos with the other guitarist. I enjoyed the vocals and the riffs. Dreaming Dead came on before locals Enemy Reign but used their drum kit. Now, what you will inevitably hear about in reference to Dreaming Dead is the fact that both guitarists are women; this is a non-issue because the question is not the gender but the skills and they indeed have the skills...Too short a set but thoroughly enjoyable. Straight to the point death metal... When the guitarists would swing their hair in a circle, the entire front of the pit would do the same creating a hair wind farm effect...

Enemy Reign was good as well; kind of a Death/metalcore band. They definitely raised the energy level of the crowd. (Breakdowns for everyone!) Some of the clutter in my muscles was burned away. After this set, I saw Peter from Angelo's CDs and we rapped a bit...He missed the Dreaming Dead set.

Now Krisiun was up. Earlier in the evening, I purchased a shirt from the bassist who was super respectful and appreciative...Its funny that so many bands in metal sing about some of the most effed up $#!@, but are really cool. The bassist for Immolation, one of the two original members, was right next to him but I didn't realize it until after their set. He was super cool too...

At this point I looked behind me and recognized the dude standing behind me...It was Carl Kumpe! He was the drummer for Painstake, a band that my buddy Thom Gann was in...I lost touch with Thom which was a MAJOR bummer to me; he actually figures prominently in my rediscovery of metal in the early part of this decade and we got our black belts together in Kung Fu at Chinese Shao-lin Center Denver. He moved to Conifer and I lost touch with him. Carl was there with his friend Darryl. Now, Carl is a person who has a positively encyclopedic knowledge of metal bands and history; he was involved in representing bands such as locals Cephalic Carnage and was involved with Relapse back in the day. Plus, Painstake put out a couple of records. He introduced me to some people around including folks from Enemy Reign. Man, if it hadn't been for him and Darryl, the show would still have been great, but not as funny. (Hope I spelled their names right!).

Anyway, Krisiun felt like a roiling storm...The floorboards of the Bluebird rumbled in a way that made walking afterward kinda like what it feels like to walk after wearing roller-skates for an hour. Darryl made me laugh when he remarked that the bassist's regular speaking voice sounds like the death vocal. My only criticism of any of these shows were their brevity. Darryl and I rapped a bit about being black guys in a notoriously un-black scene.. It was nice to meet someone who listens to all kinds of music who was in his forties and black...Yeah, yeah, I know this blog isn't really about being a metal guy who happens to be black but it is noticeable at shows on occasion.

Immolation was up next...When they came on, Carl and I had just started a conversation about black metal which is the genre I have the lowest interest in(I pretty much like Emperor, Immortal and the new USBM bands like Wolves in the Throne Room, Krallice and Cobalt). The conversation where I pick his brain would have to wait...

Now, I wasn't really a fan of Immolation...Probably a little too much of me judging the book by the insanely blasphemous album covers. I mean, I'm a parent; there really is no need for me to try and piss of my parents at this time, is there?! The show they put on was AMAZING! These workhorses of the second wave of US death metal put on a show! How can you not get behind a bassist with four foot long hair(Ross Dolan) and an Anton LaVey looking lead guitarist (Robert Vigna)just punishing his guitar and searing atonal sounds into your brain?! I mean what is not to love? Carl was saying that they were signed to Roadrunner when EVERYONE was signed to Roadrunner who then flew them to Germany to record "Dawn of Possesion" which apparently went nowhere...Too bad too, because they should probably be headlining instead of Nile based on time on the road. I'm converted...(Hmm. Is that and ironic statement or what given their lyrical content?)

Nile was certainly the crowd's reason for being there...A very genial Karl Sanders came out with a wave and proceed to shake the place to Egyptian dust. They opened with "Kafir" which got the crowd involved with screaming the words 'there is no god but god' and closed with "Black Seeds of Vengeance" I believe...By this time my ears were ringing (forgot the ear plugs). They played a bit from most of their albums, maybe all of them (I don't have "In the Beginning" or "Ithyphallic"). Still, well worth the wait. Carl and Darryl left early which was too bad.

I made my way to the Immolation, Dreaming Dead, and Krisiun merch table to shake hands with Ross from Immolation. I didn't recognize him before and had to tell him what a great show.. He said the new album drops in March; look for it.

I have no real way of setting a standard as to what a great show is but this show seems to be it.

When I was younger, I might have judged a show on the size of the pit or some such thing(just because my first metal shows were in 2004 doesn't mean I haven't been going to other shows for a looong time). Now, I would have to say enthusiasm from the bands themselves, respect for the other performers, attentiveness from the crowd and the venue's sound quality would be what separates the average from the mind-blowingly, face searingly, bowel releasingly (eww!) good. This show was just that; good. This show was certainly quality if not quantity. But it is better wanting more than wanting less...

So, on this rather arbitrary scale I have created and am occasionally uncomfortable with and continually revise, I feel absolutely content to give this show 5 out of 5 points of the pentagram star(I figure everyone rates things by stars, why not the points of the pentagram, admittedly a cliched symbol of metal but you gotta work with what you've got, right?!). I used a five star rating for the Devildriver show but I like the sound of this new rating system better.

P.S.
Before Carl and Darryl left, we finished our talk about black metal and his respect for what the French (!) are doing with the genre. So, now I have to find some Deathspell Omega and go from there. No, I am by no means anti-France; that was the foreign language I studied in High School(liked the language, didn't care for the class). But to think that the innovation in regards to black metal is NOT coming from Scandinavia?! That is surprising and worth looking into...
I saw the Ace Hardware dude walking out after the show who looked as stoked as I did. "I toldja I was comin' to this show!", he said grinning... I knew he and I were in agreement about this greatness of the show. I walked back in the cold midnight happy for the experience and looking forward to the next show.

*UP NEXT (possibly)High on Fire,(maybe)Black Dahlia Murder/Obscura, (definitely) Kreator/Evile.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

2010 Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival Lineup


MAIN STAGE
KORN
ROB ZOMBIE
LAMB OF GOD
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH
MAYHEM FESTIVAL STAGE
ATREYU
NORMA JEAN
IN THIS MOMENT
3 INCHES OF BLOOD
JAGERMEISTER STAGE
HATEBREED
CHIMAIRA
SHADOWS FALL  
WINDS OF PLAGUE


....Man, my concert going 'Metal Year'  WAS going to include this but only the Jager stage has a lineup that is worth sitting all the way through. I love LOG and have heard great things about 3 Inches of Blood but  I might have to say 'no' to this festival...

*Sigh*  Why doesn't the States have festivals as good as Europe?!  I would sell all my comic books (and that is saying something) to go to 'Hellfest'.   

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Devildriver,Suffocation,Goatwhore and Thy Will Be Done show 1-16-09 Gothic Theater

So, this wasn't my first metal show; I suppose that was Ozzfest 2004.  In that show, I was able to see a ton of bands I liked; Lamb of God, Slayer(responsible for my entry to the extreme scene), Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Hatebreed, God Forbid, etc. I knew what to expect...A ton of pot smoke, a circle pit of varying size, hair, y'know a metal show.  I had just purchased a new pair of Doc Marten's.  This was  the show to break them in...I felt secure and assured.

I met a guy while going in who was totally into Devildriver.  His name was Brian and he remind me of a young Brian Dennehy.   Me, I was there for Suffocation and Goatwhore. As an African-American metalhead,  I find it reassuring that two of the members of Suffocation are black (Mike Smith and Terrance Hobbs)...Silly, I know but there is a bit of racism in the world of metal.  Some bands, (I am looking squarely at you, Arghoslent) and even genres ('black' metal, ironically enough) have been racially intolerant.  Now, before you get your briefs in a bunch, (or your corpsepaint running from crying),not all black metal nor a majority of metalheads I find are racist.  Still, I highly doubt anyone who would tour with Suffocation would be racist and it makes for a relaxed show for me...(Someday, I'll tell you about the NSBM fans at the Marduk show).

So, Brian, the guy into Devildriver was into Thy Will Be Done, Goatwhore and of course Devildriver...He was not into Suffocation.  When we talked, he definitely mentioned Death was not his genre.  In his defense, the sound made all the Suffo songs sound similar; I assured him it was different on album but he was unconvinced.

Anyway, a good show overall; mic kept cutting out which, I am not sure, but I don't think that the bands knew that.  Thy Will Be Done were energetic but didn't have any merch.  Much respect that the bands had for us and for the pit..."If a person falls, pick them up" was said by more than one frontman.  The cynic in me thought it had to do with insurance issues that the Gothic Theater had.

The lead singer of Thy Will Be Done, whose name I do not know (MERCH fellas!) wore an Entombed shirt which earned a bit of respect ('Left Hand Path' kicks serious tail!).

What struck me at this show is how stellar the drummers and bassists were of ALL of the bands.  The low ends on the speakers were easily heard but the solos were few and didn't come off well with the system. I know Sammy Duet of Goatwhore (and Acid Bath!) can play but it was hard to hear.

Nice to see the lead singer of Goatwhore (Ben Falgoust) selling his own merch; I bought a t-shirt and shook his hand while leaving....

Frank of Suffocation was entertaining; slapping himself, doing the hand shaking thing he does and wagging his tongue.  He told us to prepare for the apocalypse and get guns to which a guy near me said to "shoot a liberal"...I laughed and thought does he think the right wing is down with death metal or something?!?

Devildriver put on a good show with plenty of banter from Dez Fafara who is Dio short (thoughts out with Dio during his cancer battle).  I'm short too, so its not a slam but in all the pix I've seen, he seems imposing....Shot from the ground I guess....He reminds me of my  old Jiu-Jitsu teacher with his look...It automatically meant he got a pass from me, superficial I know.

Overall on a 5 star scale, I give it a solid 3 stars. The sound was a problem and I would have liked more energy from the crowd.  There were some oldsters like me there, probably to see Suffocation...It is never a pretty sight to see a balding metalhead holding onto long hair...(That wasn't a factor on the rating though!)

Keep it metallic...

*Next show, Nile, Immolation, Krisiun, Dreaming Dead*

Monday, January 18, 2010

Let us begin as we hope to continue...

This is the first ever entry for "My Metal Year"; a blog detailing how I am dealing with turning forty by seeing as many metal concerts as possible. A sort of mid-life crisis done metallic...and a place to discuss whatever comes up in this process...

In the past few years, I have done a strange dance with the world of metal...I, unlike many folks, got into this music late; well into my twenties. It didn't take firm hold until the disillusionment of my teen years and young adulthood gave way to the the malaise of adulthood. In other words, when I actually had to start dealing with real-world $#*%, my sheltered, aversion-based naivete became a small but growing kernel of hostility to a world that probably just doesn't have to be the way it is save for human greed, hatred and ignorance.

Perhaps, I have embraced metal as a way of catharsis; a way of being able to puke out all the wretched abuses of humanity...That sounds a bit simplistic (and young, strangely enough) but its that bluntness, that directness that has drawn me to metal in this my most stressful, busy, neurotic and depressed period. Its a white hot beacon of hope in the swirling chaos. This 'dark night of the soul' has a soundtrack and that soundtrack is metal.

(...I am listening to Buzzov-en right now, so perhaps my view as I write this is slanted to the misanthropic. I also am coming down with some sinus thing and listening to the sludgy Buzzov-en is oddly soothing.)

In this blog, I will do some reviews, some discussion, some meandering around all sorts of topics built around this, My Metal Year.