Obituary @ Europa - 12/8/07

As I sit here thinking of something interesting to write about last night's show at Europa in Brooklyn, I'm still trying to shake the ringing in my ears despite wearing earplugs. The $30 I paid to get in (I really need to find a hook-up) was, for the most part, well spent - $3 per band that played and played well. The whole night you feel that everyone is waiting for Obituary, one of the founding fathers of death metal, for arrive. Unfortunately, I along with probably 200 or so audience members will have to wait about nine hours - yes, NINE FUCKIN' HOURS!!!!!! - for Obituary to take the stage. Some of the bands that played ranged from early 80s thrash (Sauron and Blood Feast) to hardcore (Merauder and Undivided) to death metal (pretty much everyone else).

For the most part, everyone did well, some more memorable than others. I have to make a special mention to ALL the drummers in all 10 bands. And I thought the drummer for Sadistic Intent was gnarly, you have to check these dudes out sometime. For the life of me, I can't understand why drummers usually don't get more credit. I mean, for me at a live show, I can NEVER hear the singer and I don't care for noodling guitarist or thumping bassists. Drummers fuckin' rule! Despite the fact that a couple had some technical problems, they still rolled with it and kept it going.

The bands that played: Cyber Christ, Shadow of Demise, Undivided, Dimentianon, Sauron, Malignancy, Incantation, Blood Feast (replacing At War), Merauder, and Obituary deserve a massive applause and devil horns for the show last night. Each need your love and support, so go check them out.

For me, I was pretty happy for most of the night. I had my Corona in hand, took some trinkets and random stuff at the show including some band's demo, four of the ten band's setlists, and a couple pictures with John and Donald Tardy of Obituary. (They look nothin alike!) I was hoping to meet my boy and his band from my work at Virgin Megastore, but I guess they pussied out because they just couldn't handle death metal - they're black metal band, after all. (Sorry, guys. ;p)

From the first five bands, the crowd was pretty sedated, until Malignancy took the stage and then that when the crowd got nutty, starting with some freak show jumping off the stage and diving into an unsuspecting crowd of people. The frontman for Malignancy has a bright future as a comedian shoud he decide to give up on fronting the band. Their drummer needs to stop whining about the drum acoustics - it sounded fine, dude!

The drummer from Cyber Christ channeled his best Tommy Lee. The first out of the ten drummers and he seemed the most lively. Though with a name like Cyber Christ, do they really think anyone will take them seriously? They're a good band and need to be seen to be believed

The drummer from Shadow of Demise looked like a Jewish acountant that the bad-ass drummer he appeared to be. I mean, talk about shocking. This dude is a fucking machine, but looks-wise he looks like my Jewish uncle Mike, with the Jew 'fro and big bushy mustache and bi-focal glasses with the bridge on top.

The kid from Sauron did well, despite shouts of "YOU SUCK!" came from some chick's piehole in the back. He summoned up his best Tom Warrior "oooooh!" grunts here and there and wore a killer vest ith some of the best early NWOBHM/thrash/black metal bands of the 80s.

Incantation's front man reminded me of an older version of Glen Benton, like this is what he will have to look forward to when he's 50. Still, they managed to get that crowd fired up for the next dudes, Blood Feast, who were fronted by......

the Noxzema Girl? Holy shit! The chick from the Urban Legend movie, Rebecca Gayheart, is fronting a thrahs band? No, actually it is a dude with really high, perfectly-arched eyebrows and blue eyes. Don't let the face fool you, this dude can scream.

And I have to ask, what the fuck is it called when these idiots start swinging their arms and legs around as though they want to hurt someone? You know, the kind of stupid shit you see at hardcore shows. Well, there was plenty of that and bodies flying everywhere when Merauder came out. I don't lie when I say that the crowd parted like the Red Sea when those hardcore dudes went nuts. By far the most lively act that night with all five members jumping and pounding their instruments like monkeys in a zoo. Typical for a band from Brooklyn, like Biohazard, they were decked out in matching doorags and shorts, quite a departure from the black and red of the other bands. I spent that set protecting my handsome face while dudes were going apeshit and landing (eventually) on me and those around me. I will admit, though, it was funny - of course, I say that because I came out unscathed.

I was able to get back in the front row when Obituary came out. However, that proved short-lived as EVERYONE went crazy, including myself as we pushed, shoved, moshed, and just went nuts as John Tardy opened his mouth and belted out the opening lines of some indecipherable song. (I do know that he did sing "Evil Ways.") Ralph Santolla, in desperate need of a dentist, gave me a high-five, which was pretty cool, but when I went looking for him after the show, he apparently left. Well, it's his loss.

When Donald Tardy threw out a drumstick I managed to catch it, but so did some other little pissant, spic/chink (I couldn't tell, it was too dark and I was hyped up on adrenaline) faggot. At first, it was funny and good, but it could have turned ugly real fast. Neither one of us would let go of the stick, even though he did catch it first (I think), I wanted to have an old beaten up stick for a souvenir. At one point, I lost my footing and tripped and fell, but I still held on. Knowing that if neither one of us let go, a fight between us would definitely occur, so I did the only thing possible and I snapped the stick. LOL! I know, I'm a bastard! So I finally let him have the stick. But I will say that had he thrown the first punch, it would been the end of this dude.

In the end, I did get my pics (and re-pics) with the Tardy brothers and I lost my Metallica wristband, probably as a result of those hardcore fags jumping on me during Merauder's set. But it was a great night and I am a fan of everyone now.

Metal forever!

Kristoffer (MB4L)