The first show of the Blackenedfest tour kicked off last night at Irving Plaza and already there is problems with two bands not showing up: Marduk and Cattle Decapitation. Marduk, apparently, were still on the plane coming over from their piece-of-shit country while the rest of the bands were onstage performing. You would think that you'd get here a day early for the start of a tour. No doubt it probably had something to do with visas and immigration type crap, but at least Mayhem didn't run into any troubles. And what's the deal with vegan wussbags Cattle Decapitation? Simply that they are on the last date on tour with GWAR. Maybe it would help if you fuckfaces would at least plan out when and where you're going to be and coordinate a better timeframe if you're going to be on two separate tours running right after the other. That said, the night wasn't a complete loss - anchored by two really good performances by headliners, the legendary black metal masters in Mayhem, and Colorado natives and deathgrind upstarts in Cephalic Carnage. Still, I expected a lot for the $37 that I paid, and with two out of five bands not showing up, this night really wasn't as good as many had hoped. But, at least I saw Mayhem! Small victory, I guess.
LAIR OF THE MINOTAUR - Good band. Don't remember much else. Set Rating: B-
WITHERED - Good band. Still don't remember much else. Set Rating: B-
CEPHALIC CARNAGE - Cephalic Carnage's weed-tech-grind followed, along with dedications to cheetos, masturbation, and glass pipes (that they also sold at the merch table!), and props like a horse mask. It was well-executed and entertaining, but somewhat of a mild comedown following the energetic and pummeling assault of Withered. Set Rating: B
MAYHEM - Finally, the night belonged to the black metal pioneers. Mayhem took the stage a little before 10:30, playing a set that lasted until before midnight, when they retired sans encore. The core duo of Hellhammer and Necrobutcher with live members Morfeus and Silmaeth banged out rapid-fire blasts of black metal fury, spanning their entire discography. For all of their impressive technical prowess and energy, the highlight of their live set is the infinitely watchable Attila Csihar. Attila's formidable on-stage presence can only be described as dictatorial; he towers over his bandmates, gives the thumbs down as if he is deciding the fate of a man's life, punctuates lyrics with a clenched fist, and barks at his devoted minions with his thick Hungarian accent. In between a pair of impaled "heads", Attila sang from behind a "tree stump" podium which doubled as an area to hide both effects triggers and various gross-out props. Attila made sure to fondle and rub his face against those heads and an IV cart with dangling arm for further nauseating effect. Kitschy? a little. Fun/ny? Definitely. Besides being visually arresting, Attila is one of the most versatile vocalists in all of heavy music. Barks, pitch perfect viking vocals, Celtic Frost grunts, screams that last longer than it seemed humanly possible, and what I like to call "squeaking elf"... a low end screech that was part Gollum and part creaking door, were all present and impressive. What is a bit off, though it is part of the band's repertoire, is that while Csihar is doing his spooky-man routine, you look over and see bassist and original member, Necrobutcher, looking so old and plain in a black T-shirt and playing on what seems to be two separate planes of existence. Still, the music is in sync and what you hear on tape is what you hear live. The buzzsaw sound of the guitar, mixed with the dirty sludge from the bass, and drummer supreme (and very friendly) Hellhammer is masterful when providing the fast, heavy boomage with each song. My first Mayhem concert experience and a very good set, despite cancellations and a certain feeling of disappointment. Set Rating: B+
AFTER THE SHOW
I had a chance to meet Attila, who was polite enough, but seemed to be content in smoking his little Hungarian peace pipe and macking on some ugly groupies in his presence. Still, he was nice enough to comment on the announcement Varg Vikernes's release from prison after murdering fellow Mayhem band member Euronymous back in the 90s. When I asked him about how he felt, he said in his thick accent:
"I think it's good. He did his sentence."
I asked him if there was a place for him in Mayhem and he said:
"Maybe not. I don't know. We'll see."
A man of so few words! To me, especially when you look at my photograph with him, he looks a little bit like WWE wrestler Shawn Michaels, at least from his profile. Also, when I asked him about his feelings about fans who download, he said:
"I don't care really. Fortunately, Mayhem are in a place where we have fans who like are music and will come to see the shows. But for other bands just starting out, it isn't good, no."
Later on, as I waited by the nearby restaurant, Hellhammer finally showed up and was actually very friendly. Unfortunately, my goddamn cellphone's camera was acting up and I couldn't take the usually DIY shot of me and the other person and ended up having to get someone to take the pic for us. It came out well, but doesn't fit in with my other pics with band members. I mentioned that he was friendly, and certainly the very surprisingly short Jan Axel Blomberg (his real name) was very patient and gracious, until I wanted to leave and he seemed to not want to let go of my arm. At first, I thought he was going to hug me, but he grabbed my hand as if to do a "bro-hug" and grabbed my shoulder and arm while holding onto my hand. In other words, he wouldn't stop touching me! And while I think he was just being friendly and I don't think he's gay, I found it rather weird and uncomfortable. I guess that's how they roll in Norway.
Show Grade: B-
Friday, May 22, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Metal and Rock Greatest Fights and Feuds
Here are the biggest rock and metal feuds in living memory that I have compiled. Hope you enjoy the squabbles and bitch fights as I do!
Mark Morton vs Randy Blythe
2004: To celebrate their sold-out show in Glasgow, Scotland, the Lamb of God bandmates drink 12-year-old scotch and get very drunk and violent with each other. Morton and Blythe fight like two bitches until Morton gets the upper-hand on the drunk, kilt-wearing Blythe and leaves him on the pavement. All this can be seen on their 2005 DVD Killadelphia. See it here now:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdr7B93q7vE
Robb Flynn (Machine Head) vs Kerry King (Slayer)
2001: King labeled Machine Head as “sell-outs” after the release of their 2001 album ‘Supercharger’, saying “They’re responsible for rap-metal”.
2002: Robert Flynn says Kerry King looks like a member of Right Said Fred…
2002: Kerry King: “I don’t remember us having bad blood… If somebody asks me if I like their last record, I say, ‘No, I don’t like the record.’ But that’s not slamming anybody. It’s my opinion. If he’s so fragile that that was painful, sorry dude, you’re in the wrong business.”
2004: Comment on MetalUnderground.com: “If Rob and Kerry King can just put their shit behind them and do another rousing rendition of Venom’s ‘Witching Hour’, life would be grand.”
2005: Flynn: “I am issuing an apology to Kerry for the role I’ve played in our ongoing ‘feud.’ I can’t even remember why it started. With every barb we trade, I feel like I’m losing a part of my youth, and with it, a part of who I used to be, before Machine Head came into existence.”
2007: The guys bury the hatchet at Metal Hammer’s own Golden Gods. Asked ‘What do you really think of Kerry King, Robb?’ Mr Flynn replied: “He’s alright man, we’re cool again. The beef is squashed. It got out of hand but we’re all good now.” 2009: So, about that Venom cover…
Tommy Cummings vs Dino Cazares
2008: At an April 26th performance in Poughkeepsie, Cummings cites major technical problems in order to end the show. He and Cazares get into a tussle, causing the latter to trip and fall. Cummings is fired that evening. Months later, the two men get into another fight at the Rockstar Engery Drink Mayhem Festival, but this time Dino's wife, Jennifer, gets dragged into the fracas and leaves her battered and bruised.
Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) vs James Hetfield & Lars Ulrich (Metallica)
1983: Dave Mustaine is kicked out of Metallica for ‘alcohol and substance abuse’. At some point in the next 20 years Lars says – amongst other things – that Dave Mustaine keeps up the Metallica-hating to promote his own band.
2004: ‘Metallica: Some Kind of Monster’ comes out. Mustaine berates Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich for kicking him out of the band instead of trying to help him deal with his addiction.
2004: Mustaine hates them for making him look like a crybaby.
2007: Mustaine says to Canadian Press: “After the documentary I hated them, but it took some time for this whole thing to kind of reveal itself. There are certain things that I miss in James, certain things that I’m glad are gone with Lars and just there’s no more sour grapes.” But does add: “I was the only guitar player and James just sang.” 2008: Ulrich told musicradar.com: “I don’t have a problem with him as much as I think he has a problem with me. I’ve always quite liked the guy. It has a tendency to depend on which mood he’s in. “If he’s in happy-go-lucky mood, then it’s ‘Lars is OK, ha ha, the little Danish guy, we used to dig holes in the earth and smoke bongs’ or whatever, and if he’s in a particular type of mood then it’s, ‘Lars is a fuckin’ asshole.’ I can’t control that. “I keep coming back to the statistics, which are interesting: he’s never played on a Metallica record, he was in the band for 10 months, 25 years ago! That’s an amazing statistic when you think about it, and still Metallica is such a prominent part of his existence. That’s just mind-blowing, because he has made some of the best heavy metal records of all time. It blows my mind.”
Dave Mustaine vs Kirk Hammett
Mustaine's replacement within Metallica by Kirk Hammett resulted in bad feelings towards Hammett on Mustaine's part. Even though he has stated he "[doesn't] care Kirk took my job," he also noted that "at least I got to bang his girlfriend before he took my job — how do I taste, Kirk?". He has also claimed that he wrote many of the solos on Kill 'Em All, which were then emulated note for note by Hammett. In "The Art of Kirk Hammett," Kirk states that he was told to use Mustaine's existing solos as a guideline. In the Megadeth edition of Behind the Music, Mustaine stated that "now he sees how [Hammett] tries really hard" and "thinks he makes really good use of what talent he has" after stating earlier in that interview "I hear how much time James and Lars allowed him to solo, and said to myself 'God, he's horrible...'" He has also stated "I don't really mind [Kirk] too bad these days. Like if he was drowning, I'd save him. But I'd wait a bit first." This feud has dropped off considerably in recent years.
Dave Mustaine vs David Ellefson
Mustaine's decision to break up Megadeth in 2002 left all band members miffed and holding grudges, especially David Ellefson, who hinted during an interview with Metal Sludge magazine that Mustaine faked the injury as an excuse to disband Megadeth. Ellefson had been, after Mustaine, the longest-serving member of Megadeth. Subsequently, the rift between them exploded, with the two camps exchanging lawsuits. Ellefson's suit alleged that co-founding guitarist Mustaine breached their long-running partnership agreement. He claimed Mustaine wrongfully took the lion's share of the band's income (estimated at more than $200 million since 1984) for himself and cut Ellefson out of the band's music publishing and merchandise revenues. Ellefson also said that Mustaine libeled him in an online posting, and he sought at least $18.5 million in damages. Mustaine's counterclaim alleged that Ellefson executed a settlement agreement in which he gave up his 20% interest in Megadeth. Mustaine maintains that the settlement — which Ellefson alleges was signed under pressure and ultimately withdrawn — released Mustaine from all claims. Ellefson eventually lost the case.
On Blabbermouth.net, Mustaine claims to have had dinner with Ellefson at Christmas in 2005 to talk things through; they are on good terms today as Mustaine states they have spoken on the phone numerous times. It should also be noted that as of late, Ellefson has stated (also on Blabbermouth.net) that if Mustaine were to call him tomorrow and ask him to rejoin the band, he would say yes.
Dave Mustaine vs Chris Poland
Former Megadeth guitarist Chris Poland, featured on the albums Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good! and Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? had been the target of sour comments from Mustaine concerning Poland's former habit of pawning band gear to purchase heroin. After Poland was dismissed from the band and replaced with Jeff Young in 1987, Mustaine's bitterness towards Poland was the subject of the track 'Liar' on Megadeth's 1988 album So Far, So Good... So What! In a 1992 interview, Mustaine was quoted as saying: "Chris Poland - you know what? - he could die tomorrow and it wouldn't affect me... Chris has never made amends to me for stealing all my gear. I had a collector's item Echoplex, which just disappeared, all sorts of guitars, which were all stolen to cash in for heroin. I'm willing to forgive and forget, but until he comes and makes amends with me then I'm not willing to give in."
The amends seemed to have been made by 2004 when Mustaine hired Poland to perform guitar solos on a number of tracks for The System Has Failed (he also recorded solos for Rust In Peace preproduction demos), after Poland had appeared to tell this side of the Megadeth story for the Behind the Music episode. Unfortunately, soon after the album's release, Mustaine was contacted by Poland's lawyers, who claimed Poland was due royalties beyond that of his session fees. In late 2006, Poland began posting on the official Megadeth message board, apparently having resolved his problems with Mustaine.
Dave Mustaine vs Kerry King (Slayer)
Mustaine has a long-standing feud with Slayer guitarist Kerry King. King had previously been a temporary member of Megadeth in 1984. Even though Mustaine tried to convince him to focus on Megadeth rather than the "lame spikes" and "eyeliner" with the "posers" in Slayer, Kerry refused to quit his main band. After a falling out during the 1991 "Clash of the Titans" tour, Kerry and Mustaine made public jabs at one another throughout the 1990s. Mustaine cited Slayer's poor record sales compared to Megadeth, and Kerry mentioned Mustaine's inability to get along with band members and tour with major acts. Mustaine tried to reach out to Kerry after the murder of Dimebag Darrell. King has said that he thinks Mustaine is a "cocksucker", has said that "everybody hates him", and that he is a "dictator". He also called David Ellefson a "great dude" and voiced his support for Ellefson's attempt to sue Mustaine in 2002, stating that he and Ellefson had "been friends for years." Mustaine, for his part, has stated that, in his opinion, "Kerry has a problem, because he hates everybody." In a recent 2007 interview in Metalhammer magazine, Mustaine states that he doesn't care anymore and wants to end his arguments, mainly with Metallica and Slayer. King stated in a 2007 issue of Revolver magazine that he is a "Mustaine fan", but that he doesn't "really care for the guy." Recently in GuitarWorld.com's Dear Guitar Hero, King stated that he "admires [Mustaine] to this day" as a guitarist, even though he considers Mustaine a "hypocrite" and an "asshole". Kerry King was the guest for episode 31 in Marty Friedman's Rock Fujiyama Show on Japanese TV, After playing The main riff of Jump In The Fire from Metallica, He made some compliments for Dave Mustaine. Megadeth and Slayer will be co-headlining a small Canadian tour together, which may mean that this feud has been resolved.
Dave Mustaine vs Tom Araya (Slayer)
Mustaine's feuds with King have sparked animosities between fans of Slayer and Megadeth, but the only other member of Slayer who seems to be involved in the feud with Mustaine is bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Like the feud with King (although much smaller-scale), this feud mostly began at the "Clash of the Titans" tour when Mustaine told him that he liked it when Araya "sucked his dick." Araya proceeded to call him a "homo" onstage. Megadeth and Slayer will be co-headlining a small Canadian tour together, which may mean that this feud has been resolved.
Dave Mustaine vs Pantera
Mustaine at one time had a continuing feud with the band Pantera, who opened for Megadeth's 1992 'Countdown to Extinction' tour. Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo was known for saying "Fuck Megadeth" and "Fuck Dave" through the PA during Pantera's set minutes before Megadeth took the stage. In 1994, in an interview on MTV, Mustaine told an interviewer that he felt his music had been ripped off. He continued, "I'm not gonna name anybody 'cause I'm not gonna promote them. OK, we'll say 'panther' in Spanish. You're welcome guys. We might as well be cooking their dinner for them or pushing their little wheelbarrow to the bank for them." After the murder of former Pantera guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell (who had once been invited to join Megadeth), Mustaine downplayed this comment on a 2004 Headbanger's Ball memorial to Dimebag as an "off-camera, off-record" event and said he felt flattered by Pantera. However, the video of the interview is available at the MTV website. However, Mustaine and the members of Pantera seem to have put these differences to rest, as Mustaine has posthumously expressed his admiration for "Dimebag. In 2007, Mustaine toured with Phil Anselmo and Rex Brown's band Down, further indicating that he has apparently made peace with the former members of Pantera.
Dave Mustaine vs Mike Muir (Suicidal Tendencies)
Yet another brief feud that was sparked on the "Clash of the Titans" tour was between Mustaine and Suicidal Tendencies frontman Mike Muir. Muir was upset that Mustaine apparently tried to throw his band off the bill and responded by attacking Mustaine's alcohol addictions and joking that he "lived at the Betty Ford Clinic." The feud nearly became violent on the Clash of the Titans tour when he challenged Mustaine to an onstage fist-fight. Muir claimed that "There are a lot of people who would like to see Dave get his butt kicked, and the Lord knows Mike Muir ain't goin' down. I'll fuck him up... I'd dazzle him, left'n'right. I wanna see a little blood, y'know what I'm sayin'?" Mustaine responded to Muir verbally, claiming that Muir was stupid for trying to intimidate him (Mustaine holds black belts in Karate and Tae Kwon Do according to megadeth.com's FAQ section), and claiming to be a Suicidal fan as well. This feud did not carry on past the end of the tour. Suicidal even opened for Megadeth on their 1992 Countdown to Extinction tour (and ex-Suicidal drummer Jimmy DeGrasso worked in Megadeth as well as MD.45 earlier). Muir and Mustaine are now on good terms, with Mustaine claiming that he and Muir are "good friends today."
Terrorvision vs Queens of the Stone Age
1999: From Terrorvision’s MySpace: “Terrovision headlined a stage at the ‘Big Day Out’ at the Milton Keynes Bowl, and got into a dressing room brawl with Queens Of The Stone Age.” NME.com mention in a QOTSA review, that: “Nick Oliveri was in Seattle’s evil porno punks the Dwarves until he got thrown out for bad behaviour and was arrested at last year’s Big Day Out for attacking Terrorvision.”
Axl vs the world (GNR members, Motley Crue, Nirvana, Tommy Hilfiger) 1987: Axl announces onstage that “Bon Jovi can suck my dick”. In 2006 Jon Bon Jovi said: “You know what pisses me off? …a story about Axl Rose and the $13m Guns N’ Roses record that was never made. That motherfucker hasn’t made a record in 13 years and he gets all that attention. You know what I’ve done in 13 years? A lot. But they have continued to write about the freak show aspect of him.” Poor old Jon, suffering, un-appreciated in the shadows.
1989: Vince Neil punched Izzy Stradlin over a girl. Axl wades in.
1992: Phew, real car crash this one. Kirk says Guns N’ Roses are “so obviously pathetic and untalented”. It all rolls along for years until now apparently the (ex)-GN’R crew are now pals again.
2006: Axl’s lawyers release some statement about stuff Slash told him. It’s all denied. Axl hates Velvet Revolver. Simple.
2006: Tommy Hilfiger swings at Axl for moving a drink or something. Wikipedia states that “Hilfiger - wearing a GN’R shirt – and Axl were seen “hugging” and “burying the hatchet” backstage at the MTV Video Music Awards” later.
2006: Rose refers to opening act the Eagles of Death Metal as the “Pigeons of Shit Metal. I’m sorry to say that this will be their last night with us.” And it was.
Murderdolls vs Dani Filth
2003: Cradle Of Filth’s Dani Filth keeps walking into the Murderdolls area at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards. He was ejected from the area, and then the party and only left when security punched him on the sternum, knocking him over. (Dani Filth famously trashed a rock magazines offices after a bad review).
Fred Durst vs Dino Cazares
2002: Limp Bizkit attempted to offer former Fear Factory guitarist, Dino Cazares, for an audition to fill the band’s vacant guitarist role following last year’s departure of Wes Borland. Dino immediately turned down the offer saying joining Limp Bizkit would be “career suicide.” Ta.
Iron Maiden vs Sharon Osbourne Here’s what ‘apparently’ happened at the 2005 Ozzfest: Bruce cussed Ozzy, something about being an old duffer. Sharon calls him a prick and on the last day instigates an onstage egging of Maiden during their set and fucks with their sound. In the aftermath Sharon shoots her mouth off dissing Maiden further, Maiden stay sctum. Ish. If you really want to know, there are about ten million ‘eye witness accounts.
Dillinger Escape Plan vs Disturbed
2008: Dillinger guitarist Ben Weinman told Australian magazine Beat that he saw the guys choreographing every one of their moves during a soundcheck, saying “[they were] practicing where they were going to walk and when they were going to put their leg up on the monitor and pose… That was weird for us. There are times [during live shows] where I don’t even know where I am.” Disturbed frontman David Draiman responded: “Let me give you a little bit of education: This is what the big boys do who play stadium shows”.
Brent Hinds (Mastodon) vs Shavo Odadjian (System Of A Down) and others
2007: An inebriated Hinds left the Mandalay Bay after the MTV VMAs around 3am and met Shavo and musician William Hudson at the hotel’s west valet area. Hinds took his shirt off and hit Shavo with it before hitting Hudson in both the face and then chest. The police report says both Shavo and Hudson punched Hinds in the face, knocking him to the ground.
2008: There was an alleged altercation between garage rocker King Khan and Hinds: “He said ‘Do you know who I am? I am the greatest guitar player around,’ and punched me in the face.” There are also reports that the band got into a fight while on tour in the northern UK.
Vivian Campbell vs Ronnie James Dio
2003: Vivian Campbell: “[Playing in Dio] never mattered to me — and still doesn’t… He’s an incredible talent, but he’s an awful businessman and way more importantly, one of the vilest people in the industry.”
2007: Ronnie James Dio says: “I hope he fucking dies. He’s a fucking asshole. He’s got two fucking chances. He’s a piece of shit. He called me the most despicable human being that ever lived. I went, ‘I thought I gave you a chance and made you somebody. And now you’re playing with who? Def fucking who?’ There’s a fucking rock band for you to fucking have diarrhoea with.” He later said: “OK, I get the point — you really don’t like me at all! Well, tell me what the problem is, Vivian. Tell everybody what the problem is, because at the moment everyone is kind of scratching their heads over this one.”
David Coverdale vs The Quireboys
2004: www.chroniclelive.co.uk reported: Spike: “We were 45 seconds late going on stage one night and a minute-and-a-half late coming off another night.” “On both occasions we were given a dressing-down - one for getting the crowd out of their seats! I asked whether this was a rock’n’roll tour or a bingo night?” Then Spike discovered The Quireboys’ merchandise had gone missing. Then the final blow: “They told us we were off the tour but it was hardly a surprise.” So the ‘Boys didn’t get to play their hometown gig in Newcastle: “It was going to be a very special night for everyone,” admitted Spike. “And we want to stress that we haven’t pulled out. We were told we weren’t wanted and that’s that.”
James Gill vs Angela Gossow (Arch Enemy)
2005: Gill quotes Angela as saying: “People think that because you bought a ticket to the show that they own you. No, you see the show and go home, I don’t owe you anything.” Angela says she’s been misquoted.
2006: Angela says in a MH Spanish Inquisition: “If I ever see that little cunt Gill again I am going to kick his teeth so far down his throat that he can never do another interview ever again.” Gill shits himself.
2006: Angela confronts Gill at the MH Golden God Awards. Angela opens up and they agree to do another interview to straighten things out.
2007: They do. She admitted that: “I thought I’ve got to meet that cunt again and knock the shit out of him.”
Gaahl (Gorgoroth) and King ov Hell vs Infernus (Gorgoroth)
2008: Who has the rights to the name Gorgoroth? The legal battle continues. Probably in a forest near Oslo.
David Lee Roth vs Sammy Hagar vs Eddie Van Halen
The two Van Halen singers have been at it since 1985.
Sammy Hagar: All he cares about is going out there with his Jack Daniels bottle. Nothing has changed. That’s kind of sad. If David was doing better than he used to be, then that would be different. But it was a joke and he made it that way.
DLR: I left and I said “I really want to make music and I’ll take a cut if that’s necessary to be an artist”. But listen to this. The last album sold a million and a half, theirs sold a little more than that, but I don’t break it up five ways.
Sammy Hagar: Dave was great in Van Halen. No question about it. He was one of the best at being Mr. Rock Star. But it’s sickening to see a guy still trying to be that with a wig on 20 years later. everything that comes out of his mouth is word-barf. It’s the lowest common denominator. It’s meant for children. Jimi Hendrix never made music for children. Children may have loved it, but he never made music like “Hey, the 14-year-olds will love this”. The guys in Led Zeppelin and the Beatles never said “I’m gonna aim this at the 12-year-olds”.
Sammy Hagar: Everything that Eddie has said about me is the total opposite of what really happened. Eddie says I wanted to be a solo artist. No, Eddie wanted to be a solo artist.
DLR: [Sammy’s] my bitch, and when he says my name we just sell that many more records.
Sammy Hagar: If I would go up on a high note, Eddie would want a low one. That’s how petty the situation had become.
DLR: Sammy is a mindless little bridge-troll drone.
Sammy Hagar: It’s a good thing I don’t read everything Eddie says, or I’d be up in arms and not enjoying my life.
DLR: he was a complete failure till he got with the Van Halen bunch.
Sammy Hagar: It’s hard to say this about a guy like Eddie Van Halen, one of the greatest guitar players who ever lived, but he’s really limited to a style and they’re locked into it.
DLR: You’ve got someone who’s enfeebled himself with dope and alcohol who’s gonna go along with the situation.
Sammy Hagar: Overall, we had about 50 meetings where the brothers would say that I couldn’t do any solo records, I couldn’t write for other people, I couldn’t do this and I couldn’t do that. These guys were trying to nail my feet to the ground.
DLR: Sammy would sell the property rights to his butthole to get fame.
Sammy Hagar: When they brought Roth back into the picture, obviously I didn’t go along with that too well.
DLR: Sammy Hagar, who at best is a mediocre talent…
Sammy Hagar: When we were on the road, I found out that my greatest hits album went Gold. They freaked out. Things really came to a head when we started arguing about a Van Halen greatest hits package.
DLR: I left and I said “I really want to make music and I’ll take a cut if that’s necessary to be an artist”. But listen to this. The last album sold a million and a half, theirs sold a little more than that, but I don’t break it up five ways.
Lynyrd Skynyrd vs Neil Young
Neil Young’s ‘Southern Man’ is a biting rant about Confederate racism that drew the ire of proud rednecks Lynyrd Skynyrd and prompted their musical response in the track ‘Sweet Home Alabama “Well I hope Neil Young will remember/ A southern man don’t need him around anyhow”
Marilyn Manson vs My Chemical Romance
2007: Manson wrote ‘Mutilation Is The Most Sincere Form Of about Gerard Way’s outfit, and features the lyrics, “Fuck you, fuck you”. He said: “I’m embarrassed to be me because these people are doing a really sad, pitiful, shallow version of what I’ve done.” My Chemical Romance’s Frank Ieror said “The funny thing is that he seems to have lashed out at us about the make-up. That’s weird to me, because I had heard of Alice Cooper before I heard of Marilyn Manson. I don’t know how he could be mad at us. We never came out and said we were going to call ourselves by a girl’s name and then a serial killer’s name. I’m really sorry if he feels we ripped him off. Maybe he’s doing it for the press.” Gerard Way added: “If Elvis Costello said we sucked we would think about it a bit… We still haven’t found someone that has knocked us down that we need to take seriously.”
Euronymous (Mayhem) vs Varg Vikernes (Burzum)
E: “I invented black metal.” VV: “You’ve gone soft.” [stab stab stab] “See?” The end.
Red Hot Chili Peppers vs Mr. Bungle
Spinner.com reported that Mr. Bungle’s Trevor Dunn said Chilis were: “That stupid white band that do horrible cover versions of black musicians.” RHCP’s Anthony Kiedis took exception to Mike Patton’s stage presence in Faith No More, which he thought ripped off his own. When Patton later fronted Mr. Bungle, the bands were set to release albums (’California’ and ‘Californication’) on the same day and label. Bungle’s was pushed back. Kiedis insisted that they be removed from Chilis-headlined festivals. A miffed Patton said, “We are not even a speck of dust on this guy’s ass!” Bungle later put on a Peppers parody, mocking several songs.
Kid Rock vs Tommy Lee
2007: Ok, so they’re all at the VMAs (fave fight venue) Tommy Lee says something to/about Kid Rock as he walks towards P Diddy. Kid Rock then slaps the drummer. Tommy tries to fight back but before he can twat him, Rock chins him. Kid Rock was heard saying the following triple negative clusterfuck: “I never hit nobody for nothing before.” Sooo… he did or he didn’t?
Glenn Danzig vs Northside Kings
Glenn Danzig gets in an argument with North Side Kings singer and frequent Soulfly collaborator Danny Marianinho after a Danzig show. Danny said: “He threw me pretty hard and I reacted like anyone on this site would have. The guy is out of control. The video shows it all — and it was very uncalled for on his end. He caught me off guard when he attacked me — but I caught him with a good jab. That’s it in a nutshell. To this day he has not tried to contact me to apologize for being a mental case…” I wouldn’t hold your breath, mate.
Avenged Sevenfold vs Atreyu
2005: A7X’s M Shadows: “Atreyu are leading the scene that we want to get out of. I wouldn’t say we are fucking friends.” He adds that they ripped off a song intro too. Atreyu’s Alex Varkatzas said: “I guess if you’re not down with Atreyu, you can go fuck yourself.” At the time of the feud Atreyu had sold over 410,000 albums while Avenged Sevenfold had only sold 231,421.
Marilyn Manson vs Trent Reznor vs Courtney Love vs Tori Amos
1996: Trent executive produces Manson’s amazing ‘Anti-Christ Superstar’ album. They do tons of blow. 90s (at some point): Trent dates Courtney Love.
1996: Tori Amos allegedly writes ‘Professional Widow’ about Love.
1997-ish: Tori and Trent are allegedly dating.
1998-ish: Trent later said of his falling out with Manson: “. He and I are two strong personalities that could coexist for a while, but things changed. I think fame and power distort people’s personalities.” And Manson later said: “If I were the kind of person to be insulted by petty things, I would be insulted by the way Trent Reznor has acted since I moved from Nothing Records [Reznor's label] on to Interscope.”
1999: Trent allegedly writes ‘Starfuckers Inc’ about Love and Manson.
1999: Trent and Manson make friends. 00s: Courtney still blogs about Trent.
Mark Morton vs Randy Blythe
2004: To celebrate their sold-out show in Glasgow, Scotland, the Lamb of God bandmates drink 12-year-old scotch and get very drunk and violent with each other. Morton and Blythe fight like two bitches until Morton gets the upper-hand on the drunk, kilt-wearing Blythe and leaves him on the pavement. All this can be seen on their 2005 DVD Killadelphia. See it here now:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdr7B93q7vE
Robb Flynn (Machine Head) vs Kerry King (Slayer)
2001: King labeled Machine Head as “sell-outs” after the release of their 2001 album ‘Supercharger’, saying “They’re responsible for rap-metal”.
2002: Robert Flynn says Kerry King looks like a member of Right Said Fred…
2002: Kerry King: “I don’t remember us having bad blood… If somebody asks me if I like their last record, I say, ‘No, I don’t like the record.’ But that’s not slamming anybody. It’s my opinion. If he’s so fragile that that was painful, sorry dude, you’re in the wrong business.”
2004: Comment on MetalUnderground.com: “If Rob and Kerry King can just put their shit behind them and do another rousing rendition of Venom’s ‘Witching Hour’, life would be grand.”
2005: Flynn: “I am issuing an apology to Kerry for the role I’ve played in our ongoing ‘feud.’ I can’t even remember why it started. With every barb we trade, I feel like I’m losing a part of my youth, and with it, a part of who I used to be, before Machine Head came into existence.”
2007: The guys bury the hatchet at Metal Hammer’s own Golden Gods. Asked ‘What do you really think of Kerry King, Robb?’ Mr Flynn replied: “He’s alright man, we’re cool again. The beef is squashed. It got out of hand but we’re all good now.” 2009: So, about that Venom cover…
Tommy Cummings vs Dino Cazares
2008: At an April 26th performance in Poughkeepsie, Cummings cites major technical problems in order to end the show. He and Cazares get into a tussle, causing the latter to trip and fall. Cummings is fired that evening. Months later, the two men get into another fight at the Rockstar Engery Drink Mayhem Festival, but this time Dino's wife, Jennifer, gets dragged into the fracas and leaves her battered and bruised.
Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) vs James Hetfield & Lars Ulrich (Metallica)
1983: Dave Mustaine is kicked out of Metallica for ‘alcohol and substance abuse’. At some point in the next 20 years Lars says – amongst other things – that Dave Mustaine keeps up the Metallica-hating to promote his own band.
2004: ‘Metallica: Some Kind of Monster’ comes out. Mustaine berates Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich for kicking him out of the band instead of trying to help him deal with his addiction.
2004: Mustaine hates them for making him look like a crybaby.
2007: Mustaine says to Canadian Press: “After the documentary I hated them, but it took some time for this whole thing to kind of reveal itself. There are certain things that I miss in James, certain things that I’m glad are gone with Lars and just there’s no more sour grapes.” But does add: “I was the only guitar player and James just sang.” 2008: Ulrich told musicradar.com: “I don’t have a problem with him as much as I think he has a problem with me. I’ve always quite liked the guy. It has a tendency to depend on which mood he’s in. “If he’s in happy-go-lucky mood, then it’s ‘Lars is OK, ha ha, the little Danish guy, we used to dig holes in the earth and smoke bongs’ or whatever, and if he’s in a particular type of mood then it’s, ‘Lars is a fuckin’ asshole.’ I can’t control that. “I keep coming back to the statistics, which are interesting: he’s never played on a Metallica record, he was in the band for 10 months, 25 years ago! That’s an amazing statistic when you think about it, and still Metallica is such a prominent part of his existence. That’s just mind-blowing, because he has made some of the best heavy metal records of all time. It blows my mind.”
Dave Mustaine vs Kirk Hammett
Mustaine's replacement within Metallica by Kirk Hammett resulted in bad feelings towards Hammett on Mustaine's part. Even though he has stated he "[doesn't] care Kirk took my job," he also noted that "at least I got to bang his girlfriend before he took my job — how do I taste, Kirk?". He has also claimed that he wrote many of the solos on Kill 'Em All, which were then emulated note for note by Hammett. In "The Art of Kirk Hammett," Kirk states that he was told to use Mustaine's existing solos as a guideline. In the Megadeth edition of Behind the Music, Mustaine stated that "now he sees how [Hammett] tries really hard" and "thinks he makes really good use of what talent he has" after stating earlier in that interview "I hear how much time James and Lars allowed him to solo, and said to myself 'God, he's horrible...'" He has also stated "I don't really mind [Kirk] too bad these days. Like if he was drowning, I'd save him. But I'd wait a bit first." This feud has dropped off considerably in recent years.
Dave Mustaine vs David Ellefson
Mustaine's decision to break up Megadeth in 2002 left all band members miffed and holding grudges, especially David Ellefson, who hinted during an interview with Metal Sludge magazine that Mustaine faked the injury as an excuse to disband Megadeth. Ellefson had been, after Mustaine, the longest-serving member of Megadeth. Subsequently, the rift between them exploded, with the two camps exchanging lawsuits. Ellefson's suit alleged that co-founding guitarist Mustaine breached their long-running partnership agreement. He claimed Mustaine wrongfully took the lion's share of the band's income (estimated at more than $200 million since 1984) for himself and cut Ellefson out of the band's music publishing and merchandise revenues. Ellefson also said that Mustaine libeled him in an online posting, and he sought at least $18.5 million in damages. Mustaine's counterclaim alleged that Ellefson executed a settlement agreement in which he gave up his 20% interest in Megadeth. Mustaine maintains that the settlement — which Ellefson alleges was signed under pressure and ultimately withdrawn — released Mustaine from all claims. Ellefson eventually lost the case.
On Blabbermouth.net, Mustaine claims to have had dinner with Ellefson at Christmas in 2005 to talk things through; they are on good terms today as Mustaine states they have spoken on the phone numerous times. It should also be noted that as of late, Ellefson has stated (also on Blabbermouth.net) that if Mustaine were to call him tomorrow and ask him to rejoin the band, he would say yes.
Dave Mustaine vs Chris Poland
Former Megadeth guitarist Chris Poland, featured on the albums Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good! and Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? had been the target of sour comments from Mustaine concerning Poland's former habit of pawning band gear to purchase heroin. After Poland was dismissed from the band and replaced with Jeff Young in 1987, Mustaine's bitterness towards Poland was the subject of the track 'Liar' on Megadeth's 1988 album So Far, So Good... So What! In a 1992 interview, Mustaine was quoted as saying: "Chris Poland - you know what? - he could die tomorrow and it wouldn't affect me... Chris has never made amends to me for stealing all my gear. I had a collector's item Echoplex, which just disappeared, all sorts of guitars, which were all stolen to cash in for heroin. I'm willing to forgive and forget, but until he comes and makes amends with me then I'm not willing to give in."
The amends seemed to have been made by 2004 when Mustaine hired Poland to perform guitar solos on a number of tracks for The System Has Failed (he also recorded solos for Rust In Peace preproduction demos), after Poland had appeared to tell this side of the Megadeth story for the Behind the Music episode. Unfortunately, soon after the album's release, Mustaine was contacted by Poland's lawyers, who claimed Poland was due royalties beyond that of his session fees. In late 2006, Poland began posting on the official Megadeth message board, apparently having resolved his problems with Mustaine.
Dave Mustaine vs Kerry King (Slayer)
Mustaine has a long-standing feud with Slayer guitarist Kerry King. King had previously been a temporary member of Megadeth in 1984. Even though Mustaine tried to convince him to focus on Megadeth rather than the "lame spikes" and "eyeliner" with the "posers" in Slayer, Kerry refused to quit his main band. After a falling out during the 1991 "Clash of the Titans" tour, Kerry and Mustaine made public jabs at one another throughout the 1990s. Mustaine cited Slayer's poor record sales compared to Megadeth, and Kerry mentioned Mustaine's inability to get along with band members and tour with major acts. Mustaine tried to reach out to Kerry after the murder of Dimebag Darrell. King has said that he thinks Mustaine is a "cocksucker", has said that "everybody hates him", and that he is a "dictator". He also called David Ellefson a "great dude" and voiced his support for Ellefson's attempt to sue Mustaine in 2002, stating that he and Ellefson had "been friends for years." Mustaine, for his part, has stated that, in his opinion, "Kerry has a problem, because he hates everybody." In a recent 2007 interview in Metalhammer magazine, Mustaine states that he doesn't care anymore and wants to end his arguments, mainly with Metallica and Slayer. King stated in a 2007 issue of Revolver magazine that he is a "Mustaine fan", but that he doesn't "really care for the guy." Recently in GuitarWorld.com's Dear Guitar Hero, King stated that he "admires [Mustaine] to this day" as a guitarist, even though he considers Mustaine a "hypocrite" and an "asshole". Kerry King was the guest for episode 31 in Marty Friedman's Rock Fujiyama Show on Japanese TV, After playing The main riff of Jump In The Fire from Metallica, He made some compliments for Dave Mustaine. Megadeth and Slayer will be co-headlining a small Canadian tour together, which may mean that this feud has been resolved.
Dave Mustaine vs Tom Araya (Slayer)
Mustaine's feuds with King have sparked animosities between fans of Slayer and Megadeth, but the only other member of Slayer who seems to be involved in the feud with Mustaine is bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Like the feud with King (although much smaller-scale), this feud mostly began at the "Clash of the Titans" tour when Mustaine told him that he liked it when Araya "sucked his dick." Araya proceeded to call him a "homo" onstage. Megadeth and Slayer will be co-headlining a small Canadian tour together, which may mean that this feud has been resolved.
Dave Mustaine vs Pantera
Mustaine at one time had a continuing feud with the band Pantera, who opened for Megadeth's 1992 'Countdown to Extinction' tour. Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo was known for saying "Fuck Megadeth" and "Fuck Dave" through the PA during Pantera's set minutes before Megadeth took the stage. In 1994, in an interview on MTV, Mustaine told an interviewer that he felt his music had been ripped off. He continued, "I'm not gonna name anybody 'cause I'm not gonna promote them. OK, we'll say 'panther' in Spanish. You're welcome guys. We might as well be cooking their dinner for them or pushing their little wheelbarrow to the bank for them." After the murder of former Pantera guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell (who had once been invited to join Megadeth), Mustaine downplayed this comment on a 2004 Headbanger's Ball memorial to Dimebag as an "off-camera, off-record" event and said he felt flattered by Pantera. However, the video of the interview is available at the MTV website. However, Mustaine and the members of Pantera seem to have put these differences to rest, as Mustaine has posthumously expressed his admiration for "Dimebag. In 2007, Mustaine toured with Phil Anselmo and Rex Brown's band Down, further indicating that he has apparently made peace with the former members of Pantera.
Dave Mustaine vs Mike Muir (Suicidal Tendencies)
Yet another brief feud that was sparked on the "Clash of the Titans" tour was between Mustaine and Suicidal Tendencies frontman Mike Muir. Muir was upset that Mustaine apparently tried to throw his band off the bill and responded by attacking Mustaine's alcohol addictions and joking that he "lived at the Betty Ford Clinic." The feud nearly became violent on the Clash of the Titans tour when he challenged Mustaine to an onstage fist-fight. Muir claimed that "There are a lot of people who would like to see Dave get his butt kicked, and the Lord knows Mike Muir ain't goin' down. I'll fuck him up... I'd dazzle him, left'n'right. I wanna see a little blood, y'know what I'm sayin'?" Mustaine responded to Muir verbally, claiming that Muir was stupid for trying to intimidate him (Mustaine holds black belts in Karate and Tae Kwon Do according to megadeth.com's FAQ section), and claiming to be a Suicidal fan as well. This feud did not carry on past the end of the tour. Suicidal even opened for Megadeth on their 1992 Countdown to Extinction tour (and ex-Suicidal drummer Jimmy DeGrasso worked in Megadeth as well as MD.45 earlier). Muir and Mustaine are now on good terms, with Mustaine claiming that he and Muir are "good friends today."
Terrorvision vs Queens of the Stone Age
1999: From Terrorvision’s MySpace: “Terrovision headlined a stage at the ‘Big Day Out’ at the Milton Keynes Bowl, and got into a dressing room brawl with Queens Of The Stone Age.” NME.com mention in a QOTSA review, that: “Nick Oliveri was in Seattle’s evil porno punks the Dwarves until he got thrown out for bad behaviour and was arrested at last year’s Big Day Out for attacking Terrorvision.”
Axl vs the world (GNR members, Motley Crue, Nirvana, Tommy Hilfiger) 1987: Axl announces onstage that “Bon Jovi can suck my dick”. In 2006 Jon Bon Jovi said: “You know what pisses me off? …a story about Axl Rose and the $13m Guns N’ Roses record that was never made. That motherfucker hasn’t made a record in 13 years and he gets all that attention. You know what I’ve done in 13 years? A lot. But they have continued to write about the freak show aspect of him.” Poor old Jon, suffering, un-appreciated in the shadows.
1989: Vince Neil punched Izzy Stradlin over a girl. Axl wades in.
1992: Phew, real car crash this one. Kirk says Guns N’ Roses are “so obviously pathetic and untalented”. It all rolls along for years until now apparently the (ex)-GN’R crew are now pals again.
2006: Axl’s lawyers release some statement about stuff Slash told him. It’s all denied. Axl hates Velvet Revolver. Simple.
2006: Tommy Hilfiger swings at Axl for moving a drink or something. Wikipedia states that “Hilfiger - wearing a GN’R shirt – and Axl were seen “hugging” and “burying the hatchet” backstage at the MTV Video Music Awards” later.
2006: Rose refers to opening act the Eagles of Death Metal as the “Pigeons of Shit Metal. I’m sorry to say that this will be their last night with us.” And it was.
Murderdolls vs Dani Filth
2003: Cradle Of Filth’s Dani Filth keeps walking into the Murderdolls area at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards. He was ejected from the area, and then the party and only left when security punched him on the sternum, knocking him over. (Dani Filth famously trashed a rock magazines offices after a bad review).
Fred Durst vs Dino Cazares
2002: Limp Bizkit attempted to offer former Fear Factory guitarist, Dino Cazares, for an audition to fill the band’s vacant guitarist role following last year’s departure of Wes Borland. Dino immediately turned down the offer saying joining Limp Bizkit would be “career suicide.” Ta.
Iron Maiden vs Sharon Osbourne Here’s what ‘apparently’ happened at the 2005 Ozzfest: Bruce cussed Ozzy, something about being an old duffer. Sharon calls him a prick and on the last day instigates an onstage egging of Maiden during their set and fucks with their sound. In the aftermath Sharon shoots her mouth off dissing Maiden further, Maiden stay sctum. Ish. If you really want to know, there are about ten million ‘eye witness accounts.
Dillinger Escape Plan vs Disturbed
2008: Dillinger guitarist Ben Weinman told Australian magazine Beat that he saw the guys choreographing every one of their moves during a soundcheck, saying “[they were] practicing where they were going to walk and when they were going to put their leg up on the monitor and pose… That was weird for us. There are times [during live shows] where I don’t even know where I am.” Disturbed frontman David Draiman responded: “Let me give you a little bit of education: This is what the big boys do who play stadium shows”.
Brent Hinds (Mastodon) vs Shavo Odadjian (System Of A Down) and others
2007: An inebriated Hinds left the Mandalay Bay after the MTV VMAs around 3am and met Shavo and musician William Hudson at the hotel’s west valet area. Hinds took his shirt off and hit Shavo with it before hitting Hudson in both the face and then chest. The police report says both Shavo and Hudson punched Hinds in the face, knocking him to the ground.
2008: There was an alleged altercation between garage rocker King Khan and Hinds: “He said ‘Do you know who I am? I am the greatest guitar player around,’ and punched me in the face.” There are also reports that the band got into a fight while on tour in the northern UK.
Vivian Campbell vs Ronnie James Dio
2003: Vivian Campbell: “[Playing in Dio] never mattered to me — and still doesn’t… He’s an incredible talent, but he’s an awful businessman and way more importantly, one of the vilest people in the industry.”
2007: Ronnie James Dio says: “I hope he fucking dies. He’s a fucking asshole. He’s got two fucking chances. He’s a piece of shit. He called me the most despicable human being that ever lived. I went, ‘I thought I gave you a chance and made you somebody. And now you’re playing with who? Def fucking who?’ There’s a fucking rock band for you to fucking have diarrhoea with.” He later said: “OK, I get the point — you really don’t like me at all! Well, tell me what the problem is, Vivian. Tell everybody what the problem is, because at the moment everyone is kind of scratching their heads over this one.”
David Coverdale vs The Quireboys
2004: www.chroniclelive.co.uk reported: Spike: “We were 45 seconds late going on stage one night and a minute-and-a-half late coming off another night.” “On both occasions we were given a dressing-down - one for getting the crowd out of their seats! I asked whether this was a rock’n’roll tour or a bingo night?” Then Spike discovered The Quireboys’ merchandise had gone missing. Then the final blow: “They told us we were off the tour but it was hardly a surprise.” So the ‘Boys didn’t get to play their hometown gig in Newcastle: “It was going to be a very special night for everyone,” admitted Spike. “And we want to stress that we haven’t pulled out. We were told we weren’t wanted and that’s that.”
James Gill vs Angela Gossow (Arch Enemy)
2005: Gill quotes Angela as saying: “People think that because you bought a ticket to the show that they own you. No, you see the show and go home, I don’t owe you anything.” Angela says she’s been misquoted.
2006: Angela says in a MH Spanish Inquisition: “If I ever see that little cunt Gill again I am going to kick his teeth so far down his throat that he can never do another interview ever again.” Gill shits himself.
2006: Angela confronts Gill at the MH Golden God Awards. Angela opens up and they agree to do another interview to straighten things out.
2007: They do. She admitted that: “I thought I’ve got to meet that cunt again and knock the shit out of him.”
Gaahl (Gorgoroth) and King ov Hell vs Infernus (Gorgoroth)
2008: Who has the rights to the name Gorgoroth? The legal battle continues. Probably in a forest near Oslo.
David Lee Roth vs Sammy Hagar vs Eddie Van Halen
The two Van Halen singers have been at it since 1985.
Sammy Hagar: All he cares about is going out there with his Jack Daniels bottle. Nothing has changed. That’s kind of sad. If David was doing better than he used to be, then that would be different. But it was a joke and he made it that way.
DLR: I left and I said “I really want to make music and I’ll take a cut if that’s necessary to be an artist”. But listen to this. The last album sold a million and a half, theirs sold a little more than that, but I don’t break it up five ways.
Sammy Hagar: Dave was great in Van Halen. No question about it. He was one of the best at being Mr. Rock Star. But it’s sickening to see a guy still trying to be that with a wig on 20 years later. everything that comes out of his mouth is word-barf. It’s the lowest common denominator. It’s meant for children. Jimi Hendrix never made music for children. Children may have loved it, but he never made music like “Hey, the 14-year-olds will love this”. The guys in Led Zeppelin and the Beatles never said “I’m gonna aim this at the 12-year-olds”.
Sammy Hagar: Everything that Eddie has said about me is the total opposite of what really happened. Eddie says I wanted to be a solo artist. No, Eddie wanted to be a solo artist.
DLR: [Sammy’s] my bitch, and when he says my name we just sell that many more records.
Sammy Hagar: If I would go up on a high note, Eddie would want a low one. That’s how petty the situation had become.
DLR: Sammy is a mindless little bridge-troll drone.
Sammy Hagar: It’s a good thing I don’t read everything Eddie says, or I’d be up in arms and not enjoying my life.
DLR: he was a complete failure till he got with the Van Halen bunch.
Sammy Hagar: It’s hard to say this about a guy like Eddie Van Halen, one of the greatest guitar players who ever lived, but he’s really limited to a style and they’re locked into it.
DLR: You’ve got someone who’s enfeebled himself with dope and alcohol who’s gonna go along with the situation.
Sammy Hagar: Overall, we had about 50 meetings where the brothers would say that I couldn’t do any solo records, I couldn’t write for other people, I couldn’t do this and I couldn’t do that. These guys were trying to nail my feet to the ground.
DLR: Sammy would sell the property rights to his butthole to get fame.
Sammy Hagar: When they brought Roth back into the picture, obviously I didn’t go along with that too well.
DLR: Sammy Hagar, who at best is a mediocre talent…
Sammy Hagar: When we were on the road, I found out that my greatest hits album went Gold. They freaked out. Things really came to a head when we started arguing about a Van Halen greatest hits package.
DLR: I left and I said “I really want to make music and I’ll take a cut if that’s necessary to be an artist”. But listen to this. The last album sold a million and a half, theirs sold a little more than that, but I don’t break it up five ways.
Lynyrd Skynyrd vs Neil Young
Neil Young’s ‘Southern Man’ is a biting rant about Confederate racism that drew the ire of proud rednecks Lynyrd Skynyrd and prompted their musical response in the track ‘Sweet Home Alabama “Well I hope Neil Young will remember/ A southern man don’t need him around anyhow”
Marilyn Manson vs My Chemical Romance
2007: Manson wrote ‘Mutilation Is The Most Sincere Form Of about Gerard Way’s outfit, and features the lyrics, “Fuck you, fuck you”. He said: “I’m embarrassed to be me because these people are doing a really sad, pitiful, shallow version of what I’ve done.” My Chemical Romance’s Frank Ieror said “The funny thing is that he seems to have lashed out at us about the make-up. That’s weird to me, because I had heard of Alice Cooper before I heard of Marilyn Manson. I don’t know how he could be mad at us. We never came out and said we were going to call ourselves by a girl’s name and then a serial killer’s name. I’m really sorry if he feels we ripped him off. Maybe he’s doing it for the press.” Gerard Way added: “If Elvis Costello said we sucked we would think about it a bit… We still haven’t found someone that has knocked us down that we need to take seriously.”
Euronymous (Mayhem) vs Varg Vikernes (Burzum)
E: “I invented black metal.” VV: “You’ve gone soft.” [stab stab stab] “See?” The end.
Red Hot Chili Peppers vs Mr. Bungle
Spinner.com reported that Mr. Bungle’s Trevor Dunn said Chilis were: “That stupid white band that do horrible cover versions of black musicians.” RHCP’s Anthony Kiedis took exception to Mike Patton’s stage presence in Faith No More, which he thought ripped off his own. When Patton later fronted Mr. Bungle, the bands were set to release albums (’California’ and ‘Californication’) on the same day and label. Bungle’s was pushed back. Kiedis insisted that they be removed from Chilis-headlined festivals. A miffed Patton said, “We are not even a speck of dust on this guy’s ass!” Bungle later put on a Peppers parody, mocking several songs.
Kid Rock vs Tommy Lee
2007: Ok, so they’re all at the VMAs (fave fight venue) Tommy Lee says something to/about Kid Rock as he walks towards P Diddy. Kid Rock then slaps the drummer. Tommy tries to fight back but before he can twat him, Rock chins him. Kid Rock was heard saying the following triple negative clusterfuck: “I never hit nobody for nothing before.” Sooo… he did or he didn’t?
Glenn Danzig vs Northside Kings
Glenn Danzig gets in an argument with North Side Kings singer and frequent Soulfly collaborator Danny Marianinho after a Danzig show. Danny said: “He threw me pretty hard and I reacted like anyone on this site would have. The guy is out of control. The video shows it all — and it was very uncalled for on his end. He caught me off guard when he attacked me — but I caught him with a good jab. That’s it in a nutshell. To this day he has not tried to contact me to apologize for being a mental case…” I wouldn’t hold your breath, mate.
Avenged Sevenfold vs Atreyu
2005: A7X’s M Shadows: “Atreyu are leading the scene that we want to get out of. I wouldn’t say we are fucking friends.” He adds that they ripped off a song intro too. Atreyu’s Alex Varkatzas said: “I guess if you’re not down with Atreyu, you can go fuck yourself.” At the time of the feud Atreyu had sold over 410,000 albums while Avenged Sevenfold had only sold 231,421.
Marilyn Manson vs Trent Reznor vs Courtney Love vs Tori Amos
1996: Trent executive produces Manson’s amazing ‘Anti-Christ Superstar’ album. They do tons of blow. 90s (at some point): Trent dates Courtney Love.
1996: Tori Amos allegedly writes ‘Professional Widow’ about Love.
1997-ish: Tori and Trent are allegedly dating.
1998-ish: Trent later said of his falling out with Manson: “. He and I are two strong personalities that could coexist for a while, but things changed. I think fame and power distort people’s personalities.” And Manson later said: “If I were the kind of person to be insulted by petty things, I would be insulted by the way Trent Reznor has acted since I moved from Nothing Records [Reznor's label] on to Interscope.”
1999: Trent allegedly writes ‘Starfuckers Inc’ about Love and Manson.
1999: Trent and Manson make friends. 00s: Courtney still blogs about Trent.
Lamb of God, As I Lay Dying, Children of Bodom, God Forbid, Municipal Waste @ Roseland - 5/8/09
I've been to Roseland Ballroom three times in my life, the first being the September 20, 2008 show with Motorhead and the second was on October 15, 2008 with Danzig and Dimmu Borgir as part of the Blackest of Black tour, and while these two nights were filled with legends and rock gods who gave fine, top-form performances, they pale in comparison to the May 8 show filled with some of the best performances, and one of the best metal tour packages, that I've seen in a long time. If Roseland is the place where legends are born and eventually come to congregate and perform for the 3500 strong in attendance, then the bands involved will no doubt feel right at home in a few years.
There was laughter, there were tears, there were titties being shown, fights breaking out inside (and outside) the venue, weed being smoked, and some really good technical metal on display. From the retro-thrash/party animal vibe of Virginia natives Municipal Waste, to the gritty New Jersey groove metalcore of God Forbid, to the regrettably (thankfully!) shortened set of Finlanders Children of Bodom, to Californian stableboys As I Lay Dying, to the heir-apparent of the metal band throne Lamb of God, there was not one corner of the metal world not covered tonight, save for corpse-painted black metal. As the night progressed and angsty teenagers and 30-somethings thrashed and bashed their way to catch a souvenir, so did the intensity and all-out fun to be had at metal concert. And for this one night, at least during Lamb of God's set, I returned to what I had once been before I became a jerk-off, sell-out suit in a Ralph Lauren jacket.... I was a true MetalBro4Life again.
MUNICIPAL WASTE - Give it up to these guys for starting the show up in an unexpected way as performing a little comedy act involving frontman Tony Foresta and guitarist Ryan Waste as they elicited and incited much laughter from the attendees as they jabbed and made cracks about everyone from George W. Bush to Disturbed, and the usual pseudo-homoerotic jokes of signing butts and dicks, as well as tits. As they entered the stage with the entrance music to Yellow's "Oh, Yeah!" (you remember those old 80s commercials for Twix.... if you don't know it, look it up on YouTube!), they quickly leveled the place with tracks from their latest release, 2007's The Art of Partying, before switching off into their comedy schtick. It would be wise to leave them as the opening act, if just for their comedy routine alone, it would serve as a good start for whatever bumps lay ahead. And while they seemed more intent on being funny rather than be serious musicians and encouraging many to drink and smoke weeds - a good way to get on the crowd's good side and exploit their vices - they didn't disappoint in entertaining and brutally beating, though lightheartedly, everyone into a frenzy. Set Rating: A-
GOD FORBID - When I saw these guys play with Death Angel last year at BB King, I was pretty much convinced that these guys were the real deal. Fast forward to today and imagine my surprise when I am faced with a pretty lackluster set. Instead, we have Kris Norris, formerly of Darkest Hour, substituting guitar duties for Dallas Coyle and zero connection from frontman Byron Davis, who does his occasional chest-thumping to the masses. Playing some songs off their new album Earthsblood, which I have yet to listen to (should I even bother?), as well as past faves, and you're stuck with a crowd desperately in need of something more potent. And while I can appreciated their socio-political whining sometimes, I can always turn on the news at home and hear it far more clearly than have Davis and Co. shove down my throat with indecipherable growls and pretty/tricky riffs. But without young Dallas to support and pull back brother Doc's cocky noodling, there isn't much finesse or approach to give this band a second glance. Set Rating: B-
CHILDREN OF BODOM - So apparently, Alexi Laiho fell out of his bunk on the bus and injured his shoulder badly, which means he can't really sing or play well, and after playing only two songs, the band gave up and quit. I could feel sorry for the kid and accept that, but I find it difficult to accept that if he was in so much pain, why couldn't they get someone to fill in guitar duties for him. God Forbid was smart enough to find a replacement for Dallas Coyle, why couldn't the same be done for Laiho. (James Hetfield did it when he nearly burned himself to death back in '92 when Metallica recruited John Marshall of Metal Church.) I chalk it up to some kind of arrogance on the part of Bodom's frontman, who seems intent on playing every riff and note as only he can because that is the Bodom way.... to Alexi, he is Bodom! So I guess when the vicodin ran out, he just quit like a typical Eurotrash pussy. It got worse for me as I watched their 14-year-old muppet of a keyboardist stand away from the keyboards and watched as Laiho writhed in pain. The writing was on the wall, they were done for the evening and they weren't coming back out. Sure enough, after their second song - Hellhoundz of such-and-such from their latest effort Bloodrunk - Alexi and the band went backstage and didn't come back out. I can just imagine Alexi crying in the back, with mascara smear dripping down his cheek and taking a swig of some unpronouncable Finnish liquor beverage. I think it was lame and totally unbecoming of a band to get us all riled up and then bailing on us like that. Set Rating: B-
AS I LAY DYING - The momentum was quickly failing, and not even radio host Jose Mangin, who chimed in between each set, could lift the crowd's quickly-dampened spirits. On occasion, he would be guests including Richard Christy and Kevin Kraft from Howard Stern's show (big fucking deal!), fellow radio DJs Scotty "the Body" and Zeena (seriously, who fucking cares!), and, right before Lamb of God's set, the presidents of LoG's fan club (shoot me now already!!!!) before bringing on the next act. Up next was As I Lay Dying, a so-called Christian band (*groan*) from California. Was this night really going to suck until Lamb of God shows up? Surprisingly, NO! Despite being tagged "Christian" there was no preaching, or Bible-throwing, or any preconceived notion usually identified with Christianity. Instead, there were bodies being tossed and choral chants from the crowd who seemed genuinely thrilled by these kids. I don't know any of their songs - I haven't added them to my "download music for free" list yet - but they picked up the slack that was lost on God Forbid and Bodom. And while I could probably kicked the crap out of each member of AILD, they made me a believer that they belonged on this bill than on some gay-ass, faggoty tour like the Vans Warp Tour or Projekt Revolution show. Set Rating: B+
LAMB OF GOD - With all the unpleasantries now behind us, I was now up front watching the old mountain men of Virginia kick some ass. Playing the first four songs from their new release, Wrath, the boys of LoG unleashed a fury - or wrath, if you will - so brutal that for the next hour-and-a-half, bodies were flying everywhere and the mosh-pits kept getting bigger and worse with each new song. Throughout the set, I made eye contact with guitarist Willie Adler and bassist John Campbell, who occasionally pointed at me as I sang off the chorus parts to certain songs, like "Redneck" or "Now You've Got Something to Die For." I hadn't felt this alive and more in sync with the band and crowd since Metallica's show back in January at Nassau, or even when I was drunk and backstage with Anthrax, or perhaps getting onstage with Suicidal Tendencies last year. Lamb of God, who are one of a few who are poised to take over the metal throne (others include Machine Head, Mastodon, and Killswitch Engage), pulled no punches and exacted a fitful wrath upon the LoG fans, and even some of the Bodom fans who are not too keen on LoG's more brutal approach, that everyone left Roseland happy. After first seeing them at Ozzfest 2007 (the free one) sitting all the way in the back on the lawn, I was now up front and close enough to see exactly why these guys are a love-it-or-hate-it band. It's because they do it their way and to them, it's the only way and that is enough. Set Rating: A
AFTER THE SHOW - Sadly, I did not catch any souvenirs or trinkets, but came away with some cool pictures of myself with the band. But let me just say that it wasn't easy and trying to take a picture with certain Lamb of God members is like pulling teeth!
When I asked Willie Adler to take picture, he gave me a bit of an attitude because I wanted him facing toward the light so there would be better lighting, and he says to me: "What are you a fucking photographer?" So, in my own unique way for pay back, I lay it on to him to be more appreciative of fans, especially those who shell out nearly $50 so that he can feed his family. And with that, he tells me that he wants to talk with his wife on the phone, and I tell him that his wife doesn't have to pay to see him because she gets him for free and that we are just as important as she is (based on the logic that because we pay to see their shows, he gets to feed his family). Needless to say, this rubs him the wrong way and he tells me, rather strangely: "You just fucked up, man!" For a moment, I thought he was actually going to fight me. But he ended spending almost an hour having a conversation with his wife. In either case, he's a prick! FUCK HIM! But.....
Frontman Randy Blythe was a bit weird. Smoking a cigarette and wearing these old-man glasses while his gangly, scrawnly ass was skulking outside the bus like some deranged hunchback. Sensing his wanting to be alone, even after getting my picture, I felt the need to get under his skin, and I told him that I download LoG's music for free and I asked his opinion on it. In so many words, he was not unhappy, claiming that he isn't "a rich man" and that I was "stealing my work." His work? What about the fucking band, you piece of shit! My prediction is that within five years, this band will implode and it will all be Randy's fault because it's obviously he thinks the world of Lamb of God revolves around him. What a douche!
Drummer Chris Adler, after waiting close to an hour for him to stop entertaining Paul Booth on the bus, was far more gracious about it and said that as long as people came to the show he was fine with it. I told him that he seemed to be the more intelligent one in the band, to which he admitted that he handles the financial and more important areas and decisions within the band. I even ribbed him a little by saying that if he cut the beard, which he said he has grown since '93 (though in a Revolver Magazine interview he said that around '96 he started growing it out), he would look much younger. His reply: only mild laughter.
John Campbell, much like Chris, was friendly and corgial despite wanting to talk to his wife, too. I asked him how within a two-year time span since Sacrament and Wrath, and the fact that he's in his late 30s, he has gotten so gray and old.... seriously, the dude looks like he's in his 60s! His response: "Up yours!" To which I said back: "Same to you." But that was in fun, as John told me he had seen me in the audience and liked the way I had mocked Alexi's shoulder condition after Randy had asked the crowd earlier to cheer him for playing in such pain. I earned John's respect because I "acted like a smart-ass," he said with laughter.
And Mark Morton... sheesh! If you thought Willie and Randy were douchebags, Mark might be the biggest one! I jokingly asked him who would win in a fight: Randy or a drunk chicken (their two of the same thing!) and he said, under muted laughter: "Randy," though I think the joke fell on him. And there was some drunk whore all over him and getting in between us. Mark seemed equally by her as he was with me. And like Willie before him, seemed to not appreciate fans for waiting to see his stupid ass. The dude, simply put, is a humorless prick. FUCK HIM!
I have a nice chat with Jose Mangin, who is apparently going to be the new host of Headbangers Ball, about the recent shalacking and hack-job done to the first ever Revolver Golden God Awards. As usual, Jose is pleasant to me, giving me a friendly bro-hug, and goes on to tell me that it was this person's fault or that person's fault for the way the awards show went and that he too was disappointed by its outcome until eventually Scotty (What body?) comes up, hammered and inebriated beyond belief, to pull Mangin away. Then Richard Christy and Kevin Kraft, both drunk and incoherent as I always see them, come around and hang outside the bus. Eventually I get to talking to Kraft about eating a cockroach for $7 on Howard's show and make amends to Christy, who was the cause of my getting kicked out of Duff's back in December last year. Kraft is getting fat and Christy is very fat and going deaf! I, meanwhile, greet Booth, who is polite and accepts my hand in friendly court and eventually, growing bored by the inane banter between John, Jose, Scotty, and other people, I bid farewell and exchange handshakes with everyone before leaving.
MOST POIGNANT MOMENT OF THE EVENING
I spy on Willie, standing with the bus door open, on the steps telling his wife on the phone that he loves her. But he says it quietly, so I have to read his lips. There is a look of sadness in that chubby, feline face of his. What gets me is that he repeats it again: "I love you" before he says good-bye. He gives me a look, as he sees that I have been watching him, and goes outside to meet with friends. And, of course, I take photos of this (two pictures are uploaded in the "Lamb of God and Friends @ Roseland" album).
SADDEST MOMENT OF THE EVENING
A muscular, drunk dude gets into a fight with one of the security guards and eventually two or three other guards attack the drunk dude. The punches sound sickening and I am reminded of an incident four years ago in Orlando, especially when the one guard stomps on the muscular drunk dude's face and spits on him! FUCKING SPITS ON THE DUDE THAT IS DOWN! Goddamn white-trash New York scumbag. I was in so much shock that I didn't know what was happening. Even As I Lay Dying's Nick Hipa, a sweet kid, by the way, also witnessed this and we were both in jaw-dropped awe at what was happening. I could help but feel bad for the drunk dude, even if he was causing the ruckus and threw the first punch. At one point, after getting up off the pavement sidewalk, he stood staring at everyone with a hunge bruise to the face and a cut lip, confused and disoriented..... I know that feeling! Wherever he is, I hope he is well.
THE "WHAT THE FUCK?" MOMENT OF THE EVENING
I see Randy on 50th St. at a bar. What's the big deal? He claims to be on the wagon and has said that after the troubles of making Sacrament and getting into that fight with Morton on Killadelphia, he hasn't touched a drink since. Well, not one to cast any stones, I call out to him and simply give the horns, to which he returns back to me. In hindsight, I should said something.... something to the effect of his sobriety in order to get something out of him. But I relented and went home.
CONCLUSION
Despite several missteps and accidents and a chance to hang out and schmooze with the great American metal band, in all honesty, it was rather disappointing to find that Lamb of God, at least a couple members, are douchebags and don't respect or appreciate their fans. But despite offstage issues, onstage - the show fuckin' rocked!
Show Rating: A-
There was laughter, there were tears, there were titties being shown, fights breaking out inside (and outside) the venue, weed being smoked, and some really good technical metal on display. From the retro-thrash/party animal vibe of Virginia natives Municipal Waste, to the gritty New Jersey groove metalcore of God Forbid, to the regrettably (thankfully!) shortened set of Finlanders Children of Bodom, to Californian stableboys As I Lay Dying, to the heir-apparent of the metal band throne Lamb of God, there was not one corner of the metal world not covered tonight, save for corpse-painted black metal. As the night progressed and angsty teenagers and 30-somethings thrashed and bashed their way to catch a souvenir, so did the intensity and all-out fun to be had at metal concert. And for this one night, at least during Lamb of God's set, I returned to what I had once been before I became a jerk-off, sell-out suit in a Ralph Lauren jacket.... I was a true MetalBro4Life again.
MUNICIPAL WASTE - Give it up to these guys for starting the show up in an unexpected way as performing a little comedy act involving frontman Tony Foresta and guitarist Ryan Waste as they elicited and incited much laughter from the attendees as they jabbed and made cracks about everyone from George W. Bush to Disturbed, and the usual pseudo-homoerotic jokes of signing butts and dicks, as well as tits. As they entered the stage with the entrance music to Yellow's "Oh, Yeah!" (you remember those old 80s commercials for Twix.... if you don't know it, look it up on YouTube!), they quickly leveled the place with tracks from their latest release, 2007's The Art of Partying, before switching off into their comedy schtick. It would be wise to leave them as the opening act, if just for their comedy routine alone, it would serve as a good start for whatever bumps lay ahead. And while they seemed more intent on being funny rather than be serious musicians and encouraging many to drink and smoke weeds - a good way to get on the crowd's good side and exploit their vices - they didn't disappoint in entertaining and brutally beating, though lightheartedly, everyone into a frenzy. Set Rating: A-
GOD FORBID - When I saw these guys play with Death Angel last year at BB King, I was pretty much convinced that these guys were the real deal. Fast forward to today and imagine my surprise when I am faced with a pretty lackluster set. Instead, we have Kris Norris, formerly of Darkest Hour, substituting guitar duties for Dallas Coyle and zero connection from frontman Byron Davis, who does his occasional chest-thumping to the masses. Playing some songs off their new album Earthsblood, which I have yet to listen to (should I even bother?), as well as past faves, and you're stuck with a crowd desperately in need of something more potent. And while I can appreciated their socio-political whining sometimes, I can always turn on the news at home and hear it far more clearly than have Davis and Co. shove down my throat with indecipherable growls and pretty/tricky riffs. But without young Dallas to support and pull back brother Doc's cocky noodling, there isn't much finesse or approach to give this band a second glance. Set Rating: B-
CHILDREN OF BODOM - So apparently, Alexi Laiho fell out of his bunk on the bus and injured his shoulder badly, which means he can't really sing or play well, and after playing only two songs, the band gave up and quit. I could feel sorry for the kid and accept that, but I find it difficult to accept that if he was in so much pain, why couldn't they get someone to fill in guitar duties for him. God Forbid was smart enough to find a replacement for Dallas Coyle, why couldn't the same be done for Laiho. (James Hetfield did it when he nearly burned himself to death back in '92 when Metallica recruited John Marshall of Metal Church.) I chalk it up to some kind of arrogance on the part of Bodom's frontman, who seems intent on playing every riff and note as only he can because that is the Bodom way.... to Alexi, he is Bodom! So I guess when the vicodin ran out, he just quit like a typical Eurotrash pussy. It got worse for me as I watched their 14-year-old muppet of a keyboardist stand away from the keyboards and watched as Laiho writhed in pain. The writing was on the wall, they were done for the evening and they weren't coming back out. Sure enough, after their second song - Hellhoundz of such-and-such from their latest effort Bloodrunk - Alexi and the band went backstage and didn't come back out. I can just imagine Alexi crying in the back, with mascara smear dripping down his cheek and taking a swig of some unpronouncable Finnish liquor beverage. I think it was lame and totally unbecoming of a band to get us all riled up and then bailing on us like that. Set Rating: B-
AS I LAY DYING - The momentum was quickly failing, and not even radio host Jose Mangin, who chimed in between each set, could lift the crowd's quickly-dampened spirits. On occasion, he would be guests including Richard Christy and Kevin Kraft from Howard Stern's show (big fucking deal!), fellow radio DJs Scotty "the Body" and Zeena (seriously, who fucking cares!), and, right before Lamb of God's set, the presidents of LoG's fan club (shoot me now already!!!!) before bringing on the next act. Up next was As I Lay Dying, a so-called Christian band (*groan*) from California. Was this night really going to suck until Lamb of God shows up? Surprisingly, NO! Despite being tagged "Christian" there was no preaching, or Bible-throwing, or any preconceived notion usually identified with Christianity. Instead, there were bodies being tossed and choral chants from the crowd who seemed genuinely thrilled by these kids. I don't know any of their songs - I haven't added them to my "download music for free" list yet - but they picked up the slack that was lost on God Forbid and Bodom. And while I could probably kicked the crap out of each member of AILD, they made me a believer that they belonged on this bill than on some gay-ass, faggoty tour like the Vans Warp Tour or Projekt Revolution show. Set Rating: B+
LAMB OF GOD - With all the unpleasantries now behind us, I was now up front watching the old mountain men of Virginia kick some ass. Playing the first four songs from their new release, Wrath, the boys of LoG unleashed a fury - or wrath, if you will - so brutal that for the next hour-and-a-half, bodies were flying everywhere and the mosh-pits kept getting bigger and worse with each new song. Throughout the set, I made eye contact with guitarist Willie Adler and bassist John Campbell, who occasionally pointed at me as I sang off the chorus parts to certain songs, like "Redneck" or "Now You've Got Something to Die For." I hadn't felt this alive and more in sync with the band and crowd since Metallica's show back in January at Nassau, or even when I was drunk and backstage with Anthrax, or perhaps getting onstage with Suicidal Tendencies last year. Lamb of God, who are one of a few who are poised to take over the metal throne (others include Machine Head, Mastodon, and Killswitch Engage), pulled no punches and exacted a fitful wrath upon the LoG fans, and even some of the Bodom fans who are not too keen on LoG's more brutal approach, that everyone left Roseland happy. After first seeing them at Ozzfest 2007 (the free one) sitting all the way in the back on the lawn, I was now up front and close enough to see exactly why these guys are a love-it-or-hate-it band. It's because they do it their way and to them, it's the only way and that is enough. Set Rating: A
AFTER THE SHOW - Sadly, I did not catch any souvenirs or trinkets, but came away with some cool pictures of myself with the band. But let me just say that it wasn't easy and trying to take a picture with certain Lamb of God members is like pulling teeth!
When I asked Willie Adler to take picture, he gave me a bit of an attitude because I wanted him facing toward the light so there would be better lighting, and he says to me: "What are you a fucking photographer?" So, in my own unique way for pay back, I lay it on to him to be more appreciative of fans, especially those who shell out nearly $50 so that he can feed his family. And with that, he tells me that he wants to talk with his wife on the phone, and I tell him that his wife doesn't have to pay to see him because she gets him for free and that we are just as important as she is (based on the logic that because we pay to see their shows, he gets to feed his family). Needless to say, this rubs him the wrong way and he tells me, rather strangely: "You just fucked up, man!" For a moment, I thought he was actually going to fight me. But he ended spending almost an hour having a conversation with his wife. In either case, he's a prick! FUCK HIM! But.....
Frontman Randy Blythe was a bit weird. Smoking a cigarette and wearing these old-man glasses while his gangly, scrawnly ass was skulking outside the bus like some deranged hunchback. Sensing his wanting to be alone, even after getting my picture, I felt the need to get under his skin, and I told him that I download LoG's music for free and I asked his opinion on it. In so many words, he was not unhappy, claiming that he isn't "a rich man" and that I was "stealing my work." His work? What about the fucking band, you piece of shit! My prediction is that within five years, this band will implode and it will all be Randy's fault because it's obviously he thinks the world of Lamb of God revolves around him. What a douche!
Drummer Chris Adler, after waiting close to an hour for him to stop entertaining Paul Booth on the bus, was far more gracious about it and said that as long as people came to the show he was fine with it. I told him that he seemed to be the more intelligent one in the band, to which he admitted that he handles the financial and more important areas and decisions within the band. I even ribbed him a little by saying that if he cut the beard, which he said he has grown since '93 (though in a Revolver Magazine interview he said that around '96 he started growing it out), he would look much younger. His reply: only mild laughter.
John Campbell, much like Chris, was friendly and corgial despite wanting to talk to his wife, too. I asked him how within a two-year time span since Sacrament and Wrath, and the fact that he's in his late 30s, he has gotten so gray and old.... seriously, the dude looks like he's in his 60s! His response: "Up yours!" To which I said back: "Same to you." But that was in fun, as John told me he had seen me in the audience and liked the way I had mocked Alexi's shoulder condition after Randy had asked the crowd earlier to cheer him for playing in such pain. I earned John's respect because I "acted like a smart-ass," he said with laughter.
And Mark Morton... sheesh! If you thought Willie and Randy were douchebags, Mark might be the biggest one! I jokingly asked him who would win in a fight: Randy or a drunk chicken (their two of the same thing!) and he said, under muted laughter: "Randy," though I think the joke fell on him. And there was some drunk whore all over him and getting in between us. Mark seemed equally by her as he was with me. And like Willie before him, seemed to not appreciate fans for waiting to see his stupid ass. The dude, simply put, is a humorless prick. FUCK HIM!
I have a nice chat with Jose Mangin, who is apparently going to be the new host of Headbangers Ball, about the recent shalacking and hack-job done to the first ever Revolver Golden God Awards. As usual, Jose is pleasant to me, giving me a friendly bro-hug, and goes on to tell me that it was this person's fault or that person's fault for the way the awards show went and that he too was disappointed by its outcome until eventually Scotty (What body?) comes up, hammered and inebriated beyond belief, to pull Mangin away. Then Richard Christy and Kevin Kraft, both drunk and incoherent as I always see them, come around and hang outside the bus. Eventually I get to talking to Kraft about eating a cockroach for $7 on Howard's show and make amends to Christy, who was the cause of my getting kicked out of Duff's back in December last year. Kraft is getting fat and Christy is very fat and going deaf! I, meanwhile, greet Booth, who is polite and accepts my hand in friendly court and eventually, growing bored by the inane banter between John, Jose, Scotty, and other people, I bid farewell and exchange handshakes with everyone before leaving.
MOST POIGNANT MOMENT OF THE EVENING
I spy on Willie, standing with the bus door open, on the steps telling his wife on the phone that he loves her. But he says it quietly, so I have to read his lips. There is a look of sadness in that chubby, feline face of his. What gets me is that he repeats it again: "I love you" before he says good-bye. He gives me a look, as he sees that I have been watching him, and goes outside to meet with friends. And, of course, I take photos of this (two pictures are uploaded in the "Lamb of God and Friends @ Roseland" album).
SADDEST MOMENT OF THE EVENING
A muscular, drunk dude gets into a fight with one of the security guards and eventually two or three other guards attack the drunk dude. The punches sound sickening and I am reminded of an incident four years ago in Orlando, especially when the one guard stomps on the muscular drunk dude's face and spits on him! FUCKING SPITS ON THE DUDE THAT IS DOWN! Goddamn white-trash New York scumbag. I was in so much shock that I didn't know what was happening. Even As I Lay Dying's Nick Hipa, a sweet kid, by the way, also witnessed this and we were both in jaw-dropped awe at what was happening. I could help but feel bad for the drunk dude, even if he was causing the ruckus and threw the first punch. At one point, after getting up off the pavement sidewalk, he stood staring at everyone with a hunge bruise to the face and a cut lip, confused and disoriented..... I know that feeling! Wherever he is, I hope he is well.
THE "WHAT THE FUCK?" MOMENT OF THE EVENING
I see Randy on 50th St. at a bar. What's the big deal? He claims to be on the wagon and has said that after the troubles of making Sacrament and getting into that fight with Morton on Killadelphia, he hasn't touched a drink since. Well, not one to cast any stones, I call out to him and simply give the horns, to which he returns back to me. In hindsight, I should said something.... something to the effect of his sobriety in order to get something out of him. But I relented and went home.
CONCLUSION
Despite several missteps and accidents and a chance to hang out and schmooze with the great American metal band, in all honesty, it was rather disappointing to find that Lamb of God, at least a couple members, are douchebags and don't respect or appreciate their fans. But despite offstage issues, onstage - the show fuckin' rocked!
Show Rating: A-
Best Albums of 2009, so far.....
So far, we have a few good ones coming out and we're only in the fifth month of the year. I've heard some good shit so far and want to share it with some of you metal fans out there.
1. Lamb of God (Wrath) The great white-trash hope of metal! The heir apparent to the reinvented and reembraced "Big Four of Thrash" are out with a new album that elevates itself out of the mainstream spotlight, courtesy of 2006's Sacrament, and back down into the metal underground where they - AND ALL METAL - belong. They've definitely grown up, adding some quieter moments and pieces than their usual growl and thrash of past albums. And while I'm not convinced they're the greatest metal band ever or will ever be, I applaud and commend the fact that they've had time to reflect on their next course of action and really evaluate where exactly they want to go next. And much like the aforementioned "Big Four," they may go straight to the top, but let's hope they keep it real at the same time and not sell out again.
2. Chimaira (The Infection) Definitely an improvement over 2007's Resurrection. Some melodies, some progressive riffs. Still great fodder music for uneducated meatheads and UFC enthusiast douchebags. A step in the right direction with sonic maturity and proper pacing. Even has a 14-minute instrumental! Feels like it's trying to be Metallica and Slayer combined, but doesn't quite hit the mark all the time.
3. Kreator (Hordes of Chaos) Mille is back, and he's brought a few new surprises with him and this long-standing German band that is sure to please and baffle some fans. The good news is, this is a pretty comparable followup to 2005's Enemy of God, but the bad news is that Mille and Co. take way too much risks, like too much vocal harmony, Gothenburg-style, mixed in with vicious, brutal thrash that seems to bring down the impact of many of its songs. Depending on how you view their style, the songs gallop along briskly and their choral chant of its title track is a definitely crowd pleaser.
4. Hatebreed (For the Lions) The band seems right at home with their familiar hardcore heroes (Merauder, Agnostic Front, Madball) but come off rather shaky, insecure and stylistically unoriginal for the metal masters (Metallica, Slayer, Sepultura). Many of the songs deserve, and desperately need, far more brutality than Jasta and Co. are willing to give, especially during the chorus parts, but Jasta tries to play it safe by trying to keep it close to the original versions. Big mistake... especially when covering a song! MAKE IT YOUR OWN!
5. Mastodon (Crack the Skye) Worthy successor to 2006's Blood Mountain, but nothing too spectacular and a bit overlong. For a bunch of hicks from Georgia, they at least put some effort in creating an epic concept album. A murky in many parts, but with the light/heavy bounce of "Divinations" and "Oblivion," the album isn't a total bore. Will definitely please fans and may alienate those unfamiliar with their past work. I'm somewhere in the middle.
6. Cannibal Corpse (Evisceration Plague) Nothing against Fisher, but let's face it, the Barnes albums are the best in CC's catalogue and this album is merely a sonic companion to 2006's Kill. But despite it's various shortcomings as something more "progressive" as mentioned in interviews with the band, this album is chockful of some heavy, gory goodness to appease any of their newer fans who weren't even alive during their peak years.
7. Napalm Death (Time Waits for No Slave) The usual ND grindcore of the last two albums, nothing more and nothing less than what you'd expect here. But it's comforting to know that despite all the shit that's playing out there - both metal and non-metal - these dudes keep it real and still kick ass after 20+ years and 20+ albums. And they don't disappoint here! For fans still reeling from the sonic beatdown from 2006's Smear Campaign.
8. Brutal Truth (Evolution Through Revolution) Not exactly what I'd call "best album of '09," or even "decent album," but I have to fill in space here. The boys of BT have lost their way in the 21st century, showing no signs of brilliance or much power (hard to believe) that they once possessed in the 90s. Songs come and go at the speed of light but still feel endless and dull. Definitely the St. Anger of this band's catalogue.
1. Lamb of God (Wrath) The great white-trash hope of metal! The heir apparent to the reinvented and reembraced "Big Four of Thrash" are out with a new album that elevates itself out of the mainstream spotlight, courtesy of 2006's Sacrament, and back down into the metal underground where they - AND ALL METAL - belong. They've definitely grown up, adding some quieter moments and pieces than their usual growl and thrash of past albums. And while I'm not convinced they're the greatest metal band ever or will ever be, I applaud and commend the fact that they've had time to reflect on their next course of action and really evaluate where exactly they want to go next. And much like the aforementioned "Big Four," they may go straight to the top, but let's hope they keep it real at the same time and not sell out again.
2. Chimaira (The Infection) Definitely an improvement over 2007's Resurrection. Some melodies, some progressive riffs. Still great fodder music for uneducated meatheads and UFC enthusiast douchebags. A step in the right direction with sonic maturity and proper pacing. Even has a 14-minute instrumental! Feels like it's trying to be Metallica and Slayer combined, but doesn't quite hit the mark all the time.
3. Kreator (Hordes of Chaos) Mille is back, and he's brought a few new surprises with him and this long-standing German band that is sure to please and baffle some fans. The good news is, this is a pretty comparable followup to 2005's Enemy of God, but the bad news is that Mille and Co. take way too much risks, like too much vocal harmony, Gothenburg-style, mixed in with vicious, brutal thrash that seems to bring down the impact of many of its songs. Depending on how you view their style, the songs gallop along briskly and their choral chant of its title track is a definitely crowd pleaser.
4. Hatebreed (For the Lions) The band seems right at home with their familiar hardcore heroes (Merauder, Agnostic Front, Madball) but come off rather shaky, insecure and stylistically unoriginal for the metal masters (Metallica, Slayer, Sepultura). Many of the songs deserve, and desperately need, far more brutality than Jasta and Co. are willing to give, especially during the chorus parts, but Jasta tries to play it safe by trying to keep it close to the original versions. Big mistake... especially when covering a song! MAKE IT YOUR OWN!
5. Mastodon (Crack the Skye) Worthy successor to 2006's Blood Mountain, but nothing too spectacular and a bit overlong. For a bunch of hicks from Georgia, they at least put some effort in creating an epic concept album. A murky in many parts, but with the light/heavy bounce of "Divinations" and "Oblivion," the album isn't a total bore. Will definitely please fans and may alienate those unfamiliar with their past work. I'm somewhere in the middle.
6. Cannibal Corpse (Evisceration Plague) Nothing against Fisher, but let's face it, the Barnes albums are the best in CC's catalogue and this album is merely a sonic companion to 2006's Kill. But despite it's various shortcomings as something more "progressive" as mentioned in interviews with the band, this album is chockful of some heavy, gory goodness to appease any of their newer fans who weren't even alive during their peak years.
7. Napalm Death (Time Waits for No Slave) The usual ND grindcore of the last two albums, nothing more and nothing less than what you'd expect here. But it's comforting to know that despite all the shit that's playing out there - both metal and non-metal - these dudes keep it real and still kick ass after 20+ years and 20+ albums. And they don't disappoint here! For fans still reeling from the sonic beatdown from 2006's Smear Campaign.
8. Brutal Truth (Evolution Through Revolution) Not exactly what I'd call "best album of '09," or even "decent album," but I have to fill in space here. The boys of BT have lost their way in the 21st century, showing no signs of brilliance or much power (hard to believe) that they once possessed in the 90s. Songs come and go at the speed of light but still feel endless and dull. Definitely the St. Anger of this band's catalogue.
Revolver Golden God Awards - A FUCKING DISASTERPIECE!
HOLY DOG SHIT! What a piece of shit show this is! Who the fuck is the douchebag behind this retarded excuse for an awards show? That would be Tom Beaujour and Josh Berstein! From the horrid show-opening skit by host Brian Posehn, along with Scott Ian, Vinnie Paul, and Ronnie James Dio, to the awkward cutaways to Sirius/XM host Jose Mangin going on like a spastic child, to the lame jokes by Posehn, to the badly-named categories (Honorary Headbanger????? To Kat Von D??????? Most Metal Athlete?????? To Carrot Top?????), to incessant *BLEEPS* from the bands constant use of profanity.... this was a potentially good idea gone horribly wrong! What had great potential to legitimize metal to the masses, and probably sounded good on paper, has become a ridiculously bad joke that has no one, especially me, laughing. Performances by Megadeth, Killswitch Engage, Hatebreed, Suicide Silence, and All That Remains were tepid and dismal at best. Some were edited and abridged, others just plain sucked!
As mentioned above, there are so many things wrong here. Lots of things are going to have to change if this show is to return for a second season. How about actually having nominations and actually reading them out like a true awards show instead of pathetic re-caps in little boxes. Also, get better bands to play instead of second-rate bands from Roadrunner Records' roster. And hire a director and producer with merit who specialize in creating a real metal show. Expand to two hours! Hire a better host that fans are familiar with! GODDAMN IT, DO I HAVE TO THINK OF EVERYTHING HERE?
To everyone involved, do us all a favor and forget next year. The 1st annual Revolver Golden Gods Awards is a disaster and should get a Razzie for Worst Awards Show Ever!
Show Grade: F
As mentioned above, there are so many things wrong here. Lots of things are going to have to change if this show is to return for a second season. How about actually having nominations and actually reading them out like a true awards show instead of pathetic re-caps in little boxes. Also, get better bands to play instead of second-rate bands from Roadrunner Records' roster. And hire a director and producer with merit who specialize in creating a real metal show. Expand to two hours! Hire a better host that fans are familiar with! GODDAMN IT, DO I HAVE TO THINK OF EVERYTHING HERE?
To everyone involved, do us all a favor and forget next year. The 1st annual Revolver Golden Gods Awards is a disaster and should get a Razzie for Worst Awards Show Ever!
Show Grade: F
Napalm Death w/ Kataklysm, Toxic Holocaust, Abigail Williams, Trap Them @ Blender - 4/11/09
And so concludes the trifecta of metal shows this week as I go one-on-one with Grindcore godfathers Napalm Death for the first time, making up for missing the March 24th show last year with DevilDriver, and the return of a couple old bands and seeing new ones. But as is usually the case with shows that perform at the Blender Theater at Gramercy, the crowd was pretty tame and not as volatile as the Kreator/Exodus show to nights before. Whether it's because of the theater's limited space, a lack of marquee band names, or just metalheads' antipathy towards Grindcore's ultra-explosive sonic power in favor of the more mainstream melodic-death sound, there wasn't enough energy or excitement from the crowd to really elevate this concert into anything more than a stop-gap show to whet our appetites for the upcoming Lamb of God show on May 8th. The following entries will explain exactly where my attention was at each set, and for once, I actually missed the crowd surfers and body-crashers.
TRAP THEM - Not bad, not good either? Set Rating: C
COLISEUM - Replacing Abigail Williams from this tour, this threesome from Kentucky did the best they could while putting up with hecklers and other distractions. The frontman talked a little too much, but the band was decent. Set Rating: C
TOXIC HOLOCAUST - Seen them three times already. Same shit, same gay-ass hairdo from Joel Grind, the one-man metal band. Set Rating: C+
KATAKLYSM - Finally we get some meat here! A strong quartet with a great presence and a mission statement which resounds ever so clearly into the dead brain cells of the few metalheads in attendance: WE ARE HERE TO KICK YOUR ASS! And for the most part, they did! Finally, after three lackluster sets, there is a band that moves the people into their pits and the occasional surfing over our heads. I'm still not sold on the idea of these guys ever truly commanding their own shows and may be forever the second-billing on any given tour, but at least they're the first band of the evening to make a sizable ripple this evening. I don't know their music, but at least I wasn't bored. Set Rating: B
NAPALM DEATH - After waiting a full year and less than a month for them to return, the UK-based Grindcore legends have made their way back to New York. Simply put, they were great. They played the right amount of songs in a short amount of time (which seems to be a big problem at Blender... remember the Soulfly show last year?) and made a big show out of a pretty dull night. From Barney's profound speeches of using your mind (a difficult task for any metalhead with the exception of yours truly), fuck religion, and live your life as you see fit, to many explosive, classic gems from 1987's Scum to this year's Time Waits for No Slave, the band spared no time in getting it started. Amped up on such blinding fury as "Silence Is Deafening," "Scum," "Siege of Power," "Suffer the Children," "Time Waits for No Slave," "It's a M.A.N.S. World," and the favorite closer and Dead Kennedys cover "Nazi Punks Fuck off," the raging children of metal slammed, banged, and thrashed their way into each other, hair whipping furiously as Mark "Barney" Greenway growls hungrily like a lion to unsuspecting prey.
As a band that's been doing this for well over 25 years, the other members - bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Williams, and drummer Danny Herrera - stand and/or sit comfortably in their designated spots, occasionally bobbing their heads and screaming into nearby mics, but the attention is obviously on Greenway, who shakes and trembles like a spastic child having a near-fatal seizure, which is all endearing and freightening at the same time. Watching a legendary band do what they do best is always a thrill, and the legendary Napalm Death was no different. Set Rating: A-
AFTER THE SHOW
Surprisingly, no one stayed after to meet any of the band members from any of the five bands, which was fine by me as I got to chat with all four members of Napalm Death and even performed a good deed for once. No stupid questions were asked, though looking back I really shsould have asked some. Instead, I was complimentary and polite to each member and in return they were also cordial and friendly. I found Shane to be a bit cold and detached, saying only a few words of "yes" and "thanks." Truthfully, the man is uglier in person than in pictures, making Ron Jeremy look like a male supermodel. But to his credit, he did accept a CD I gave him from unsigned Grindcore band Buckshot Facelift, who I had seen perform at Europa months ago, and promised to take a listen to it. I didn't think I'd get that far, but the dude actually took it. Mitch was friendly and good to chat with, though visibly drunk and tired from the show. We spoke here on MySpace quite often and we caught up on a few things. He asked about my acting, which is of course going well, and I found out that he teaches in game designing and had another child. Danny was friendly but struck me as being a bit shy and maybe the quiet one in the band, even moreso than Shane. And while I didn't ask him, I wonder how someone so fat as Danny can drum as fast as he can. And Mark, Barney, whatever... was actually a pretty level-headed and sweet lad. He is definitely a commanding frontman and very underrated, in my opinion. A good group of lads indeed!
Show Rating: B
TRAP THEM - Not bad, not good either? Set Rating: C
COLISEUM - Replacing Abigail Williams from this tour, this threesome from Kentucky did the best they could while putting up with hecklers and other distractions. The frontman talked a little too much, but the band was decent. Set Rating: C
TOXIC HOLOCAUST - Seen them three times already. Same shit, same gay-ass hairdo from Joel Grind, the one-man metal band. Set Rating: C+
KATAKLYSM - Finally we get some meat here! A strong quartet with a great presence and a mission statement which resounds ever so clearly into the dead brain cells of the few metalheads in attendance: WE ARE HERE TO KICK YOUR ASS! And for the most part, they did! Finally, after three lackluster sets, there is a band that moves the people into their pits and the occasional surfing over our heads. I'm still not sold on the idea of these guys ever truly commanding their own shows and may be forever the second-billing on any given tour, but at least they're the first band of the evening to make a sizable ripple this evening. I don't know their music, but at least I wasn't bored. Set Rating: B
NAPALM DEATH - After waiting a full year and less than a month for them to return, the UK-based Grindcore legends have made their way back to New York. Simply put, they were great. They played the right amount of songs in a short amount of time (which seems to be a big problem at Blender... remember the Soulfly show last year?) and made a big show out of a pretty dull night. From Barney's profound speeches of using your mind (a difficult task for any metalhead with the exception of yours truly), fuck religion, and live your life as you see fit, to many explosive, classic gems from 1987's Scum to this year's Time Waits for No Slave, the band spared no time in getting it started. Amped up on such blinding fury as "Silence Is Deafening," "Scum," "Siege of Power," "Suffer the Children," "Time Waits for No Slave," "It's a M.A.N.S. World," and the favorite closer and Dead Kennedys cover "Nazi Punks Fuck off," the raging children of metal slammed, banged, and thrashed their way into each other, hair whipping furiously as Mark "Barney" Greenway growls hungrily like a lion to unsuspecting prey.
As a band that's been doing this for well over 25 years, the other members - bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Williams, and drummer Danny Herrera - stand and/or sit comfortably in their designated spots, occasionally bobbing their heads and screaming into nearby mics, but the attention is obviously on Greenway, who shakes and trembles like a spastic child having a near-fatal seizure, which is all endearing and freightening at the same time. Watching a legendary band do what they do best is always a thrill, and the legendary Napalm Death was no different. Set Rating: A-
AFTER THE SHOW
Surprisingly, no one stayed after to meet any of the band members from any of the five bands, which was fine by me as I got to chat with all four members of Napalm Death and even performed a good deed for once. No stupid questions were asked, though looking back I really shsould have asked some. Instead, I was complimentary and polite to each member and in return they were also cordial and friendly. I found Shane to be a bit cold and detached, saying only a few words of "yes" and "thanks." Truthfully, the man is uglier in person than in pictures, making Ron Jeremy look like a male supermodel. But to his credit, he did accept a CD I gave him from unsigned Grindcore band Buckshot Facelift, who I had seen perform at Europa months ago, and promised to take a listen to it. I didn't think I'd get that far, but the dude actually took it. Mitch was friendly and good to chat with, though visibly drunk and tired from the show. We spoke here on MySpace quite often and we caught up on a few things. He asked about my acting, which is of course going well, and I found out that he teaches in game designing and had another child. Danny was friendly but struck me as being a bit shy and maybe the quiet one in the band, even moreso than Shane. And while I didn't ask him, I wonder how someone so fat as Danny can drum as fast as he can. And Mark, Barney, whatever... was actually a pretty level-headed and sweet lad. He is definitely a commanding frontman and very underrated, in my opinion. A good group of lads indeed!
Show Rating: B
Kreator w/ Exodus, Belphagor, Warbringer and Epicurean @ Nokia - 4/8/09
Without a doubt a great contender for best concert of the year! While I had reservations of Nazis... uh, I mean thrashers... Kreator headlining an American tour over Bay Area Yanks Exodus, there was no question who the stars were. As a combined tour (pun intended) de force, the aforementioned duo and their three tag-alongs made every cent of the $28.50-$30.00 ticket price that the hungry horde of ugly sweathogs shelled out for completely worth it! My neck is still fucked up from all the bodies crashing down on top of yours truly from Warbringer's medium-hot set to Kreator slam-banging, hate-filled, torture spot (although there was a surprising lull during Belphagor's set!) that it hurts to just type this. Still, despite all of the grunting gorillas and foul-smelling ogres pawing and grabbing at my Ralph Lauren velor jacket and Peter Grimm fedora hat the whole night, this was a perfect night for any thrash lover, new or old, and if you missed it.... kill yourself NOW!
EPICUREAN - I know nothing of these guys except random mentions in various metal rags, which really doesn't matter much unless you have something big going on with your music. Cursed with being the first band up, of course they had to face the weary-eyed gawkers and apathetic (and some pathetic) nods of approval or just possible general disinterest with nothing else to do but sway their corpulent and rotund bodies to the "typical" thrash-and-grab music being played. For the random mentions in Terrorizer magazine, they just seemed to come off very green and exactly what you get from an opening band. No believable confidence in themselves, but a lot of theatrical rage. Kudos to their Robb Flynn-lookalike bassist for showing some energy and flair. Set Rating: B-
WARBRINGER - For the third time in what feels like a three-month cycle, I witnessed these kids from California perform. This time they've moved out of the small confines of BB King and into the bigger venue that is Nokia, but not because their profile has gotten any higher - though they did manage to get Exodus mastermind Gary Holt to produce their second work, which should have gone into making Exhibition B instead, but more on that later - they just happen to land themselves with the right bands and the right tours. Call them the luckiest brats in metal, but luck can only get you so far.... these guys do have talent (in being retro) and a strong fanbase that was genuinely pleased to see them onstage. The first ripple in the crowd - i.e. mosh pits and crowd surfers - belonged to Warbringer who kept a pretty consistent and fun set going for a much longer period than the two previous shows I last saw them in. Unfortunately, the majority of the set for me was watching newly-crippled Nic Ritter, who broke his arm while drunk, sitting by the drum kit and coaching Epicurean's drummer (let's call him "Dude" since I don't care to know his name), who had the Herculean task of learning Warbringer's music within two days, and was actually pretty damn good. John Kevill, their always ready-to-kill frontman, ditched the "Hail Satanas" garbage schpiel from other shows and really planted himself well as a serious individual rather than as a silly little moppet from shows past. Even the photographer dorks like Frank "Porky" White and Ken of Piercing Metal were more than willing to spend their film in their favor. The bitter trio of Andy Carroll, Ben Bennett, and John Laux (sorry, fellas!) did their usual thrashing and grousing, especially Bennett, who seemed to perform in a foggy daze and learn rather buffoonish. (He may have smoked a bit too much weed or drank too much Vitamin D milk!) Laux, still wearing his cum-streaked hair stripe, looking like Slash buttfucked Sweeney Todd, was virtuositic and confident, while Carroll, looking ever so femme was just brutal. Set Rating: B+
BELPHAGOR - Just when you thought it'd get more brutal..... it suddenly stopped! Austrian black-death metallers Belphagor, who I had come to assume were this evil and blasphemous group of killers, were merely old, white men with funny accents and just making the usual noise that pleases many, but ultimately fails to move the crowd in a frenzy. No, wait, it did get crazy.... towards the end! Too little too late. My interest had waned considerably and was waiting for them to bring out the cane and pull these guys off the stage. For a bunch of scary dudes who talk about the Marquis de Sade and masturbating with a cross on a nun, they were rather tame and disappointing. At least Helmuth, their frontman, was a decent fellow despite being a stinky smoker! Set Rating: C+
EXODUS - Why, why, why, WHY..... are these guys second on the bill? I mean, this is America not Deutschland! We came for Exodus, right? To be honest, and this is according to my conversation with Gary Holt after the show, they were asked to come along and they agreed in favor of spreading their unholy gospel after releasing their unnecessary Let There Be Blood album last year and figured that after their jaunt in Europe that it would be a good idea to tour North America again. Good thing, too, since the hubbub over 2007's The Atrocity Exhibition: Exhibit A has since died down and we'll have to wait until 2010 for Exhibit B, and they may be at risk of losing momentum AGAIN! Anyone remember 1992's Force of Habit? No? I didn't think so! But fans will have nothing to fear, as Exodus are still that angry, muscular beast that it was born to be, aided by a tireless crew 40-year-olds who remain loyal and faithful to thrash music and its fans. No complaints here. Gary Holt solos and everyone gets a hard-on. He trades riffs with fellow guitarist Lee Altus and everyone cheers. Tom Hunting rocks Nokia and bodies start falling on top of me. You have to admire and love this intense passion, even if it means putting your neck and back in traction for a few weeks, and be thankful that these guys had the gumption and balls to get themselves clean from drugs and alcohol and go out one more time in a blaze of glory, almost paralleling fellow Bay Area thrashers Testament. Rob Dukes grunts, growls and groans like the rabid Mad Dog that he is and fans who didn't warm up to his inclusion in the band seem to be content with his presence, even if they prefer Steven Souza or the late Paul Baloff's corpse as a suitable frontman. They bring out the big guns here, lots of treats from their pinnacle album Bonded by Blood, such as the title song (of course!), "A Lesson in Violence" and "Piranha", before moving on to Exhibit A tunes like "Riot Act" and "Children of a Worthless God" and ending it with "Toxic Waltz" from 1989's Fabulous Disaster. It was Exodus of 1985 kicking ass in 2009 and we couldn't have been more satisfied. Set Rating: A
KREATOR - And while I may have bitched and moaned over whoever decided to put the Krauts ahead of the Yanks, I have to be the first to say that Kreator were brutal! And just like I predicted a couple days ago, Kreator was far more talented and superior to their fellow Krauts in Destruction. Where as Destruction merely - and just bared - moved the crowd, Kreator nearly started a fucking riot! Pound after pound of fat, smelly, sweaty human flesh were going over the barricades! Mosh pits were in full swing! And yet, despite all this carnage going around, frontman Mille Petrozza, who stands about 4'6 in height, seemed to tower over this horde of chaos like a gleeful tyrantical king. And in fact, he started it all off with his titular song from Hordes of Chaos, released earlier this year, and the frenzy ensued. For 120 minutes, it didn't stop! While I tried in vain to protect my velor jacket and fedora hat and watch the band at the same time, I was busy fighting off Spics who were trying to muscle their way up to the barricade with me and security guards who were blocking my view. But I saw enough to know that I was watching something quite magical. There is a reason why Kreator have lasted as long as they have since 1985, or rather 1982 if you count their time as "Tormentor," and have such a strong support from fans - because they fail to disappoint them. If you want blood, you'll fucking get it at a Kreator show. Think of it as a walking torture rack.... at least, that's how Mille portrayed it as he constantly referred to it as "the Kreator." The setlist didn't disappoint either, especially when you consider that they had songs like "Riot of Violence," "Pleasure to Kill," "Phobia," "Extreme Aggression," "Coma of Souls," "People of the Lie," and "Violent Revolution" before ending it with a "Flag of Hate"/"Tormentor" combo. T'was a very sore but awesome set that rivaled Exodus in so many ways. Set Rating: A
AFTER THE SHOW - As the sweathogs and gorillas filed out of Nokia, I made my out and saw the embittered dynamic duo of Warbringer's Bennett and Carroll sulking in their van crying about New York parking! Bennett gulping Vitamin D milk in the driver's seat while Carroll mumbles something bitterly while taking a drag on his cigarette, something about not graduating high school, I think. After some playful banter and my increasing boredom of their lack of anything intelligent to talk about, I return and run into the rest of the Warbringer band, who seem to be in brighter spirits, though even they grouse about New York parking. Seriously, Kevill and Laux go off on tangents about the sucking parking laws like I have something to do with it. And, as always, it's great to hear feedback on my Rate the Bands blog, which they're not too shy in expressing. I found Ritter to be the most pleasant one of them all... truly a cool cat despite having a crippled arm.
Slowly but surely, members of the upper echelon billing come out. I get to spend several minutes chatting with Gary, Lee, and Tom of Exodus who have no problems hearing my criticism over their move to push Exhibit B back to October, which is when they'll start recording, to my confession of downloading their music for free. Holt and I, however, have a big dispute over downloading as opposed to buying hard copies, which affect the way bands tour. I merely pointed out that if a band is any good, then most definitely I would buy a hard copy of their album. I told him that I have no problems buying anything from Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, Pantera, Exodus and Testament.... simply because I find them to be that damn good and deserving of my $18.99. I also brought up the point that most fans can't even find certain bands because they're too brutal or too dark for mainstream stores - case in point, Lee Altus's former band Heathen, which you won't ever find at a Best Buy, Virgin, Circuit City, FYE, Sam Goody's, or Barnes & Noble, and that the 'Net is the only place that helps fans get exposed to that music. In the end, I told him that I make look and dress like a poser in my Ralph Lauren jacket, but in heart and spirit, I am a die-hard metal fan than any jackass neanderthal wearing stupid patches on his blue denim jacket. Being the upstanding guy that he is, he actually complimented my style and "likes the hat" after playfully tapping the top of it.
FUNNY - AND SHOCKING - MOMENT OF THE EVENING (OR: WHEN GARY HOLT SAYS THE DARNDEST THINGS!)
So-called vegetarian, or vegan, Gary Holt actually took a bite out of a chicken kebab from the street vendor! Shocking because if you know Gary, he is a strict vegetarian - which isn't very metal - and claims to never put any kind of meat in his mouth. Funny because right before he takes a chunk of chicken meat and puts it in his mouth, he says "I'm gonna hate myself for this!" but he can't even swallow it and the goddamn thing falls out of his mouth. Right after that he says "I need to get me a soy burger!" ????????? Gary Holt??????? A vegan wanting a soy fuckin' burger?????? When did our heroes suddenly become pussies? (Just kidding, Gary! ;)) Oh, and speaking of pussies, when I asked him what he thought of old bandmate Kirk Hammett being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, he calls him a pussy! Classic. Fucking. Moment! Of course, he says he was joking, but that was a pretty long pause.
THE "WHAT THE FUCK" MOMENT OF THE EVENING
I saw Lee Altus bringing Bulgarian douchebag and my former show buddy Stefan, with his stupid glasses and big bubble head, and another jerkoff friend getting on the Exodus bus! While Lee and I had a great time chatting, I can't believe he would allow a zero and square like those two on the bus. I really think Lee brought them on the bus just to give blowjobs to the band members. That's the only thing Stefan's mouth is good for. In all honesty, I could have asked and gotten on that bus, but it was late and had plans in the morning. And besides, I've been on a few buses, and with headliners at that, not second billers.
Another WTF moment, Rob Dukes pulls the disappearing act on me. I guess he's too chicken-shit to talk to me like a man and decided to run off with his family and friends. What's funny is, as big and scary as he looks, he acts like a chick... mumbling under his breath about me at Paul Booth's party and then gives me fake smiles. Then, at the show, he tosses me a pick like we're bros again and then skips out as if to avoid me. What a puss!
TRINKETS
I managed to catch me an Exodus guitar pick thrown by my old nemesis Rob Dukes, who gave me the finger during their set, which compelled me to return the favor by giving him TWO MIDDLE FINGERS! After which he points to Holt, busy doing yet another scorching solo, while still staring at me with those maniacal eyes of his, and a body falls on top of my head. I guess Dukes really does care after all.... if only he'd be a man and unblock me already!
CONCLUSION
A great show that made Destruction's set the night before look like a day at an old folks home. Where they were tepid and meek, the men of Kreator, Exodus, Belphagor, Warbringer, and even Epicurean stood tall and proud and we were all the more satisfied. Show Grade: A
EPICUREAN - I know nothing of these guys except random mentions in various metal rags, which really doesn't matter much unless you have something big going on with your music. Cursed with being the first band up, of course they had to face the weary-eyed gawkers and apathetic (and some pathetic) nods of approval or just possible general disinterest with nothing else to do but sway their corpulent and rotund bodies to the "typical" thrash-and-grab music being played. For the random mentions in Terrorizer magazine, they just seemed to come off very green and exactly what you get from an opening band. No believable confidence in themselves, but a lot of theatrical rage. Kudos to their Robb Flynn-lookalike bassist for showing some energy and flair. Set Rating: B-
WARBRINGER - For the third time in what feels like a three-month cycle, I witnessed these kids from California perform. This time they've moved out of the small confines of BB King and into the bigger venue that is Nokia, but not because their profile has gotten any higher - though they did manage to get Exodus mastermind Gary Holt to produce their second work, which should have gone into making Exhibition B instead, but more on that later - they just happen to land themselves with the right bands and the right tours. Call them the luckiest brats in metal, but luck can only get you so far.... these guys do have talent (in being retro) and a strong fanbase that was genuinely pleased to see them onstage. The first ripple in the crowd - i.e. mosh pits and crowd surfers - belonged to Warbringer who kept a pretty consistent and fun set going for a much longer period than the two previous shows I last saw them in. Unfortunately, the majority of the set for me was watching newly-crippled Nic Ritter, who broke his arm while drunk, sitting by the drum kit and coaching Epicurean's drummer (let's call him "Dude" since I don't care to know his name), who had the Herculean task of learning Warbringer's music within two days, and was actually pretty damn good. John Kevill, their always ready-to-kill frontman, ditched the "Hail Satanas" garbage schpiel from other shows and really planted himself well as a serious individual rather than as a silly little moppet from shows past. Even the photographer dorks like Frank "Porky" White and Ken of Piercing Metal were more than willing to spend their film in their favor. The bitter trio of Andy Carroll, Ben Bennett, and John Laux (sorry, fellas!) did their usual thrashing and grousing, especially Bennett, who seemed to perform in a foggy daze and learn rather buffoonish. (He may have smoked a bit too much weed or drank too much Vitamin D milk!) Laux, still wearing his cum-streaked hair stripe, looking like Slash buttfucked Sweeney Todd, was virtuositic and confident, while Carroll, looking ever so femme was just brutal. Set Rating: B+
BELPHAGOR - Just when you thought it'd get more brutal..... it suddenly stopped! Austrian black-death metallers Belphagor, who I had come to assume were this evil and blasphemous group of killers, were merely old, white men with funny accents and just making the usual noise that pleases many, but ultimately fails to move the crowd in a frenzy. No, wait, it did get crazy.... towards the end! Too little too late. My interest had waned considerably and was waiting for them to bring out the cane and pull these guys off the stage. For a bunch of scary dudes who talk about the Marquis de Sade and masturbating with a cross on a nun, they were rather tame and disappointing. At least Helmuth, their frontman, was a decent fellow despite being a stinky smoker! Set Rating: C+
EXODUS - Why, why, why, WHY..... are these guys second on the bill? I mean, this is America not Deutschland! We came for Exodus, right? To be honest, and this is according to my conversation with Gary Holt after the show, they were asked to come along and they agreed in favor of spreading their unholy gospel after releasing their unnecessary Let There Be Blood album last year and figured that after their jaunt in Europe that it would be a good idea to tour North America again. Good thing, too, since the hubbub over 2007's The Atrocity Exhibition: Exhibit A has since died down and we'll have to wait until 2010 for Exhibit B, and they may be at risk of losing momentum AGAIN! Anyone remember 1992's Force of Habit? No? I didn't think so! But fans will have nothing to fear, as Exodus are still that angry, muscular beast that it was born to be, aided by a tireless crew 40-year-olds who remain loyal and faithful to thrash music and its fans. No complaints here. Gary Holt solos and everyone gets a hard-on. He trades riffs with fellow guitarist Lee Altus and everyone cheers. Tom Hunting rocks Nokia and bodies start falling on top of me. You have to admire and love this intense passion, even if it means putting your neck and back in traction for a few weeks, and be thankful that these guys had the gumption and balls to get themselves clean from drugs and alcohol and go out one more time in a blaze of glory, almost paralleling fellow Bay Area thrashers Testament. Rob Dukes grunts, growls and groans like the rabid Mad Dog that he is and fans who didn't warm up to his inclusion in the band seem to be content with his presence, even if they prefer Steven Souza or the late Paul Baloff's corpse as a suitable frontman. They bring out the big guns here, lots of treats from their pinnacle album Bonded by Blood, such as the title song (of course!), "A Lesson in Violence" and "Piranha", before moving on to Exhibit A tunes like "Riot Act" and "Children of a Worthless God" and ending it with "Toxic Waltz" from 1989's Fabulous Disaster. It was Exodus of 1985 kicking ass in 2009 and we couldn't have been more satisfied. Set Rating: A
KREATOR - And while I may have bitched and moaned over whoever decided to put the Krauts ahead of the Yanks, I have to be the first to say that Kreator were brutal! And just like I predicted a couple days ago, Kreator was far more talented and superior to their fellow Krauts in Destruction. Where as Destruction merely - and just bared - moved the crowd, Kreator nearly started a fucking riot! Pound after pound of fat, smelly, sweaty human flesh were going over the barricades! Mosh pits were in full swing! And yet, despite all this carnage going around, frontman Mille Petrozza, who stands about 4'6 in height, seemed to tower over this horde of chaos like a gleeful tyrantical king. And in fact, he started it all off with his titular song from Hordes of Chaos, released earlier this year, and the frenzy ensued. For 120 minutes, it didn't stop! While I tried in vain to protect my velor jacket and fedora hat and watch the band at the same time, I was busy fighting off Spics who were trying to muscle their way up to the barricade with me and security guards who were blocking my view. But I saw enough to know that I was watching something quite magical. There is a reason why Kreator have lasted as long as they have since 1985, or rather 1982 if you count their time as "Tormentor," and have such a strong support from fans - because they fail to disappoint them. If you want blood, you'll fucking get it at a Kreator show. Think of it as a walking torture rack.... at least, that's how Mille portrayed it as he constantly referred to it as "the Kreator." The setlist didn't disappoint either, especially when you consider that they had songs like "Riot of Violence," "Pleasure to Kill," "Phobia," "Extreme Aggression," "Coma of Souls," "People of the Lie," and "Violent Revolution" before ending it with a "Flag of Hate"/"Tormentor" combo. T'was a very sore but awesome set that rivaled Exodus in so many ways. Set Rating: A
AFTER THE SHOW - As the sweathogs and gorillas filed out of Nokia, I made my out and saw the embittered dynamic duo of Warbringer's Bennett and Carroll sulking in their van crying about New York parking! Bennett gulping Vitamin D milk in the driver's seat while Carroll mumbles something bitterly while taking a drag on his cigarette, something about not graduating high school, I think. After some playful banter and my increasing boredom of their lack of anything intelligent to talk about, I return and run into the rest of the Warbringer band, who seem to be in brighter spirits, though even they grouse about New York parking. Seriously, Kevill and Laux go off on tangents about the sucking parking laws like I have something to do with it. And, as always, it's great to hear feedback on my Rate the Bands blog, which they're not too shy in expressing. I found Ritter to be the most pleasant one of them all... truly a cool cat despite having a crippled arm.
Slowly but surely, members of the upper echelon billing come out. I get to spend several minutes chatting with Gary, Lee, and Tom of Exodus who have no problems hearing my criticism over their move to push Exhibit B back to October, which is when they'll start recording, to my confession of downloading their music for free. Holt and I, however, have a big dispute over downloading as opposed to buying hard copies, which affect the way bands tour. I merely pointed out that if a band is any good, then most definitely I would buy a hard copy of their album. I told him that I have no problems buying anything from Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, Pantera, Exodus and Testament.... simply because I find them to be that damn good and deserving of my $18.99. I also brought up the point that most fans can't even find certain bands because they're too brutal or too dark for mainstream stores - case in point, Lee Altus's former band Heathen, which you won't ever find at a Best Buy, Virgin, Circuit City, FYE, Sam Goody's, or Barnes & Noble, and that the 'Net is the only place that helps fans get exposed to that music. In the end, I told him that I make look and dress like a poser in my Ralph Lauren jacket, but in heart and spirit, I am a die-hard metal fan than any jackass neanderthal wearing stupid patches on his blue denim jacket. Being the upstanding guy that he is, he actually complimented my style and "likes the hat" after playfully tapping the top of it.
FUNNY - AND SHOCKING - MOMENT OF THE EVENING (OR: WHEN GARY HOLT SAYS THE DARNDEST THINGS!)
So-called vegetarian, or vegan, Gary Holt actually took a bite out of a chicken kebab from the street vendor! Shocking because if you know Gary, he is a strict vegetarian - which isn't very metal - and claims to never put any kind of meat in his mouth. Funny because right before he takes a chunk of chicken meat and puts it in his mouth, he says "I'm gonna hate myself for this!" but he can't even swallow it and the goddamn thing falls out of his mouth. Right after that he says "I need to get me a soy burger!" ????????? Gary Holt??????? A vegan wanting a soy fuckin' burger?????? When did our heroes suddenly become pussies? (Just kidding, Gary! ;)) Oh, and speaking of pussies, when I asked him what he thought of old bandmate Kirk Hammett being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, he calls him a pussy! Classic. Fucking. Moment! Of course, he says he was joking, but that was a pretty long pause.
THE "WHAT THE FUCK" MOMENT OF THE EVENING
I saw Lee Altus bringing Bulgarian douchebag and my former show buddy Stefan, with his stupid glasses and big bubble head, and another jerkoff friend getting on the Exodus bus! While Lee and I had a great time chatting, I can't believe he would allow a zero and square like those two on the bus. I really think Lee brought them on the bus just to give blowjobs to the band members. That's the only thing Stefan's mouth is good for. In all honesty, I could have asked and gotten on that bus, but it was late and had plans in the morning. And besides, I've been on a few buses, and with headliners at that, not second billers.
Another WTF moment, Rob Dukes pulls the disappearing act on me. I guess he's too chicken-shit to talk to me like a man and decided to run off with his family and friends. What's funny is, as big and scary as he looks, he acts like a chick... mumbling under his breath about me at Paul Booth's party and then gives me fake smiles. Then, at the show, he tosses me a pick like we're bros again and then skips out as if to avoid me. What a puss!
TRINKETS
I managed to catch me an Exodus guitar pick thrown by my old nemesis Rob Dukes, who gave me the finger during their set, which compelled me to return the favor by giving him TWO MIDDLE FINGERS! After which he points to Holt, busy doing yet another scorching solo, while still staring at me with those maniacal eyes of his, and a body falls on top of my head. I guess Dukes really does care after all.... if only he'd be a man and unblock me already!
CONCLUSION
A great show that made Destruction's set the night before look like a day at an old folks home. Where they were tepid and meek, the men of Kreator, Exodus, Belphagor, Warbringer, and even Epicurean stood tall and proud and we were all the more satisfied. Show Grade: A
Destruction w/ Krisiun and Mantic Ritual @ BB King - 4/7/09
I decided to ditch my showcase after getting totally sloshed off of the white wine provided for us. Seeing as I was starting to disturb everyone with "Space Oddity" by David Bowie, I decided to leave and go to where I should have been all along... at BB King, watching Kraut thrashers Destruction attempt to tear the roof off the club. Sadly, they missed it. And sadly, I missed Krisiun and Mantic Ritual and had to pay $27 just see Destruction. I'm sure that Krisiun and Mantic Ritual were nothing to write home about. At one point, while one of Krisiun's members was filming with a camera, I confessed on-camera that I had missed their set and had other important things, like my showcase, to do instead of seeing them perform. The dude said they'd be back in September. Whether I'll be there to see them perform remains to be seen.
DESTRUCTION - A typically dull set. No excitement or real energy from the crowd since I still had my fedora hat on my head for the entire hour-and-a-half set, and no good songs to distinguish among the 25+ years in the Kraut band's canon. Instead, I spend the night SUCKING on Ring-Pops (soooo fucking good!), PISSING on the barricade (yes, I was that drunk!), and SPITTING on my enemies at the club - YES, I WAS FUCKING SPITTING ON PEOPLE!!!! And I swear when I say that some old broad actually said she enjoyed seeing me do that! For all of Schmier's schmaltzy speeches about how much he loves New York and all of us metalheads, he failed to come through in the end and greet fans. The same for that ugly, horseface old man, Mike Sifringer, who looks like a bag of bones with faggoty Glam hair and playing his instrument just like how old people fuck - tired and sloppy. Marc Reign, the only member of the band that I met, was a bit of douche, kind of drunk and dismissive of fans. Someone should put these guys in an oven instead of the Jews. Set Rating: C
Good thing, though, is that I'm drunk! I've been drunk for several hours now and hopefully I can forget this one-off night with these Kraut losers and focus on their better peers Kreator, along with Exodus, tomorrow night. Stay tuned, bitches!
DESTRUCTION - A typically dull set. No excitement or real energy from the crowd since I still had my fedora hat on my head for the entire hour-and-a-half set, and no good songs to distinguish among the 25+ years in the Kraut band's canon. Instead, I spend the night SUCKING on Ring-Pops (soooo fucking good!), PISSING on the barricade (yes, I was that drunk!), and SPITTING on my enemies at the club - YES, I WAS FUCKING SPITTING ON PEOPLE!!!! And I swear when I say that some old broad actually said she enjoyed seeing me do that! For all of Schmier's schmaltzy speeches about how much he loves New York and all of us metalheads, he failed to come through in the end and greet fans. The same for that ugly, horseface old man, Mike Sifringer, who looks like a bag of bones with faggoty Glam hair and playing his instrument just like how old people fuck - tired and sloppy. Marc Reign, the only member of the band that I met, was a bit of douche, kind of drunk and dismissive of fans. Someone should put these guys in an oven instead of the Jews. Set Rating: C
Good thing, though, is that I'm drunk! I've been drunk for several hours now and hopefully I can forget this one-off night with these Kraut losers and focus on their better peers Kreator, along with Exodus, tomorrow night. Stay tuned, bitches!
1349 w/ Annunaki @ BB King - 3/2/09
After being severely disappointed by 1349's set at the Carcass reunion show last year, I was hesitant to see the Norwegian black metal crew again in a smaller venue with only one other band on the bill. But since I was invited, I figured, why the hell not? Maybe it was because of the bitter cold and snow outside or the lack of interest, but there was maybe 30 or so people by the time the first band took the stage. In the beginning, as I chatted briefly with Annunaki's frontman Tony Stanziano, who seemed rather preoccupied with ticket sales and attendance, I assured him that he should be glad the current group of rejects were there to see them take the stage again after a year away from performing at this very venue. I told him that he should be glad to play for 20 people who knew his music and respected it than have 100 people staring at you with their arms crossed and showing apathy for your work.
ANNUNAKI - Coming from the ashes of Bloodfeast, this group definitely still has the chops needed to take the stage's limited quarters. With blazing guitar solos and blasphemous rhetoric against Jesus, the few strong in attendance seemed very pleased, but I already saw this before with Bloodfeast. Where's the change, other than the band's name? Where's the freshness? Don't get me wrong, the players are good, but they don't seem to have that much stage charisma to set them apart from the other local death/thrash groups who perform at Europa each month. The good news is, they do have a following, be it just a cult following or curious observers, but they do give the 20 or so I the crowd what hey want. And while I can't say for sure they're ready for labels just yet, they can be happy knowing that their music is appreciated by people that outnumbers the fingers on their hands. Set Rating: B-
1349 - Well, my fears came true, I was disappointed by the black metal lords from Norway. Like Cradle of Filth before them, I thought the theatrics were lame, the makeup very laughable, and the songs too slow. Despite the constant yellings of some cunt in the crowd about "sucking her stinking twat" I was not amused or impressed by 1349. Not much else say except, please stay in Norway and never come back. ALL SCANDINAVIAN METAL NEEDS TO CEASE..... NOW! Oh, and Tony Laureano is still a fat fuck! Seting Rating: C-
WHO'S IN THE CROWD?
I saw local tavern keeper Jimmy Duff escorting some girls by the bar. None of them were attractive in the least, but I guess, as long as Duff gets his nut is fine by him. I didn't speak to him, as I am waiting until my six-month ban from his bar is complete, but couldn't take my attention away from him as 1349 were playing onstage. Far more fascinating to me than the band was seeing how long as unkempt his beard has become since I last saw him at the bar's opening in December. Duff's Beard Rating: D+
ANNUNAKI - Coming from the ashes of Bloodfeast, this group definitely still has the chops needed to take the stage's limited quarters. With blazing guitar solos and blasphemous rhetoric against Jesus, the few strong in attendance seemed very pleased, but I already saw this before with Bloodfeast. Where's the change, other than the band's name? Where's the freshness? Don't get me wrong, the players are good, but they don't seem to have that much stage charisma to set them apart from the other local death/thrash groups who perform at Europa each month. The good news is, they do have a following, be it just a cult following or curious observers, but they do give the 20 or so I the crowd what hey want. And while I can't say for sure they're ready for labels just yet, they can be happy knowing that their music is appreciated by people that outnumbers the fingers on their hands. Set Rating: B-
1349 - Well, my fears came true, I was disappointed by the black metal lords from Norway. Like Cradle of Filth before them, I thought the theatrics were lame, the makeup very laughable, and the songs too slow. Despite the constant yellings of some cunt in the crowd about "sucking her stinking twat" I was not amused or impressed by 1349. Not much else say except, please stay in Norway and never come back. ALL SCANDINAVIAN METAL NEEDS TO CEASE..... NOW! Oh, and Tony Laureano is still a fat fuck! Seting Rating: C-
WHO'S IN THE CROWD?
I saw local tavern keeper Jimmy Duff escorting some girls by the bar. None of them were attractive in the least, but I guess, as long as Duff gets his nut is fine by him. I didn't speak to him, as I am waiting until my six-month ban from his bar is complete, but couldn't take my attention away from him as 1349 were playing onstage. Far more fascinating to me than the band was seeing how long as unkempt his beard has become since I last saw him at the bar's opening in December. Duff's Beard Rating: D+
Cradle of Filth w/ Satyricon and Septic Flesh @ Nokia Theater - 2/27/09
I don't go to too many black metal show and there are several reasons why, though I won't bore anyone with details. I can appreciate some of the artists and the music of this spirited genre, but there are much stronger, more potent, and "realisitic" types of metal out there that are far better. Last night I went to see these bands perform for the first time, and for better or worse, I was impressed by the turnout from the usual 500-1,000 metalheads I always see at shows in town who will see ANY show provided that it has the word "metal" in it. Being that it was a black metal show, of course, there were the usual freaks with all the piercings and shit all over their already-ugly faces, the usual wannabe vampires, goth twerps, and industrial rejects were also in attendance, but also a lot of Hispanic and Latino folks who came from the same crowd as the Dimmu Borgir show last year.
The show was violent and crazy, with tons of sweaty, greasy people pushing and shoving to see Cradle of Filth and Satyricon performing their brand of blasphemous darkness before the waiting crowd before them. At several times through their respective sets, my pin-striped fedora hat kept getting knocked off my head because of all the flying bodies being tossed around. I didn't expect to see, and literally feel, so much passion for these bands. I mean, I can understand for a legendary band to receive such adulation.... but Cradle of Filth? Satyricon? Hardly legendary! Are we that enamored by evil and Satan and the almighty blackness that we will line up around the corner all the way down to 45th and 46th St. just to see a midget from the UK lead a band of fellow ragamuffin dressed like rejects from Transylvania or two dudes from Norway (Satyr and Frost of Satyricon) who look like they're dressed and ready for a gay fashion show? Well, the meatheads... I mean, metalheads... seem to enjoy them. But much like 80s Glam, these guys are nothing more than posers dressed in black. Did they play well? Some of them did. Was I entertained? There were moments. But following on my diatribe of Eurotrash metal, there was plenty of it to be shared and last night's show proves that our (American) interests now lie with anything remotely European, no matter how lame and contrived they may be.
SEPTIC FLESH - The only band that really kept some semblance of anything remotely metal and they built on the strength of their musical quality. These death metallers, from Athens, Greece, had the difficult task of opening the show. Lucky for them, and perhaps because of their earlier endeavors into metal before splitting in 2003, they played a pretty brutal set that got mosh-pits started and the bodies flying right into the waiting arms of the surly security guards. They released a new album called Communion, which came out last year, and played a couple songs from it. Many people in the crowd seemed to have listened to the album a few times as they were yelling out title tracks and singing along in unison. Whenever singer/bassist Spiros "Seth" Antoniou lifted his instrument up, the crowd went nuts. At times, drummer Fotis Benardo would stand and point a stick at the crowd and they were on their feet. It was apparent that the crowd was on their side and we were witnessing the a pretty decent band coming back into their own again. A good mix of brutality and musicianship elevates this band as the "best opening metal band" that I've seen in a long time. Set Rating: B
SATYRICON - My knowledge of this band could fit a thimble. As with so-called "Norwegian black metal" bands, I expected to see some really evil shit when this band took the stage. From what I had seen in their videos, these guys meant business and I expected blood, fire, pentagrams, and baphomet goats hanging everywhere... but, of course, this wasn't a Gorgoroth show! So instead, the only thing remotely "evil" on stage was the mic stand encased in a wooden riser resembling a devil's pitchfork. When frontman Satyr took the stage, looking like he just came from a industry party or a fashion show, with his hair slicked back in brilliantine and dressed in tight black pants, which prominently showed off his bulge, and all black metal credibility went right out the window. At times, the dude even smiled! No one smiles in black metal! But I have to give him props as a frontman, the man can command the crowd and he seems to enjoy making them rally behind his cries as he tosses one choral part after another. Frost, the drummer, was a fucking animal - think Tommy Lee but with the zombified face of Mick Mars - as he continuously battered his drum kit like it owned him money. He was fun to watch! I wished there was more to go on, but Satyricon seem like their pretty comfortable to play it safe or at least not go far enough. Satyr, who I believe to be the brains behind the band, likes to prowl around on stage, playing a cross between Rob Halford and David Bowie, slithering yet maintaining at least one foot on a monitor to show off his dominance. Decent set, but hardly what I'd call "evil". Set Rating: B-
CRADLE OF FILTH - Much like Satyricon, these guys are about scary as Halloween costume. Even when they bring out a mic stand with skeletal remains wrapped around it, there is nothing remotely black or metal for this set. What is scary is that throughout the hour-and-a-half set, I nearly get decapitated by flying limbs coming down on my neck and almost getting crushed by charged-up maniacs against the barricades. (Such is the risk for being a fan of metal.) Fighting off dudes trying to squeeze between you and the other person next to you was tougher than whatever Cradle of Filth threw at the crowd. I'm not too familiar with them either other than people either casually like them or really hate them and that frontman Dani Filth has appeared on Bam Margera's now-defunct TV show Viva La Bam. Dani is not as good a frontman as Satyr, but for all his 4'6 height, he commands the crowd's attention as he croons along with keyboardist Rosie Smith and literally screams like a little girl, which is apparently a trademark of his, to open every song. The others in the band play well, though no one really takes a moment to shine and really strut their stuff, relying on Dani's theatrics to carry them until the very last song. I wouldn't call them lazy, but their lack of commitment pretty much sums up their respective places within the band. Set Rating: B
AFTER THE SHOW - I got to meet Mike Gitter, Roadrunner's A&R man, face-to-face for the first time and found him to be an interesting fellow. A bit guarded but still cordial enough to extend a hand and allow a brief chat between us. Underneath his Hugo Boss attire and businessman exterior, he strikes me as a man who still has a bit of the old fanboy within him, even if the years as a suit has made him a bit soft, as he prefers VIP treatment over sweating it out amongst the other metalheads like I do, and that anyone who wants to be in the music business can learn a lot from him. When we discuss about his past as a magazine writer, I can't help but notice that a part of him wishes he could do it again as he continually casts his eyes downward, remembering those years when his hair was long and he was a reckless kid who spent mommy's money going to shows. He is definitely someone who can tell me the ins and outs of writing for metal. And while he may come off as a bit of the jaded suit, there is a nice guy in there who could be a fine mentor for the right person willing to learn.
ASSHOLE OF THE EVENING
I finally witnessed a band member acting every bit the arrogant, scum-sucking, piece of Eurotrash that I expected to meet. With the lame excuse of "eating dinner" - which was only a fucking pizza crust! - he refused to take photographs or sign pictures for any fan who would ask, yet waiting by the bus for all to see him as he chatted away with pale, malnourished roadie. This douchebag in question is Dave Pybus, bassist for Cradle of Filth. He flat out told me and others around that "I don't care if I'm being an asshole. I'm eating dinner. If I take a picture with you, then I have to take one with him, and him, and then everyone. Write on the internet that I'm an asshole." And that's just what I'm doing. As someone who hates this kind of shitty, rude behavior, I called his broke, limey ass out in front of everyone there. People who paid $25-$27 to see this jackass performing, rather sloppily mind you, and yet he's going to tell us that he doesn't care about the same fans who buy their shitty merch so he can snack on that pizza crust? FUCK HIM! I told Pybus that he was trash and that he deserves to choke on his pizza crust for denying his fans like that! Then, as if to rationalize his decision, he tells me that he's just a "hired gun" and that Dani "takes all the money anyway" so he couldn't care less. Again, I fired back with more insults about his character and his music-playing and he immediately went inside the bus and stayed there. GOOD! Pybus is a talentless scumbag and he knows it. I wouldn't be surprised if he's done this before to other fans but this was definitely the first time anyone's called his ass out. I think all bands and musicians should appreciate fans for paying to see them put on a show, even one as lousy as last night's. Though, to be perfectly honest, it felt great putting that limey cocksucker in his place.... even if the band is signed to Roadrunner.
Ran into Anthrax guitarist and resident cavman Rob Caggiano, who had seen the show and is apparently friends with Gitter.... at least on MySpace. Caggiano was a bit weird, but given my recent history with Anthrax, I'm not really surprised or bothered by his behavior. His loss!
And I got to hang out with the guys of Septic Flesh who were super cool, especially Fotis and Seth. Satyr looked creepy in person and Frost was even creepier, but both were friendly and good enough to take pictures for fans. Dani was the only one, other than Rosie, to take pictures and sign autographs for fans. But I have to say that the other remaining members of CoF, Paul Allender and Martin Skaroupka, are douchebags for promising to come back out and then remaining on the bus and not coming back out. While I understand they're tired or whatever, don't promise fans that you'll be right out and then be a fucking asshole and stay on the bus. In truth, I couldn't give a rat's ass about any of the members of CoF, except that they - or at least Dani, but quite marginally - give me some metal credibility. I didn't know who any of them were and don't really care. (Of course, if you've seen my collage of me and metal bands, you know that I'm quite the collector!)
CONCLUSION
And so wraps another show. Neither scary, evil or dark, but lame, cartoonish, and otherwise a bit pointless. Though I have to give props to Septic Flesh for coming out as the opening band and kicking some fucking ass! See you guys later this year.
Show Rating: B-
The show was violent and crazy, with tons of sweaty, greasy people pushing and shoving to see Cradle of Filth and Satyricon performing their brand of blasphemous darkness before the waiting crowd before them. At several times through their respective sets, my pin-striped fedora hat kept getting knocked off my head because of all the flying bodies being tossed around. I didn't expect to see, and literally feel, so much passion for these bands. I mean, I can understand for a legendary band to receive such adulation.... but Cradle of Filth? Satyricon? Hardly legendary! Are we that enamored by evil and Satan and the almighty blackness that we will line up around the corner all the way down to 45th and 46th St. just to see a midget from the UK lead a band of fellow ragamuffin dressed like rejects from Transylvania or two dudes from Norway (Satyr and Frost of Satyricon) who look like they're dressed and ready for a gay fashion show? Well, the meatheads... I mean, metalheads... seem to enjoy them. But much like 80s Glam, these guys are nothing more than posers dressed in black. Did they play well? Some of them did. Was I entertained? There were moments. But following on my diatribe of Eurotrash metal, there was plenty of it to be shared and last night's show proves that our (American) interests now lie with anything remotely European, no matter how lame and contrived they may be.
SEPTIC FLESH - The only band that really kept some semblance of anything remotely metal and they built on the strength of their musical quality. These death metallers, from Athens, Greece, had the difficult task of opening the show. Lucky for them, and perhaps because of their earlier endeavors into metal before splitting in 2003, they played a pretty brutal set that got mosh-pits started and the bodies flying right into the waiting arms of the surly security guards. They released a new album called Communion, which came out last year, and played a couple songs from it. Many people in the crowd seemed to have listened to the album a few times as they were yelling out title tracks and singing along in unison. Whenever singer/bassist Spiros "Seth" Antoniou lifted his instrument up, the crowd went nuts. At times, drummer Fotis Benardo would stand and point a stick at the crowd and they were on their feet. It was apparent that the crowd was on their side and we were witnessing the a pretty decent band coming back into their own again. A good mix of brutality and musicianship elevates this band as the "best opening metal band" that I've seen in a long time. Set Rating: B
SATYRICON - My knowledge of this band could fit a thimble. As with so-called "Norwegian black metal" bands, I expected to see some really evil shit when this band took the stage. From what I had seen in their videos, these guys meant business and I expected blood, fire, pentagrams, and baphomet goats hanging everywhere... but, of course, this wasn't a Gorgoroth show! So instead, the only thing remotely "evil" on stage was the mic stand encased in a wooden riser resembling a devil's pitchfork. When frontman Satyr took the stage, looking like he just came from a industry party or a fashion show, with his hair slicked back in brilliantine and dressed in tight black pants, which prominently showed off his bulge, and all black metal credibility went right out the window. At times, the dude even smiled! No one smiles in black metal! But I have to give him props as a frontman, the man can command the crowd and he seems to enjoy making them rally behind his cries as he tosses one choral part after another. Frost, the drummer, was a fucking animal - think Tommy Lee but with the zombified face of Mick Mars - as he continuously battered his drum kit like it owned him money. He was fun to watch! I wished there was more to go on, but Satyricon seem like their pretty comfortable to play it safe or at least not go far enough. Satyr, who I believe to be the brains behind the band, likes to prowl around on stage, playing a cross between Rob Halford and David Bowie, slithering yet maintaining at least one foot on a monitor to show off his dominance. Decent set, but hardly what I'd call "evil". Set Rating: B-
CRADLE OF FILTH - Much like Satyricon, these guys are about scary as Halloween costume. Even when they bring out a mic stand with skeletal remains wrapped around it, there is nothing remotely black or metal for this set. What is scary is that throughout the hour-and-a-half set, I nearly get decapitated by flying limbs coming down on my neck and almost getting crushed by charged-up maniacs against the barricades. (Such is the risk for being a fan of metal.) Fighting off dudes trying to squeeze between you and the other person next to you was tougher than whatever Cradle of Filth threw at the crowd. I'm not too familiar with them either other than people either casually like them or really hate them and that frontman Dani Filth has appeared on Bam Margera's now-defunct TV show Viva La Bam. Dani is not as good a frontman as Satyr, but for all his 4'6 height, he commands the crowd's attention as he croons along with keyboardist Rosie Smith and literally screams like a little girl, which is apparently a trademark of his, to open every song. The others in the band play well, though no one really takes a moment to shine and really strut their stuff, relying on Dani's theatrics to carry them until the very last song. I wouldn't call them lazy, but their lack of commitment pretty much sums up their respective places within the band. Set Rating: B
AFTER THE SHOW - I got to meet Mike Gitter, Roadrunner's A&R man, face-to-face for the first time and found him to be an interesting fellow. A bit guarded but still cordial enough to extend a hand and allow a brief chat between us. Underneath his Hugo Boss attire and businessman exterior, he strikes me as a man who still has a bit of the old fanboy within him, even if the years as a suit has made him a bit soft, as he prefers VIP treatment over sweating it out amongst the other metalheads like I do, and that anyone who wants to be in the music business can learn a lot from him. When we discuss about his past as a magazine writer, I can't help but notice that a part of him wishes he could do it again as he continually casts his eyes downward, remembering those years when his hair was long and he was a reckless kid who spent mommy's money going to shows. He is definitely someone who can tell me the ins and outs of writing for metal. And while he may come off as a bit of the jaded suit, there is a nice guy in there who could be a fine mentor for the right person willing to learn.
ASSHOLE OF THE EVENING
I finally witnessed a band member acting every bit the arrogant, scum-sucking, piece of Eurotrash that I expected to meet. With the lame excuse of "eating dinner" - which was only a fucking pizza crust! - he refused to take photographs or sign pictures for any fan who would ask, yet waiting by the bus for all to see him as he chatted away with pale, malnourished roadie. This douchebag in question is Dave Pybus, bassist for Cradle of Filth. He flat out told me and others around that "I don't care if I'm being an asshole. I'm eating dinner. If I take a picture with you, then I have to take one with him, and him, and then everyone. Write on the internet that I'm an asshole." And that's just what I'm doing. As someone who hates this kind of shitty, rude behavior, I called his broke, limey ass out in front of everyone there. People who paid $25-$27 to see this jackass performing, rather sloppily mind you, and yet he's going to tell us that he doesn't care about the same fans who buy their shitty merch so he can snack on that pizza crust? FUCK HIM! I told Pybus that he was trash and that he deserves to choke on his pizza crust for denying his fans like that! Then, as if to rationalize his decision, he tells me that he's just a "hired gun" and that Dani "takes all the money anyway" so he couldn't care less. Again, I fired back with more insults about his character and his music-playing and he immediately went inside the bus and stayed there. GOOD! Pybus is a talentless scumbag and he knows it. I wouldn't be surprised if he's done this before to other fans but this was definitely the first time anyone's called his ass out. I think all bands and musicians should appreciate fans for paying to see them put on a show, even one as lousy as last night's. Though, to be perfectly honest, it felt great putting that limey cocksucker in his place.... even if the band is signed to Roadrunner.
Ran into Anthrax guitarist and resident cavman Rob Caggiano, who had seen the show and is apparently friends with Gitter.... at least on MySpace. Caggiano was a bit weird, but given my recent history with Anthrax, I'm not really surprised or bothered by his behavior. His loss!
And I got to hang out with the guys of Septic Flesh who were super cool, especially Fotis and Seth. Satyr looked creepy in person and Frost was even creepier, but both were friendly and good enough to take pictures for fans. Dani was the only one, other than Rosie, to take pictures and sign autographs for fans. But I have to say that the other remaining members of CoF, Paul Allender and Martin Skaroupka, are douchebags for promising to come back out and then remaining on the bus and not coming back out. While I understand they're tired or whatever, don't promise fans that you'll be right out and then be a fucking asshole and stay on the bus. In truth, I couldn't give a rat's ass about any of the members of CoF, except that they - or at least Dani, but quite marginally - give me some metal credibility. I didn't know who any of them were and don't really care. (Of course, if you've seen my collage of me and metal bands, you know that I'm quite the collector!)
CONCLUSION
And so wraps another show. Neither scary, evil or dark, but lame, cartoonish, and otherwise a bit pointless. Though I have to give props to Septic Flesh for coming out as the opening band and kicking some fucking ass! See you guys later this year.
Show Rating: B-
Meshuggah's show w/ Cynic and The Faceless @ Irving Plaza 2/19/09
So I went Back to the Fillmore and managed to get myself in after all dUring the Last coupLe songS of Cynic's set. Needless to say, tHe place was packed and for the fIrst Time since Opeth's show at Nokia last year, I DID NOT get to the front barricades. Instead, I had to content myself with the scrubs and pussies up in the balcony and watch the remainder of the show there. NOT GOOD!
CYNIC - Don't know their music and don't care. Right off the bat, I give them at least a Set Rating: B-/C+
MESHUGGAH - Crowd went nuts as expected, though I don't why! Much better shows than tonight haven't sold out as quickly as this one did - THREE FUCKIN' WEEKS! Apparently, they were recording a DVD for the show, though I doubt that's why someone's elbow was in my face the whole set. These guys, who've been around since 1987, definitely know their way around a stage and especially Jens Kidman, the bald-fuck of a singer, know how to get these sweaty, greasy douchebags riled up. I'll be honest, I don't like Swedish Euro-trash metal and I'm not a huge fan of Meshuggah.... some songs are okay at best, though I enjoy the sheer brutality of "Bleed"'s guitar riffs and seven-minute barrage of noise. I can say that their stage presence is palpable and deserving of frontliner billing, but overall they were just okay and failed to really incite much dominance than I've seen in the past, like Metallica at Nassau (honestly, who can fucking compare to them?) or Max Cavalera in whatever band incarnation he's presently in. Much like Opeth and Children of Bodom though very different in musical approach, Meshuggah are entertaining and fun for whoever likes them and delivers more bang for their buck, but I would have been content to stay home and bitch about why I missed them than to pay what I paid to see them live and then bitch about why they failed to truly impress me. Set Rating: B
AFTER THE SHOW - As the sweaty hogs collected their coats and junks, I managed to get a couple pics with Meshuggah - Marten, Fredrik and Tomas - and two members of The Faceless, who I last saw at the borefest called Summer Slaughter last year. I had a verbal spat with a, sort-of but not-really, show buddy, who is becoming more arrogant and cocky everytime I see him. Naturally, I verbally bitch-slapped him and put him in his place like the dog he is. I find myself increasingly disliking these people, though I really and truly try hard to keep a friendly and familiar face.... but it's becoming so hard!
Show Grade: B-
CYNIC - Don't know their music and don't care. Right off the bat, I give them at least a Set Rating: B-/C+
MESHUGGAH - Crowd went nuts as expected, though I don't why! Much better shows than tonight haven't sold out as quickly as this one did - THREE FUCKIN' WEEKS! Apparently, they were recording a DVD for the show, though I doubt that's why someone's elbow was in my face the whole set. These guys, who've been around since 1987, definitely know their way around a stage and especially Jens Kidman, the bald-fuck of a singer, know how to get these sweaty, greasy douchebags riled up. I'll be honest, I don't like Swedish Euro-trash metal and I'm not a huge fan of Meshuggah.... some songs are okay at best, though I enjoy the sheer brutality of "Bleed"'s guitar riffs and seven-minute barrage of noise. I can say that their stage presence is palpable and deserving of frontliner billing, but overall they were just okay and failed to really incite much dominance than I've seen in the past, like Metallica at Nassau (honestly, who can fucking compare to them?) or Max Cavalera in whatever band incarnation he's presently in. Much like Opeth and Children of Bodom though very different in musical approach, Meshuggah are entertaining and fun for whoever likes them and delivers more bang for their buck, but I would have been content to stay home and bitch about why I missed them than to pay what I paid to see them live and then bitch about why they failed to truly impress me. Set Rating: B
AFTER THE SHOW - As the sweaty hogs collected their coats and junks, I managed to get a couple pics with Meshuggah - Marten, Fredrik and Tomas - and two members of The Faceless, who I last saw at the borefest called Summer Slaughter last year. I had a verbal spat with a, sort-of but not-really, show buddy, who is becoming more arrogant and cocky everytime I see him. Naturally, I verbally bitch-slapped him and put him in his place like the dog he is. I find myself increasingly disliking these people, though I really and truly try hard to keep a friendly and familiar face.... but it's becoming so hard!
Show Grade: B-
My dinner with Anthrax (and Red Bull Snowscrapers concert) @ East River Park - 2/5/09
I'm going to do something different here. Rather than go on and on about what I saw from the Red Bull Snowscrapers show tonight and the other acts playing tonight, I'm just going to skip to what happened before, during and after Anthrax's set. If anyone's curious, I arrived just as Valient Thorr, who I had seen previously at the Motorhead show at Roseland last year, finished their set with a little whimper from the freezing crowd. Oh, did I mention it was 9 degrees outside! BRRRRR-fuckin'-BRRRRRR!
BACKSTAGE - I hung out in a big warm tent where there was a fruit bowl, liquor, beer, and Red Bull plus Red Bull Cola. When I wasn't mingling with the other people, I was playing the new Tomb Raider game on XBOX 360, which totally pissed me off and I hated. I drank two beers, a shot of Citrone, and two Red Bulls (I tried the Cola, which sucked ass!) until Anthrax made their entrance to the Park. I managed to get a glimpse of Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian, who quickly left to show some dude the bus. Meanwhile, I caught his fiancee Pearl Aday, stepdaughter to Meat Loaf, texting on her Blackberry and may my introductions. She was very sweet, but there was very little to talk about with her, so we parted ways I made my way behind the stage area. I was able to meet Joey Z, guitarist of Life of Agony, and the members of Anthrax with the exception of drummer Charlie Benante, who seemed to relegate himself to the back of the tour bus before show-time. Also, and quite surprisingly, Chuck D of Public Enemy was on board to perform "Bring the Noise" and I was fortunate enough to shake hands and congratulate him on such an abridged set.
ANTHRAX - Unfortunately, what was to be a return to form and introduction to American metalheads of the new singer for Anthrax, turned out to be a very shortened set. The band could only squeeze out three songs due to the city's curfew ordnance of loud music after 10pm. So the band was able to play "What Doesn't Die," "Madhouse" and "Bring the Noise" before the sound literally being cut off. Needless to say, the band was bummed, the crowd of a many metalheads who had paid NOTHING - yes, the event was free - were bummed, and I who was drunk off of my various beverages was also bummed, though just excited to be surrounded by the great Anthrax and their family and friends onstage. For the brief time, I felt like I was one with the band and it felt glorious! I couldn't stop banging my head and throwing up the devil horns during "Madhouse" and totally had a Guitar Hero moment as I crazily pretended to air-guitar during the chorus. Through it all, though, it was still fun... and interesting still as the night wore on. Set Rating: B
BACKSTAGE - I got back to the tent with singer Dan Nelson when I spotted Damien Maurer, the same bald-headed prick that I had accused of not caring about metal bands before, and our eyes locked. Being drunk, I didn't even bother to seem surprised or upset by his presence and that may have pissed him off as, from out of nowhere, this scumbag, piece-of-trash actually grabbed me by the fucking throat and proceeded to pick a fight with yours truly. In all honesty, I was too out-of-it to fight back, which seems to the MO of the NYDM by taking advantage of people when they're helplessly drunk. All I can remember is that it was broken up and there was no fight. Not one to back down, I confronted this Maurer douche and talk about what had been going on between us and his beef against me. And while he may come from the right place, his approach was wrong and solved nothing. I told him that under other (sober) circumstances his arm would have been broken had he put his hands on me but that it wasn't about us, but for Anthrax, and that whatever problems we have should be discussed. So we did.... and I think that deep down in that big, bald chrome head of his is actually a decent old man and in another lifetime we could have been great friends. Sadly, we didn't come to any resolution. I am not sorry for the things I said about Juliya C. or Metal Sanaz, though I do admit it was wrong to say about women, and he is still part of the machine - someone who is against helping metal bands unless it benefits him, which I don't agree with. However, kudos to him for saying I am a great writer when I asked if he read my blogs, so the kid has taste.... AND READS! Another time, he and I should sit down and really talk.... but he better keep his fucking grimy hands to himself or he'll leave as an amputee - that's a goddamn promise.
THE PARTY (OR: WHY DO I FEEL LIKE THE FIFTH WHEEL?) - So after that altercation in the tent, Dan invited me to go back to the hotel with his lovely wife, Kim, and a couple people to drink. I got to ride in the tour bus and shoot the shit with Dan and a bunch of talkative people who just wouldn't shut up, including myself! But Dan was gracious and always seemed to listen to everyone talking at once, even if he didn't understand what you were saying. A switch of plans later and we're in Greenwich Village where Scott Ian and Pearl had set up a private gathering for friends. In all honesty, I knew I didn't belong, or at least was not supposed to be there. But Dan and Kim seemed to genuinely want me to stay, being the two totally awesome individuals that they are, and I didn't want to appear rude by taking off - because I didn't know where the fuck I was really - so I stayed. I wish I could say I had a great time, but there was nothing going on except quiet pleasantries and some talk between Ian and a dude about Metallica going into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and their recent shows in New York. I ordered a Deviled Egg and ate it within two bites. Kim showed us pictures of her cute little pup Champion, or Bubba as they call him while people came and went to smoke or take a piss. I am much more comfortable when I know the people rather than coming into someone else's party. Still, I appreciated the time with Dan and Kim and Pearl and their guest.... oh yes, and with Scott. My opinion of his attitude, though I assume he was still upset by the short set earlier, was somewhat rude and distract. He seemed to constantly be checking his Blackberry, or some hand-held gizmo, and was no engaging with anyone from where I sat. To bring some levity, I asked why he was big into KISS, which I can't fathom why ANYONE would be inspired by them. And when I asked who in Anthrax banged Christina Applegate, he replied with a bitter "No one did" without so much as an ironic chuckle. At least Dan made a funny crack about wanting to do her, as a way to break the awkwardness of Ian's response. I could say he's probably humorless and dull, but I didn't really get a chance to talk with him. Until we get to really talk, I'll have to view him as such.
In the end, it was a lot of fun and got to have my Bam Margera moment tonight, riding in a tour bus and hanging out with a reputable band - Margera with Slayer and me with Anthrax - and can't say any more good things about Dan and Kim Nelson. I truly love the both of them and can't wait until we meet up to play hockey! BRING IT, DANNO!
EVENING GRADE: A-
BACKSTAGE - I hung out in a big warm tent where there was a fruit bowl, liquor, beer, and Red Bull plus Red Bull Cola. When I wasn't mingling with the other people, I was playing the new Tomb Raider game on XBOX 360, which totally pissed me off and I hated. I drank two beers, a shot of Citrone, and two Red Bulls (I tried the Cola, which sucked ass!) until Anthrax made their entrance to the Park. I managed to get a glimpse of Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian, who quickly left to show some dude the bus. Meanwhile, I caught his fiancee Pearl Aday, stepdaughter to Meat Loaf, texting on her Blackberry and may my introductions. She was very sweet, but there was very little to talk about with her, so we parted ways I made my way behind the stage area. I was able to meet Joey Z, guitarist of Life of Agony, and the members of Anthrax with the exception of drummer Charlie Benante, who seemed to relegate himself to the back of the tour bus before show-time. Also, and quite surprisingly, Chuck D of Public Enemy was on board to perform "Bring the Noise" and I was fortunate enough to shake hands and congratulate him on such an abridged set.
ANTHRAX - Unfortunately, what was to be a return to form and introduction to American metalheads of the new singer for Anthrax, turned out to be a very shortened set. The band could only squeeze out three songs due to the city's curfew ordnance of loud music after 10pm. So the band was able to play "What Doesn't Die," "Madhouse" and "Bring the Noise" before the sound literally being cut off. Needless to say, the band was bummed, the crowd of a many metalheads who had paid NOTHING - yes, the event was free - were bummed, and I who was drunk off of my various beverages was also bummed, though just excited to be surrounded by the great Anthrax and their family and friends onstage. For the brief time, I felt like I was one with the band and it felt glorious! I couldn't stop banging my head and throwing up the devil horns during "Madhouse" and totally had a Guitar Hero moment as I crazily pretended to air-guitar during the chorus. Through it all, though, it was still fun... and interesting still as the night wore on. Set Rating: B
BACKSTAGE - I got back to the tent with singer Dan Nelson when I spotted Damien Maurer, the same bald-headed prick that I had accused of not caring about metal bands before, and our eyes locked. Being drunk, I didn't even bother to seem surprised or upset by his presence and that may have pissed him off as, from out of nowhere, this scumbag, piece-of-trash actually grabbed me by the fucking throat and proceeded to pick a fight with yours truly. In all honesty, I was too out-of-it to fight back, which seems to the MO of the NYDM by taking advantage of people when they're helplessly drunk. All I can remember is that it was broken up and there was no fight. Not one to back down, I confronted this Maurer douche and talk about what had been going on between us and his beef against me. And while he may come from the right place, his approach was wrong and solved nothing. I told him that under other (sober) circumstances his arm would have been broken had he put his hands on me but that it wasn't about us, but for Anthrax, and that whatever problems we have should be discussed. So we did.... and I think that deep down in that big, bald chrome head of his is actually a decent old man and in another lifetime we could have been great friends. Sadly, we didn't come to any resolution. I am not sorry for the things I said about Juliya C. or Metal Sanaz, though I do admit it was wrong to say about women, and he is still part of the machine - someone who is against helping metal bands unless it benefits him, which I don't agree with. However, kudos to him for saying I am a great writer when I asked if he read my blogs, so the kid has taste.... AND READS! Another time, he and I should sit down and really talk.... but he better keep his fucking grimy hands to himself or he'll leave as an amputee - that's a goddamn promise.
THE PARTY (OR: WHY DO I FEEL LIKE THE FIFTH WHEEL?) - So after that altercation in the tent, Dan invited me to go back to the hotel with his lovely wife, Kim, and a couple people to drink. I got to ride in the tour bus and shoot the shit with Dan and a bunch of talkative people who just wouldn't shut up, including myself! But Dan was gracious and always seemed to listen to everyone talking at once, even if he didn't understand what you were saying. A switch of plans later and we're in Greenwich Village where Scott Ian and Pearl had set up a private gathering for friends. In all honesty, I knew I didn't belong, or at least was not supposed to be there. But Dan and Kim seemed to genuinely want me to stay, being the two totally awesome individuals that they are, and I didn't want to appear rude by taking off - because I didn't know where the fuck I was really - so I stayed. I wish I could say I had a great time, but there was nothing going on except quiet pleasantries and some talk between Ian and a dude about Metallica going into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and their recent shows in New York. I ordered a Deviled Egg and ate it within two bites. Kim showed us pictures of her cute little pup Champion, or Bubba as they call him while people came and went to smoke or take a piss. I am much more comfortable when I know the people rather than coming into someone else's party. Still, I appreciated the time with Dan and Kim and Pearl and their guest.... oh yes, and with Scott. My opinion of his attitude, though I assume he was still upset by the short set earlier, was somewhat rude and distract. He seemed to constantly be checking his Blackberry, or some hand-held gizmo, and was no engaging with anyone from where I sat. To bring some levity, I asked why he was big into KISS, which I can't fathom why ANYONE would be inspired by them. And when I asked who in Anthrax banged Christina Applegate, he replied with a bitter "No one did" without so much as an ironic chuckle. At least Dan made a funny crack about wanting to do her, as a way to break the awkwardness of Ian's response. I could say he's probably humorless and dull, but I didn't really get a chance to talk with him. Until we get to really talk, I'll have to view him as such.
In the end, it was a lot of fun and got to have my Bam Margera moment tonight, riding in a tour bus and hanging out with a reputable band - Margera with Slayer and me with Anthrax - and can't say any more good things about Dan and Kim Nelson. I truly love the both of them and can't wait until we meet up to play hockey! BRING IT, DANNO!
EVENING GRADE: A-
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