Tag Archives: Metal

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Marty Friedman at Crossroads

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It had been a long time since I’ve seen a live music-related show (last one before this being Behemoth in November). I had gotten the chance to see Ring of Honor’s Final Battle pay-per view live and catch an NXT house show at the Mid Hudson Civic Center between these two shows.

This show was one to break the gap of no live metal.

I had never listened to Marty’s solo work before, but he was the main reason why “Rust In  Peace” is one of my top metal albums of all time and I like what little songs I’ve heard from his speed metal band Cacophony.

Birdman and I headed to Crossroads for the show. A restaurant/ venue in Jersey that seems to get some pretty big bands.  We got two openers, Ethernus and Immortal Guardian. While neither are something I’d sit and listen to, both were fun live. At around 10:30 p.m., Marty Friedman got on the stage.

Marty Friedman 

 

He started the set with many songs from his solo career. Although I wasn’t familiar with these songs, they were fun to hear live and just watch Marty and friends jam out.

They then covered the Cacophony classic, “The Ninja.” Marty then let his other bandmates shine. This included a guitar solo from rhythm guitarist, Jordan Ziff, as well as him singing part of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” as well as sexy Japanese bassist Kiyoshi getting a bass solo followed by her singing parts of Michael Jackson’s classic songs “Beat It” and “Gotta Be Starting Something.” This was all followed by the guitar solo from “Tornado of Souls,” which was sadly the only Megadeth-related anything he played.

The band then went into another string of Friedman solo material until encoring with a cover of the Japanese pop song  “Kaeritakunattayo.”

All and all it was a great show at a great venue and different from most metal shows I’ve been to. It gave me good memories of seeing jazz fusion acts in my area but with a metal twist.

 

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Deep Purple and Judas Priest in Bethel Woods

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After seeing Roger Daltry play all of Tommy, I planned on returning for Deep Purple and Judas Priest, two of my childhood favorites.  I met up at Rock Fantasy with many of the area’s metal heads and we tailgated in three cars at this was a big event for us.

When we got there, we chilled in the parking lot for a few hours before heading up. I sat on the lawn with a few of our metal buddies but it was close enough to see the stage fine. At around 8 p.m. the first band went on.

Temperance Movement 

 

 

 

The first band on was an indie/ blues rock called the Temperance Movement. They were pretty, meh and not much memorable at all.

Judas Priest

 

I have had see Priest twice. The first time was with Thin Lizzy and Black Label Society (who sucked greatly) and they blew me away. The second time was three years later after that and did the same.

This time was no different.

They played a few tracks from their new album, Firepower, as well as many classics including, “Painkiller,” “You got another Thing Coming,” “Sinner,” “Breaking the Law,” “Freewheel Burning,” and Desert Plains” (last two being the first time I heard them live).

The energy they had was great and they ended up ruling the night that night.

Deep Purple 

 

 

I was excited to finally see Purple after being a fan since 8th grade.

It got even more nostalgic when they opened up with “Highway Star,” the song that got me into them. They then went into a selection of deep cuts including, “Bloodsucker,” “Pictures of Home” and “Sometimes I feel like Screaming”. They then would play many hits in a row including “Knocking at Your Back Door,” “Perfect Stranger,” “Space Trucking,” “Smoke on the Water” and then encoring with “Hush.”

They looked pretty aged and didn’t have a super large amount of energy, but the sound was great and was a great conclusion to this summers set of concerts.

 

 

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Behemoth and At The Gates at The Playstation theater

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After a break from live music shows (though I had several awesome wrestling ones) it was time to go to an amazing show. I had been a Behemoth fan since high school and had only seen them open (both times only as an opener to Slayer).

I’ve been told by many that if you had not seen Behemoth live then you haven’t seen them at all. The day of the show me and my buddy Jay took a bus to NYC and hung out at the Blue Ruin for about an hour. Thankfully it was full of metal heads at that hour so we got to hear classics by Motorhead, Obituary, Unleashed, Rammstien, Celtic Frost, etc. as we hung out. We took an Uber there in time to catch the first band.

Wolves in the Throne Room

First up were USBM band Wolves in the Throne Room. Though not a favorite of mine, I always enjoyed them and they had a pretty awesome live set.

At The Gates

Next up were At the Gates. I caught them once before at MDF 2014 so they were due for another watch. Their set was action-packed with plenty of new songs but also a lot of classics like Cold and Blinded by Fear.

Behemoth

Last on was the headliner Behemoth. Having only see short sets from these tyrants I was anxious to see a full one.  They had amazing loud and intense presence. The venue really helped their sound. All in all it was a great night and one of the best shows of the year.

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My Experience at NYDM fest Friday

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After I saw Slayer at PNC this was the next show i was really excited for. Between those two I did get to keep my live show hunger down by seeing the Undertaker destroy live at the WWE Summerslam Heatwave tour, finally catching The Cult and Stone Temple Pilots live after being a fan for so long, meeting Ray Mystero after watching him kick the ass of indie great Flip Gordon at Wrestling under the Stars Seven, and hearing some great classic Dio,Sabbath and Rainbow songs by Dio’s Disciples at the chance, but this was the show I was most excited about due to it’s incredible line up.

Birdman and I would later head to the Civic center once i got to work. This had been my first time at this venue. We watched many local openers including Birdman’s friends Paralysis and the great local Sabbath tribute, Never Saw Die. I picked up a comp of earily demos by Incatation as well as a demo comp from Swedan’s Crematory. At around 7pm after the string of openers the first main band got on.

Carnivore A.D .

I was curious to hear how Peteless Carnivore might sound. I had once see a Carnivore Tirbute called Retaliation open for Goatwhore years ago and do a good job but this one contained the drummer and guitarist from the band’s last line up. They sounded great. The singer looked and sounded just like Pete and they played a good selection of songs including God is Dead,Inner Conflict,Carnivore, and Predator and had endless energy.

Toxik 

These Westchester county thrashers were on next,and as soon as they started they said they will play all of World Circus which made everyone happy as that album is legendary. While due to time,they couldn’t finish it, it was nice hearing most of this album live.

Whiplash

I had seen these dudes once in 2015 with Nuclear Assault and I was due for another . Like last time, Whiplash killed with it’s unlimited energy.

Possessed 

After getting food and Catching a bit of Leeway’s set, it was time for a band I was itching to see since high school. The nostalgia was real when tracks from theier 2 full lengths and Eyes of horror were played. They also through in a bunch of tracks from a new album they were working on. This was one good Night and i hope this fest comes back to the Mid Hudson Civic Center.

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Acid Witch at St.Vitus

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After years and years of being a metal fan I had never been to Saint Vitus. It always seemed hard to get to and I always knew it would have shows run late which wasn’t good for someone who realies on buses and trains to get to NYC(aka me). After my friend Doug moved to NYC, I deicided to pay him a visit as I had that weekend off. The Saturday of that weekend we both diecided to give the St.Vitus venue a first shot. We headed down to Vitus that night after doing random stuff in NYC. For dinner we checked out this lobster joint called Lobster joint. We got to the venue at door time and then 30 mins later the show started.

S.N.A.F.U 

First band on was a punk band called S.N.A.F.U. They were a fun warm up as the had a sound simliar to Poision Idea. We ran into a bunch of my friends around this time.

Against the Grain

After chatting with my friends during the intermission the second band, Against the Grain came on. They were also a punk band but this time with some classic rock influence. Like S.N.A.F.U they were a fun warm up.

Child Bite 

I had seen Child Bite play with Superjoint Ritual and King Parrot back in 2015. It was a very fun performance as was this second time. The singer had a lot of charisma and punk on a better performance than the first time I saw them. This would end up being Doug’s favorite band on the night.

Acid Witch 

Last but far from least was the main band of the night, Acid Witch. I had seen them once at mdf 2011 so I was overdue for another espcally after considering their album last year to be their best. Like, Child Bitte Acid Witch put on a better performance than last time. They mixed up the songs greatly as I got to hear greats like Mr.Bestile,The Black Witch,Worship the Worm and Stoned to the Grave. During the match members of Child Bitte came on stage in masks adding theatrics to the performance. All and all it was an awesome show and I can’t wait to revisit this iconic venue.

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My experience at MDF 2018 Part 3 Saturday

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Before the fest that day, Frank, Genovieve and I headed down to the American Visonary Arts Museum (while Matt headed to the venue to see literally every band). This  was very interesting as it was full of surreal artwork and models some made by people who were in mental homes. After leaving and chilling for a few hours I headed down to Rams Head to catch the first band I wanted to see.

 

The Ruins of Beverast 

I had seen these guys back in 2014, when they were outside. Here they were playing an indoor stage which I felt fit their sound more. and it really did. The band had a set that was extremely more haunting than their MDF 2014 set.

 

Bolzer

Next up were  Icelandic blackend death metalers Bolzer. I had missed them at MDF 2014(even though they had 2 sets), so now it was my chance to get to see them and was glad I finally did as they crushed.

 

Pig Destroyer

Next I went to Soundstage for Pig Destroyer, the band I wanted to see the most that day.

Pig Destroyer had a very killer set including many classic PG tunes and energy like no other. During this set, the MDF mascot, the MDF chicken proposed to his fiance’ on stage. This warmed the hearts of the audience while blood was spilled in the pit.

 

Sadistic Intent

After PD I went back to Rams head to catch some obscure OSDM goodness. The band didn’t disappoint playing their timeless material and sounding so good doing so.

 

Masters Hammer

After seeing Root last year i thought “wouldn’t it be awesome if they got Masters Hammer next year?,” and to my luck they did.

Performing with a hot woman wearing a goat skull and giving the devil horns with over-the-top theatrics and an awesome sound.

 

Helmet

For  a short while I went to Soundstage to watch Helmet during the gap between Hammer and Satyricon. The band played several songs before I had to leave all within a short time frame due to not talking much at all. They were fun, although I couldn’t get over the fact that the drummer looked like Tom Green.

 

Satyricon

I was curious about seeing Satyricon due to being a fan of the first three albums… and only those albums. Live they were pretty boring and it wasn’t long before I left and Caught the last two songs of Helmets set, Unsung and the song from the Crow. After their set I called an Uber and went back to the hotel.

Music

My Experience at MDF 2018 – Part 2: Friday

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After waking up pretty damn late Friday morning I headed down to a local food mart with Genoveive to get ingredients to make chicken fajitas. After our nice home made dinner and some time hanging, I headed down with Matt at around 6 p.m. to catch the first band I wanted to see.

Morta Skuld

The only album I’ve heard from these guys was their debut which I always liked but never found too amazing. I figured I’d catch them live anyway. They played a very fun and energetic set that made for a nice warm up.

Lord Gore

After catching up with two of my Chicago friends for a short while, I headed to Soundstage for the one goregrind band I saw at the fest.

Like goregrind bands that tend to be at the fest, these dudes had a set of people moshing in circles with balloons and glow sticks everywhere.

Misery Index 

After Lord Gore’s set I went back to Ram’s head and caught the last twenty minutes of Misery Index’s set. I had seen these guys twice before, so I wasn’t so upset about missing here. What I caught was really fun in usual Misery Index fashion and few things beat “Traitors” played live.

Blood Incantation

Next up were the main reason I returned to Ram’s Head. Blood Incantation are one of my favorite modern death metal bands, so I was hugely excited to see them playing a set that both crushed and mesmerized. Blood Incantation were without a doubt one of the top bands of Friday.

Integrity

After chilling with Nick and Cheyenne, I went back to Soundstage to catch a bit of one of the most legendary hardcore acts to every exist. While hardcore was never a genre I was huge on, Integrity was always a huge exception, and as expected, they killed.

God Dethroned

Next up at Ram’s Head were the band I wanted to see most. After hearing their new album I was even more stoked. The band sounded great both when playing tracks of the new one and when playing their classics. They were without a doubt the best band to played that night until…

Eyehategod

I headed back to Soundstage for the band i was most there to see.I had been a fan of these guys since I bought take as needed for pain from high school.The band had a wonderful set that was both doomy and energtic. Not a dull moment went by and  I was so happy to finally see these guys. I stayed for the whole set as I wasn’t too keen on seeing Suffocation without Frank Mullen (I had also seen the band in general several times). All and all it was a nice end to a fun night. After their set the 4 of us got back together and headed to the hotel.

Music

My Experience at MDF 2018 Part 1:Thursday

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Memorial Day weekend came around and like always, Maryland Deathfest hit the city of Baltimore.

I had to work the morning, but once my shift was over it was time to head down. Due to circumstances such as a delayed of my Greyhound bus, it took forever to get there and I didn’t arrive in Baltimore until around 10. Once there, I put my stuff in our hotel room and caught up with my friend Matt and two people who joined our hotel group from Richmond Virginia, Frankie and and Genevieve. We headed down to the venues and I went to Ram’s head to catch one of the two bands I saw that day.

Today is the Day

That band was noise rockers Today is the Day. They played a pretty long set and had a lot of energy. I caught up with my friends Nick and Cheyenne during this time. We all enjoyed the set including their great cover of Black Sabbath’s “Snowblind.” After their set, it was time for the oldest band on the whole fest to play.

Coven 

60’s occult rockers Coven came on stage with a nice getup. The bandmates all wore hoods and vocalist, Jinx Dawson came out of a coffin and wore a mask. Coven had a lot of energy for their ages. Jinx could still sing well, even if she did lose the ability to hit high notes. They played a great mix of songs including, “Black Sabbath,” “Portait,” “Wicked Woman,” “Dignitaries of Hell,” “Blood on the Snow” and “Black Swan.” Surprisingly, they would end up having one of the best performances of the whole fest. After the show I caught up with Matt and the two of us hung out with Chuck Sheerwood of Incantation. We waited for Frankie and Genevieve and head back to the hotel.

 

 

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Ministry and Chelsea Wolfe at the Wellmont Theater

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Record store day was a fun day, where Birdman and I attended Rock Fantasy, a record shop in Middletown, NY.  After some record hunting, we headed down to the Wellmont Theater in Montclair, NJ for the day’s main event, a killer metal show featuring Ministry and Chelsea Wolf.

When we got to the venue, we caught up with our friend Jason and the first thing we noticed was it was one of the nicer venues we ever been to. After about an hour of hanging and checking out the theater, the show’s opener started up.

The God Bombs

Although not the worst I’ve seen, this was still pretty bad.

God Bomb played a mid 2000’s Hot Topic take on industrial mixed with rap and ended their set with a bizarre sounding cover of The Cure’s “Killing an Arab.”

Chelsea Wolfe

This dark songstress was my main reason for going. While she didn’t play a very long set, the queen Wolfe really stole the show. Her voice, good use of lights, and her atmospheric music gave this set a haunting performance without the use of silly props.

Ministry 

The last time I saw Ministry I was only half impressed. This was because I was glad to finally see them but unimpressed that they played such an awful set list although the few good selections sounded great live.

The set started out pretty bad with them spamming their new album AmeriKKKant’s songs with some gems from Rio Grande Blood here and there. Following this section, frontman Al Jourgensen finally said that it was “time for some old shit.”

This when their set started to really rule.

Ministry went on to play “N.W.O.” and “Just One Fix,” then the two greats from 1989’s The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste, “So What” and “Theives” and ended with “Bad Blood (still no Stigmata…).” Because of this second half, I enjoyed them much more this time around.

After the show and failing to meet Chelsea Wolfe, we headed home after a cool show in a cool new venue.

Music

Watain and Destroyer 666 at the Gramercy Theater

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by Anthony Carioscia

This March was one hell of a month for shows.

With Septicflesh coming to Gramercy and finally getting to see Saxon when they hit the Chance Theater, but this line up of Watain and Destroyer 666 was my chance to finally see Destroyer after they dropped from Maryland Death Fest 2011 and 2016 (both of which are years I attended). I was also excited for Watain as I loved their new album Trident Wolf Eclipse, which more than made up for the last one. So like usual, I picked up my buddy Jay and we took the bus to New York City.

Destroyer 666

These blackened thrashers took no time to kick ass as they showed energy and presence. The setlist was great as well.  The only tracks I got to see were “Lone Wolf Winter,” “I Am the War God,” and a great cover of “Iron Fist” by Motorhead.  I wish I got to hear “Unchain the Wolves” and “Australian and Anti-Christ,” but I still really enjoyed their set.

Watain

When the band started their set with “The Devil’s Blood,” we knew it would rule.

Watain had a great setlist that night (although a little long). The band brought on amazing energy as we watched from the seats. They may not have had dead animals on stage this time around, but there was no denying the band was spot on.

After the show, which ended a little after 10 p.m., we headed out and plan on returning once the next awesome metal show happens.