RJD Day

Two years ago today, May 16th, Ronnie James Dio passed away after a battle with stomach cancer. Last year and this year on the anniversary of his death I have taken the day off of work and for the entire 24 hours of May 16th I listen to every single Dio song. The Elves, Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and every solo album; its all playing all day.

His music really helped me define who I am as a person today. As soon as I heard "Rainbow In The Dark" when I was in the 7th grade (on the "The Very Beast Of Dio" album my dad had bought) I was a Metalhead. Yeah I had Van Halen's debut, Metallica's "Black Album", Def Leppard's "Vault", and Saigon Kick's "The Lizard" all memorized early in elementary school; but that was the first time that I really labelled myself as a Metalhead. Once I had something that defined me I really came out of my shell, I had something I was passionate about! A decade later I'm still as passionate, if not more so, about all of Ronnie James Dio's music and the entire genre of Heavy Metal that he helped spread. I'm very saddened that I never got to see him perform. But am very grateful for the career he had.

Long Live Rock And Roll.

Random Music thought 05.06.12

We all know the "Big 4" of Thrash Metal:

• Megadeth 
• Metallica  
• Slayer 
• Anthrax

My votes for the "Underrated 4" of Thrash Metal:

• Annihilator 
• Overkill 
• Testament  
• Death Angel

Overkill

Holy Thrash Metal Batman! New Jersey Thrash Metal Gods, Overkill, finally returned to Utah (that was a lot of capitalized words)!

Diamond Plate are a Neo-Thrash Metal band from Chicago, and started out the show. No need to even look into their music, I only mention them because they are on the advertisement I've posted.

Suidakra

Up next were German band Suidakra. I had heard of the band, but was not familiar with their music. They started in the early 90's as a Folk Metal band, but as the new millennium came they changed their style to Folk influenced Melodic Death Metal that had become popular around that time. This time sandwiching a Folk Death Metal band between a Thrash band and a Metalcore band didn't seem to go over too well with the crowd. They seemed to not understand what they were watching on stage as Suidakra played. No one moshed, the applause between songs wasn't very enthusiastic, and band kept saying, "Are you awake out there?!" So when the band left the stage they said they'd be at the merch booth. I wander out there and only about 5 other people were there to meet the band. I talked to the band for a little bit. I told them how Utah wasn't really big on the Folk Metal scene, and apologized for the lackluster response (being the self appointed Metal Ambassador of Utah that I am). I was looking at their CD they had on the table, I said I'd buy it. The guitarist took out a different CD from under the table and said, "This is the European version with bonus tracks not in US, we brought just for this tour. Only $5 more?" I really did enjoy their set, and feeling bad for the reception they received I agreed to the European version. The guitarist then says,, "Another $10, and you can have a shirt too." A ten buck, shirt? Hellz yeah. I hand over my money and get my CD and shirt, then as I'm walking away I realize, "I've just been guilt tripped into buying merch from a Folk Metal band... WTF?" I laughed about it and I don't regret the purchase because the album really is great. And now I'm guaranteed the only 23 year old in Utah with a shirt from German Folk Death Metal band Suidakra. Suidakra - Dowth 2059

God Forbid

I had last seen God Forbid in 2009 on the Mayhem Fest Tour in Denver. When I had seen them in 2009 I wasn't impressed at all. So I was not expecting much from seeing them again. But I was pleasantly surprised. Quick side story: Thanks to my bouncer friend I again got my 21+ wristband before the doors to the venue opened and was able to get a great spot as everyone else was waiting to get their wristbands. When I get to my spot the singer of God Forbid walked near me and I gave me a Devil Horn salute out of respect, (because even though I didn't enjoy his music I still respected what he was about). He did it back and then went on his merry way. But God Forbid played quite a few songs from their newest album and I really enjoyed them. The old songs they played I still disliked, but the style they had adopted for the newest album was really impressive. God Forbid - My Rebirth

While waiting for Overkill, a dude came up to me and just randomly asked what my favorite Punk band was. I said I hated Punk music, to which he replied, "How can you like Thrash Metal and not enjoy Punk? Thrash Metal evolved from Punk, you can hear it in a lot of Overkill's music.Overkill - Old School I think its stupid that people don't know their music's roots." I then asked him, "Do you like the Blues?" He informed me that he did not enjoy Blues music. I then asked him, "How can you like Heavy Metal (or Rock & Roll at all) and not enjoy the Blues, because all of today's popular music can be traced back to the Blues." He told me that was a different situation altogether. I (as kindly as I could muster) told him he was ridiculous and hypocritical and with that our conversation ended as he flipped me off and walked away. Making friends is hard... While yes it is true that Thrash Metal took the speed and attitude from Punk music, the style of music was derived from NWOBHM bands like Venom and Motorhead, and has evolved so much that very rarely can I see a resemblance to Punk. Just my personal opinion.

Overkill

The year is 2007. One of my best friend's father has scored us 5 tickets in his company's private box to see Gigantour with Megadeth, Overkill, Lamb Of God, Opeth and tons of other bands. So myself, my friend, his brother and brother's girlfriend, and another friend of ours all are stoked to go. My two friends and myself were huge Megadeth fans, and were so excited to see them live. I was just as excited to see Overkill on that tour as well. Then High School drama intervened, I had started hanging out with a girl whom my friend had a crush on. The bickering over this girl went on and on until one day he says to me, "You can't go to Megadeth anymore." I was floored, I could not believe that I was being benched from the game. Who did he think he was? He wouldn't even know Megadeth without me! Oh wait, that's right, he's the one with the tickets. So having no funds and no desire to see the concert alone, I moped around for weeks not speaking to my friend (but I got the girl, so there is that). The day before the concert there is a knock on my front door, I open it to find my friend there. He hands me an envelope with my Gigantour ticket inside. We apologize to each other, and it is agreed that my two friends will come pick me up and off we will go to see the concert. I told him we had to leave by a certain time so I could see Overkill (whom neither of my friends were fans of). But they agreed. So the next day I am waiting for my ride to come, they don't show up the designated time. Neither is answering their cellular device. I had no vehicle that night to drive myself. An hour goes by with no word, but finally they show up. I didn't ask why they were late or why they didn't answer their phones, because I still needed to get to the concert. There would be time to do that later. We arrive finally and I book it inside, leaving them behind. I ask someone, "Has Overkill played yet?" They respond, "Yeah, they're just got off the stage." My heart broke. My friend had struck me back in the way he knew would hurt me the most, my music.Overkill - Soulitude I was so distraught over it, I wandered around the "E" Center not wanting to watch some terrible new band. Then I see Bobby "Blitz" of Overkill sitting at a table. They're doing autographs! And still having the envelope my friend gave me my ticket in, I met the entire band and got their autographs. At least I had met one of my favorite bands, they had promised to come back. It only took 5 years for them to...

Overkill

Fast forward to the present year. Overkill have taken the stage, unleashing an onslaught of their best songs. I could not stop smiling. I was finally seeing one of my favorite bands. After the sixth song Bobby Blitz, the singer, says "Goodnight!" WTF?! That's it?! But then the lights come back on and he laughs, "Wouldn't that suck if we just left after six songs? Don't worry, we won't do that to you like we had to on Gigantour!" So it turned out that Overkill (and probably the other second stage bands of Gigantour) were only given time for them to do six songs. It really made me feel better about missing them in 2007.Overkill - Damned Granted I would pay to see them play just one song, but finally the mystery of what I had missed was revealed and now I was getting to see them play for an hour and a half. The band were even better live than I had expected, D.D. (next to Steve Harris) is the best bass player around. Very rarely to you hear a bass player with their own distinct sound and style . Bobby sings exactly as he does on the albums, hitting notes even higher than he does on the albums. I wished they would have played for another hour and a half. But alas it was time for them to leave, but they promised to be back and said it wouldn't take 5 years this time. I really hope so.  Overkill - Forked Tongue Kiss

Overkill

Decibel Magazine Tour

The first (hopefully of many) Decibel Magazine Tour came to the City of Salt on April 18th. I had to beg coworkers to trade me shifts so that I could be there for that monumental show! With a bill boasting Neo-Occult Metal band In Solitude, witch fronted Classic Metallers The Devil's Blood, Black Metal demons Watain, and the behemoths of Black/Death Metal... Behemoth; I was not going to miss this show!

Front men and woman of In Solitude (top), Watain (left), The Devil's Blood (center), and Behemoth (right).

In Solitude

First on the stage were Sweden's In Solitude. The band seems to be mostly influenced by Mercyful Fate, and that is fine by me because they take the themes started by King Diamond and make a sound that is familiar yet completely original. For this show I was able to get right up against the stage. Since most the shows I go to are at The Complex, I've made friends with a bouncer at the venue. So much so that when people are waiting in line to get into the venue he will give me my 21+ wristband before anything is even open. One clue about The Complex is that (in my opinion) the best place to stand is in the bar area. So into the venue I march, past the huge line of people buying admission (I had pre-purchased my ticket), my friend gives me my wristband on the way in, I'm the first one to arrive at the merch booth, get my mandatory concert shirt, first one to get access to the bar area, and get an amazing spot right up against the stage (the right half of the stage was 21+, the left side was all ages). And there I stood the entire show. In Solitude came out and started playing as most the crowd were still out buying admission to the show. I always feel so bad about the terrible representation of the Metal scene in our state. These guys have come all the way from Sweden to Utah and play to a small group of one or two hundred people tops. Sometimes the amount of people that turn out to shows is amazing, like at Symphony X and Iced Earth. Then there are these times when barely anyone shows. Consistency people, please! Anyway, while the band is playing the singer keeps pointing to the ceiling and telling a roadie to turn off a big light over the stage. The roadie shrugs and shakes his head. This happens about 3 times before the singer goes to the side of the stage and tells the roadie to "Turn off that f*$#ing light!" To which the roadie yells back "That's the Sun..." you see, the light was a skylight in the ceiling and it was still 7 in the evening. It made me laugh, a real life Spinal Tap moment right in front of me. In Solitude - The World. The Flesh. The Devil.

The Devil's Blood

Up next were The Devil's Blood. Playing in the late 60's / early 70's Classic Metal style (more of a Ritchie Blackmore feel than Tony Iommi), it was a very refreshing change and showed how Decibel Magazine wanted different styles to be represented on the tour. Granted the lyrics and themes of all the bands were on the same page, but the genres of Metal they played were very different. I'm convinced that the singer was a witch ("She turned me into a newt!...I got betta"), she seemed to be putting a spell on us in the front row. While the band would be playing the instrumental parts of the songs, she would kneel in front of the drums and seem to be chanting to herself. It was a good addition of creepiness to the night. Maybe it was a spell to make people fans, 'cause it worked on me! The band was exceptionally good live, and I'd love to see them again! The Devil's Blood - The Madness Of Serpents

Watain

Watain

Third act to mount an assault on the crowd was, one of my favorite Black Metal bands, Watain. I had seen Watain in 2010 at Club Vegas. At that show the stage and venue were very small and I was right against the stage. I remember when the roadies brought out these weird spikes and placed them on the front of the stage. Shortly after that the spikes were adorned with real skinless sheep's heads... a total of six sheep's heads sat on spikes before me. Their dead eyes (still intact) gazed at me from two feet away. Having been on hunting trips and seen lifestock harvested, the imagery of the dead sheep did not bother me in the least bit. The unholy rotting flesh smell made me squirm and almost hurl. Who knows how long these heads had been on tour, most likely not refrigerated. I had heard that Club Vegas got in trouble for Watain using animal heads as part of their stage show. Whether or not this is fact I don't know. But after the first quarter of the show I could not handle the smell anymore and had to move back. So this is what was burned in my mind, two years later, as I am once again standing against the stage to see this band. The same set is being put up. Torches? Check. Gigantic metal inverted crosses (a must for any Black Metal band)? Check. Incense burning everywhere? Check. Fog machine on high? Check. Sheep's heads on spikes? Negatory. Oh good, no unbearable smell (other than the crowd). Once the band took the stage is when the craziness of the crowd took place. Everyone tried rushing the stage, leaving me and the two dudes I'd been talking to between bands to elbow and shove the people off of us as we tried desperately to keep our territory. It was a crazy battle, I got some bruises, but I prevailed in the end at retaining my spot. Black Metal shows are just so gosh darned fun! Watain - The Light That Burns The Sun

Behemoth

Nergal

Setlist, splattered with fake blood

Phoenix Rising Tour. That is what Behemoth called their first US tour since I had seen them in Denver on the Mayhem Fest tour in 2009. Why Phoenix Rising? Because shortly before they were scheduled to return to the US in 2010 their singer, Nergal, was rushed to the hospital with a terrible illness. He was diagnosed in August 2010 with advanced leukemia, initial reports stated that although chemotherapy would be tried, it seemed unlikely that he would recover. After a massive influx of Behemoth fans around the world entered the bone marrow registry, a suitable donor was found for Nergal. He underwent bone marrow replacement surgery in late December 2010. Shortly after being released he was readmitted to the hospital with an infection that seemed to point to rejection of the donated bone marrow.Behemoth - Ov Fire And The Void Luckily the tough Polish dude lived, and after making a full recovery the band released a new album and are once again touring the world. I think its cool that I saw him on his last US tour and again on his triumphant return. By the time Behemoth took the stage the crowd had grown to a huge number, a true welcome back reception to this Metal God. I suppose the crowd is better late than never, they did make me proud in the end. Standing in front of the band I was sprayed by water and fake blood that they would spit out of their mouths all the time... so gross! I left the show feeling so disgusting but it was completely worth it to see them perform such an amazing set. I was able to get a set list from the stage, and I'm currently wearing my Behemoth t-shirt proudly as I write this. Behemoth - At The Left Hand Ov God

Short hair after chemo, check out how long it was in the music videos.

Behemoth bassist Orion. Who kept spraying water out of his mouth and it always landed on us in the front row.

Sepultura / Death Angel

The night is April 14th, the place is "In The Venue," and the bands are Sepultura and Death Angel. What a great show! I went with my good friends Kari and Darrell. Darrell is one of the few people as into music as I am, and one of an extreme few that can actually tell me about bands I've never heard of. I love going to concerts with them!

Mark, the singer for Death Angel

Death Angel

I am more of a Death Angel fan than I am a Sepultura fan, by a large amount. I was pretty bummed that Death Angel were going to be openers and play a shorter set than when I saw them last year headlining. They are a very underrated Thrash Metal band (in my opinion), and I really wish they were more widely known. So when the lights go down for the show to start I leave K&D and head towards the stage (they were there for Sepultura). I had in my pocket a silver sharpie and the booklet from my favorite Death Angel album, Relentless Retribution. I made my way over to the side of the stage where all their equipment and the stairs are. And there I waited, looking like a creep since I was also right by the women's bathroom... but I was only creeping on the band. As they come off the stage I'm the first one there with my CD liner notes and my silver sharpie ready to go... wait, I'm the only person getting an autograph. Damn, give these guys a good reception Utah! I want them to come back! But the band (excluding the bassist) graciously signed my liner notes, which I have framed with Warrant's setlist on my wall like a nerd. I was on cloud 9! Death Angel - Claws In So Deep

Displayed proudly on my wall

Sepultura, one of Brazil's most successful acts (way to go Death Metal!), were never a band I had previously been really in to. I had heard their greatest hits and new of some of their more popular releases, but nothing had really clicked with me. That all changed with this show. There is something I read in Classic Rock Magazine once that applies to what I (and all of us have) experienced. A writer was reviewing a re-release of The Who's "Tommy" album. He said that when he was young he had hated the album (how, I don't know) but when he had been forced to listen to it again decades later for work he was amazed at how much he loved it. He came to the conclusion that certain bands or songs need to be found at the correct time in a person's life, and I completely agree. So that's what happened with Sepultura and myself. I had listened to some stuff when I was still just starting on my Extreme Metal path and I didn't enjoy it (I also didn't enjoy Slayer or King Diamond when I first heard them, but I've learned better!). But now, at this moment in my life, I see this giant African-Brazilian man (gotta keep it P.C.) screaming at me on stage and it instantly clicks! I love those moments, they are the entire reason I like seeing opening acts. You never know what obscure band is going to catch your attention. Sepultura - Mask

Sepultura

Sepultura

The Black Dahlia Murder

 I've been slacking on the updating of my concert journal, time to get back on track!

The Black Dahlia Murder, one of the few newer Melodic Death Metal bands that have escaped the cookie cutter sound that has emerged in the past decade or so. My friend Darrell and I saw them on March 30th with Skeletonwitch and Nile (there was also some other band that sucked, I forgot their name) at The Complex.

After the terrible opening act, the Blackened Thrash Metal band Skeletonwitch took the stage. I had heard of Skeletonwitch but had never listened to their music. I must say I was completely blown away by their originality and force. I instantly became a fan and can't wait for them to come back, hopefully they'll be headlining when they do return so they can play a longer set Skeletonwitch - Bringers Of Death This music video makes no sense but I love it. Human sized stuffed animals and Zombies fight to the death over the band.

Skeletonwitch

Up next on the bill was the band Nile. I was really surprised that they were not the headliners because they have been around far longer than The Black Dahlia Murder. But for whatever reason they were openers. Their style of Egyptian themed Death Metal has given them a lot of popularity, but is pretty repetitive. I have one of their albums and that is enough for me, only a few songs really stick out to me. Darrell and I noticed that the drummer REALLY enjoys the cymbals on his kit, he goes crazy on them. I'd see them again though if they came with other bands I enjoy, they were fairly entertaining, and got the crowd moving violently. Nile - Black Seeds Of Vengeance

Nile

The Black Dahlia Murder

Finally The Black Dahlia Murder comes out. They honestly look like a bunch of tattooed comic book nerds... and that is really what they are. They would not be out of place at Comic Con, but they just happen to be in a Death Metal band. They are great live performers, this was the 3rd time I've seen them and I'm always excited to see them again. Now the singer of the band waves his free hand around all crazy and in weird motions, its very dramatic and is quite fun to watch. But I once read an interview where he was asked why he waves his hand so wildly. His response was he liked to think that he was casting a spell on the crowd and moved his hand to affect everyone in attendance. Perhaps he is casting spells... Each album debuts higher on the Billboard 200 list than the previous, and their popularity has seemed to grow substantially since I first saw them at Mayhem Fest 2009, and every time I see them I become more of a fan. Sounds like magic to me... or a hardworking band... but we'll let the singer think it's magic. The Black Dahlia Murder - What A Horrible Night For A Curse

The Black Dahlia Murder