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This show was billed a bit lower on my list of concerts to see this year because there was only one awesome band on the bill instead of many, but since Shadows Fall is one of my favorite bands, I wasn't about to miss it. Jon made the trip up from Cincinnati for the weekend in order to see the show as well. It's kinda sad too. Jon and his wife are moving to Arizona within the next month, so this is probably the last concert I'll see with him for a looong time. This was also a first in that we went to a show at Harpos and arrived on time, and saw every band that played. Most of the time we show up fashionably late, miss a couple of the opening bands, and enjoy the higher quality bands later on. Well, we saw all six bands that played, for better or worse.

We also lost significant amounts of water through perspiration. It was over 90 degrees outside when we got there, and it was at least 20 degrees hotter inside. It was hotter than a snakes ass in a wagon rut. Combine 100+ degrees of heat plus a bunch of sweaty metalheads, and you get a recipie for a lot of stink. It was the only time I can think of where I can safely say that the shirtless sweaty mosh pit guys were the intelligent ones. They at least allowed their bodies to excise body heat in a more efficient fashion.

The first band was a local band tacked on before the bands on the bill, and I didn't catch their name. I think it was something involving the word Cold, but I didn't hear it clearly. They were solid and did what they did pretty well, although they could totally benefit from a second guitarist to lay down some leads. Their guitarist had some good rhythim chops, but their sound would have been bolstered with another guitarist. I can't say much though - I'm not up there playing. Grade: B-

The first of the billed bands was Still Remains. Interestingly enough, they're based out of Grand Rapids, and perhaps because of that, they seemed to have a pretty good following. It seems well earned too. They jammed. They only had 20-30 minutes of stage time, and they crammed it full... full of three songs. Totally my type of music. They sport dual guitars and a keyboardist, so they have all sorts of room for melody on top of the rhythm. I checked out their page on myspace, and I'm equally impressed with the recorded versions. I'll definitely be on the lookout for their stuff the next time I make a CD run. Grade: B+

The next band up was Bury Your Dead. Ugh. I totally could have done without these guys. I can't say they were totally horrible as far as bands go, but they were 100% not my style. They were serious testosterone-heads, like what you would get if you took Vinnie Paul, Dimebag, and Rex ouf of Pantera during the Far Beyond Driven years, and replaced them with three apes banging on things. All you'd have left is Phil Anselmo with some primates, and Bury Your Dead wasn't much different than that. Their entire catalog seemed to exist on the bottom two heavily down-tuned strings of their instruments, and that's not a good thing. You seriously could have cut the top four strings off each guitar, and the top two off the bass, and there would have been absolutely no difference. They also thought it was pretty cool to spin their guitars around their bodies in unison, hula-hoop-over-one-shoulder style, and it got really old. They did it at least three times per song. If they spent as much time writing songs as they did practicing their guitar-a-hooping, they would be much better. Grade: D+

Next up was Darkest Hour. They were also really good, and deserve a follow-up. Jon and I were both pretty down after Bury Your Dead, so it was good that Darkest Hour saved the day. I don't know if they mandated it, but there was some seriously out-of-place music being played before their set. We heard some Billy Ocean, along with bunch of lame 80's pop stuff that sounds like it came from the Top Gun soundtrack... at a metal show. WTF. Even though we were being inundated with lame music, we happened to see Darkest Hour's lead guitarst warming up, and we knew they wouldn't suck. The man was ripping off a serious solo in that warmup, and he did the same during their set, along with much more total awesomeness. I don't know if I liked them as much as I liked Still Remains, but they're close. Grade: B+

Poison The Well closed out the opening bands. Their set marked a first in my concert viewing experience. I've seen a lot of bands that I've never heard of before. Some I've liked, some I've hated, some I could tolerate, etc. With every other band I've seen, I've been able to key in on whether I like the band or not within a few songs. With Poison The Well, this was not the case. Starting with their first song, and ending with their last, I was completely confused. I couldn't latch on to anything in their music, good or bad. I watched them play, and what I saw indicated that they were skilled players, and what I was hearing should have been good as well, but it wasn't. I stood in a stupor for the whole time they played, and it didn't break until they left the stage. Jon has a strong musical background, and he was actually somewhat angry after hearing them play. He said they were breaking most of the 'rules' that define what makes music good, such as sticking to key signatures, time signatures, and other things. There are ways that you can alternate between key and time signatures, but they still typically follow some standard patterns, because those patterns sound good. These guys sounded like they were just stringing random riffs and song segments together, with no musical 'glue' to properly string them together. What is even more mind boggling to me is that a good portion of the crowd knew the songs, and was singing along word for word. It made me feel as though I was missing something, even though I'm fairly confident I didn't miss much of anything. Grade: F

Shadows Fall closed out the show, and they kicked ass. Their sound is huge on CD, and it's just as huge on stage. They played a somewhat abbreviated set, which was somewhat disappointing, but every song they played was sweet, and they totally nailed them. The show further solidfied my belief that Shadows Fall is one of the most talented in the newer wave of bands in metal, and that they'll be a driving force for a long time. There's absolutely no weakness in their lineup. Every member is grade A, top notch. The highlight of their set for both Jon and I was "A Fire in Babylon." That song is a total jam, and easily one of my favorite SF songs.

Another neat thing is that we got to see Brian Fair's legendary dredlocks. I can't say I've ever been a fan of dreds, but those things were intense. He appears to be around six feet tall, and his dreds hang down to mid-calf at least. It must have taken years and years to grow dreds that long. What's even crazier is that he headbangs with them when he's not singing. There has to be some coordination with the other guys on the stage, because his dreds clear a circle with a 10-foot diameter when he headbangs. They could easily knock an instrument out of someones hands - no joke.

I can't say that their show was top-notch because it was so short, only around 50-60 minutes, but what they did pack in there was awesome. Grade: A

I just read the following article (via this article at Metal Underground), and I felt the need to post about it. The article is an interview wih Vinnie Paul Abbott, the brother of the late 'Dimebag' Darrel Abbott. I've covered Dimebag's murder before, so if you're unaware of what happened, feel free to read back and catch up. The interview covers a few disjoint topics, but the following is the part I would like to focus on.

Montreal Mirror: Do you have any particular memories of Dimebag that stick out in your mind?

Vinnie Paul: "There really are so many. I remember the last time I saw him. We used to have a code word, which was 'Van Halen,' and that just meant to let it all hang out and have a really good time, because we both thought VAN HALEN were just one of the most kick-ass bands ever. He was warming up on his guitar before our show like he always did, and putting chapstick on his lips like he always did before a show. I just went up to him and said, 'Van Halen,' and he looked over at me and said, 'Van fucking Halen,' and we high-fived each other. I didn't know it, but a minute and a half later I would never hear from him again."

I don't have a brother, but I've got a few close friends that I place in the honorary brother category. We also have our share of secret code words and phrases, so I know completely where Vinnie is coming from. It's when you know someone so well that you develop your own language, something that can convey a whole gamut of thoughts and experiences with a minimum of 'standard' communication. It's a special thing. I know I would be devastated if I lost one of my brothers, so I can imagine how Vinnie felt when Dime was taken from the world.

I guess the moral of the story is similar to one included in a previous post - something I've been thinking of lately. Cherish every moment you have with people that you consider special, because you never know what will happen, or when.

It starting seem that I'm destined to fail every time I try to see Nevermore live. The first failure was due to a misinterpretation of the stage schedule at Gigantour, but this time I was where I should have been! Well, apparently their singer, Warrel Dane, either wasn't able to perform, or wasn't even in the place. I couldn't make out what they said over the PA from where we were standing. In either case, I was pissed. They were the band I was looking forward to in this show, and they ditched. Lame.

Evergrey played first, much to our surprise. I would have placed them just before the headliner in that lineup, but I don't plan concerts. They might have been doing a rotating opener thing too, who knows. Since they were the first opener, their set was pretty short. I think they may have only been able to play 6 or 7 songs. They played some older ones, such as Blinded, She Speaks to the Dead, A Touch of Blessing, and maybe another one. They also played a couple songs off their new album, which I have yet to acquire. They sounded good - tight, clean, and in control. The volume on the keyboards was a little high, and it overshadowed the guitars in a lot of the verses, which is a drag. Both of Evergrey's guitarists can really shred, so they should always be front and center in my book. Overall, they were solid, even with the short set. Grade: B+

The next band up was Throwdown. I saw them once before when they opened for Fear Factory, and they were pretty much what I remembered. They have a testosterone-laden vibe that's comparable to Pantera's "Far Beyond Driven" and "Vulgar Display of Power" albums, but they don't have the powerhouse on guitar that was Dimebag Darrel. I can't say that I was overly impressed with these guys, but at the same time, this music would be good to listen to if you were pissed off, or as workout music or something similar. The only member that was really impressive was the drummer. Jon commented that he should find some other bandmates to play with, because he was by far the most talented in the group. I agree. Since they had extra time to play due to Nevermore's absence, they threw in a few cover songs to extend their set a bit. They played "Roots, Bloody Roots" by Sepultura, and they sounded pretty good at it. That's not saying that much though, because it's a damn easy song to play. The other song they played was "A New Level" by Pantera. They played it in tribute to Dimebag, who was murdered on-stage about a year and a half ago. Jon and I both wondered how well they would pull it off. They did fine for the first part, which is just heavy rhythm. They cut the song off and went into one of their songs at the point in the song where the solo is played, which is probably a good thing. We could forsee nothing but a guitar abomination in the future if that guitarist tried to play a Dimebag solo. Overall, they weren't horrible, but not really my style. Grade: B-

In Flames headlined the show, and they were pretty good. I only have three of their albums, and my lack of knowledge about their catalog was really apparent. They played a good number of songs, probably in the 14-18 range, and I only recognized four of five of them. It didn't really matter though. They rocked out, no two ways about it. Their set was energetic, and the crowd matched it. The equalization on the guitars really bothered both Jon and myself, however. Both guitars seemed to be exceptionally mid-heavy, and their leads were almost inaudible during the first half of their set. The sound guys seemed to balance it out a little in the second half, but the treble was still too low. In Flames sports two very talented guitarists, and to barely be able to hear them flexing their muscles is a travesty. Overall, their show was quite good, and it will probably inspire me to go buy a few more of their CDs to fill in the gaps in my collection. Grade: A-

Although In Flames and Evergrey were good, I would still consider this show a disappointment. Nevermore was the band I wanted to see most, and they were AWOL. I was also disappointed with the order in which the bands played. Throwdown should never have a higher billing than Nevermore or Evergrey. I can see Nevermore or Evergrey competing for or rotating through the second and third opener spots, but neither one should be playing first opener. Had they played according to my ideal arrangement, Evergrey could have an extended set, which would have been great. I did have one cool experience though. About half way through the In Flames set, Tom, Henrik, and Jonas from Evergrey came out into the crowd where Jon and I were standing, toward the back. I partook in a little hero worship and shook Tom's hand, and thanked him for a good set. It's pretty insignificant in the whole scheme of things, but it was neat nonetheless. For the record, Tom is not 6'6"-plus like Jon and I had guessed the first time we saw Evergrey, but he is 6'3" or 6'4". I guess the stage adds a few inches.

Edit: I just came across this news post, which states that the reason Warrel Dane couldn't perform was an unspecified illness. I suppose that's more acceptable than just not being there, but it's still frustrating.

I've been putting off writing this post for a while now, but if I put it off any longer, I'll probably lose the inspiration to write it altogether.

For those that haven't heard, five people were murdered during a Damageplan concert in Columbus, Ohio on the evening of December 8, 2004. One of the slain was the band's guitarist, 'Dimebag' Darrell Abbott. He was also the guitarist and a founding member of Pantera. He was the first person targeted by the gunman, who was gunned down by a police officer responding to the situation moments later.

There are a few things that really bother me about this whole ordeal. First and foremost, Dimebag is dead. He is easily one of my favorite guitarists and one of the biggest inspirations for me in music. The man had an incredible gift for writing and playing, one of those gifts that few people possess and even fewer are able to take advantage of. In my opinion his greatest strength was his rhythm playing, and, more to the point, the riffs he brought to the table. I'm hard pressed to think of one other guitarist in metal that wrote as many badass riffs as he did. It's like he had a magic bag of guitar tricks that he would go into when writing songs and just pull them out, with no effort at all. I still say to this day that the main riff in "Regular People" is the coolest riff I've ever heard. He was also an incredibly gifted lead player, as evidenced in songs such as "Hollow" or "Floods". The man had the gift of music, and that gift has been silenced.

Secondly, the circumstances surrounding his death really bother me. I was pretty shocked when I first heard about it, but as more details came out, it bothered me more and more. From the reports I have read, the murderer was an obsessive Pantera fan who believed that Pantera stole the lyrics to songs he had written, and also blamed Dimebag for Pantera's breakup. He apparently went to the show to kill all of the members Dimebag's new band, Damageplan, which included Dimebag's brother/Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul. Nobody can really say what was going on in the killer's mind, but I think it's pretty safe to say he wasn't all there. Regardless of whether he was sane or not, the fact that someone is that obsessed with a band is quite disturbing. Granted, I'm a large fan of music, and a rather rabid fan of my favorite bands, but killing a band member over the breakup of a band is just plain pointless, and totally stupid. If he was so distressed about Pantera's breakup, what does killing their guitarist and drummer accomplish? The only thing it does ensure is that there will be no reunion for that band. So in the end, the outcome is nothing but a senseless killing.

The third thing that really bothered me came out a few days after the killings, in response to the murders and the metal community's outpouring of grief over the issue. I stumbled across a post in one of the RSS feeds I peruse for my daily news. It brought the fury out of the person that had posted the link, and it did the same for myself and all of the people I sent it along to. The link in question is an editorial piece written up by a 'gentleman' named William Grim for the website iconoclast.ca. When I say 'gentleman', I of course mean an arrogant elitist prick whose head is so far up his own ass that it's in danger of coming out of his mouth, creating some sort of right wing conservative chicken/egg paradox. The piece was an ignorant and horribly judgmental depiction of Dimebag and the metal community as a whole. The man is flat out wrong on so many levels that I don't even know where to start. I guess I'll just pick them off one at a time.

It was highly amusing, and also terribly sad, to watch on television fans conducting a "vigil"for the slain Mr. Abbott outside of the Alrosa Villa.

The vigil was "highly amusing"? Watching people mourn the loss of an innocent man murdered in cold blood is amusing? Right. I'll be sure to chuckle when our good friend Mr. Grim expires.

But one can see why the heavy metal fans so closely identified with Mr. Abbott. He was an ignorant, barbaric, untalented possessor of a guitar and large amplifier system. Freakish in appearance, more simian than human, he was the performer of a type of "entertainment" that can be likened only to a gorilla on PCP. Lacking subtlety, wit, style, emotional range and anything approaching even the smallest iota of intellectual or musical interest, Mr. Abbott was part of a generation that has confused sputum with art and involuntary reflex actions with emotion.

Stunningly judgmental statements here. I think it's a pretty safe bet that Mr. Grim had never met Dimebag, but he seems perfectly comfortable passing sweeping judgments nonetheless. I'm particularly 'fond' of the part where he refers to Dimebag as untalented. It's a quite common belief that in order to accurately judge someone else's prowess in a particular skill or craft, you must also possess similar skills. While I can't speak to Mr. Grim's musical knowledge, many people have classified Dimebag as one of the most influential guitarists of the past 10 years. Gorillas on PCP do not garner such respect from people who know what they're talking about.

Part of the hard work of civilization is teaching young to be able to distinguish between the good and the bad in all aspects of life. If we teach our young children to obey the 10 Commandments and to obey the laws of the land, but don't teach them to realize that Johann Sebastian Bach is superior to Dimebag Abbott, we have failed as parents and mentors. If a person has gone through 12 or 13 years of education and has not developed an appreciation for the greatest artistic achievements of mankind, that education has been an utter failure.

I partially agree with the first part of this statement, but we quickly diverge after that. There are things that things that can be considered good and some things that can be considered bad, but art and music are not in this category. These things are completely subjective, and mean different things to different people. There is no magic equation or all-inclusive law that defines what is good or bad in the artistic and musical worlds. Musical and artistic tastes are as varied as the people on the planet, so we should instead focus on exposing our children to many forms of art and music and let them make their own conclusions as to what is "good" and what is "bad." Mr. Grim makes many statements that seem to implicate that classical music of the renaissance is innately superior to heavy metal and the other forms of music of our day. Being a self-proclaimed elitist, I can only assume that he his trying to justify his musical tastes by trying to elevate them in the same fashion by which he attempts to elevate himself - ignorant judgments. No piece of music will elicit identical reactions in two people, so how can one piece of music be rationally considered better?

Ok, that's enough. There's no need for me to continue this, I'm just making myself mad. Rest in peace Darrell. We'll keep shredding.

Got a few disjoint musical notes here. Most people won't give two shits about this stuff, but its my site, live with it. First, I went out and bought the single for the new Iced Earth album tonight. It's pretty cool, but nothing extraordinary. I do believe they're holding out the extraordinary stuff for the release of the real album - "The Glorious Burden" - so I'm not all that disappointed. There are four songs on the disc, with two typical Iced Earth metal-fests, and two slower songs, one of which is completely unplugged. I really wouldn't think of IE making an unplugged tune, but this is more of a ballad-y tune, so it's cool. This is the first material I've heard with the new vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens, formerly of Judas Priest. He's not the same vocalist that Matt Barlow was, but he does add a lot of flavor to the songs. Speaking of Matt, he hasn't completely severed his ties with the band - he sings backing vocals on some of the songs on the single. Even though he's off doing his part for our country, it would be cool for him to get back in the studio with IE and have both vocalists rip on a few tracks.

I also picked up an Iron Maiden disc tonight when I got the IE single. I picked up their official greatest hits disc - "Edward The Great". After seeing them in concert this summer and enjoying it, I figured I should pick up some of their stuff. This seemed like a good place to start. I recognize a bunch of the tunes from the concert this summer. Great stuff. They aren't total metal like I'm used to hearing in bands like Metallica, Anthrax, or Slayer, but it's very easy to see how they paved the way for the next generation of metal bands. I'll be picking up more Maiden albums soon.

I read something today that kinda suprised me, and I was pretty pumped about it. About two years ago, one of my favorite bands at the time, Fear Factory, broke up. I was bummed. Well, I just read that they're back together sans guitarist Dino Cazares. I'm hopeful that it will be cool, but Dino was the princpal songwriter for all of their past stuff, so who knows.

I also read a blurb quoting Dimebag Darrel as saying that Pantera was officially done as a band. I guess it really isn't current news, but I hadn't heard it. For better or for worse, Pantera wrote some pretty sweet songs, and I own all of their albums except the last one, and they're all good. They got a little too "GRRR I'M TOUGHER THAN YOU!" in the last couple discs, but the music was still badass. I gues s Dime and Vinny Paul are going on with another band, so perhaps the sweet musical end of Pantera will live on without the raw testosterone that Phil brought to to the band.

Wow, just read another article about Anthrax... apparently they're going to record an in-studio live album consisting of 12 of their old Belladonna era tunes, and they're letting the fans vote for which tunes to use! That is totally cool, because John Bush is like 6.02e23 times better than Joey Belladonna. Vote here.

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