Category Archives: Concert Reviews
This is where we review shows we attend.
Concert Review: Ghost B.C.
A secular haze descended over Denver on the 18th of April. Ghost B.C. headlined their North American tour with Ides of Gemini and local Denver boys Speedwolf opening the set. This was a much-anticipated tour stop for me as I have come to greatly appreciate the groovy styles and satanic bliss known as Ghost B.C. After having seen them at Download 2012, I vowed to catch their shows any chance I can. This was definitely an opportunity I was not going to miss for two reasons; 1 – they were supporting their new album Infestissumam; 2 – they were headlining and I wanted to experience all of Ghost B.C.’s grandeur. From here on out, I will refer to them as (just) Ghost.
Concert Review: Anthrax/Exodus & more…
Fans were out in full-force Tuesday night (Apr 2) in Denver, CO for the sold-out Metal Alliance Tour featuring Anthrax with special guests Exodus, High on Fire, Municipal Waste, and Holy Grail. If my memory serves me, this was my ninth appearance in the crowd at an Anthrax set. Under normal circumstances, I would have thought a bit more about traveling 102 miles on a weekday to see a band I have seen so many times, but once I learned Anthrax’s Among The Living would be played in its entirety, I just had to be there. Also, I never saw any other of the other bands live before, so there was also that. One other reason fueling my interest with this show was…of all the times I saw Anthrax this was only the third as a headliner. I longed for the full-set experience and I got it!
Concert Review – Testament/Flotsam and Jetsam
I find it interesting that the days before and immediately after this Testament show was/is snowy and miserable. A cancellation would not have surprised me, but on Monday the 25th, the sun was shining and the Interstate highway nice and clean…as if a gift from the Metal Gods telling me I must attend the show. So, after a full day of work and a 103 mile drive to Denver with my GPS voiced by America’s best Dad Homer Simpson, I made my way to the Summit Music Hall in downtown Denver, CO. My goal was to get there before Flotsam and Jetsam, but as luck would have it I arrived in time to see all the bands…which was a super bonus.
Concert Review: Overkill – O2 Islington, London
This was my last show in England and I really couldn’t have asked for a better band to end my four-year experience of attending regular concerts. Overkill is one of my long time favorites and they always put on a great energetic show. The O2 Islington in London was the place; the same as last year. So, I thought I would spice things up a bit by standing on the opposite side of the stage this time 
I very much enjoyed the view of Derek “The Skull” Tailer in 2011, but this time I got to watch the marvelous guitar solos of Dave Linsk and up close and personal bass playing of D. D. Verni.
Concert Review: Baroness
To be writing this concert report is slightly surreal to say the least, given the circumstances that unfolded the day after, but I feel motivated to give my thoughts on the happier side of events, the Tuesday evening filled with enjoyable music and excitable people in a small venue in Bristol. Several other gigs were on in the area at that time, but I was certainly glad to be attending this one, despite only knowing the headliner’s latest release Yellow & Green. But first, to describe the venue.
The Fleece in Bristol is a bar-cum-gig venue, relatively small in size and anti-moshpit in setup: several support poles that would be quite painful to run headlong into. That aside (and thankfully Baroness are not a moshpit band), it has a cozy atmosphere, particularly with the posters adorning the walls (Muse, The Dandy Warhols and Amy Winehouse to name a few), and a decent view of the stage from everywhere in the venue. And so, eventually the lights dimmed and the first band were up: local lads Black Elephant.
Concert Review – Cradle of Filth
I think it’s been a little over a year since Cradle of Filth graced fans with a tour and even longer for fans in the local area of East Anglia, England. I thought when I got stationed in England in 2008, I would have an opportunity to see UK-based bands like Cradle of Filth more often than I could see in the States. It’s hasn’t necessarily worked out that way. I thought that living in the same county as Dani Filth might afford me a chance to see more Cradle of Filth one-off club shows in the area; not quite so. On August 2, I finally got my chance to see the (Symphonic) Black metal band at a spacious club in Cambridge, England. This was labeled as their warm up gig before their performance at Wacken, Germany which went on this past weekend. This was my second time seeing Cradle of Filth – the first in the UK.
Concert Review: Gods of Metal (Day 4) (Ozzy & Freinds, Opeth, Black Label Society, Lamb of God) Milan, Italy June 24, 2012
From the second I heard that one of my all-time favorite bands and fathers of heavy metal, Black Sabbath, were going to reunite for a tour I jumped on grabbing tickets as soon as possible. No other bands were yet announced, but man, an opportunity to see Black Sabbath in what could be their final tour, hells yeah, you can’t put a price on that. Unfortunately due to Tony Iommi’s battle with leukemia which arose after tour dates were set in the Black Sabbath show that was scheduled was canceled. Luckily Mr. Tony Iommi was able to muster up enough strength to pull of a single homecoming show in his hometown of Birmingham, England and got to get the satisfaction of having the band come full circle and land back at home. To Mr. Iommi, I say get well soon and I can’t wait till you can get the Sabbath ball rolling again.
But what about all the other shows that Black Sabbath promised to play? Well, what’s the next best thing to Black Sabbath? How about the face of the band, Mr. John Michel Osbourne, err, Ozzy! Well, I bought tickets to see Black Sabbath, I’ve already seen Ozzy God knows how many times now and Black Sabbath only twice. They tossed in Slash, Zack Wylde, and Geezer Butler, so I guess I can say I was sold on not trying for a refund on my ticket. Having Opeth on the bill too, helped a pinch But before I get too ahead of myself, how about a little info on what else went down that day, it was a festival after all.
Concert Review: Download Festival (Sunday Only)
Another Download Festival came and went…this year marking the 10th anniversary of the famed UK metal festival. Here is my review of my one-day pass for Sunday, 10 Jun 2012 with Black Sabbath headlining and closing the event. Before I talk about my day I want to note that this is most likely my last Download Festival for the foreseeable future. Later this year I will move back to the United States and if this is in fact the last Download Festival I ever see, I honestly couldn’t have asked for more out of a one-day ticket. The icing on the cake was the fact that it was sunny.
Concert Review: Rammstein at DCU Center, MA-4/29/12
The day before finals week started at my school I went to see my first major heavy metal concert with only a few friends: Rammstein. I couldn’t have started off the week in a better way. The day started off with me making the drive to meet up with the others and then going to the DCU Center from there. To anyone who’s never been, it’s a pretty good venue in the city of Worcester. It was significant that I got to see them there since it is the very place that they were arrested for their performance of “Buck Dich” on June 5, 1998. The interior is that of most larger indoor venues; a floor with tiers of seating all around. Before we got inside though, we had to wait in line for hours. Luckily we were near the beginning of the line and we talked about what we hoped the night would be like. We could feel the brick walls we were sitting up against shaking from the sound check and our anticipation built. One guy we talked to worked for the DCU Center and told us that he had never seen so much fire in all the years he had been employed there.
Concert Review: Paradise Lost
Nick/Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost graced the Waterfront in Norwich, Norfolk, on 30 April 2012. I had the fortunate experience of being there, center stage, to watch the veterans of gothic doom perform a wide range of their discography to the loud, albeit sparse Monday night crowd. This concert review is coming from a different angle this time around. Instead of reviewing the show from a distance as a spectator, my review is based on the experience. Not only did I get to meet Paradise Lost, I also got to meet the Finnish support act, Insomnium – double bonus! This is more than just a show review…it’s my awesome VIP experience with veteran doom masters.
