Holy CRAP, this tour better come near Kansas City

Absu
Destroyer 666
Averse Sefira

June 10 - Seattle, WA @ El Corazon

Only one date so far, but that should change soon.

Good God. Absu + Destroyer 666

Rockstar Mayhem 2009 Rumor?

I've heard rumors that for next years Rockstar Mayhem, the main stage will be co-headlined by Marilyn Manson/Slayer. And also Cannibal Corpse and Behemoth will each headline a side stage.

If this is true, count me in for an excellent concert experience.

I'll just have to leave before Marilyn Manson.

One For The Rockers

Probably soon to be sponsored by 98.9, Black Stone Cherry is coming the the Bottleneck in Lawrence on February 10th. No word on support yet, however.

Master Return To Kill Kansas City

After a blisteringly devestating show earlier this year, Death Metal legends MASTER will return to the Riot Room on July 29th, 2009, with Pathology, featuring ex-members of Cattle Decapitation and Disgorge, and Dreaming Dead.

Not Metal: Wakarusa 2009

For some reason, Wakarusa is no longer in Kansas, but Arkansas.

I hope it gets a dismal amount of attendees and comes back.

www.wakarusa.com

Redneck Tours: Disturbed and Black Label Society

Greaaaaaaaaat. 98.9 fans, start wetting your pants.

Disturbed
Sevendust

January 19
Uptown Theater

--

Black Label Society
Sevendust
Dope

March 25
VooDoo Lounge

Meh.

Last concert of the year: TROGLODYTE!

Got some hankerin' for some deathgrind and can't wait for the Suffocation/Napalm Death tour next year?

Support the best local band Kansas City has to offer! And it's only $8! What a great after-Christmas present.

2008: The Year In Review

Top Ten 2008 Albums
note: these are only for albums i've purchased

1.


Ben Folds
Way To Normal
"His best musical offering since leaving Ben Folds Five"
Standout Tracks: Bitch Went Nuts, Brainwascht, Kylie From Connecticut


2.


Metallica
Death Magnetic
"The best thing for Metallica: Their best album since Cliff died"
Standout Tracks: The End Of The Line, All Nightmare Long, The Judas Kiss


3.


Hail Of Bullets
...Of Frost And War
"Solid Old-School Death Metal from a supergroup of some of the genre's finest"
Standout Tracks: Ordered Eastward, Red Wolves Of Stalin, Nachthexen


4.


Unleashed
Hammer Battalion
"Merciless offering of pagan death metal that stays true to its roots"
Standout Tracks: Hammer Battallion, Carved In Stone, The Greatest Of All Lies


5.


Deicide
Till Death Do Us Part
"It really is Deicide's most brutal album - EVER!"
Standout Tracks: Hate Of All Hatreds, Not As Long As We Both Shall Live, Angel Of Agony


6.


Arsis
We Are The Nightmare
"Equal parts of all their previous releases, this album shreds"
Standout Tracks: Shattering The Spell, Falling Winds Of Hopeless Greed, My Oath To Madness


7.


Hellhammer
Demon Entrails (Compilation)
"Absolutely essential to anyone who considers themselves a fan of extreme metal"
Standout Tracks: Euronymous, Crucifixion, Messiah


8.


Toxic Holocaust
An Overdose Of Death
"Bringing back the punk to thrash, a very enjoyable album"
Standout Tracks: Nuke The Cross, Future Shock, Feedback, Blood and Distortion


9.


Hate Eternal
Fury And Flames
"Shoddy production can't keep you from banging your head to this disc"
Standout Tracks: Whom Gods May Destroy, Bringer Of Storms, Fury Within


10.


Judas Priest
Nostradamus
"Classic Priest hidden within their most progressive offering yet"
Standout Tracks: Pestilence and Plague, Conquest, Nostradamus

----------------

Top Albums I Purchased This Year (Any Year)

1. Ben Folds - Way To Normal
2. Skeletonwitch - Beyond The Permafrost
3. Judas Priest - Metal Works '73 - '93
4. Morbid Angel - Altars Of Madness
5. Suicidal Tendencies - Prime Cuts
6. Impaled - Death After Life
7. Origin - Echoes Of Decimation
8. Metallica - Death Magnetic
9. Sodom - Sodom
10. Obituary - Cause Of Death

Honorable Mention: Death - Leprosy

Top DVD's I Purchased (Any Year)

1. Iron Maiden - Live After Death
2. Dark Funeral - Attera Orbis Terrarum - Part 1
3. Metallica - Live Shit: Binge & Purge
4. Slayer - The Unholy Alliance

Dishonorable Mention: Necrophagist - Summer Slaughter 2007

Top 5 New Bands To Me (Any Year)

1. Skeletonwitch
2. Judas Priest
3. Suicidal Tendencies
4. Impaled
5. Obituary

---------------------

Top 15 Performances Attended

1. Skeletonwitch (1st time)
2. Ben Folds (1st time)
3. Ben Folds (2nd time)
4. Obituary
5. Judas Priest
6. Skeletonwitch (2nd time)
7. Suicidal Tendencies
8. Unleashed
9. The Flaming Lips
10. Boris
11. Origin
12. Misery Index
13. Napalm Death
14. Iced Earth
15. Phobia

Honorable Mentions: High On Fire, mc chris, Hate Eternal (both times), Troglodyte (2nd time)

Top 10 Concerts

1.
Obituary w/ Unleashed
October 1
Kansas City, MO

2.
Skeletonwitch
February 11
Manhattan, KS

3.
Ben Folds
April 5
Kansas City, MO

4.
Ben Folds
October 22
Kansas City, MO

5.
Origin w/ Misery Index, Abysmal Dawn
August 9
Lawrence, KS

6.
Suicidal Tendencies w/ Terror, Whole Wheat Bread
November 29
Kansas City, MO

7.
Blackest Of The Black 2008 w/ Danzig, Dimmu Borgir, Moonspell, Skeletonwitch
October 31
Kansas City, MO

8.
Wakarusa 2008 w/ The Flaming Lips, Blackalicious, many many more
June 6th
Lawrence, KS

9.
Boris w/ Torche, Lair Of The Minotaur
July 23
Lawrence, KS

10.
Alice Cooper
September 12
Hutchinson, KS

Honorable Mention:

Iced Earth
November 12
Kansas City, MO

Worst Performances

1. Cobra Starship
2. 36 Crazyfists
3. Carnifex
4. Drowning Pool
5. Annotations Of An Autopsy

Top 5 Newsmakers

1. Metallica releasing Death Magnetic
2. Cryptopsy turning to Deathcore
3. Iron Maiden's Somewhere Back In Time Tour
4. Judas Priest/Heaven And Hell Metal Masters Tour
5. Chinese Democracy

Suicidal Tendencies -- Kansas City, MO -- November 29th, 2008

It was a coooold, rainy/snowy Saturday night. KU had won a huge football game earlier in the day (eat it, MU!), but some Suicidal fans packed the Beaumont Club. By the time Suicidal Tendencies got on, it was the second most packed I'd ever seen it. First is Bodom, but this show was way more enjoyable.

Whole Wheat Bread took me back to 2001. They're pop-punk (not such a dirty term) and I'll always have a soft spot for it. They also had some songs which were straight-up hip-hop songs. They were very fun and enjoyable. And they're all BLACK. And they ruled! 7.5/10

Terror, I didn't think I would like. The "hardcore" tag gets thrown around so much that it's acquired bad images when it's heard. But Terror really does embody the old-school hardcore asthetic. Shouted group vocals, goes into hardcore punk speed parts, and it all has a positive message too! The crowd went nutso for them and he gave the crowd the mic several times to sing along. They were great fun and I'll definitely look into their albums now! 8/10

Terror and Whole Wheat Bread must have grown up listening to Suicidal Tendencies, because ST is the perfect combo of Punk, Hardcore, and Thrash Metal. It was magnificent. It was loud and fast. The crowd ate it up. Besides a stupid thing between someone and a security guard, spirits were high all night and everyone was smiling. My personal favorite song of the night was "Send Me Your Money". That bass player sure can play. The new song also sounds sick. Can't wait! SUICIDAL! SUICIDAL! SUICIDAL! 9/10

You Can't Bring Me Down
We Are Family
War Inside My Head
Subliminally
Send Me Your Money
New Song "Come Alive"
Trip At The Brain
Lovely
Cyco Vision
Possessed To Skate
I Saw Your Mommy
How Will I Laugh Tomorrow
---
I Shot Reagan
Pledge Your Allegiance

Suicidal Tendencies - 9/10
Terror - 8/10
Whole Wheat Bread - 7.5/10

Skipping Kansas: Destruction

1 of the big three Teutonic Thrash Metal bands (other 2 are Sodom and Kreator), Destruction is going on a US tour next month, but skipping near us. Closest date is: Mar. 28 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater

Good and Bad 2009 Tours

The Good:

Embryonic Devourment
Lecherous Nocturne
Sol Asunder

March 16 - Kansas City, MO @ The Riot Room


The Bad:

Slipknot
Coheed And Cambria
Trivium

Jan. 24 - Sprint Center - Kansas City, MO

Hate Eternal -- Lawrence, KS -- November 21st, 2008

I'm going to try and keep this clean. Kinda mad about tonight's concert. You can definitely find an unclean version of this review if you look hard enough.

Hate Eternal - 8.5/10
All Shall Perish - 5/10
Animosity - 4/10
Annotations Of An Autopsy - 3/10

AOAA is basically an English version of Waking The Cadaver. Terrible, contains mostly breakdowns, "bree bree" vocals, scene kids love it.

Animosity, to their credit, has alright instrument players, but the vocalist is god-awful. Terribly in the middle between high screams and low growls, but he settles most of the time for bree bree vocals or an almost nu-metal type scream. Scene kids love it.

All Shall Perish, at times, were enjoyable. The guitarists really have some talent and had some nice solos but, once again, it devolved into more breakdown, bree bree garbage. Scene kids love it.

The first, last, and only metal band (aka the only band with true talent that didn't rely on a gimmick) was Hate Eternal. Terrible sound quality at first really didn't stop them and they ended up being awesome, just like back in February. They played Catacombs, which is always good. Erik Rutan really is a metal god and he deserves every ounce of respect he garners.

Hate Eternal:

Hell Envenom
Whom Gods May Destroy
Behold Judas
The Obscure Terror
The Bringer Of Storms
Catacombs
To Know Our Enemies
Powers That Be
I, Monarch
Tombeau
King Of All Kings

Not really going to comment on the crowd aside from the fact that they were terrible. I cannot wait until the "deathcore" fad dies out.

I left before Job For A Cowboy.

Skipping Kansas (for now): Cattle Decapitation

California vegan-deathgrinders Cattle Decapitation (who have actually stopped in and around Kansas City many, many times [including Summer Slaughter 2k7 and Death By Decibels 2k7]) have announced a tour early next year in support of their upcoming album "The Harvest Floor". Although they are skipping Kansas, one has to think there will be more dates or at least another tour: this skips huge markets, such as New York, Chicago, Seattle, etc. So, here's to hoping there's more dates or another tour announced shortly!

Jan. 21 - Santa Barbara, CA - The Jensen Mainstage
Jan. 22 - Bakersfield, CA – Studio 99 (no BOOK OF BLACK EARTH)
Jan. 23 - Berkeley, CA - 924 Gilman Street
Jan. 24 - San Francisco, CA - Thee Parkside
Jan. 25 - Hollywood, CA - Knitting Factory
Jan. 26 - Tempe, AZ - The Sets
Jan. 27 - Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad
Jan. 28 - El Paso, TX - Uncle Paulie's Pub
Jan. 29 - Austin, TX - Red 7
Jan. 30 - San Antonio, TX - White Rabbit
Jan. 31 - Houston, TX - Java Jazz
Feb. 01 - Metairie, LA - The High Ground
Feb. 02 - Pensacola, FL - American Legion Post 33
Feb. 03 - Jacksonville, FL - Fuel Coffeehouse
Feb. 04 - Orlando, FL - Back Booth
Feb. 05 - Tampa, FL - The Orpheum
Feb. 07 - Tallahassee, FL - The Engine Room
Feb. 09 - Little Rock, AR - The Village
Feb. 10 - Dallas, TX - The Lounge on Elm Street
Feb. 11 - Farmington, NM - Gator's
Feb. 12 - Tucson, AZ - The Rock
Feb. 13 - San Marcos, CA - The Jumping Turtle

Support on the shows will come from PSYOPUS, BOOK OF BLACK EARTH and GIGAN.

Possible upcoming tours.

Here's a couple tours that I've heard might be happening next year.



Suffocation and Napalm Death are rumored to be touring next year. Napalm Death is already confirmed for the Maryland Deathfest and both bands have new releases coming next year.

Next up, Mayhem and Marduk are confirmed to Maryland Deathfest as well, and are teaming up for a US tour, supposedly during the Spring of '09.

Iced Earth -- Kansas City, MO -- November 12th, 2008

Just gotta say: Wow.

I walked into the venue (after paying 5 bucks to park?~#$!?@#) as the first local band was playing. I forget their name unfortunately, but they were doing a pretty mean cover of Ace Of Spades. I'd say they sounded kind of like Down: Redneck Metal. Sure.

Troglodyte AKA The best local band in or around Kansas City came out next. Divine Heresy dropped from this bill, so Trog got about 40 minutes and played through what seemed like their entire demo. They also threw in a cover of GG Allin's "Bite It, You Scum" at the end to cap off another fantastic, even longer this time, set of deathgrind. I will always look forward to Trog. 8/10

Early Man was a bit disappointing at first, but they pretty much saved themselves once they kicked in the speed and forgot about the "stoner" part of their stoner/thrash. I think their sound is basically a mash-up of Overkill and Megadeth with the same solos but sometimes half the speed. One of their roadies had a shirt on of the band The Sword. That's pretty much what Early Man was, with more thrash elements. 7/10

Iced Earth. Wow. It's all I can really say. I've never really listened to them before, but I'll start now. Matt Barlow was spot on and hit notes I didn't even know existed. The sound was great and the solos were insane. More often than not, the crowd drowned out the band in most of their songs. It was such a fun crowd to be in. Every single song was just made for headbanging and singing along with. The crowd was very loud for such a small attendance, but we made sure that Iced Earth knew they were welcome. And I'm eager for them to return. 9/10

In Sacred Flames (intro)
Behold The Wicked Child
Invasion (intro)
The Motivation Of Man
Setian Massacre
Burning Times
Declaration Day
Vengeance Is Mine
Ten Thousand Strong
Stormrider
Pure Evil
Watching Over Me
Coming Curse
Dracula
High Water Mark
--
Melancholy
My Own Savior
Iced Earth

Troglodyte:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v115/mankvill/Camera/Iced%20Earth/IcedEarth020.jpg
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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v115/mankvill/Camera/Iced%20Earth/IcedEarth024.jpg

Early Man
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v115/mankvill/Camera/Iced%20Earth/IcedEarth026.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v115/mankvill/Camera/Iced%20Earth/IcedEarth025.jpg

Iced Earth
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v115/mankvill/Camera/Iced%20Earth/IcedEarth027.jpg
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Maiden: Good News And Bad News

Good News:

Iron Maiden announced their last leg for the Somewhere Back In Time tour! Hooray!

Bad News:

Paul Di'Anno's US Tour has been postponed until 2009. Aww.

Skipping Kansas: Paul Di'Anno

The original voice of Iron Maiden is touring. Closest date seems like Colorado.

Nov. 28 - Springfield, VA @ Jaxx
Nov. 29 - Springfield, VA @ Jaxx
Nov. 30 - Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony
Dec. 03 - Farmingdale, NY @ Crazy Donkey
Dec. 04 - Yonkers, NY @ The Haunt
Dec. 05 - Clifton, NJ @ Dingbatz
Dec. 06 - Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Chance
Dec. 07 - Toronto, Ontario @ Kathedral
Dec. 09 - Cleveland, OH @ Jigsaw Saloon
Dec. 11 - Mt. Clemens, MI @ Emerald Theater
Dec. 13 - Murfeesboro, NC @ Zakks
Dec. 14 - Raleigh, NC @ Volume 11
Dec. 19 - El Paso, TX @ Uncle Paulies Pub
Dec. 20 - San Antonio, TX @ Roadhouse Pavilion
Dec. 26 - San Juan Capistrano, CA @ Coach House
Dec. 27 - Redondo Beach, CA @ Brixton
Jan. 02 - San Marcos, CA @ Jumping Turtle
Jan. 03 - West Hollywood, CA @ Key Club
Jan. 08 - Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater
Jan. 09 - Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
Jan. 12 - Aurora, CO @ Iliff Park Saloon
Jan. 16 - St. Petersburg, FL @ The Garage

#1 American Metal Fest: Maryland Deathfest

Blackest Of The Black -- Kansas City, MO -- October 31st, 2008

Skeletonwitch:

1) Upon Wings of Black
2) East Into The Open Sea
3) Sacrifice for the Slaughtergod
4) Beyond the Permafrost
5) Soul Thrashing Black Sorcery
6) Within My Blood

9.5/10

Winds Of Plague:

1) A Cold Day In Hell
2) Anthems of the Apocalypse
3) Angels of Debauchery
4) Origins and Endings
5) Decimate the Weak
6) The Impaler

3/10

Moonspell:

I know they played Night Eternal and ended with Full Moon Madness. Probably the same as other dates.

9/10

Dimmu Borgir:

Songs I remember:

The Serpentine Offering
Spellbound (By The Devil)
Mourning Palace (ended with this)
Kings Of The Carnival Creation
Puritania
Progenies Of The Great Apocalypse
The Sacreligious Scorn
and then that one song where Shaggrath sings in a robot voice and counts down in the beginning

7.5/10

Danzig:

I'm almost positive it's the same as the other lists:


1. Wotan’s Procession/Skin Carver
2. Twist of Cain
3. Am I Demon
4. Tired of Being Alive
5. Her Black Wings
6. Devil’s Plaything
7. Left Hand Black
8. How The God’s Kill
9. Brand New God
10. Satan’s Crucifiction
11. Black Mass
12. Lilin
13. Black Angel, White Angel
14. Mother
------
15. ???
16. She Rides
17. Dirty Black Summer

8/10

Notes:

1. Skeletonwitch was fantastic and Moonspell was the second best band of the day.
2. Winds of Plague was terrible.
3. Dimmu Borgir got kind of boring. I'll take my black metal Dark Funeral style.
4. Danzig is a helluva performer. I really enjoyed him

HALLOWEEN HIJINKS:

The whole crew behind the scenes had on corpsepaint. When Winds Of Plague played, they dressed up. The vocalist and one of the guitar players had on corpsepaint, and then it hit me. They were dressed up as black metal people! The vocalist had corpsepaint exactly like Gaahl's and the guitar player was Abbath. I wanna say that the bass player was Maniac, but i'm not sure. The keyboard chick was in a nun costume.

On the other hand, Dimmu did NOT play with corpsepaint!

And, is it just me, or do black metal guys have REALLY huge foreheads when not wearing their paint?

Merch purchased:

Skeletonwitch shirt
Skeletonwitch patch
Skeletonwitch sticker
Skeletonwitch button

good concert.

Skipping Kansas: Enslaved

I'll start the "Skipping Kansas" posts from now on. As many know, Kansas gets gipped on a lot of good tours: Iron Maiden, Watain, Summer Slaughter, etc. It sucks, but it happens.

Here's the latest tour to skip Kansas:

Enslaved
Keep Of Kalessin
Swallow The Sun

Closest Date: May 2 - St. Paul, MN @ Station 4

Full dates: here

FULL New Slayer Song

Enjoy!

Metallica -- Kansas City, MO -- October 25th, 2008

What a great concert for my first arena show! I arrived very early, About an hour and 15 minutes before doors at 6:00 PM but there was already a large line and lots of people going in. I got to my second-level seat around. 6:15. One thing about the Sprint Center that took me by surprise: It's a lot smaller than I thought it would be! It only holds around 15,000 people, but my second-level seat was absolutely perfect. I had a clear view of the stage and it was great! Another great thing about this show: The bands started right on time.

The Sword came on right at 7:00 PM. Some of the people commented on how quiet it was. They were definitely loud enough, but a lot quieter than I expected. A good show overall, though. Took around the middle of the first song with vocals to get the lead guitarists voice to be heard. At several points during their set, I thought to myself "It sounds like High On Fire playing Black Sabbath with Karl Sanders writing the music". Not sure if it accurately represents the band, but they were pretty good. The crowd got into them during "Freya", apparently from its appearance on Guitar Hero 2. They'd be way more awesome at a smaller venue, however. Pretty heavy.

?? (Maybe The Sundering or Celestial crown)
?? (Maybe The Forest Giant's Daughter or Barael's Blade)
Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyrians
The Black River
Freya
Iron Swan

7.5/10

Down came on at about 7:40 and lots of people around me really wanted to see them. I wasn't looking forward to them: Never liked Pantera and I thought they'd be really slow. They were heavy, but never slow! Phil Anselmo really worked the crowd during the songs, including actually throwing the mic into the crowd while he fooled around with something else! All the band worked all sides of the stage, and people went crazy whenever Mr. Anselmo came over to them. My favorite song of them would've had to be "N.O.D.". Very awesome, but once again, I think they'd be better in a smaller environment. Perhaps Ozzfest 2009?

??
The Path
Phil introduced himself and a bassist for being in Pantera, dedicated the song to Dimebag, then played one? I dunno if it was a Pantera song or what, but it sounded like he said "Standing by myself" a lot.
Beneath The Tides
N.O.D.
A song where he said "Bleed My Eyes" or something a lot
Bury Me In Smoke

8/10

Right at 9:00, the lights went down and The Ecstasy Of Gold came over the PA. People went insane, and the entire Sprint Center lit up with lighters and cell phone lights. After Ecstasy, a recorded version of the intro to "That Was Just Your Life" started to play and the band took the stage in darkness, kicking in along with the song at the right time. Metallica also worked the stage very well, moving back and forth across the stage, playing to everyone. During several songs, the four giant casket-shaped lighting fixtures hanging above the stage would slowly lower themselves closer to the stage and twist and contort themselves before retreating back to the ceiling again. The show also made use of laser light shows (That Was Just Your Life, Enter Sandman) and Pyro (One, Fight Fire With Fire). There wasn't a whole lot of banter to the crowd, but that's fine. Made room for more songs. The band played 18 songs within two hours, and threw in some surprises and treats, such as Ride The Lightning and Fight Fire With Fire. By the end of the night, they brought up the house lights and unleashed tons of inflatable "Metallica" balls on the crowd for "Seek And Destroy". Afterwards, they spent a long time throwing things to the crowd and thanking them. One can only hope they come back soon with something even better.

That Was Just Your Life
The End Of The Line
Harvester Of Sorrow
Ride The Lightning
One
Broken, Beat And Scarred
Cyanide
Sad But True
Until It Sleeps
Wherever I May Roam
The Day That Never Comes
Master Of Puppets
Fight Fire With Fire
Nothing Else Matters
Enter Sandman
- - - - - - - -
Last Caress
Motorbreath
Seek and Destroy

9/10

NEW SLAYER NEW SLAYER NEW SLAYER NEW SLAYER NEW SLAYER NEW SLAYER

Kind of.

Can't Wait.

Better Metallica setlist.

Here's their set from last night in New Mexico:

01. That Was Just Your Life
02. The End Of The Line
03. Creeping Death
04. For Whom The Bell Tolls
05. One
06. Broken, Beat And Scarred
07. Cyanide
08. Sad But True
09. Until It Sleeps
10. No Remorse
11. The Day That Never Comes
12. Master Of Puppets
13. Blackened
14. Nothing Else Matters
15. Enter Sandman
- - - - - - - -
16. Die, Die My Darling
17. Stone Cold Crazy
18. Seek and Destroy

If we get Creeping Death tomorrow in KC, I might pee.

Ben Folds -- October 22, 2008 -- Kansas City, MO

2 hours and 27 songs later, Ben Folds left another mark on the Kansas music scene. His second performance in Kansas City this year was opened by Australia pop-artist Missy Higgins. Her music more than once dipped into semi-country and sometimes reminded me of a female Johnny Cash. She multi-tasked: she played the acoustic guitar on some songs, the piano on others. Her guitar came through clear the entire time, but the keyboard seemed a bit muted at times. Missy's accent made her songs that more memorable, and the crowd was very receptive. She played her songs for 45 minutes and then made way for the real reason everyone was there that night.

Set included:

Going North
Ten Days
Scar
The Sound Of White

8/10

An ominous recording of a chant came over the speakers for what seemed like an eternity, but finally, Mr. Folds & Co., which included two more instrumentalists aside from the bassist and drummer, took the darkened stage. They opened with the fake song, Way To Normal. Explanation: A couple weeks before Ben Folds' latest album, Way To Normal, was released, he released a “leaked” version. This version had all songs with the same title on the actual CD, but different song. Except the song Way To Normal, which stayed on the fake album, even though the real album still retains the title. Confused yet? Don't worry, Mr. Folds explained it thoroughly to the crowd throughout the night. The main set was loaded with every song from the new album except for Errant Dog, and almost every song except Brainwascht had its fake version played as well. A couple oldies were thrown in as well, but the new songs are poised to be classic Ben Folds staples. The piano did seem a little muted late into the set and the bass way too powerful, but it was quickly remedied. Also: The crowd ate everything up the musicians on-stage threw at them. And we loved it. The first encore included a very rare Ben Folds Five song, Fair, and the should-be new closer to concerts, the fake version of The Frown Song. A man wearing a giant sad face mask joined Ben on stage while he sang how music “has the power” to change the world. Of course, the crowd wanted more, so Ben came back once more for the crowd-interacting epic “Not The Same”. This was my fourth time seeing Ben Folds, second this year, and the man continually out-does himself each time. Can't wait until he comes back.

Highlights: The Frown Song, Fair, Brainwascht, The Frown Song (fake)


He keeps getting better each time I see him!

Way To Normal (fake)
Effington
You Don't Know Me (feat. Missy Higgins)
Gone
Brainwascht
Doctor Yang (fake)
Doctor Yang
Annie Waits
Pre-Cologne/Cologne
The Frown Song
Bitch Went Nuts
Landed
Kylie From Connecticut
Free Coffee
Free Coffee (fake)
Hiroshima (B-B-B-Benny Hit His Head)
Zak And Sara
Bitch Went Nuts (fake)
encore:
Fair
Still Fighting It
Philosophy (Inc. Misirlou & Dr. Pyser)
Kate
Rockin' The Suburbs
Underground
Army
The Frown Song (fake)
Not The Same

10/10

Mandatory Metallica -- Oct. 21, 2008

Sorry for the lack of MM updates. I'll do them a lot more often now!

Until It Sleeps
Suicide & Redemption
Battery

Didn't catch the first of Until It Sleeps, but man, I'm glad. If it was anything like the rest of the song, it was bad. Hetfield's vocals are pretty bad, but what is really bad here are the guitars. This song basically proves that Metallica and be a alt. rock band! Pass.

Suicide & Redemption is one of the 2 songs off of Death Magnetic that I honestly don't care for. Yeah, it's another instrumental track like the first records, but it really doesn't serve any purpose. Once again, until the halfway decent solo, it's just Metallica once again proving they can be a hard rock band. No metal in sight.

But really, can I stay mad at this nights Mandatory Metallica when the first Metallica song I fell in love with is on?! Battery is the song that got me into Metallica and had me start listening to the Mandatory Metallica program. Everything about it is fantastic. I dunno what else to tell ya.

Hopefully they throw it in the setlist as a surprise on Saturday!

Exodus One-Off show!

Kreator announced a fantastic tour with Exodus, Belphegor, Warbringer and Epicurean. It doesn't make a stop in Kansas or Missouri, but Exodus is doing a one-off show at The Riot Room on March 31st. Warbringer is stated as support, but no word on whether Belphegor or Epicurean are as well.

Remember: The Riot Room is a 21+ venue, so get those Fake ID's ready!

Full Exodus off-dates here.

NOT METAL: Ben Folds

Hopefully, you're one of the few that got tickets in time for tomorrow's Ben Folds performance, because it is sold out according to the Uptown Theater's website. Opening act is Missy Higgins. To read my review of his show at UMKC back in April, click here.

Potential Metallica US Setlist?

From Blabbermouth

01. That Was Just Your Life
02. The End Of The Line
03. Harvester Of Sorrow
04. Wherever I May Roam
05. One
06. Broken, Beat And Scarred
07. Cyanide
08. Frantic
09. Until It Sleeps
10. The Four Horsemen
11. The Day That Never Comes
12. Master Of Puppets
13. Fight Fire With Fire
14. Nothing Else Matters
15. Enter Sandman
- - - - - - - -
16. Last Caress
17. Blitzkrieg
18. Seek And Destroy

Can't say this is the strongest setlist they could be doing, but I'll take what I can get.

No Frantic or Until It Sleeps in Kansas City please.

Note about Blackest Of The Black

The Blackest Of The Black tour, featuring Danzig, Dimmu Borgir, Moonspell, Winds of Plague, and Skeletonwitch, will be at the Uptown Theater on Halloween. There have been numerous reports that there is a STRICT NO CAMERA POLICY and they WILL kick you out if you take a picture. Even with camera phones.

Leave the cameras at home and the phone in the pocket!

ARRR! AVAST, YE MATEYS!

The most ale-swingin' tour of 2009 is coming to KC in March!

TÝR
ALESTORM
SUIDAKRA

They'll be at the Riot Room (21+ unfortunately) on March 18th. Full dates here.

On a semi-unrelated note:

Remember how Iced Earth is coming here? KC's best local band Troglodyte will be opening. BE THERE ON NOVEMBER 12TH!

Epic! Iced Earth is coming!

Pretty good news to all you power and heavy metal fans: Iced Earth is coming to the Beaumont!

Nov. 12 - Beaumont Music Hall - Kansas City, Missouri

Support is from Divine Heresy and Early Man.

Obituary -- Kansas City, MO -- October 1st, 2008

The concert took place on Wednesday, Oct. 1 at The Beaumont Club in Kansas City, MO. I arrived early, so I caught all the bands, including the warm-up local bands. The first band to perform was the band At The Left Hand Of God. They were a generic death metal/metalcore band that employed use of a keyboards on certain songs, but they were certainly entertaining. Their guitarists really had talent that was being held back. Overall, they were a nice opening band. A couple of breakdowns, but not in a bad way really. Couldn't hear the keyboard very well, but I suppose that was a good thing.

Next was the local band Troglodyte. They came out on stage wearing masks (like Slipknot) and to a pre-recorded beginning. I feared the worst. However, they played straight up death metal. It was fantastic! They might want to lose the mask shtick, but the music is great. The guitarist actually broke a string on one of their songs which actually cut their set time down a bit. It was a shame, because Troglodyte is the best local band I've ever heard.

The first of the big bands up was Carnifex. I'm not sure why Carnifex is on this tour, as they play straight-up deathcore. Every song sounds the same with chugging breakdowns and...well, every song was basically one long breakdown. Of course, half of the crowd there loved it. Hardcore dancing ensued, a (pathetic) moshpit and lots of group vocals. Completely mediocre, cookie-cutter, by the books deathcore. Nothing special, Carnifex was the only downfall to the night. Of course, after they finished up, most of the crowd left. Good for the actual metal fans, it made for an extremely more intimate show with two of death metal's most important bands!

The world's first death metal band to sing about pagan/viking mythology, Unleashed, was up next. I was extremely close for their set and one thing stood out immediately: the sound was fantastic. Every death metal band I had seen up to that point has music mixes that took a while to get accustomed to but for Unleashed, every instrument came through very clearly and the vocals were all understandable. Unleashed is a party band, there's no way around that. They replayed several sections of songs to have the crowd sing along. And you can't help but go crazy for their amazing technical solos. At the end of their song “Hammer Batallion” they changed the lyrics “Hammer Batallion, Unleashed!” to “Hammer Batallion, Kansas!” it was goofy, it was metal, and it was fun. They gave us an encore as well, which they didn't do on earlier dates. I guess they really liked us!

But, really, how can the son compete when the father is in town? One of the pioneering death metal bands with arguably the best vocalist in the business. The addition of death metal guitarist legen Ralph Santolla only made things that much better. I was right up against the stage, smack dab in the middle. John Tardy, the vocalist, was inches away from me and Ralph Santolla nearly hit me on the head during his solos. The excellent sound was still intact from Unleashed, and it made for one of the most memorable music performances ever for me. The band joked around with each other on stage, letting other members say stuff into the mics, goof around with each other's instruments, and whatnot. They were full of energy throughout the entire night, but the real treat came a few songs in. I had explained to my friend that they had a Celtic Frost cover on their new EP. Obituary played it. They played Dethroned Emperor by Celtic Frost and really made it their own song. It was the highlight of the night for me. Not even classics like Chopped In Half or Find The Arise could top it. Pure bliss. After a blistering encore of the death metal classic “Slowly We Rot”, I shook every member's hand and called it a night. Best death metal performances I've ever seen by far.

Obituary: 10/10
Unleashed: 10/10
Carnifex: 3/10
Troglodyte: 8/10
At The Left Hand Of God: 7.5/10

Obituary (out of order, partial)

Find The Arise
Chopped In Half
Turned Inside Out
Redneck Stomp
Evil Ways
Drop Dead
a new one off their new EP, I think it was "Left to Die"
Dethroned Emperor (Celtic Frost cover)
Guitar/Drum solos
A song where John Tardy helped out the drummer on the drums in the beginning.
Slowly We Rot

Unleashed


1. Intro
2. To Asgard We Fly
3. Never Ending Hate
4. Your Children Will Burn
5. This Is Our World Now
6. Black Horizon
7. Midvinterblot
8. Death Metal Victory
9. Into Glory Ride
10. Hammer Battalion

We got another after Hammer Battalion, I think it was from the first CD. I wanna sayyyy...Before The Creation Of Time? Not sure, though.

Carnifex (partial/out of order)

Lie to My Face

who gives a shit, they sucked

Trogoldyte (partial/out of order)

Don't Go Into The Woods...(cut short, guitarist broke a string )
some other stuff, don't remember, but they were fantastic

Pictures:

At The Left Hand Of God

#1
#2
#3
#4

Troglodyte

#1
#2
#3

Carnifex

#1
#2
#3

Unleashed

#1
#2
#3
#4
Happy Viking AKA #5
#6

Obituary

#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
Best tattoos ever AKA #7
#8
#9
#10

Children of Bodom -- Kansas City, MO -- September 27th, 2008

I don't feel like writing up a huge review, so I'll just kind BS it right here:

BTBAM: I thought they were going to be good, but they were mediocre. I guess I was expecting like...I guess maybe Dillinger Escape Plan-esque crazy tempo changes and stuff? But, no, just metalcore. No terribly breakdowns like, say, Unearth or anything like that, but just nothing stood out about them. 6/10

BDM: Always put on a good show and tonight was no different. Their vocalist cracks me up, he always has a huge grin on his face. He's so happy! He ends every song the same way. Music cuts out, "FUCK YEAH!" They're fun. 7/10

Bodom: Best band of the night, they were really fun to listen to! The solos sounded fantastic live and that keyboard is awesome! Alexi Laiho is really awesome at what he does and every song, give for "Blooddrunk", was really engaging and powerful. No encores with silly jam songs, but that's okay. Bed of Razors was the highlight. 8/10

The Crowd: A lot of hardcore dancers during BTBAM but they were the "pick up the change" kind. During BTBAM there was a huge lack of devil horns too, which was weird. Everyone did rap hands during the breakdown-esque parts of BTBAM and Black Dahlia for some reason. During Black Dahlia, there were less hardcore dancers but they were the fucking most annoying I've ever seen. They would stand on the sides and, like, fucking do this stupid ass move to wait until the pit died down so they could go in. Like...the move was...okay, put your hands out in front of you like you're riding a motorcycle. Doing it? Okay, now act like you're revving the gas, and while doing that, imagine if a gangster was doing it. That's what they were doing. I was so fucking pissed off at them. People picked up on their faggotry and just kept running into them whenever they tried to do anything so they just left after BDM. In fact, about half the people there left after them. But then a bunch came in just for Bodom, so it evened out.

Children Of Bodom:

Follow the Reaper
Smile Pretty for the Devil
Silent Night, Bodom Night
Living Dead Beat
Hellhounds on My Trail
Sixpounder
Blooddrunk I did not really like this song
Angels Don't Kill
Children of Decadence -> Chokehold (Cocked 'n Loaded)
Hate Me!
Bed of Razors Probably the best song of the night
In Your Face Extremely fun
Hate Crew Deathroll
Downfall

The Black Dahlia Murder (partial):

What A Horrible Night to Have A Curse
A Vulgar Picture
Statutory Ape
I Worship Only What You Bleed
Everything Went Black

Between The Buried and Me:

Foam Born B: The Decade of Statues The only song I knew by them
All Bodies
Prequel To The Sequel
White Walls Part of this was very good

Soulfly and Suicidal Tendencies are comin' up

A pair of upcoming concerts:

"JumpDaFukkUp" thrash metal/nu-metal group Soulfly will be at the Beaumont Club on November 23rd with Incite and local metal band Hammerlord.




Seminal thrash/skatepunk band Suicidal Tendencies will be at The Beaumont Club on November 28th (That's the day before GWAR at the same venue). Also appearing will be Terror and Whole Wheat Bread.

Impaled -- Lawrence, KS -- September 15th, 2008

Impaled – Lawrence, KS – September 15th, 2008

The concert took place at The Jackpot in Lawrence, KS on a chilly school night. The first band, playing to a barely filled bar, was Maruta. Maruta is certainly different, seeing as the only members were the vocalist, guitarist, and drummer. No bass player for this grindcore outfit. They ripped through their set but the crowd was unresponsive. Maruta definitely had hardcore influences and incorporated a bit of breakdowns into their music, and the crowd were metal purists tonight. There was absolute silence in between Maruta songs. All in all, though, they accomplished warming up the crowd and kicked off the night to a not-so-bad start.

The second band was Illogicist from Italy. Illogicist absolutely blew me away. The mix was perfect and you could hear each instrument perfectly. Their style of music was Progressive Technical Death Metal. Jaw-dropping talent and solos combined with unexpected tempo changes and odd time signatures made for an outstanding experience to bang your head to, even if the headbanging wasn't always on the beat. Illogicist stole the show.

After that was the beginning of some well-received grindcore. By this time, the Jackpot was packed and the mosh pit was in full force. The band next on the bill was Dallas' “Kill The Client” and they did good ol' fashioned grindcore. The vocalist even went off the stage and into the pit (kind of surprising, the pit was particularly crazy) and did some songs. He called that “doing it house-show style”. No guitar solos from Kill The Client, but they didn't need them. Full of aggression and fueled by the craziness of the pit, they tore through their set and left no head un-banged.

The co-headliner Phobia took the stage and offered up more traditional grindcore songs. A handful of songs lasted no more than a few seconds. Most rarely lasted past the minute mark, but the crowd absolutely loved it. The band had the packed bar eating out of their hands. Some would scream the words into the microphones, some would stage dive and hit the floor, only to get right back up and try it again, and some would put their arms around each other and declare war on every other member of the pit, all the while with huge grins on their faces. With song titles such as “Death To False Punks”, “Beers, Bitches, and Bullet Belts” and “Let's Get Pissed” no one took Phobia seriously which made for more reasons to have fun and headbang.

By the time the headliners Impaled took the stage, there were only about 50 people left in the Jackpot. It was about 11:30 on a Monday night, so I expected as much. Decked out in matching uniforms and washed in the red of Christmas lights and flashing lights, Impaled began their set. The mixing for them was sub-par, though. For some songs, the two-guitarists and the bass blended together and the high-pitched vocalist just sounded like static. The low-guttural vocalist (who was also in Phobia) sounded great all night long, however. Playing intro's to songs via an iPod just resulted in what sounded like more garbled static over the sound system. Impaled deserves a bigger venue and a better sound system. Still, they made due with what they had and gave what they called “the true underground metal warriors” a great set of grind-influenced death metal and humorous medical overtones: “We all know school is important, we did go to school for twelve years”. They ended the night with a particularly crushing performance of their classic “Operating Theater” to end a great night of metal. I just wish it could have been at a place with a better sound system.

Alice Cooper -- Hutchinson, KS -- September 12th, 2008

Alice Cooper – Hutchinson, KS – September 12th, 2008

Alice Cooper might seem as an odd choice for the Kansas State Fair, but it was probably the best outdoor performance that I've ever seen. The venue was a grandstand facing a large, muddy racetrack but, for the fair, had a stage erected in front of it. The seats were bleachers which made it cramped for sitting, but there wasn't any of that as soon as Alice started. The stage was ridiculously close to the front row of bleachers, Alice had no problem interacting with everyone close to him. The rain thankfully let up half an hour before the show started and kept away the rest of the night. It was perfect conditions for a magnificent performance from legendary Alice Cooper.

First and foremost, Alice Cooper is a performer. Whether stabbing a look-alike before his opening song “It's Hot Tonight”, impaling a baby doll on a stake during “Dead Babies” or wearing a top hat and throwing fake money to the crowd while playing “Billion Dollar Babies”, Cooper and his band were always entertaining. And when it's that good, you can't help but sing along. He played a twenty-five song set and each song sounded fantastic. The mixing was impeccable for an outdoor venue. Time has certainly passed since he wrote the songs because gone are the electric twanging of 1970's guitars and now all his songs are heavier and louder, and for the most part, really add a lot of positive aspects to the music. Other things have changed as well: Alice Cooper still has his distinctive tone that goes well with his style of music but he can't hit too many of the higher notes now. Luckily, both his guitar players and bassist do the back-up vocals and they make up for it. Included in the show were guitar, bass, and drum solos. Every member of this band is ridiculously talented and the crowd, who I though was going to be a very conservative crowd (since it's a family fair and all), were eating out of Alice's hand all night long. Extremely wonderful concert.

It's Hot Tonight > No More Mr. Nice Guy
Under My Wheels
I'm Eighteen
Is It My Body
Woman Of Mass Distraction
Lost In America
Feed My Frankenstein
Acoustic Guitar Solo > (In Touch With) Your Feminine Side
Dirty Diamonds
Vengeance Is Mine
Halo Of Flies > Bass Solo > Drum Solo > Instrumental Jam
Welcome To My Nightmare > Cold Ethyl
Only Women Bleed > Steven
Dead Babies > Ballad Of Dwight Fry > I Love The Dead
School's Out
---
Billion Dollar Babies
Poison
Elected

Soilwork does a real concert tour.

It's not common these days to see a band play in almost every state possible while on a tour. Most tours consist of twenty or so dates with 3 dates in Texas and 3 in California and, for the most part, skip entirely over the Midwest. THANKS IRON MAIDEN!

But not the new Soilwork tour next year!

The lineup is:
Soilwork
Darkane
Warbringer
Swallow The Sun

The support bands are all fantastic and I've heard good stuff about Soilwork live. Mark this one down as a "Yes"!

They'll be at the Beaumont Club on March 12 and full dates can be found here.

Mandatory Metallica -- September 8th, 2008

Hero Of The Day
That Was Just Your Life
(Anesthesia)--Pulling Teeth/Whiplash

Hero Of The Day would be better, I think, had it been written by a different band. James' vocals are TERRIBLE in this song. Probably the worst I've ever heard. Ugh.

The first song off of Death Magnetic, That Was Just Your Life is an alright song, although I think it could've been better. I like albums that open with a bang, and this one wasn't that good in the beginning. Great solo, though.

I had no idea wtf was going on when (Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth started. I seriously didn't think it was Metallica at first; not until it went into Whiplash. I could've done without it. However, Whiplash is awesome. The solo on this song is insane! One of my favorite Metallica solos so far!

Mandatory Metallica -- September 3rd, 2008

Until It Sleeps

Cyandie (Live)

Eye Of The Beholder

Only heard a little bit of Until It Sleeps but I could tell I didn't like it. I listened to the whole thing and it's just another slowish song. Not cool for a thrash band, damnit!

Cyanide is from Death Magnetic and it sounds fantastic live and in the studio (that version is on Metallica's site). I really love the Bass part before it kicks in. And the lyrics are good stuff, too. James founds fantastic on it. A+

I've heard Eye of the Beholder before and I think it's my favorite song off of AJFA right behind One. Great everything about it. Got a great beat.

IN OTHER NEWS:

Metallica tickets go on sale next saturday (the 13th) but you can get them now for about $112 at www.989therock.com which includes a floor seat, Death Magnetic and a download of the KC show after it's done. Too much for me, but some might like it!

Metallica will be here Oct. 25

GWAR: Keeping Dry-Cleaners in business for over 20 years!

Infamous Blood/Semen/Party/Gore/Whatever metal band GWAR is coming back to Kansas City after the successful Viva La Bands tour last year (or so). Joining them will be Hatebreed Frontman's new project with Crowbar member Steve Gibb, Kingdom of Sorrow, and Portland's blackened thrash masters Toxic Holocaust.

November 30
Beaumont Club

Mandatory Metallica -- August 26th, 2008

Of Wolf And Man
Last Caress/Green Hell
One

Of Wolf And Man is really good. Might be my second favorite song off of The Black Album, right after Enter Sandman. Vocals are great too.

Last Caress is such a great song when Metallica does it, but I think I prefer the Misfits version. It's all good, though. Green Hell is way faster and more "metal" to me. Good cover!

One is probably the only Metallica song that I listened to a lot before I started listening to Mandatory Metallica. The solo's here are blistering! So awesome.

Another new one from Metallica

Another new one: My Apocalypse, the last song on the album. thanks, blabbermouth!

[URL="mms://wm.elektra.com/metallica/metallica_com/2008/de/My_Apocalypse.wma"]Windows Media[/URL]

[URL="rtsp://rm.elektra.com/metallica/metallica_com/2008/de/My_Apocalypse.rm"]Real Media[/URL]

[URL="rtsp://rm.elektra.com/metallica/metallica_com/2008/de/My_Apocalypse.mov"]Quicktime[/URL]

also: Skeletonwitch got canceled this upcoming Thursday at the Riot Room. :( Sucks. You'll have to catch them at Uptown Theater on Halloween opening Danzig's Blackest of the Black tour.

Metallica's new single is here

Metallica has released the single "The Day That Never Comes" today.

Windows Media

Real Player

Myspace

Pillage the Village!

This right here, kids, is going to be a hell of a show. I've seen Necrophagist twice and Dying Fetus and BtM once, and they all put on a fantastic show. Too bad I won't be here. :( School nights and 3 hour drives don't mix well. Someone go to this for me!

Full dates for those who can't read 'em:

8/26/08 @ "Studio Seven" - Seattle, WA
8/27/08 @ "Rock N Roll Pizza" - Portland, OR
8/28/08 @ "The Venue" - Boise, ID
8/29/08 @ "Club Boom Va" - Ogden, UT
8/30/08 @ "Black Sheep" - Colorado Springs, CO
8/31/08 @ "Club Oz" - Wichita, KS
9/01/08 @ "Rockstar Nightclub" - St Louis, MO
9/02/08 @ "Headliners" - Louisville, KY
9/04/08 @ "The Penny Arcade" - Rochester, NY
9/05/08 @ "The Palladium" - Worcester, MA (w/ Carcass, Suffocation, 1349, Aborted)
9/06/08 @ "Nokia Theatre" - New York, NY (w/ Carcass, Suffocation, 1349, Aborted)
9/07/08 @ "Steppin Out" - Virginia Beach, VA
9/08/08 @ "Lincoln Theatre" - Raleigh, NC
9/09/08 @ "Starland Ballroom" - Sayreville, NJ (w/ Carcass, Suffocation, 1349, Aborted)
9/10/08 @ "Northern Lights" - Albany, NY
9/13/08 @ "Jannus Landing" - St. Petersburg, FL (w/ Carcass, Suffocation, 1349, Aborted)

And here's their tasty set from a couple days ago:

Stabwound
Only Ash Remains
Intestinal Incubation
Epitaph
Diminished to B
Foul Body Autopsy
To Breathe in a Casket
Extreme Unction
Ignominious and Pale
The Stillborn One
Fermented Offal Discharge

Mandatory Metallica -- August 20th, 2008

Don't Tread On Me
The Wait
Phantom Lord

Kind of a weird beginning, Don't Tread On Me went into being easily recognizable from The Black Album. The lyrics to me are kind of...stupid. But everything else is the norm for the Black Album. So it's okay.

What in the hell are up with these vocals! This is a Killing Joke cover and I've never heard them before. Eh, this is a lame song. That's all I'm gonna say about that.

Woo! Old, fast Metallica. Well, faster. Anyway, the opening riff kind of reminded me of Municipal Waste for some reason. It's definitely not the fastest on Kill 'Em All, but it'll do. It's another by the books thrash song from Metallica. It's okay.

Mandatory Metallica -- August 19th, 2008

Jump In The Fire
Remember Tomorrow
Damage Inc.

When Jump In The Fire started, I assumed it was from Garage Inc. because it sounded like nothing I had ever heard before. It's on Kill 'Em All which is gettting better and better. Great song.

Remember Tomorrow is the Iron Maiden cover that I've already heard on Mandatory Metallica before, but I'm so glad I got to hear it again. Love this song so much, better than the original! Mwahahaha.


Good God! The beginning of Damage Inc. made me think it was from Load or something, but I was damn wrong. This is one of the best Metallica songs i've heard and definitely the most brutal I've ever heard.

Mandatory Metallica -- August 18th, 2008

Sad But True
Hit The Lights
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)

Sad But True was, when I first heard it, one of those songs that I knew of when I heard it, but never what it was called or who performed it. I kinda had the same thing with Raining Blood with that opening riff. This, while not a fantastic Metallica song, is just a fun one and I can imagine headbanging to this in concert.

AUGH! I'm a sucker for this intro. I love stuff that builds up to a rockin' speedy song. Woah, James is screaming in this song. I don't think I've evver heard him do it that much! But, damn, this is so good! Barely sounds like Metallica at all, especially those solos.

Ehhh...I don't like slow songs like these from Metallica usually. Meh, that backing guitar gets really annoying to me. And James' vocals. That's about it for this song.

Mandatory Metallica -- August 15th, 2008

Seek And Destroy
The God Who Failed
Dyer's Eve

Seek And Destroy: Classic and my favorite song off of Kill 'Em All. Can't really say much more. Horns up!

The God Who Failed isn't a thrash song, but for The Black Album, it's one of the better ones, I think. A fun song to me.

Dyer's Eve is awesome! Just everything about it is really brutal and awesome. Absolutely loved it.

Really tired, so short post. :P

Best Class Ever

Today is my first day of class and in my Music Listening class, we're required to go to 4 concerts and one more for extra credit. Credit is given based on a report of them.

Expect more in-depth than usual reports for:

Alice Cooper (Sept. 12)
Impaled (Sept. 15)
Obituary (Oct. 1)
Ben Folds (Oct. 22)
Danzig (Oct. 31) (although this one will probably be more about Skeletonwitch)

I may switch out Danzig for Metallica.

The Metal Gods Must Be Punishing Erik Rutan

Not in a terribly bad way, but bad enough. New US tour feat.:

Job For A Cowboy
Hate Eternal
All Shall Perish
Animosity
Annotations Of An Autopsy

At the Bottleneck on Nov. 21.

Full dates here.

Erik, make another killer Hate Eternal record and maybe you'll get your own headlining tour instead of opening for a deathcore band!

Mandatory Metallica -- August 13th, 2008

Through The Never
Whiskey In The Jar
Blackened


Through The Never isn't too bad. I can definitely it belongs on The Black Album. I kinda like the Black Album more than most people. A lot of the songs are pretty catchy, and this is no different. Not too bad!

Originally by Thin Lizzy, Whiskey In The Jar was the radio DJ's favorite off of Garage, Inc. and he said he shut off the phones during the song so he could listen to it! To me, this song has a kind of "Old Western" ting to it just a bit. It's very nice. I've never really listened to Thin Lizzy before, but the Metallica version of them certainly doesn't sound too bad!

Blackened: What can I say? It's an awesome song. The soft interlude leading to a nasty (in a good way) rest of the song is just great. I'm a sucker for those "soft beginning, hellaciously fast/heavy song" type of things. I do believe, however, that the drums could've done more and been more faster. That's why I prefer Slayer ultimately. Well, that among other things. :P Classic Metallica!



Couple notes:

1.) My internet should (although I'm still skeptical) be up for good tomorrow evening.
2.) There won't be a MM post for Thursday because I got caught up watching the Olympics and forgot to listen. Go USA!

Mandatory Metallica -- August 12th, 2008

Hero Of The Day
The Ecstasy Of Gold
My Friend Of Misery

"Hero..." is disgusting. Everything about it screams "This can't be Metallica". I said "What the hell is this?" out loud at least three times during this song. I wasn't even sure that they were playing Metallica for the longest time. It actually reminded me more of blink-182 for most of the song. Just bad.

I've never actually heard the studio recording for Ecstasy Of Gold, and it's kinda cool. Another solid instrumental song from Metallica. That's about it.

Another weak song. It's not that this song is particularly bad, it's just particularly bland. Nothing special about it at all. The bass does get kind of annoying for me, too.

I guess it's fitting that today is the worst Mandatory Metallica seeing as how yesterday's was the best.

Mandatory Metallica -- August 11th, 2008

Master of Puppets
Remember Tomorow
Fight Fire With Fire

Master of Puppets is a classic by anyone's standards and for good reason. This is what someone could use to define the word "heavy metal". Fast guitars, awesome solos, and an all-around epic sound. Great stuff! Not the best on the MoP CD, but certainly a classic song.

Remember Tomorrow is an Iron Maiden song that Metallica covered for a recent tribute disc to them. I'd never heard the original until I got home. And lemme tell ya, the Metallica version is awesome. The original is good too, but the Metallica version just kicks so much ass. They should cover more Maiden!

Ride The Lightning is such a great album and this opener is fantastic for it. And I'm gonna go ahead and say this is the fastest Metallica song I've ever heard. Anyone know of any others? Please let me know. The vocal structure is kind of weird, but it ultimately works for the song in the end. Such an awesome song.

This was probably the best Mandatory Metallica so far.

Metallica's comin' to town!

http://www.metallica.com/index.asp?item=601097



Multiple sites report that Metallica's upcoming North American tour includes a stop at The Sprint Center in Kansas City on October 25th. Support for this show will be Down and The Sword, with support on other dates being Lamb of God and Machine Head replacing Down.

All dates (thanks to Metallica's site):

All October/November dates with Down and The Sword :

October 21 - Glendale, AZ Jobing Arena
October 23 - Albquerque, NM Tingley Coliseum
October 25 - Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
October 26 - Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena
November 1 - Portland, OR Rose Quarter
November 3 - Salt Lake City, UT Energy Solutions Arena
November 4 - Denver, CO Pepsi Center
November 6 - Omaha, NE Qwest Center
November 8 - Moline, IL iWireless Center
November 9 - Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center
November 17 - St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center
November 18 - Tulsa, OK BOK Center
November 20 - Houston, TX Toyota Center
November 22 - Little Rock, AR Alltel Arena
November 23 - New Orleans, LA New Orleans Arena

All December dates with Lamb of God and The Sword:

December 1 - Seattle, WA Key Arena
December 2 - Vancouver, BC GM Place
December 4 - Calgary, AB Pengrowth Saddledome
December 7 - Edmonton, AB Rexall Place
December 12 - Ontario, CA Citizens Bank Arena
December 13 - Fresno, CA Save Mart Center
December 15 - San Diego, CA Cox Arena
December 17 - Los Angeles, CA The Forum
December 20 - Oakland, CA Oracle Arena

All January dates with Machine Head and The Sword:

January 12 - Milwaukee, WI Bradley Center
January 13 - Detroit, MI Joe Louis Arena
January 15 - Washington, DC Verizon Center
January 17 - Philadelphia, PA Wachovia Center
January 18 - Boston, MA TD Banknorth Center
January 26 - Chicago, IL Allstate Arena
January 29 - Uniondale, NY Nassau Coliseum
January 31 - Newark, NJ Prudential Center

Origin -- Lawrence, KS -- August 9th, 2008

Good God. This is how you do a metal show, people.

I first got there around 8:15 and I'm really glad because I missed local band Hester Prynne. Glad I did, because I saw them open for Hate Eternal back in February and they left a bad taste in my mouth. First band that was up was another local band called Wrath & Ruin. At first I didn't like them, but they grew on me. They're certainly a unique band, I'll give them that. No guitar player, only keyboards. What? Keyboards? At a death metal show? You better believe it. The best I can describe this band is three parts Sunn O)))/Earth, two parts Xasthur, one part Hatebreed (or some other band like that) and throw in the soundtrack to the film The Warriors. Seriously. It was a doom/hardcore band with crazy 80's B-movie keyboards. Weird, but somewhat good. 7/10

The first death metal band up was Abysmal Dawn. And they killed it. Pretty technical in their solos, crushing in their speed and delivery, this band would certainly steal the show on any other tour. They should get their asses back on the road and get bigger. Metal needs a band like Abysmal Dawn right now. 9/10

Partial Setlist:

Servants To Their Knees
Blacken The Sky (so good )
Programmed To Consume

Next was Misery Index. They KILLED it. Where Abysmal Dawn had technicality, Misery Index just made death metal to bang your damn head to. Definitely one of those bands you'd want to knock back beers with a couple of friends and then go break some faces in the mosh pit. I would love to see them again. 9/10

Partial Setlist:

Bottom Feeders
Ghosts Of Catalonia
Occupation
Retaliate
The Great Depression

Now for the band of the hour: Origin. And they KILLED it. Originally from Kansas, it was awesome to know that a band that has toured far and wide and done such festivals like Hellfest came from so close to home. I'm going to go ahead and say this now: Origin is the best death metal band I've ever seen live, bar none. The bassist is insane, he went up and down his fretboard more times than I could count. The guitar player had some sick solos where he also did his fantastic vocals to it. The drummer is a damn machine. Literally, I thought it was a drum machine at some point. Stupid fast. And the vocalist. If i didn't know Dave Hunt of Anaal Nathrakh, my award for "Best Extreme Metal Vocalist" would definitely go to him. He can hit all sorts of highs and lows that metalcore and deathcore bands could only dream of. And this band knows how to play to the crowd and put on a great, entertaining show. And, as an added note, during Reciprocal (a personal favorite), I got into my first moshpit in about 3 years! :D 9/10

Partial Setlist:

Reciprocal
The Burner
The Aftermath
Consuming Misery
Wrath of Vishnu
Finite
Antithesis
Infliction

Best death metal concert I've ever been to. All bands were great and they should be much, MUCH more popular than they are now. They deserve it, and heavy metal needs them right now.

PS: The Jackpot is giving The Bottleneck a run for its money for best metal venue in Lawrence. :)

Pictures:

Abysmal Dawn
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...origin/001.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...origin/002.jpg

Misery Index
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...origin/003.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...origin/004.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...origin/005.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...origin/006.jpg

Origin
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...origin/007.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...origin/008.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...origin/009.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...origin/010.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...origin/011.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...origin/012.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...origin/013.jpg

Mandatory Metallica -- August 8th, 2008

Leper Messiah
Stone Cold Crazy
Bleeding Me

Leper Messiah is an alright song, but to me it seems like the mean to which all Metallica songs should be judged. It's good, but not great. To me, this is what Metallica should sound like on a bad day.

Stone Cold Crazy is fun but it's way too short. Not one of my favorite cover songs that they've done, but entertaining none the less. They won a Grammy for this, right?

Bleeding Me. When I heard this was the next song, I dreaded it because it was from Load. And the beginnings of the song led me to believe that I was correct in not looking forward to it, but it turned out to be not half bad in the end.

Mandatory Metallica -- August 8th, 2008

Leper Messiah
Stone Cold Crazy
Bleeding Me

Leper Messiah is an alright song, but to me it seems like the mean to which all Metallica songs should be judged. It's good, but not great. To me, this is what Metallica should sound like on a bad day.

Stone Cold Crazy is fun but it's way too short. Not one of my favorite cover songs that they've done, but entertaining none the less. They won a Grammy for this, right?

Bleeding Me. When I heard this was the next song, I dreaded it because it was from Load. And the beginnings of the song led me to believe that I was correct in not looking forward to it, but it turned out to be not half bad in the end.

Mandatory Metallica -- August 6th, 2008

Sorry for the lateness on this one, just got my internet back for good. (Or so it seems.)

Trapped Under Ice
King Nothing
...And Justice For All

If only Metallica kept their sound like in Trapped Under Ice, they'd be bigger than they are today. Well, maybe not overall, but certainly in the metal fans' eyes. Great speed, the vocals go well along with the song and the solo is nice. Very nice indeed.

King Nothing isn't as good as Trapped Under Ice, unfortunately. The biggest turn-off to this song for me is not the vocals or the music, but definitely the lyrics. How stupid can it get? If you're a rock or metal band and include the lyrics "I wish I may/I wish I might" in any part of your song, then...yeah.

...And Justice For All is such a long song. Good thing it's not terrible. I think this song would work much better being much faster, but for what it is, it's okay. James sounds pretty good most of the time. I think the vocalwork on this CD is where I most prefer Metallica. Overall, pretty good.

Mandatory Metallica -- August 4th & 5th, 2008

Internets are screwy with me, pardon for the lack of updates.

Aug. 4:

Wherever I May Roam
Helpless
Ride The Lightning

The first song I got into about halfway through. I feel like this is a pretty poor song. The guitars just sound kind of annoying to me. Maybe it's the key they're in sometimes? I dunno. The vocals during the chorus aren't really that good either. Ah well.

Helpless is even worse to me. I knew right away it was a cover. Call me old fashioned, but the time signature (I guess) is so weird on this song and I really didn't like it. It just seemed to go on and on too. A huge miss for me. The bass parts sometimes are really cool, however.

Ride the Lightning, while not my favorite from that album, is certainly good. I can kind of see why Metallica fans prefer James' voice from the first three albums. It fits this song perfectly. Face-melting solo, too!

Aug. 5

Of Wolf And Man
No Leaf Clover
Creeping Death

It took me a while to figure out the name of the first song, but I identified it about halfway through. I've been meaning to try this song because it reminds me of the song titles from Nattens Madrigal, hehe! Although, this song really isn't that great to me. Really boring.

No Leaf Clover was the S&M version. Blech. James sounds despicable here and lame. The music even has a terrible interlude with what sounds like a spoken part?! Ugh. This is not thrash or metal Metallica. Although:

Creeping Death:



'nuff said.

Upcoming concerts in or around Kansas City!

I hope to see lots of people at these!

Contamination Tour with Origin, Misery Index and Abysmal Dawn
08/09/08
$10 - $12
Jackpot
Lawrence, KS
18+

Skeletonwitch
08/28/08
$8
The Riot Room
Kansas City, MO
21+

Motorhead with Misfits, Airbourne, Valient Thor and Year Long Disaster
09/07/08
$30 - $50
Voodoo Lounge at Harrah's
Kansas City, MO
21+

Alice Cooper at The Kansas State Fair
09/12/08
$25
Kansas State Fair
Hutchinson, KS
All Ages

War On Everything Tour feat. Impaled, Phobia, Kill The Client, Illogicist and Maruta (tix on sale at the door)
$12 - $15
Jackpot
Lawrence, KS
18+

Children of Bodom with The Black Dahlia Murder and Between The Buried And Me
09/27/08
$20
Beaumont Club
Kansas City, MO
All Ages

Obituary with Unleashed and Carnifex
10/01/08
$20
Beaumont Club
Kansas City, MO
All Ages

Opeth with High On Fire and Baroness
10/14/08
$20
Beaumont Club
Kansas City, MO
All Ages

Blackest Of The Black Tour feat. Danzig with Dimmu Borgir, Moonspell, Winds of Plague and Skeletonwitch
10/31/08
$27.50
Uptown Theater
Kansas City, MO
All Ages

Terrible Quality of Judas Priest live @ Kansas City!

The quality is bad because of the rednecks.

Judas Priest -- Kansas City, MO -- August 1st, 2008

So let's get right into it.

First up as I was walking into City Market was Federation of Horsepower. They're a band that has a guy from the radio station with Johnny Dare on it. As an opening band, they weren't half bad. If I had to choose whether to have Federation of Horsepower open up or a metalcore band, I'll go with the Federation. Pretty fun band and the guitar solos were pretty good. 6.5/10

Setlist:
The last song they played was called "Testify"

Now, there's something you have to understand at this point. This concert is put on by 98.9 KQRC for Johnny Dare and his 15th Anniversary of his show. This is the same radio station that put on "Rockfest" with such fantastic bands as Shinedown, Seether, and Filter. So...let's just say that 85% of the people here are stupid rednecks who like to pick fights, drink beer and smoke weed. And 65% of those rednecks are [I]45 or older[/I]. It's pretty weird to see someone who probably has kids my age smoke weed. Anyways, why do I say this? Because everyone went [I]apeshit[/I] for Drowning Pool. My God, what a terrible band. Every song sounded the same, the guitars sucked, the vocals REALLY sucked, and the banter in between songs was just...bad. They did play "Bodies" which was just as bad. The vocalist said "Think back to when you first heard this song and try and relive that feeling!" Uhhh...so you want me to be miserable again?! Whatever. Here's the HIGHLIGHT of the set which made me lol. You know how bands take forever to end their songs, especially at the end of their sets? Drowning Pool played the very beginning of Creeping Death. That's right. [B]Drowning Pool covered (at least a bit of) Metallica[/B]. 3/10

Setlist included:

Tear Away
Soldiers
37 Stitches
Bodies

In between each band they had video clips from several people talking about Johnny Dare. That includes Lewis Black, Tommy Chong, Dee Snyder, Lisa Lampanelli and Brian Johnson of AC/DC. Thought that was pretty cool.

My step-dad looooves Jackyl, and while they are a fun band, they just got kind of tiring. And lemme tell ya, I know Jackyl is like an 80's band and kind of glammy I guess, but damn, the lead singer is extremely effeminate. Anyone ever seen the HBO show "Cathouse"? About the brothel? They flew out the owner/star of that show plus two of his girls because apparently, Johnny Dare does a show there every Valentines Day. They were a lot better to look at then the flashing girls in the crowd. They ended with a Johnny Dare/Lead Singer guy chainsaw duet. Fun band. 7/10

Setlist included:

I Stand Alone
She Loves My Cock (that's right)
Redneck Punk
The Lumberjack
and one song that originally has a guy from ACDC doing vocals.

But really, who are we there to see? The Priest, that's who. Although at this point, I was getting, like, sickeningly dehydrated. I was wobbling and the people pushing constantly (THERE ISN'T ANY ROOM UP HERE, CALM DOWN AND GO BACK) didn't help. I decided to stick around 'til Dissident Aggressor and then bail out for some water and watch at a better distance. The setlist is the same as Europe, but I'm 99.9 percent sure we got a smaller list by a couple songs. I know I left for water after Dissident Aggressor and I know I remember them playing Angel as I was leaving. I just don't know if they cut out Death (I think they did) or if they played Hell Patrol (not too sure). They for sure did not play Sinner, though. But, DAMN. They were fantastic. They were really firing on all cylinders and every member sounded fantastic. Highlights were Dissident Aggressor, Painkiller, The Green Manalishi and You've Got Another Thing Coming. 10/10

Setlist of Judas Priest:

Dawn of Creation/Prophecy
Metal Gods
Eat Me Alive
Between The Hammer And The Anvil
Devil's Child
Breaking The Law
Hell Patrol
Dissident Aggressor
Angel
The Hellion/Electric Eye
Rock Hard, Ride Free
Painkiller
---
Hell Bent For Leather
The Green Manalishi
You've Got Another Thing Coming

In closing: Next time I'm seeing a classic or semi-classic band at City Market, I'm hanging back. But damn. FUCKING PRIEST!!!

Mandatory Metallica -- July 31st, 2008

Fuel
Killing Time
Disposable Heroes


Fuel was probably the first Metallica song that I knew by name that wasn't the song from the Mission: Impossible 2 soundtrack. And even though Avril Lavigne covered it, it's one of my favorite Metallica songs. It has great speed, aggression, and James doesn't sound too terrible in it. Although, as with Ain't My Bitch, the guitar solo is pretty "meh".

So apparently Killing Time is on Garage Inc. which means it's a cover. And it's originally by a band called Sweet Savage. I've never heard 'em before, but this version isn't that bad. It sounds a little NWOBHM-y. The multiple solos are really good but I don't really like James' voice during the chorus.

Disposable Heroes is from Master of Puppets and it doesn't sound too bad. It sounds a lot faster than most of their stuff. If only they kept going this fast throughout the entire career. Woo! Very good solo in this song. I've never heard this song on MoP before, too bad I guess! It's very good. This song reminds me of Kreator or Sodom in some parts.

Note: Tomorrow is Judas Priest! YAY!

Mandatory Metallica -- July 30th, 2008

Hi! I thought I'd try something new.

For those of you who don't know me or haven't read this, I didn't start out listening to the "classic" metal bands. I only started listening to Iron Maiden last year and Judas Priest about 6 months ago.

But let's cut to the chase. After seeing setlist after setlist of Metallica, I decided to give them a try. I downloaded their discography (I know, naughty naughty) but I really had no idea where to start.

There's a hard rock radio station here, 98.9 The Rock, and every weeknight (I suppose) at 9 o'clock they have "Mandatory Metallica". They play a couple Metallica songs at random. I've decided to go ahead and listen to them as I got off work. These blogs will keep track of them so I can kind of tell what Metallica I like. And I'm doing this because I'm bored.

July 30, 2008:

Ain't My Bitch
Die, Die My Darling
Eye Of The Beholder

Ain't My Bitch sounded alright, although I could pretty much tell it was on The Black Album or past. Of course, the DJ said "FROM THE LOAD ALBUM!" and I know how fans view those albums. But for this song, I didn't find it too terrible except for when James says "bitch". Seriously? BEEEYYAATTCHHHUUUHHH!!! And the solo. My God, the solo really made me see this song as a hard rock song (I really don't like hard rock) instead of thrash metal.

I'd listened to the Misfits cover before and I really liked it, so I thought it was cool they played it on the radio. Never heard the original, but still a good song for me.

I didn't catch the name of the last one but only heard it was on ...And Justice For All, so I got on iTunes and found out it was Eye Of The Beholder. I really like the beginning, but my favorite part are the vocals that go "Do you see what I see, etc." I just think it goes greatly along with the music and is easy to headbang to.

More to come!