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Abyss' Review (4/22, 4/23 & 4/24/05, The Palladium, Worcester, MA):
This year's Metal & Hardcore festival really stuck out for me. No, I was still drunk the whole time and my memory is just as hazy as it always has been, so don't worry, you'll still get a worthless review... but this one stuck out among the rest because it seemed so easy to miss pretty much every hardcore performance of the weekend.
Photos by Hel
Strapping Young LadFirst off, I didn't go on Friday. This was mostly because I didn't want to take an extra day off from work when there was only one band (Obituary) that I was interested in seeing, but it was also because my body is having more and more trouble partying multiple days in a row. Getting old sucks. So I didn't arrive to the venue until Saturday, and spent the majority of that day visiting with long lost friends and drinking as much as I could. I do remember seeing Strapping Young Lad, always a favorite of mine. Devin's disdain for his fans and his dominance as a front man always makes for an interesting show, and he more than delivered. It is also always a pleasure to watch Gene Hoglan bash the skins, and this coming from someone that rarely gets excited over drumming. But before I knew it, my friends were dragging me out of the venue to the after parties before Danzig even hit the stage. This sucks because I actually wanted to see Danzig, but alas, I was too fucked up to resist.
Sunday started with far too long of a day in front of me and far too little sleep behind me. I suffered through the day with one of the worst hangovers of my life, to the point where I wasn't sure I could even make it to the show. But this wasn't really an option, because Sunday's lineup was amazing - probably the best night of any festival ever... period. One killer band after another on the main stage, making me rue the night before because I simply couldn't enjoy it as much as I should have in the condition I was in.
Dead To Fall was the only band I saw on the side stage, and the closest thing I saw to hardcore the entire weekend, and they were pretty damn good. It's always hard to get a good view on the side stage (which is why I generally avoid it), but the crowd action near the stage was frantic, and the singer and guitarist looked like they kept trying to kick each other's ass. The show was so wound up I almost puked! But then again I almost puked throughout the day because no matter how much I drank, my hangover wasn't going anywhere.
HypocrisyBehemoth tore open the main stage like you wouldn't believe. I had recently seen them in NYC opening for Suffocation, and I believe them to have one of the best live shows in the death metal genre. Despite their thick Polish accents, they are able to whip the crowd up into a frenzy, something made all the easier by their impressive catalogue. Don't let these fuckers get back to Poland without you seeing them!
Hypocrisy also ruled, as always. This band can now even be called 'veteran' on these shores, and they never disappoint. I was especially impressed because I hadn't really listened to this band in awhile, and it was great hearing their unique sound in a live setting. I think I forgot how good they really are, and how original.
3 Inches Of Blood was the band that I was most interested in seeing live because I had never seen them before. I've heard people with their whispers of 'joke band,' and I was suspicious myself after hearing them on disc. But their live show puts to rest any cheesy tags placed upon them. Their dual vocalist delivery is dominant and awesome, as both the clean and harsh vocals drive the song, not just complement each other - and I don't care who knows it, "Deadly Sinner" is a catchy fucking song!
Dark TranquillityDark Tranquillity were the highlight for me, but I expected this. I love this band and seeing them live is just an added bonus. Their new album is on my short list for album of the year so far, and the band really seem to be on top of their game. In an era when any band from the 'G' scene is taboo and passe, it amazes me that one of the originators can still be so effective. DT rule.
Soilwork was a big yawn for me because, no matter how much I try, I just can't get into them. They're like syrup. And not the pure syrup you get from Vermont in the fall, they're more like Log Cabin... very syrupy, and taste kinda good, but there's something inherently fake about them. At the same time, I feel no need to bash the band. They played their set, entertained the crowd, and sounded pretty good. More power to 'em.
I was a little surprised that Nile was only one spot out of the headliner position. At one point they seemed to be on every metal tour that went across America, but I haven't heard anything from them in what seems like a long time. Their last album seemed to stir up a bit of backlash against the band (interestingly enough, I thought it was their most solid effort to date), and I wasn't under the impression they'd be that much of a draw. Unfortunately, I saw Nile from the balcony. And while the opportunity to sit had me in heaven, the sound up there was pretty muddled. In this regard, the show was pretty disappointing. There also seemed to be some technical problems (but I suppose it could have been bad acoustics). Simply put, Nile just didn't sound very good. I am looking forward to their next album however, despite a disappointing set.
King DiamondLong time readers may know that I've never been the biggest fan of King Diamond. What you might not know is that my friends have slowly worn me down to the point where I'm starting to like him more and more. I think he still sounds like a pre-pubescent choirboy at times, but I'm starting to be able to see past that, to all the good shit underneath. The only other time I had seen King Diamond was when I saw Mercyful Fate in Atlanta about a decade ago. Unlike that show, tonight's would be an elaborate, theatrical event. And while I really had no idea what was going on most of the time, the visuals were pretty cool. He even played the Mercyful Fate song "Evil" during the encore, which was pretty damn neato, and I was surprised that his voice is a little less irritating in a live setting.
Well, until next year, when I'm a year older and bitching about my hangover even more....
Death's Review (4/22, 4/23 & 4/24/05, The Palladium, Worcester, MA):
Let me begin by assuring you that the Seventh Annual New England Metal and Hardcore Festival rocked. Hard. Not necessarily because of the lineup, which was too heavy on hardcore (more on that later), or the anything inherent to the festival itself. But the simple fact remains that with the decline of the once-great Milwaukee Metalfest, the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival has become the essential yearly meeting place in the U.S. for the entire metal industry. The parties, the friends, the sense of community that ranged throughout the entire weekend is on a scale like I'd never seen before. It just keeps getting better and better.
ObituaryOf course, the festival has been building for some time, and has a storied tradition of bringing the best in metal music to the masses for a single chaotic weekend. New England Metalfest alumni include Shadows Fall, Lamb of God, Arch Enemy, In Flames, Meshuggah, Machine Head, Lacuna Coil, Dimmu Borgir, Dillinger Escape Plan, Cannibal Corpse, Pig Destroyer, Dark Funeral, Killswitch Engage, Overcast, Opeth, The Haunted, Diecast, Nevermore, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, Superjoint Ritual, Suffocation, Kataklysm, Mastodon, Children of Bodom, Iced Earth, Soilent Green and Amorphis. A veritable "who's who" of the metal underground. In many ways, this is like the proving ground for the mainstream, and Ozzfest feeder-fest, if you will: kill at the New England Metalfest and you are on your way.
As much as I love coming here, I do have some constructive criticisms. First and foremost, I know it is trendy but there was altogether too much hardcore and metalcore and not enough pure metal for my tastes. Along the same lines, here is my personal message to Jamey Jasta, MTV2 Headbanger's Ball host and Hatebreed frontman: it is the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival, not the New England Hardcore and Metal Festival. Get it straight. Anyway, this festival was full of metalcore, and too many bands that sounded the same. Sure, it is a sign of the times, but it is an annoying sign of the times. That's my opinion and I am sticking to it.
This year's festival was three days. Perhaps that was a bit much. I loved being there for three days and having more chances to hang out with lots of friends, etc., but people got really tired on Sunday, and I think the responses to some of the bands suffered for it. Other random criticisms: there was no re-entry after 7 pm, a rule that was vigorously enforced. Why? Who cares? Why can't I go back to my hotel at 7:15 and then come back at 8:30? I don't understand. Moreover, there was no real decent food for sale inside the venue, and not being allowed to go outside after 7:00, the problem was exacerbated. Perhaps this festival has outgrown the Palladium venue? The upstairs was so packed on Saturday people could barely even move. Perhaps a larger arena with three stages next year would be in order?
HatebreedMoving on to my trip report, we tried to fly out from LAX on Thursday night but our flight was overbooked. So we stayed over until Friday and got free round trip tickets for our troubles. We flew all day on Friday and did not get to town until pretty late. By the time Hel and I drove to Worcester from Boston, grabbed a bite at Boston Market on 90 on the way, checked into the hotel, got changed and hit the venue, it was pretty late. I went inside and instantly saw all sorts of friends at the back bar, and got primed for Obituary. I was there just in time to grab a drink and watch these legends of Florida death metal do their thing. Frankly, I thought the set lacked energy somewhat, although the band for the most part looked good on stage and sounded good even in the back of the room. While the band did not sound as tight as I would have hoped, it was nice to see the old-school Obituary banner flying strong behind the stage and the large crowd absorbing this material. Here's hoping they get the full Roadrunner treatment with a forthcoming studio album, a video and tour in the coming months.
Unearth was next and they were good. They owned the hometown crowd, just as bands like Overcast, Shadows Fall and Killswitch Engage have done in past years. This band has progressed so much in recent years, it is fun to watch. Of course, I was much more absorbed in the scene at the back bar, catching up with friends and making plans for the night of partying we had coming up. I think I only watched a little bit of Hatebreed before splitting for the night, grabbing a sausage from the street vendor out front and hitting the hotel for a night of debauchery. I think I eventually made it to "Room 207" where a band (called God Below Me, I think) was handing out demos and - more importantly, perhaps - had decided to make friends with everyone at the fest by wheeling in a keg of beer. Awesome, thanks guys. It was great, and everyone was hanging out in the true spirit of metalfest, and even the Obituary guys showed up before things eventually got shut down. I was in bed by 3 or 4 am I think.
God ForbidSlept 'til noon, and then woke up and hung with a bunch of my friends who had crashed in the room before running through the pouring rain over to the Irish Times for some lunch. We had some beers and some cheese steaks, then hit the fest for day two. I walked in and saw a bunch of cool people who had not been there the night before. This time it was on, and the Red Bulls and Jager flowed free all day. Going upstairs for music was pretty much out of the question - way too crowded - so I think I spent most of the day drinking and hanging out and not really seeing any bands. Some friends were psyched for Sonata Arctica, and because they were "different" than the rest of the bill I did go up front to watch their set. Interesting, but not really my thing in the end. Still, there should be more power metal on these bills, so I am glad they played. Of course, I went up front and watched the whole set of the mighty Strapping Young Lad. Devin, Gene, Byron and all absolutely ruled, and the portion of the crowd that "got it" really got into it. At least my friends and I were going nuts. I hit the back bar some more and then went down front to check out God Forbid, a great band and Metalfest veteran act that keeps getting better every time I see them. One of the best sets of the weekend in my opinion. I dranked and talked through most of Cryptopsy, skipped Bleeding Through and then was thrashing around wasted during Chimaira, banging heads with everyone at the back bar - even with Chimaira haters who at this point couldn't give a fuck as long as there were cool riffs which, yes, there were. I blew outta dodge before Danzig to get some pizza from the stand next door and get a start on the real madness which was yet to come.
The mighty Nator (forthcoming Metal Judgment writer whom you will be hearing from shortly) and his brother took the brunt of the first wave of the partying, having everyone in the world including Richard Christy (Death, Iced Earth, The Howard Stern Show), Gene Hoglan of Strapping Young Lad and members of Cryptopsy and Trivium into their room for some after hours chaos until the cops came and scattered everyone to the winds. Most of the true derelicts ended up in our room until very, very, very late (read: very, very early) and I woke up after noon the next day with all sorts of random people scattered about the floor crashed out (all of which at least were friends or friends of friends).
Cephalic CarnageI had to kick everyone out so we could keep a pre-arranged plan to meet some friends for an off-site meal - they had scouted out a cool organic café and we got to eat actual green, healthy food for the only time that weekend. The four of us got back to the fest on Sunday in time to catch Origin's set on the second stage, the first time I had made it into that room all weekend. Origin were really cool, and their brand of death metal was the perfect antidote to all the metalcore that had been blaring around me for days. I dug the brutality, as did most of the crowd. Then I went downstairs to catch 3 Inches of Blood, watching intently before concluding that (1) they are serious, but not really for me; and (2) that "Deadly Sinners" was indeed the catchiest song played all weekend. After the show drunken fools were wandering around all day and all night singing the chorus to "Deadly Sinners" in falsetto voice, and you could hear it at 3 am through the halls and in the elevators of the hotel. Suffice to say they had a good set. We then cruised outside, freshened up back at the hotel, and then came back to the second stage to watch the mighty Cephalic Carnage, which for me was one of the true highlights of the weekend. Cephalic's new album really steps things up for this band, songwriting-wise and production-wise. They crushed the Sunday afternoon second stage crowd this day, even jamming on the theme song from King of the Hill. The true highlight was "Dying Will Be the Death of Me," my favorite track from the awesome, new five-skull Anomolies. All in all, this set alone satiated my desire to see killer metal music this day. But of course, there was so much more first-rate material to come. The metal bombardment was about to begin.
Black Dahlia Murder was over by the time I came down from Cephalic Carnage (I had sacrificed one to see the other while most of my friends made the opposite selection). I drank and thrashed to the opening strains of Hypocrisy's "Roswell '47" but mostly partied during their set too. But I made sure I was up front and paying attention for the killer Dark Tranquillity set, extended from what I had seen at the Key Club in Hollywood a couple of weeks earlier. They were great, but only a portion of the crowd was truly into it, and I was disappointed, hoping that the whole place would be going nuts a la Children of Bodom last year. Soilwork was up next, and even they couldn't get the place going on a full-scale, which showed me that folks were just getting tired after a long weekend of music. I even went with my buddies into the balcony to sit down for a spell during Nile, who played a good set and previewed new material. I then ventured downstairs to the bar where I noticed several friends anchored to the back bar getting that one final drunk on before the weekend was gone. Members of Nile and Dark Tranquillity were hanging out, and everyone did shots, thrashed around and sang along as King Diamond performed a great set that everyone could enjoy. Drunken photos were taken and lyrics were shouted as we all wound down from a great weekend of music and mayhem.
NileOr so I thought. But there was one more night of partying to be had, and so we gathered out front and planned our assault, which began with getting a bunch of pizzas and taking them back to the hotel. We did a little pre-partying with members of Cannae and Hell Within - interesting anecdote about Hell Within, I did not know them and missed their 12:40 pm early Sunday second stage performance, but later heard them at a party on a boombox and thought they sounded killer. Anyway, we then started moving around from room to room, having a few drinks but realizing things were pretty low key this night. That is, until we found our way back into the original room we were in the first night, and we were back partying with the same. Like the first night, things started to get going fast after that, with all sorts of people pouring in around us from the Relapse crew to Juliya and the Uranium folks to the Deadly Sinners themselves, the dudes from 3 Inches of Blood (whom I watched endure a steady parade of drunk people come up and sing the chorus right in their faces). Before too long, Hel and I decided to call it a night. We retired to our den around 3ish, and crashed while everyone else stayed up and raged.
The next morning, we got up, jumped in the car and headed straight for the airport. We scarfed down nasty Burger King, and settled in for the five and a half hour flight home. I devoured a couple of back issues of Decibel I had picked up, jammed Cephalic Carnage, Marduk, Dream Theater and the new Bruce Dickinson on the iPod, and lamented that metalcore had taken over the world. Soon enough I was back in LA, and another metalfest was in the books. My thoughts then turned to the nice weather, and I think for the first time this year I felt ready for the onslaught of summer. With visions of big summer days out watching Gigantour and Ozzfest dancing in my head, I was once again ready for the year's show cycle to begin anew once again.
Hel's Review (4/22, 4/23 & 4/24/05, The Palladium, Worcester, MA):
Is anyone else annoyed by the way Jamey Jasta keeps changing the name of this fest? New England Hardcore and Metal Fest indeed. Still, it may have been the more appropriate moniker for this year, since the number of hardcore acts seemed to outweigh the metal in this first attempt at creating a three-day event. Personally, I enjoyed having the third day, since the extra provided more time for socializing, something I usually do not get enough of since I'm running around taking pictures. While there were a couple of people I didn't manage to see at all, I felt like I was able to spend a few quality minutes with everyone I did see. And of course, I met a bunch more people too, and still even managed to give them my attention for a time. I actually felt satisfied when I finally headed home, instead of the usual frustration at the number of people I promised to see later and never did.
UnearthMy trip did not start out as planned. I had booked a Thursday night red-eye flight, to ensure we'd have plenty of time to get there and be settled, and maybe even catch Ion Dissonance. Ha. In their infinite wisdom, the airline made a last minute switch - to a smaller aircraft. Needless to say, there was a long line of unhappy folks who had also been bumped off the flight. Long story short, we headed home with a rescheduled flight in the morning and a free ticket for our troubles. Considering how the Friday lineup had turned out, I actually wasn't too heartbroken about the change, and glad to sleep in my own bed instead of on the plane.
All this chaos meant that I would arrive just in time to see Obituary. Again, this was ok with me, because it turned out that the festival organizers decided to make Friday all hardcore - except Obituary, of course. Though I would argue that Ion Dissonance is not hardcore either, yet their recent signing to Abacus seems to indicate this is a widely held belief. But I digress, the reality is that 99% of the bands who played that day were hardcore and I was grateful to have been spared the pain sitting through them all.
Obituary made up for all the hassles endured in getting to the festival. My timing was absurdly perfect. I missed all of As I Lay Dying, but none of Obituary. I made it to the photo pit before the first song started, and got my full three songs of shooting in. Then I chilled at long last and enjoyed a stellar set from Obituary. The place went nuts, and it was clear that a number of people had showed up just to see them. I know of at least one person who came for just them and stayed for the entire weekend. And believe me, they were worth the trip. I happily snatched up the last girlie shirt and blissfully wandered around for a time, basking in the glow of just having seen an amazing band for the first time.
The Red ChordIt baffled me to no end how Unearth could follow Obituary. Still does. My head spins whenever I try to make sense of it. But follow them they did. Unearth is one of those bands that always draws you in with their live show. The jump around, the guitarist was doing funnels...you get the idea. You may not adore their music, but darn if you aren't a little more convinced that you like it after the set is over. Of course the hometown (or close enough to it that it doesn't matter) crowd ate it up. Despite my growing aversion to metalcore (caused by the over saturation of these kind of bands, all of whom seemed to be playing this weekend...), I was still sucked into their set and walked away thinking it was good.
The night wound up with Hatebreed. If you've seen Hatebreed before, you know how it was. Hatebreed seem to be the kings of hardcore these days and their always consistent set is one of the reasons why. They'll never be my thing, but the part of me that liked some hardcore back in the day can appreciate what they do. Their fans were enthusiastic, but the venue was undoubtedly clearing out. After my three songs were over, I gathered my peeps and we were off. Back to the Crowne Plaza where debauchery was found. Thanks to the folks from God Below Me who allowed us to converge on their room repeatedly over the weekend. Members of Obituary were there, along with a whole lot of others, including several MJ staffers plus Century Media and Metal Blade people. After running into a couple of people I hadn't seen in literally years, and getting to know some that I had just met, I looked around the room and realized I had talked, at some length, to every single person I knew in the room. After a very long day that had started very early in the morning after ending very late the night before, and knowing much more of that was in my future, I headed back to my room. Of course half the party seemed to show up there not too much later, but I was still able to get to bed before 4, so I thought I did well.
Ice PickOf course the first place we went on Saturday was Irish Times. And of course there was absolutely no one working and far too many people trying to get food and drink for two people to serve. Yes, you heard me, two people. Death has a magic gift for getting service and was able to get the waitress to help us without too much of a delay. I was bummed to miss A Life Once Lost, but was disappointed enough with the last album that I didn't hold it against myself. And I couldn't have cared less about the entire second stage lineup - 100% hardcore. The same was true for the main stage for the beginning of the day. Of course the schedule was all skewed - I think there was some shifting about - and things were running a full set early.
I managed to get inside just as The Red Chord was going onstage. The singer spent the entire first song standing on the barricade leaning into the crowd (a popular NEM&HF pastime). They delivered a high energy set, and the audience loved it, as they do every year. Following The Red Chord was Bury Your Dead and since I didn't care, we went back to the hotel for a bit. I somehow managed to be back in time for Ice Pick featuring Jamey Jasta and some other guy. Oh my, did I so not care. They were fine, but I don't really get the point - a hip hop Hatebreed? Is that what they're going for? Honestly, I didn't pay a lot of attention. Jamey's just not charismatic enough to draw me in two days in a row. I was barely there the first time. Still, I respect the effort and much of the crowd seemed to enjoy it.
Sonata Arctica appearance was much talked about the night before, and many people seemed to be highly anticipating their appearance. I have to admit, I was very surprised. So often people had described the band to me as power metal, I expected something completely different. What I saw was closer to traditional metal; dare I even say thrash? The vocalist is simply a guy with a nice tenor voice - no falsetto reaching here. Again, I would not call it power metal. It was a great set, and the crowd reaction was astounding - people were even holding up banners. Very cool.
Sonata ArcticaStrapping Young Lad were next and I am always psyched for SYL. They always kill, and tonight was no exception. Devin wasn't as over-the-top hilarious as I have sometimes seen him, the focus tonight was mostly on cramming as many songs as they could into their timeslot. They chose to leave out "Love?" which I thought was interesting, considering it is the video track and is getting lots of airplay on Sirius' Hard Attack. The set was entertaining, and it was fun to see lots of kids surfing and jumping up on stage for them.
Just enough time afterward for a quick trip back to the hotel before getting locked in for the night. We arrived back just as Terror was ending, which was perfectly fine in my book. God Forbid was the next attraction, and of course they did a great job. The first time I saw this band was here, on the second stage in the afternoon with about ten people watching. Now, well, they've come a long way. If they haven't played this festival every single year, they've played enough of them to make it feel like they have. Always a good time.
Cryptopsy had a big buzz going and hit the stage to a very receptive audience. I was supposed to have seen this tour in LA but had bailed at the last minute. Even though reports I'd heard about that show said that Lord Worm was rusty, I'd been kicking myself for missing it ever since. I was finally able to make amends. Lord Worm is getting back into the swing of things and did a good job. The rest of the band was very tight and an impressive set was delivered.
CryptopsyHere, the bill began to suck. The rest of the bands I really didn't care about. Bleeding Through were exactly like the other zillion times I've seen them. I'll never understand why the kids like them so much, but they are energetic live. Maybe that's it. Chimaira have improved, but I still remember how bad they used to be. I had forgotten that Kevin Talley was in the band until afterward someone asked me if I'd gotten a picture of him (I did not). But clearly remember thinking that the drumming was really good, so my ears definitely recognized the change. Word was out that no one would be allowed to take photos of Danzig, with or without Doyle, and since my ambivalence level was so very high, we left after Chimaira's third song.
After returning to the Crowne, things were pretty mellow for a very long time. We went back and forth between a couple of rooms, but nothing was really going on. Then the show got out and everything changed. Nator's room was the place to be this night. He and his brother looked a little surprised at how many people showed up, but they handled it well, even with the hotel manager showing up at the door. I remember chatting about smoking preferences with Lord Worm, being introduced to Gene Hoglan, meeting Richard Christy, and hanging with Metal Maniacs' Liz and Dave, who I hadn't seen in forever. We bounced around a little after that broke up but it was clear the night had peaked. After returning to my room, it seemed that a lot of people were there. Death and some of the others left, it's about 3am and I'm thinking I'd like to go to bed soon. Someone who was too drunk to be answering the door answers a knock on the door, and suddenly a whole bunch of people I've never seen before in my life are in my room. People are calling and telling other people to come over. Apparently, they're Danzig's people. And I'm all by my lonesome with no enforcement to help get these people out. I emphasized to them all that I was not having a party, and gave up. Suddenly Death returns and he starts kicking people out. Finally, all that is left are a few close friends and a guy from Trivium, so I am at last able to retreat to the suite's bedroom for some sleep.
Bleeding ThroughSunday was the day when I missed a lot of bands. It was for a very good reason. Our wonderful friends from Relapse had tracked down a killer vegetarian restaurant, a few minutes drive from the venue and our hotel. We were the only ones there, so service was a little slow, but the food was amazing. It was by far the best meal of the weekend, and would have been even if I had not been subsisting on a diet of bad pizza. As it was, who could blame us for lingering over our meal? I walked in and caught the very, very end of Behemoth, and by the crowd response I could tell they were as amazing as always. I knew Origin was next so I headed back upstairs.
I had just enough time to work my way through the crowd and plant myself in front of the second stage before Origin went on. It wasn't long before I pulled my legs up underneath me and sat on the stage - the rest of my body had already been pushed over onto it, so it seemed a reasonable thing to do - and happily sat snapping photos. Their set was crushing and the crowd response was absolutely intense. It was like sitting in the eye of the hurricane. I stayed until the bitter end, then took the back stairs down to the main stage. 3 Inches of Blood had been moved back, I think I heard they were late, so I saw the end of their set - "Deadly Sinners," of course.
After that I had a little time before Cephalic Carnage so I allowed myself to be convinced to walk over to the Hampton for a bit. I adamantly reiterated over and over that I needed to be back for Cephalic Carnage and kept a close eye on the time. Finally, I left them wallowing in their own crapulence and returned to the venue to find Cephalic had just begun.
ChimairaI was determined, and maybe a little crazy, so I began to push through the packed crowd. Now, I'll give you all a little tip - it is possible to get through a tight crowd between songs, not easy, but possible. On the other hand, it is nearly impossible during a song. Somehow I achieved the impossible, and using the momentum of the crowd behind me, managed to force myself all the way through to reclaim the spot I had during Origin. It turns out that Origin was a little tiny hurricane in my analogy, compared to the giant devastating hurricane that Cephalic Carnage created. There were literally bodies flying over my head. One guy slid headfirst down the monitor next to me in a most spectacular fashion. And I was having a ball, I must admit. The energy was infectious, and I was pleased and confident that I had gotten at least one or two photos that were not blurry - I took around 90, so the odds were good. Again I used the back stairs to escape, and made it downstairs before Hypocrisy began.
My day may have begun late, but it was off to a spectacular start. I've always been a fan of Hypocrisy (except for maybe Catch 22 which definitely their low point) so I was excited to see them again. I had missed this tour when it came through LA, and had been looking forward to seeing these bands. The crowd was pretty enthusiastic about Hypocrisy, and I was well pleased with the set list. "Roswell 47" kicked things off and devastation ensued. Though it was not the most memorable performance I have seen the band give, it was certainly good enough to make me grin from ear to ear.
SoilworkDark Tranquillity followed, and again, it was not the most amazing performance I've seen the band give. However, it was still impressive. My expectations may simply have been too high, given my disappointment at not seeing these two bands in LA. Regardless, it cannot be said that it was poor in any regard. Indeed, I was thrilled to hear songs from The Gallery and some of my other favorite DT albums. I'm told this was a longer set than they had been playing on the tour, which I was also grateful for.
I was less excited for Soilwork, since I have found their recent albums to be declining in quality. The same may not be true for their performance, but as they were playing mostly the material I just mentioned, my interest was not particularly riveted. The crowd did not seem to agree with me much. Soilwork has been a favorite of the NEM&HF audience in the past and they were embraced once again. I began to experience a little déjà vu a this point - back in 2002 Soilwork played third from last and Nile played second from last on the final night of the festival - just like this year. Whoa.
Nile may have more than their fair share of naysayers, but I am not one of them. I really like their Egyptian twist on death metal and I think they do a great job live. I was a little surprised to see Dallas take the front and center position, in all the years I've been to see this band he's always been the man on my right. I think he did an incredible job as frontman, really showing off how charismatic he can be. Their set was tight and the crowd seemed to appreciate it as well.
OriginKing Diamond wrapped things up in style. The set was the same he had been using for the Abigail II tour, though I imagine this tour is in support of Deadly Lullabies, a collection I still have not heard. Word on the street was the set would be a couple of songs short since King was still suffering from the infected throat that caused him to cancel in Philly a few days earlier. Even ailing King dominates the stage and is a consummate showman. Had I not known he was sick, I would never have been able to tell. Although people had been trickling out of the venue for awhile, many stayed until the house staff began their annoying ritual of rudely insisting everyone leave immediately.
So, with King Diamond songs still dancing in our heads we headed back to the Crowne Plaza with a stack of pizzas. I spent some quality time talking to Martyr and then it was time to strike out and find the party. It seemed many people were too exhausted to bother, and things seemed pretty quiet in most places, except for the ongoing excitement surrounding the incredible breaking elevators - over the course of the weekend two of the three broke down completely, trapping people inside. Finally, we went back to the God Below Me room, and lo and behold we found folks from Century Media, Relapse and Prosthetic. Shortly after 3 Inches of Blood showed up we called it a night. And the next morning we barely made it to the airport in time, as usual. Fortunately there were no problems with our return flight. So as they say, all's well that ends well.
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