Nuclear Assault with Locked in a Vacancy, Irate and Candy Striper Death Orgy
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Nuclear Assault with Locked in a Vacancy, Irate and Candy Striper Death Orgy |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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4 | |
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4 | |
| Solomon's Review | 4 | |
| Go to Reader Reviews |
Death's Review (5/10/02, CBGB's, NYC):
I first heard about this show on the weekend of the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival and totally flipped out. Not only was I going to be able to redeem the fact that I was missing the Nuclear Assault reunion at the Metal Meltdown 4 in New Jersey that same weekend, but I was going to see it at home, in Manhattan, on a Friday night, with killer support from Dragonlord, Goatwhore and Incantation. This one looked to be shaping up to be another killer creative billing from Ubernoize Entertainment (www.ubernoize.com), and a fitting tribute to the Nuclear Assault legacy appeared to be taking shape. I was psyched.
photos by Solomon and Ylana
Locked in a VacancyI remember first hearing Game Over back in the day, around the same time I was first hearing the Cro-Mags, D.R.I., C.O.C., S.O.D. and Suicidal Tendencies. I was definitely beginning to appreciate the cross-over metal/hardcore sound, and Nuclear Assault were right there in the mix, as far as I was concerned. As they morphed into a more commercial, purer thrash/speed outfit a la other New York bands like Overkill and Anthrax, I stuck with them, and genuinely enjoyed subsequent releases The Plague (EP), Survive and Handle With Care. They kinda lost me after that, I'm afraid, and instead I followed the career of Danny Lilker, losing touch with the efforts of Mssrs. Connely, Bramante and Evans. This was to be the night they won me back, reinvigorating my interest in Nuclear Assault and fueling a possible comeback.
Anyway, for a variety of reasons, the bill got cut down dramatically between announcement and showtime. Automobile accidents, rescheduled tour routings and just plain bad luck ensured that neither Dragonlord, Incantation nor Goatwhore would actually appear on this night. Instead, Nuclear Assault was supported by Locked in a Vacancy, Irate and Candy Striper Death Orgy. No offense to any of these acts, but after the anticipation of what might have been, it really just wasn't the same.
Locked in a VacancyStill, kudos to the promoter, the club and the bands for keeping things together, keeping mindful of the true focus (Nuclear Assault) and delivering a kick-ass show despite the cancellations. I showed up at 9:30 and I believe Irate was on the stage. Didn't really know them and - while they sounded OK - honestly, I didn't really care. Too hardcore for me I guess. Instead of paying a lot of attention to that, I walked around and surveyed the scene (cool Nuclear Assault 2002 t-shirts!). Billy Milano was in the crowd, but there definitely seemed to be a few of the NY metal show regulars "missing," i.e., people I would have expected to be in the house definitely were not. What, did you have something better to do on a Friday night than see Nuclear Assault? Sorry, just checking. Of course you didn't. Still, there were enough cool people to keep the fun factor high while we waited for the set change between Irate and C.S.D.O.
I have to admit, I was interested in seeing these northeast regional scene veterans. I remember them supporting Overkill shows ten years ago, if I am thinking of the right band. So even though we had a non-metal friend's birthday party going on at a nearby bar that we HAD to stop in on sometime before the night was through, we made a point to stick around to see what C.S.D.O. was all about in 2002. Suffice to say, they are cool. Old-school, 1980's style thrash/speed in the grand New York sound tradition of Nuclear Assault, Overkill, Anthrax, etc. I was glad to see them and I'm glad they were supporting this show, still banging it out in the new millennium.
IrateUnfortunately, we (me, Hel, Solomon, Ylana and Zohn) did not stay long due to the need to pass by the aforementioned party. That's where we lost Zohn, I'm afraid. The rest of us descended upon the trendy club where the party was held in jeans and t-shirts - appropriate gear for CBGB's but not exactly normal attire for this place. We were suddenly at the Anti-CBGB's, a complete 180 degree turnaround from before. I was standing there sporting a Witchery t-shirt! Somehow, I found this just subversive enough to be amusing. Still, after only the most cursory of drinks (well . . . two drinks) and warm wishes to the birthday girl we cruised back to CBGB's where Nuclear Assault had just taken the stage.
The place was much more full and definitely alive with the metal thrashing feelings of old. John Connely looked the part-sporting the V-neck guitar and baseball cap, just as I'd remembered it. Lilker was his own totally metal self, thrashing away like a madman the entire night. The band stumbled through a few rough spots but generally sounded tight and aggressive, delivering a blistering set of classics that included "Game Over," "Hang the Pope," "Sin," "Butt Fuck" and "Radiation Sickness," among others. Later material like the Lilker-introduced "Technology," "Survive," and "Fight to Be Free" from the killer Survive record, and the fun "Critical Mass" ("another oil spill!") and "Trail of Tears" from Handle With Care. I felt like it was 1989 the entire time!!!!
In the end, this wasn't the night I originally thought it would be. Still, I was treated to some killer old-school thrash from a classic outfit. And yes, the night did accomplish my main goal - to reintroduce me to the Nuclear Assault catalogue. I'm listening to Survive right now! Although it was billed as possibly Nuclear Assault's final NY show, perhaps the good feelings will carry over to future endeavors from this classic NY thrash metal outfit. Anyway, thanks to Locked in a Vacancy (whom only Solomon saw), Irate, Candy Striper Death Orgy, the promoter and good old NA for standing ground against the odds and bringing me a kick-ass Friday night.
Hel's Review (5/10/02, CBGB's, NYC):
The night that wasn't what it was supposed to be. I can't help but think of last Friday night in those terms. So many things were different than I imagined they would be when this show was first announced. The line up lacked bands that were supposed to have been there, i.e., Dragonlord. And I certainly didn't think I was going to be sick as a dog, but oh, was I.
Candy Striper Death OrgyWhen I got to CBGB's, Irate was onstage. It took me some time to get past the entrance (the socializing began fast and furious the moment we walked into the club), and I wasnít drawn to the front by what I was hearing, so Irate failed to make much of an impression. During the few minutes that I devoted to trying to pay attention, I decided they both looked and sounded pretty hardcore - though I enjoyed them more than I generally enjoy hardcore, so you gotta give them props for that.
CSDOCandy Striper Death Orgy was next, a band that I remember being constantly around many years ago, both when I was living in upstate New York, as well as when I lived in Boston, and my memories of them from back then were of general amusement, and of them not being very good. The band who took the stage Friday night held only a surface resemblance to the band I remembered. No onstage spectacle and they were playing some pretty competent death metal that I was enjoying. Unfortunately, we had to duck out to an off-site engagement at that point, so my CSDO experience was unceremoniously cut short.
Nuclear AssaultAfter running out, having a bizarro-CBGB's experience at a very different and un-metal club, then running back to the cozy metalness of CB's, I finally got to see Nuclear Assault live for the very first time. At this stage of the metal game, I sometimes feel like I've seen every band a million times, so this was a truly rare treat. See, reunion tours do serve a purpose after all. Despite the searing pain in my head and general crappy-feeling-ness, I found banging my head to the old-school, classic 80's thrash being performed feet away made me feel better, and sustained me through the very end. The band was great, everything I expected and more, as they were reliving old memories and, apparently, pulling familiar old stunts like standing in the crowd for half the set. It was entertaining and comfortable, and with the pit mere inches away, it was simply metal. I'm so glad I dragged my sorry carcass out for this, and highly recommend you doing the same if you ever find you have the opportunity.
Solomon's Review (5/10/02, CBGB's, NYC):
Nuclear AssaultWow, another first. My first visit to the world-renowned CBGB's, and what can I say, it's... a piece of shit. No, just kidding (sort of)! Yes, Martha Stewart would scream bloody murder, jab a rolling pin into her torso and commit hari-kari upon entering the dank, scummy hall of this infamous highway rest stop, but that's what makes CBGB's so cool. The old concert flyers, graffiti, beer, puke, blood, urine and whatever human bodily fluids you might find in plentiful amounts on the walls and floor of this fine establishment just says ROCK 'N' ROLL, BABY! CBGB's has that special "Pavarotti would never, ever perform here even if you waved a big chicken leg in front of his face" ambience to it. Actually, the sound was good, too, and they even let you hop up on the stage to take pictures. One word... neato-frito.
Nuclear AssaultOkay, I was a little worried because Incantation and Dragonlord had already cancelled. However, the remaining bands made up for any deficiency in the bill. In fact, I was a bit surprised everyone was so good. Crap, first off, I hadn't heard Nuclear Assault for like ten years, and the other acts were just names to me. Locked In A Vacancy (?!) opened the show to a certainly less-than-packed house, but they didn't show any lack of enthusiasm. The band's website calls their style "Brooklyn hardcore" with "large doses of metal," if that means anything to you, but I'd describe it as a really intense In Flames. The Gothenburg sound may be old hat, but you don't see a lot of American acts jumping on this bandwagon, so LIAV was cool in my book. Brutal vocals, good stage presence, flashy lead work and churning guitar riffs, LIAV kicked my ass. The cover of "The Trooper" was a plus, to boot. Now, usually pit antics don't bug me, but since I was carrying around several hundred dollars in camera equipment, the stage-diving, cart-wheel body-slamming of Irate's audience brought me close to grabbing one of those little bastards by the legs and introducing his head to the wall. In retrospect, this would have been a bad idea, because A) this is New York, B) some of those "little bastards" weren't so little and would have pulled my liver out through my ass and C) most of them were just having a good time and weren't looking for trouble, anyway. Irate were surprisingly melodic at times and were an entertaining listen. Candy Striper Death Orgy, despite having one of the Silliest Names in the Universe, smacked us upside the head with some yummy bare-bones, loud, crunchy 80's thrash metal.
Nuclear AssaultAround midnight, John Connelly, Danny Lilker, Glenn Evans and Anthony Bramante led Nuclear Assault's final operation against the eardrums of the world. Ninety minutes of full-tilt thrash, just like mom never liked. "Technology," "Betrayal," "Trail of Tears," "Critical Mass" and a slew of others made up a well-balanced meal including snapped bass strings, sports talk and beer. John was an especially likable frontman, stopping several times to shoot the shit about, oh, whatever came to mind. He even spent a while down on the floor right in front of the stage, tinkering away on his Gibson Flying-V while sharing vocal duties with various members of the studio audience. An enchanting evening? Fuck you. A whop-ass evening? You bet. Nuclear Assault, RIP.
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