Average Rating: 4
Go to Judgment Committee Reviews of this tour
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There are currently 2 Reader Reviews of this tour.
Average Rating: 4 Go to Judgment Committee Reviews of this tour |
Submitted by Solomon (4/18/01):
What can I say, this was my first metalfest experience, and I can bet I was the only Idaho representative in the crowd this year (if I'm wrong, buzz me, fellow potatoheads!). The line-up was largely composed of bands I had little or no prior knowledge of. This had its up and down side: I was getting exposed to bands I would never have thought twice about, but I was also disappointed certain acts weren't present. No In Flames, no Dimmu, no Hypocrisy, no Testament but, hey, it's all about learning, right?The venue: After two hours of traveling by van through the beautiful countryside of New Jersey (snicker), we checked into our spacious digs and then hit the road for the venue. Okay, the convention hall in Asbury Park isn't the prettiest thing I've seen, but its weathered look, inside and out, made it kind of cool for hosting a metal event. I was impressed with the vendor area: over half of the main hallway was taken up with tables gleaming with all sorts of ways to drain my financial reserves. CD's, T-shirts, videos, magazines, a virtual Mecca of metal. Plenty of free stickers, posters, and reading material, to boot. Concert shirts still cost an arm and a leg, and most of the designs weren't interesting enough for me to buy one, but at least most of the CD's cost less than normal retail prices. After paying the entrance fee, they better cut me some slack.
Aside from the bands, I did attend the press conference on Saturday featuring members of Cathedral, Catastrophic, and Einherjer, among others. Don't be too impressed: this was a fairly short, informal affair with no New York Times rep in sight. It was fairly uninteresting and uninformative, although I thought Lee Dorian, as he answered questions about the Napster thing, came across as a well-spoken individual. I tried to copy a few statements down on a notepad for future use but, hell, don't hire me to do dictation. (Note to self, bring tape recorder next time).
The music: if I had to put a few names at the top it would be Pain, Primal Fear, and Terricon. Peter Tatgren is kinda my hero, being Mr. What-Haven't-I-Produced and all, so I was biased from the start, but Pain's techno/industrial/metal assault was a real shot in the arm. I was a little shocked to see the sunken-eyed-one sporting a Columbine coat and a mike stand in place of an axe, but damn if his band didn't deliver. People may piss on Primal Fear's attempt at being a Judas Priest clone, but after hearing bands try to out brutalize each other for two days, power metal was just what I needed. Like Pain, I hadn't heard any of that band's material prior to the show, but they looked great, had great stage presence, and played well. The "You Got Another Thing Comin'" cover was a little funny given the band's rep, but it's all good. This was PF's first American gig, and I hope they enjoyed it enough to return to the States sometime. The-band-that-used-to-be-known-as-Terricon also added a welcome melodic bent to the fest. Too bad their guitar sound was muddied up through the PA system, 'cause I know they smoked just about everyone else that weekend.
Opeth and Amorphis were highlights, as well. Some of our group were a little pissed that Amorphis avoided anything before Tuonela, but given the fact I am Tales ignorant, I thought they played a good set, anyway. The biggest snafu came with Cathedral's time slot. Being scheduled for 12:30am was one thing, but given the fact the main stage was an hour or so behind in the first place made the 20-minute time limit seem like a major stab-in-the-back. Boy, was Lee pissed! Although, I did get a chuckle out of seeing him pace the stage, ranting about the band's short set and asking guys in the front row for alcohol. In a way, I wish they had been more respectful and just played straight through without bitchin,' but they did play "Ride," which left me happy in the end. Sorry, lads, come back soon and play a proper gig! At least they had it better than Electric Wizard, who got screwed on account of the late hour. Oh, yeah, and I thought Vesperian Sorrow was wicked, too. Damn, these guys are from Texas of all places, and they play good symphonic black/gothic metal but without using trick-or-treat makeup. "Dark Fucking Metal," indeed.
The verdict: I would say this was an okay event. The time slot crap was a serious black mark, and I wish I had seen more progressive and power metal acts at this gig, but there was a ton of stuff I missed, too. The sound at the Relapse stage left something to be desired. Some people may have been upset at having to go across the street to the hotel bar for alcohol, but I thought it was nice to have a separate oasis to recooperate before heading back to the mayhem. The fest food wasn't bad, either. Most of all, I feel sorry for the poor sap(ette) who tried to pawn those girly, official Metal Meltdown shirts. Put a naked chick on it, and I'll buy one next time around.
Reviewed by Musashi:
The envelope please...Worst food: Koshick Burgers and Koshick Dogs. $3.00 for a soft bun and a filling that didn’t look or taste like beef. I’m so glad I had my Pure Protein bars with me.
Worst T-shirt: The Asbury Park Convention Hall t-shirt. Who buys that crap?
Worst dressed: The losers who bought the Asbury Park Convention Hall t-shirts. So unmetal!
Worst disappointment: Not being allowed to videotape the Opeth show. I don’t know if they object to people taping them on legal reasons or philosophical reasons, but it’s a shame. I would love to watch that show over and over and over again.
Worst band: Amorphis. The singer was off key and they only played new stuff. Why don’t they play the stuff that people like? Play some old songs.
Best Stage: The Relapse stage. Despite the fact that the best headliners played on the Snakenet Metal Radio stage, the most consistently good stage was the Relapse stage. All the bands on the Relapse stage were awesome.
Best looking singer: The woman from Tapping The Vein. Smoking body. Where the hell was my video camera?
Best Judas Priest impersonation: Primal Fear. I couldn’t believe that I wasn’t watching Judas Priest. When they played “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming” I was blown away.
Best stage show: A Life Once Lost. These kids are nuts! What maniacs. They looked like they were having so much fun. Definitely a band to keep a lookout for.
Best promosexuals: Chamber Seven. This band got the bartenders to wear their t-shirts. I don’t know how they did it, but they did it.
Best groupie: The beautiful girl from Salt Lake City that came with the band Tempered Steel. These guys know how to travel in style.
Best new band without a name: Terricon or should I say The Artist Formerly Known As Terricon. These guys played a great set, but announced that they had to change their name due to another band called Terracon.
Best barroom incident: King Fowley knocking over tables. It wouldn’t be a Metalfest if the King didn’t get drunk and make a scene.
Best band to party with: Flotsam & Jetsam. The guys came up to the room to party with us and play us a copy of their new CD. Fucking awesome! Maybe the best F&J CD in a while.
Best Band: Opeth. This is a no-brainer. These guys are awesome. So good. So musical. So metal!
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