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Webster Theater
Hartford, CT
September 6, 2009
It doesn’t get much more classic and genuine than Doro Pesch. Since her days as the front woman of Warlock to the present, where her eponymous band continues to pump out quality traditional metal, she has remained the unrivalled “Queen of Metal.” When playing here a few months ago, she had to go up against Motorhead playing in Boston and the Ravage CD release party in Worcester. This left her crowd at only around one hundred fifty-somethings. It’s a shame that so few people came out to see such a legend play one of her rare stateside concerts. She came around last month to the Webster theater with a backing band half her age. That didn’t stop her from bringing her undiluted brand of old school metal, though.
Miss Pesch might be fifty years old, but she’s still beautiful. Back in the days of Warlock, she was metal’s top vixen, and hell, she still is. Hearing her belt out tracks form those days like “Burning the Witches” made me curse the fact that my birth date is in 1986. What stood out most about her show was her unbridled enthusiasm and passion for performing. Even with such a small crowd, she didn’t show an iota of disappointment. After each song, she gleefully thanked the crowd for showing up and for their decades of support. Later on in her set, she played “We are the Metalheads,” the theme from Wacken Open Air, making it clear that crowd size didn’t matter to her. It could be the largest metal show on Earth or one show in Hartford, Connecticut. After covering “Breaking the Law,” she finished her set with “All We Are,” her signature anthem with an extended singalong.
This may be the last time Doro tours the United States. But on the other hand, people probably said that in 1991, too. She performs with a radiant smile that conveys jubilation to every fan at her shows. Let’s just hope she can do it once again on this side of the pond.
A- -Adam
w/Lionize
Webster Theater
Hartford, CT
September 12, 2009
 I was lucky the guys thought of me for this one. I had planned on going to this show but completely forgot the date and nearly missed it. Then the 'Cooper' remembered what a Clutch fan I was and invited me to join them. Whew, that was close. Thanks again, guys!
I met up with Goz and Matt in the early evening at Matt's house. Before leaving, we had a quick glug then headed for the highway. As soon as 290 turned into 395, and I watched the exit for the Pike pass by, Goz and I then had to convince Matt that we couldn't get to Hartford via 395. Oops. Honest mistake Matt, no biggie. Connecticut yes, Hartford, no. He must've had a subconscious urge to go gambling or something.
The man-with-the-plan, Goz, found a restaurant to check out where we could try us some pre-show fancy beers and apps. We picked up Captain Metalbeard, who was waiting for us at the venue, then headed off for the City Steam Brewery Cafe. I tried a delicious brown sugar stout that was so thick it took the whole visit to finish it off. The pizza was good and loaded but we were all unhappy with the nachos. The taste was OK and it came on a large pizza pan but we were jipped with a ton of dry, tri-color chip crumbs underneath. Like they gave us the crumbled bottom of three or four chip bags just to get rid of it. Or get rid of us.
Back at the Webster Theater we got to enjoy special treatment (thanks
Gina!) and hang out in the VIP area all night. We had an assortment of ice cold beers waiting for us in their stylish and comfortable room above and at the back of the venue. There were big windows overlooking the tour bus and smoker's section outside. The view of the stage was high above the crowd and great for people-watching in the drinking area below us.
Clutch and Wino were originally supposed to be playing with Revolution Mother tonight. Which is Mike Vallely's debut into the music world as a vocalist. He's a notorious badass, on and off the [skate]board, and I was curious to hear if his music was as heavy as his reputation. For some reason, Revolution Mother had to cancel and Lionize filled in to support their new album Space Pope and the Glass Machine. Lionize is a reggae/funk rock band that Clutch's own Tim Sult joins when his hectic touring schedule permits it. We arrived near the close of their set and I think we missed the majority of their of their reggae-sounding stuff as I thankfully can only remember hearing more of a stoner rock vibe from them.
We didn't have to wait long until the Godfather of Doom, Wino, hit the stage with his solo band. Speaking of his live solo band, it consisted of Jean Paul Gaster from CLUTCH on drums, Brian White from DOG Fashion disco, Phantom Communique, and Betty Blue on bass and of course, Wino on guitar and vocals. Playing mostly songs from his debut (and ONLY solo album) Punctuated Equilibrium, Wino and his band proceeded to level the Webster with their sonic Stoner Doom Rock sound. "Release Me" got the crowd fired up, at least there were a dozen or so people in the crowd who knew who the hell Wino was so they along with myself really dug hearing the first song off the aforementioned album. "Punctuated Equilibrium", "Smilin Road", "Wild Blue Yonder", "Secret Realm Devotion", and my personal favorites, "Gods, Frauds, Neo-Cons And Demagogue" and "Silver Lining" were all played with sincere passion of one of the greatest and underrated guitarists of all time. Wino seemed to also be truly enjoying himself, and who couldn't blame him, he had an an incredibly talented band assembled and some great songs to play, which even included an older song from his days with the Obsessed. My only complaint was he only had a 35-40 minute set and it went by WAY too fast!
Clutch's set was filled their usual, customary mixture of various songs from their vast array of albums. They always include a couple extended drum solos and lengthen a song or two via short jam sessions. With their latest album having been released early this July, I sort of expected to hear more new songs but it wasn't as many as I thought it would be. They played “Abraham Lincoln” and “50,000 Unstoppable Watts”
and couple others from Strange Cousins From the West. They also played a good amount of prior releases including, but not limited to, “The Mob Goes Wild,” “Cypress Grove,” “White's Ferry” and my personal two favorites of this particular evening with Clutch; “Gravel Road” and fan favorite “Animal Farm.” As always, this hard-touring band never ceases to amaze me with their live performances. What cannot be captured in the studio, their fans understand and it draws them back time and again for the live experience.
I usually have to rush to have a couple of beers then make my way to the front row at almost every Clutch show I've been to, but I was way too appreciative to waste a luxury such as we had in favor of going down to mill amongst a packed venue full of mainly drunk, sweaty guys.
I was a nice change and a hell of a bonus to be able to relax, for once, and drink some tasty beers. (Don't free beers always taste
better?) There wasn't anyone standing in front of us or smashing into us. We got to watch, from a bird's eye view, my favorite live performers. I've never been more comfortable at a Clutch show. It was over all too soon.
A -Alesha & Matt Smith
w/Eagle Twin
AS220
Providence, RI
September 19, 2009
Having never been to a gig at the AS220 in Providence, RI, I really didn't know what to expect, but to my surprise it was a neat little club/bar/restaurant that was bigger than I had anticipated. But I wasn't here to check out the venue, i was here to witness one of the most powerful bands on the Southern Lord label, sunn o))). Opening the show was the power duo Eagle Twin, a heavy noisy Doom/Thrash, Black Metal band that severely devastated the full capacity crowd with their sonic fury that you wouldn't think two people could make with just a guitar and drums (well, unless you've seen Black Cobra live). Eagle Twin pleased the crowd with mostly cuts off their debut album on Southern Lord, and set us up for the skull shaking we were about to witness.
sunn o))) took the stage in hooded robes and a wall of sunn o))) amplifiers behind them and a man on keyboards and various synthesizers and the infamous Attila on lead vocals, if you want to call them that, because they were more like spoken word pieces and guttural growls and droning chanting that made the effects of the band's drum less sound even more mind blowing and creepy. Low-end heavy is an understatement when describing the sound of the guitars and bass, in fact, you could say if you weren't prepared you might be overcome with resonation throughout your body that might make you uncomfortable. In fact, I found my ears, which most definitely had earplugs in them, were vibrating so much I had to "itch" them numerous times during their hour-plus set. Playing most of their newest album, Monoliths and Dimensions they leveled everyone's expectations of what this show had hyped itself to be. Even Attila had some funky costumes, including one that resembled a tree, with his arms as the branches. If there is one band I HIGHLY recommend you see next time they come around, it is sunn o))).
A -Matt Smith
w/Six Organs Of Admittance, Lichens
ICA
Boston, MA
October 12, 2009
Upon arriving at the ICA (Institute of Contemporary Art) I knew this was going to be no ordinary venue and I was right about that. Stadium style seating in the Amphitheater while looking out through all glass windows onto the Boston Harbor and seeing the boats and planes flying into Logan Airport only added to the mind numbing effect of the music that was going to be played here on this night. Up first was a one man band called Lichens, and what he did was layer a bunch of vocals and sounds all created by his mouth, over one another until you had a rich orchestra of sounds that he used as a backdrop for his soaring vocals which did not contain any words, just beautiful sounds and melodies that were mesmerizing everyone for the 25-30 minutes he performed.
Six Organs of Admittance played a mellow acoustic set of mostly instrumental music that really grew on you the more they went into their set. A few songs had vocals and they were also pretty mellow. They reminded me a little bit of Red house Painters with a more Indie edge. Toward the end of the set, they started jamming and got pretty noisy and intense with the drummer playing some crazy improvised stuff and it all climaxed into a big crashing end which made their earlier material seem like another band had played before them.
Finally Om took the stage and proceeded to play cuts off their latest album, God is Good with their sound as heavy as it is, it echoed throughout the amphitheater and created an amazing effect that made them sound even more mesmerizing than they already are. Al Cisnero's bass was sonic booming as it usually is and new drummer Emil Amos held down the rhythmic end admirably. Robert, of Lichens, added some nice accents to the songs with some keyboard effects and vocals, as well as some guitar parts that definitely added another dimension to their sound. The sold out crowd truly appreciated this performance and left feeling satisfied to have witnessed the aural orgasms the band created this evening.
A -Matt Smith
DCU Center/The Palladium
Worcester, MA
October 17, 2009
After hearing the line-up for this years Rock and Shock that organizer Gina Migliozzi created, it was no wonder myself and many friends were extremely excited for it. Not only were we getting some top grade guests at the conventions center, we were getting top notch music performers as well.
Arriving at the DCU around 1:00 PM on Saturday, I knew what guests I wanted to meet first. They were the Fulci film guests that Mike Baronas, of Paura Productions, had assembled, and they were none other than Catriona Maccoll (House By The Cemetary, the Beyond, City of the Living Dead), Al Cliver (Zombie, The Beyond, Demonia), Ottaviano Dell'Acqua (Fulci's Zombie, and stunt man extraordinaire for hundreds of films) and they were all incredibly friendly and honored to have so many people interested in meeting them. They also did an informative Q & A session with the crowd and MIke Baronas was there talking about his experiences meeting them and his adoration of Lucio Fulci, one of the greatest Horror film makers ever. They all had many stories about Fulci to share and Al Cliver told one of the most interesting stories of how one of Fulci's daughters was kicked by his horse and caused her serious damage that affected the way she walked the rest of her life. It was great to hear their stories and it made me realize how lucky we were to have them in my home town of Worcester because most of them live in Europe.
Also on my list of guests to meet was Gunnar Hansen, Leatherface, of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and he was gracious as always, as I had met him a few times before at other appearances in the past around the city. And last but not least was Malcolm McDowell, the main character from one of my all time favorite movies, A Clockwork Orange. He was also very kind and he even indulged me by quoting one of his Metalocalypse characters by saying, "All of their orifices?", even though he had no recollection of doing so for the show (I guess you had to be there!). Malcolm also did a Q & A session that proved to be very  entertaining, as he told us a great story about a scene in A Clockwork Orange that he improvised on and Stanley Kubrick cracked up off set while filming it. It was the scene at the end of the movie where Alex is being fed after jumping out of the window and he's all bandaged up in a body cast and every time he is being fed he opens his mouth in an exaggerated manner that is quite humorous and Stanley found it very funny as well. John Landis also did a great Q & A, and if any one knows John Landis, this guy is so open and down to earth that even in a Q & A you feel like you've gotten to know his witty and fun personality.
The first music act I caught at the Palladium was Seventh Void, the side project of Kenny and Johnny of Type O Negative, and they put on a 20 minute set of smoking Monster Magnet influenced music that I found quite appealing. After their set I wanted to make it to the meet and greet with St. Vitus so I hurried over to the DCU to meet them and they were at a table next to the Misfits who were also doing a signing and had a VERY long line that I thankfully didn't have to wait in because not too many people were waiting to meet St. Vitus, their loss, my gain! The band were all very cool, and Wino especially was cool! Then I made my way back to the Palladium after catching the tail end of the Malcolm McDowell Q & A and caught God Dethroned at the Palladium. They put on a great set of Death Thrash that I can honestly say impressed me enough to want to check them out again.
 St. Vitus were next and came out and crushed us with their brand of 70's influenced Stoner Metal and even had people in the crowd who didn't know who they were rocking out to them. Quite honestly, St. Vitus was one of the big reasons I was so excited for this year's Rock n Shock, and they definitely made it worthwhile! The Misfits were next and they were the Misfits, and obviously a big draw among the kids, as the place was going crazy during their set, which consisted of many classic Glenn Danzig era songs as well as some recent NEW Misfits songs. Call me jaded, but I never bought the whole Misfits without Danzig, so I honestly wasn't too impressed with their set, in fact I thought they sounded like a Misfits cover band at best.
Last were Type O Negative, who in the last few years have gone down hill due to Peter Steele's health problems, but sounded just like the old days for this show. Pulling out many classic songs from their back catalog, like "Christian Woman", "Black No. 1", and my personal favorites, "Dead Again", "Wolf Moon", "Love You to Death" and a great cover of Black Sabbath's, "NIB". Peter's voice sounded great and the band were tight. They made me believers again after the last few years had me worried they weren't going to be around much longer.
All in all I can say this was by far the BEST Rock n Shock so far, and if it's any indication of things to come, I'm sure Gina will be getting an even MORE stellar roster of guests and performers next year!
A -Matt Smith
w/Belphegor, Vreid, and some other bands
The Palladium
Worcester, MA
November 3, 2009
 This was the opening night for the Heathenfest America tour of 2009. We arrived at the venue midway through Kivimetsän Druidi's set. I am not a big fan of their sound, and apparently neither were most of the 100 or so people that were in attendance for the earliest band on the bill. I guess they are ok for what they are, but we decided to go check out the merch and talk to some people we knew who were there.
Up next was Norway's Vreid. Ever since I heard I Krig, and more recently, the amazing Milorg, I have been very interested in seeing Vreid Live. They put the most they could into their measly 30 minute set, including "Alarm", "Blücher", and the title track from their latest disc, while also throwing in some choice track from the bands back catalog. The band was in top form, and the sound was, for the most part, quite good. Still, a 30-minute set is a mere tease. Hopefully they'll get hooked up on another US tour and be able to play a longer set for us soon.
Scottish pirate metal band Alestorm were next. Apparently, a ton of people in Worcester like pirates, because the band had everyone pumping their fists and screaming along with their grog fueled lyrics. They lost me as soon as they came out, shirtless and with a friggin' keytar. Nothing says metal like a keytARRRRR! Next.
The band we were all here to see, Belphegor, hit the stage next. It took forever for them to get the sound working right. All the bands were using the same equipment, and since this is the first show on the tour, there were bound to be problems. They finally got sound from all the instruments, and the band started playing. This didn't mean that it sounded good, though, because the mix was all sorts of messed up for the first part of the set. Mainman Helmuth (who Jesse thinks eats the faces of people that piss him off) was swearing up and down about the shitty sound and equipment, but I think that just fueled his desire to put on a more ferocious set, and it seemed to help some. They played a few new tracks off their latest release, and ended with "Bondage Goat Zombie", which the crowd really liked.
With that, I called it a night. Decent show overall, definitely worth it to finally get to see Vreid, and Belphegor always puts on a good show, despite all the equipment problems they were having this night.
B -Goz
w/Decrepit Birth, Warbringer, The Amenta, Augury, and Swashbuckle
The Palladium
Worcester, MA
November 5, 2009
We walked in during Swashbuckle's set of pirate themed thrash. At least these guys are a bit better than Alestorm from the other night - and no fuckin' keytar! I do like how they dress the part and have the inflatable palm tree on stage with them. After them was Canadian technical death metal band Augury. While I appreciate they talent that they have, and some of their stuff is good, they are quite a bore live. Was it really necessary to have a bass solo in the middle of a 30-minute set? Also, the bassist changed basses in between just about every song. Really??
Up next was Australian industrial death band The Amenta. I liked their disc nOn for what it was, although it didn't blow me away. Live, the band put on a decent show, although the sound wasn't all that optimal for them, and they seemed kinda cramped on the small upstairs stage at the Palladium.
Following them was the always entertaining Warbringer. They seem to play here about once every 2 months or so (maybe even more), and they always have the crowd wrapped around their pumping fists. Lets face it, they put on a pretty damn good stage show, and have some really good songs that are easy to get into and scream along with. The crowd totally got into their entire set, with a circle pit pretty much running non-stop. I am sure they will be back soon, and play more or less the same set, and get more or less the same reaction. And I am sure I will be there, as usual.
Decrepit Birth brought their technical, brutal death metal attack next. While I like the band, they tend to lose me quick when they start with the overly technical noodling, which they did a few times here. They did put on a good show overall, though, and singer Bill Robinson (I heard someone say he looks like a guy who live in the alley near his house) does a decent job interacting with the fans. I think at one point he said "this next song is called Are You Gonna Eat That Pizza Crust?", but I think it was just the set closer "Prelude to the Apocalypse" - you can never really tell when they growl the song titles. They also played a new song, "Polarity", which will be the title track to their new record, due out sometime in 2010.
Finally, the band we were all waiting for hit the stage. Fucking VADER! Now, I've seen them a ton of times, going all the way back to the mid-90's, and they've always put on a great show. The first thing mainman Piotr said when he came out was "What can I say? Vader has returned." This was enough to get excite the crowd into a minor frenzy. They played a good range of songs - "Devilizer", "Rise of the Undead", "Wings", "Back to the Blind", "Dark Age" and for an encore they did "This is the War". The sound for Vader was really good, and the band seemed excited to be on stage the whole time. The crowd was, for the most part, pretty into the show, although there were a few lulls in the action from time to time. Rumor has it they'll be back in April with Overkill and God Dethroned. Let's hope so!
B+ -Goz
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