Top of the ummm... Pops?

His highest charting output since 1994's 4P, the new Danzig record "Deth Red Sabaoth" debuts this week on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart at #35 and at #3 on the Top Independent Album Chart. The album sold 11,700 copies, nearly what his last two efforts sold in their first week COMBINED. Just wanted to mention that.

I Did Shows, Sometimes.

If you hung out with me from late 1993 on, you probably heard me talking about how much I loved Mouthpiece from Trenton, NJ. I would travel all over the east coast to see them play and I couldn't even tell you how many times my friends and I drove out to Jersey to see them. Also, I, like many hardcore kids before me, realized that with a couple of phone calls and some elbow grease, you could set up a show for your favorite bands. My friend Jeff and I set out to do just that in January of 1995:


I had done shows before: most notably Unbroken and Undertow at the same venue (the Irish Center) the summer before and Jeff had been doing shows off and on in his home town of Hamburg, NY. We put our heads together and came up with this line up. Our bands: Plagued with Rage(mine)and Drought(his) would open, along with Scott from Slugfest's new band Despair (their second show)and heavyweights Chokehold and Mouthpiece would headline. I don't know if we knew what we were in for.

The show ran pretty smooth, with the turn out of 275 far exceeding what we had expected. Aside from some drunken Irish Center member punching a girl in "the pit," some hardcore girls offending older members by walking around in sports bras, someone "tagging" the bathroom walls (ahh, the 90's)and a light fixture being broken, the show was amazing.

I remember paying Chokehold $250 US and whatever Canadian money we collected at the door and they tried to GIVE SOME BACK, saying it was too much, but they were the reason a lot of kids were there (as 100 left after they played) and deserved it. I remember paying Mouthpiece $350 and having to pay the Irish Center extra for the broken fixture/ fixtures. Other than that, I can't remember what else we paid out. I watch this video now and see a lot of faces I still see and many I don't. Well, that and I see me, the biggest goofball in the world, enjoying the music he loves most. Thank you Mouthpiece and thank you Buffalo Hardcore.

(Thanks to ERICWENDYBRIAN on youtube for posting these videos, whoever you are.)

No Mom, It's a sleepover: my first real hardcore show

My parent's weren't the most strict, but it seemed like until I was 17, they really weren't too keen on me participating in the music scene I felt a part of. Maybe once every two or three months, I could garner the permission to go see Overkill or Cannibal Corpse or Sacred Reich but for the most part, they shot me down. When they denied me a Testament/ Wratchild America show I REALLY wanted to go to, I decided that it was best to cut them out of the process completely.

In the waning days of 1990, my friends and I took a trip to Home of the Hit and found out a devastating all NYHC bill (with local heavy weights ZT opening) was coming at the start of the new year. Slyther, local scene guy and record store clerk, gave us the details and explained to us that the Biohazard record, a band we had never heard of, was already something people were really talking about. We all knew Agnostic Front were legends, we had their most recent release: "Live at CBGBs" and loved it. Sick of it All's "Blood, Sweat and No Tears" got a lot of rotation in our friend Jeff's (our personal chauffeur) car. ZT were the local heroes. This show was a MUST SEE, even if I had no idea who No Joke was, at the time.
I wasn't going to chance that my parent's wouldn't allow me to go and a plan was enacted. I would spend the night at my friend Greg's house and all was set, although the night before, our plans were almost ruined.

Jeff, Bob and myself were coming home from the mall on January 4th and it was snowing pretty hard. Jeff took a turn too sharp and BLAM we ended up jumping a curb, bending the rim to his front tire and getting stuck in the grass/ ice for hours. I remember walking to a shitty motel on River Road and convincing the owner to pull us out with his pick up. I also remember Bob flipping off the cop who stopped to help us out; of course, he did this every time the cop turned around so it was enough to get a punk rock half- point, but not enough to get us arrested. The next day, Jeff almost didn't find a rim at the junkyard, but at 6, he did and with just enough time to spare, we all piled into the aptly named "Skylark of Death" and headed off to the show, with Bob in the trunk, I should add. We parked and waited in line for a long time on the winding stairs that led up to the Skyroom.

Going to shows almost 20 years ago was much different than it is today. There were hardcore kids, skater kids, nazi skinheads, metal heads, punks, weirdos and all other types with us in that stairwell. I should also mention there were hardly any girls. I should point out that that is the BIGGEST difference between then and now. After the "alternative music" boom in the 90's more and more woman came around to check out shows. Hey, I'm not complaining, I'm just saying that's how it is.

No Joke played first and were terrible. I saw them many more times opening shows over the next 3 years or so and they never impressed me. But they did leave an impression, as all the singer Justin would talk about how nobody was dancing for them and that it must be because of the blizzard-like weather.

Zero Tolerance played second and blew my mind. This was my first time seeing them and although I had a tape of their recent tracks and their "bad Blood" record, those recordings did them no justice. They were a live powerhouse! I'm glad that not only did I get this introduction to them, but that I saw them 5 more times before their demise in '93. This is a band that should be legends and hopefully their "Fuel the Fire" ep that just came out on vinyl through Reaper Records; 19 years after its initial release, will help solidify that.

Sick of it All became my favorite hardcore band of the time that night: the energy and passion they exuded was massive. They not only played pretty much all of Blood, Sweat and No Tears, but a new song and a Minor Threat cover, both of which came out on the "We Stand Alone" ep a week later. Which I, of course, went to Cavages at the mall and bought. ON CASSETTE.

Agnostic Front were kind of a disappointment. They sounded bad and used almost the same banter as the live album I spoke of earlier. I guess they did this because they thought it's what we expected? I don't know. I remember thinking they were ok, but the REAL disappointment was them playing for only 25 minutes (the show started late) and they didn't play "Anthem" my favorite song of theirs. Looking back on my 20 year of show going, Agnostic Front have kind of been a disappointment nearly every time I've seen them (10 times) except once. One time the stars aligned properly for them and I was satisfied. Still, a 10% success rate isn't that good. I'm just glad I got to see them, when I did and where I did.

My parent's never questioned that I wasn't just sleeping over a friend's house and with the successful "wool-pulling" over my parent's eyes, I concocted more tales to be able to go to shows. Like for instance when, 2 months later, on a school night, I went with a girl named Kim to see Fugazi and Quicksand telling my parent's it was a "date."

Thankfully, a mere week after the Fugazi show, I turned 17 and they loosened the reigns a little. Which is good, because I was running out of things to tell them.

Danzig and I, Part 1: It's Coming Down

In 1988- 89 I got a copy of the self titled debut by Danzig on cassette. This is the same copy I wrote about in my blog a few days ago. I thought the album was amazing. It was dark and subtle in its approach. It truly was unlike anything I had heard at the time and it got repeated plays on my walkman. I can't explain how, a mere year and a half later, when I saw the video for "Killer Wolf" the vastness of my disappointment was. At the time, I was listening to more aggressive music than I had when I bought the first Danzig outing and jingle- jangle blues jams just weren't what my ears wanted to hear. I remember walking down Robinson Rd in my hometown talking to my friend Bob about how much I thought it was terrible. I wrote the album off and Danzig got no love from me for the rest of my high school career.

In 1995, I moved into my first apartment; a practical flop house with 11 rooms and 14 roommates nicknamed "Headquarters." No one ever did the dishes, we stayed up ridiculously late and most of the time I lived there, we didn't have cable. However, aside from the usual UHF channels and major networks we did get a pay-by-phone music video request channel called "The Box." On Occasion, one would be lucky enough to catch a Slayer video, but mostly it was whatever songs were popular in the inner city at the time. One afternoon while eating whatever awful vegan meal I had just prepared, I saw a music video that grabbed me and didn't let go; it was dark, a little twisted and sounded like it had come from the sleazy depths of hell itself. That video was "Until You Call On The Dark" and it's still one of my favorites to this day.

I couldn't believe how amazing the song was and THAT NIGHT, I went to every record store I liked in the city and picked up everything I could by Danzig: The 4p 12", the Mother 12" on purple, The Mother '93 cd single and the original inverted cross cd version of "Lucifuge." I was a little upset about abandoning the band 4 years prior and reveled in the music I had rediscovered. I needed to repent and luckily that time was at hand, the following month Danzig and company were going to play in Rochester, NY a mere hour away!

A week later, I went to purchase a ticket so I could just see these amazing songs live and the woman at the ticketmaster booth destroyed my dreams. That's right, the show was CANCELED.I found out months later, that it was because both guitar player John Christ and Bassist Eerie Von had quit the band. It would be a few more years before I saw Danzig, but that was ok because the Misfits were back, right?

Well, not quiet, but I was at that show and had fun, the "Newfits' hadn't written new songs yet and M. Graves just aped Glenn Danzig's moves and sound the whole night. Like I said, It was great, as was the show I saw them play a few months later in Toronto. After that, it was all downhill, but thankfully I found out that a new Danzig album was coming out and that he was coming TO BUFFALO!

I went to the Tuesday release for Danzig 5; "Blackacidevil," got home, popped it into the CD player and was DISGUSTED at what I heard. It is one of the worst albums I have ever purchased by an artist I love. Those Blayze Bayley Iron Maiden albums are pretty bad, sure, but at least they're still attempts at playing their style. Danzig 5 is a complete 180, an abomination of songs that I STILL cannot abide. Nonetheless, I went and saw the new Danzig band play that February 2, (1997) and it was decent. I remember at one point turning to my friend John and saying "this riff sounds like Sabbath?!?" To which he reply "It is!" apparently it was "Hand of Doom" but it was just barely recognizable. Like I said the show was nothing to write home about but it wasn't terrible, just not what I really wanted. I don't really like electronic music aside from some Devo and very little industrial so the new songs didn't do much for me. I will admit that the song "Deep" from the X-files soundtrack that preceded Danzig 5, I do like. Eh, sue me.

1999's "Satan's Child" was an improvement and I like some songs off the album, especially "13" which is now a minor hit thanks to the movie "The Hangover." But that wasn't the surprise Danzig had in store for the end of the 20th century. A bigger, more massive announcement was coming; a simple, unthinkable onetime rebirth of an evil classic known simply as "SAMHAIN."

March 1984: a brief reflection on my experience with Michael Jackson.

Off and on in the 80's and 90's, my youngest aunt lived with my parents, brother and I and thus was obligated to buy me birthday gifts. For my 10th day of birth,I begged, I mean BEGGED her to get me Motely Crue's "Shout at the Devil." Now, knowing my aunt and how she is, a perceived satanic heavy metal record was never an option for her to purchase. She mentioned Michael Jackson and I begged her again not to get me "Thriller" and at the very least I would take VH's "1984." Of course, she gave me Thriller for my 10th birthday and I can't explain how disappointed I was. I don't know if my relationship with my aunt ever truly recovered and I know I hated MJ then as I hate him today, a year after the day of his death.

Pop music, in general, has always been something I don't enjoy. It seems forced, molded and soulless to me. Successful pop stars are those who can project emotion into emotionless, prepackaged junk. I have to wonder if for them, it's fame that eventually crushes them or if it's that when they fake emotion with every "ohh baby" a part of them dies, leaving a void? Maybe it's some weird musical karma, or maybe were all damaged by the soul sucking jobs we eventually come to hate? Either way, I know one thing: even though I have my separate issuse with his career much later, "Diary of a Madman" by Ozzy Osbourne, which came out a year prior to "Thriller" spoke more volumes to me when I was young than the king of pop ever could.

Ok, I know it sounds bad, but I like it: Youth Of Today's We're Not In This Alone

I first bought my copy of "We're Not in This Alone" at Home of the Hits out of the used 12" LP bin in late 1990. Scratched with no lyric sheet, I was just happy to own a copy, as I loved the "Break Down the Walls" and "Disengage" cassettes I already had worn out. Hardcore music had an energy and spirit that was unique to itself. It was similar, yet different to the thrash and death metal I had been listening to and seemed more pure than the crossover bands that led me to "HxC" in the first place. I longed for the ferocity of "Make a Change" and the Heaviness of the more recent "Disengage." I dropped the needle on the record when I got home and was surprised at what I heard.

The recording was terrible. I mean TERRIBLE. Where were the drums? Why does the guitar sound like that? Is that even in time? I was confounded, I hadn't come across a record that sounded this, well, "unprofessional" before by a "national" act. Still, I loved it and the days before internet downloading, you took what you could get from the bands you loved.

After repeated listening and deciphering of the lyrics(again, NO LYRIC SHEET) the album found its place in my heart and influenced how I perceived the world. Soon after I was Straight Edge, vegetarian and going to more hardcore shows than death metal. This band changed my world. This album meant something, this album STILL means something to me nearly 20 years later.

A few years later, I came across the "Funhouse" records press of the album and I hated it. It seems they went back and remixed or rerecorded parts of the drums and vocals but somehow made it worse. This mix has stayed through the numerous reissues and cd version that have come out over the years and I hate it.

Here's the thing about remixes and remasters: they aren't always a positive thing. Our ears get used to the sound and feel of a record, they become a part of how we, as the listener, experience and absorb every note and lyric. Changing certain records that have become etched into our beings is like changing a loved one. What if your beloved grandmother came home remixed with 38D breasts, a new face and a different voice? My guess is you'd be pretty freaked out! I think some record labels/ artists forget that once art is released, it's no longer just theirs, it's ours. The artist is a part owner at that point as the song takes on meaning and life to those of us outside of the band. To those who would argue this with me, I would quickly point to the Chain Of Strength remixes that came out in the late 90's. Terrible.



I'm sure We Bite, Funhouse and Revelation Records all meant well with their versions of "WNITA," but I'm going to stick with the original Caroline mix. The mix, though flawed, made me not only fall in love deeper with hardcore but also made me invest time and thought into a movement that was sadly, at that time, on the down slide. I love the record and though I own both mixes; one gets ignored and collects dust, where the other reminds me of why I'll always love the youthful energy that is straight edge hardcore.

20 years later: A review of Entombed in Toronto 06/01/10

3 weeks ago, I, along with my brother and our friend Bob, ventured up to Canada to witness an honest to goodness death metal show. 20 years ago, I was very much into almost any and all bands that Earache records churned out. Although not one of my favorites at the time, Entombed was no exception. They really piqued my interest with 1993's "Wolverine Blues" but lost me some time after. Actually, I'll be honest; death metal, across the board, lost me until about 1998-99. Inflames "Colony" and At The Gates "Slaughter of the Soul" brought me back around, but that's another story.

The opening bands were two of the most insulting and amateurish "metal" bands I have witnessed in the past few years. It almost seemed like everything about them was an inside joke that I wasn't privy to. Either way, they were jokers and I don't even feel like mentioning their names because I WANT to pretend seeing them never even happened.

Entombed took the stage shortly after 9 pm and gave us a really great show. LG Petrov, the singer, was in great form; joking and grimacing in a King Diamond "Abigail" shirt while teetering around stage. Alex Hellid's guitar sounded massive and everything came together in fine form.



Being most familiar with Entombed's first three albums wasn't an issue with the show. They played a lot of material off of "Wolverine Blues" and nearly every great song off of their "return to form" albums that began with 2001's "Morning Star." The set list was as follows:
Chief Rebel Angel
Demon
Wolverine Blues
When In Sodom
Crawl
Serpent Saints
I for an Eye
Sinners Bleed
Supposed to Rot
Out of Hand
Stranger Aeons
Damn Deal Done
Night Of the Vampire
Left Hand Path


The great surprise of the night was their cover of Roky Erickson's "Night of the Vampire" and the only misplaced sounding song was "Damn Deal Done" off of 1997's "To Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth." It didn't have the same feel as the other Entombed originals and felt a little flat. Still, it's not a bad song, it just didn't deliver like the others.


Obituary was the headliner and I know to a lot of fans of the genre, it's going to sound like blasphemy when I say I never really cared for them. I saw them in 1990 and I will say this: NOTHING HAS CHANGED about John Tardy, their singer. He looks, sounds and dresses exactly the same! Which, although admirable, doesn't do anything for me in the realm of liking his band any more than I already don't. Obituary isn't a bad band and honestly they sounded great, even with their weird power metal lead player. I'm just not into them. I did however manage to snap one pics with my phone.



So, twenty years after first hearing Entombed, I finally got to witness them live and they didn't disappoint in the least. Until I got the new Danzig and Integrity albums last week you would find my car filled with the sounds of their newest outting, "Serpent Saints." The murky and underrated "Inferno." and the incredibly powerful "Morning Star." It's good to know we can still count on some bands. Viva La Entombed!