Greetings, Unsettled Souls. I bid thee welcome to another installment of these random show reviews that I do. I have the good fortune to see only a few shows a year, and in the process I often get to meet some real cool people who happen to be doing the coolest job on the planet. Make sure you jump below to see my interview with MAGNA FI (who are the most down to Earth Mo-Fo's one will ever encounter), and my brief but awesome meeting with all four OTEP members. Be warned; though I am a published author, I do not write these as "proper english" would have it. This is the site, and this is my page to share with those who follow my bands work and interests. So sit back, 420 one, and enjoy.
To begin my tale, I would be remiss if I did not take this golden opportunity to quote the late great Kurt Cobain and say "NATURE IS A WHORE". I think if it rains one more time in God forsaken state, I may just build an ark! Two summers in a row of "suckdom", and this state is one hard sell on this "global warming" bullshit as well. Major props go out to the Jagermiester tent and the Stinger Energy Drink tent who were giving away free dry T-shirts. Yeah, it might be propaganda, but I will support anyone who helps the drenched and cold in the process of getting their word out. Now, on with the review...
My adventure prone wife and I headed out to Blossom Music Center just in time to catch most of the fest. Lacuna Coil is truly amazing live, and her voice is up there in a league with Even essence. Actually, they rock a lot harder than Even essence, and the band is made up of better caliber musicians. Bleeding Through were strong and musically tight. They have a sound that is not particularly original, but one that will always ring true to that hardcore "Pantera-punK" fringe. This also holds true for Lamb of God.
WOW! By that I mean WENDY O WILLIAMS. Those of you who are really core will know who that is. Wendy is punk, the crossover pioneer, and the epitome of what a front person should be. Well, I am happy to report that while Otep (band name, and female lead singer's name as well) does not disrespect Wendy O' by stealing her act, but not since Wendy has anyone in music coo like a bird and roar like a lion as well as she did, and this was back in the late 70's, early 80's. Out of the rain and cold come this INTENSE band! Otep took over, and that crowd went insane. I was pulled into the pit by the middle of the first song. Having only heard this band on the demo I played on THE LOONEYBIN, I was blown away. Otep ran ripping at her clothes, pumping fists the air, casing both deep cavernous howls and sweet melodies. All with a driven band that never relents. Awesome show, and a pleasure to witness. I felt the whole "I hate God" rehash was all that diminished the show, and a this is a free country. Later, I got to meet the band, and was honored to inform them all that I loved their set, and got to tell Otep in person the things I have just written here.
The next band I had the opportunity to witness was local boys gone balls out successful, HATEBREED. God bless 'em, I hope they go to the top. Marilyn Manson, Macy Gray, Eric Singer (KISS), Devo, Tim (The Ripper) Owen (Judas Priest, Iced Earth), Trent Reznor (NIN),-to name a few- and now Hatebreed. Co-headlining the second stage is some big shoes to fill if history is be a marker. Why, even the mighty Motorhead once graced this hallowed time slot. Plus, with Otep having done so well, and Slipnot to follow, they had to step up. And I am happy to report that they did just that. While very much a band that appeals to the hardcore contingent, they offer a personality that draws the listener in, and makes one feel as if they know a bit what it is that is being conveyed on stage by making reference to certain meanings; such as his father being institutionalized and now released and well, or dedicating songs to child moles tor scum. Also, the band has a way of making the mosh pits bigger by encouraging the circles to break off, or having EVERYONE start a massive circle pit AROUND the sound tent. All this stage presence and charisma, along side strong musicians always make for a great show. If you like the hard stuff, DO NOT MISS HATEBREED!
Next up was one of the reasons I purchased a ticket this fine evening, and that reason is Slipnot. Having had the chance to see them in Ozzfest 2001, I was awaiting to see what the band would sound like now that some of the other members have gone on to other side projects such as The Murderdolls, or on to bigger success with other project as is the case of Stone Sour. While I have always enjoyed the music of this band quite a bit, I had the same complaint with the last live show I saw as I do with much of disks I have purchased, and that is that while they are so musically solid as to make anyone with a sense of talent take note on all fronts, it is often totally impossible to make out what everyone in this nine piece monster is doing. That is not so much the fault of the band as it is the bands choice of producer. This is a band that could benefit greatly by finding a producer like Trent Reznor or Flood in there on some of those songs. This would allow for a more total and honest rendition of the music and not limit the force or power of it. Having said that (as if I am some sort of genius), SLIPNOT ARE WICKED! It goes without saying then that I was delighted to find that for the first time on CD or live, I could hear the whole freaking band. The keyboardist had a real reason to show up this fine day, as did the other two numbered drummers, one of whom sets about lambasting his metallic drum can with an aluminum base bat.. Cory's unrestrained barking mixed flawlessly with his more tempered moments, what few of them there are. The timing changes were tighter than Janet Reno's chastity belt, and the energy level was such that Cory managed to bust himself dead in the mouth. He stood there bleeding with a loosened tooth, just going off without regard. I managed to mosh myself into a nice goose egg over my right eye curtsey of the back of some girls head. Those who don't mosh simply can not understand it. He ended the set by saying "Remember this, it is an honor to play for you, not an honor for you to hear us play." I needed this, and I was ready for the main stage acts.
This is part of the show that really could have turned real bad, real quick. The stooges who planned the fest at Blossom had two three foot lanes of traffic heading out of the second stage area. We are now talking about numbers that are truly staggering, with Slipnot being one of top rock acts just finishing a full set. All of these people are pumped, and happy to be somewhat dry, since the rain had stopped for most of the last two hours. This piss poor planning on behalf of Blossom could have caused a stampede or mass riot when that rain started again, which it did. It did so with more force than it had all day, and wind was kicking up. People had autographs that they had paid up to $20 for ($20 Slipnot???) getting drenched. The Stinger tent gave me a plastic tube to protect my OTEP poster, but that fortune did not befall many others. Then, after you waited almost a full half hour or longer to get out, you discover that this set up just made you miss all but two songs from Zak Wylde's Black Label Society, who went on just as Slipnot ended. This band was one of the reasons my wife purchased a ticket. GET IT RIGHT BLOSSOM, THAT WAS DUMB!
Have then missed all but the tail end of Zak and the boys, one of the nights most oddest, and perhaps stupidest event happened. Superjoint Ritual, who are fronted by Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo blasted on stag e, and appeared ready to take over the crowd. However, Phil managed to loose the interest of the crowd almost from the word go. While the band sounded tight, it was Phils constant crowd taunting that neither worked to anger or motivate them, but simply to cause them to disconnect. This seems to be a trend with this band. I say this because I caught Eye Hate God. The Deftones, and Pantera with White Zombie back in the late 90's, and E.H.G. was too busy acting stupid and playing half songs purposefully off key just to annoy the fans. The same with the Deftones. Pantera did come out and kick ass, and Superjoint sounded very powerful, but whether he was "punk loving" the crowd or being a real asshole, of fans he was cussing out just waited in a long bottleneck of pouring rain rather than run for cover and miss your band. I am sure they will not do so next time. If I ever treat a fan of my band like that, I hope someone calls me on it. Phil was acting more like a cross between a hot shot premadonna meets E.H.G. goof off. If bands hate Cleveland, then they don't have to come, because we don't want to see you. I will admit Phil has done much for music, and has never sold out, but if we wanted this attitude then we'd go and see Barbara Striesand.
It was during the next set that I expected total maddness to happen. Dommu Borgir, Norways evil black metal masters were taking the stage. Since this is more like a bonefire chat than an actual article, let me give you some insight as to just what black metal is in regards to Norway, and that whole area round about. In the early 1990's, death metal as pioneered by bands such as Death and The Possessed (where you will find Primus axe-master Larry Lalonde. Yep, death metal, but that's another tale) took an all out satanic turn for the worst. Most of the madness centered around two bands, those bands being Burzum and Mayhem. Oystein Arseth (a.k.a. Eronoymous) set about to start a form of music that was "evil for evil's sake", and to achieve this disturbing goal, he opened both a record label and a record store called Helvite, which is translated as "hell". It was Oystein who birthed a whole new musical trend, one that still boasts a growing fan base, from a handful of misfits in Norway; but his actions against all forms of religion also lead him to burn and desecrate places of worship, thus countering his own argument of "freedom to worship" by ruining that right for anyone who did see the world through his view of it. It was during this insanity that the flourishing death metal scene in Florida was blossoming as well that some faces other than that of unity showed itself within the scene. Then, Oystein signed Varg Vickernes and his one man band Bruzum. This would prove a fatal error on behalf of Oystein, for while many bands hate the contracts they get, they rarely stab their label owner in the back 30 plus times with a knife either, as Varg did to Oystein. Oystein was again, no saint. He once ate parts of his late singer DEAD's brain when DEAD committed suicide with bullets Varg purchased for him for Christmas. Oystein was even said to have made parts of the scattered skull into necklaces. For those of you who are into reading some odd history, check out the facts of this in the book LORDS OF CHAOS. Anyway...this is the group of musicians who were around when Dommu Borgir would have been listening to music, and coming into the scene. This is, whether or not you agree with it or not, some VERY powerful music with some VERY SERIOUS fans. Cradle of Filth made a major splash for the genre last year, and Borgir being on the mainstage had a job to do. While I personally find wearing an inverted crucifix a vain attempt to "look evil", I do enjoy death /black metal as a style. Taking the stage with a force of ominous sound, Borgir were not as interactive with the crowd as one would expect. They worked the stage well, but not in any way that stood out as completely memorable in its own right. The music is what matters the most, since much of it is quite difficult to play on guitar, and those guitars whirl around a keyboardist that actually PLAYS the board. Being a keymaster myself, I was happy beyond words to see a keyboardist step up main stage at Ozzfest. Also, the timing changes in this music is abrupt and must be performed with most awe inspiring quickness on behalf of the drummer. Some of the best drummers alive are in these bands, and Borgir stepped up in this regard as well. Many fans had a complaint with the overall sound quality of sound on the entire main stage up to the time Priest took the stage. I agree, and feel that any band that diminishes the quality of another bands stage show must be real unsure of their own talent. If you pay for a ticket, you should be entitled to hear each band at therein best, not just the headliners.
This sound issue played in major role in any objectionable recanting of the Slayer set. Slayer have been around for eons now, and I will not bore you with who Slayer are. If you do not know, then you do not listen to heavy music. Many were exited to catch this set, with Kerry King appearing on recordings from everyone to The Beastie Boys to Atari Teenage Riot; nether of which are metal, so do you get my point? This band has reached allot of people, and changed allot of minds about what music sounded like, and how it could be played. I have argued for years that while the music is very strong, the vocals to me have always sounded no better or worse than any of the one million bands that have shout oriented vocals prevailing.(note: listen to the Judas Priest version of Dissident Aggressor, then listen to the Slayer cover. The vocals dodge the high note) That shouting madman happens to play a thunderous bass however, both his bass riffs and his shouts were in full bloom. Mandatory Suicide, sounder particularly strong, but there was again that issue of sound. Through no fault of their own, the whole thing sounded muddy. This was really true on some of the low end bass drum flurries mixing with the bass lines. Sometimes you had no cymbals at all, and other times you had this white noise clanging away with total abandon. This was not the fault of Slayer at all, but may have been a reason for the few words said to the crowd. The sound did taper towards the end of the set, and I must say that it was a wonderful thing to get to be in the crowd enjoying Kerry King.
Next up was the one and only Judas Priest. It was awesome to see that many kinds of people, ranging from 80's metal mullets dudes to Goth rock crossover fans in JP tee-shirts. If you don't understand, and since I have abandoned all restraints of "formal writing", let me again digress. Judas Priest have done more for modern music at any time since their inception 30 plus years ago on the album Rocka Rolla. They are most noted for causing the bar to be raised on the style of traditional heavy metal i that they claim, and while this is in every way, Judas Priest also took music as a whole to a level it had never seen before. If there had, for instance, been no Turbo album (which was a backlash to the hair scene, and joke in appearance that many did not catch), then there would not be an Orgy today. NO ONE, NO ONE, NO ONE used guitar synths like that in 1986. They did the same thing on Painkiller in 1991, with no jokes in any way, shape, or form. Where would Rammstein, or even The Utah Saints be without guitar synths for effect, and who used them before 1986 in the way Judas Priest did? That is why Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails worked with singer Rob Halford on the TWO project. Glenn Tipton may well be the most underacted guitarist in modern music history to the mainstream. However, the other musicians, he is THE MAN! K. K. Downing is of the same caliber (he takes most of the noisier solos), with a style that is still different from that of Glenn, who is cleaner. Scott Travis, one of only four drummers the band has ever had if I am correct, is absolutely stunning, and Ian Hill has never been a flashy bassist, but he has always been solid one, and he was on this fine night. Rob Halford has not hit a sour note in 30 years, and to hear him sing is to be memorized. He is spellbinding, and the perfect picture of what a front man is to be. As a matter of fact, every time he hit a one of those Halford notes, the crowd eructed to the point where they drowned out the band! The mainstage sound issues of the night were banished, and while KK was not as loud as Glenn, to watch this genius at work was to witness the best of the best in total awe. The opener was of course The Hellion into The Electric Eye, both of which were amazing. The Sentinel, with it's intricate solo work changing from axeman to axeman, and notes that no mere human can sing, was captivating in its own right. The best part of the show in every ones opinion that I have spoken to was the diversity of music they played. You had 70 classics revamped in power such as Victim of Changes (where the vocals were so pure as to make you weep), Hell Bent For Leather, and even The Green Manislishi. Them, you had the 80's in The British Steel classics, - Breaking the Law only has a solo live-and Heading Out TO the Highway, as well as a heathy does of 90's Painkiller, and Touch of Evil where Glenn takes the duties of guitar that keys do on the album. With a new CD coming soon, and a band so unified that the singer even allows Tim the RIPPER Owens tracks to be included on the Greatest Hits collection, we are talking about some down to earth veterans who may have aged in time, but who have never sounded more modern than the CDs they other bands either copy or make their own. Suffice it to say, Judas Priest kicked ass.
Then it was tie for the legend himself, Ozzy Osbourne. The man, the myth, the living legend beside the only band that could write a song like AFTER FOREVER, and still be labeled satanic by people who never stopped and listened to the music. While not really an influence to Judas Priest who came down the pike around the same time, they are still one of the very most important acts in all of music history, no questions asked. Many wondered if perhaps the Ozzman may not be in his prime coming off of a near deadly accident on a four wheeler last winter, which is the reason the monster on this years shirt is on one. Everyone was amazed that not only was the entire band consisting of original members Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, and Mr O were in only in excellent forms, but having seen Ozz now four times, I have never heard him sound better. Rolling Stone reported in a recent review that Priest was putting on a tighter, more relevant performance, but that was not the case tonight. On this night, both bands were truly inspiring to watch. Fairies Wear Boots, NIB, Iron Man, and Snowblind all sounded like the master works that they are, and while there was no hint of the new song from the last Sabbath tour called Scary Dreams, there was nothing to be left wanted by the time the final notes of Paranoid echoed through the venue. I think most of the crowd was in no hurry to hear Paranoid knowing that when they did, it was "wave goodbye" time to the great Black Sabbath.
Well, that's it boys and girls, you have reached the end of my Ozzfest insights. If you still want to hear more, then not only are you a glutton for punishment, but I will keep the next part a bit more formal. Below is my interview with Charlie from Magna-Fi. Enjoy, good night, and God Bless.--------SAM (I Be) Di GANGI
The following interview took place Aug 19, 2004 in the parking lot behind the 2nd stage at Blossom Music Center after my wife Daphne and I took it upon yourself to just walk into the back stage area without any pass at all. I walked in with nothing but the look of someone who should be there when they were not, and the good fortune of finding a band that was more than happy to talk to me.
I BE.......How has the tour been going?
Charlie....Not too bad at all. The crowds vary, and we went on really early today
I BE.......Did it take a long time for to get the project signed.
Charlie....YES! We actually got the band signed, then after our record was recorded, our label went bankrupt and we had to find another label
I BE.......That must have sucked
Charlie....It did. We were fortunate enough to get the same record signed to our current label
I BE.......(not e: it seemed that this topic was of interest to him as well as me, so I went on) Did it take a long time to get signed.
Charlie.... Yeah it did, really. We finally got extreme radio behind us locally, and then that opened up the door to us, but it was a long battle. We have had some odd shows too.
I BE.......What was your strangest show?
Charlie....We had this show where we were told there would be thirty thousand people there, a real big event. There were of people there, but what we were not told was that they would be running by! We played a marathon, it was strangest show I have ever been part of.
I BE.......That would be very odd
Charlie....Well, you just can't ever give up or quit. You may have to make yourself look like an asshole, and it is ok to be an asshole if you have to. Get your music to anyone who can help you in any way. I went to the Zombie show and was passing our stuff. You just never stop.
I BE.......That is awesome. Thank you so much for your time. I will tack you onto our site, and I hope you get a million hits to yours from it.
Charlie....Thank you for doing it.