Black Cobra / Saros / MendozzaAnnie's Social Club, San Francisco
April 24, 2008
This show reminded me that despite my "sensitive" side I'm made of METAL.. my circuits gleam... I am perpetual I keep the country clean.. However, my METAL buzz was harshed when the door guy didn't believe that the birthdate on my driver's license was correct. Yes, Umlaut really is *THAT* old... I took it as a compliment and told him the secret to aging gracefully is to drink the blood of virgins. That and a good sunscreen.
I had a shitty day at work and came *that* close to staying home.. but the Rock Godz' benevolence is profound and when they offer a gift such as this show you must accept it... you must... and of course it was EXACTLY what I needed to put my shitty day behind me.. like entrails from a carcass... or something METAL like that.. Plus, the fact that Umlaut arrived at about the same time as his bruthas Joey, Dave, and Johnny only made the night all the more perfect; we band of brothers.
Saros were playing their first show in 7 months and they were amazing. An A-MA-ZING set made up of new songs and 2 old ones. If you watched Saros under the right circumstances they would (1) change your life and (2) change the way you think about music. The band is a thundering herd of beasts born of an unholy procreation of Prog Rock and METAL.. After their set I turned to Johnny and spontaneously blurted out "That was unbelievable..." Watching Saros performing with such fury and technique made me wonder what normal people do on a Thursday night... and made me glad I wasn't one of their filthy kind.
Best Quote: "HEY, I haven't seen you in YEARS.." - Billy Anderson to Umlaut.. which was probably true.
Black Cobra (featuring Umlaut friend Rafa) were back home after spending most of the past 3 months or so supporting The Sword in the U.S. and the U.K.. Crazy. After all of that road work, Jason and Rafa were as tight as a nut rusted onto a bolt; a wall of sound in the purest sense of the word. If you watched Black Cobra under the right circumstances they would (1) change your life and (2) change the way you think about music. The band is a two-headed beast born of an incestuous relationship too horrible and exciting to comprehend. Watching Black Cobra performing with such fury and technique made me wonder what normal people do on a Thursday night... and made me glad I wasn't one of their filthy kind.
Click HERE to read the excellent Black Cobra profile from the March 2008 issue of Decibel Magazine that also features one of THE best band photos, like, ever.
Beer count = 2. I didn't do a merch audit, but I felt obligated to support the bands so I bought something from both Saros and Black Cobra (Rafa: I need the 4-color shirt in a Large, dude!). On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. I feel comfortable in my skin at METAL shows... very... comfortable... and as I type this I'm listening to Arch Enemy and drinking a beer with a charismatic black kitten nearby:
