Home Cooking

Children Of Bodom / Death Angel / Tyr
The Fillmore, San Francisco
February 28, 2014

No offense to the other bands on this bill, but the only reason I was at The Fillmore on this Friday night was to see Death Angel on their home turf.  Only 20 days earlier, the band had made a brief homecoming to play their old friend's Horror Convention and then the next day they were off on down that Lock 'N Loll Road again.  Tonight found them back in their home area code for another brief time as part of this odd bill sandwiched between 2 Scandinavian bands.

Umlaut arrived earlier than expected and passed the time watching the enormous merch line snake from the back of the main room all the way to the stage.  Impressive... but as Tyr begin their set I knew I wouldn't be long for the main room.  Tyr have very good musicianship but their neutered brand of Metal is something that mystifies me.  The early crowd assembled for them reminded me of being at ComiCon and when a nerdy guy in the lobby wearing a Tyr shirt said loudly "I've never seen this many Tyr shirts in one place before!" he kind of summed it up perfectly.  Anyway, after a couple of songs I found myself sitting in the upstairs bar with other bored Death Angel fans.

A minute or so later around 6 bored Thrash kidz walked into the room and they immediately endeared themselves to me as they debated each other on "real" Metal bands with one of them saying "I've seen Motörhead twice, dude!"  It was like looking into a mirror back at my 20th Century self; those kidz are going to be alright.  Dog bless them.

I was curious to see how a Children Of Bodom crowd would respond to Death Angel, but I didn't anticipate how much home cooking would influence tonight's set.  As the houselights went down I was standing down front at stage right and realized I was pretty much surrounded by Death Angel friends and family members... and the energy level from the first note was completely off the hook.  It was obvious tonight was going to be very special.

[All photos courtesy of Photo Ray]

The new song 'Left For Dead' set things off and the set seemed longer than the mere 45 minutes Death Angel were allotted.  However, when it's a band playing at the level that Death Angel is here in 2014 it's simply a matter of all killer and no filler. Quality over quantity.  For the entire set I wasn't sure if it was just me who was caught up in the emotionally charged fury.  However, as I looked around at the crowd and watched the pit action I realized the smell in the air was the sweet smell of home cooking.  I could tell the band was digging into the home cooking profoundly as well.

I was impressed that the set was mainly new songs but it did not matter at all, so when Death Angel started up the DeLorean and took us back in time to the vintage 'Mistress Of Pain' things went completely nuts.  It's not often you see a support band completely take over a stage and make it their own, but tonight Death Angel did just that.  Although not on the same level of course, tonight reminded me of Metallica with Ozzy in 1986.  Not the same level, but definitely the same vibe.  There is no place like home.  The next day Mark of Death Angel posted the following message that caused me to get a bit teary eyed:

"Last night was one of my most satisfying, and gratifying San Francisco shows that we have ever played!"

If you had bought one of every Death Angel merch item you would have paid around $110.  On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. Despite my previous intention of staying for the headliner, as they blazed through their set I was at the Mel's Drive-In on Geary where I had the weirdest and least satisfying chicken fried steak ever.  Hmm... obviously not all home cooking is good after all.

Weekend Of Horror

Kirk Von Hammett's Fear FestEvil
The Regency, San Francisco
February 6-8, 2014

The exciting sequel to Too Much Horror Business!

Yes, it's taken me a couple of weeks to pull this out of my brain... but better late than never.  Anyway, sometimes you have a friend when you're a teenager and that friend grows up to be a multi-millionaire Rock Star... and sometimes that millionaire Rock Star friend spends his hard earned money on insanely rare and cool things that meant a lot to him when he was a kid.  You can read more about this friend's collection HERE.

Thursday:  Preview Night
Tonight was the advance preview night for "VIP" fans and guests that featured Mr. KRK Hamster hosting a food 'n drink party in the upstairs Masonic Temple of The Regency aka The Lodge (!).  It's an amazing space and it was made even better by having artifacts from KRK's horror collection displayed effectively all around the room.  At one point this fanboy moment happened:

Carcass. Fanboy.

[Pic courtesy of Cable Car]

Yes, only half of Carcass caused me to get a "deer in the headlights" look because inside my head I was screaming "HEARTWORKCHANGEDMYLIFE!!"  Nice guys and one of my favorite bands, like, ever.   At another point I had a brief conversation with Kirk Von Hammett (aka The Host) and it was so cool that the very first thing he said to me was how excited he was to be playing with his old band Exodus.  He was genuinely giddy.  Not all Rock Stars are jaded muthafuckers.

Not Playing

Tonight was the social evening and I was able to hang out with several out of town friends who I had not seen in awhile and several local friends who I also had not seen in awhile.  Some good food was served by people in zombie makeup... but the beer selection was, for lack of a better term, lame.  Budweiser vs. Heineken.  Oh well.. It was still a really good time.  Then the next day it was...

Friday:  Exodus / Carcass
After some initial Will Call drama the Rock Godz worked their magic and this happened:

I'm with the band.

From that moment on the day and evening was pretty much a blur.  Scott Ian sat in a chair on the main stage for 3 hours having makeup applied by a Hollywood makeup artist to "transform" him into Jack The Ripper.  Three. Hours.  It was literally like watching paint dry.  Needless to say Umlaut did not watch the entire process.  The end result was pretty cool, but I wonder what the appropriate time ratio is for keeping elaborate monster makeup on versus how long it took to apply.  Maybe Scott is still wearing it..

The vendor area in the basement was interesting but I wasn't in a buying mood.  However, it was an impressive mix of the standard toy and collectible vendors as well as Iron Maiden's original artist Derek Riggs (!) and Doyle of the Misfits (?).  One of the most poignant images of the weekend for me was a throng of people crowding around Riggs' table to meet the creator of Eddie while at the table right next to him Doyle (in full makeup and devilock) sat quietly alone staring at his phone and texting.  I remember Halloween too, Doyle... I remember.

Anyway, as the time for the bands drew near they cleared out the main room so Carcass could soundcheck.  Which was awesome because there were maybe only 5 other people in the room.. and it looked like this via Umlaut's blurry iPhone:

After watching Carcass getting their levels set we few, we happy few, wandered down the street to get some food and caffeine fuel before returning for show time.  By now the main room had been reopened and was nicely full for the return of the Grind Gods to San Francisco.

Carcass opened with '1985', the first song off their insanely great new album Surgical Steel, and then went into the brutally iconic 'Buried Dreams', the first song off their insanely influential (for Umlaut at least) album Heartwork.  Nicely done, lads.  I will admit to being concerned when Michael Amott left the band in 2012, but the current guitar duo of Bill Steer and new guy Ben Ash were steel encased solid and surgically brilliant.  I should not have worried.  It was also very cool that Jeff Walker gave The Bay Area and Bay Area bands a heartfelt shout out in between songs at one point.  Carcass are a band that changed my life at a time when I thought I was too old and *done* with Metal.  I didn't think anything in the genre could inspire me again.  Carcass restarted my Metal heart and seeing them again reminded me of their role in my life.  However, since Carcass will be back here at this same venue in March on the Decibel Tour, halfway through the set I made my way back upstairs to say "Hi" to tonight's headliners and witnessed this:

Holt Awaits

It seemed like all of the throat-scratching fog from Carcass' onstage smoke machines had drifted upstairs because the dressing room hallway was choked full with it... (cough cough)... So I went back downstairs and witnessed the rest of Carcass' beautiful evisceration of San Francisco from stage right.  Then I think I met friends in the lobby for a beer.  I think.  Probably.  Needless to say I'm really looking forward seeing Carcass again when they play a full headline set next month.

Carcass Stage Right:  Tools Of The Trade

I missed Exodus' rare headlining hometown show in December so it was a priority for me to soak up as much of their old school energy as I could.  Unfortunately, the Umlaut Archives doesn't have an accurate count of how many times I've seen Exodus. However, it's safe to say it's around the 40 show range dating back to when Kirk Von Hammett was still in the band.  Tonight was full circle special for that history alone.

Exodus came out and played a steamroller 8-song set that culminated with their original guitarist KRK joining them on 'Pirahna' and then a very inspired (the actor who was the original Godzilla was one of FestEvil's guests) cover of Blue Öyster Cult's 'Godzilla' featuring Godzilla himself dancing onstage.  Godzilla is much shorter in person.  Later I asked Gary why they hadn't played an early Exodus song from the KRK era... like 'Impaler' or 'Whipping Queen' or 'Death and Domination' or 'Warlord'... and he said it would have been "too much work".  Fair enough.

"How does 'Impaler' go again?"

[Pic courtesy of Photo Ray]

"History shows again and again how nature points out the folly of man.."
[Pic courtesy of Photo Ray]

In all seriousness, it was profoundly awesome to see KRK so happy and obviously having F-U-N onstage.  Let's be honest, I'm positive that sometimes being in Metallica is more like a job than being in a band. That's not meant as a negative, it's just what comes with the territory of being in the biggest Metal band of his generation.  So it was just awesome seeing KRK being that pimply-faced kid again onstage. Somewhere Baloff smiled.

Ironically, because I had just seen them a week before and had been geeking out on them again, I happened to be wearing a Blue Öyster Cult shirt tonight.  It was a completely random coincidence; sometimes The Rock Godz work in mysterious ways.  Later at the After Party I had some quality time with a couple of old friends who I've known since before any of us could buy alcohol legally.. and this happened:

 

Holt. B.Ö.C. shirt.

[Pic courtesy of Cable Car]

Hammett.  Hanneman.

 [Pic courtesy of Photo Ray]

Right after this photo was taken KRK reminded me that he's known me since he was 19 years old.  Trippy... and pretty cool he even remembers that, right?   Then 24 hours later it was...

Saturday:  Death Angel / Orchid
Due to a prior commitment I had to forgo the Horror part of the fest and arrived not long before the band portion of the day was to start.  One thing led to another and despite my late arrival I ended up here:

Standing at stage right with Orchid I asked if they did a pre-show band bro hug before playing... and they did one right in front of me.  Awww!  I then had a special geek chat with Mark and Theo before they walked onto the hot 'n sweaty stage to pound their hometown under their boot heel of tone.  The local lads were given a full hour so they were basically able to recreate their recent European headlining set on a big stage in front of family and friends.

If I had to choose I'd have to say Orchid was my favorite set of the weekend.  The other bands on the bill are veterans with years in the trenches and who are used to having "famous" friends and admirers.  While Orchid are not kids, the deserved adulation and attention they've been getting recently is something they're not used to yet.  Their fanboy appreciation about being asked by KRK to play at his event was profoundly cute (for lack of a better more endearing term) and translated into how they took over The Regency's stage confidently and made it their own for their allotted time.  Great guys.  Great band.

Tonight was the 3rd show on Death Angel's latest U.S. Tour and it's pretty amazing how the band has come back to be such road dogs in the last several years.  All of that work has paid off as they were the most well-oiled Metal machine of the weekend despite a couple of the guys being sick with flu (cue Purell).  Thirty or more years on from the Murder In The Front Row days and I'm not ashamed to say I get kind of emo watching Death Angel here in the 21st Century.  The current version of Death Angel is so good it's frightening and it's inspiring to see a band that has survived and adapted but remained true to their roots.  It was also an appropriate reality check that tonight also happened to be Mark's birthday, which was celebrated onstage with a cake presented by some of his best friends.  Adorable!  At one point while I stood at stage left between songs this happened:

Mercyful Fate Fanboys

Okay, now get back out on that stage, Mr. Guitarist...

Anyway, 'Seemingly Endless Time' was, as it usually is, my favorite song of the set but the new song 'Fallen' was especially crushing as well. The set and event closing cover songs jam with KRK on 'Heaven And Hell' and 'Trapped Under Ice' sealed the fact how special this event had been.  In all seriousness, it was profoundly awesome to see KRK so happy and obviously having F-U-N onstage with the band whose demo he produced a million years ago.

Let's be honest, I'm positive that sometimes being in Metallica is more like a job than being in a band. That's not meant as a negative, it's just what comes with the territory of being in the biggest Metal band of his generation. So it was just awesome seeing KRK being that pimply-faced kid again onstage.

Apologies that I all but glossed over the Horror aspect of the weekend which was just as impressive as the music side.  Actually, it was probably more impressive to many attendees but truth be told I am a very casual Horror fan.  I watch Walking Dead and read the Walking Dead comics but that's literally it for me and Horror.  I'm just not qualified to comment on it, no matter how cool it all looked to my casual Horror fan eyes.  Yes, that guy who's a makeup artist and a producer on Walking Dead was there.  Yes, the actors who were Ultra-Man and Godzilla were in attendance.  Yes, P.J. Soles was there.  Again, sorry... but I'm sure there are other places on The Internets to read about that side of this event.  Yes, this means I'm not Metal and I am a poser.

I will say that in addition to the music (and the Horror), Kirk Von Hammett's Fear FestEvil had a profound sense of community around it.   The Bay Area vibe was very thick in the air for me due to the host being a local boy made good and the double digit number of friends who were in attendance.  I'm sure this event would still be special if it were held in other cities, but there's something very special about home cooking.

I didn't do a merch audit and I forgot to score the special event tees that Carcass and Exodus did for the weekend.  Oh well... However, it was obvious that there were more SLAAAYEER shirts than any other band shirts amongst attendees.  Interesting.  On the way back to the car all 3 nights, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag.  Full disclosure:  Writing this blog entry felt like a homework assignment and was a real struggle as I wrestled and did hand to hand combat with the words and sentences.  Writing can be hard.

Click HERE to see more of Photo Ray's awesome photos from the weekend.

Tomorrow's Dream

A Benefit For Nikki Davis
Robb Flynn & Friends Black Sabbath All Star Tribute
Oakland Metro, Oakland, California
January 17, 2014

This was the type of event that made me damn fucking proud to call The Bay Area my home and the Bay Area Metal scene my people.  Murder In The Front Row alumni and Bay Area Metal band leaders Robb Flynn (Vio-Lence / Machine Head) and Craig Locicero (Forbidden / Spiralarms) organized this event and it was a gathering of the tribe for a very profound and worthy cause.  As the official event statement explained:

A good friend of ours and all around great person, Nikki Davis, was in a motorcycle accident with her husband Jeff. Sadly, Jeff died at the scene. Fortunately, Nikki survived but she was unconscious for a few days. She awoke to the daunting reality that her husband, soulmate and best friend had passed away. It was heartbreaking to all of us in the Bay Area scene.

Click HERE to read the complete statement about the night.

Tickets went on sale a week before and the show was sold out in less than 24 hours; it was by far the hottest Metal ticket of the year so far.  The specific lineup of players was not completely announced in advance so the element of surprise only elevated the once in a lifetime nature of the show.   The cast of players ended up being as follows:

• Rob Flynn (Vio-lence / Machine Head)
• Craig Locicero (Forbidden / Spiralarms)
• Chuck Billy (Testament) – vox
• Brad Barth (Spiralarms) - keyboards
• Paul Bostaph (Forbidden / Slayer) - drums
• Will Carroll (Death Angel) - drums
• Cornbread (Spiralarms) - bass
• Dean Dell (Vio-lence) - bass
• Phil Demmel  (Vio-lence / Machine Head) - guitar
• Andy Galeon (Death Angel) – drums
• Eddie Hermida (Suicide Silence) - vox
• Gary Holt (Exodus / Slayer) - guitar
• Tom Hunting (Exodus) – vox
• Jeff Matz (High On Fire) – bass
• Tim Narducci  (Spiralarms) - vox
• Jim Martin (Faith No More) – guitar
• Matt Pike (Sleep / High On Fire) - guitar
• Damien Sisson  (Death Angel) – bass
• Robert Trujillo (Metallica) - bass

Holy shit, right?  It was basically a Who's Who of Bay Area Metal bands, all with long histories. Of course, there will be the negative assholes who will point out who was not there, but if you have that attitude you have no clue or experience about what made The Bay Area scene special back in The Day and what continues to make it special today when it matters.   Besides, tickets were only $20... Twenty dollars for a show with that lineup.  Not only was tonight in support of worthy cause, it was also an insane value for the money.  Leave your negative attitude at the door, man.

Apologies to the rest of the world, but no other area could have pulled off a show like tonight featuring this level of Metal history and hometown talent. It was epic.. and I still don't have my head completely around it.  The night was about all of these major band guys being onstage with zero egos.  The night was about these Black Sabbath songs that we all grew up with.  The night was about celebrating life while supporting Nikki Davis, a longtime member and friend of the Bay Area scene.

Opening the night was an ACDZ, an AC/DC tribute band fronted by scene veteran Zetro (Legacy / Exodus / Hatriot) on vocals.  Given the atmosphere of the event, what better songs to get things warmed up with than Bon Scott-era AC/DC.  Perfect.

I was able to talk with several of the band guys before the main set backstage and the sense of happiness and positive energy was very profound.  Obviously, the reason for the night was profoundly sad... but the sense that this was a celebration of life was the unstated but obvious vibe.  It's not often that something born of sadness can create something so life affirming.

The epiphany of the night:  Who knew that Tom Hunting of Exodus could sing?!  The drummer nailed the vocals for about half of the setlist while channeling his inner Ozzy in a heartfelt and not in a cheesy way despite his awesome kimono.  "We love you all!!"

There were so many other moments and details that made this night F-U-N and special.   Although the setlist was Ozzy-era Sabbath songs I loved how the running order didn't follow expectations and they went for inspired deep cuts.  As I mentioned earlier, besides being a benefit for a friend in need, the show was also a celebration of the songs that put us all on the life path that we're on now.  I think it's safe to say that Sabbath influenced the lives of everyone in the room.  The fact that all of the band guys onstage were constantly smiling also showed that Sabbath influenced some of us in the room to do even greater things with our lives.

What was mind blowing was how tight all of the performances were despite the revolving cast of players and only a week's worth of rehearsals.  This was not your typical "weekend cover band" playing Sabbath songs!   The gathered players are all seasoned and, in some cases, iconic musicians.  Robb Flynn acted as the onstage leader and master of ceremonies and his energy and awe about the night was palpable and genuine.  

'Into The Void' with Matt Pike and Jeff Matz 

I am not overstating it when I say tonight ranked up there with some of the most iconic Bay Area Metal events.  However, rather than give a routine review of the night I want to convey how special the atmosphere and vibe was instead of merely reporting who played on what songs with whom.  You can find that trivia on other sites here on The Internets.  To be honest, tonight was one of those once in a lifetime events where if you were not there, watching the videos on YouTube won't do it justice.  The sense of community and friendships was so thick in the air that you could cut it with a broad sword.  I lost track of how many old friends I saw; at least one of them I hadn't seen in maybe 3 years.  I also had beer spilled on me 3 times by random overzealous dudes, but it was all cool.

One particularly special moment happened during a brief delay before 'N.I.B.' when there was a problem with Dean Dell's bass.  Instead of letting the momentum die, Will Carroll and Flynn spontaneously went into a brief jam on the Vio-lence song 'Bodies On Bodies' which the Bay Area crowd immediately recognized.  Energy maintained.  Amazing!

As I've ranted a couple of times already, tonight was a celebration of life and also a tribute to Sabbath being a force in our lives.  In that spirit, the setlist was obviously put together and arranged by Sabbath fanboys for Sabbath fanboys and fangirls:

1. CORNUCOPIA (INTRO)
2. SUPERNAUT
3. CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE
4. SYMPTOM OF THE UNIVERSE
5. IRON MAN
6. N.I.B.
7. ELECTRIC FUNERAL
8. A NATIONAL ACROBAT
9. LORD OF THIS WORLD
10. TOMORROW’S DREAM
11. CHANGES
12. SWEET LEAF
13. INTO THE VOID
14. KILLING YOURSELF TO LIVE
15. PARANOID
16. HOLE IN THE SKY
17. WAR PIGS

So solid, right?!

Yes,  Matt and Jeff of High On Fire played on that song.. and Robert of Metallica played on those songs.. and Gary of Exodus played on that song.. and Jim Martin of Faith No More came out and played on that other song... and Will of Death Angel sang that song!  Who knew that he could sing?!   Between him and Tom Hunting it was The Night of the Singing Drummers.

'Paranoid' with Gary Holt and Will Carroll on vocals

'War Pigs' with Jim Martin and Chuck Billy 

Okay, my personal favorite songs of the night were 'Into The Void' with Matt and Jeff of High On Fire (which was the perfect song for Matt to play) and 'Killing Yourself To Live' with Tom Hunting channeling the Live At Last album to perfection.  "SMOKE IT!!  GET HIGH!'

Another especially awesome touch to the night was that only Dio-era Sabbath was played over the PA in between the bands and after the show.  It was perfect and kept the Sabbath theme going all night long.  Despite what Zakk Wylde thinks, Dio-era Sabbath is very legitimate and sacred to folks like me. So STFU Mr. Zakk Wylde.

Although it's only January I can't even imagine another show this year that will be this special.  If you bought the event t-shirt you would have paid $20.  On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags.  Unfortunately, the event shirt sold out so this is my favorite souvenir from this epic night:

As the event's statement said:  "We hope to raise enough money to help Nikki continue to get back on her feet because the healing is not finished. She still has medical bills to pay and we want to do anything we can to help our old friend."

My understanding is the support for Nikki from this event will continue, with online auctions and maybe other activities.  For those who couldn't attend the concert, donations can be made to Nikki's PayPal account at:

help_jeff_n_nikki_d@yahoo.com  

Being part of "a scene" means more than simply going to see bands or following bands on Facebook.  Sometimes a scene has to rise up together for a just and worthy cause on behalf of one of their own... and that's exactly what The Bay Area Metal scene did tonight.  Dog bless you, every one of us!  Special kudos and karma points to Craig and Robb, the band guys, and all of the others who worked on and supported this event.  Tonight completely inspired me.  Of all the Sabbath lyrics that were recreated tonight, 'Tomorrow's Dream' rang out as the heaviest and most appropriate:

"We hope to raise enough money to help Nikki continue to get back on her feet because the healing is not finished. She still has medical bills to pay and we want to do anything we can to help our old friend."
For those who can't attend the concert, donations can be made to Nikki's PayPal account at help_jeff_n_nikki_d@yahoo.com.

Read more at http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/metallica-slayer-machine-head-exodus-members-to-perform-at-robb-flynn-friends-benefit-concert/#16IUF6eSjAKZ7crL.99 Of all the Sabbath lyrics that were recreated onstage tonight, these lines struck the heaviest chord to me:

"When sadness fills my days
It's time to turn away
And then tomorrow's dreams
Become reality to me.."

Hail and Amen.

[Live photos courtesy of Sensory Abuse]

Too Much Horror Business

Too Much Horror Business Book Release Party 
Featuring Death Angel / Judgement Day
Public Works, San Francisco
November 1, 2012

This was a classic "only in San Francisco" night.  Hometown boy and lead guitarist of the biggest Metal band on the planet recently published a book chronicling his mind blowing collection of vintage horror posters, masks, toys and other collectibles. Tonight was the official release party and it featured pieces from his collection on display as well as performances by burlesque and fire performers, actors stumbling around the space as zombies, as well as musical performances by Judgement Day and also Kirk's longtime friends Death Angel.  

I had never heard of Public Works before but it was great; modern and spacious with 2 levels. Appropriately it was also located at the end of a dead end street called Erie (Eerie!).  Two hours prior to the doors opening for the general public, the author hosted a VIP party for his family and friends.  It was really mellow and great with a lot of members of the Umlaut Nation in attendance.  Food, drinks, and killer tunes flowed as the author casually mingled with his guests.  Rock Star sightings included Joe Satriani, Mike Dirnt of Green Day, Tom Hunting and Jack Gibson of Exodus and probably a couple of others who I didn't recognize.. and this happened:

Count Von Hammett with his purple Sharpie
[Photo courtesy of Photo Ray]

  "Brain" not "Brian"!

Geek Alert:  The limited edition dust jacket on copies of the book sold tonight were red.  For each of his book events Kirk has a different colored dust jacket printed to make it unique and collectible.  I love that!  The Geeks shall inherit the Earth.  It was a really, really fun evening already as I caught up with old friends... and the music hadn't even started yet.  Dude, Kirk even busted out the original Misfits Horror Business drum head (painted by Glenn Danzig in 1979!) for the night:

[Photo courtesy of Cable Car]

Zombie Kirk Hammett or Zombie Jack White?

[Photo courtesy of Cable Car]

The warm up acts were a nice distraction before the Metal closed out the evening.  There was a woman who did a burlesque act that featured a hula hoop, a musical performance by the violin / cello / drum trio Judgement Day (who call themselves a "guitar-less" Metal band...), and a woman who danced with fire.  It was all very artsy fartsy.. but in a good way.

Tonight was the appropriate show for Death Angel to wrap up their latest tour cycle which has lasted over 2 years!  Road Dogs! They kicked their hour long set off with 'Thrashers' and it was a tight deluge of Death Angel hits old and new including 'Seemingly Endless Time' and awesome versions of their new anthem 'Relentless Revolution' and also the quintessential Bay Area Metal anthem 'Kill As One'. They even threw in their cover of the KISS song 'She' for good measure.  Nice.

[Photo courtesy of Photo Ray]

After running through a fun medley of Metallica riffs the band was joined onstage by the guy who produced their first demo a million years ago.  For better or worse, shows in the 21st Century can be summed up this way:  As Death Angel and Kirk steam rolled into blazing covers of the Misfits 'Horror Business' (natch!) and  Metallica's 'Trapped Under Ice' (!) the floor did not erupt into a massive pit of raging humanity as it would have 25 years ago.  There was a small hint of mayhem but that was overwhelmed because half of the people on the floor were holding up their smart phones (and even an iPad or two) taking pictures and video of the stage.   Yayy YouTubeInternetsSocialMedia... Not.  However, the modern technology did not take away the fact that it was a very special and very San Francisco way to close the night of celebration.

As the dust settled I didn't roll back into Casa de Umlaut until 2:00am... which was beyond impressive for a School Night.  Wow.. what a really, really fun night.  Rock Stars should publish books and have release parties like this more often.

If you bought one of every Kirk Von Hammett merch item you would have paid around $500.  On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag.  The coolest moment out of many tonight was when the author signed my book and then mumbled through his fake fangs "Dude!  Can you believe that after all these years we both have books published!?"  Crazy, man.  Crazy.

"Too much horror business..  Drivin' late at night.. Psycho '78.." 

Game 2

Death Angel
The New Parish, Oakland, California
October 25, 2012

Earlier in the evening, Game 2 of the 108th World Series raged between my San Francisco Giants and the Detroit Tigers.  It was a total pitchers duel between Fister of Detroit and Bumgarner of the Giants. Yes, Fister met Bum in San Francisco... Discuss amongst yourselves!   As the game ground on into a 0-0 tie in the 7th Inning I turned the sound on the t.v. down because the Fox team of Buck & McCarver were beyond annoying (again) and I put Death Angel on shuffle on the stereo to see if anything would happen... and something did:

• While 'Thrashers' played Hunter Pence got a hit for the Giants and Detroit pulled Fister from the game. 
• While 'Stagnant' played Gregor Blanco laid down a fantastic bunt that loaded the bases for the Giants. 
• While 'Truce' played the Giants scored a run to take the lead! 

So there you go!  S.F. Baseball AND Metal working together!  The Giants won!! After the game ended I hit the road towards The Big Metal Show across The Bay in Oakland.  Apologies to the support bands (especially Hell Fire) but I arrived late and missed their sets.  I know... poser.

I'd never been to The New Parish before but I must say it's a pretty cool, divey place with a big enclosed courtyard.  The courtyard featured a window selling Caribbean style food from the restaurant that shares the courtyard with the venue.  Very cool and very East Bay.  The atmosphere of the courtyard was an awesome old school scene vibe and the number of people present who I've known for over 20 years was into the double digits.  It was rather mind blowing and comforting to realize that I still know that many people and we're all still on the same wavelength; we can still get out on a Thursday night to go see a Metal band!  Very cool.. cue 'Bonded By Blood'.

Anyway, it was also mind blowing that this year marks the 25th Anniversary of Death Angel's debut album The Ultra-Violence and on this leg of the U.S. Tour the band has been playing the album back-to-front as their main set. I remember when the Death Angel guys were those little kids who hung around Ruthie's Inn. We'd good naturedly make fun of them because they were just little kids and one of their moms would drop them off at shows.  Of course, they grew up and got the last laugh and it's been really fun and inspiring to watch Death Angel come back from the dead and from the brink several times over the years.  Yes, there are now 2 white guys in the band but the addition of Will (drums) and  Damien (bass) has really solidified over the past 2 years.  The band's constant touring has made them one of the tightest Metal bands going right now. Brutal.

Death Angel hopped onstage at around 10:45pm and punched and punched and punched Oakland in the face with 'Thrashers' into 'Evil Priest' into 'Voracious Souls' and the entire Ultra-Violence album was played front to back.  The old school communal atmosphere of the courtyard combined with the brutalicious performance onstage gave me a warm 'n fuzzy feeling of Bay Area pride.  Awww!  Witnessing 'Kill As One' performed at a hometown Death Angel show is always special... but watching them perform the epic instrumental 'The Ultra-Violence' was a revelation.  It was a mindfuck to remember that these songs were written when Death Angel were all still teenagers, but all 8 songs that make up the band's debut album still held up here in the 21st Century.  Honesty is my only excuse, but sometimes when I see old Metal bands perform their old songs they look dated and somewhat silly playing songs they wrote when they were barely old enough to buy alcohol.  That is not the case with the mighty Death Angel!  They are still young at heart and that attitude and energy makes them just as great as they were back in The Day.

 

Photo courtesy of Photo Ray

Speaking of old, as the final notes of 'I.P.F.S.' echoed, the clock struck midnight, and Mark said some words of thanks, I snuck back to the Prius to slink back to Casa de Umlaut.  It was a school night and I'm old.  I know I missed another hour of Death Angel encores but seeing them perform their seminal debut album not far away from where Ruthie's Inn once raged completed my night... as had the Giants taking Game 2 earlier.  Bay Area über alles!

I didn't do a merch audit but (1) the newly remastered CD reissue of The Ultra-Violence cost me $15 and (2) Death Angel had no girl's tees for sale.  Dudes.. There were a lot of females in the crowd tonight.  Just saying... On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags.  The bummer factor of missing the last half of Death Angel's set was tempered because I'm seeing them again at an event hosted by the guy who produced their first demo tape next week.  Kill. As. One. Those little kids turned out alright:


Click HERE to see more of Photo Ray's shots from the night!

Road Trip

Anthrax / Testament / Death Angel
Ace Of Spades, Sacramento, California
September 14, 2012

Sometimes this blog writes itself. What should have been a surgically precise Metal Road Trip with my Murder In The Front Row co-author Harald O., the great Ian Christe of Bazillion Points and Sirius XM Liquid Metal, and Photo Ray took a very Metal turn when Harald's cell phone rang mere minutes after getting in the car. On the phone was none other than the mighty Chuck Billy of Testament asking if we could stop at the band's rehearsal space and pick up their... SMOKE MACHINE. Dude, I could not make this stuff up! Anyway, long story short, we ended up at the Oakland Music Complex picking up Testament's SMOKE MACHINE.

At this point in our Road Trip, I sort of half expected a call from Death Angel asking us to stop at their Mom's house for the sandwiches she made them for the road. Also, parked out in front of the studio was a blue Ford Festiva with a Watain sticker on it:

Cue "Out on the road today I saw a Watain sticker on a Ford Festiva.." sung to the tune of that Don Henley song 'Boys Of Summer'. Long story short, after this detour the 90 mile drive was not as hellish as expected. However, things got decidedly more upscale and New York City / European when Mr. Christe broke out the... WHITE WINE and CHEESE (??!) while the Scorpions Animal Magnetism album blasted on the car stereo.

NOT METAL... but classy... I guess.  To quote the Scorpions:  "Have you ever had a secret yearning?  Don't you know... It could come true?"

Anyway, upon arriving in Sacramento we sort of got hijacked into paying for parking by a dubious parking lot "attendant"... and then Harald disappeared as he went to deliver the SMOKE MACHINE to Testament backstage. At this point the rest of us had a decision to make: Should we risk missing Death Angel and get some much needed FOOD. I strongly suggested the latter (Sorry Death Angel!) and we found ourselves at the pub next door to the venue called Burgers & Brew. We were joined by Murder In The Front Row alumnist Chris (who can be seen in the photos on pages 97 and 99 of Murder!) for some excellent food, beers, and conversation. The meal was punctuated by me receiving a text message from the guy who sings 'Master Of Puppets'. What a nice Metal touch, right? Right after the meal we ran into Ted and Mark of Death Angel in front of the pub who confirmed that we had missed their brief opening set. Sorry, my brothers... but Umlaut will see you next month in Oakland!

Trying to enter the venue proved to be an adventure unto itself. First, a security guard told us that Will Call was across the street and wasn't willing to explain it further when I pointed out that the only thing across the street was an empty sidewalk and a parking lot. However, a 2nd security guard informed us that Will Call was actually inside the venue (DUH!)... but once we got to the Will Call window there was nobody there. So, as Testament charged through the opening songs of their set we stood waiting until the person "working" Will Call finally returned to their station. Cue impatient foot tapping... but thankfully there was no guest list drama. When it comes to gigs, Sacramento has always been a "2 steps forward, 1 step back" place and I honestly don't know why.

Testament were in full on roar when we finally got inside and it quickly became obvious that the venue was way too small for this bill. The capacity of 1,000 was filled to the brim with humanity (a high percentage of whom were wearing Iron Maiden shirts) and the air was thick with sweat and spilled alcohol. Metal. In all honesty, Testament looked great on the small onstage but the sound pretty much sucked. I'll just chalk it up to it being the first night of the tour and things weren't dialed in yet and leave it at that.

It had earlier became obvious there was way too much security and rules for a Rock venue, and this was only magnified once we were inside. Inside you couldn't bring your drinks outside of the designated bar areas.  Outside you couldn't stand in certain places in front of the venue.  We were told by the club's security not to stand on the sidewalk and to move to the bricked area next to the street... and then Sacramento cops told us we couldn't stand in that bricked area! WTF Sacramento... It probably didn't help things that the police station was only a few feet away on the next corner.

Anthrax moshed onto the stage and were entertaining as always; I always like to watch kids react to 'Caught In A Mosh'. However, the annoying rules of the venue made me choose between watching the band or going to the bar that didn't have a sight line of the stage for a beer. I chose the latter. It turned out to be a good decision because over the course of my stay in the bar I was handed 2 beers that a fan of Murder bought for me. Thanks, dude! Sorry I forgot your name, brother.

At that point, Anthrax had worked the Salt of the Earth residents of Sacramento into a frothy Metal frenzy. I then found out that Mr. Ian Christe had been ejected from the venue by the overbearing security for literally looking at one of them wrong. WTF Sacramento? I'm sure the 3 Sacramento cops hanging out in the lobby during Anthrax bobbed their heads when 'I Am The Law' was played. However, by the time that song was played we were back next door at Burgers & Brew for another round, good conversation, and a nice moment with Chuck Billy of Testament who was also there hanging with his family and friends after his set. Chuck is one of THE nicest dudes in Metal. Later, as we zoomed back towards San Francisco, Baloff was our co-pilot:

"Murder in the front row.."

If you bought one of every Anthrax merch item you would have paid $360; Anthrax had the best looking merch IMO... On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. Yes, we drove all the way to Sacramento to basically hang out more than to watch the bands. Yes, it was worth it. Yes, it was one of the most fun nights of the year so far.

The 7 Days Of Murder

Every once in awhile a week like this happens in this magical land called The Bay Area. This week was like a Murder In The Front Row live showcase with the only bands missing being Metallica and Exodus... although members of Exodus did make an appearance.. as you will see. The Metal Godz work in mysterious ways, man.

Machine Head
The Warfield, San Francisco
Saturday - February 18, 2012

Whitney Houston's funeral was earlier in the day... I believe that children are the future.. Teach them well and let them lead the way.. in Metal. According to the Umlaut Archives tonight was the 85th time I'd visited The Warfield for a concert. Tonight was also the final night of Machine Head's U.S. Tour and it's always cool when a band can end a trek at home, right?

In my opinion, one of the greatest things about having the proper pass at a show is the ability to leave a no-ins-and-outs venue anytime you want, walk across the street, order a cheeseburger and onion rings, enjoy it properly over good conversation with a friend (who also has the proper pass to the show), then walking back across the street and reentering the venue with no hassles. Kidz, that's what Rock 'N Roll is about! The sex and drugs are for the amateurs..

The only "Rock Star" of note who wasn't onstage in the house tonight was... Jello Biafra? Odd.. but kudos to Jello for showing up... I guess. To be honest, whenever I see Machine Head live I find myself watching their audience almost more than the band. Their most fanatical fans are the type that make me wish I could be that passionate about any band again.

I kind of got mesmerized watching 4 or 5 dudes at the front of the balcony who sang along to every song as if they were screaming along with Robb Flynn at Hell itself. Impressive. "Headbang motherfucker!"

Then 24 hours later it was...

Testament
The Avalon, Santa Clara, California
Sunday - February 19, 2012

Four years ago on this date Umlaut was seeing Iron Maiden indoors at The Forum in Los Angeles. Today was also the 32nd Anniversary of the death of Bon Scott. Respect. It's always weird to see a Metal show at a venue that's literally 15 minutes from where I grew up, because there were never Metal shows this close to home when I was a kid. Trivia: The Avalon space was a Bullwinkle's Pizza Parlor back in The Day; the area where the stage is now was a dancing waters show. Tonight was also the final night of the Testament tour and it's always cool when a band can end a trek at home, right?

A sold out show on a holiday weekend Sunday night is always a good thing... and it was also a "who's who" of Bay Area Metal guitarists tonight with Gary Of Exodus, Phil of Machine Head, and Ted of Death Angel all in the house; cue standard Thrash Metal riff. Testament took the stage and destroyed my old 'hood... Absolutely destroyed it.

(Photo courtesy of Photo Ray)

Besides their already formidable lineup, Testament also had the legend that is Gene Hoglan on drums for this tour... and Alex Skolnick was unbelievably on fire with his Guitar God work tonight.. even more so than usual... and the crowd action was unusually excellent for the 'burbs as well. The original Bay Area Metal bands have been on this cool trend of inviting former members onstage. It started with Metallica at The Fillmore in December... Then Exodus earlier this month... and tonight Testament brought up Steve "Zetro" Souza to perform the Legacy era song 'Alone In The Dark'. Nice.

On the way back to the car this happened...

Mr. & Mrs. Gary Holt

The first time I saw that guy onstage was when we were both 18 years old. Then 4 days later it was...

Gigantour 2012
Megadeth / Motörhead / Volbeat / Lacuna Coil
San Jose State Event Center, San Jose, California
Thursday - February 23, 2012

For the first time since 1984, Lemmy and Phil Campbell shared a Bay Area stage with Hank Shermann (who was playing with Volbeat). The last time was on this epic night in San Francisco:

Why doesn't the History Channel report this stuff?? According to the Umlaut Archives tonight was the 18th time I've seen Lemmy onstage... and... WTF... it was the 2nd time in 4 days that I found myself down in my old 'burbs for a Metal show. Since Megadeth were headlining I wore a Slayer shirt to the show to offer the opposing viewpoint... and on the drive to the show I also listened to the opposing viewpoint in honor of Hank Shermann:

"Howl like a wolf and a witch will open the door"..

Hank Shermann warmed up before Volbeat's set in their dressing room by playing Thin Lizzy riffs; seeing him onstage again was pretty damn awesome! Long story short... as Volbeat were onstage I happened to be walking down a hallway backstage and one thing led to another and this happened:


... and then this happened:

I drank beers with this guy on my 19th Birthday... but I'm happy to report that our religious and political differences did not ruin our quality time; it was all about the Old Metal Days. Just like the Pied Piper led rats through the streets.

After a brief air raid siren intro tape, Motörhead unloaded all barrels into the face of San Jose with 'Bomber' and Lemmy, Phil, and Mikkey played one of my favorite sets in recent years. The set was short and, while the song selection was basically the same as the past 2 tours, they switched the order around a bit that made their performance as tight as the Maginot Line was supposed to have been in 1940. The only way to feel the noise is when it's good and loud... Amen.

Megadeth landed onstage with 'Trust' while I was checking out the merch... and during their set I wandered around a bit... and ended up on the GA floor to watch most of their performance. To be honest, my head was still buzzing from my quality time with Dave and Dave Jr. (it had been YEARS since I'd had face time with them) and I have to admit that made me enjoy Megadeth's set more than I have in recent years. However, I was distracted by how many boys and girls were dancing during their set... not dancing together.. but just dancing alone to the Megadeth beat. Not very Metal.

Then 24 hours later it was...

Death Angel / Hammers Of Misfortune / Anvil Chorus
Slim's, San Francisco
Friday - February 24, 2012

According to the Umlaut Archives tonight was the 72nd time I'd visited Slim's for a concert. Out of all the shows of the week this one was the most special. Death Angel headlining at home with locals Hammers Of Misfortune and that blast from the past Anvil Chorus supporting. I arrived late and only caught the last 2 songs of Anvil Chorus, but at least it included the set closing 'Deadly Weapons' and it was cool to see them with original guitarist Doug Piercy onstage again. The current lineup of Hammers includes members of two of Umlaut's favorite R.I.P. Bay Area Metal bands (Ludicra and Saros) and if Hammers were from Sweden instead of The Mission District they'd probably be huge.

Death Angel had set expectations high for the night by announcing they'd be playing an extra long set AND that original guitarist Gus Pepa would be joining them onstage for the first time since 1990. That kind of hype combined with it being a Friday night meant that Slim's was packed and filled with a huge number of old familiar faces. I'm not really exaggerating when I say literally half of the people pictured or thanked in Murder In The Front Row were in the house... and this happened:

Murder authors with Tom Hunting of the mighty Exodus

Best Quote: "Tonight is like a high school reunion!"

Death Angel killed it in their big hometown revue... I got my fix of 'Seemingly Endless Time' (one of my favorite songs, like, ever..)... but I have to admit that this old man hit a wall at 1:00am as the band still raged onstage.. and I snuck out down the street to get a slice of pizza to reload. I guess that makes me a poser... Guilty. This made 4 shows in 7 days and I'm out of gig shape these days (this isn't 2009 after all).

Tank shirts = 3. I didn't do a merch audit at any of the shows, but Machine Head, Motörhead, and Volbeat had the coolest gear during the week; their merch company rules. On the way back to a mellow weekend after the 7 Days Of Murder, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. At this point, Umlaut doesn't have another gig scheduled for around a month... Hope I die before I get old.