Die By The Sword

The Sword / Karma To Burn
The Regency, San Francisco
Rocktober 2, 2010

The Sword are one of those bands that is polarizing: people seem to either like them or hate them for some reason. I'm too old to worry about peer pressure and I've always liked The Sword. It's been interesting watching them since their first visit to S.F. in 2006 when they were awkward and seriously lacked confidence onstage. I admired what Road Dogs the band were on that first tour when they came through S.F. 6 times; not many new bands work that hard these days! Fast forward 4 years and the kidz from Austin have supported Motörhead and toured the world with Metallica... but it had been almost 2 years to the day since I last saw The Sword live.

Prior to the show Photo Ray and I participated in the time honored pre-show tradition of meeting friends and dining at legendary Tommy's Joynt. For the newbies: Tommy's has been around since 1947 and it's where Jason Newsted was asked to join Metallica so he could become a millionaire by being the band's punching bag. To be honest, eating at Tommy's can make your stomach feel like a punching bag... but it's Old School San Francisco. After the meal we few, we happy few, made our way down Van Ness to The Regency.

I knew absolutely nothing (zero... nada) about Karma To Burn. The first thing I couldn't help noticing about them was that the singer looked like he was 7 feet tall... Literally. The dude seemed taller than his Marshall stack and with a Les Paul strapped on he looked like Treebeard fronting the band. Karma To Burn were GOOD in a solid slow burn Stoner / Classic Rock way... Equal parts boogie and riffs.. Actually Karma To Burn were really good; it's not often that Umlaut is impressed enough to buy a support band's CD after their set, but I did this time. It turns out the band is originally from West Virginia (!) and has been around for almost 15 years (!)... AND the band's giant frontman is the son of DAVE DAVIES of THE KINKS (!)... AND they've worked and recorded with John Garcia of Kyuss... and the band is basically the lineup of Year Long Disaster as well. Well, call me a poser, 'cause I didn't know all of that... but better late than never.

Karma To Burn
(Photo courtesy of Photo Ray)

Uhhh, I don't know how to tell Karma To Burn's bassist... but that's a girl's Motörhead shirt he's wearing. I'm not kidding... Umlaut recognizes that design from Lemmy's 2008 merch line... Not that there's anything wrong with that!

A Texas flag covered The Sword's drum kit during the opening sets, which was a nice geeky homage to the band's homeland. I like how instead of "growing up" past their original Dungeons & Dragon song themes, The Sword cranked their Nerd wattage up with the new album and drove off the Geek cliff by doing a Sci-Fi themed concept album! The Geeks Shall Inherit The Earth..

Texas is the reason: The Sword onstage at The Regency
(Photo courtesy of Photo Ray)

The lads from Texas opened up with the Sci-Fi geek double shot of new songs 'The Orb' > 'Trej Brujas' before surprising me by playing their signature song 'Freya' next... which went into 'How Heavy This Axe'. Nicely done... The one down side to The Sword for me is John's vocals, which have always been monotone at best... and tonight it was also the fan at stage right that kept blowing Kyle's long blonde hair. However, despite all of that, this was the best performance I've seen the band lay down to date. In contrast to how unseasoned they were on their first tour 4 years ago, the band is now a no-nonsense seasoned Lock 'N Loll Machine onstage. I know alot of Stoner Rock traditionalists hate The Sword, but to me the band is more Classic Rock / Metal than anything else and tonight their first encore was their take on Thin Lizzy's 'Cold Sweat', which only supported my opinion of them. As their 70 minute set galloped to a close I thought how it was a good difference seeing The Sword on a big stage instead of in a club; their big sound translates very well to a big room. Is everything really bigger in Texas?

All in all it was an easy, fun night and the local vibe was in full effect with members of Machine Head, Saviours, and Black Cobra in the house. Not to be a smug Bay Area mofo, but most other cities can't have a Rock Star roll call of that quality just hanging out in the bar at a gig. Just saying...

If you bought one of every Sword merch item you would have paid around $220. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. There was some good SFPD action just off the intersection of Golden Gate and Larkin; an SUV had flipped upside down and lay in the middle of Larkin like a shot elephant. Obviously somebody's Saturday night wasn't as good as mine had been... Bummer.

48 Hours Of Sleep

Sleep / Thrones
The Regency, San Francisco
September 12, 2010

Umlaut sure has been attending a good number of "reunion" tours this year: Saint Vitus... Alice In Chains... Faith No More... and now Sleep. According to the Umlaut Archives I saw Sleep at least 12x back in The Day. The first time was when they supported MDC at The Cactus Club (R.I.P.) in San Jose in '92 and the last time was when they supported the Melvins at Slim's in '94 (Evidently that was Sleep's final show (!)... until this reunion of course.. Acid King were 3rd on the bill that night as well..). Good times.

Sleep back in The Day: S.F. - 1992 and San Jose - 1993
(From the Umlaut Archives and FlyerAnnex)

So, if my math is correct, this was Sleep's first hometown area show in 16 years. At this point I've seen Matt and High On Fire more times than I saw Sleep and I've seen Al with OM and Shrinebuilder a half dozen times combined as well. Also, while this was billed as a "reunion tour" it's one of those cases where it was really a "reunion" in name only since Chris decided to not take his place behind the drums on these dates. While that was disappointing, it made historical sense to have Jason of Neurosis behind the drums, not only because of the Bay Area connection, but also because Sleep and Neurosis shared so many bills back in The Day. Also, when Sleep put out their 1st album we called them "Melvins Jr." because The Stoner Kidz (Al, Matt, Chris) seemed to mimic them. Of course, The Stoner Kidz had the last laugh.

Tonight brought people out of the woodwork and there were so many Old School faces and friends in the house that it felt like San Francisco circa 1992-94 before the Dot.com Boom ruined so many things about this city (affordable property values, reasonable rents, influx of hipsters, etc..). It was also a Who's Who of Bay Area bands in attendance. What bands? Let's see... Members of Acid King, Black Cobra, High On Fire, Ludicra, Neurosis, Saviours, Totimoshi... Yeah, it was epic.

Up first on this night was Thrones, aka Joe Preston (who is in Umlaut's record collection via his work with the Melvins, Earth, Sunn O))), Harvey Milk, High On Fire..) alone and solo onstage... and I'll cut to the chase and say I wasn't into it. Joe introduced his set by saying "The next 20 minutes will be really boring.." Not to be a dick, but he was right. Sorry, Joe... but I was front and center for so many Melvins shows back in The Day that maybe I earned a free pass for this one. Thanks.

Fast forward to 9:30pm and seeing Sleep on a big stage with a big sound system behind them was sort of a revelation to me since I'd only seen them in clubs and bars back in The Day (there was that show supporting Tad at a weird space on Hollywood Boulevard with shag carpeting on the floor and most of the stage lighting came from a soda vending machine that was at stage left)... Jason was a great replacement for Chris on drums; he kept to the Sleep floor plan and didn't attempt to bring anything new to it, which would have been wrong. However, it was weird seeing Sleep onstage with Marshall stacks instead of their trademark Orange and Green amps. Still, experiencing songs like 'Dragonaut' and 'Aquarian' live again was crushingly great... but I'm not sure how I feel about their cover of Ozzy's 'Over The Mountain'. Yes, they did an Ozzy cover.... I mean... I *get it*..."Holy Mountain"... "Over The Mountain"... and Ozzy's lyrics fit the Sleep credo... but... I might like it better if Al or Matt were wearing chainmail onstage like Ozzy circa the Diary Of A Madman Tour. I'm not bagging on the guys, but I'm simply befuddled over their need to do a cover song when their own material transcends Ozzy in so many profound ways.

The set was complimented by video (created by Josh Graham, who also creates the stage visuals for Neurosis and Mastodon) projected behind the band featuring images like NASA footage, animated dragons, and undersea scenes. Dude, pass the bong! It definitely complimented the band's performance... but... not to sound too much like an Old Fart... I liked it more when they used just raw NASA archival footage behind them in '94 (back when Al used to wear a jacket with a NASA back patch). The Geeks shall inherit The Earth! However, the band's trademark space theme did extend to their roadie who was dressed in a space suit as the band's Marijuanaut mascot for the show. Hilarious! For the newbies: Iron Maiden have Eddie... Sleep had the Marijuanaut.

Photo courtesy of Photo Ray

To be honest, I couldn't get my head around the show. Sleep are one of those bands who I associate with a specific time in my life... It was a time when I went from not really knowing who the fuck I was to ultimately finding myself and my life falling into place. During that time I also went from knowing Sleep as those Stoner Kidz whose bassist worked at Tower Records in Mountain View with my friend John, to that band who were actually pretty good, to them becoming that great band who imploded just as the outside world started to recognize them. Long story short, it's still trippy to me that Sleep went on to become such a revered and influential band. It's weird, man.. Anyway, I rolled with the show and went with it... Seeing and hearing Sleep onstage again was GREAT... but part of me wasn't *there* because seeing them again opened up a Pandora's Box of thoughts in my head... about my life... where I had been... where I was now... where the band was now... or maybe I was high from all the doobage in the air.

When I ducked out to visit the Men's Room I was greeted by the sight of a hipster wearing a sweater passed out face down on the floor in front of a stall. I resisted the urge to take an iPhone pic of him... so karma points for me... but it was a total Purell moment. Another guy tried to get the wasted hipster to his feet but I had my back to them when I heard a "THUD" and the good samaritan say "Oh dude..." As I turned to leave I stepped over the hipster who was now laying face up on the floor with his eyes wide open. I was about to go find a medical person, but one rushed past me to the wasted hipster's side. All I can say is I hope that hipster isn't raving about how awesome seeing Sleep was...

Sleep sold out of of 2 of their 3 shirt designs before they even came onstage! If you bought one of eacy Sleep merch item you would have paid around $100. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. Then 24 hours later it was...

Sleep / Saviours / Black Cobra
The Regency, San Francisco
September 13, 2010

It was mindboggling to me that Sleep could sell almost 2,800 (!) tickets to shows here... and tonight was the final show of their brief 7 city, 8 show 2010 Reunion Tour. Given the special nature of the night, it was appropriate that the bill featured 3 of Umlaut's favorite local Bay Area bands: Sleep (San Jose), Saviours (Oakland), and Black Cobra (San Francisco). Not many metropolitan areas can field a home team like that, right?

BLACK COBRA:
Although their tour ended just about a month ago, it was spit take cool that Black Cobra were added to the bill several weeks after this show was announced. It always kicks the Black Cobra experience up a notch seeing Jason and Rafa on a big stage and it was nice they were given a full light show as well. Great sound... All killer, no filler 30 minute set. Black Cobra made ears bleed just enough to set the table for the other bands. A good night's work... and they even had Anchor Steam and free Pringles backstage.

Jason Black Cobra > Pringles > Umlaut

SAVIOURS:

Photo courtesy of Photo Ray

The East Bay lads have had a BUSY year with touring and being on this year's OzzFest. This was Umlaut's 4th time seeing Saviours this year and they knocked their set out of the park with their brand of vintage 21st Century Classic Rock. If this was 1975, Saviours would be onstage at Oakland Stadium playing Day On The Greens in front of thousands. As is usually the case, 'Acid Hand' was the highlight song of the set for me, but the guys closed with a great new song that made me want to jump into the nearest GTO and drive fast without a seatbelt. In true Rock Star fashion, the band's onstage beverages included shots of liquor, PBR, and cough syrup. Lock 'N Loll!

Photo courtesy of Sensory Abuse

SLEEP:

Photo courtesy of Sensory Abuse

As I sort of said earlier, Sleep are one of those bands (like Neurosis and Metallica) who I honestly don't have a lot of perspective on since I was around them so much in the beginning. It was interesting watching people react to seeing Sleep for the first time and watching songs being performed that they'd probably only listened to in their room with a bong and the lights off. What Pink Floyd was to my generation, Sleep was to many others. DUDE! Discuss amongst yourselves.

Captain Fireball in The House..

I watched the first 1/3 of the set from upstairs and became a little hypnotized watching the crowd action sway and shove and sweat back and forth below me as Sleep's sludgy nostalgia puffed and flowed from the PA.... or maybe I was high from all the doobage in the air. Either way, I enjoyed Night #2 more than the previous night for some reason... Probably because I'd done all of my pondering the night before. The setlist was switched up from the previous night and my head was particularly caught up in 'Evil Gypsy' and 'The Druid' on this Monday night... and there was no sign of the Ozzy cover tonight. For those who care the setlist went like this (I think):

• Dopesmoker/Holy Mountain
• Dragonaut
• Evil Gypsy
• Aquarian
• Some Grass
• Nain's Baptism
• Inside The Sun
• The Druid
• From Beyond/Dopesmoker solo/Proceeds the Weedian

Encore:

• Antarticus Thawed
• Cultivator

'Antarticus Thawed' was amazing and I don't think they ever played that live back in The Day. Not to be redundant, but it was weird seeing Sleep again. The whole time machine aspect of these shows tripped me out; that which was old is now new and revered. I guess some things go in cycles and, ultimately, it is cool that here in the 21st Century the Stoner Kidz from San Jose are getting their due and their fans are able to get wasted while seeing them live.

Once again, Sleep sold out of 2 out of 3 of their shirt designs before they came onstage. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags... and just as suddenly as the time machine started then it was over. Matt and High On Fire kick off another U.S. Tour in 2 weeks in San Francisco. No rest for the wicked!

"Ride the dragon toward the crimson eye... Flap the wings under Mars red sky..."

Click HERE to see Photo Ray's shots from the night.

Umlaut's vintage 1993 GLOW IN THE DARK Sleep shirt

Umlaut's Fave Merch Item of 2010

Boys Night Out

Rob Halford
The Regency, San Francisco
July 17, 2010

The exciting continuation of Don't Ask, Don't Tell a million years later!

According to the Umlaut Archives, this was the 8th time I've been in the same room as Rob Halford dating back to when I was a naive teenager... and last year's Judas Priest / Whitesnake show was one of the best shows I saw in 2009. As far as I know, this was Halford's only North American headlining show of 2010 and was a warm up for this upcoming stint on this year's OzzFest. It was cool that he chose San Francisco for such an honor, right? It makes sense I guess... just saying... not that there's anything wrong with that! This was also a "gathering of the tribe" event, with a lot of Old School people coming out of the woodwork. It was cool to see people who I've known since high school again (a shout out to Rich Hellhound, Hans, and Sven..).

Although The Regency (1,400 capacity) was a little over half full it seemed more crowded than that especially with the balcony open... and it was definitely a crowd of die hard Halford fans and not simply Judas Priest fans; most of the punters around me seemed to know all of the songs. While Judas Priest were one of the bands who introduced me to METAL, I've never listened to any of Halford's solo stuff. I entered The Regency expecting not to recognize most of the setlist... and I was right! I walked out of The Regency and could only claim to have recognized ONE song in the set... which also happened to be the ONLY Priest song included in the setlist ('Never Satisfied' from the Rocka Rolla album!? So random... )... which made this show's ad border on false advertisement ("Featuring Rob Halford Performing The Music Of Halford, Fight, & Judas Priest"). The last time I saw Halford solo 10 years ago (!) he had busted out such iconic vintage Priest songs as 'Tyrant' and 'Stained Class'... but not this time. Oh well...

Note: I was later informed that another Priest song had been played... but it was an obscure outtake from the Turbo album or something that only appeared on a Japanese import CD and in a Priest box set. Okay, then! The Geeks shall inherit The Earth.

However, despite my own lack of Halford knowledge it was still a fun show. His band is decent enough (although I have trouble seeing him without K.K. and Glenn flanking him on guitars)... and he sang and worked the stage better than he has at some of the Priest shows I've seen in recent years. "Halford" is still Halford: He's still one those Metal vocalists who's godlike when he's at the top of his game like he is right now.

(Pic courtesy of Photo Ray)

I also liked how Halford stayed away from his "Metal Leatha" personae and presented a more "refined" stage presence... I mean, not many Metal vocalists can take the stage wearing a blazer and be taken seriously... but that's why he's Halford! If the recent passing of Ronnie James Dio taught us anything it's that Metalheads need to see their heroes at every possible opportunity. Also, Halford is one of those original Metal Heroes who still delivers the goods onstage.

I think most Metalheads can say where they were when they found out Halford was gay, right? I found out in 1982 via a Metal penpal I had in Miami, Florida. Priest were in the area mixing the Screaming For Vengeance album and my penpal told me how Halford had been seen around or entering the local gay bars there. I was, like, NO WAY! We were SO NAIVE back then... Too funny.

If you bought one of every Halford merch item you would have paid around $300... and if you presented your ticket at the merch table you got a free copy of the new remastered / remixed version of his Crucible CD. Pretty cool, right? On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. As I type this I'm listening to Judas Priest and reliving when Halford was someone who introduced me to Metal when I was a directionless, geeky teenager; Metal gave me focus. Again, it was a fun show... but I wish he'd busted out 'Heroes End' or something.

Point Of Entry Tour
(From the Umlaut Archives)

Screaming For Vengeance Tour
(From the Umlaut Archives)

Overkill... Literally..

Overkill / Vader / God Dethroned / Warbringer / Evile
The Regency, San Francisco
April 18, 2010


This was a weird concert lineup for Umlaut. Although the headliner is from *my* generation of Metal, I can't say that I've ever been a fan of Overkill. Full disclosure: When Overkill were starting up my head was starting to get out of Metal. Sad but true, but that's what happened to Umlaut. For around a 5 year period I turned my back on Metal and listened to alot of other Music. Of course, those years made Umlaut a MUCH more educated Music Geek; I can quote Bob Dylan AND Slayer lyrics at the drop of a hat equally well. However, once my Music Geek education was advanced enough, The Rock Godz led me back to METAL, but that's a story for another time. So, in hindsight, I have no regrets that I didn't see Overkill at The Stone in 1986 or whenever.

This was also one of those Metal package tours that are the industry standard now.. Which generally means too many bands playing sets that are too short. Tonight it was 5 bands with the first 4 allotted a paltry 30 minutes onstage while the headliner got 90 minutes. I know it's about economics, but I miss having 3 quality bands on a bill playing decent sets versus the talent show / battle of the bands lineups. Another thing these package tours take away is the Music Geek tradition of geeking out over the bands' equipment as they switch over between sets since everyone (except the headliner) uses the same backline. Although Umlaut friend Dave and I managed to make the best of it (noting the pentagram grill on the Peavey cabinets, etc. etc.) I had to be the buzz kill and tell him that ALL the support bands were using the same backline. Sorry, Dave. Anyway..........

Evile (England): To be honest, I don't know much about Evile other than their debut album was produced by Flemming Rasmussen and their bassist had passed away suddenly 6 months ago. They play solid retro Thrash Metal, but to be honest after 3 songs I was done and went to the lobby for a beer and meet up with some friends. For the newbies: You will find that Umlaut can be a very jaded Metalhead and I won't sugar coat that; sometimes I'm just not into watching a band after a certain point. It doesn't mean I think the band sucks (and I'd say so if I did), it's just how I keep my sanity by not forcing myself to watch something that I'm not engaged in. Sorry Evile, just being honest.

Warbringer (Southern California): Ironically, Warbringer were the band I wanted to see the most on the bill. Umlaut isn't really into Thrash Metal anymore (I'm more of a Doom / Death guy now..) because it sounds dated to me most of the time; it makes jaded Umlaut say "been there, done that". I have a hard time getting into the new bands who are recreating that sound, but Warbringer and a couple of other new bands (specifically 3 Inches Of Blood) do the retro thing well and I do dig them. Umlaut has listened to the their latest Waking Into Nightmares CD quite a bit and I keep hearing Death Angel in it, which is a good thing of course. Before Warbringer came out they inexplicably played 'Maggie's Farm' by Bob Fuckin' Dylan over the PA... Come on! Throw the horns with me! Anyway, Warbringer brought a strong set and the band has obviously watched all the right old Metal videos which translates into how they work a stage. At first I was getting annoyed by John's front man posing and the fact drummer Nic was using a click track via headphones to keep time... but I reminded myself these were just kidz onstage and I was watching them through jaded Umlaut eyes. Once I made that attitude adjustment it was all good. 'Prey For Death' absolutely killed live and at the end of their set, guitarist John jumped down into the photo pit to rage with the front row and vocalist John dove into the crowd:

Nicely done, lads. OH! During Warbringer's set a pair of skinny, probably 14-year old boys were standing next to me at the edge of The Pit gawking at the crowd action. One of them wanted to join The Pit so bad but he couldn't get his timing right to join in the mosh. Kid, you can't "wait" for The Pit to let you in! You just have to fucking GO!! At one point he turned to his buddy and I could see he was frustrated, but his buddy was a pussy and wasn't going to join him. When the kid turned back towards The Pit a 200 pound dude slammed into him. CUTE! Poor kid... don't take drugs.

God Dethroned (Holland): I was hanging in the lobby with friends when the Dutch took the stage.. They had already played a song and I was about to head back in to watch them when Photo Ray returned from the photo pit and said "One of the dudes is wearing a polo shirt..." That was reason enough for Umlaut to stay in the lobby with a beer and his friends. Sorry God Dethroned. One of the things Umlaut can't abide is a Metal band wearing polo shirts onstage.

Vader (Poland): As much as I like Vader, I've always been dubious about a band naming themselves after a Star Wars character, especially such an obvious one. Maybe Sarlaac was already taken?? However, I cut Vader slack because they have delivered the appropriate darkness that behooves that name. The Poles took the stage and their Eastern European Death Metal was EXACTLY what I wanted here in the 21st Century. Vader's most recent album Necropolis was in rotation on Umlaut's playlist after its release last Summer. Vader reminded me why, despite my wider Music Geek base, I will ultimately always bleed Metal. Dense and bludgeoning riffs speak straight to my soul. Vader are one of those bands who have been around so long that, aside from Peter, they've had too many members for Umlaut to keep track of and I'm not even going to try at this point. Anyway, with Peter leading the band as always, I think the lead guitarist on this tour is a dude named Marco and he brought the volume in a very workmanlike way. It was also nice to see the drummer (who I assume was Paul) bringing the thunder without the use of a click track like the youngster in Warbringer. During their set security shut a guy down for lighting up a bowl down front... and THEN THEY KICKED HIM OUT!!? WTF Regency Security!? I thought this was San Franfuckincisco!?? Way to harsh The Metal, man. We're NOT fuckin' Hippies! Anyway, despite the buzz kill, Vader owned the stage and wiped the floor with the rest of the bill. How do you say "buzz kill" in Polish?

Overkill (New Jersey): As I said earlier, by the time Overkill were hitting The Metal Scene in the mid-80's I was just starting my hiatus from Metal and was more likely to be found at a Jesus & Mary Chain show. Before they came on, Umlaut was back in the lobby when Dave came up and said "You gotta see this...." We followed him back into the venue and The Jersey Boyz had a rather silly stage that was a bit much for The Regency: ramps, stairs, strobe towers. I don't mean to be a dick because I understand this is the band's 25th Anniversary Tour, but if you took away some of props you might have been able to knock a couple of bucks off the ticket price and gotten a bigger crowd in the house. Just saying. Anyway, when the lights went down and the smoke machine kicked in it was the 80's all over again. The veteran band did sound and perform good... but I have to be honest and say vintage Thrash Metal sounds so dated to Umlaut and, in all honesty, it makes me feel old. It really does. Aside from a couple of key Thrash albums from that era, I feel no nostalgia for it...


Anyway, after 4 songs I headed out the door and back into the 21st Century. Evidently the final song of Overkill's set was.... their cover of.... 'Overkill' by Motörhead. Cheeky.

Over the past month, the Metal shows on Umlaut's calendar have featured some pretty great hang sessions with friends. In the past Umlaut has been more surgically precise with shows and the social aspect has been minimal. This evening turned out to be ALOT more fun than I thought it was going to be because it was a perfect balance of a couple of bands who I genuinely like and having members of the Umlaut Nation in the house to shoot the shit with... So a quick shout out to Timo, Dave, Photo Ray, Nikki Blakk, Sven, HRC, Taylor, and Alan.

Warbringer had 4 shirts for sale but only had them in size SMALL... Ooops. (Merch 101: Metal bands should ALWAYS have plenty of size XL in stock... 'cause alot of BIG BOYZ listen to Metal..). If you bought one of every Overkill merch item you would have paid $253 and if you bought one of every Vader merch item you would have paid $105. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. The next morning Alan told me that Jeff Walker of Carcass had been at the show! WTF!? He was stranded in the U.S. after his brief tour with Brujeria because of the Icelandic volcano eruption. That whole volcano thing is pretty METAL, right?

Two Nights

Light This City / The Funeral Pyre / Early Graves
Thee Parkside, San Francisco
April 8, 2010


I had met The Funeral Pyre at SXSW last month and it's always cool to reconnect with people who you meet while on tour... You meet some really amazing people on The Road. It was a nice touch that the Will Call guy knew who I was and already looking for my name on the list before I even said anything. Thanks, dude! The Scene.

During Early Graves set I thought to myself "I went to a Metal show... and I'm watching a Punk show." They're not really my thing... you silly Metalcore kidz... but the girlz in the crowd were sporting some very stylish handbags and purses. The Funeral Pyre wanted the stage lights to be dimmed, but that's not how Thee Parkside rolls and it was either lights on or lights off; they chose the latter. They opened with 3 new substance abuse-fueled songs that worked well in the darkness. Judging by her reaction, the girl standing next to me with the denim vest and Mayhem back patch agreed. However, she was NOT sporting a very stylish handbag or purse.

I didn't watch any of Light This City. Sorry kidz... I heard this was your final tour. Bummer. After The Pyre's set Photo Ray and I spent the next, like, 2 hours hanging out with John Funeral Pyre shooting the shit over beerz and geeking out about the songwriting of Morrissey. An epic hang session, my brothers! On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. Back at Casa de Umlaut I had a bowl of cereal.

Fear Factory / Amon Amarth
The Regency, San Francisco
April 9, 2010

The scheduling of this show was total bullshit, man. The show STARTED at 7:00pm... and since one of the opening bands didn't make it all the sets were pushed up as well. As a result, Amon Amarth (the only band I cared about..) were due to go on at 8:00pm, so all I had time to do after getting home from work was feed the animals and jump back into the Prius to battle rush hour traffic. Odin give me strength.

I'm happy to report that The Regency still has the most ridiculously thorough ass patting security check in The Bay Area outside of The Hall Of Justice or County Jail; luckily I hid all of my concert contraband up my ass. At Will Call my +1 was in place but my planned date couldn't make it due to the early set times. I asked the kid behind me in line if he had a ticket and he gave me a "WTF" look and said "No.." so I told the Will Call guy that the kid was my +1. The kid looked shocked and the Will Call guy had a look that said "That's the coolest thing I've seen all day.." Dudes, THAT'S what METAL is all about; Umlaut was just paying The Metal forward.

It's been 2 years since the Vikings last landed their long boats on the shores of San Franfuckincisco. This was only the 2nd show on the band's U.S. Tour and for the first couple of shows bassist Ted Lundström was at home in Valhalla due to the birth of a new member to his clan. As he has in the past, Steve Drennan was on the 4-string for the Swedes... However, Steve is English and considering how the Vikings treated Britain back in The Day I'm sure The Queen isn't happy about that.


I totally dig Amon Amarth's brand of Viking Metal since it's firmly grounded in Old European Metal, with actual guitar solos grounded in solid harmonies... and NO KEYBOARDS! HAIL. At one point a friend said Amon Amarth were sounding repetitive... Dude! That's the point! Repetitive Viking Metal = Viking rowing. It's music for pushing your long boats forward and for storming onto Christian shores to rape and pillage and pillage and rape. The music is also for synchronized hair swinging. The highlight of the set for Umlaut was 'Death In Fire'... "FIRE!!".. Odin be praised... but the kidz really went off during 'Guardians Of Asgaard". Trivia: When Umlaut was 18 I worked as a clerk at a liquor store chain called Asgard; one of the managers would score us booze AND we'd get an employee discount. HAIL.

Sidebar Rant: Seriously, Dethklok are basically an Amon Amarth cover band. I hope Brendon Small is paying Amon Amarth some kind of licensing fee for copping their sound for his animated entertainment empire.

It warmed my heart when Johann Hegg commented how it was nice to be playing in "The Home of American Metal"; a nice reality check about how the rest of the world views the San Franfuckincisco Bay Area. However, to the kid who was waving a NORWEGIAN flag early in the set: Uhhh... Amon Amarth are SWEDISH, dude... I know their flags look the same, but they are two different countries... really... they are... Public Schools Rule!

For the newbies: NORWAY on the left.. SWEDEN on the right. Tonight was a one-off show with Fear Factory headlining. I've never been a Fear Factory fan, but this was the last time I saw them:

The debut version of OzzFest in 1996 when it only played in Phoenix and San Bernardino. Unfortunately, my favorite memories of that day don't include Fear Factory. Trivia: I was on tour with Neurosis and San Bernardino was Sepultura's final U.S. show with the original lineup; Umlaut watched them from onstage and it was amazing. Biohazard were also on the bill and a porn movie was shot on their tour bus; I have a pic "somewhere" of Ron Jeremy walking past Neurosis' bus. Also, Sharon Osbourne gave Scott Kelly of Neurosis an armful of free OzzFest shirts (Sharon was courting Neurosis to sign with her record label at the time).

Fear Factory... Yes, the legend Gene Hoglan of Dethklok was on drums, but after a couple of songs my brain was telling me FOOD would be better for me than blast beats... and I kept having flashbacks to this day at work a couple of years ago:


Out on the sidewalk I almost ran into Johan Hegg... I shook his hand and he gave me a big Viking smile and said "Thanks!"... He had obviously gone back to the band's bus to change since he was wearing a nice button down shirt instead of the sweaty sleeveless black tee he'd had onstage. Viking GQ!

Kudos to the drunk kid who stumbled up to us in between bands and announced that it was his 23rd birthday and who slurred how happy he was that we were all there to celebrate with him... and that he couldn't find his friends. Kid, the ONLY friend you need is METAL. Remember that... always.

The merch line for Amon Amarth was insane after their set. Note to their merch company: I wish I had an Amon Amarth horn to drink my beer out of... If you bought one of every Amon Amarth merch item you would have paid $295. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. Odin would have approved of the post-Viking Metal food session at Rosamunde in The Mission. HAIL.

Ghosts

Arch Enemy / Exodus
The Regency, San Francisco
February 8, 2010



It was another rainy day and night in San Franfuckincisco and we arrived at the venue after Arsis had already left the stage; judging from Photo Ray's comments we didn't miss anything, which is fine by me. Thankfully there was absolutely no Will Call drama for me tonight and I also had a photo pass eventhough I didn't request one (Thanks Steve!). It was kind of weird that Arch Enemy's passes were simply printed on MACtac paper labels instead of being the standard Lock 'N Loll cloth sticky pass. Paper or Cloth? Discuss amongst yourselves.


However, I didn't have a camera with me but I could have used my iPhone camera, right? The *real* photographers would have thought that was cool, right? Instead I went and got a beer.

It's very strange for Umlaut to see Exodus live... I have a history with Exodus that dates back to when we were all pimply-faced kidz. Original vocalist Paul Baloff was a friend and I saw the band twice when Kirk Hammett was in the band prior to him jumping to Metallica. To make a long story short, click HERE for a visual history of those times. Yes, Umlaut took every one of those pictures.

Exodus hit the stage just after 9:00pm with 'Bonded By Blood' and I got super nostalgic. I was at the show at Ruthie's Inn that inspired that song millions of years ago... and I honestly got a weird feeling that the ghosts of my dead Old Metal friends were standing with me. So, a shout out to Baloff, Sam, Rich, Mike, and Cliff... R.I.P. bruthas.

It's true that Exodus is only 2/5 of the original lineup here in the 21st Century, but guitarist Lee Altus was there back in the old Bay Area Metal Dayz. However, I have to admit it bothered me that Rob Dukes was wearing a sports jersey that wasn't the Oakland Raiders.. Now, I understand he's from Noo Yawk but he's in Exodus: East Bay O.G.! It bothered me more that no one called him on it either... and the crowd action for the band was way more tepid than I was expecting, something which Dukes mentioned several times. I think a Raiders jersey instead of a Noo Yawk Rangers jersey would have helped... just saying. Remember when Exodus filmed the 'Toxic Waltz' video at The Fillmore and it was crazy? Me too:


As a special hometown treat, Exodus brought out Zetro to sing 'Toxic Waltz'... which was a nice touch to the evening. The set ended with another song from my bruising teenage Metal Dayz: 'Strike Of The Beast'. Unfortunately it featured Dukes directing the crowd to perform a wall of death (yawn....). Yeah I'm an old fart but, back in The Day, Baloff NEVER had to tell a crowd what to do... we KNEW what needed to be done. Kill or be killed for Metal. Kidz these days.... However, here in the 21st Century, it's reassuring to see an old Metal brother like Gary Holt is still fighting the fight he believes to be right... crushing with all his might... he laughs at their pitiful cries.. and they run from the fire in his eyes. Gary can still give a lesson in violence.

In between bands a drunk dude in a Pantera shirt walked up to us about *something*... Kudos to him for getting hammered at a show on a Monday night, but there's always a dude in a Pantera shirt trying to start something.

Mercyful Fate was played over the PA right before Arch Enemy came onstage... Nice. Then the lights dimmed and the smoke machines started to chug and, with Valentines Day less than a week away, it was sweet to have Metal's Best Couple and their band take the stage in S.F. again.. Awww. Anyway, holy fuck, Arch Enemy completely stormed the stage with a one-two punch of 'The Immortal' > 'Revolution Begins'. Yes, Arch Enemy is considered "Mall Metal" by many... but it's a good thing I don't care what other people think. When Arch Enemy are *on*, like they were tonight, they rank up there with some of my favorite live bands.

The rhythm section of Sharlee (bass) and Daniel (drums) is machine-like but sometimes they're almost too machine-like... which makes the cool dynamic of the Amott brothers on guitar that much more compelling. I'm a big fan of the brothers because their styles are based on Classic Metal from my generation: Christopher channels Yngwie and Michael channels Schenker... and together they're Umlaut's favorite guitar duo going. Then, of course, guiding the reins of this Metal chariot of fire is Angela, who commands the stage more confidently than most dudes.

Pic courtesy of Photo Ray

The crowd action during Arch Enemy wasn't bad by Mall Metal standards... but it was funny how it was mainly young Hispanic kidz who were raging. During the drum solo, I ducked out to use the can and a kid on a stretcher was rushed past me by the medical staff. Man down! Metal...

A fun evening.. It's great that Arch Enemy chose Exodus as tourmates since it just reinforces the idea of Metal being a musical genre that still organically perpetuates itself; it's something that's not forced. The old bands inspiring and motivating the new ones... while the new bands can do the same for the old bands.. It's a European way of packaging a tour and it's cool that the concept is working with these bands. HAIL.

Carcass shirts = only 2 (!).. If you bought one of every Arch Enemy merch item you would have paid $245. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. As I was leaving the venue I ran into Gary Holt, who gave me an old school hug; somewhere Baloff's ghost was smiling.

Bonded by Blood.

Gates Of Steel

Devo
The Regency Ballroom, San Francisco
November 7, 2009



Devo marched into San Francisco for a two night stand to perform their seminal debut album on the 1st night and their breakthrough Freedom Of Choice album the next night. The Rock Godz work in mysterious ways and I found myself with a +1 for the 2nd night and for the 2nd time in 3 days I found myself seeing a band from Ohio.

All Music Geeks know that the band's classic Live EP from 1980 was recorded at The Warfield in S.F.. Although I grew up during the Devo Generation I was not a fan as a kid; in 1980 when Freedom Of Choice came out my favorite bands were Cheap Trick, Van Halen, and Black Sabbath... but I came to be a fan as I grew older and wiser. The last time I saw Devo was way back at Lollapalooza 1996 when they shared the main stage with Metallica, Soundgarden, The Ramones, Rancid, and Screaming Trees. In hindsight, that was a helluva bill..

Fast forward to the 21st Century and this was probably the easiest show of the entire year for Umlaut... Lori Acid King and I breezed through the overbearing Regency security check and got to the Will Call table... where the woman acted as if she knew me (I'm sorry.. I didn't remember her!) and complimented my Cheap Trick shirt before handing me the passes from my guest list envelope... Then we got a beer and found seats at the rail in something called the "Reserved Seating Area - Proper Pass Required" section directly above the soundboard. Fucking perfect; all shows should be this easy.

I've never seen the floor of The Regency as packed as it was tonight; it was solid humans from wall to wall and I was thankful to be above all of that, but the mood in the room was nothing but happy. The houselights went down at 10:00pm and the vintage music videos from the Freedom Of Choice era were shown on the screen behind the stage: 'Girl U Want', 'Whip It' (best MTV video ever?), and 'Freedom Of Choice'... As soon as the last video played the band came onstage and a Card Guy walked to the front of the stage holding a sign that read "Track 1" and the band launched into 'Girl U Want'... and for the next 35 minutes Devo rolled through the Freedom Of Choice album, with each song being introduced by the Card Guy and his signs. FUNNY! 'Gates Of Steel' is one of Umlaut's favorite songs, so of course that was my favorite of the night.

'Gates Of Steel'

It was a solid performance... fueled by nostalgia of course... but it was solid fun. After the main set, the band returned for an encore of 'Be Stiff' and 'Beautiful World'. The latter featured an appearance by Booji Boy, who told the crowd that if Michael Jackson could dig his way out of his grave he'd agree with the song. I think we'd all like to believe that, right?

Devo's set ran 55 minutes.. The houselights came up.. I drove Lori Acid King home.. I stopped at Taqueria Cancun to get a burrito to go.. I docked the Prius back at Casa de Umlaut at exactly 11:37pm.. It was an insanely easy surgically precise night. THANKS to Tour Manager Doug for sorting my +1 even though he's in the middle of conquering Europe again.

Trivia: Yes, this is the same Tour Manager Doug whose first concert was Devo on the Freedom Of Choice Tour at the Phoenix Theater in Petaluma, CA (a show that is available on DVD!) and who can be seen wearing one of his Devo shirts circa 1984 in the Slayer box set.

Tour Manager Doug and his Devo shirt with Slayer, Exodus, and Suicidal Tendencies
(Pic from Slayer's Soundtrack to the Apocalypse box set)

If you bought one of every Devo merch item you would have paid around $290. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. I can't remember the last time I've seen a non-festival headlining band play such a short set, but you can't talk shit about Devo! Everyone leaving the venue seemed happy from the show... and that's all that matters.

"A man is real... not made of steel.."

Prison Yard

Down / Melvins / Weedeater
The Regency Ballroom, San Francisco
August 14, 2009

When did they rename this place "The Regency Ballroom" from "The Grand Ballroom"? Also, I remember when this space was a movie theater; I'm pretty sure I saw James & the Giant Peach and The Hunt For Red October there. Anyway.....

The security check to enter The Regency was the most ridiculous in recent memory! They weren't allowing anyone to enter who was wearing a belt that even had the most generic studs on it; I know of at least one person who couldn't go in because, like, his belt was actually holding his pants up! WTF... Security is one thing, but common sense is another.. Mr. Security Guard wouldn't let me take my pen in (which I use to jot down notes for this space, but I guess in theory I could also use it as a shiv.. I guess..) and when he took it from me he said "This is a nice pen!"... Yes, he actually said that. I hope you choke on it, motherfucker.

Anyway, as we entered the main floor just as Weedeater were about to start, I wasn't paying attention and thought to myself "Hmm, there's quite of bit of room in the middle of the floor..".. Then I realized I was walking right through the middle of The Pit and almost walked into a shirtless, sweaty Skinhead dude who was pacing The Pit with that cocked pistol body language. It was kind of funny seeing a shirtless, sweaty White Boy stalking The Pit eventhough there was no band onstage.. but no worries. I sidestepped him and kept walking to the far side of the room. When you encounter a wild animal it's best not make any sudden moves.

Umlaut digs Weedeater and they played one of their classic sludgy sets that was highlighted by a nice sludgy cover of Skynyrd's 'Gimme Back My Bullets'. I think by the time they finished there had already been 3 fights on the floor, which was an indication of how the rest of the night would be. After Weedeater's set, I was walking back across the floor towards the lobby and almost walked into a guy being held up by his buddy as he puked. Woah, dude! No worries, I sidestepped him and kept walking to the lobby. Splish, splash.

Longtime readers (and by "longtime" I mean back to the xeroxed 'zine version of Umlaut) will remember that the Melvins were an integral part of Umlaut: The 'Zine... but that was a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. For the newbies, the mutual appreciation society between myself and the Melvins culminated in Drumb:


Drumb was a mini-'zine written by Dale Crover and included as an insert in Issue #10 of Umlaut. Pretty fucking cool, right?! Click HERE to download a PDF of Drumb.

According to the Umlaut Archives this was around the 35th time I'd seen the Melvins dating back to 1990-91; they were my favorite band for a long time, man. The current Melvins lineup of Buzz > Dale with Coady and Jared of Big Business is seriously great... and for the 3rd time this year my senses were assaulted by a guitarist wielding an all-metal guitar, with Buzz joining Steve Albini on a Travis Bean and Isis (who had their EGC axes).

I had a SERIOUS nostalgia trip when the Melvins launched into a classic double shot of 'Anaconda' > 'Zodiac'... and then they laid another oldie on the crowd with 'Hooch'. Wow... The Melvins were the main part of my soundtrack when I first moved to San Franfuckincisco a million years ago and it was really good seeing those songs live again. However, it was odd seeing the Melvins lay down their eclectic brand of volume underneath the massive Down backdrop, but a good portion of the crowd were obviously there to see them.

I think it's safe to say that many of the Melvins fans split before Down, but they were replaced by many Down fans who arrived late or who had been hanging out in the lobby. By the time Down came on the main floor looked and felt like a prison yard.


The floor (and upstairs balcony for that matter) was packed, especially after the Melvins finished, and it was one of those Regency shows where the only ventilation seemed to come when the doors to the lobby were opened as someone entered or left. The prison yard feel was ratcheted up by the gang of shirtless White Boyz who paced in a circle in The Pit even between bands. You know the type... Who let the dogs out?

It was a bummer that Rex Brown had decided to sit out this part of the Down tour (to deal with some "personal issues" according to the press release), so the aura of having 1/2 of Pantera onstage was missing. However, 'The Path' and 'Lifer' (the latter dedicated to Dimebag Darryl) were my highlights of the set, but by the time they hit 'Temptation's Wings' (my favorite Down song..) I was burned out from being in the prison yard's heat, pot smoke, sweat, humidity, and the sticky floor coated with spilled beer and puke.

Not long ago, Umlaut friend Invisible Oranges wrote something titled 'Love The Band, Hate The Fans' and it came to mind during Down's set. Although their NOLA album is one of my all-time favorites, I always forget how the band's crowd reminds me why I never embraced Pantera. The crowd had that same jockish meathead Friday Night Lights vibe that tends to feed upon itself with fan-on-fan violence.. Prison yard, man.

I tried to do an accurate gender audit of the crowd and I figure the Dude-To-Chick ratio was probably 95% dudes to 5% chicks... Which is funny to me because the Dude-To-Chick ratio at a Slayer show these days is more even; chicks dig Slayer. Discuss amongst yourselves.

That being said, there was a crazy number of Umlaut Nation friends at the show... so a shout out to Timo, Photo Ray, Joey, Rafa, Jason, Wexford Girl, The Bassist, DeVito, Photo Alan, Stacy, Sven, Jenn, Dan, and Nikki Blakk.

I'm getting really bad about not doing merch audits; I might just lay off of them for awhile. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. At some point this weekend I have to use my chainsaw (yes, Umlaut owns a chainsaw..) to trim back the branches on a tree in the backyard; I should take off my shirt and start pacing the yard in a circle to get in the mood Prison Yard style.

Not My Scene

Throbbing Gristle
The Grand, San Francisco
April 23, 2009

Prior to the show I had the worst allergies all fucking day, and they lasted right up until show time.. To be honest, I was more caught up in the historic nature of this show versus any real fandom I have for Throbbing Gristle. The band was playing their first shows in the U.S. since 1981 and the final show before they broke up 28 years ago was in S.F. at Kezar Pavilion. As a result, this night was sold out well in advance.

I'll cut to the chase: I didn't get it. I was expecting something that didn't happen. I was prepared to experience a sensory event that didn't materialize. I was annoyed they kept the houselights on for the entire performance. At one point, Genesis P-Orridge sang the line "Someone else's history, someone else's mystery..." and ironically that summed up my experience perfectly.

I can only say that my reaction to Throbbing Gristle was the complete opposite of what I felt after Amebix earlier this year; both bands were gone for over 20 years and then rose again. I stumbled out of Amebix inspired and in awe of the power of music. Several members of the Umlaut Nation in attendance had the same experience from Throbbing Gristle's performance, but this wasn't my scene, man. This wasn't my scene.

Number of Amebix back patches = 1. If you bought one of every Throbbing Gristle merch item you would have paid $55. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. I'm trying to remember the last time I was at a concert where they kept the houselights on the entire time... I can't remember exactly.. but it might have been Fugazi at Pier 3.

The Dynamic Duo

It was a good week for Old Metal in S.F.: First it was Schnitzel and then 3 days later it was:

Carcass / Death Angel / Suicide Silence
The Grand, San Francisco
March 26, 2009

Umlaut was shocked when Carcass announced another U.S. Tour on the heels of last year's trek. The band hasn't toured in over 10 years and now they won't go away; they're like Grindcore Zombies or something.

This was one of those ridiculous Metal shows with 7 (SEVEN) bands on the bill and a 6:30PM start... Fuck that! Umlaut stayed on his couch as long as possible and didn't arrive at the venue until about 9:15PM, so we were able to miss 4/5 of the support bands who would have annoyed me... but unfortunately we did see a couple of songs by the 5th support band (Suicide Silence), who are one of those annoying new Metal bands who do all of the annoying things that annoy me about all of those annoying new Metal bands... but I don't wanna come off sounding like too much of a jaded old Metalhead so I'll just leave it at that.

Anyway.....

Local heroes Death Angel were amazing when I saw them last year, but since that triumphant night they had a significant personnel change with original bassist Dennis Pepa leaving the band in January. While this show was only a one-off appearance on the heels of a just completed Australian Tour, it was also their first hometown show with new guy Sammy Diosdado holding down the bottom end. Dude, it was weird seeing a white guy onstage with Death Angel after all those years of 100% Filipino ultra-violence... but that was forgotten once they started playing.

Death Angel are one of my favorite live bands.. The lads just come out and DO IT with no bullshit... They came onstage, played a slow buildup, and then SLAMMED into a Thrash Metal groove that got a pit going immediately... and The Pit didn't let up for the entire set. It was obvious most of the crowd were DA fans, but it was cool seeing some of the new Metal kids getting schooled in how Metal should be done. The set closing 'Kill As One' pretty much summed it all up, man. Also, seeing Death Angel after the annoying support band reminded me that the majority of the new Metal bands today simply do not have a clue about songwriting.. There, I said it.

Question: Who are THE most crushing band to emerge from the streets of Liverpool, England?? The Beatles? A Flock Of Seagulls? Badfinger? The La's? Ladytron? Echo & the Bunnymen? Frankie Goes To Hollywood?

Answer: None of the above. THE most crushing band from Liverpool is Carcass.

Given the fact that Umlaut missed most of their set last Fall, it made me happy that Carcass came back to town so soon. Jeff Walker is from the "foot on monitor" school of bass players, and it was cool he gave props to the Bay Area's Metal history in between songs and commented how Carcass had supported Death Angel in Liverpool years ago. Daniel Erlandsson was a good choice to fill in on drums for the Reunion Tour and I like his pounding work with Arch Enemy, but the guy is so robotic in his playing it's inhuman, but that does fit into the Carcass vibe. Of course, the band's main attraction is the twin guitars of Bill Steer and Michael Amott and it's easy for me to get put into a headlock by their crushing tone and fluid playing. For the second time in a week, I was angry that so many people were at home pushing plastic buttons on a fake guitar instead of standing next to me supporting legitimate Guitar Heroes... The harmonized guitar soloing in 'Heartwork' ranks right up there with my favorite 6-string moments.

The set was enhanced by an appropriate visual presentation to accompany each song, with some nice use of lovely archival autopsy and medical research footage; the band's name is Carcass after all. I think if fellow Liverpudlian John Lennon came back to life he'd want to play with Carcass, mainly because he'd be all decomposed and undead now. Maharishi's transcendental meditation wouldn't do him any good at this point, but some METAL surely would.

It was an interesting night of contrasts having an old school American Thrash Metal band and an old school British Grindcore band on the same bill; Thrash Metal's groove versus Grindcore's blast beats... but the thing both bands have in common is old school musicianship and stage presence. Total value for money, man... and a valuable history lesson for the kids in attendance. Yes, there will be a quiz. To quote Carcass: "Prolific food for thought.. Contrasting fed with force.. Abstraction so choking, so provocative.."

If you bought one of every Death Angel merch item you would have paid around $150. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. Umlaut was back at Casa de Umlaut at 12:30AM; a surgically precise 3 hours of Metal with most of the fat trimmed off so that it was an all killer, no filler night... exactly the way I like it.

Click HERE to see Ray's Carcass pics from the show.

On another note, Umlaut recently received this e-mail from Chatty Kathy:

I've never heard of lots of the bands you write about but your blog is still really fun to read! It's like how I skim the obituaries every day. I didn't know these people, but once in a while there's an awesome obituary. Sometimes the peoples' lives weren't even that remarkable but obviously someone in their family is a very talented writer.

Best feedback ever.