4theloveofmetal

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Chaos & Carnage 2019, featuring Whitechapel, Dying Fetus and Revocation, at the Oriental Theater in Denver. I would like to thank the Whitechapel camp for conducting the meet and greet as well as issuing me a photo pass. This is the first time I’ve been given one, and it was an amazing experience. Thanks also to the security and personnel from the Oriental Theater for being so helpful. You guys are awesome!

Whitechapel

Dying Fetus

Revocation

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The older I get, the more I want to stay at home and not deal with outside influences (driving, parking, people, etc.) To see a good club show, that means I have to drive a solid hour plus, each way. There are select bands that I plan to see weeks, or even months in advance. But what about the bands I know only by name and genre, but aren’t familiar with any of their music? Are these shows even worth the time, money and hassle? The answer is “most of the time.”

Ever since I started the brand 4theloveofmetal, (webpage, Instagram and Facebook public group), I’ve forced myself to go to more shows than previous. The only way to come up with content is to get out of the house and experience different shows that I probably wouldn’t have gone to otherwise. These are a few of the gems that I’ve seen over the last year or so, even though I don’t know much, or any of their music:

Devastation on the Nation Tour, featuring Dark Funeral & Belphegor:

I like black metal and extreme metal in limited amounts. This was the perfect dose for me that evening. Whether I like a band or not has a lot to do with their vocal style. Belphegor has a slow growl with the right amount of scream. Their music is death and chunky, really easy to get into during a live set. Dark Funeral was faster with more extreme vocals. They’ve been around since the 90’s, and they’ve got their shit together. They’re legends of their craft and it shows. From their first song, you can tell they’re worthy of headlining. The entire show was a brutal assault on the senses. Devastation on the Nation 2020 is coming up shortly. I may have to check that one out.

  • Belphegor
  • Belphegor
  • Dark Funeral
  • Dark Funeral

Goatwhore, Ringworm and Locistellar

Goatwhore was a pleasant surprise, especially for a Tuesday night (For some reason, a lot of good shows happen in Seattle on a Tuesday. The main reason I went to this show is because they played the iconic Crocodile Cafe. It’s a pretty small place, but they packed it pretty well. Goatwhore is a band I haven’t seen before because they usually play earlier on the bill. It was nice to see them headline this one. It was well worth the wait. I would call their style death metal with death/black metal vocals. If you ever get the chance to see these guys, you won’t be disappointed. In direct support was Ringworm and opening the show was Locistellar. They are a supergroup of sorts and it was cool that this was their first live show they played together.

  • Goatwhore
  • Goatwhore
  • Ringworm
  • Locistellar

Narcotic Wasteland:

I didn’t know anything about Narcotic Wasteland at the time. It was my birthday and it was the only thing going on that night. I watched a couple of their videos ahead of time, so I pretty much knew what to expect. Narcotic Wasteland was founded by Dallas Toler-Wade, who until recently, was a longtime guitarist/vocalist of the band Nile. I thought they played a solid set. The show was located at the Funhouse, which is the bar attached to El Corazón. There wasn’t more than a dozen people in the crowd that night, but I had a blast. I brought my Nikon camera inside with me and got some good practice taking pictures with a mostly unobstructed stage. I don’t usually drink at shows, but my wife was nice enough to go there with me and drive my drunk ass home afterwards.

Kataklysm, Exhorder & Krisiun

I heard a song or 2 on the radio from Kataklysm. I know they have their own brands of hot sauce, but I couldn’t tell you much about their music. I mostly went there to see Exhorder, but all of the bands playing that night were killer. I saw Exhorder play a year earlier at California Death Fest IV, and I liked what I saw. They played a high energy set of thrash and groove. It was really easy for the crowd to get into them. Coming up around the same time as Pantera, these are one of the bands that should have been a lot bigger than they are. I had a chance to speak with the singer Kyle Thomas after their set. He seemed like a really cool guy. They have a fairly new release called Mourn the Southern Sky. I need to start listening to them more before they come back to my neck of the woods.

  • Kataklysm
  • Krisiun
  • Exhorder

I know it’s easy to stay at home and be comfortable, (which I usually do), but it’s nice to go out every once in awhile and treat yourself. It always puts a smile on my face whenever I bring home a poster, patch, or even a t-shirt. I might even get lucky and get a guitar pick or a set list. It doesn’t matter if you’re familiar with the songs as long as you’re supporting live music and enjoying yourself in the process.

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Are you sure you know the correct title to all your favorite songs? You may have convinced yourself, only to find out later that you were wrong. If that’s you, you’re not alone. This is a list of songs people get the title wrong, some more often than others. If you have others you would like to add, please feel free to leave a comment below. \m/

7. Evanescence – Bring Me To Life: When this song was first released, people would often get the title confused with “Wake Me Up Inside”

6. Nine Inch Nails – Closer: To this day, people still call it “I Wanna Fuck You Like An Animal”

5. Quiet Riot – Metal Health: I remember when this song first came out; Everybody called this song “Bang Your Head.” If you’re getting technical though, (which I am), the full title of the song is Metal Health (Bang Your Head)

4. The Offspring – Come Out And Play: People get the title of this song confused with “Keep ‘Em Separated”. On some versions, the full title of the song is Come Out And Play (Keep ‘Em Separated)

3. Metallica – Welcome Home (Sanitarium): Any Metallica fan worth his or her salt knows the correct title of this song. There still are people though, who think it’s just called “Sanitarium.” I’m guessing it’s from the Enter Sandman and later crowd.

2. Slayer – Disciple: No, it’s not called “God Hates Us All”

1. The Who – Baba O’ Riley: The winner hands down. If you don’t know what song I’m talking about, it’s the one often referred to as “Teenage Wasteland”

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Day 1: Arrive in L.A., pot shop, Rainbow Bar & Grill

The first time I saw Slayer was back in ’88, in Tacoma, Wa for their South of Heaven tour. Over the years, I’ve been fortunate enough to have seen them around 2 dozen times. Around 5 years ago, I started to travel to different cities to see my favorite band. When they announced their final shows, it only made sense for me to see them one last time. Going to Los Angeles for their last show was a no-brainer. It was nice that it was only a 2 1/2 hour plane ride to Los Angeles, and I was able to enjoy the experience with a couple of my buddies. We also met up with a friend that lived down there, who doubled as a valuable tour guide.

We arrived pretty early on Friday and left early on Sunday, so we made the most out of our two days. When we got there, it was still too early for us to check into our hotel. We ended up getting a Lyft to a nearby pot shop. It was convenient catching a Lyft in L.A. We never waited longer than than 4 minutes before our ride arrived. The pot shop was in the back of one of the buildings. It looked a little sketchy at first, but it was all legit. We walked back to our room from there. Coming from Wa., you never have a problem finding a convenient store that sells pipes. None of them sell them in L.A. My buddy found this guy that was cool enough that rode his bike home, and brought us one. If not, we probably would have made one from a beer can.

We stayed at the Best Western Suites in Inglewood. The location was perfect and they didn’t sweat any of us. Most of the guests that were there at the time, were there for the show. Once we checked in, we chilled there for a few hours.

Our buddy that lived down there picked us up. We went to the Rainbow Bar & Grill on Sunset Blvd. I’ve been to L.A. a few times, but this was the first time I went there. Besides the show, this was the one other place that I really wanted to go to. They pay perfect homage to Lemmy. The lounge on the side of the restaurant is called Lemmy’s Lounge. At the end of the lounge, they have a statue of Lemmy. I went full tourist and took a bunch of pictures. I even bought a shirt, a shirt for my wife, and a keychain. It was nice catching up with my buddies. We’ve known each other since school, and this was the first time in years that the four of us were all together. After a couple of drinks, we made our way to the dining room for dinner. Besides Lemmy and all the other famous people that have been regulars over the years, The Rainbow is also known for their food. We ended up sharing a couple of pizzas and they didn’t disappoint.

Day 2: Santa Monica Pier, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Amoeba Records, Fucking Slayer!!

After eating our hotel’s continental breakfast, we caught a Lyft to the Santa Monica Pier. Each ride wasn’t that expensive, but they added up. The ride to the pier, to Hollywood Blvd., and back to the hotel were around $25 each. It was nice that there were 3 of us that could split the cost. One perk that L.A. has to offer is the distance to the Ocean. The Santa Monica Pier is a picturesque spot. It’s quiet during the day, and we also took a relaxing walk along the beach. It’s also good place to go if you’re short on time.

Next we took a Lyft to Hollywood Blvd. to see the Walk of Fame. There’s a bunch of shops and restaurants. I’ve been there a few times before, but my friends have never been. It was cool to see for a few minutes. There’s always something going on there. If you go to the 2nd or 3rd floor of the mall and walk towards the back, it’s a good vantage point to take pictures of the Hollywood sign. There’s a few good restaurants to choose from. We ended up choosing Johnny Rockets.

Amoeba Records is on Sunset Blvd., a few blocks away from the Walk of Fame. Having worked at Tower Records in my previous life, it’s a treat whenever I make it to Amoeba Records. I’ve been to the one in San Francisco a few times. This is the first time I’ve been to the Hollywood location. I could have spent all day there if I wanted to. If you’re into old-school record stores, you will surely appreciate Amoeba. I bought 3 records to bring home with me. They sell bags there that are perfect to bring on the plane.

After chillin at the hotel for a little while, it was finally time to head to The Forum to see Fucking Slayer for perhaps the last time ever. I wanted to get there early enough to get a Slayer poster and see Phil Anselmo and the Illegals. The doors weren’t open yet, but there was a merch booth outside the venue. We were the last ones they let through, but they were out of posters. I was starting to get anxious because I didn’t want to miss out on my Slayer poster. Once inside, it took 3 merch booths before I found one. I didn’t even think about it, but I should have bought two of them. The poster cost $50, and I was offered $150 for it by someone that saw me walking around with a poster tube. I didn’t realize they sold so few of them. It’s not for sale though. I bought a shirt too. I’m still kicking myself though for not buying a $60 Phil Anselmo signed, Illegal’s album. I want his autograph, but I’m hoping to get one signed in person one day.

Phil didn’t disappoint. I’m a big Pantera fan, so it was a religious experience to see him perform an all Pantera set. Jason Momoa even came out on stage and helped sing “This Love.” Ministry played next. It was an all, older era, greatest hits set. If you’re a fan of In Case You Didn’t Feel Like Showing Up, and Psalm 69 like I am, this was an entertaining set. Next was Primus. I thought they were good, but I didn’t think they were a good fit opening for Slayer. I would have rather seen another metal band like Exodus or D.R.I.

Finally, it was time for Slayer! They didn’t pull out a bag of tricks for their last show. They played a straight-up, in your face, 20 song, Slayer show; Fast and aggressive as always. They played “Jesus Saves” and “Show No Mercy” for this one. They played “Evil Has No Boundaries” and “Black Magic” the night before, which I wish they would have played the second night, but their set was still solid.

They finished with Angel of Death, which was a fitting end. Tom was clearly emotional. You could tell he was fighting back tears. He just stood there and looked around. He said a final thank you to everyone. Kerry unfastened the chain from his waist, held it up in the air, and placed it on the stage. That was his goodbye. The band took their final curtain call with all the members of their crew and friends and family. The crowd had a “Thank you, Slayer” chant that everybody participated. And just like that, the show was over. It was surreal and emotional. An epic ending for a legendary band.

The next morning I woke up early and flew back home. Time to get back to real life!