REVIEW: Riot Fest 2011: Danzig Legacy w/ Youth of Today, Macabre, Nachtmystium & The Infected
[NOTE: This show had a no camera policy, and I was pretty sure someone working security at Congress Theater was about to go home with a brand new camera that night — the one in my pocket. Thanks to Sanford Parker, however, I was able to get the photos you see here. Thanks again for hanging onto my camera, dude!]
WHEN: Friday, October 7
WHERE: Congress Theater, Chicago
It is the third night of the 2011 Red Bull Riot Fest in Chicago, and arguably the most notable. It is on this night that planets and stars have aligned with the black hole at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy, harkening forth long-dormant beasts to ravage the Earth for the first time in two score and several fortnights.
Alright, that’s admittedly a bit over-dramatic, but the October 7 date of the Riot Fest was indeed special in that it played host to one of only four planned Danzig Legacy shows — shows that feature “Evil Elvis” performing not only his solo material, but two additional sets that unleash his early horror punk work with Samhain and the Misfits.
As fans began trickling into the Congress Theater, opening act The Infected blasted through a set of loose, free-flowing punk that, energetic as it may have been, didn’t really get the crowd moving. It’s tough being the first band on a line-up this solid, though, especially when it has such a heavyweight headliner. That said, I’d have to see these guys again to make any sort of fair assessment.
Ever since releasing 2008’s psychedelia-tinged black metal opus Assassins: Black Meddle Part 1, Nachtmystium have become the Chicago metal act of note. Their set further solidified that status as they rolled through an opening salvo of “Assassins” and the title track from last year’s Addicts: Black Meddle Part 2 before taking their sonic blitzkrieg through pre-Meddle tracks like “A Seed for Suffering” and “Ashes to Ashes.” It’s probably been said at least a dozen times by now, but Sanford Parker’s presence as full-time keyboardist has really taken the band’s live show to another level, allowing the songs to more closely resemble their studio recordings. The band as a whole were tighter than I’ve seen them before, going out with a roar with “Hellish Overdose.”
If one were to compare Chicago death metal veterans Macabre to anything, the best description would probably be GWAR without the costumes and fake bodily fluids. With their over-the-top introductions to songs with titles like “Albert Was Worse Than Any Fish In The Sea” and “McMassacre” — which, I shit you not, is about a murderous rampage in the magical and imaginary world of McDonaldland — it’s hard to take these guys too seriously, and a ton of fun if you appreciate tongue-in-cheek dark humor and theatrics. Of particular note, their set featured one of the night’s first cameos, as Bruce Lamont of Yakuza and Bloodiest was pulled out to the stage and “shot” by a masked gunman.
By this time, much of the audience was restless for Danzig. One sympathizes with weathered New York hardcore punks Youth of Today for having a tough crowd to work. It’s likely their straight edge, pro-positive outlook message probably had open ears in a small fraction of the audience. Regardless, they worked their asses off to try to win over those in the crowd who had never heard of them before, with vocalist Ray Cappo nearly pulling the rope ladder to the lighting rig down at one point. Even if it’s not what you’re into, the amount of passion they have for what they do is admirable.
As the time grew closer for Danzig’s set, the amount of pent-up energy in the room was palpable. As the lights dimmed and the opening riffs of “Skin Carver” cut through the theater, the audience exploded into an undulating mass. Danzig led his solo band (guitarist Tommy Victor, bassist Steve Zing and drummer Johnny Kelly) through thunderous renditions of “Hammer of the Gods” and “Rebel Spirits” before taking Congress Theater back with classic cuts like “Twist of Cain,” “Her Black Wings,” “Devil’s Plaything,” “How the Gods Kill,” and “Dirty Black Summer.”
As the final notes of “It’s Coming Down” rang across the room, the lights dimmed and a backdrop bearing the cover of Samhain’s November Coming Fire rose at the back of the stage. Danzig returned to the stage wearing a black leather mask somewhat resembling a cross between the Gimp and Marvel’s Daredevil with Samhain members London May and Steve Zing. Congress Theater went apeshit for staples like “All Murder, All Guts, All Fun,” “Horror Biz,” “Unholy Passion,” and “To Walk the Night.” One of the most unexpected moments of the night occurred as Lamb of God vocalist Randy Blythe joined the band during “Mother of Mercy.” (I honestly thought I was seeing things until I saw Blythe’s Twitter account the following morning.)
The lights again darkened momentarily as yet another backdrop was raised — this one featuring the familiar “Crimson Ghost” logo of horror punk godfathers the Misfits. Original Misfits guitarist Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein lurched across the stage, barreling through “Death Comes Ripping” as the crowd somehow managed to become even crazier.
As far as comparative experiences goes, it felt the same as seeing Black Sabbath in 2004 or Motörhead earlier this year. Thanks to the week’s rising temperatures, the theater had become a sauna by this point, prompting Danzig to question whether he was in “Hell or Auschwitz.” Always with the subtlety, Glenn. Bodies whipped across the arena and sweat blanketed the floor as Danzig and Doyle torpedoed through “Vampira,” “Bullet,” “I Turned Into a Martian,” “Night of the Living Dead,” “Halloween,” and “Last Caress.”
Returning to his solo material, Evil Elvis delivered “Bringer of Death” and “Not of This World” before leading Riot Fest in an ear-splitting sing-along of “Mother.” Not sated of their thirst for the short, dark and sideburned one, demands for more were answered with an encore of the Misfits’ “Skulls.”
It would be easy to nitpick and say that the show could have been best if original Misfits bassist Jerry Only had been involved — or if original Danzig members John Christ, Eerie Von and Chuck Biscuits had returned for an evening — but doing so would take away from the magic the evening possessed regardless. That cool, black hearse with the velvet interior, skull speed shift and coffin that unfolds into a bed is still the same hearse, regardless of what tires are on it.
The Blackest of the Black Tour 2010 in Louisville, KY – 11/3/10
Last week, I saw the 2010 installment of Danzig’s Blackest of the Black Tour at my favorite giant, overturned Pringles can, Louisville’s Expo Five. Just like the last show I attended at this venue — October’s Black Label Society show — this one had a strict anti-camera policy, so I unfortunately am unable to provide video or photos. Brooding over this for the past several days is the primary reason this post has been delayed.
The first band to hit the stage was Withered, whose sound was a combination of black, death, and doom metal. If that description doesn’t mean anything to you, let me put it this way: Imagine the biggest, meanest, burliest dude you’ve ever seen. Now imagine that dude giving you the most brutal beating imaginable in slow motion. Now hear the sound that would emanate from said brutal, slow motion beating in your head and you have the sound of Withered.
What sticks out in my memory about Withered’s set more than anything is that their positions on stage were somewhat confusing. The band’s two guitarist-vocalists, Mike Thompson and Dylan Kilgore, were on either side of the stage with bassist Mike Longoria standing center stage. I kept wanting a microphone to appear in front of Longoria because of this, especially when he was mouthing the words to the songs. Not that this was necessarily a bad thing — it made them stand out, after all.
Following Withered were Toxic Holocaust. Prior to this show, I had seen Toxic Holocaust open for GWAR in October 2008. On both occasions, their most notable trait was that each of the speed metal trio’s members look like they should be in a different band. Guitarist-vocalist Joel Grind looks like he just walked off of the Sunset Strip circa-1982, bassist Phil Zeller could be a long-lost member of Pearl Jam, and drummer Nick Bellmore would look right at home in any number of hardcore bands. This clusterfuck of image is deceiving, though, as this Portland, OR act packs a tight speed metal punch with songs like “I Am Disease” and “War is Hell.” Word of advice, though, Joel… You don’t have to let us know that a song called “666” is about Satan. We know.
Next up were Swedish black metal battalion Marduk. I imagine I would have enjoyed their set much more if I hadn’t had some random jackass standing off to my left ceaselessly yelling “MARDOOOOOOOOK!” every 5 seconds between the band’s songs. Other than that, I don’t remember much about their set other than being pleasantly surprised by the amount of melody present in their brand of black metal.
The best surprise of the evening was, hands down, San Francisco death metal legends Possessed. I’ve known of them by name for several years, but I have no idea why I had never heard their music prior to the Blackest of the Black Tour. In spite of vocalist Jeff Becerra being confined to a wheelchair for the duration of the set (supposedly due to severely spraining an ankle a few nights before this show), Possessed had the crowd in the palm of their hands for the duration of their performance.
By the time Danzig took the stage, the crowd was worked into a frenzy. He launched into a career-spanning set with “Skin Carver” before taking the crowd back to his band’s early days with “Twist of Cain.” New cuts like “On A Wicked Night” and “Hammer of the Gods” blended almost seamlessly with the bluesy goth metal of his early solo material. There are few bands I have seen who live up to expectations, but this was one of those much rarer occasions where a band surpasses expectations.
For those interested, Danzig’s set list consisted of the following:
– Skin Carver
– Twist of Cain
– Hammer of the Gods
– Deth Red Moon
– Tired of Being Alive
– Her Black Wings
– How The Gods Kill
– On A Wicked Night
– Ju Ju Bone
– Thirteen
– Bringer of Death
– Black Angel
– Mother
– She Rides (encore)
– Dirty Black Summer (encore)
Heavier Than Your Mom 