I’ve spoken upon this subject before and an event that occurred last night has fired me up again. WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE ROCK N’ ROLL COMMUNITY?!?!?!
Let me set the stage: Last night I was fortunate to have been granted coverage of the Saint Vitus show here in NM. The venue does not have a photo pit so you have to shoot from the crowd. I usually shoot and move and work with the crowd to shoot the event. Well last night there was this cat to my immediate left who was flailing about like a man possessed knocking into people and making a general nuisance of himself. Now, I don’t mind someone getting totally lost in the music at all but one should realize there is a world outside of their five foot space. This guy continued bumping, elbowing, and knocking into people with complete disregard and then it got worse. Dave Chandler, the guitarist for Saint Vitus, posed in front of my camera for some choice shots and this idiot next to me shoves into me and starts throwing his hands in front of my camera thus ruining any chance of a good shot. I politely said “Hey man, I’m working here” his response was “FUCK YOU” he then continued to thwart every shot by reaching and flipping the bird in front of my lens. An altercation was imminent when my security bros came and confronted his guy who fronted on them as well. The girl he was with was begging him to chill but he was having none of it. They grabbed this guy gave him and his girl the boot. The crowd cheered his ejection as they were tired of him as well, we all enjoyed the rest of the show and I was able to get back to shooting a kick ass show.
We all know show attendance is down across the board and completely sucks. I heard several people make comments after that guy was thrown out. “And that I why I don’t go to shows much anymore.” “Who needs to go out and see shit like this?” “Fuck it, people suck. I knew I should have stayed home.”
What happened to the world? The Rock N’ Roll community used to be about being cool and having a good time, not about fighting and being an idiot. Sure there were hose occasions but they weren’t that common. Come on people if we want to revive the music scene we need to look within ourselves and our own actions.
Alright, alright, alright! This weeks ten bands to check out is all about the METAL! Grab your denim, grab your leather, and get those horns HIGH! Let’s get to it!
Sacred Mother Tongue is a British band that combines power, darkness, and intensity together to bring us some new excitement to the metal scene. Their EP “A Light Shines” dropped on Sept. 03.
Swedish doom metallers Witchcraft are back after a several year hiatus. Their new album “Legend” was released on Sept. 25th. The new album marks the recording debut of the band’s new members Simon Solomon (guitar), Tom Jondelius (guitar) and Oscar Johansson (drums). Magnus Pelander has stated that he will focus on his vocals without playing guitar anymore. A very strong release for this band.
Lillie: F-65 is the eighth studio album by the American doom metal band Saint Vitus, which was released on April 27, 2012 (May 22, 2012 in the United States). This is the first Saint Vitus studio album since 1995’s Die Healing and the first to feature Scott “Wino” Weinrich on vocals in 22 years, since 1990’s V. It also marks their first album with Henry Vasquez on drums. Wino is back!!!!
UPDATE: At 4;30 in the morning in a truck-stop in the small town where I live I ran into Wino. We talked for a few minutes, about music, and what not. We then went to the tour bus and snapped a pic and they turned me on to their new CD: Lillie: F-65.
Evoken is an American funeral doom metal band from Lyndhurst, New Jersey, that is influenced by the Australian band Disembowelment and the Finnish band Thergothon. The band name Evoken was taken from the Thergothon song found on the Fhtagn nagh Yog-Sothoth demo. The band was founded by guitarist Nick Orlando under the name Funereus in April 1992. It was with the original line-up of Rob (Bass/Vocals); Nick (Guitar); Phil (Guitar) & Vince (Drums) that they recorded what would be the only Funereus release, which was a rehearsal demo released in 1992. After briefly changing their name to Asmodeus the following year, the band eventually decided upon the name Evoken in 1994 after several line up changes. They headlined the Dutch Doomsday Festival in 2003 during a brief European tour of Holland, Belgium & the UK.Atra Mors is the fifth full-length studio album by American doom metal band Evoken. It was released through Profound Lore Records on July 31, 2012. The name atra mors is Latin for Black Death.
This band is a throwback to the early days of Slayer, Exodus, Kreator, and Testament. Young, and still full of aggression keep these guys on your radar! Their debut CD is called Violent Demolition. Seek it out and pick it up!
2011 was the year when UK progressive metallers TesseracT leaped from the internet underground to become the UK’s fastest rising international metal prospect. The debut album ‘One’, released in March, received a phenomenal response with music fans and the press alike, making many of the critics top albums of 2011 lists, including those in Metal Hammer and Classic Rock Prog magazines.
Starting off in 2008 the Dublin based act Red Enemy have established themselves well amongst the Irish and UK metal audiences with they’re own unique blend of melodic metal, the band have recently released their second EP “What We Are Contained In, Is What We Are Worth” to critical acclaim from peers in Ireland and abroad.
OH SHIT! The Romans have metal! This band should have been with the Spartans. Great imagery, bad ass hooks, and swords? Don’t heckle this band or you’ll lose your head. For those about to rock…..
Moonspell is a Portuguese heavy metal band. Formed in 1992, the group released their first EP Under the Moonspell in 1994, a year before the release of their first album Wolfheart. The band quickly gained status and became one of the most recognizable metal bands from Portugal. Moonspell reached the Portuguese top first with their album Sin/Pecado, and were, along with Metallica and Iron Maiden, the only metal band to reach the first place of the Portuguese charts after the release of their album, Memorial, in 2006. With Memorial, Moonspell also became the first Portuguese heavy metal band to have a record certified gold status. They are also very popular in Germany, where Memorial entered at 68th in the Top 100 Chart.
Orchid are an “occult rock” band from San Francisco, California. The band formed in 2007 with a desire to create more than just a sound — they sought to craft an entire experience harkening back to the classic era of dark, heavy music and enigmatic artistry.
I’ve spoken upon this subject before and an event that occurred last night has fired me up again. WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE ROCK N’ ROLL COMMUNITY?!?!?!
the Hellion Rocks 