Jesus, Lincoln and a smurf walk into a bar...

'Twas the night before, the night before christmas and all through the streets, all the hipsters were walking finding finding places to meet. The metalheads communed down a dark little street in hopes that Lord Baronaxe would turn up the heat....

Ok so enough of that rhyimg stuff, it really is too hard. The point is i recently went to the Claim The Throne Maximum Metal Xmas and, well, this is what i have to say about that. Before i get the the bands though, id just like to take a moment to bitch and whine about the security grinch at the door that night. I made myself a fucking mazing Claim The Throne santa jacket (if i do say so myself) only to find out at the door that christmas cheer isnt part of the dress code. Seriously, WHAT THE FUCK!!! Apparently it was far too red, its safe to say that this man was a dick. But now that I've had my little whinge, lets get on with the show.

the jacket in question

The gig was comprised completely of local acts, the first of which being thrashers Cold Fate. To be honest, i wasnt expecting too much from these guys at first. The last time i saw them i was so bored i was yawning in the moshpit,  but this time it was very different. I dont know if it was the different atmosphere or what it was at all but i found myself really liking the show this time. It was purely and simply jus old school thrash, it was fast, it was loud and it made you want to bang your head furiously. Now forgive me if im wrong, but this is everything a thrash band should be, so this time i take my hat off to Cold Fate and hope to see them again.

Next on the bill was Sensory Amusia, another band id seen before with a lack lustre performance but for me this time it didnt change. Now dont get me wrong, i think for the most part these guys are talented. The singer can sing and the guitar riffs are downright brutal but there's just one element of this band that completely throws me off; the drummer. The man sounds like he play with 3 arms! But before u start thinking to yourself "that sounds like a good thing" let me just tell you im quite sure the 3rd arm has learning difficulties because it is completely off beat. Otherwise the drumming would be amazing too but theres this little bit of extra to his drumming that drives me insane, so i walked off and sat down.

Number 3 on the lineup was Nails of Imposition. I've never been much into death metal but i liked these guys. They're never going to be my first choice of band to listen to or go to see but if theyre playing I'll listen. The thing that has to be said about this band, is the fans are insane (in the best way possible) the mosh pit was incredible. I couldnt tell if this was down to the front man, the music or just the fans but the end result was something akin to bumper cars without the cars, when i metioned this to my mate his response was "id say its more like carmageddon". What im getting at is the fans were losing there respective shit in the pit and i gotta say its not my cup of tea but i respect that and it was fun to watch.

So finally we come to the pièce de résistance Claim The Throne. I wont lie, its hard for me to do an unobjective review of this band and this show because I FUCKING LOVE THIS BAND!!!! But lets see how we go. By now anyone reading this is probably wondering "what the fuck is up with that title" well we'll get to that here. The band came on stage in all there costumed glory. Frontman Lord Baronaxe (brendan) came on stage dressed as jesus. Bassist Lord Jim came on stage as what could only be described as a very metal looking Abe Lincoln. Drummer Ash looked like he may have been a mexican chuch norris but honestly i dont know. The highlights of this costume parade where guitarist Dysie dressed as a very revealing smurf, from waist up all blue. Best of all being keyboardist Jesslina dressed as bassist Jim complete with fake tattoos and a tinsel beard. Having said that, as amazing as this all was, itz not what we were all there for so lets get on with the music.

The set started, as so often a Claim set does, with an almost completly instrumental song just to set the mood but then straight onto They Shall Live On. I personally think this is a great song to start on because it shows off everyone in the band dysie can show of his guitars, brendan can show of his singing, Jim can show off his death growl and ash gets to drum hard and fast. But best of all, in my opinion, in the midst of it all the song breaks down into a beautifull keyboard solo by jess which i always enjoy. The great thing about watching these guys is even while playing fast and loud they still just have fun and as a result the crowd is always in for a good time too. The set was well rounded, some fast some slow, some old and even a brand spanking new song. The song The World Grows Dull was fucking excellent, as fast and furious as the weather that inspired it. One thing I love about local bands is if you get along with them cool shit happens. I had the songs Plundersaga/Of Meed & Weed dedicated to me/santa. When playing The Lake (my personal favourite) my name was substituted into the lyrics, even tho it made no sense what so ever it was still fucking epic! And best of all in the midst of all of jess' fake tattoos was a little square saying "I love amos" which was pure win! As i said its always gonna be hard for me to review these guys in an unbiased fashion 'cos they are just too fucking awesome all i can say is if you ever get the chance to see these guys dont dick around just do it and you wont regret it.

Jess' fake tattoo

Claim setlist and Baronaxe pick

So in closing it was a good night of christmas cheer and mad fans and in all fairness its tha fans that so often Maketh the show. Before I leave you all I'd also just like to wish Claim The Throne all the best of luck with there upcoming tour of the UK with Alestorm and to tell the rest of you to get off ur asses and go see this band before they become fucing huge!

Anyways, as always. Metal on my friends

The Oompa Loompa

A Night Of Horror

So last night was a gig with an awesome line-up, all of which horror inspired. First of which was perth's own Reapers Riddle. This is a band i have been meaning to see for 4 long years so I watched with high hopes that it would be worth the wait and it really was. Now being the first band is never easy, most of the crowd hasnt turned up and those who have didnt come to see you so many arent interested. On top of that Reapers Riddle were in the interesting situation of being a metal band playing for a very punk crowd. Nonetheless Reapers Riddle, aside from trying hard to get the crowd to join them up front, they really didnt let it effect them and played on. I loved there songs like Zombified and the amusing Steel Panther-esque No Strings Attached. They had there set backs such as having to take a break mid set to change guitars, but hey thats what you get when you dont have a roadie. One thing I've got to mention that really impressed me is seeing there drummer break his brand new drumstick in half after only 30 minutes.

Reapers Riddle drumstick

Next on the bill was another perth band, Chainsaw Hookers. I've seen these guys 3 times now and, frankly, they never disapoint. I've always thought if motorhead were a little more punk they would sound allot like Chainsaw Hookers. As you may have allready assumed Chainsaw hookers play horror themed music, it's not quite rock n' roll, its not quite punk its somewhere in between. In there words its "blood rock". Once again the crowd wasnt big but it was growing and Chainsaw Hookers helped that growth.  They started the set with my personal favourite My Revenge and from then on the only time they slowed down was to interact with the audience in the friendly personal way there fans know and love. Chainsaw hookers weren't without there share of set backs tho but even when things fucked up they didnt stop. At one point the drummer had one of his drums fall away from the kit, he didnt stop he just made do untill he could fix it. By the time these guys finished playing the crowd had really built up and they were loving it.

Chainsaw Hookers setlist

Chainsaw Hookers drumstick, picks and johnny

Jerry after the gig

Misfits pre-show

Dez's Pick

Finaly we got to the main event; the Misfits who started the show by anouncing "this is gonna be an old fashioned punk show". They werent lying, the moment they came on stage the crowd just lost its shit and the pit was intense. Misfits started the set with one from the new album, the title track, Devils Rain. The setlist was a excellent mix of old and new including classics like Halloween, some newer stuff such as Descending Angel and some brand new songs of the new album. My personal favourite was Skulls when the crowed was inviting to sing along and they did too it was just awesome. Now i'll be honest, i was not expecting much from this band tho given they only have one original member left, vocalist and bass player Jerry Only and he's not even the original vocalist. But this didnt have as much of a negative effect as i thought it would, the band played with pure energy. The only let down was some of Danzigs songs were avoided for this reason so i didnt get  to hear my favourite misfits song Last Caress which was a shame but hey, shit happens. New drummer Eric Arce did great justice to the songs and so did the, also quite new, guitarist Dez Cadena. The set ran for a good hour and a half concluding with the enevitable Die Die My Darling and for one last song the crow went absolutely nuts. But alas all good things must come to an end and since the band had a flight at 5am the next day they had to leave us but this did not stop any of them from meeting the fans and hanging out for a while allthough the crowd was generally hanging around Jerry.

In conclusion it was a great night with just fast powerfull awesome music. It was not one of the most memorable gigs ive ever been to but regardless it was pretty fucking awesome.
So to any one reading this metal on my friends.
The Oompa Loompa

epic concert was (not so) epic

So this my update about the concert I went to last night and the one word I can use to describe it is, sadly, average.

The show started off with the band Calling All Cars. A band that was so very lack luster that I can barely even remember there set anymore, which is never a good sign for a band you just watched. Next up was the incredibly confusing Fucked Up. To be honest from the moment this band came on stage i didnt no what the expect and through out the entire set i really didnt no what was going on. The set started strangely enough with a very big man coming out on stage and almost instantly taking his shirt off, apparently he was the lead singer but we didnt hear a not from him all night. For the entire set of Fucked Up the music was so loud ans the vocals were so low all I could hear was a dull growl, making the entire set just seem instrumental. Now an instrumental set I can live with but this music was just too fast paced for that. To make matters worse the lead singer then decided to go for a walk in the crowd, this is generally awesome but not when a fat guy is rubbing his man boobs on your face. The other problem with him going off into the crowd is, since we couldnt hear him sing and the band didnt really stop playing much, we didnt no when one song stopped and the other started. All in all it was a very confusing set to watch.

Next where Tenacious D. To me, they were the saviours of the day. They got on stage, had some fun and just generally played some great tunes. They played the classics, starting the set with Keilbasa and later playing,the much anticipated, Wonder Boy and Tribute. The two acted out little skits to make the songs fit sometimes, such as Jack rediculing Kyle about his playing on Keilbasa untill "Kyle Quit The Band". This was an excellent segway into Dude I Totally Miss You and then ofcourse Kyle Quit The Band. The highlight for me was hearing The D play Kickapoo and hearing Kyle Gass' rendition of the verse in the song originally sung by Meatloaf. The cool thing about this was i found myself thinking "wow Kyle actually sings... and well". Tenacious D also blessed us with a couple of new songs from there new forthcoming album, a song named Roadie ( a tribute to the roadies) and Deth Starr ( a song about the best way to save the planet; building a death star). Like I said, to me, Tenacious D were the highlights of the concert. Whether the fans were die hard fans or had never heard The D before everyone had a good laugh and really enjoyed themselves.

kyles pick

Tenacious D setlist

Now we get to the main attraction; The Foo Fighters. I gotta say I wasnt impressed. I found the start of the set to be slow, so slow in fact that it took them an hour and a half to really get the crowd going. But there were some highlights. Mine was the classic Stacked Actors the band out of nowhere finally filled with energy and it was just a fun song to hear. I especially liked how the screens at this point went to a classic 90s grunge video clip style of the cigerette burns and the interferance of an old movie screen. They played some more classics like Monkey Wrench but there was too much new stuff that just didnt inspire me. Though one thing i will say about the bad is, it was impressive to see a band play for 3 hours. Having said that for me it was too much. I did enjoy Dave and Taylors little act back stage about how many more songs they would play for the encore, starting at one and ending at 7. The encore was fun with Dave going out on the runway to the centre of the stage and dedicating the song Wheels to "the shitty seats" but even the encore for me went for too long playing too much new stuff that allot of people seemed very disinterested in. The Foos did finally redeem themselves tho, with there final song being Everlong. This is still my favourite Foos song and I loved getting to hear it live.

all the bands on stage

Dave enjoying a nice break while offering us mor and more songs

All in all the concert was good not great, the crowd was fun and the weather was interesting (somewhere between really sunny and raining) and i did have a good time. So until next time

Metal on my friends
The Oompa Loompa

let's get this shit started

So I've been pressured into making a blog as a starting point of a career path into music journalism, thus you shall consequently hear my tremendous stories of metal exploits and the gigs I attend. Luckily for all of you, I am incredibly passionate about my music especially my live music so lets hope this is FTW.

I have attended near on 14 gigs this year including huge bands like Judas Priest and Motley Crue to local bands like Claim the Throne. I may share past stories of greatness or anger but I will always review the gigs I go to so lets just see how this goes.  So let's start with this year, a year that started with an amazing show that may not be everyone's cup of tea but regardless blew me away. The first gig I saw was the ever amazing STING and his symphonicity tour, and what a way to start a year and amazing voice and amazing showman. The songs were amazing and he always stopped to tell us little stories. It was a good relaxing way to start a huge year. Following that I was blessed to Rammstein in February with more fire than I have ever seen on a stage. What's better than seeing Til Leidman straddle a large pink cannon and shoot foam all over the crowd?

Next on the bill was the absolutley indescribebly FUCKING AMAZING Iron Maiden. Bruce Dickinson has a power over the crowd that few men possess and he trully knows how to use it. The man barely stops for a breath and every part of that band is pure unstoppable METAL!

I wont go into every gig I've seen because well that would take too long but one last story is one that all metal heads must learn to tell on there own. I made the pilgirimige to the holy Wacken land and there is nothing quite like it. I saw some of the greatest bands on earth converge on a farm in northern Germany and spent days drinking with vikings. It was the greatest thing I have ever experienced. The point is I've done some cool shit and, well, I've got some cool stories to tell and perhaps you will enjoy reading this as I shoot the shit about my one true passion. So for now im gonna leave it.

When next you hear from me, I will be discussing the amazing TENACIOUS D! So maybe I'll gain some followers, maybe I wont lets see how this goes so to those reading metal on my friends.

The Oompa Loompa.