Lamb of God's upcoming film As the Palaces Burn probably won't reach a wide audience. Like most music films, it will almost certainly be sought out by the fans and avoided by everyone else. It also has the bad timing (and poor naming choice) to be released around the time of the reissue of the album it's named after, meaning that even dedicated music fans will probably dismiss it as a self-congratulatory band doc.
That's too bad, because As the Palaces Burn looks pretty extraordinary, documenting the year of Randy Blythe still mind-blowing imprisonment and manslaughter trial. One doesn't have to be an LOG fan, or even a metalhead to amazed by the story, which will hopefully give some comfort to the band and the victim's family in documentary form. For the rest of us, it may provide the definitive case against stage diving, along with a depiction of one of the 21st century's most pulverizing artistic forces. I'm hoping that As the Palaces Burn gets a theatrical release.
Showing posts with label randy blythe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label randy blythe. Show all posts
Friday, October 18, 2013
Friday, May 31, 2013
Ten Metal Bands to See Before You Die: GWAR
Imagining rock music without GWAR is like imagining film without Troma, or TV without South Park. GWAR gave shock rock its sense of humor back and reinvented it as something edgier, funnier and sicker. In a genre that does comedy better than any other kind of music (Spinal Tap, Steel Panther, Dethklok, Austrian Death Machine, S.O.D., Cheech and Chong's "Earache My Eye,") GWAR does it best.
Nothing is taboo at a GWAR show. They dismembered George W. Bush for eight years, then started mutilating Barack Obama before he'd even taken the oath of office. Every show has more jokes about sex abuse, terrorist attacks and bodily fluids than any Aristocrats routine. Imagine Bill Maher's antitheism without his self-importance, or Bill Hicks' misanthropy with a headbanging soundtrack. Their show is regularly updated to reflect the week's events, with no attempt to pander to anyone, even metalheads (Sample banter: "Glad to hear Randy Blythe has escaped the clutches of the infamous Czech justice system. Now he can get back where he belongs, blowing me.") If it's sacred, GWAR will destroy it.
In all my years of taking friends to metal shows, only once has a band has ever inspired one of my buddies to leave early in disgust. It was in 2009, when GWAR were ripping the newly-deceased Michael Jackson's face off and gruesomely eating a few babies. My friend, a sensible and cultured guy who is neither religious nor conservative, could not take it. It'd be one thing to offend a Michele Bachmann type, who probably thinks that Coldplay is Satanic death metal, but watching GWAR offend a guy who went to Sarah Lawrence College with me was something else altogether. As long as there's a room for GWAR to obliterate, rock n' roll will never become safe or stale.
But don't dismiss GWAR as being gross for the sake of being gross. GWAR are first rate showmen, social critics and comedians, not to be lumped in with the Slipknots and Lordis that cop and dilute GWAR's style. Unlike their humorless shock rock followers, GWAR never let commercial aspirations get in the way of a great time. In an interview last year, bandleader Oderus Urungus quoted Rob Zombie as (reportedly) saying, "The first time I saw GWAR, I thought ‘I want to be that, but I want to make money.’" "That to me says a lot about Rob Zombie as an artist," stated Urungus. "It says that he isn’t one."
He didn't have to go any further and call himself an artist, because, as anyone who's seen GWAR will attest, that fact is never in question. Shock rockers and shock humorists come and go almost as quickly as boy bands, but nearly 30 years into their career, GWAR are funnier and wilder than ever, leaving countless Mudvaynes and Mushroomheads in their bloody dust. GWAR beat on, boats against the current, boors ceaselessly into the future.
Nothing is taboo at a GWAR show. They dismembered George W. Bush for eight years, then started mutilating Barack Obama before he'd even taken the oath of office. Every show has more jokes about sex abuse, terrorist attacks and bodily fluids than any Aristocrats routine. Imagine Bill Maher's antitheism without his self-importance, or Bill Hicks' misanthropy with a headbanging soundtrack. Their show is regularly updated to reflect the week's events, with no attempt to pander to anyone, even metalheads (Sample banter: "Glad to hear Randy Blythe has escaped the clutches of the infamous Czech justice system. Now he can get back where he belongs, blowing me.") If it's sacred, GWAR will destroy it.
In all my years of taking friends to metal shows, only once has a band has ever inspired one of my buddies to leave early in disgust. It was in 2009, when GWAR were ripping the newly-deceased Michael Jackson's face off and gruesomely eating a few babies. My friend, a sensible and cultured guy who is neither religious nor conservative, could not take it. It'd be one thing to offend a Michele Bachmann type, who probably thinks that Coldplay is Satanic death metal, but watching GWAR offend a guy who went to Sarah Lawrence College with me was something else altogether. As long as there's a room for GWAR to obliterate, rock n' roll will never become safe or stale.
But don't dismiss GWAR as being gross for the sake of being gross. GWAR are first rate showmen, social critics and comedians, not to be lumped in with the Slipknots and Lordis that cop and dilute GWAR's style. Unlike their humorless shock rock followers, GWAR never let commercial aspirations get in the way of a great time. In an interview last year, bandleader Oderus Urungus quoted Rob Zombie as (reportedly) saying, "The first time I saw GWAR, I thought ‘I want to be that, but I want to make money.’" "That to me says a lot about Rob Zombie as an artist," stated Urungus. "It says that he isn’t one."
He didn't have to go any further and call himself an artist, because, as anyone who's seen GWAR will attest, that fact is never in question. Shock rockers and shock humorists come and go almost as quickly as boy bands, but nearly 30 years into their career, GWAR are funnier and wilder than ever, leaving countless Mudvaynes and Mushroomheads in their bloody dust. GWAR beat on, boats against the current, boors ceaselessly into the future.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Austrian Death Machine
The news of Tim Lambesis' arrest is horribly sad. There's plenty schadenfreude going around the internet now--watch how Fox News salivates over the idea of taking down a famous metal singer, whereas the Huffington Post puts Lambesis' Christianity at the forefront of their story. Between this and the boorish Evan Seinfeld interview in this week's Village Voice, it has not been a good publicity month for metal frontmen. If your friends are forwarding either of these stories to you, send them back a Randy Blythe or Jacob Bannon interview.
I'm not wild about As I Lay Dying, Lambesis' second-rate metalcore band that took their name from a Faulkner novel and earned Lambesis most of his bank. However, I seriously enjoy Austrian Death Machine, Lambesis' short-lived side-project that specialized in turning Arnold Schwarzenegger one-liners into thrash metal choruses, from "Who Is Your Daddy and What Does He Do?" to "Screw You (Benny)" to my favorite, "Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers". It's the kind of idea that works so stupidly well, you'll be surprised that no one thought of it earlier. The best songs on ADM's two albums, Total Brutal and Double Brutal, are some of the catchiest thrash that you'll hear. Even the skits ("What It's Like to Be a Singer at Band Practice") make me laugh. Austrian Death Machine had just two albums and only one joke, but it was one of modern music's greatest.
I'm not wild about As I Lay Dying, Lambesis' second-rate metalcore band that took their name from a Faulkner novel and earned Lambesis most of his bank. However, I seriously enjoy Austrian Death Machine, Lambesis' short-lived side-project that specialized in turning Arnold Schwarzenegger one-liners into thrash metal choruses, from "Who Is Your Daddy and What Does He Do?" to "Screw You (Benny)" to my favorite, "Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers". It's the kind of idea that works so stupidly well, you'll be surprised that no one thought of it earlier. The best songs on ADM's two albums, Total Brutal and Double Brutal, are some of the catchiest thrash that you'll hear. Even the skits ("What It's Like to Be a Singer at Band Practice") make me laugh. Austrian Death Machine had just two albums and only one joke, but it was one of modern music's greatest.
Friday, March 1, 2013
Slayer, "Raining Blood"
Heaping praises on Reign in Blood is akin to bringing coals to Newcastle. It's almost ubiquitous on Best of Metal lists, and outside of Metallica's first four albums, it's the only thrash metal release that people who don't usually like metal own. But with Dave Lombardo being replaced over a silly contract dispute (it doesn't whose story about the terms you believe--there's no sane reason that an able Dave Lombardo shouldn't be in this band) this week, I'm going back to one of metal's only flawless tracks.
Several bloggers have already compared Half-Slayer (guitarist Jeff Hanneman is still recovering from an incapacitating spider bite) to KISS without Ace and Peter, but this is actually much worse. For all that the original KISS lineup is, the band doesn't compromise any of their nonexistent integrity by breaking up. Slayer has almost epitomized metal's integrity over the past few decades. Despite a few questionable business decisions, they've been the same straight-ahead, thrash-out-and-leave-the-room force of nature for almost 30 years.
The steady, ominous drumming that introduces "Raining Blood" is as iconic as any sound in metal. Lombardo's pacing isn't to take a breath, but to build suspense, which pays off at the infamous "In the Hall of the Mountain King"-emulating riff ("duh-nuh-nuh, nuh-nuh-nuh") that kicks in around the :33 mark. When it does, Lombardo steps right back into the war zone, directing the progression that a South Park would later honor as the ultimate hippie buzz-killer.
I once saw a pre-stardom Lamb of God open for Slayer, stepping up to one of metal history's greatest honors and challenges. Shortly before they closed, Lamb of God held a note and let Chris Adler drum the intro to "Raining Blood." "You all know why we're all here," Randy Blythe bellowed. He could have been talking to the crowd, or to any extreme metal fan in the cosmos, but he didn't need to say anything else.
Several bloggers have already compared Half-Slayer (guitarist Jeff Hanneman is still recovering from an incapacitating spider bite) to KISS without Ace and Peter, but this is actually much worse. For all that the original KISS lineup is, the band doesn't compromise any of their nonexistent integrity by breaking up. Slayer has almost epitomized metal's integrity over the past few decades. Despite a few questionable business decisions, they've been the same straight-ahead, thrash-out-and-leave-the-room force of nature for almost 30 years.
The steady, ominous drumming that introduces "Raining Blood" is as iconic as any sound in metal. Lombardo's pacing isn't to take a breath, but to build suspense, which pays off at the infamous "In the Hall of the Mountain King"-emulating riff ("duh-nuh-nuh, nuh-nuh-nuh") that kicks in around the :33 mark. When it does, Lombardo steps right back into the war zone, directing the progression that a South Park would later honor as the ultimate hippie buzz-killer.
I once saw a pre-stardom Lamb of God open for Slayer, stepping up to one of metal history's greatest honors and challenges. Shortly before they closed, Lamb of God held a note and let Chris Adler drum the intro to "Raining Blood." "You all know why we're all here," Randy Blythe bellowed. He could have been talking to the crowd, or to any extreme metal fan in the cosmos, but he didn't need to say anything else.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Death to Stage Diving
"You want to get onstage, get your own band."
--Lemmy, putting a stage diver in his place.
You can do this if you're in the band.
A few weeks ago, I saw Titus Andronicus at Webster Hall. They put on a dynamic show, one that could make you believe that punk can survive in heartland rock, but every song was interrupted by attendees climbing onstage, most of whom would block the band, sing along or motion commands to the audience before diving back into the crowd. The musicians, visibly annoyed but surely aware of the communal, punk ethos of stage diving, tolerated the nuisance and carried on like the professionals that they clearly are.
There's an idea in punk rock that cool bands let their fans stage dive, since we're all really fans sharing the experience together. But if that experience includes some heavyweight whom I didn't pay to see blocking the band with his dance moves before crashing, boots first, onto the heads of the front row, I don't want to be a part of it. It's not communal if the act is fun for exactly one person in the venue. The rest of us will be united in exasperation at your jackassery, but I'd hardly call that community.
This February, Lamb of God's Randy Blythe is going to trial for involuntary manslaughter, after a stage diver whom he pushed off stage died from brain trauma weeks after the incident. My condolences to the late diver's family, but everything that I've read and seen about the case indicates that Blythe did nothing wrong. Maybe he was thinking of what a pain stage diving is for the band and the audience, or maybe he was thinking of metal's most famous stage-crashing, wherein Dimebag Darrell was killed by a mentally ill stalker whose mom had given him a gun. Whatever the case, stage divers should expect to be pushed back or kicked out. If things get too rough, it's perfectly acceptable for the band to stop playing.
The idea that we do this because it's a punk tradition is ridiculous. Punk rock supposedly eschews tradition, and it's gotten by fine without stage diving for decades. Can you imagine crashing a Sex Pistols performance? Johnny Rotten would eviscerate you. And no one would blame him.
Unless you're in a band, or if you're one of the rare, super-communal artists who invites people up en masse (meaning only Iggy Pop or Andrew W.K.), stage diving should be reserved for the comfort of your own home, where you're not in anyone's way and the only person you can hurt is yourself.
This February, Lamb of God's Randy Blythe is going to trial for involuntary manslaughter, after a stage diver whom he pushed off stage died from brain trauma weeks after the incident. My condolences to the late diver's family, but everything that I've read and seen about the case indicates that Blythe did nothing wrong. Maybe he was thinking of what a pain stage diving is for the band and the audience, or maybe he was thinking of metal's most famous stage-crashing, wherein Dimebag Darrell was killed by a mentally ill stalker whose mom had given him a gun. Whatever the case, stage divers should expect to be pushed back or kicked out. If things get too rough, it's perfectly acceptable for the band to stop playing.
The idea that we do this because it's a punk tradition is ridiculous. Punk rock supposedly eschews tradition, and it's gotten by fine without stage diving for decades. Can you imagine crashing a Sex Pistols performance? Johnny Rotten would eviscerate you. And no one would blame him.
Unless you're in a band, or if you're one of the rare, super-communal artists who invites people up en masse (meaning only Iggy Pop or Andrew W.K.), stage diving should be reserved for the comfort of your own home, where you're not in anyone's way and the only person you can hurt is yourself.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Lamb of God at Roseland Ballroom
It took a couple of mediocre albums to confirm what a great band Lamb of God really is. At last Friday's show at Roseland Ballroom, Virginia's greatest metal band aligned themselves with Maiden, Metallica and the elite few metal bands who can still stun from the stage long after their new albums stop mattering.
The smoke machines and projectors (which kicked off the show by airing Lyndon Johnson's "Daisy" attack ad) were new, but somehow they accentuated the excitement. Perhaps it was the novelty of seeing a band of Lamb of God's rawness with a higher-budget show--not since Pantera in the '90s has a band of such unmatched brutality fought their way into the Billboard Top Five. More impressive was watching the band lock in with the tightness of a brotherhood on older grooves like "Ruin," "As the Palaces Burn" and "Laid to Rest," still some of the best metal the past decade has offered. Even a few recent songs, rescued from the slog of their home albums, were even show highlights--every Lamb of God set should include "Set to Fail" and "Contractor." To the uninitiated, I'll recommend Sony's The Essential Lamb of God in advance.
Lamb of God's riff work will thrive Guitar World indefinitely, and snare master Chris Adler is still one of modern music's most discernible drummers. But this ongoing tour is deservedly the Randy Blythe Show. Currently facing involuntary manslaughter charges and coming off a stint in a Prague prison, Blythe is performing this tour like it literally will be his last, showing off 20 years of frontman experience, boundless energy and a bellow that shows no signs of winding down. Maybe he was especially charged up by the idea that he may be locked up for the next 10-15 years, but still some other force must account for his consistently rousing belligerence and engaging interaction. While his bandmates left stage to change instruments, Blythe was at times alone on stage, modestly thanking the fans or reflecting on his band's history between howling out curses to various oppressors.
Ending with the two-fisted "Redneck" and the swinging "Black Label," Lamb of God signed off with the conclusion that their best studio years may be behind them, but that they could be one of metal's best live bands for decades.
The openers were a mixed bag. England's Sylosis, hand-picked to star the show by Chris Adler, offered progressive, tuneful death metal, whereas Connecticut's Hatebreed epitomized the kind of hardcore kid numbskullery that Minor Threat worked to defy. In Flames, one of death metal's greatest claims on record, were slightly stifled by poor sound, an average setlist and a blinding stage light show.
The smoke machines and projectors (which kicked off the show by airing Lyndon Johnson's "Daisy" attack ad) were new, but somehow they accentuated the excitement. Perhaps it was the novelty of seeing a band of Lamb of God's rawness with a higher-budget show--not since Pantera in the '90s has a band of such unmatched brutality fought their way into the Billboard Top Five. More impressive was watching the band lock in with the tightness of a brotherhood on older grooves like "Ruin," "As the Palaces Burn" and "Laid to Rest," still some of the best metal the past decade has offered. Even a few recent songs, rescued from the slog of their home albums, were even show highlights--every Lamb of God set should include "Set to Fail" and "Contractor." To the uninitiated, I'll recommend Sony's The Essential Lamb of God in advance.
Lamb of God's riff work will thrive Guitar World indefinitely, and snare master Chris Adler is still one of modern music's most discernible drummers. But this ongoing tour is deservedly the Randy Blythe Show. Currently facing involuntary manslaughter charges and coming off a stint in a Prague prison, Blythe is performing this tour like it literally will be his last, showing off 20 years of frontman experience, boundless energy and a bellow that shows no signs of winding down. Maybe he was especially charged up by the idea that he may be locked up for the next 10-15 years, but still some other force must account for his consistently rousing belligerence and engaging interaction. While his bandmates left stage to change instruments, Blythe was at times alone on stage, modestly thanking the fans or reflecting on his band's history between howling out curses to various oppressors.
Ending with the two-fisted "Redneck" and the swinging "Black Label," Lamb of God signed off with the conclusion that their best studio years may be behind them, but that they could be one of metal's best live bands for decades.
The openers were a mixed bag. England's Sylosis, hand-picked to star the show by Chris Adler, offered progressive, tuneful death metal, whereas Connecticut's Hatebreed epitomized the kind of hardcore kid numbskullery that Minor Threat worked to defy. In Flames, one of death metal's greatest claims on record, were slightly stifled by poor sound, an average setlist and a blinding stage light show.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Help Randy Blythe
Randy Blythe is still in a Czech jail. I thought that this would be taken care of in a few days, but even after posting a nearly $200,000 bail, Blythe remains imprisoned.
I don't believe in fans jumping onstage during shows, unless the artist (i.e. only Iggy Pop or Andrew W.K.) encourages it, and even then in moderation. Especially after Dimebag Darrell's murder, no artist should be blamed for the fate of some jackass who jumps at the band during their performance. The more I read about this matter, the more infuriating it gets that Blythe is being detained. By all accounts from my friends in the music business, he is a good guy.
Please take a moment to help Randy Blythe here. There's been an absurd backlash to this fund, which Chris Adler has addressed here, and I can't see a good reason for Randy to be in jail. Send your best thoughts and support his way.
I don't believe in fans jumping onstage during shows, unless the artist (i.e. only Iggy Pop or Andrew W.K.) encourages it, and even then in moderation. Especially after Dimebag Darrell's murder, no artist should be blamed for the fate of some jackass who jumps at the band during their performance. The more I read about this matter, the more infuriating it gets that Blythe is being detained. By all accounts from my friends in the music business, he is a good guy.
Please take a moment to help Randy Blythe here. There's been an absurd backlash to this fund, which Chris Adler has addressed here, and I can't see a good reason for Randy to be in jail. Send your best thoughts and support his way.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Dear Randy Blythe,
I am a huge fan of your music and a fellow Virginian. I can't
wait to see Lamb of God with Gojira and Dethklok in August. The charges against you seem unfair to me, and my best thoughts are with you during this difficult time. I very much hope that
things work out for you, and I encourage others to support you as well.
However, with your well-being in mind, surely you know at least one person who can get you a suit and tie. Court is literally the only place in the world where it is never cool to wear an Obituary hoodie.
Best wishes,
Ben
However, with your well-being in mind, surely you know at least one person who can get you a suit and tie. Court is literally the only place in the world where it is never cool to wear an Obituary hoodie.
Best wishes,
Ben
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