Concert Review: Metal Masters Storm Jones Beach
In issue #6 of the original Hulk comics, ol' Greenskin battles a bald flying alien who calls himself the Metal Master. (You know, he kinda looked like Rob Halford. Hmmm.) This year, Judas Priest, Heaven & Hell (which is Sabbath with Dio), the mighty Motörhead and Testament have banded together as an ear-damaging four band package. On Sunday night, each band delivered the goods.
A man and his bike: Rob Halford in the zone.
Testament went on promptly at 5:30 just as the rain was finishing up. The band, led by Alex Skolnick's agile lead guitar and Chuck Billy's authoritative growl thundered through a mix of classics ("Over the Wall", "Practice What You Preach," "Souls of Black") and choice cuts from the new Testament record, The Formation of Damnation. This was the almost the original lineup of this classic Bay Area thrash band, with drummer-turned-furniture-salesman Louie Clemente replaced y ex-Slayer stickman Paul Bostaph. Chuck Billy (who survived a 2001 bout with a rare form of cancer near his heart) is amazing--he looks and sounds remarkably like Andre the Giant doing the Dread Pirate Roberts. A short, but kick-ass set. Welcome back, boys!
"We are Motörhead! And we play rock'n'roll!" Lemmy (a hale and hearty 62!) and the boys took the stage next, his rattling Rickenbacker bass leading the charge through "Dr. Rock," "Killed By Death" and the rockabilly-styled "Going to Brazil." A good mix of songs from this band's huge catalogue, and the obligatory "song from the new album" turned out to be..."Ace of Spades." Phil Campbell was a bundle of energy, and drummer Mickey Dee showed why Lemmy calls him "the best drummer in the world." (A little weird that there was a tattooed biker chick in the next row who had the same blonde mullet-cut and nose as Mickey!). This exceptional rock'n'roll band have a new record (MotöriZer) coming soon and I for one am looking forward to it.
Ronnie James Dio is 66 years old. Older than Mick Jagger. Yet his voice is fresh and powerful, a remarkable tenor that would not be out of place singing on the world's operatic stages. Heaven & Hell were very solid, similar to last year's show at Jones but a slightly different setlist with more songs from the '90s release Dehumanizer. The show included "I", a song I'd never heard before. Good stuff! Performing in front of a graveyard fence with big scary gargoyles and a stage set featuring four ginormous crystal balls, these masters of reality churned through their slow, powerful grooves. Highlights included "Children of the Sea", "The Sign of the Southern Cross" and the song-that-never-ends: "Heaven and Hell." And yes, they're better and more confident playing together each time I've seen them. H&H have a new record coming--it drops either this winter or next spring.
The beginning of Judas Priest's set was just as Nostradamus predicted back in 1537--they opened with the first two tracks from their apocalyptic new double album, Nostradamus. Rob Halford entered by elevating platform, his trademark leathers swathed in a silver mylar monk's cowl, brandishing a chrome bishop's staff topped with the JP cross. That famous four-octave voice is in exceptional shape--his stage presence and command of an audience only rivalled by...well...Ronnie James Dio! From this theatrical opening, Priest launched a dizzying tour through the deep catalogue of this band's 35-year career. "Metal Gods," "Eat Me Alive", (never played live before this tour!) "Devil's Child,"and "Between the Hammer and the Anvil" were slammed through with brutal precision. "Hell Patrol", and "Dissident Aggressor" stood proudly next to "Breaking the Law" and "Electric Eye."
"Angel" (from the recent Angel of Retribution) gave the drummer a rest before the set closed with a kick-your-teeth-in "Painkiller." For the encore, Big Daddy Rob rode his Harley to the front of the stage as the band ripped into "Hell Bent For Leather" and "The Green Manalishi with the Two-Pronged Crown", an early Fleetwood Mac classic that has been a Priest showstopper since the '70s. The final encore, played as balls of off-shore lightning flashed and threatened, was "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" complete with audience scream-a-long. There is NOTHING like seeing Priest.
A man and his bike: Rob Halford in the zone.
Testament went on promptly at 5:30 just as the rain was finishing up. The band, led by Alex Skolnick's agile lead guitar and Chuck Billy's authoritative growl thundered through a mix of classics ("Over the Wall", "Practice What You Preach," "Souls of Black") and choice cuts from the new Testament record, The Formation of Damnation. This was the almost the original lineup of this classic Bay Area thrash band, with drummer-turned-furniture-salesman Louie Clemente replaced y ex-Slayer stickman Paul Bostaph. Chuck Billy (who survived a 2001 bout with a rare form of cancer near his heart) is amazing--he looks and sounds remarkably like Andre the Giant doing the Dread Pirate Roberts. A short, but kick-ass set. Welcome back, boys!
"We are Motörhead! And we play rock'n'roll!" Lemmy (a hale and hearty 62!) and the boys took the stage next, his rattling Rickenbacker bass leading the charge through "Dr. Rock," "Killed By Death" and the rockabilly-styled "Going to Brazil." A good mix of songs from this band's huge catalogue, and the obligatory "song from the new album" turned out to be..."Ace of Spades." Phil Campbell was a bundle of energy, and drummer Mickey Dee showed why Lemmy calls him "the best drummer in the world." (A little weird that there was a tattooed biker chick in the next row who had the same blonde mullet-cut and nose as Mickey!). This exceptional rock'n'roll band have a new record (MotöriZer) coming soon and I for one am looking forward to it.
Ronnie James Dio is 66 years old. Older than Mick Jagger. Yet his voice is fresh and powerful, a remarkable tenor that would not be out of place singing on the world's operatic stages. Heaven & Hell were very solid, similar to last year's show at Jones but a slightly different setlist with more songs from the '90s release Dehumanizer. The show included "I", a song I'd never heard before. Good stuff! Performing in front of a graveyard fence with big scary gargoyles and a stage set featuring four ginormous crystal balls, these masters of reality churned through their slow, powerful grooves. Highlights included "Children of the Sea", "The Sign of the Southern Cross" and the song-that-never-ends: "Heaven and Hell." And yes, they're better and more confident playing together each time I've seen them. H&H have a new record coming--it drops either this winter or next spring.
The beginning of Judas Priest's set was just as Nostradamus predicted back in 1537--they opened with the first two tracks from their apocalyptic new double album, Nostradamus. Rob Halford entered by elevating platform, his trademark leathers swathed in a silver mylar monk's cowl, brandishing a chrome bishop's staff topped with the JP cross. That famous four-octave voice is in exceptional shape--his stage presence and command of an audience only rivalled by...well...Ronnie James Dio! From this theatrical opening, Priest launched a dizzying tour through the deep catalogue of this band's 35-year career. "Metal Gods," "Eat Me Alive", (never played live before this tour!) "Devil's Child,"and "Between the Hammer and the Anvil" were slammed through with brutal precision. "Hell Patrol", and "Dissident Aggressor" stood proudly next to "Breaking the Law" and "Electric Eye."
"Angel" (from the recent Angel of Retribution) gave the drummer a rest before the set closed with a kick-your-teeth-in "Painkiller." For the encore, Big Daddy Rob rode his Harley to the front of the stage as the band ripped into "Hell Bent For Leather" and "The Green Manalishi with the Two-Pronged Crown", an early Fleetwood Mac classic that has been a Priest showstopper since the '70s. The final encore, played as balls of off-shore lightning flashed and threatened, was "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" complete with audience scream-a-long. There is NOTHING like seeing Priest.