that sweet blowjobby metal
Last night I went to a metal concert where one headlining band performed their concept album about a paraplegic who astral-projects himself back in time and meets Rasputin, and the other headlining band was a fictional cartoon. Then things got weird.
Dethklok, Mastodon, Converge, and High on Fire
Hammerstein Ballroom, 2009-10-29
Got to the venue shortly after the doors opened at 6PM. High on Fire was on first, playing for about half an hour starting at 6:30. They were OK, but would they be on the tour if it hadn't been at a 1999 High on Fire show that half of Mastodon first met the other half? No.
Converge was next. Some people call their genre "mathcore" due to the rhythmic complexity; having a band name with algebraic connotations also doesn't hurt. The true metalheads in the audience found it hard to headbang with the time signature changing every few bars. I dunno, I liked 'em. Not enough to pay full price for an album, but if I see one used at the Record Exchange for like 7 bucks, I'm on it. Reminded me of the more metal-leaning Mr. Bungle stuff, like "Merry Go Bye-Bye" or "Carry Stress In The Jaw".
Mastodon was third, playing their latest album "Crack the Skye" in its entirety, plus four or five additional songs. The visuals displayed on the ten-foot-high LED screen behind the band didn't seem to make sense; reading the album's Wikipedia page afterward sort of helped but not really. Most bizarre plot for a concept album since Roger Waters' "Radio KAOS".
I had already seen much of the video content of Dethklok live show by way of the bonus DVD included with the deluxe edition of their new CD, Dethalbum II. It's an entirely different experience in person, though, when the strobe lights are searing your eyes and every double-bass lick can be felt through your seat even though you're up in the balcony. And about a third of the set was all-new material from the new album, including a fantastic video for "The Gears" in the style of a Soviet propaganda film.
I've been a fan of Dethklok guitarist Mike Keneally for years, and he also happens to be a great guy, so when he put out an open offer on AMMK to hook fans up with perks, I jumped on it. Apparently the list he added Erika and myself to was not the same as the list that security had at the stagedoor, but he came out and escorted us in to their dressing room, which was small and crowded. The less-bearded half of Mastodon was there, as was Eugene Mirman, as was Dr. Dot, masseuse to the stars, as were many others. Bryan Bellerface Bellerface Bellerface mixed me a nice screwdriver.
Most of the crowd eventually headed downtown to the afterparty. We stopped to check out the interior of the Dethbus, which was far nicer than the dressing room, even though there was no power. Then we got in cabs and followed the rest of the party down to The Green House.
This was not a place that any of us would have gotten into if we were not connected, nor a place I would want to go. Velvet ropes and stern doormen outside, overcrowded and overloud inside. The party was up in the corner VIP lounge, where there was a (ridiculously expensive, I'm sure) bottle of Ketel One on one mirrored table and cocaine residue on the other. Metallica bassist Rob Trujillo was there, wearing a polo shirt and dancing awkwardly with some not-really-that-attractive ladies.
Then a club employee came around with a mop and gave the lounge a once-over. Nobody had spilled anything, as far as I could tell.
It wasn't long before Erika and I got fed up with the "scene", and left. On the cab ride home we tried to figure out what had just happened.
Still not sure.
Dethklok, Mastodon, Converge, and High on Fire
Hammerstein Ballroom, 2009-10-29
Got to the venue shortly after the doors opened at 6PM. High on Fire was on first, playing for about half an hour starting at 6:30. They were OK, but would they be on the tour if it hadn't been at a 1999 High on Fire show that half of Mastodon first met the other half? No.
Converge was next. Some people call their genre "mathcore" due to the rhythmic complexity; having a band name with algebraic connotations also doesn't hurt. The true metalheads in the audience found it hard to headbang with the time signature changing every few bars. I dunno, I liked 'em. Not enough to pay full price for an album, but if I see one used at the Record Exchange for like 7 bucks, I'm on it. Reminded me of the more metal-leaning Mr. Bungle stuff, like "Merry Go Bye-Bye" or "Carry Stress In The Jaw".
Mastodon was third, playing their latest album "Crack the Skye" in its entirety, plus four or five additional songs. The visuals displayed on the ten-foot-high LED screen behind the band didn't seem to make sense; reading the album's Wikipedia page afterward sort of helped but not really. Most bizarre plot for a concept album since Roger Waters' "Radio KAOS".
I had already seen much of the video content of Dethklok live show by way of the bonus DVD included with the deluxe edition of their new CD, Dethalbum II. It's an entirely different experience in person, though, when the strobe lights are searing your eyes and every double-bass lick can be felt through your seat even though you're up in the balcony. And about a third of the set was all-new material from the new album, including a fantastic video for "The Gears" in the style of a Soviet propaganda film.
I've been a fan of Dethklok guitarist Mike Keneally for years, and he also happens to be a great guy, so when he put out an open offer on AMMK to hook fans up with perks, I jumped on it. Apparently the list he added Erika and myself to was not the same as the list that security had at the stagedoor, but he came out and escorted us in to their dressing room, which was small and crowded. The less-bearded half of Mastodon was there, as was Eugene Mirman, as was Dr. Dot, masseuse to the stars, as were many others. Bryan Bellerface Bellerface Bellerface mixed me a nice screwdriver.
Most of the crowd eventually headed downtown to the afterparty. We stopped to check out the interior of the Dethbus, which was far nicer than the dressing room, even though there was no power. Then we got in cabs and followed the rest of the party down to The Green House.
This was not a place that any of us would have gotten into if we were not connected, nor a place I would want to go. Velvet ropes and stern doormen outside, overcrowded and overloud inside. The party was up in the corner VIP lounge, where there was a (ridiculously expensive, I'm sure) bottle of Ketel One on one mirrored table and cocaine residue on the other. Metallica bassist Rob Trujillo was there, wearing a polo shirt and dancing awkwardly with some not-really-that-attractive ladies.
Then a club employee came around with a mop and gave the lounge a once-over. Nobody had spilled anything, as far as I could tell.
It wasn't long before Erika and I got fed up with the "scene", and left. On the cab ride home we tried to figure out what had just happened.
Still not sure.