Alright, I'm no good at doing reviews, but I figure I'd share my random thoughts and opinions about the show.
The Metal Gods Tour - Agora Theatre, Cleveland - 4/26
The tour was playing Detroit the next night, but no Testament on the bill for our show, so a Cleveland road trip with me and a couple of friends was in order. Got lucky and scored a hotel room that was less than a half a mile down the road from the place, so I guess there will be no hesitation on getting our drink on tonight.
Painmuseum
Never heard these guys before, but they have the guitar player and drummer from Halford. Not bad, but not great mid paced thrash. It was very formuletic and the singer was clearly using effects on his vocals that sounded bad, but all in all, a good show opener.
Carnal Forge
I am a big fan of these guys. For some reason, they were the only band on the bill not to use the PA system, which made the sound kind of crummy. Still, CF ripped it up big time. I'm bad with song names with these guys, but I can remember I Smell Like Death, Ripped and Torn, and HBF Suicide.
Behemoth
So I guess this is the replacement we get for Amon Amarth not being here yet (still not happy about that), but I am glad to See Behemoth. I missed them on the Deicide/AA tour because it skipped Detroit. I only have Zos Kia Cultus, and I like it alot, but boy was I not prepared for how awesome Behemoth would be. I can't say enough about these guys live. I need to get more albums. Unbelievably fast and clearly the stars of the show so far.
Primal Fear
Pity the band who has to follow Behemoth. Actually, I enjoyed Primal Fear, but I can't say I am very familiar with their material. Still, it doesn't take but one song to realize the formula of this band, and they pulled it off well. This point of the show is where the effects of drinking heavily is starting to show.
Immortal
At this point, I had gotten pretty drunk so I can't remember alot about Immortal other than it was great. Damned In Black and Tyrants are songs I recall. Good thing I've seen them before sober.
Testament
Ah, nothing like an old fashioned pit to sober you up. Two days later and my neck and many other muscles are still killing me. Fuck, I am too old for that shit, but with a band like Testament, I just can't help myself. Chuck is back and with more energy than ever. All those guys are amazing, Chuck, Eric, DiGiorgio, Smythe, Allen. I had a stupid grin on my face for 45 minutes as they tore through their set. Songs Testament played: DNR, True Believer, Down For Life, Into The Pit, Low, Over The Wall, Burnt Offerings, Disciples of the Watch, and a few others that escape me right now. I caught one of Jon Allen's sticks and gave it to my buddy Greg. Man did I feel like I was 16 again. Testament was truly great.
Halford
The combination of too much drinking and too much jumping around in the pit during Testament equaled me feeling like shit. This lasted a few songs during Halford until I became 'that guy' who puked in the bathroom. Well, that's one way to make you feel better. I'll tell you this, the old guy has still got it. I was pleasantly surprised to hear 'White Heat, Red Hot' and 'Diamonds and Rust.' Other than that, if you're familiar with Live Insurrection, you know how this show went, just sprinkle in a handful of tunes off of the amazing Crucible album. It's good to see the crowd go apeshit for Electric Eye too, clearly a highlight of the evening.
Bottom Line
There is a reason why Testament is one of the greatest bands of all time and they proved it tonight. Without a doubt a show to remember. Behemoth was probably my second favorite, with Halford, Carnal Forge, and Immortal close behind. The sound was ok at best, but the crowd was very awesome. Everyone seemed to be really into every band, which is cool. I can't think of any other show in the States where so many people would be yelling and screaming for bands like Behemoth and Immortal. Hats off to Mr Halford for putting this together. Clearly one of the, if not the best package show I have ever seen. Here's hoping it will be a yearly occurrence.
The Metal Gods Tour - Agora Theatre, Cleveland - 4/26
The tour was playing Detroit the next night, but no Testament on the bill for our show, so a Cleveland road trip with me and a couple of friends was in order. Got lucky and scored a hotel room that was less than a half a mile down the road from the place, so I guess there will be no hesitation on getting our drink on tonight.
Painmuseum
Never heard these guys before, but they have the guitar player and drummer from Halford. Not bad, but not great mid paced thrash. It was very formuletic and the singer was clearly using effects on his vocals that sounded bad, but all in all, a good show opener.
Carnal Forge
I am a big fan of these guys. For some reason, they were the only band on the bill not to use the PA system, which made the sound kind of crummy. Still, CF ripped it up big time. I'm bad with song names with these guys, but I can remember I Smell Like Death, Ripped and Torn, and HBF Suicide.
Behemoth
So I guess this is the replacement we get for Amon Amarth not being here yet (still not happy about that), but I am glad to See Behemoth. I missed them on the Deicide/AA tour because it skipped Detroit. I only have Zos Kia Cultus, and I like it alot, but boy was I not prepared for how awesome Behemoth would be. I can't say enough about these guys live. I need to get more albums. Unbelievably fast and clearly the stars of the show so far.
Primal Fear
Pity the band who has to follow Behemoth. Actually, I enjoyed Primal Fear, but I can't say I am very familiar with their material. Still, it doesn't take but one song to realize the formula of this band, and they pulled it off well. This point of the show is where the effects of drinking heavily is starting to show.
Immortal
At this point, I had gotten pretty drunk so I can't remember alot about Immortal other than it was great. Damned In Black and Tyrants are songs I recall. Good thing I've seen them before sober.
Testament
Ah, nothing like an old fashioned pit to sober you up. Two days later and my neck and many other muscles are still killing me. Fuck, I am too old for that shit, but with a band like Testament, I just can't help myself. Chuck is back and with more energy than ever. All those guys are amazing, Chuck, Eric, DiGiorgio, Smythe, Allen. I had a stupid grin on my face for 45 minutes as they tore through their set. Songs Testament played: DNR, True Believer, Down For Life, Into The Pit, Low, Over The Wall, Burnt Offerings, Disciples of the Watch, and a few others that escape me right now. I caught one of Jon Allen's sticks and gave it to my buddy Greg. Man did I feel like I was 16 again. Testament was truly great.
Halford
The combination of too much drinking and too much jumping around in the pit during Testament equaled me feeling like shit. This lasted a few songs during Halford until I became 'that guy' who puked in the bathroom. Well, that's one way to make you feel better. I'll tell you this, the old guy has still got it. I was pleasantly surprised to hear 'White Heat, Red Hot' and 'Diamonds and Rust.' Other than that, if you're familiar with Live Insurrection, you know how this show went, just sprinkle in a handful of tunes off of the amazing Crucible album. It's good to see the crowd go apeshit for Electric Eye too, clearly a highlight of the evening.
Bottom Line
There is a reason why Testament is one of the greatest bands of all time and they proved it tonight. Without a doubt a show to remember. Behemoth was probably my second favorite, with Halford, Carnal Forge, and Immortal close behind. The sound was ok at best, but the crowd was very awesome. Everyone seemed to be really into every band, which is cool. I can't think of any other show in the States where so many people would be yelling and screaming for bands like Behemoth and Immortal. Hats off to Mr Halford for putting this together. Clearly one of the, if not the best package show I have ever seen. Here's hoping it will be a yearly occurrence.
