THE MISFITS, THE ZOMBIE MAFFIA, JOHNNY B. MORBID, & GLASS MIDNIGHT
The gang and I missed GLASS MIDNIGHT, and JOHNNY B. MORBID sucked.
THE ZOMBIE MAFFIA was amazing. Modern punk with old-school influence....they completely impressed me. Seeing this band was a breath of fresh air. Check them out.
THE MISFITS had their good and bad points. "Dig Up Her Bones" didn't really do anything for me with Jerry Only on vocals. On the other hand, some of the Danzig material ("Halloween" and "Where Eagles Dare" for example) was handled quite well. This being my first time seeing THE MISFITS, I left feeling somewhat impressed. The new songs performed were AMAZING, leaving me anticipating their new upcoming album.
Review By: Anthony DeLuca
CAGE, INCOGNITO THEORY, & ??
I wasn't too thrilled with the first band. Cookie Monster vocals and repetitive riffs made this band have an arsental of songs that all sounded the same.
Incognito Theory put on a good show, but I feel they really didn't fit the bill. Songs off their EP were performed, all of which sounded good live. For better exposure, Incognito Theory may want to play with bands similar to their sound. Nonetheless, this show was a decent fit, just not what one would expect. Look for Incognito Theory at a show near you.
Cage opened with their radio hit, "Scarlet Witch". Everything about this band's performance live is a reflection of their studio work. Add in a decent stage show, complete with choreographed movements and shape throwing, and you've got a complete package in this band. Everything from "Planet Crusher" and "Speed Kills" to "King Diamond", "Hell Destroyer", "Kill the Devil" and back was played. Three or four new songs were also performed, all of which sounded extremely promising ( , , and were the song titles, to my recollection) The band enchored with a fan request (mine) for "Black River Falls". Throughout their set, Cage showed tireless charisma and top notch musicianship. This is clearly a band that has polished their live performance to set the standard and raise the bar for others to follow. Next time Cage comes to town, do not miss out!!!
Review By: Anthony DeLuca
BAD DOG BAD
For a while, many bands from the past were reuniting for one-off shows just to make a quick buck. Passion was gone. This is NOT the case for New Jersey's BAD DOG BAD. Having not played a gig together in over ten years, BDB had a big time gap to deal with. I was happy to see a decent turn out for their show, and hearing their songs performed live was a nice treat. Not only did they rock the house, but their songs were dead on to their studio CD. "Stargazer", "Bite of the Dog", and "Electric Munsters" were all played with ease and enthusiasm. BDB performed as if they haven't stopped playing together all these years. A tight, well rounded show was delivered and left the crowd wanting more. Fans of old metal rejoice! Look for this band at a gig near you!
Review By: Anthony DeLuca
SCORPIONS & CINDERELLA
Shannon and I had NO resason to see CINDERELLA. We don't like them....they suck. Moving on.....
After not feeling so well, Shannon decided to leave, so we upgraded our friend Tom to her seat. Tom and I got to see the SCORPIONS together.....it was like old times; it was cool.
SCORPIONS put on a hell of a show. Complete with a video back-drop and drum riser, SCORPIONS awed the audience with amazing stage presence, a solid performance, and charasmatic attitude. I was disapointed that very few songs from the "Unbreakable" album were performed. In fact, I don't recall any "Unbreakable" songs being performed! Covering a large catalogue of music can be quite a task, especially when a band is promoting a new album. New songs such as "Raised on Rock", "Sting in the Tail", and the ballad "The Best is Yet to Come" were performed, as well as some of the classics. Still, expected staples in this band's musical career were not touched upon, such as "We Burn the Sky". Maybe the SCORPIONS will return and play all the classics they missed on this run. Despite having a terrible cold, vocalist Claus belted out every note and "played from his heart". Being very warm and appreciative to their audience, SCORPIONS left a very memorable impression on their fans. Perhapse this is not the end??.............
Review By: Anthony DeLuca
VOX, GODS OF FIRE, & others
GODS OF FIRE never seem to disappoint when it comes to their live performances. Always keeping things entertaining & interesting, this band takes advantage of every oppertunity to utilize their vast array of stage props and imagery. Opening their set with "Headless Horseman", a track off their new "Nightmares" EP, GOF immediatley incorperated an old man, cloaked in black & holding what seemed to be a heart. He lurked around the stage during the song, and even jumped down into the audience. A few times, he was head banging with me, while dominately displaying his heart prop. Armed at the helm of the band is Evan, or Juda (as the "mortals (fans)" know him). Seeing Gods Of Fire without Prometheus was weird. All feelings of uncertainty were vanquished at the first note sung from this metal god! Evan, or "Juda", is a very passionate singer with a strong voice and impressive range. His stage presence was also great. The usual duel guitar attack of "DJ Blood Sacrifice" and "Saucy Jack" always gets the crowd going nuts with metal madness. Even the bassist was high on energy, performing with charisma and mobile stage presence. "Helios" never missed a beat on drums and had a very flashy jacket on, comprable to "DJ"s. Other tracks included "Hyperion", in which "Juda" belted EVERY note....it was AWESOME, "The Geilt" which I'm not terribly crazy for, "Eternally Strong", in which "Juda" once again nailed EVERY note and displayed awe inspired talent, "Evil Arms", which os the first song GOF ever wrote, "Phoenix", which is a fast, Speed Metal bone crusher, and "Taking the Temple", which is an epic masterpiece!!!!!! My complaint: Gods of Fire should have played longer, but there were other bands on the bill, so what's fair is fair.
Review By: Anthony DeLuca
NIHILIST, TSS, NATUR, & others
Bruar Falls is a small club located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Getting there is a piece of cake; the L Train lets you off a few blocks away. I was suprized to see so many metalheads at this show; attendence was high, and there was a great vibe from everyone. Best of all, this show was free.
I cannot recall the names of the first two bands; all I can tell you is that if you weren't at this show, you didn't miss anything.
NATUR was a young, very promising Thrash Metal band, probably from the area. They seemed to have drawn the majority of the people in attendence. NATUR wears their metal on their sleaves, clad in denum, leather, spikes, and patches. Their brand of Thrash Metal is comprable to the likes of NUCLEAR ASSAULT, ATROPHY, & DECEASED. One couldn't help but take notice of such an impressive display of talent and stage presence, especially from such a young looking band. A four-piece that packs a Thrash Metal punch, NATUR is a band to look at for bigger things in the future.
TSS was next, and I really didn't stick around for them. I hung around outside with some friends.
NIHILIST was the final band to perform. I must say, the crowd REALLY drew off the energy set forth from this band. The mosh pit was very much alive and appeared violent. Seeing a decent crowd for NIHILIST put a grinning smile on my face, thinking back to all the years I've been promoting them in the NYC area. I honestly doubt ANY of the people here this night were a result of my tireless promotion, but in any case it felt good to see a decent crowd. NIHILIST blasted through song after song in a much too short set list. "Metal and Mayhem", "Nihilist Kills", "Destroyer", and "Blood Portraits" (I think) were included, along with two amazing covers by MEGADETH & MOTORHEAD: "Eye of the Tornado" and "Ace of Spades" respectively. To be honest, it was disappointing to see such a great band play such a short set, however I was eternally greatful to finally have this great band in my "backyard".
Thanks to NIHILIST for a great show, hanging out, and continuing to make great music. I hope this band has a return visit to a larger venue....it is truely deserved.
Review By: Anthony DeLuca
PAUL DI'ANNO, ICARUS WITCH, FISTACUFFS, & ARCH DEMON CHOIR
Paul Di'Anno, as many know, was made famous for his work with IRON MAIDEN. Post Maiden days have been non-stop busy for Paul (see the Di'Anno interview), with a build up of projects, bands, and an arsenal of songs. This show would mark Paul's return to the states in over ten years! History was made in New Jersey, complete with an impressive setlist. To my dismay, there were some let downs.
Arch Demon Choir opened the show with their blend of Goth meets Sleeze meets Traditional Heavy Metal. ADC was definately a sight to behold; their vocalist was a tall, bald-headed man (who had his enire head painted grey) who was clad in a long leather trench coat, had huge spiked arm gauntlets, and high healed leather boots. Various songs throughout the set included a tribute to "a certain blonde headed woman", which I believe was called "Slut". Honestly, the band was musically tight, but the vocals didn't do it for me. I saw potential in that department, but sadly it was not met.
Fistacuffs followed shortly with an arsenal of cover songs from ACCEPT to PRIEST to METALLICA and back. There was even a chance for an original song, which was dedicated to a fallen biker friend of theirs. I cannot recite the lyrics, but do remember the song was quite impressive. I later learned that the drummer of this band also plays in OVERKILL. Complete with the biker/metal look, Fistacuffs made a good impression both in execution and style.
Having seen Icarus Witch a few times before, I knew what to expect from this band. I was saddened to see Icarus performing with only one guitarist. That nice, duel guitar sound this band so amazingly executes will be absent at this performance. None-the-less, the Witch performed their set with style and amazing sound. The usual energenic stage performance from bassist Jason was lacking, as previous Witch shows I have seen revealed a much more charasmatic and mobile performer (see REVIEWS / CONCERT 2006). Songs performed in The Witch's set included "Ice Maiden", "The Ghost of Xavior Jones", and "Call Down the Moon". I felt some of this band's stronger material was left out, such as "Storming the Castle" or "Capture the Magic". In any case, The Witch seemed to grasp the anxious crowd's attention, which was wearing thin due to the high anticipation of seeing Paul DiAnno.
Okay.....let's get some things off my chest here. I am a HUGE Paul Di'Anno fan. I (like many others) have all his IRON MAIDEN material and I feel KILLERS is Maiden's best album. In addition, I have all of Paul's solo and KILLERS band material, along with some bootlegs and BATTLEZONE stuff. So, going into Paul's performance, I had high hopes of a very diverse set-list. Although Paul ran through a number of Maiden songs, he did incorperate some Killers and Battlezone material. What surprised me was his lack of singing. Paul relyed on the auduence to sing many parts, if not all, of a particualr verse he was on. I know this is common for a vocalist to have the fans sing along, but this seemed strange to me, alomst as if Paul was disguising the fact that he may have forgotten the lyrics to the song. Take, for example, the song "Killers". The same verse was repeated over and over again....is that right?? With the Killers and Battlezone material, he failed to hit certain high notes (Paul IS noted to hit high notes), and seemed to vocalize quite fast, making the song sound rushed or almost immitating a rap song. Parts of "Marshall Lockjaw" were left out, including the first part of the chorus. Inbetween songs, Paul would drink A LOT. I watched him down TWO whole bottles of Jack Daniels on the stage. He was completely waisted, and I feel this affected his performance.
Overall, Di'Anno was a welcomed entity on stage despite the let-downs and disappointments. If you're looking for the Paul Di'Anno of yesterday, then I suggest you pop in a Maiden VHS. The Di'Anno of today is a different performer, lacking the stage charisma, mobility, and range. At least, in my opinion, he performed some Killers material.....I really LOVE the "Murder One" album, and it was a real treat to see "Marshall Lockjaw" and "The Beast Arises" performed live!
PAUL's SET-LIST
Wrathchild
Encore:
Transylvania
Review By: Anthony DeLuca
Friday, October 29, 2010 @ Dingbatz - Clifton, NJ
Thursday, October 21, 2010 @ Dingbatz - Clifton, NJ
Friday, October 8, 2010 @ Clash Bar - Clifton, NJ
Friday, June 18, 2010 @ PNC Bank Arts Center - Homdel, NJ
Thursday, May 06, 2010 @ Arlene's Grocery - New York, NY
Friday, April 30, 2010 @ Bruar Falls - Brooklyn, NY
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 @ Dingbatz - clifton, NJ
Prowler
Marshall Lockjaw
Murders In The Rue Morgue
The Beast Arises
Children Of Madness
Faith Healer
A Song For You
The Ides Of March
Killers
Phantom of the Opera
Running Free
Iron Maiden
Blitzkrieg Bop (Ramones cover)