Thank you Coal Chamber

Saturday's Defenders Of The Faith tour (3 Inches Of Blood, DevilDriver, Arch Enemy, Opeth)marked a momentous occasion in my gigging career. Not only did I get to revel in the brutality of Arch Enemy for the second time in less than 6 months but I got to see, in the flesh, the man who penned such modern day classics as "Loco", "Big Truck" and "Sway". Ladles and Genitalmen, Mr. Dez Fafara (alright, he presented an award at the 2007 Golden Gods so I've "seen" him before but you get my point. I hope. No? Are you stupid?)
Dez is potentially one of the hardest men in metal, with his relentless martial art training and frankly odd chin tattoos. This is reflected in DevilDriver, the brutal band that clinched the deal for me when I was deciding whether to buy DOTF tickets. However, it is key for us to remember that this man originally fronted the oddest metal band for many moons in the shape of Coal Chamber. My long-standing bezzie mate BigJM and I used to listen to "Big Truck" as teenage SoCal punk-lovin' scumbags and wonder what the underlying theme was. What does it all mean? Is it an elegant critique on capitalist oppression? Is it a damning riposte on the commercialism of the music industry? Is it really a song about a lorry? The decision is yours.
We got to the gig late so missed 3 Inches Of Blood - disappointing but not critical. I did miss the first couple of DevilDriver tunes which was a pisser but my beautiful wife let me sweat my way down to the front whilst she got the beers in. No, really. She is that perfect.
Dez's vocals ripped me a new arse/ear hole and John Boecklin's double pedal was frankly awesome. A fucking epic live bad; go and see them or I will kill you all.
Arch Enemy did the business yet again. Daniel Erlandson's drum solo was a personal highlight of mine (seeing the theme? The kit's in my mum and dad's loft, alright?).
I am still in non-sexual awe of Angela Gossow and have been since they played alongside Machine Head, DragonForce and Trivium at the Black Crusade (I missed Shadows Fall that time - must organise my travel better). How something so small can make a noise so imposing is beyond me. I did enjoy the teenage scene kid standing behind me attempting to growl along, before experiencing a perfectly timed coughing fit, although this may have been caused by him choking on a perfectly straightened fringe. Hopefully his blue WKD eased the pain.
We left before Opeth. "Oh my God, why?!" I hear you cry. Because, lazys and Germoline, I felt like it. For MADman is unpredictable like that, so keep reading this thing and see what I do....mwah ha ha ha.

He's so Angry!

The Download line-up is coming along nicely, with stages and days seemingly getting confirmed as the dates draw ever closer. During my usual moment of YouTube research, I thought I recognised the lead singer of Rose Tattoo. Upon further inspection, I saw that lo, 'twas none other than Angry Anderson.
Now kids, grap a cushion, sit on the floor and stop listening to Bring Me The Horizon a moment. Angry Anderson penned and voiced one of the greatest songs ever to grace televisual weddings - Scott and Charlene's wedding song from Neighbours.
Am I the only one who finds this amazing? Am I the only one who is completely starstruck by the prospect of seeing a man who's song defined a whole generation of soft-focus TV mullet marriages perform in the flesh?
And will I be the only one screaming for them to play this song in a tent full of metallers??

AWOL

It's been a few days since I last updated this bad boy - unfortunately my schizophrenia has meant corporate whore MADman has been in charge of my body. This guy insists on working on PowerPoint presentations and attending IT-related conferences. It's a dry existence.
But on to the fun stuff. More bands have been announced for Download, which is muchos exciting for all. There's not a lot of big names which has terrified the "where are AC/DC and Machine Head" brigade. It seems that, once you've started listening to the classic rock and metal bands, anything post-1995 is automatically emo/gay/pop. Interesting.
Also interesting is the people that insist on leaking the Download line up. However, my favourite forum-based bantery is those who complain about the leaks, yet read and reply to the threads. It seems to be that age-old everso English need to bitch about everything and everyone. I would imagine these people also watched Robocop in slow motion and posted on the Internet Movie Database that when Robocop throws Clarence Boddicker through the big fuck off window, the glass actually smashed before he hits it. So amazing I could, no, just have climaxed.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank one Download forum contributant for posting the best comment in interactive web-based shenanigan history:
"Reading may have RATM, Metallica and Slipknot but remember, you're never more than three people away from a c*nt"

Well played, sir.

Fantastic Max...worst pun ever

So I'm working my way through the Download 2008 line-up, still waiting for some of the big guns to sign up (come on Slipknot for the love of God!) to see if there's any little beauties yet to be discovered. Alter Bridge have done a f**king good job of making me want to go more and more so I thought I'd give the new Cavalera Conspiracy joint a crack.

From the really quite terrible "Fantastic Max" title, you can probably tell I'm pretty impressed. Max's vocal screams of the old Sepultura days - his style hasn't changed through way back then, through Soulfly, and up to now, and it's great that the Cavalera bro's are buddies again.

I can see the pit at Download now - angry, angry people. I just hope Madina Lake aren't on directly before them....

Fingers crossed.......

It's official - Reading 2008 has Slipknot. Whilst maintaining my positive outlook and villification of all those griping about Download 2008, this does make me nervous.

Rage Against The Machine and Metallica are strong headliners (I'll take or leave The Killers), definitely more "metal" than The Offspring and Lost Prophets, but let's make a list:

Reading 2008
For:
Good solid headliners
Slipknot
Might get some of the SoCal punk/ska cartel along in the smaller tents

Against:
So many bands beginning with "The" that it makes me want to the cut the my the balls the off.
Will be full of people who think heavy metal = Guns & Roses
The Feeling are there

Download 2008
For:
Alter Bridge, BFMV, Within Temptation - nice
Tattoo/piercers
Loads of beer and possibly more manly phantom meat stalls than Reading

Against:
None of my big guns are there yet....apart from H.I.M, that is.

The big question is, wll the mighty 'Knot make my summer and get to Donnington? And will Fear Factory surprise us all and bring some industrial aural damge to the month of June?

Fingers crossed............

Why can't we all get along?

So I've finally succumbed to the temptation to become that guy with the opinions online. I've started this blog to ask a simple question - why can't we all get along? Clearly I don't mean this is in a tree-hugging, nuclear weapon-disarming, Bernard Matthews turkey-releasing way but more in a sense of, why do people decide to complain constantly about music and bands?

Every gig I've been to recently, of which there are many, has included the two dudes who bitch for the duration of the set about how shitty the band are, how conventional the music is, and various other tired tirades which, let's be honest, are of no real value to man, woman or ferret.

I've recently bought tickets to Download 2008 as a present for my lurvly wife. This alternative music festival has been causing more controversy in the music world since them four scousers said something about Jesus. Why? The line up may not be amazing but there's enough metal and good old fashioned rock on there for everyone - and they're only about a third done. Not all the bands will be playing guitar with the severed head of a virgin dove whilst defeacating into the hair of their dead grandmother but surely the likes of Throwdown and Job For A Cowboy can't be seen as anything other than metal?

We are a nation of complainers but is not the whole point of the metal scene to embrace the different and be proud of our acceptance of diversity? Or do we really just want to feel hard because we like tough bands?