AH, TODAY I JUST FELT LIKE BREAKING OUT THE OLD MACHINE GUN TO FIRE OFF THE LAST ROUND OF AMMO I HAD STRAPPED TO MY BELT STASHED IN THE CLOSET. NO BODY ON THIS BALL OF DIRT WE CALL EARTH COULD TELL ME THAT YOU WOULDN’T LIKE TO KNOW IF SOMEONE WAS TALKING SHIT BEHIND YOUR BACK. I MOST CERTAINLY DO! LISTED BELOW IS MORE USELESS BANTER GIVEN FORTH BY AN ‘EX-FRIEND’ WHO I WILL NO LONGER NAME. THIS PERSON IS NAMELESS, FACELESS, BRAINLESS AND CLUELESS. NO MORE FREE PROMOTION FOR YOU EXCEPT FOR THE WORDS YOU SO UNWISELY CHOSE TO USE AGAINST ME.

THE FIRST PARAGRAPH BELOW IS A RETORT FROM A FRIEND OF THIS ‘EX FRIEND’ AFTER READING OUR BLOGS AND CHECKING OUT MY PAGE. ALL OF MY CURRENT RESPONSES AS OF TODAY CAN ONLY BE FOUND HERE ON THIS BLOG AND NO WHERE ELSE (BOLD ITALICIZED LETTERS).

I don't get it.
I scrolled down on your ex-friends web page.She seems to have an infatuation with Hitler.
Doesn't she realize if der Fuhrer were alive,she would be in a camp,lickety split?
Hitler hated and put behind wire those that were a-social.
As I said,I just don't get it.Her line of thinking is way off kilter.

BUDDY, IF YOU READ MY BLOG ENTITLED ‘FROM A PARIAH’S POINT OF VIEW’ YOU WOULD HAVE SEEN THE LAST LINE STATING THAT ‘IF I WERE ALIVE IN HITLER’S TIME, I WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED TOO’. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG IN HOLDING AN INTEREST IN HITLER. IF YOU HAD ANY LICK OF SENSE YOU WOULD KNOW THAT WE MUST ACKNOWLEDGE ALL HISTORY FOR WE ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT IF WE DO NOT LOOK BEHIND YOURSELVES AT WHAT HAS HAPPEN. YOU DON’T GET MY WAY OF THINKING BECAUSE YOU DO NOT KNOW ME. ALL YOU KNOW IS THIS ‘PERSON’ SHOWING YOU A SMALL, INFANTILE PIECE OF INFORMATION.RESEARCH AND CRITICAL THINKING IS AT STAKE!

Trust me,  she would never listen to anyone about how wrong and stupid she is with her love for not only NSBM (which stands for Nazi Socialist Black Metal), but her as you put it "line of thinking" when it comes to what is really German pride, vs Nazism. We must remember that she was born, and raised, and barely left California. I remember one time she told me she didn't care if a band was talking about killing people of non-Aryan race, but "if the music suffices then I support it". *smacks forehead* Correct me if I am wrong, but is not that the most dumb thing you ever heard?

MY ‘LOVE’ FOR NSBM? I NEVER ONCE CLAIMED I ‘LOVED’ NSBM. WHAT I BELIEVE IS THAT THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF SPEECH. TALKING ABOUT KILLING PEOPLE OF NON-ARYAN RACE ISN’T ILLEGAL UNLESS YOU ARE MAKING A DIRECT PERSONAL THREAT TO SOMEONE. I DO NOT TAKE IT SERIOUSLY. THE SAME GOES FOR BLACK-AMERICANS TALKING ABOUT KILLING WHITE FOLKS, OR MEXICANS KILLING BLACKS. RASCISM EXISTS, DEAL WITH IT. A LOT OF PEOPLE SEEM TO MISS THIS FACT YET WHEN BLACK METAL BANDS WRITE LYRICS COMPRISING OF KILLING GOD OR CHRISTIANS, THEN IT’S OKAY. KILLING JEWS? TRAVESTY!!! IT’S ALL FUCKING HYPOCRISY AND JUST PLAIN IGNORANCE. I DO NOT AFFILIATE MYSELF WITH NATIONAL SOCIALISM. I HATE POLITICS AND WILL NOT SUPPORT IT. THE SAME GOES FOR RELIGION, BEING CHRISTIAN OR EVEN SATANISM, I DO NOT PLEDGE TO EITHER SIDE. I AM HERE TO POINT OUT FLAWS NOT STAND BEHIND THEM. FURTHERMORE, YOU MIGHT WANT TO KNOW THE FACTS RATHER THAN ASSUMMING HOW SOMEBODY RESPRESENTS THEMSELVES. THERE IS SOMETHING CALLED ‘DEFAMATION OF CHARACTER’ AND IT IS HIGHLY IRRESPONSIBLE IN LEGAL TERMS TO PULL THIS. JUST REMEMBER THAT!!!

There is a band called Cannibal Corpse, and they are a Florida death metal band. For a while I liked them. The music was crushing, and except for the singer I thought could use some work was all happy and supportive until they started singing about killing babies, and I got rid of all my shit I ever had owned from them. Lines just should never be crossed.

THIS IS COMPLETELY LAME BECAUSE IT SHOWS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF A SO-CALLED FAN OF METAL MUSIC MAKING THE WRONG ASSUMPTIONS. MY FUCKING GAWD, ARE YOU THAT STUPID TO THINK CANNIBAL CORPSE REALLY BELIEVES IN KILLING BABIES? I COULD UNDERSTAND IF YOU WERE LIKE MAYBE 9 OR 10 YEARS OLD, BUT DO YOU STILL FEEL THIS WAY NOW BEING THAT YOU ARE IN YOUR MID 20’S? GROW THE FUCK UP. CANNIBAL CORPSE HAD STARTED WHILE YOU WERE STILL SHITTING IN YOUR DIAPERS!CANNIBAL CORPSE IS WELL ESTABLISHED AND QUITE FRANKLY, ABOUT AS EVIL AS ANYTHING FOR SALE IN HOT TOPIC…WHERE YOU CAN FIND THEIR MERCH, LMAO!! THIS IS CLASSIC. ‘LINES JUST SHOULD NEVER BE CROSSED’ YET YOU CLAIM YOU ARE A BLACK METAL FAN. DID YOU KNOW THAT IF TRULY YOU WERE A FAN OF REAL BLACK METAL YOU SHOULDN’T DRAW BOUNDARIES? THIS IS THE ‘POSER MENTALITY’: THAT BLACK METAL SHOULD BE SAFE AND WELL, MAYBE AN EVIL THAT SHOULD BE HAPPY? GAWD, PEOPLE LIKE YOU MAKE ME VOMIT BLOOD.

The funniest part of all of this is since I deleted Pam from my friends list, and posted that blog I have had a flood of real people sending me friend invites, and the conversations on MySpace have been flowing like the Nile River. Not just about the incident, but just general convo. A man who is very well known in the metal kingdom Tom Warrior (of Celtic Frost, Hellhammer, and Triptykon) had deleted her, and me I am assuming due to association with her. After I had deleted her, and the blog was posted he accepted my friend invite. I am thinking this is due to the fact that he hates Nazi’s, and NSBM. Maybe he thought that I supported it because I was friends with her? I am glad to have him back on board with me. He is a very smart man with a talent larger than life. I am hoping to get to interview him one of these days. I think Pam is still watching my page. I might stick him in my top friends just to make her blood boil. She posted a blog about him deleteing her. Ah ha ha ha!

IF THIS IS THE CASE WITH WARRIOR, THEN HE IS TRULY MORE IGNORANT THAN I HAD THOUGHT. I’M NOT CONCERNED ABOUT HIS REMOVAL OF MY PAGE BECAUSE I’M NOT A DRAMA QUEEN. I FOCUS ON THE MUSIC AND THE ART BEHIND WHAT HE DOES, NOT HIS PERSONALITY. IF HE REALLY FEELS THAT WAY THEN ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS THAT ‘BIRDS OF A FEATHER, FLOCK TOGETHER’. ONCE AGAIN, IF YOU ASSUME THAT I AM A NAZI, YOU COULD BE LEGALLY HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS. I SUGGEST YOU KEEP THAT THOUGHT TO YOURSELF AND THAT GOES FOR ANYONE WHO HOLDS THIS FALSE PRETENCE!!

GOOD RIDDENCE TO BAD RUBBISH!

I also found it out of this world retarded that she does not support the troops at all when uh... HELLO if it was not for the troops we would not live in a free country. Metallers who really love the music, and appreciate the life style we want to live appreciate those who help make it a million times more easy in this country! HOOAH, AND OORAW!

UH, WELL, HELLO, I HAVE THAT RIGHT!! DUE TO THE FACT THAT THOSE PEOPLE WHO LITERALLY SIGNED UP FOR IT, ARE VOLUNTEERING!!  I HAVE EVEN MORE REASON NOT TO SUPPORT THEM IF I DO NOT AGREE TO THEIR PROTOCOL!! FOR SOMEONE WHO CLAIMS I’M SUCH A ‘NAZI’ (BY THE WAY, THE TERM IS GETTING EXTREMELY WATERED DOWN TODAY IN AMERICAN SOCIETY. THIS IS THE NEW PET NAME THAT EVERYONE CALLS EACH OTHER IF THEY DO NOT LIKE ANYTHING YOU DO OR EVEN IF YOU ASK THEM OF A SIMPLE FAVOR!) YOU SEEM RATHER FASCIST WHEN IT COMES TO PEOPLE WHO DON’T SUPPORT THE MILITARY. YOU HAVE BEEN CAUGHT MANY, MANY TIMES IN THESE TWISTED THOUGHTS AND YOU MAKE ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE. IT’S A FALLACY TO THINK THAT ON BEHALF OF THE TROOPS, WE ARE A COMPLETELY FREE COUNTRY. THIS IS WRONG BECAUSE WE ARE NOT COMPLETELY FREE. AM I FREE TO WALK OUTSIDE NAKED? NO. AM I FREE TO DEBATE ON-LINE? NO. AM I FREE TO NOT SUPPORT THE TROOPS? NO. WE ARE GIVEN CHOICES AND THE FREEDOM TO TAKE THEM. HOWEVER FREE WE MAY BE, THERE IS ALWAYS A CONSEQUENCE TO WHICH ANSWER WE CHOOSE. IF IT’S THE WRONG PERSON AND THE WRONG ANSWER, YOU SUFFER FOR IT. DON’T TELL ME ABOUT CYBER-BULLYING, YOU ARE GUILTY WHEN IT COMES TO PUSHING YOUR SEEDY WAY THROUGH SOMEONES OPINION! YOU CRACK YOUR WHIP WHEN YOU DON’T GET YOUR WAY AND PISS & MOAN TO MAKE STRANGERS THINK YOU’VE BEEN HURT. HOW CHARMING! I’M HERE TO CORRECT THE ERRORS, NOT SPREAD THEM!

NOW see that...That right there is a pert of the problem..She's not seen what real people actually act like...
She needs to go to places like N.Carolina..S.Carolina...Tennessee..Kentucky..Alabama...Georgia...Texas especially...
N see what life is all about

HOW DO YOU FUCKING KNOW WHERE I’VE BEEN? YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW ME NOR HEARD MY LIFE STORY! HOW DARE YOU GO TO STRANGERS GIVING THEM FALSE INFORMATION ABOUT ME! TO CLARIFY THIS CRAP, I HAVE BEEN TO MANY OF THESE STATES, INCLUDING LOUISIANA, TEXAS, KENTUCKY, TENNESSE, NEW MEXICO, NEVADA, ARIZONA, MISSOURI, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, KANSAS, AND GEORGIA. I HAVE FAMILY IN LOUISIANA, KENTUCKY, OREGON AND CONNETICUT. I’VE SEEN AND HEARD HOW A LOT OF THE PEOPLE LIVE DOWN IN THE SOUTH, NAMELY THE ‘BIBLE-BELT’! I COULDN’T LIVE IN ANY OF THESE PLACES BECAUSE OF MY ANTI-RELIGIOUS AND ANTI-POLITICAL VIEWS. THESE STATES ARE FILLED WITH RIGHT-WING/REDNECK/WHITE TRASH SCUM THAT I CAN NOT TOLERATE SO TAKE THAT AND CHOKE ON IT! THIS IS TYPICAL OF A YOUNG DUMB KID WHOTHINKS THEY KNOW ALL ABOUT LIFE. YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A PIMPLE ON THE ASS OF SOCIETY! SADLY, AMERICAN SOCIETY IS FULL OF THEM.

Ha ha ha ha ha!  you are too funny! I think she would hate the fact that the red-necks would be better people than she is ever going to be.

HAVE YOU LIVED WITH REDNECKS FROM THE SOUTH? OH, I HAVE. I CAN AT LEAST SAY I DON’T BACK WASH MY JACK DANIELS AFTER BRUSHING MY TEETH.

THIS NEXT PARAGRAPH IS FURTHER PROOF OF A BLACK METAL POSER’S MENTALITY. HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ME BUT I FOUND IT COMPLETELY ABUSRD:

I love the fact that us black metallers have purpose. We are not all about doing drugs and committing crimes of stupidity. I will admit that a few churches have been burnt by not so smart brethren of mine, but all in all Varg just doesn’t get it. Varg is one of those retard children in the black metal kingdom that not many like. I also love the fact that my black metal brothers are for the most part true gentlemen. Even Varg opens up the door for women.

DAMN, AND I THOUGHT THAT’S ALL TRUE BLACK METAL HAD TO OFFER WERE ‘DRUGS AND CRIMES OF STUPIDITY’! YOU KNOW, I WOULDN’T BURN DOWN A CHURCH BUT I’M NOT AGAINST THE RIGHT IDEOLOGY BEHIND IT EITHER. I’M VERY MUCH AGAINST CHRISTIANITY AND FOR WHAT THEY HAVE DONE TO THE PEOPLE OF THE PAST INCLUDING PAGANS, VIKINGS, WITCHES AND SO FORTH. THEY HAVE CONQUERED AND ARE STILL KILLING INNOCENT PEOPLE THAT REFUSE TO FOLLOW THEIR JARGON. THE SYMOBOLISM BEHIND BURNING DOWN A CHURCH IS SIMPLY A GREAT MIDDLE FINGER GESTURE THAT SAYS ‘YOU ARE NOT WELCOME’! TO CLAIM OF YOUR DISPROVAL OF BURNING CHURCHES IN THIS WEAK ATTEMPT AT AN INTELLIGENT PARAGRAPH GIVES OFF A SENSE OF MERE CHRISTIANDOM. IT’S NOT SMART TO BURN THEM FOR LEGAL REASONS. THAT’S A GIVEN BUT TO STAND UP AND REBEL AGAINST THE ESTABLISHMENT IS A GREAT CAUSE. SADLY, AUTHORITIES DO NOT AND WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND THIS MENTALITY. IT’S THE HUMAN FUNCTION TO KEEP ALL IN LINE AND DO AS YOU ARE TOLD, OR ELSE.

WHO IS TO SAY THAT VARG REALLY DID BURN DOWN A CHURCH? I’VE NEVER SEEN ANY OFFICIAL STATEMENT, HAVE YOU? IT’S ONLY BEEN SPECULATED. TO READ ‘THE LORDS OF CHAOS’ (WHICH IS NOW GRANTED AS THE ‘BLACK METAL FOR DUMMIES’ BOOK) DOESN’T MAKE YOU A GODDESS, IT MAKES YOU A FOOL. NOW THAT I’M READING THIS, ARE YOU CLAIMING THAT VARG IS CONSIDERED ‘BRETHREN’? WHAT DOESN’T VARG GET? PASSING VARG OFF AS A ‘RETARD CHILDREN’ OR WHAT EVER YOU WERE TRYING TO TYPE? NOT MANY MAY LIKE HIM BUT YOU CAN’T DENY HIS MARK ON THE BLACK METAL SCENE. VARG HAS BEEN TYPECASTED AS THE ‘BLACK METAL BOOGEYMAN’. THE STORIES HAVE BEEN TWISTED AND TOLD SO MANY TIMES…IT’S ALL CONSIDERED A MYTH NOW WITH WHAT HAPPEN. ONLY THOSE THAT WERE THERE KNOW THEIR SHIT. JUST LIKE THE STORY TOLD AROUND THE CAMP FIRE THAT WENT THROUGH A DOZEN EARS AND CAME BACK AROUND COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THAN WHEN IT FIRST STARTED. YOU TELL THESE RIDICULOUS THOUGHTS ON SOMEONE YOU DON’T KNOW. PASSING INFORMATION TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO CLUE AS TO WHAT BLACK METAL IS. LIKE YOU AND MANY UNSAVORY FANS THAT CLAIM TO BE ‘TRUE’, THE ESSENCE OF BLACK METAL IS DIEING BECAUSE OF THIS IGNOBLE THINKING.

LASTLY, WHO ARE THE BLACK METAL BROTHERS THAT ARE TRUE GENTLEMEN? VARG OPENS THE DOOR FOR WOMEN? WAIT A DAMN MINUTE I THOUGHT YOU SAID VARG WAS RETARDED? THIS JUST GOES TO PROVE MY POINT ABOUT POSERS. YOU DON’T KNOW SHIT. DON’T TALK ABOUT BLACK METAL MUSIC ANYMORE, YOU ARE ADDING YOUR OWN SOUNDTRACK TO ITS LIFE AND IT FUCKING SUCKS!!!  DAMN I’VE GOT A HEADACHE….

Damn, it was nice to get back into the swing of things and head out to another great show at the Key

Club! The night of October 8^th seemed a bit different; something was missing and for once we had found ourselves at a show that didn’t sell as many tickets that it should have. In fact, the sales for this show were so low, that the restaurant was closed up stairs. The human traffic at the peak of the show did not fill to the back. To us, or me in particular, thought this to be a sin. This was Norway’s Satyricon with support from Taiwanese Chthonic and our own American bred Blackend Thrash/Speed metal from Portland Oregon, Toxic Holocaust.

This tour had trouble right before the Hollywood date with a couple of cancellations (due to the promoter for one and the other, not sure) and then a blessing (in my humble opinion) afterward when Bleeding Through decided to drop off the tour. Why would I say such a negative statement? Honestly, this band did not belong on this precious tour. The construction (and mastermind of promoters) of these types of tours never really blend well with the fans. It’s supposed to bring together different types of people, crossing over from other genres of metal, in hopes to expose them to something new (along with record sale boosts). This failed miserably as Bleeding Through claims that they had to leave the tour due to “personal/family reasons”.  That news came right after the Hollywood show and not soon enough as Matt & I had to endure in a complete and utter set of Orange County metalcore bullshit for 40 VERY LONG minutes. Very few fans gave respect to these, dare I say, posers, and the few that threw their fists and gave karate chops and kicks in the shallow pit, either stepped off to the side or simply left the building. Matt & I were dominant in our distaste for Bleeding Through and enough so that the singer even mentioned his recognition to the ‘haters’ and Black Metal fans that did not like them. Break down after breakdown had my eyes darted to either the ceiling or to the lost faces that didn’t assimilate to BT’s jargon. All I wished at the end was for their faceless and overrated sex kitten keyboard player to drop her instrument as she passed by us on stage. My black magic mojo had failed.

Though the upstairs room had been closed, we luckily had a fantastic view downstairs about 10 feet away from the stage behind the pit. Our asses were sore from sitting on odd blocks of wood set up as chairs but well worth it considering the energy set forth by the Black/Thrash metal members of Toxic Holocaust, Chthonic and Satyricon.

A local band by the name of Castle Ultra opened the show and given hindsight 20/20, these guys really wiped the stage up compared to Bleeding Through! BUT to critique the band as they were, we could have done without them. Nice to hear but the movie “City of Lost Children” that had been playing on the big screen above the stage was highly more entertaining. Castle Ultra hail from here in Southern California with a Thrash sound that doesn’t set themselves apart from anyone else that could be labeled as a ‘Thrash opener’.  A cover of Iron Maiden’s “Aces High” was belted out like a beat dog but the real insult came in the words from the singer’s mouth before starting the song. Apparently he wanted to “teach us a history lesson”…wow, not all of us in the audience are Hot Topic fools that just fell out off the Heavy Metal dump truck! Iron Maiden may be Gods but the covers have been done to death…try Testament next time or Exodus…maybe Overkill? Metal history may cover Iron Maiden but we aren’t learning anything new.

Chthonic were next up on the bill and the evolutionary change these guys (and lady) have endured since we last saw them perform were amazing! Chthonic are the answer to the horrible question of “Cradle of Filth?” and can certainly teach COF a lesson in transpiring this type of Black Metal live to pacify the ears, not simply just rape them. The early Chthonic saw a different lineup change in the year 2007 as we had the honor of seeing them at one of their first gigs in Santa Ana at the Galaxy Theatre. From political supporters straight from Taiwan to corpse (ghost) painted faces of the band and a bellowing oriental violin, the first shot of this group then was a shy yet steady new breath of fresh cold air. This second round for us opened our eyes to a band set on fire sans the paint for which they do not really need. Their sound was on key and just as brutal as the woes highlighted within the song lyrics. Tales of Taoism, demons of the underworld and Chinese political oppression give a new life and reason to listen to this great talent. Chthonic ( by the way, pronounced: thon-ick) closed the set with a track from their latest album “Mirror of Retribution” called Sing-Ling Temple, an important setting and message concerning a handful of brave Taiwanese militia souls who gave their life trying to stop an invasion of 2,500 Chinese military personnel near the temple. This here was the real history lesson, one in which mattered more so than the choice to bolster Iron Maiden (as if Vans shoes & Hot Topic hasn’t done enough).

This had been the first time seeing Toxic Holocaust for us and we were glad we did! Joel Grind and his band ripped the stage in half! Damn, shame on us for not seeing these guys sooner. Grind donning the classic Bathory “Bathory” album cover t-shirt along with the spitfire energy given by all the other members fell on deaf ears at first. Toxic Holocaust is a band that works hard at sincere promotion; endless touring and countless Myspace & Facebook announcements give way for much publicity not to mention some ‘grenade-in-your-face’ explosive black metal influenced thrash/speed masterpieces. Most, if not all, of the songs were from the first album “Evil Never Dies” and the latest “An Overdose of Death…” including such classics as “666”, “War is Hell”, “Nuke the Cross” and “In the Name of Science”.

Ultimately, these tunes did break the stale atmosphere. Summoning enough dark power in the entire club by a mere three musicians into getting the fans moving in the direction of a circle/mosh pit isn’t easy. It finally got the goats by the horns and led them to the trough. It was as if a giant stick had been thrust into the crowd and stirred; the audience gave back that energy about half way through the set and it ended without any regrets or dissatisfaction! If War is Hell then trying to get a club full of people to react to Toxic Holocaust is the 7^th layer of this fine place!

Satyricon… what great words could be used that haven’t already been spoken or written about this fine band? Describing Satyricon from my perspective has been done as we have witnessed them a trio of other times under different circumstances. This night in particular was just as special as the first time we saw them at the Whiskey in December of 2004 when Joey (drummer for Slipknot) had to fill in for Frost (his absence was due to passport/legal issues).  If you are any kind of fan of Black Metal, this band is a priority.  Satyr, Frost, Jonna Nikula (keyboards), Gildas Le Pape (Guitar) and Anders Odden (bass) gave all that they had that night in a honest, personal and traditional style that will keep us coming back for more. This wasn’t a sell-out crowd. Only the true (NOT as in “true kvlt” because that is all bullshit) came out to support this band and the trouble they went through to be there. Satyr talked to all of us as if he appreciated our presence and did not come across spilling out typical rubbish as any smarmy rock star would pull out of his/her ass.

As for the tunes, classics such as “Black Crow”, “King”, “Fuel For Hatred”, “Repined Bastard Nation” and last but not least, “Mother North” , (I had read one review that Satyr was ‘off key’ but this wasn’t coming from anyone who is a true musician either so this could not have been taken seriously) were all given full attention. Even coming from me who rarely bangs her head, had achieved a sore neck the next morning pledging my allegiance to the mighty northern kings of Black Metal and their excellent musicianship.  Worth the merely 20 bucks to see this event and for anyone who may think it’s the slow economy keeping the fans away, I say “bullshit”.

What I’m starting to feel is the lack of interest in Black Metal here in Los Angeles. Elitists see this as good but in a sense it’s not constructive in the least bit. Common sense should tell you that the lack of interest in BM bands means that they will have trouble trying to tour here in North America, particularly the West Coast. If people don’t come out to see them then there is no money to support their effort. The issuing delays for passports or/and work visas is tough enough considering the flaky American Government and its ass backwards rules. Satyricon reflected a major interest in bringing their valued songwriting & intense musicianship, dedication to spreading the ‘gospel’ of Black Metal and loyalty to the fans.  Eternal respect is well deserved!

For those of you who love soap operas (but only this one takes place within the Metal world), feast your eyes on Elizabeth’s retort to my blog “Do Friends Really Exist” concerning a major fallout of our soured friendship. Nothing has been changed on her blog by me and everything in bold italicized wording in between is a retort to each of her brain farts, ineffectual dribble and mumblings. Let the battle begin!

Schwarze Metallgöttin is delutional... [‘delutional? You mean ‘delusional’ right?]

Hails! I have seen that Pam (Schwarze Metallgöttin) has recently posted a bunch of lies to her blog [TO my blog? Apparently the blog is the only friend I can rant to!] in regards to not only me, but my fiancé, Sven. I am sending out a blog to dispute her fallacies [you won’t have enough fingers and toes to count Liz’s fallacies I can assure you!].

Firstly, I am not sure why she think [‘she think’? are we on caveman mode?] she has done nothing [I don’t know this person ‘nothing’, how could have I done something wrong to ‘nothing’?] wrong. Over the past few months she has been nothing but a bitch to me [pass me a tissue, please!]. Putting down my writing on the site I work for, and my friends[I gave constructive feedback on your grammar & spelling. I may have been a smart ass but did I not find those flaws to only make you aware of them? You need to be more professional with your writing. No one person with a half of a brain will take you seriously if you act this way. You clearly state on your Myspace page that you can take criticism. You quoted it saying, “I am strong, and can take constructive criticism, so let me know if you agree with my articles”  This makes you a liar or giving you the benefit of the doubt, a hypocrite!] I have tried my best to support her, and get past our disagreements [yes, this is true but you flipped out on your birthday over a silly shot at your photos, severing all communication. You were able to look past my distaste for the military and my fair views on NSBM but you snapped over photo comments?], but she had started to make her own bed when she put down Sven in her blog [where did I put him down? Did I call him names? Did I shoot him like a dog? No!]. I did very much want her, and Matt to be at my wedding, but because she does not believe in marriage told me she would not come to my wedding [you know, this is the pisser right here! I have that right to refuse. Apparently you do not believe in a mentality called ‘agree to disagree’. Everything that is YOU is just that, it’s all ABOUT YOU and YOUR FEELINGS and never given any respect to others’ beliefs! How very Christian of you….I told you I do not believe in the sanctity of marriage and will not support such a useless ritual. It never meant that I thought you both shouldn’t be happy. Whether Matt & I are there will not compromise your “day” in the grand scheme of things. You claim yourself to be sooooo ‘Black metal’ yet you bow down to society’s hiccup to repeat a completely selfish act and that is to literally DEMAND what your friends should do! You want to talk about fallacies? Ever heard of ‘Appeal to Tradition’? You have every right to get married but you should respect our beliefs to not support it. End of story. To mask her un-supportive attitude she told me that “it’s not that I wouldn’t wish you well, but we just don’t want to be a part of it.” The comment is still somewhere on my page [Go fucking find it, please! This is where you fail in arguing because you can’t find evidence to your convictions.]. I tried to look past that [thanks for throwing me a bone]. Then on my birthday I let myself have a bit of a deserved ego [you have that every single day! Why just on your birthday now? I’ve heard there is a recession…] by posting on my status something along the lines of “to those who think they are a true black metal goddess think again for I am the true goddess of the blackened steel” [OH GOD here we go again! I told you personally on the fucking phone what I thought of that name being used and obviously it’s done for your personal gain. Again, where did you get that name? You should thank Matt for that as it was originally a nick-name he gave me and I decided to use it for Myspace. This is why I changed it to German to disassociate it from you. You don’t seem to understand that individuality is at stake here. Do something different and don’t steal other peoples’ shit! I wouldn’t trademark it as that is just plain egotistical but it’s the principle of the matter I’m talking about here. Anyway, that’s why I made snide remarks on your mood status.] again, this was my birthday night, and I had gotten done taking some rather nifty pics. I in truth forget exactly what she said, but she retorted with a very bitchy comment that I had stolen Dimmu’s wardrobe, [Well, I don’t know if it was ‘bitchy’ but the comment I retorted with was more of a joke about you stealing Dimmu Borgir’s wardrobe.] and basically that as she thinks no one should be using “the black metal goddess” banner.  In a serious, but semi joking manner I asked her where her gauntlet pics where she retorted with a “I don’t need to wear gantlets to show I am true” [I’m surprised you didn’t spell ‘true’ with a ‘v’! Because kids, if you do, you simply are NOT. Well, yes, that is the truth because I don’t have to prance around wearing ‘God-only-knows-what-you-paid-for-those-things’ to prove to friends and strangers that “I AM BLACK METAL!!!!!!!!!” wear those to Taco Bell and see what kind of service you get, really, nobody will take you seriously and that is a damn fact. Wear them to a show? Well, good luck getting through the door and good luck with the medical bills you will ensue on accidentally slashing fans while trying to engage yourself on a path to the ladies room. I give shit to all of my friends and you just simply can’t take it as a joke. I’m not a bully either as I’m not in the least bit serious. However, I may not agree with some of what you do, doesn’t mean I don’t like you or wish you an ill fate.]  What sort of “friend” won’t even play along with their “friend” on their birthday, and let them have an ego for one fucking night??? [I don’t let friends drive drunk and I never once said you couldn’t have fun wearing Dimmu’s wardrobe! Next time, warn me when you want to have an ego…oh wait, there will be no next time, sorry!]

I have a lot of people that can vouch for me being a good nice friend, but there is only so much of being a bitch to me that I can take, and [I] think that goes for everyone. Real friends go [to] their friend’s weddings regardless of their own views on marriage [Shit, you’d love this guy I know through the history books, his name is Hitler and he loves to play fascist games too!], real friends are not bitchy about a comma out of place or mis-spelling [like the one right before the bracket!] especially when you do not have an editor [SAY WHAT? You seriously need help. Why do you think you need an editor? To write a fucking blog? Everyone makes mistakes and I’ve made them too with my writing. As much as I hate it, it will always happen and I personally want people to find the mistakes I make because I can learn from them. Typing errors will be there but what you are also forgetting is the factual evidence in retorting to arguments that we had. When you are writing for an internet ‘zine, it’s okay to take it seriously but show it by fixing and editing your work. Ask Sven to help you. I tried but you got angry. Great writing doesn’t come over night, it comes through a lot of practice and that depends on how much time you put into it as well.], real friends let their friends have an ego on their birthday. [So, these are her rules folks. If you do not abide by them, put your head between your legs and kiss your ass goodbye!]

Let me go into what she said about my fiancé. He has served in the U.S ARMY for 19 years [Matt served in Retail for 19 years, I mean, it’s a real fucking war out here dealing with the stupidity of the public and all…], and 10 of which he was stationed in Germany, and learned Germany [the language or the country?] fluently. If you would like to take a look at my album entitled “My favorite pics of the black metal god Sven” [ugh, shameless promotion…] go for it as it shows that he has served in the army for quite some time. [What does serving in the army have to do with this argument?] I am not sure why on Earth [The band Earth or the planet on which we live?] Pam thinks that she has shit to say about his German when she has never set foot outside this country, [Yes, I have, I’ve been to Mexico a few times and London, England] and only taken one German class recently [This is true, I took German I and passed with a grade of “B”]. I have sat there and heard Sven speak to a woman who was born, and raised in Germany in German, and even she said his German was great [Who is “She”? Bravo, he can speak German but can he write in German? No, he can not entirely because the message he sent me was only partially in STANDARD German while the rest may have been in another dialect. I did my homework and translated it via a STANDARD German dictionary and a reputable internet translator and it wasn’t decipherable. If I really cared I could have gotten one of the many German metal heads here on Myspace to translate but at the time it wasn’t so much about how well he can write in as much as what he was talking about. What I did understand is how much he cared about her and that she is HIS version of a ‘black metal goddess’. The most important point was missed when I told him that my vision and idea is to use something different by coming up with another name for his girlfriend. No, that is too hard to understand as it was never acknowledged. Sven doesn’t speak much here in the cyber world so Liz does most of it for him. This leads me to believe that his balls are in a Jack Daniels bottle sitting on a shelf in the antique store where she works. When it comes to learning a new language, it’s tough. My weakness was writing in German but reading, translating and speaking were the strong points that I discovered upon taking this class. I could have done better but nevertheless, German II will never be out of the question. From Sven’s Myspace page he has quoted himself as saying, “…I used to be actively multi lingual…I speak a little German (used to speak a lot)…” If you do not use a language, you will lose it. Maybe Sven can speak well in German but his writing skill, ah, no, not all there.

As far as this military thing goes, and the NSBM debate goes I could have looked past all of that. It was her own coffin she totally nailed [can’t nail it by being on the inside!] by being a bitch to me over the past few months when I started dating Sven [Sven has nothing to do with it], and writing for a website [Kudos to you, I’m sure you’ll make the next great Szilvia Molnar representing the “Metal Kingdom” ~ SKAL!!], then being a total bitch to me on my birthday. Had it been her birthday I would have let her have an ego. [I don’t need an ego just close friends to stick by me.]
 
I would also like to add that she has "Kill MetalSanaz" as her 'name'. As much as I lotahe [loathe] Metal Sanaz, she is a fucking mother [mother fucker] ! I bet when her mother died she would have just loved to see something like that said about her mother [Who’s mother are we talking about? Metal Sanaz’s mother or my mother? Direct subject? Anyone? If you are talking of my mother, that’s a bad idea as she has nothing to do with this. When you lose your mother one day, you’ll understand. Well, maybe you won’t because as I can recall, you had told me over the phone that you would put down your own mother if she even talked shit about Sven. Good choice Liz, you only get one real mother in this world and you would toss her for one of the millions of military men in this country? Better hope Sven lives forever to take care of your sorry ass when she ceases to be]. *rolls eyes* [*shakes head in disgust*]

~Elizabeth~ 

There have not been many people here on Myspace that have accepted my friend request to have only deleted me some months in time later. What reason gives me to delete folks are those that never really keep in touch. It is a very rare occasion that I send out a request to a complete stranger unless it is of somebody of true importance such as an artist/musician or a band. I find myself to be a bit on the controversial side of life therefore reaching out to the world and sending invitations as a friend must be under strict scrutiny. 

What has come to my surprise within the last month is my discovery that we are no longer a Myspace “friend” of Tom Gabriel Warrior; we were deleted. To those of you who do not know of him, he is the central brainchild (along with Martin Ain) of a very influential and highly respected Swiss Occultic metal band by the name of Celtic Frost.

Now, before jumping to conclusions, one will surely say, “Hey, who cares?” or “That’s his decision” and yes, you are correct but I find it out of the ordinary. Why? I thought to myself, just maybe he doesn’t want fans and only close friends that he personally knows as part of his internet world. Hmmm, no, as he is friends with other “fans” that I correspond with from around the world that I don’t think are his close friends. Why I had been chosen, and if any others, may never be known. I was brazen enough to shoot over a request only to find that a week later, I’ve been totally ignored. Adding friends is not on his agenda apparently.

This was an accidental discovery.  Tom leaves blogs/updates concerning his music (Triptykon) and art/photography (curator) and while thinking back it had not been too long ago that we had seen something relative of his and always gave him kudos for his words of wisdom. Blabbermouth.net recently updated a story on one of his most recent blogs as Matt (my boyfriend) had read and remembered that maybe he had overlooked it somehow. No, it wasn’t a mistake. Tom was not here anymore to share with us his adventures. How wonderful. Thoughts have since filled my head with endless question marks on to what his issues may be or even may not be as this could just be a mistake? I always like to believe something was seen and misperceived the wrong way on my profile. Maybe he didn’t like something he read in my blogs…maybe he didn’t like the photo of Martin Ain on my profile…maybe he’s just weird. Who knows but the blog here will be the last said about the situation. A link can be found to his blogs by using the website www.metal-archives.com (view under Celtic Frost [a link is also available to his personal Myspace as I don’t recommend it since he doesn’t seem to add certain people…maybe]) so not all is lost if we want to know what is going on.  

Matt and I are huge supporters of both Celtic Frost and Hellhammer (Pre-Celtic Frost).  We were blown away by the (bitter, I personally think) split between Tom and Martin as the last album ‘Monotheist’ is utterly the best Celtic Frost album since ‘To Mega Therion’. We were very fortunate to have seen them live during their last run in the States for which there will never, ever be another site of Tom and Martin together on stage again.  R.I.P.

There have been a number of topics surrounding a few of my Myspace friends and I as of late. No names will be mentioned due to special consideration of my deepest respect for them and their personal views.

My interests lie in the hands of a rare type indeed. There isn’t much that I will hide and I will always question authority. What do I hide you ask that “isn’t much”, well, personal information of course! I’m not going to give out my SSN# now will I? My personal beliefs are what I am talking about. I do not believe that any living human soul should be forced to hide their feelings and/or beliefs. If something strikes you as odd, by all means, inquire about it. It seems that this natural human trait has been packaged into a privilege that if ‘abused’ by too many has dire consequences. This includes situations that deal with red button issues such as religion, basic human rights and politics. Control is at stake here. There are too many people and the only way to control them is fear. It keeps everything in line and in order for the establishment or community to keep plodding what their next move will be. Here is a simple analogy: the burglar wants to break in but there is a Rottweiler waiting to tear your head off. What do you do? Throw him a bone in the opposite direction. The dog will be happy and so will the burglar. What does this have to do with inquisition? Well, as mentioned above about religion, basic human rights and politics, the small things in life that are important to one’s vitality or livelihood get affected by society’s noose when it comes to opinions. Too many folks that are against you will label you as an outcast. It’s simple. If you are an atheist living in a community of Baptists, you might have a hard time fitting in. Who are the one’s lighting the pyre? The Baptists are. Why? Because they fear what they do not understand and if you are not with them, then you are against them. Religious people have TOO MUCH to prove and a vast amount of loss would occur if proven wrong. Atheists have nothing to lose. This is human nature at its worst I’m afraid. This is the many idiosyncrasies that I must deal with and accept because I’m guilty of it too. I’m a humanistic misanthrope. I hate to love people and I love to hate people but because I believe suicide is a sign of weakness (as a misanthrope, the religious nuts should just kill themselves), one must carry on and live by intelligence as best they can. I don’t like labels either because they are limiting. Can a misanthrope still be capable of love? *Sigh* yes, they can. There is a secret rainbow hidden in this black muscle called a heart and because I refuse to get sucked into the vast majority of closed minded peoples in this society, I do believe there are good Homo sapiens still somewhere in this world. Though we may not fully agree on everything, we can exist on an intelligent plane at certain points without tar and feathering one another.

One hell of a subject that I brought up was NSBM. This stands for National Socialist Black Metal. National Socialism is not something on my plate to devour considering that it may not be for freedom of speech or tolerance of any kind. This political party or parties because there happen to be more than a fist full, have had its name drug through the mud with Hitler right by its side. Yes, it’s bad. Not such a good idea to push on Americans considering its deep roots with the Jewish people.  Why? The Nazi regime will forever be the boogeyman in a Jewish nation’s nightmare. It seems that all walks of life here in the United States and Germany (and many other countries) have come together and agreed that ANY affiliation with such treachery will be met with dire consequences. This isn’t 1934. This is 2009 and the 3^rd Reich is dead. Hello? You fear fascism returning? Shit, it never went away. What are you doing, fighting fire with fire? Try using water for a change! Now, what about those few who do support National Socialism? Boy, they’re fucked! Fascism has a new face. That’s all. Same bullshit, different day. *The roles have been reversed my friends*  

Black Metal has been courted with negative backlash by idiotic humanoids that get confused and lump NSBM with just good old fashioned plain Black Metal. An example is the Illinois based band Nachtmystium.  They were forced to cancel their appearance for a festival sponsored by Scion of Toyota. Nachtmystium, even with the smallest amount of research, would have surfaced a true fact that they are not related to, referenced to nor influenced by NSBM. With true, raw Black Metal, there isn’t much difference except for the NS part. This is actually where I start to get confused because many of us that are into the factual basics of Black Metal are against politics/government of any kind. Authority can go fuck itself and misanthropy “ist Krieg”. Now, unless the NS part of this is just holding into account of ideology and not the formation of any type of government, then I may understand.  I’ve researched this on NSBM.org and have gotten more insight to what NSBM stands for. Clarity, for one, is needed here, badly.

NSBM is against freethinking and liberalism. I’m trying to grasp this because the medium through which I’m trying to get this shit straight is by freethinking; simply opening my mind to understanding WHY.

According to them, they are not political. National Socialism is not political? Somebody slap me. The F.A.Q. list had a question listed concerning why they are not out killing people. Answer?  Their “…goals are political and require work on many levels.” Okay, another inconsistency: spreading the NS word:

“It is our great pride that this music is first art and then the expression of power. NS is not political; it is about bringing an end to politics through the focused power of a race. NS is not about politics and making people obey. It is about destroying politics and setting the people free.  National Socialism is not politics, or religion, or culture or a method of civilization, but it is all of those at once. The modern way is to separate connected things; the ancient way (traditionalism) is to understand them as a process that cannot be divided. That alone is our highest political statement.”

Well, as we can see, redundancy is a talentless attribute. I’m dissecting this because it makes no sense. First of all, I understand that modernism has destroyed to some major degree concerning the purity of culture. We see this in Paganism as Christianity’s fist made its debut in 1066 and destroyed all that was sacred to the Germanic peoples. Today, it’s going to be a damn hard task, if not impossible to rectify the ancient way of living. I completely agree that it is an atrocity that our System has manipulated and destroyed beyond recognition the true face of ancient wisdom. However, by adopting Nazism and its symbols (though the Swastika is NOT BY ALL MEANS ORIGINAL TO NATIONAL SOCIALISM) will not get you anywhere because quite simply, hardly anyone will listen nor take NS seriously, especially by claiming that NS is not political when it truly is.

Severing politics from the highly held misanthropic ideals is my cup of tea. This is the Black Metal part we should support because it all boils down to people after you simplify this situation. Throwing shit into the fan will in turn give you back with what you started if you want to fight politics with your own set of politics: shit. A misanthropist would be smarter and hide a rock in at pile of shit and then throw it. You might get some on you but who got the better shot?

So, when it comes to NSBM, I’m not 100% for it. *YOU DID READ THAT RIGHT?* I feel that some might be afraid that I was going to get suckered into “ethnic cleansing” and “anti-homosexuality”.  This takes us back to square one. People are afraid of what they do not understand. They start to jump the gun and assume (makes an ASS out of U and ME) that I’m pro Nazi. No, I’m not. What I will say is that there are things that should be considered and that there are some points I do agree with. I’m not afraid to say this either which include natural selection, pride for one’s heritage (NOT SHOVING IT DOWN ANYONE’S THROAT) (ALL ethnicities have a right to separate if they so desire), non support for the weak, (Darwinian sense, back to natural selection), a belief in a world without organized religion & government and a belief in breaking social control. Ethnic cleansing is an old concept and actually outdated. People and their cultures are so meddled together now that it’s very, very difficult to separate traditions or to just even stop the situation unless you were to wipe out most of the human population. Genocide. Where do you start? Who gets the bullet to the head? Whether one race is better than the other, I have no fucking idea and neither do I care. I’m more concerned about just the humans that are invading my earthly space that are in my way of personal progression. I’m simply trying to enjoy life while being raped for money/taxes by the government.  I’m trying to make a living while customers butt in with their fat noses and listen to every word I have to say and then repeat it to the authorities if it’s not to their liking. I’m trying to get along with people that see the world differently than I do and I’m trying to survive in a world that doesn’t listen to anything I have to say.

So, music fans, what the fuck are you so scared about when it comes to NSBM? It is not a threat to your livelihood. Hitler’s ghost isn’t going to rise like Jesus on Easter Sunday. The folks that want to support it have that right. The anti NSBM people with their own propaganda pages are shadow boxing. You aren’t going to make a difference by wiping them out; this makes you just as bad as they wanting to wipe you out. Good luck on any case.

Last but not least, today’s new face of fascism as I started to mention at the beginning. United States Government, greed, $,  propaganda, society, control, greed, $, conformity, the media, greed, $, military, politics, $, patriotism, money, greed, taxes, law, greed, $, religion, socialism, greed, $, United States Socialism. There isn’t a god damn thing I like about this shit.  If I were alive in Hitler’s time, I would have been killed too. TA-DAAAAAAAAAAAA!!

It had been a decade and a half since the classic Bay Area thrashers Forbidden played live in Los Angeles. The City of Hollywood got the long awaited taste of some infamous thrash metal at the Key Club March 26^th and surely did not disappoint! Los Angeles was the first stop on a very short California tour that would end up meeting quite a few loyal fans that have awaited a long while to see a piece of metal history. Right beside those that may have been lucky to see them back in the day of the early/mid 1990’s, the new metal generation that I feel who were the smart ones to have attended, seemed eager to see Forbidden to collectively add them to the list of many under-appreciated pioneers of Bay Area Thrash metal.

There were only a small few openers all for which did not have a name that shined as favorable nor sounded as brutal as Forbidden. The first band by the name of Lethal Dossage took the stage @ 7:30 pm to a club that barely held more than 2 dozen people at the time. Attendance was strikingly low for the first 3 hours. I felt that maybe more of the metal heads had skipped across town this night to Orange County to see Destruction who just played the Key Club 2 nights before with an “almost” sold-out and obnoxious crowd. Maybe the competition was too tough? Not in the least. More fans were on their way, but it seemed that the bands prior to Forbidden just couldn’t bevy up enough interest to put asses in the pit at an early time. Remember, it’s been more than 14 years, why not wait another 4 hours? Lethal Dossage could have simply passed as a cool Slayer cover band though no Slayer songs were covered…the lead singer had an eerie likeness of Tom Araya’s voice, so much so, I had hoped for a Slayer tune or two though to no avail, they were just mediocre at best.

The next beating we endured was Elfion. Elfion is Elf language for “stab thy ears”. This band had been reviewed and chewed by me in my blog for Exodus back in December of 2008. Power metal without a doubt, the ball pinching & wincing was sure to make a deaf man hear again so these lads really do have a talent after all if you think about it in a sick sort of way.

Moving on….Letum Ascensus is another Los Angeles band purely Death metal ~ no more, no less. The band leaves nothing to the imagination for which they really do need one to keep the music more interesting. It seemed every song drilled out was an extension of the one before it and then maybe a 12” mix somewhere in between. Boris on vocals could pass as Glen Benton of Deicide, or maybe not, considering the only thing missing from Boris is the upside down cross that has long been branded onto Glen’s forehead. Death metal nowadays is either old rehash or had been crossbred with metalcore with some vegan/ soy bullshit for decoration and bad taste (i.e. White Chapel, Cattle Decapitation, Blood Runs Black, Despised Icon, blah, blah blah). Letum Ascensus wasn’t breaking new ground though they didn’t have the pig squels, which I give them kudos for, they should just stay home next time and play Deicide’s  “Deicide” over and over and over again to get the feeling of how redundant their sound was.

At this time @ 9:30 pm, the security for the upstairs dining area informed Matt & I that the club capacity had reached about 151 persons. Disturbing as this seemed, I was almost convinced that the real metal fans stood up Forbidden and had eloped with Destruction to Orange County for a night of beer, bullets and mosh pit bruises. Disappointed and slightly embarrassed, the last band before Forbidden didn’t amuse me either though they did compliment Forbidden’s set well. Their name is Psychosis. Not to be confused with a band by the same name that are from Texas and slightly Christian, this band however, had formed during the early 90’s brandishing a Bay Area sound and stake their claim here in the Los Angeles/North Hollywood metal scene. They are new but then they are not, however, the singer Bruce Hall laid it out to those of us listening that this had been only their 6^th live show. For simple metal spirit, I will say that they did a great set considering the randomness and sketchy past the band members have endured.  Pychosis did not have many songs to give us but what they did hammer out was worth the listen.

Upon Psychosis finishing up their finale, the crowd started to swell up down below as the headbangers gathered for a night long worth the wait. I was pleased as punch to see that the fans, from where ever they came, took the time and spent the few dollars to come and see Forbidden. Too bad for those that did not, but from what I have learned recently, Forbidden are slated to return to the States for a Fall tour.

Forbidden hijacked the stage at 11pm with the intro: Parting ways. The songs are as follows (Matt was lucky enough to have the sound guy give up the set list at the end of the show!): Parting Ways, Infinite…, Forbidden Evil, Off The Edge, Step By Step, Twisted Into Form, Follow Me, Tossed Away, Green, Out of Body, March Into Fire, Eyes of Glass, One Foot In Hell, and Chalice of Blood. “Off The Edge” gave way for clouds of foul weed, stage divers falling on their heads and moshers colliding. While the immense energy downstairs lingered in the air as though lightning had stricken the stage, the amps started to give out. After the song, Russ Anderson amazed himself at how great the sound was, “Shit’s blowin’ up~must be good!!” If one didn’t know what was going on, a person would have thought Russ may had taken a puff from some Pineapple Express….once the amps were fixed, Russ introduced the band.

Russ sounded good. I’m not one to extend my opinion on a band that I had not previously seen years before but from past film footage and more obviously from listening to Forbidden’s cds that Russ wasn’t hitting the highest of the high notes. This isn’t bad because he did so well that night despite the long absence that any of the albums, namely, “Forbidden Evil” & “Twisted into Form” (more popularly the first two of course) could have been brand new material  just recorded and would have passed as thrash classics. Speaking of such, Russ mentioned this seemingly new past time of re-recording older material and asked if just maybe it should be done. More notably for the album “Twisted into Form” ~ his response? “You don’t mess with history….”  Point well taken!

Ear candy such as “March into Fire” and “One Foot in Hell” found more and more stage divers crawling up the pants legs of the band members to use their bodies as objects to pursue straight forward thrash metal statements. I had caught 2 to 3 different fans that made it to the stage falling to their knees and bowing to Russ and the guitarist Craig Lucicero as if they were the physical manifestations of Ra, the Egyptian Sun god. I was highly tickled by this and though I certainly do not carry such brass balls to hit up the stage like that, I give the kids kudos in doing so to show their enthusiasm for such great talent.

“The Still Twisted West Coast Blitz” ended 15 minutes early (WTF?) though without an encore (that I could remember) the fans were left salivating for more. Forbidden left the stage never to return that night leaving many thinking they would. We were befuddled but certainly not disappointed! Regardless, idle chatter and background noise gave me the sense that people had a good time. When Forbidden return so shall we, Twisted but still Evil!!