Destruction with Krisiun - BB Kings (4/7/09)

Call 'em 'German Thrash Gods' or 'cheese-ball extraordinaires', either way there is no disputing that Destruction was on top form at BB Kings (NYC) last night (4/7/09). After taking a breather from the US, this was their first time back in a bit, and with them they brought a new album, D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N.

Opening for the foreign metal trio was... another foreign metal trio. Krisiun, a Brazilian death/thrash band. When I got to the venue Krisiun were midway through their set and I immediately bumped into Marc, the drummer of Destruction, before I could get through the door. Marc got me and my friend into the show, and after an awkward exchange let me politely know that my other friend would have to buy her own ticket. I guess considering that I met this guy for approximetely 10 minutes one year prior to this show it was a bit much to ask for 3 tickets, but fuck it, its worth a shot anyway. As we made our way and straight to the bar, I can honestly say that the joint wasn't sold out but everyone there seemed to be very into Krisiuns set. As a metal diehard, I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I didn't know too much of of their stuff, but I had given the new album, Southern Storm a few spins and liked what I heard. 'Combustion Inferno' was the song of night from them and got the crowd juiced. Brutal, thrashy, classic.

Destruction, who were set to hit the stage at 9, didn't make it on till closer till 9:30, which made everyone in the crowd a bit drunker. It seems I am not the only metal fan that hits the bar during even the briefest moments of boredom. Big shocker there. The Germans opened up with 'Soul Collector', an interesting choice from the Inventor of Evil album out in 2005. Not my favorite, but points for being fast.as.fuck. With basically no banter in between songs, the band sped right into the title track off of D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N., which is also easily the heaviest and most brutal of the album. The set was fast, clean, and bare-bones thrash metal. Since the current lineup consists of only one original member (guitarist - Mike Sifringer) a few of the older songs were ditched to make room for the material played by the 'new boys' onstage. I use the term 'new boys' loosely, since both frontman, Shmier, and drummer, Marc, have been in the band nearly 10 years. Still, in some sense that is just a drop in the bucket to Destructions 25-years-and-still-going run. I ditched my friends to push my way up to the baracade for the end of the show, catching a flaunty drum solo, and the encore up close. I couldn't help but notice I appeared to be 1 of the 5 women in attendance, and yet still taller than the majority of the crowd.

After the show I stuck around to thank Marc for getting us in and he invited me and my friends backstage. I got to chat with the boys, who were all drinking and in good spirits. Being that it was the last date on the tour, everyones guard was down and ready to let loose. Marc quickly thanked me for coming and then rushed off to the bus with a lady friend he picked up. Although I had no interest in pulling a groupie-type-thang with him, I should have left after that. Of course I decided to stay and drink their beer and eat their food. Bless these boys.

Inferno Festival - Oslo, Norway

First, some Inferno ’08 slang to know…

• Inferno Festival: Oslo’s annual metal festival featuring three days of primarily Scandinavian Black Metal bands, with a few Death, Thrash and Doom foreigners scattered in. This year, there is an added Club day- featuring acts at numerous venues throughout the city.
• BM: For the sake of my review, BM will stand for Black Metal (not bowel movements).
  
• Niklas Kvarforth: BM’s new ‘it’ boy, and member of half the bands at Inferno, most notably the extreme Shining.
  
• Gaahl: The singer of one of Inferno’s headlining acts this year, Gorgoroth, as well as key member in Trelldom, and Gaahlskagg. He’s intimidating, and kind of a big deal. (sidenote: I almost crapped myself when I first met him.)
  

The festival began within hours of stepping off of my plane to Oslo. Half the shops were closed for Easter (which is apparently a weeklong event in Norway), it’s cold as hell, and a cheap beer costs 10 bucks. I hurried over to one of the metal pubs, where I met up with some friends and bought expensive drinks. I noticed Gaahl and King of Gorgoroth, sipping drinks at the other end of the bar. This was the moment when I realized Inferno Festival was about to begin.

Wednesday, March 19:

The Club day is the festival's kickoff and included 14 bands, at 6 different venues, essentially all playing at the same time. Basically, Oslo was sprinkled with crazies dressed in all black, running around like chickens with their heads cut off, trying to see different bands all playing at the same time. Because of this, I had to choose carefully. The first band up was Cor Scorpii, who, like Vreid, formed from the remains of seminal folk BM band, Windir. Having only released a demo (that kicked ass), Cor Scorpiiis was highly anticipated, and the crowd didn’t seem to know exactly what to expect. The show was packed, and although frontman Thomas S. Øvstedal seemed to have some stumbling moments, the band was tight, and seemed highly reminiscent of Windir.