CONCERT REVIEW/INTERVIEW: EPICUREAN

Opening for Rotting Christ Jan 21st at the Starlite Room were Minnesota metalheads, Epicurean. Their performance like most opening bands was expected to be sub-par compared to the headliners, a consequence of seeing that exact formula time and time again.

Much to my surprise these five guys from Minneapolis did an excellent job at getting a crowd whipped up and ready for a night of destruction!

Front man John Laramy, can provide power in his vocals that propels Epicurean's energy all the way to the back of the room and back again. His transition from dirty to clean vocals is almost seamless and even though he is not the most animated on stage his stage presence is strong enough that he can command an audience.

Laramy's band mates cannot be undersold at all either. For young talent, guitarist Jarod Mills has all the makings of a great entertainer as well, his charismatic mannerisms, whilst still executing riffs with lightning precision makes him a well rounded performer and clearly a crowd favourite. Bassist Eli Pete and substitute guitarist on this tour, Brian Koenig (Luna Mortis) rounded off the string section well. Epicurean, like most melodic metal would be nothing if the percussion and keyboarding fell short. This group did nothing of the sort, with machine-gun drummer John Gensmer let loose on tracks like "Behind the Chapel Walls" and the backing tracks of temporarily absent keyboardist Jared Shneider setting the ominous tones over the entire set, Epicurean proves that not all melodic metal has to be Opeth-esque in nature.

This stellar performance from relative unknowns propelled this band from my periphery to dead center in my sights and in my mind as some of the new American metal talent to watch for.

I believe that with Chicago dark metal staple and metal veterans, Novembers Doom dropping off the Lucifer over America tour at the beginning of January for medical reasons left a void that allowed Epicurean some breathing room. If lead singer John Laramy's vocals are any indicator, they are taking some big breaths and making the best of their time in the spotlight.

Such a terrific set could not go unanswered for, so Epicurean agreed to sit down with The Forge and chat about all things music and many other things that had nothing to do with music whatsoever.

Joining me, were founding members, John Laramy, John Gensmer, Jarod Mills, and Eli Pete

After some deliberation about whose mall was bigger West Ed or their hometown's Mall of America, playful banter about Dave Mustaine's diva-like antics locally here at Gigantour, and some excellent song recommendations from (Jarod) Mills. We started to finally get down to our Q&A session, only occasionally being distracted by attractive female tennis players with long Russian names on the TV's behind us.

Forge-It may seem somewhat cliché to ask, but what were your first influences in metal that made you decide to get into metal yourselves?

Mills, Gensmer (almost in unison) - Megadeth! and also Dimmu Borgir's album Puritanical (Euphoric Misanthropia)

Laramy- Definitely the song "Epic" by Faith No More

Pete- Uh, I don't know, my first taste of extreme music was like Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, that kind of stuff.

Forge-So, you basically made the transition from grunge into metal?

Pete-Yeah, that's it.

Forge- What do you guys like to do when you are on the road other than anything music related?

Mills-(laughs) smoke a lot of weed!

Pete- Sleep mostly

Laramy-We do a lot of stuff, I don't know we're all just a bunch of "goofy douche bags" you know?

Forge- How do you like this tour, being just signed on with Metal Blade in 2007?

Gensmer- It's way better than our old D.I.Y. tours, never being sure of whether or not you're getting paid, being stranded in places, it's way better on this tour.

Forge- Speaking of being on tour, or in this case, not. Where is your man (Jared) Schneider?

Now, at this point, the guys preferred that I not share the intimate details of it, suffice it to say, he had prior commitments that wouldn't allow him to attend the touring portion of the trip.

Mills- He's still a huge part of the creative process, he does a lot of our writing like 51% and we just put his keyboards on the back track to make up for his absence.

Forge- So, who does the other 49% of the writing then?

Mills- I think we all do, we each contribute a little bit, collectively.

Forge- Like taking each of your individual experiences and bringing it to the table?

Mills- Yeah pretty much.

Forge- Being on tour, are you guys leaving any significant others behind? girlfriends, that sort of thing?

Mills, Gensmer, Laramy, Pete- Oh yeah. Sorta

Forge- Then what's with all the talk about girls and the like from earlier?

Laramy- Hey, it's all good to preheat the oven as long as you do your cooking at home!

Forge- If you guys weren't in this band, doing metal music what would you more than likely be doing?

Gensmer, Mills and Pete- Probably working in a warehouse somewhere, thats kind of how we all know each other from working in warehouses.

Laramy- School.

Forge- What for?

Laramy- English or Physics

Forge- Oh alright guys, final question, hypothetically speaking if your careers were going to end forever with no way back but, you had the opportunity to go and play one last show in any country you wanted where would that be?

Gensmer- Romania or Greece

Laramy- Japan definitely

Mills- Japan

Pete- Japan or to play Wacken (German Open Air Festival)

The boys are in no danger at this point of having their careers ended prematurely, if nothing else the future holds big changes for the guys. Bizarrely, the band now has a Canadian connection, coming on in February, is a new lead guitarist to fill the gap that Brian Koenig is sitting in on for this tour. Originally a native of Newfoundland, this artist has resided in Windsor, Ontario for a few years and despite the guys from Epicurean completing over 150 pieces of documentation just to bring him over they still say he is not one hundred percent legal yet. From what they say he is supposed to be an incredibly talented individual and I, personally cannot wait to see what developments take place after their new addition comes onboard.

Hear the three debut EP songs released by Epicurean and much more, simply click here for their site.

CONCERT REVIEW: ROTTING CHRIST ft. EPICUREAN AND MANTIC RITUAL

As darkness fell in our beloved city Wednesday night, the cold winter air returned, biting the flesh of a very dedicated albeit relatively smaller than normal following of metal fans outside the Starlite Room.

What in all of Rotten-Christendom could bring these people out of the safety and comfort of their warm homes? The answer is quite simple, melodic black metal pioneers, Rotting Christ, have arrived.

It's been twenty years since Rotting Christ became an entity in their native Greece and even with all the notoriety they have gained in the underground annals of Heavy Metal; nothing much has changed them as people. They are still the same down to earth, salt of the earth guys who would gladly give you the shirt off their back to help rather than turn their nose up at you. You see this reflected in their offstage behaviour and their sincere appreciation of their fans. All the stigma and stereotype that has surrounded them over the years could not be further from the true heart of this group.

Supporting their ninth full length release, "Theogonia" on this, the second leg of the "Lucifer over America Tour", Rotting Christ displays that consistently, they can still produce an album that can please their fans, allow them to make something different from previous releases, and stay true to their original vision all at the same time.

Opening their set to the theme from the Frank Miller film "300" came as no big surprise given the grand presence it creates, the overall sound of Theogonia as an album, and the background of the band. A few technical issues arose during the show that interrupted the intensity of the "Herculean" performance but in live shows this is something of a common expectation.

Despite the technical pitfalls, a great set list including "The Sign of Prime Creation", "In Domine Sathana", and "Threnody" made any previous inconveniences and interruptions fade away into distant memory. Their effective blend of Greek mythological imagery, Latin verses (which didn't stop fans from singing along surprisingly) and ominous chants in the back tracks set the tone nicely, turning the intimate venue of the Starlite Room into a sort of twisted perversion of a place of worship.

In this synagogue of doom worthy of Phobos himself, front man Sakis Tolis relentlessly envelops the room in his vocalizations, stirring fervor in the crowd that is compounded by the drums of his brother Themis. Amplifying the duo on either side of the stage like great pillars are bassist Andreas Lagios and relative new addition, lead guitarist Giorgos 'George' Bokos (joined in 2005). The animation of Bokos and Lagios amplify what has already become an exceptional show with ferocity of presence and fine display of technical skill.

They finish the night the same way they began it and an air of satisfaction hangs in the room long after the last amp gets switched off.

Those that came, saw something that has a legacy going back two decades, those that couldn't make it, I hope to see you out the next time, with your horns up, in support of one of the few purist underground metal bands still around today.

More than likely it will be much warmer then; I know this because when asked about their experience touring in Canada, vocalist Sakis Tolis expressed the group’s exact feelings as best he could.

"We're freezing our asses off!"

ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A DEATH METALLER?

Chances are, you probably aren't.

For years, even as early as 1986 when Heavy Metal was the most popular music in the world, it has been undersold by it's opponents as music for a lesser breed of humanity. This sort of elitist, self righteous, my excrement don't stink mentality is exactly why I wanted to start this Webpage/Blog in the first place, to provide a voice of reason to meet the mainstream and the underground in the middle.

Do not misunderstand, I do not believe that ALL metal fans are brilliant T.S. Elliot spouting intellectuals. There will always be a few less than bright 'mammals' that coincidentally happen to listen to my favourite musical genre. If you don't believe me, the next time you are at an event that features heavy metal music, watch for the guys who talk exactly like Spicoli from "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" and hang out in a pack, the "Surfers without an Ocean" as I call them. Put it this way, if these guys wrote CD reviews, it would have two categories, "THAT SUCKS!" and "THAT RULES!" I'll stop picking on these guys, because if they're going to see Heavy Metal, they must be smarter than they look and behave.

Honestly though, the stereotype over the years has always been one of inferior intelligence, violent aggression against others (outside of a moshpit), and/or suicide. For example, in the Columbine High School shooting in 1999, Marilyn Manson and other forms of metal music were made scapegoats for their actions, when in reality, it was done on that day to supposedly commemorate Hitler's 110th. Perhaps we should condemn marijuana because they chose to do it on April 20th (4/20, trust me, the potheads get it.)

I have said for years that this music DOES NOT inspire violence, depression, and satanism, and I am not the first, but, try as I might there was nothing but my opinion to back it up.

Until last year when numerous studies were documented that had actually looked into the psychology of heavy metal music and its people. Just as I thought, it chimed in just about everywhere with my own personal beliefs.

Unlike former president (thank god!) George W. Bush, I do not make a habit of spewing from my mouth something that someone else has written without giving credit where credit's due. (CLICK HERE FOR THE SYNOPSIS ARTICLE COMPILED FROM THESE STUDIES!)

Even with this information, there will always be opponents to metal music, as there always has been. Even one of metal's root melodies the tri-tone, was banned by the church at one point in history, because it would invoke "Satan" c'mon, if ABBA, Duran Duran, and anything done by Vanilla Ice haven't inspired the rise of the Dark One, metal doesn't stand a chance of doing so.

So, in summary, do yourself a favour, take a minute and listen to some metal and truly listen, not just hear and see it for what it is. Another form of music, that all walks of life can find cathartic, and bearing some correlation to their lives. Especially those whom are gifted intellectually. (see study above)

Not ready to delve into hardcore death metal just yet? That's okay, metal has much to offer, for "the softer side of heavy metal" click this previous posting.

Alright class! Pencils down! Horn's up!

FUNNY HA HA? OR FUNNY HELL YEAH!: PART DVA (that's Russian for two for those playing the home game).

ENTER SANDMAN: THE KAZOO EDITION

THE HEAVY METAL MONK: THIS IS ACTUALLY FUNNY BECAUSE IT'S REAL!


GREEN JELLY: THREE LITTLE PIGS (FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T EXPERIENCED THIS METAL COMEDY CLASSIC)

RICK N' ROLL (RICK ASTLEY METAL COVER)



DAVE MUSTAINE ON ROCK N ROLL JEOPARDY (He's not so much what's funny, it's Moon Unit Zappa)
PART 1


PART 2


ALL GOOD METAL IS FROM SWEDEN AND THIS GUY IS NO EXCEPTION, I THINK HE USED TO BE A CHEF ORIGINALLY

Public Service Announcement from The Forge

A new documentary on Black Metal, that surprisingly does not focus on church burnings, is available on the FORGE-TUBE. Enjoy at your own risk of self discovery.

"EDUCATION IS THE PROGRESSIVE DISCOVERY OF OUR OWN IGNORANCE"

-WILL DURANT (1885-1981)

QUEER EYE FOR THE BLACK METAL GUY?

GAAHL(in makeup above and right, below sans makeup) WITH FORMER BF, AND MODELING AGENT,

DAN DE VERO

Back in August, 2008, the news that Gorgoroth frontman Gaahl ( real name Kristian Eivind Espedal) was working in collaboration with a fashion label to start up his own line of women's clothing, was not shocking, Gaahl has always been an eccentric. Around the time of that news, rumours began to start that stated that he was in fact gay. Nothing more was really said on the matter, a lot of speculation for the most part, a background incident at Wacken, and even outright defiance to the fact by some black metal fans.

However, on January 6, 2009 in a talk with Hollands FaceCulture, Gaahl was very open and honest about his sexuality and said that he is gay. An English translation of an article regarding his sexual orientation from Germany's Hard Rock magazine became available on metal news site Blabbermouth.Net (click here for that) and since then, both himself and former boyfriend Dan De Vero have received threats, De Vero says they have come by telephone, mail and email.

Gaahl though, has never considered this whole debacle to be a "coming out" he says "It doesn't feel to me as if I've outed myself because up until now the whole thing was a non-issue for me. All this evolved very naturally. I feel how I feel and I've never made any secret about it."

In the interview, FaceCulture asked him whether or not people would react differently to him and/or his music in light of this news. His answer was this, "Mankind is known to be narrow-minded, so… maybe some [will have a negative reaction]," he replied. "But I guess it will even out the score in a way. I think it will be positive for some and negative for some. It's always good to have some negative as well. Otherwise you would end up with equality and equality is the worst thing in the world. . . Equality is stagnation. It doesn't let anything grow. It holds back."

Well said, from what I can only describe as one of the scariest gay men since Jeffrey Dahmer (a little extreme but not far off). Despite this ballsy move, and the fact that its such a non-issue for the Gorgoroth front man, one who has followed his career cannot shake the memory of his assault against a young man some time ago. In the documentary True Norwegian Black Metal, you get a look at a completely different Gaahl than the one you see depicted here.The documentary is available on the Forge-Tube (click here) for your entertainment and information needs.

Despite his strange albeit checkered past, it is the main message of black metal itself to be true to yourself without caring what others think. An excellent lesson in self-esteem, tragically skewed by satanic imagery and messages.

Gaahl is not the first metal frontman to reveal his sexual orientation publically, Rob Halford of Judas Priest (a major influence of Gaahls) came out years ago, much to the surprise of 'Priest fans. Although in hindsight, the signature leatherbar attire he wore on stage would be a dead give away in modern times. Its not just a game for boys either, L.A. screamer, Otep is a proud lesbian. I am sure there are others that remain uncounted because for them, its not what defines them and it's more about their music.

It's sad in this modern time, when one's sexual orientation can inspire such hatred and prejudice even among a band's most dedicated of fans. However, how much of a fan are you when you put the music and the message second behind the artists sexual preference? Gay, Straight, and anything in between, metal's message has always been acceptance and the breaking of barriers that separate us. Better to be a proud metalhead accepting of all that come into our fold than an ignorant breeder, probably unsure of their own sexuality (you know who you are.)

Until next time, keep those horns....and rainbow flags, high!

A VERY SPECIAL HEALTH MESSAGE FROM THE FORGE OF HEAVY METAL

Nothing, with the exception of the metal "horns" is more dogmatic to Heavy Metal music than a good old fashioned headbang.

For those not familiar with the term headbang, it is the physical action at most Metal shows where either the crowd, the band, or both, with sway their head rapidly in succession up and down, in a circular motion, or from side to side.

However, if you want to continue this practice, do so at your own risk. According to a study conducted in the UK and published in the British Medical Journal (click here for the study) headbanging can create problems such as whiplash. They found using a theoretical model that certain songs and even style of headbanging, could be responsible for serious injury.

To summarize, the study suggests the following to prevent injury.

1) Decrease the range of head and neck motion

2) Head bang to slower tempo songs by replacing Heavy Metal with adult oriented rock (Good luck on that one lads)

3) Only headbang to every second beat. (because metalheads were so in sync before, with the exception of Amon Amarth)

4) Use protective equipment

One problem with that last one, you show up looking like this:

Some metalheads may just laugh at you, others though, who didn't get enough hugs as children, may make you leave looking like this:

In all reality, headbanging is like any other physical activity, if it starts to hurt or you feel a little disoriented, um... what's the word I am looking for here, ah yes...STOP! Any athlete knows when to stop and take a second before risking injury the same needs to be done here. I have headbanged excessively throughout my deep, committed, relationship to Heavy Metal and I haven't gotten hurt, a little dizzy yes, but not hurt. It is important that we use the very brain we rattle around at these shows and take care of ourselves, its the same reason we pick a guy up that falls in the moshpit or keep a person moving along during a crowd surfing moment, because in the end we all just want to go out, have fun and not get hurt for our trouble.

Being a solid headbanger isn't all bad, check this guy out from a European Gameshow.

GUERILLA METALLICA CONCERT VIDEOS-REXALL PLACE DECEMBER 7th

METALLICA

OPENER-ECSTASY OF GOLD

THAT WAS JUST YOUR LIFE

ONE

BROKEN BEAT AND SCARRED

ALL NIGHTMARE LONG

MASTER OF PUPPETS (SOLO)


THE SWORD VIDEOS (A LITTLE BONUS FOR YOU GOOD PEOPLE)

BARAEL'S BLADE

FIRE LANCES OF THE ANCIENT HYPERZEPHYRIANS

FREYA

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER: METALLICA PLAYS REXALL PLACE DECEMBER 7th

My sincerest apologies for taking ever so long to have the review for this concert to fire through The Forge. Thankfully unlike most metal shows in Edmonton, there was some excellent coverage done on the event by our cities mainstream publications.
For those, choose your Poison below:

EDMONTON SUN

EDMONTON JOURNAL

Well, the "Death Magnet" had its attraction on overdrive on sunday the 7th, as fans of every conceivable shape and size came together and packed Rexall to the roof.

Fans only began to trickle into the main venue by the time the first of two openers, The Sword, took the stage with such song essentials of theirs as "Barael's Blade" and the Guitar Hero fave "Freya". Although they had a great set, for most of the mainstream Metallica fans there, it seemed like an odd fit to them. These are also the same people who deny the existence of previous Metallica albums "Load" "Re-Load" and musical group hug "St. Anger".

If The Sword threw them off their game, they hadn't seen anything yet...

Next to take the center stage of Rexall, were Richmond Virginia's Lamb of God, the five member metal machine with the misleading name. They've been called leaders of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal, and with their performance that night, its clear to see why, with gut wrenching songs like "Laid to Rest" "Redneck" and the always popular "Walk with me in Hell". In addition to their usual faire, the savage throated, head slammin', five piece gave us a taste of their upcoming album Wrath with their song "Dead Seeds" as well as sending a shout out to our military as a lead into "Now You've Got Something to Die For". With all this intensity on stage, I was incredibly surprised to see the relatively inactive crowd on the floor save two very unimpressive moshpits. Perhaps the crowd was preparing for the onslaught to come.

Anticipation and energy grew as the lights went down and the Rexall crowd became a sea of glittering lights, like stars constructed of cellphone displays and lighters. After what seemed like an eternity bathed in darkness, the long awaited kraken that is Metallica came from the darkness below to take the stage, dwarfed by the four monolithic casket shaped lighting rigs that dangle above their stage. (photo shown at the top)

Opening their set with "That Was Just Your Life" amidst a dazzling laser light display from the complex lighting apparatus that flowed throughout their almost now signature central stage setup. The band it seemed, had finally tapped into that youthful energy they seemed to lose long ago as their set continued, executing such staples as "Creeping Death", "Battery", and "Of Wolf and Man" with expert precision.

As excellent as the older songs were, for me, I wanted to hear the songs from their latest work and the force behind their tour, Death Magnetic. Sometimes a song performed live can be like the pretty girl at the end of the bar late into the night, great at first, but upon closer observation, not nearly what you were expecting. Three seconds into "Broken, Beat, and Scarred" I knew for sure that this "girl" was hot. The new stuff blended well with the old, keeping the universal theme for the night, laughing in the face of death and personal struggle. With alchohol, career wide lineup changes and the loss of Cliff Burton years ago, this band knows all too well what price can be paid in life and in death.

An element of theatre was prevalent as the band continued, songs like "One" among others had plumes of fire erupt from the stage, the heat so intense that I could feel it in the front row beyond the floor. One could only imagine how hot it got for James Hetfield and his merry men, with these eruptions going off mere feet from them. Beyond the great spires of fire, rows of coloured flame shot up from raised platforms at appropriately choreographed times. Besides the fire and lasers, the caskets that seemed to hang precariously above them, could actually move and change position almost walling up the band at certain points, bathing them with light effects.

The band ended their evening with the deployment of what can only be described as black, logo emblazened, beach balls of varying size. Adding an element of impish fun, to an otherwise traditional heavy metal experience.

All in all, eventhough, the tone of the evening and of Death Magnetic, was the macabre and the dead. One could not help but be brought back to life, empowered by a thrash metal band that had fairly humble beginnings in their native California, just a bunch of kids, trading cassettes (you remember those, right?) of heavy metal from across the world (a pre-Napster music sharing network, irony anyone?). Young kids who now, have kids of their own, but no matter the age, no matter the strife and trouble that life throws at them, Metallica will continue to inspire generations to come, ensuring that metal, particularily the subgenre they co-founded, thrash will live on.

Missed the concert and want to know what songs played that night?
Here's the SET LIST from our show here in Edmonton.
(TRY ONE, THEY'RE INTERACTIVE!)

That Was Just Your Life
The End Of The Line
Creeping Death
Of Wolf And Man
One
Broken, Beat And Scarred
Cyanide
Sad But True
The Unforgiven
All Nightmare Long
The Day That Never Comes
Master Of Puppets
Battery
Nothing Else Matters
Enter Sandman
~ENCORE~
Last Caress(Misfits Cover)
Die, Die My Darling(Misfits Cover)
Seek and Destroy

Related Reading from The Forge
DEATH MAGNETIC CD REVIEW

CONCERT VIDEO FOOTAGE: DISTURBED AT SHAW CONFERENCE CENTER DECEMBER 2nd 2008

As promised, here are the videos of the Disturbed concert, a look into what goes on at these events for the uninitiated.

Regrettably, some of the videos mostly of Disturbed are quite shaky or in some cases cut short, simply because that the only place any self respecting metalhead belongs is in the mosh pit. In this case the pit was the whole crowd, an angry sea of humanity, making smooth video capture and standing at the same time quite difficult.

I'm pretty sizeable but when you get a crowd going like Disturbed did, there is nothing stopping them from pushing you around, you'll notice that this is made evident by how much closer each video seems to get to the stage. It was controlled chaos and anyone who has been to a metal show knows this, for those who do not, this will be a glimpse into the inner sanctum that is the mosh pit.

Enjoy nonetheless, it was well worth the superficial wounds and minor injuries to bring the proud Edmontonian metalhead this footage.
If you have video of your own from the event and want to share, fire it in the Forge and email it to me @ THEFORGEOFHEAVYMETAL.GMAIL.COM

Click the title below to enjoy
ART OF DYING-GET THROUGH THIS
EGYPT CENTRAL-WALLS OF INNOCENCE
EGYPT CENTRAL-TAKING YOU DOWN
EGYPT CENTRAL-YOU MAKE ME SICK
DISTURBED-ENTRANCE/PERFECT INSANITY
DISTURBED-PRAYER
DISTURBED-LAND OF CONFUSION
DISTURBED-DEIFY
DISTURBED-INSIDE THE FIRE
DISTURBED-STRICKEN

TALKING WITH TENNESSEE PHARAOHS: AN INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS D'ABALDO OF EGYPT CENTRAL

This past Tuesday Disturbed undisputedly tore the roof off Shaw Conference Center. One of the bands leading them into battle that night was Egypt Central, a relatively unknown band in the mainstream consciousness. After their set, The Forge had an opportunity to talk with Chris D'Abaldo, one of the two guitarists in the band. If Chris looks familiar, he was once a member of Saliva back in the "Click Click Boom!" days, he left the band in 2005 for "creative differences" and after a short time, hooked up with the guys in Egypt Central and has been with them ever since.

Chris was not feeling so good the night of the performance, he said he got sick just before they hit Canada, which led to my first question...

J.R. With you feeling so bad, what gives you the strength to shake it off and give such an energetic performance?

Chris Well, its the music mostly, and the fans, the audience really gives you the energy.

J.R. So its like you feed off each other?

Chris Oh yeah, for sure.

J.R. Alright, some of the fans tonight have been wondering, who exactly is the lead guitarist, because you're both so active and up front.

Chris *laughs* Oh, thats definitely Heath, he's definitely the lead.

J.R. Now that we have that straightened out, what are some of your musical influences personally outside of the genre, outside of metal?

Chris Pink Floyd

J.R. So you like the more melodic stuff or...?

Chris Well, sort of and also get alot from Hip Hop.

J.R. Really? what aspects of Hip Hop influence you?

Chris Its the beat, there was always a lot of good rap coming out of Memphis, like Three 6 Mafia.

J.R. Speaking of Memphis, thats a very music oriented town, did you find that that was a hindrance or a help for you guys (Egypt Central) when you started out?

Chris Well yeah, in some ways there was just so much out there, in Memphis theres a ton of bands but no representation, and its even harder to get exposure in cities like Nashville too, its a little tough.

J.R. Final question, your favourite animal in the animal kingdom! and GO!

Chris *after a brief pause* Lion, for sure, actually any big cat, because its like when you play a video game, you look at the characters stats and you see some are good at one thing and another one is good at another, I like characters who are even, they're a good balance of everything, like big cats.

We parted ways as friends, brothers in metal, and hopefully the arctic winds that brought them here the first time will bring them back this way again in the near future. For more info on Egypt Central check out their site at http://www.egyptcentral.net/

In the meantime, keep those horns high!

OUTSIDE THE COLD, "INSIDE THE FIRE!"

Who: DISTURBED with EGYPT CENTRAL and ART OF DYING

Where: SHAW Conference Center

When: Tuesday, December 2nd


Metalheads of all shape, size, and age were "Stupify'd" last night, as they came to watch Alt-Metal juggernauts, Disturbed, take the stage and raise "Ten Thousand Fists" in their name.

Spawned by Illinois' windy city, the Chicago quartet has accomplished much in their twelve year run, most notably of which, being one of six rock bands that can make the claim of having three consecutive number one albums. It should seem only fitting the band choose the title Indestructible for their latest release.

Warming up the crowd last night were relative newcomers from Vancouver, BC, Art of Dying and Memphis Tennessee five piece, Egypt Central.

Art of Dying's "green" status came through in their opening performance, of all the acts, they were the least engaging and interactive, giving the impression they were trying, but still had yet to master their stage presence. One fan was quoted as saying that they were "a less talented version of SpineShank" an obscure reference but an accurate one.

Coming from a music driven city like Memphis, it came as no surprise that the next act, Egypt Central, took the stage with tremendous ferocity, animation and energy. Between lead singer, John "Jack Sparrow" Falls' powerful and uplifting lyrical resonations and the tag team effort of guitarists Heath Hindman and Chris D'Abaldo, the crowd finally began to bristle with energy, like a human thundercloud. With songs like "You Make Me Sick," "Different," and "Taking You Down" you couldn't help but think that you may see these boys again, next time as headliners themselves.

Minutes later, the stage was literally set, and a stillness set over the crowd, the calm before the torrential storm to come. It grows black, the crowd roars with anticipation, the shadowy wave of a black stage curtain falls to the stage, bathed in red light emerging alone from this abyss is Disturbed front man David Draiman, restrained in a straightjacket, afixed with a face mask a la Hannibal Lecter. An attendant wheels him to center stage, quickly removes the jacket whilst moving away himself as if setting free some terrible Jabberwocky-like terror. With the mask still on his face, David raises his hands not surprisingly leading into their song "Perfect Insanity".

This grand entrance would set the tone for the rest of the evening, iconic songs such as "Liberate", "Deify", "The Game", their cover of Journey "Shout 2000", and of course the title track of the new album release "Indestructible" kept the masses standing before them in a constant state of fervor. The song list never seemed to let up, allowing the audience to jump around wildly, mosh relentlessly, and as lead vocalist David even exclaimed himself "release our frustrations and anger" that night without impedement.

After a false conclusion to their show, they took the stage one last time ending the evening with an encore consisting of "Stricken" and their controversial song "Inside the Fire" which is the tale of a young man whose girlfriend commits suicide and in his grief, is visited by the devil, who tries to convince the young man to take his own life so that he may be with her again in Hell. This song comes from a very personal place for front man Draiman, as it is based on events in his real life.

Despite the macabre undertones of the closing songs, the crowd was sated and most went home very pleased with the performance, anxiously awaiting the next time Edmonton will come "Down with the Sickness".

FUNNY HAHA? OR FUNNY HELL YEAH?

I think it is important that fans of Heavy Metal not take themselves too seriously, otherwise, how do you explain GWAR?

Humour is a crucial component to being human, and so even metalheads know how to laugh at themselves. So, in comedic spirit I present you, the reader with a brief selection of amusing clips of heavy metal just not taking itself too seriously for once. Additionally, I did some digging and the classic Heavy Metal mockumentary "This is Spinal Tap" is available on the Forge-Tube in its entirety. So sit back, relax, enjoy the ride on this comedy rollercoaster, and until next time, keep those horns high!

Meshuggah Baby, the youngest metalhead known to man

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbYgvhwUfmk

Comedian Brian Posehn-"Metal by Numbers"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chiVMrWMHko

Jim Breuer Sings New Metallica Song!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOn_4Mj4W7E

Stand-Up Comedian Pablo Francisco talks about Death Metal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t53E-u0U5rI

Cookie Monster Metal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWac5UT80no

Growl Metal Karaoke

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq2PQm6FqVY

Heavy Metal Farmer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jag7oTemldY

European Metal Commercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlpaNwu7yAk

KFC Goes Black Metal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UO1rYr4BXAI
...and finally the Crown Jewel of the lot!

Justin Timberlake Metal Cover

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVLAZtAcUBk

HEADS, STOP YOUR BANGIN, AND BOW THEM IN REMEMBRANCE

Growing up in a military family I know a thing or two about the personal sacrifices members of our Canadian Armed Forces give each and every day, so that way I can exercise my personal freedoms. Just about every member of my family is in the military and in my teenage years I had the opportunity whilst living in Germany to visit every place Canadians fought and died in WWI and WWII in the European theatre. From Dieppe to Vimy Ridge to the Somme and everything in between, I began to understand what it truly meant to be a hero and how brutal and costly war can be. I also visited places like Krakow and Auschwitz, places of immense death and suffering, the soot still stains the fences and barbed wire of Auschwitz black.

It is because of being at these historic places and seeing these sights that the phrase "Lest We Forget" has serious significance for me personally. Most Canadians however do not even know why it is we fought or more disconcerting where and when. Place the blame wherever you like, but thats not the point I am trying to make today. No matter your level of understanding of the day, just pay your respects to those who fought, people you never met, or ever will know but mark my words they affected the way in which you live your life today.

Every metal fan knows that war is a common theme in their music, speaking moreso about the atrocities committed than glorifying it as something 'cool". A good example is Slayer's song "Angel of Death". It talks about those that suffered at Auschwitz.

Like Remembrance Day, some Heavy Metal keeps our history alive, making sure the wrongs of yesteryear do not happen again because remember...

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
-George Santayana (1863-1952)

Some songs in Remembrance of those who came before us.

A short tribute to Canadian troops set to Metallica's song "One"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLOSo5Ki39o

A Remembrance day tribute set to Iron Maiden's "These Colours Don't Run"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xVue2kx1G8
System of a Down's song "Soldier Side" a little more on the American side but the lyrics and video run true for anyone who has a loved one in the Armed Forces.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8YluAMCRT8

IRAQI METAL LIVES ON

It has been five years since Heavy Metal music last graced the city of Baghdad when Acrassicauda played a hotel gig under extreme security. (For More details on that band's struggle in Pre/Post War Iraq, see Heavy Metal in Baghdad in the Forge-Tube)

Now, like the titanium clad, bullet ridden, phoenix rising from the ashes it is, Iraqi metal is back and better than ever. Gracing a crowd of 250 headbanging fans from the area, Brutal Impact and Dog Faced Corpse tore up their modest venue literally and showed everyone the resilience and strength heavy metal can give to a people who have long suffered at the hands of tyranny. To any Iraqi that may read this, and to all metal heads, keep the horns high!

An MSNBC report on the event

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbMNfLyTGxo

TRUE "BLACK" METAL

In the aftermath of the historic election recently that makes Barack Obama America's next president, a lot of discussion surrounding race has come to the surface. Race should never play a factor in a modern world full of multicultural nations but regrettably it does, and despite some noble efforts over time, racism is certainly not a thing of the past.

Some of these discussions I have seen, read and heard about race recently, sound a lot like discussions people have had with me, about how Heavy Metal being a racist artform and is a music exclusive to white people. Those that know metal know that this is not true, but you would be surprised how many people, particularily in visible minority groups that believe this prejudice fantasy.
Music is truly an international language, so it should not surprise you that metal music exists in just about every culture there is on this planet. For the purposes of this article I will simply confine my examples to those artists of African descent (For a broader view of the international metal scene, watch Global Metal, a documentary available in the Forge-Tube, a link is located on the right hand sidebar of this page).

Artists of African descent are thought of as rappers and reggae artists and nothing more by the undereducated and xenophobic. Just because an artist comes from one race or another does not make them better or segregated to one style of music or another. So, if education is the cure for this racist pandemic then I suggest you use only a No. 2 pencil, open your mind to a blank page and prepare to be schooled, because class is in session!

Metal groups that contain members of African descent include:
1. SEVENDUST: Lajon Witherspoon (vocals)
The group flying under the banner Sevendust since 1998 has played with some of the industry giants like now deceased guitar shredder and Pantera God, Dimebag Darrell, Korn, Godsmack, and Metallica. Up and coming artists even list them as being their inspiration behind their own unique visions.
"Black"- song inspired by Lajon's personal struggles growing up with racism.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7O90WBpvlNk
"Praise"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXnQZUOlYws
2.GOD FORBID: Byron Davis (vocals), Cory Pierce (drums)
These New Jersey thrash metallers lead the way for the New Wave of American Metal and after much touring finally recieved acclaim in 2006, when their song "To the Fallen Hero," won the Independent Music Award for Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Song.
"To the Fallen Hero"- the award winning song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMwhJ6JV25Y
"The End of the World"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0273mpIw6F4
3. SKINDRED: Benji Webbe (vocals)
Appropriately calling themselves "Ragga Metal" this band hails from Newport, Wales and using Benji's Rastafarian inspired vocal style has made them standout in a sea of cookie monster growls that seems to be overtaking the genre. So much so that they toured with the likes of HIM, Soulfly, Breaking Benjamin, Korn, Papa Roach and fellow listers, Sevendust. More recently they teamed up with Bullet for my Valentine for their Scream! Aim! Fire! tour in 2008.
"Nobody"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRY31d55HSM
"Rat Race"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-kmLkfFrtU

4. WICKED WISDOM: Jada Pinkett-Smith (vocals) Rio Lawrence (Bass)
Most find it surprising that the "Fresh Prince's" bride is a metal artist, even when they formed up in Los Angeles in 2003 not many knew what to make of her or her group. Among their accolades are playing the "Rock the Vote" tour, opening for Britney Spears European tour that same year and in 2005 becoming a fixture on the second stage of Ozzfest. An album rumoured to be named "Wrath of the Wicked" is expected out in 2009.
"Something Inside of Me"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yA4T77EuzGk
"Bleed All Over Me"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhNQKGq4QZw
I hope those changed altogether if not at least skewed your perspective on the metal scene in general.

In the meantime, whether your black, white, brown, vermillion, teal or clad in steel, keep those horns high!

THE SOFTER SIDE OF HEAVY METAL

Pop quiz hot shot. You love your Heavy Metal any way you can get it, but your significant other is more mainstream and cannot enjoy it the same way you can and it has caused some unwanted tension in an otherwise unblemished relationship. What do you do? What do you do?

First, you excuse me for that obscure mid-90's movie reference. Next, you have to find a way to compromise, you want to spend time with the important person in your life but you don't want to have to sacrifice things that interest you, namely your metal. The first thing you have to do is drop your macho guard down a little and start to expand your repertoire outside your usual Metallica, Motorhead, Black Sabbath, and AC/DC palette.

Metal is so diverse that it almost has a hand in any other musical form and has influences from just about every other genre of music as well. Remember its roots came from Blues, Jazz, Rock and Classical (for more info on metals origins, check out the documentary Metal: A Headbangers Journey in the ForgeTube section of the site).

So, if you found yourself in this predicament or perhaps just want to listen to something new and expand your Metal library try these bands and artists on for size. There are many more groups or individual artists that could fit the bill as being on the lighter side, for now here's a taste. More artists will be added and reviewed on here as time goes by...


In the meantime, keep those horns up


METAL BANDS THAT ARE A LITTLE BIT ON THE SOFTER SIDE:

1.APOCALYPTICA:
These Finnish musicians got their first bit of exposure playing Metallica covers (among others) on their four cellos. Completely instrumental, sometimes they team up with other artists to add drums, guitar or even vocals to their songs.
Cover of "One" by Metallica
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JjQGt7WjK0
S.O.S. featuring Cristina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WHEqpoADTY

2.HAGGARD:
These Germans originally started out as a Death Metal band, but then radically changed their style to include Progressive, Folk, and Doom Metal elements. They still incorporate guttural vocals, however, they do balance well with the operatic vocalist and orchestra.
Per Aspera Ad Astra "Through the hardships to the Stars" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJ2Y9_MwiE8
All'inizio E La Morte
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKDrtq0dyZw

3. Lacuna Coil:
Italian gothic metal group, with harmonious balance of male and female lead singers, they've received some notoriety in part from the Guitar Hero series of games. The female lead singer, Cristina Scabbia has had many pair ups with various different groups and/or artists, a prime example being Apocalyptica, the first entry on this list.
Swamped
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ly9E30Hc5pg
Closer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6gFJogLJ_g
Megadeth:A Tout La Monde ft. Cristina Scabbia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn01nSG4cvU

TOP SHOCK ROCKERS OF HISTORY

Source: MSN/Sympatico

1.SCREAMIN JAY HAWKINS

In the 1950's Screamin' Jay was known for his crazy, theatrical performances and macabre imagery. Best known for scary tracks like ''I Put a Spell on You'' and ''Constipation Blues,'' Screamin' Jay was arguably the very first shock rocker. (credit: Frank Edwards/Hulton Archive) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kGPhpvqtOc

2.IGGY POP

In a class all his own, Iggy's 1970s psycho stage persona was scary, and not just because of the raw meat, puking and rolling around in broken glass, but because he had a little trouble keeping little Iggy in his pants, if you know what we're saying. (credit: Marty Temme/WireImage)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbLRf0j80wU

3.ALICE COOPER

He welcomed us into his nightmare in the 1970s. Alice Cooper's scary stage show featured guillotines, electric chairs, (fake) blood, and scary snakes. A metal pioneer and born entertainer, some would argue that pretty much every shock rocker since then owes something to Alice Cooper. (credit: Max Schneider/Hulton Archive)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeZxRYXZ154

4.KISS

Coming to prominence in the late 1970s, scary KISS wore face paint and costumes and their stage show featured smoking guitars, fire breathing, blood spitting, and pyrotechnics. Not to mention Gene ''The Demon'' Simmons has the scariest, longest tongue in bass player history. (credit: Chris Walter/WireImage)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgsoJrzplUI

5.OZZY OSBOURNE

Before he was the battered shell of a husband you see before you today, and after he was paranoid with Black Sabbath, Ozzy was scary! Every teenaged boy's mother's nightmare. He bit the heads off a dove and a bat. And word is that he was in cahoots with the devil. The DEVIL! (credit: Hulton Archive) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRbPWcLode0

6.W.A.S.P.

Nudity! Simulated torture! Raw meat! In the 1980s, metal band W.A.S.P. were such scary troublemakers they were a catalyst for the formation of Tipper Gore's PMRC. (credit: Paul Natkin/WireImage) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r3gVs6UG5Q

7.TWISTED SISTER

They were all about teenaged angst, like their 1984 hit ''We're Not Gonna Take It.'' But scary frontman Dee Snider didn't look like the sort of guy you'd want to meet in an alleyway. (credit: Chris Walter/WireImage)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyu7nN3kBnw

8.MARILYN MANSON

Marilyn Manson, who named himself for Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson, considered himself something of an antichrist superstar at one point. In the 90s he was sort of the king of the scary macabre imagery. Boo. (credit: Patti Ouderkirk/WireImage)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mKlb8N6TqA

9.SLIPKNOT

Late nineties offering Slipknot relied on nu metal and scary masks. And guess what. It worked. These are the dudes you have nightmares about when you're away at summer camp. (credit: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1unzN2zsA4k

10.ROB ZOMBIE

A walking horror show with industrial, punk metal leanings, Rob Zombie has also made something of a scary name for himself as director of such films as ''House of 1000 Corpses'' and ''The Devils Rejects.'' (credit: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPdhVT9OfLQ

11.LORDI

Also apparently known as ''The Finnish Monsters'' and ''The Monsters of Finland,'' scary metal band Lordi won the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest with a record 292 points, which is scary enough on its own. (credit: MJ Kim/Getty Images)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6VzdtmrP6Y

WHO SHOULD HAVE MADE THE LIST

12. GORGOROTH

While not the best sounding band in the industry, these self proclaimed messengers of the devil have been banned from Poland for displaying decapitated sheep heads at one of their performances and current frontman Gaahl went to jail for assaulting a man who assaulted him. That's not the weird part, apparently Gaahl tortured the man for hours, including some acts inflicted upon the mans genitalia. In the same incident he supposedly drank the man's blood from a cup. For more about his weirdness check out the True Norwegian Black Metal documentary in the Forge-Tube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgdmrSxDN_4

13.VENOM

No Black Metal band worth its salt cannot say that they don't owe a certain amount of thanks to these pioneers of the aggressive, droning, dark, Black Metal sound. Proclaiming themselves Satanists, these British metalheads carved a path that later would be followed by the likes of Mayhem, Dimmu-Borgir, and countless other Black Metal bands.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYtVb48fvY0

METAL SHOWDOWN:IRAQ

Three Metal Bands that are coming out of the wartorn country of Iraq, true metalheads to the bone. See the personal struggle of Acrassicauda in the documentary Heavy Metal in Baghdad (available on the Forge-Tube).

WARNING: Some of these videos contain graphic images of war.

Amargi-Wrath of Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuQOLQ636Lw
Mesopotamica-Black Hole
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH0TO6_oGHI
Acrassicauda- Between the Ashes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU6iIQtEj0w

Pick your favourite send your feedback to theforgeofheavymetal@gmail.com and I will make your favourite a nice warm place to roost in the Forge-Tube.

EMPOWERMENT AND INCREASE IN SELF ESTEEM: The side of Metal the moral majority doesn't want you to know about.

Heavy Metal since its inception in the 60's and mainstream breakout in the 70's, has been viewed as a negative influence, driving young people to feel depressed, lonely, suicidal, and suffering from low esteem.

Where does this opinion come from? What makes people think that a genre of music is solely responsible for these tragedies amongst young people?

The answer, lack of education.

From an outside perspective, Heavy Metal music has all the appearance of being quite evil, especially in the Black Metal/Death Metal circles. Even seemingly tame musically by today's standards, Motley Crue, adorned their album cover with a an upside-down pentagram, a pagan inspired mark used by Christianity to symbolize Satan. For the most part, these are all symbols of rebellion, a common theme in music listened to by angst driven hormone fuelled young people, mere flash and stage antics, no more realistic than the characters played out in professional wrestling.

There are exceptions to the rule, but there always are, with the thousands of bands in existence you are bound to find some individuals who are a little left of centre (ie: Gaahl, frontman of Gorgoroth). This however, still should not affect the listener in a negative way, no matter the age, unless that person has other problems psychologically outside the music that make them succeptable to depression, suicide or unchecked violent tendencies. If it truly was a question of music influencing actions, "Helter Skelter" by the Beatles should have been the scapegoat when Charles Manson did his dirty deeds in the Tate/Bianca murders.

In the case of a troubled individual, absolutely nothing will ever replace a good support structure like parents, friends, or a counselor of some kind. In spite of all those things, metal unlike some other musical genres that choose to sugarcoat the problems facing someone, confronts these same problems head on unabashedly slapping these metaphorical demons across the face and saying "So what!" It is this aggressive and direct approach that give metal its capability to empower, uplift and drive a person to rise above strife and pain affecting their lives.

Some great examples of this direct confrontation with our fears, forcing us to look inward and gather the strength to overcome these obstacles. "Enter Sandman" by Metallica, "Fear of the Dark" by Iron Maiden, and "Get Up Again" by Flaw are great examples of overcoming nightmarish distress and soaring above it. To use a choral excerpt from the song written by Flaw previously mentioned as an examplar of what I mean,

Reach out your hands

Out for the ones who, aid when the going gets rough

Until the end.

These are the ones who, help when the times get tough

And times will get tough.

Get up again.

Times will get tough.

Get up again.

There is a host of other artists that could be added to this list but to simplify the matter and not cloud the issue with too much trivia, the resounding message of Metal is this, be happy with who you are, however you look, whatever your upbringing, you are not alone and you will get through this.

For a great look at being confident and sure of oneself in a counterculture check out the cover story for the Edmonton Journal today. Its worth checking out.