Its a bit surprising I’ve had this blog for that long. Time flies.
Really?
Quarter 1 Of The Year Listening:
In other non-music entertainment; I’ve been listening to a lot of the podcast 83 Weeks With Eric Bischoff, playing a lot of the Resident Evil 4 Remake videogame, and am currently watching the TV show Yellowjackets, having just finished rewatching Deadwood for the first time in a decade.
Recent Purchases & Gifts:
My top 100 most-listened-to songs since records began
I’ve only got records going back to August 2010. So since that time, here are the 100 songs I’ve listened to the most:
My 200 most-listened-to artists of 2023:
I know its not quite the last day of the year, so this is up until time of writing, but its close to the end and here are my 200 most-listened-to artists of 2023 to date:
Plus if you ignore all the children’s music, then also:
Perception is a funny thing, as since the pandemic all the years are sort of melting together into one blob. I could have sworn I’ve listened to Sepultura in the hundreds and hundreds, but that must have been last year. I thought I listened to a lot of those Italian prog bands a lot, lot more, but I guess I listen to Italian prog a lot on shuffle and some of the songs are quite long and I usually do it when getting ready for work or on my work lunch break, so it takes up a lot of mental space but isn’t actually anywhere near as many actual tracks numerically as I’d have thought.
I also felt like a lot of the Pain Of Salvation listens was last year, but it must have been early this year. I feel like I listened to absolute boat-loads of no-make-up era Kiss this year, but then I see I’ve barely listened to Kiss much at all this year and so have to figure that all that must have been either last year or the year before then. It feels more recent.
Considering how much I loved that Urne album, I am surprised to see I have not listened to Urne that much in the grand scheme of things.
Without the stats, if I was to have guessed my top 5, it would have in order been: Motorhead, Creeper, Clutch, COC, Amon Amarth. Its strange to me that it didn’t work out that way. I also find it very hard to process that I’ve listened to Tesla more than Slipknot, because I feel like I’ve listened to a lot of Slipknot and their new album is much much higher in the top 200 albums list than any Tesla album.
Its nice for me to see these stats and sort of put it all together in my mind.
My 200 most-listened-to albums of 2023:
I know its not quite the last day of the year, so this is up until time of writing, but its close to the end and here are my 200 most-listened-to albums of 2023 to date:
Plus, if you don’t count the children’s music, then also Earth Rocker:
Metal Nerd Blog’s Albums Of The Year (AOTY) 2023:
2023 has been one of those years where I’ve been concentrating more on getting into older music, or fleshing out existing collections, rather than discovering a lot of new bands and keeping on top of trends.
I have been getting into things that are new to me, like AFI and Firehouse, but not actually new as in modern and current. Next year might be more focused on the cutting edge, who knows.
So when I say these albums are my AOTY, I haven’t actually listened to hundreds and decided that these are the cream of the very big crop, I’m not a music journalist. This is however, a list of the top albums (of the ones I’ve actually heard and decided to buy) this year ranked by my personal preference.
.
.
10. Metallica – 72 Seasons: It would be unrealistic to leave this album off the list, they are one of the most important bands to my whole personality and culture. It hasn’t made it high up the list because it has a few flaws, such as being a bit too long, not having the best running order, having a few tracks I would skip and some of the songs I wouldn’t skip could do with a trim. Its highlights aren’t as high as the highlights of the previous album. That all being said, it isn’t just here out of tokenism or loyalty either, it has many high points, and when its good, it is really good. There are about 4 or 5 songs that I will be listening to for the rest of my life, that I’d love to see in concert, that I’ll include on any future Metallica playlist / mixed CD I make from now on. We all tend to judge Metallica a bit more harshly than other bands (kind of like how Hulk Hogan gets a lot more criticism and scrutiny than other wrestlers of a similar age and skill level) because they’re the biggest and a childhood favourite, but trying to just judge this album on its own merits – it is pretty solid throughout, with some standout moments – and what more could we really expect at this point?
.
.
09. Paramore – This Is Why: Before this year I had never really listened to this band outside of enjoying their hit single “Misery Business” in passing when it was on, but over the course of this year, because some colleagues in work like them and because it is music my wife also likes (I wouldn’t listen to Napalm Death in the car with her for example, but I would put Paramore on) and because of several podcasts I listen to really going hard on the praise for them over the last few years, I’ve eventually tried them, got used to them, had them grow on me, and am now a fan. This new album is the first they’ve released in my time of listening to the band. It is quite an enjoyable record. Diverse, varied and not what I usually listen to, it is a nice and refreshing change of pace and I am really digging its catchy, pleasant vibes. More hooks than a pirate family reunion.
.
.
08. Sleep Token – Take Me Back To Eden: Another band I had heard about for years but never tried before being worn down by constant praise from the media, work colleagues and previous recommendations from a relative that I took a while to get around to. I was sort of sold them on the premise that it sounds like Deftones, looks like Slipknot, feels modern like Djent and is catchy like Pop music. All of that is kind of true on some very vague level, but it is also all very wide of the mark in other ways. Its hard to quite describe their slow, sombre, piano-led brand of flipping between the kind of pop you’d hear on the background in a clothes shop and a sort of calm inoffensive rock/metal mid-point. You’d just kind of have to listen to the album about 6 times to really process it. Its quite a grower if you aren’t exposed to a lot of real pop music anymore now we can all live in our own little bubble (choosing all our own music and having ear phones everywhere we go). I’ve seen them have a lot of backlash because they’re apparently doing rather well – so we’ll probably hear a lot more about them over the next few years as the punching bag in the online comments sections, hated by people who actually follow and enjoy real Pop music, and hated by Metal fans who don’t want any Pop in their Metal.
.
.
07. Urne – A Feast On Sorrow: This album is probably best described as haunting. It’s a really affecting and evocative concept album about a relative with dementia, and how painful it is to see the person you used to know slowly fading away. Much darker and scarier in its real life subject matter than any Saw or Hostel movie could ever hope to be. Musically, it is thick, dense, opaque sludge metal with intermittent thrash tinges, with long, labyrinthine slowly evolving and moody tracks that are simultaneously crushing/meaty and utterly depressing. If you wish early Mastodon had the song structures of Time Does Not Heal by Dark Angel and the tempo of Times Of Grace by Neurosis, but the production of From Mars To Sirus by Gojira, then this may be the album for you. Probably the best “new band” I’ve discovered this year (even if they aren’t technically a new band). Just look at the stark and merciless album art – imagine being washed away, terrified and eventually drowning in that – this is the feeling evoked by both the music and the lyrics.
.
.
06. Haken – Fauna: I’ve only been into this band a few years, and am still getting to grips with their discography, they are not the easiest band to know intimately, so I don’t know how this album ranks in their overall discography (my favourite Haken album flip flops between about 4 of theirs on a weekly basis) but I can say with utmost confidence that I like it, and that I like it more than most of the 2023 albums I’ve heard to date. They do a good job of progging-out to the verge of tastelessness and utter cheese, but then pulling back just in time to stay “unpredictable” and “eclectic” without dipping into the unpleasant territory of “wacky.” The furthest thing from punk rock immediacy I can think of, and arguably a bit indulgent, but managing just to escape feeling bloated or wanky or silly.
.
.
05. Tesseract – The War Of Being: A concept album about two aliens from different cultures coming together in a star-crossed romance (I think? …its a bit hard to follow) – this could well be the Heavy Metal adaptation of Julia Donaldon’s The Smeds And The Smoos! Musically, it is a patient, tasteful and easily digestible version of Djent, with a few heavy moments, but largely focusing on clean vocals, atmosphere and shimmering instrumental moments of semi-beautiful tech-metal bliss. What Sleep Token might sound like if they’d never heard of pop music. I might actually have it higher up the list if I wasn’t so in love with their sophomore album that every new album takes me a few years to get into once I accept it isn’t a repeat of their sophomore.
.
.
04. Baroness – Stone: I feel like this album hasn’t really gotten the praise and attention it deserves and has quietly slipped under many people’s radar, largely because the band lost a lot of momentum over the years due to various reasons I’m not going to go into. However, this album is an absolute treat on the ears, it is a hypnotic grower of the album that really feels like the soundtrack to a road trip movie. It twists and turns at points to spice things up, but on the whole it is one long continuous evolution to get from a point A to B slowly over the course of a whole album. It evokes that cruising through the desert with the top down feel of cinematic escapism, but with the emotional weight in the vocals to make it feel like the baptism scene in Oh Brother Where Art Thou? An album to listen to in full, over and over again.
.
.
03. Code Orange – The Above: One of my most anticipated albums of the year, and a bit of a creative curve ball, but one that delivers. Code Orange on previous albums have been one of the more ugly, obtuse, confrontational and hostile bands that I can still listen to for fun – but this album sees them trying to find a wider audience. There is a guest spot from Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, there is a dreamy keyboard ballad, there are Korn-fuelled Nu Metal segments and grungey Layne Stayely moments. It is a real creative shake-up in parts compared to their ignorant, head smashing, glitchy and uncompromising semi-industrial/semi-hardcore punk/semi-groove metal past – but then every so often they launch back into that style for half a song or so and snap you back to discomfort just as you were getting lulled in by the new broader canvas. Songs like “Drone Opting Out Of The Hive” are contradictory hard to follow club bangers that you couldn’t dance to, and feel like they’ve been written to deliberately frustrate and tease you. That being said, when they do eventually just go pig-ignorant Woodstock 99 it is such a release and wave of euphoria that it makes the torture worth it. (Its almost like listening to Burn My Eyes with your hands taped to your ears while someone skips through the tracks at random not musically-timed intervals, and then stops occasionally on “let freedom ring with the shotgun blast” for an eventual payoff).
.
.
02. Riverside – ID Entity: Riverside basically do no wrong. Each and every one of their studio albums is a masterpiece, which is impressive seeing as they keep evolving and never make the same album twice. This new record is one of the best things I’ve heard all year, and I so strongly recommend it to any prog fan. I love the lyrics too, many have been stuck in my head all year. I love the vocals – such character, such personality. I love the sequencing – it really feels like a complete album journey in the way albums don’t always do anymore. Such a strong album on so many levels, full of such interesting, memorable and entertaining songs. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
.
.
01. Creeper – Sanguivore: A plant eating animal is a herbivore, a meat eating animal is a carnivore, and a vampire is …a creature with a damn good soundtrack. What can be said about this utter gem of a record that hasn’t already been said?
A band that started off sounding a bit like Green Day and Alkaline trio, who then evolved into a mixture of My Chemical Romance and AFI’s most grandiose and theatrical moments just slightly seasoned/sprinkled with some tiny dashes of Danzig and Cradle Of Filth, but then took a creative left turn in 2020 into a mix of ‘90s Brit Rock, ‘00s Landfill Indie, Roy Orbison and Americana …then went away with a storyline “death” of their singer, getting killed by a vampire at the last show of their tour.
They then came back this year with an album they’ve both been building to their entire career and also which we could never have predicted – a dark, sexy, ‘80s vampire movie themed concept album that simultaneously draws influences from King Diamond, Meatloaf and Sisters Of Mercy and also mixes together bits of all their previous work without ever sounding quite like anything they’ve done before and simultaneously sounding 100% Creeper at all times. Imagination knows no bounds here, and creativity is lifeblood.
If you want full Broadway musical, check out “More Than Death,” if you want raging full-tilt pop-punk gone goth check out “Cemetery Gates” and “Sacred Blasphemy,” if you want a modern band mixing Billy Idol, Gary Numan and Fields Of The Nephilim check out “Black Heaven” and if you want all of that rolled into one but then mangled through a filter of “Fairy Tale In New York,” “Welcome To The Black Parade,” “Jesus Of Suburbia” and Puppet-Master-era King Diamond all at the same time, with lyrics that compare the main character to our lord and saviour performing fellatio inside an exotic dancing establishment in a world where vampires are murdering angels (because of course you wanted that?) then check out the absolutely glorious “Further Than Forever.”
This band are probably the best thing to come out of Britain since Iron Maiden – give them your money!
King Diamond Albums Ranked:
Today I’ll be ranking the studio albums by the horror themed Danish Heavy Metal band, named after the titular frontman, King Diamond. No live albums, EPs or Compilations count. Albums by King Diamond’s other band Mercyful Fate don’t count.
They are ranked from the highest number being the album I personally subjectively enjoy the least, to number one, being the album that I personally subjectively enjoy the most.
I am not a qualified music journalist or musicologist or anything, just some fat guy on the internet who likes this sort of music. I am also not the world’s most knowledgeable or tenured King Diamond fan – I only got into the band a few years ago, and I hated the vocals on first impression, and took even more time to then become a full on fan – so this is just my personal preference. I am not trying to rank them in terms of historical importance, objective quality, or fan consensus. Just in order of my favourite. Feel free to tell me your favourites or least favourites in the comments.
.
.
12. The Spider’s Lullabye (1995) – I’ve heard this one described as rushed or distracted. I think that may be a bit harsh, but it doesn’t quite live up to the albums which preceded it. It also almost doesn’t make sense to call it rushed as it was released after a four year hiatus. Its just a matter of it not being as strong a set of songs as the last several albums. Lyrically; It is a strange half concept album, half not concept album hybrid but still entertaining. Vocally and stylistically, its pretty standard King Diamond material, nothing you could really say that is wrong with it per sae. One of its main flaws is the production, which is one of the flatter and less crisp sounds in the band’s history.
Best songs: “Eastman’s Curse,” “Dreams,” “Killer.”
.
.
.
11. The Graveyard (1996) – Swiftly following up The Spider’s Lullabye, the band regrouped with a full blown concept album and a bit of a sonic shift up, being a bit slower than usual, fewer double-kicks and more mid-tempo fare.
If we just went off of the best songs, it would probably be a bit higher up the list, but the problem with this record is that it isn’t as consistent all the way through as some of the band’s better records.
Best songs: “Trick Or Treat,” “Heads On The Wall,” “Up From The Grave.”
.
.
.
10. House Of God (2000) – I’ve seen this album called one of the band’s worst, and I get a bit defensive about it. I really like this record in many ways. Its got one of the better and easier to follow concepts in the band’s career, the balance of fast and slow is better than some other records, it starts strong and the middle is strong. The production is a lot better than any of the 90s records, if a little too clean and sterile compared to the more energetic ‘80s albums. The drumming performance lacks the extra magical x-factor, which does lose the album some points, but the vocals and guitars are up to the usual standard.
Best songs: “Black Devil,” “Follow The Wolf,” “The Trees Have Eyes.”
.
.
.
09. Give Me Your Soul… Please (2007) – At time of writing, the newest album. Its pretty even, pretty consistent. It has enough Priest-y metal to balance out the theatrics. It may in the big picture be a bit unremarkable, but I am always a fan of someone doing what they do well.
Best songs: “Shapes Of Black,” “The Floating Head,” “Never Ending Hill.”
.
.
.
08. Abigail 2: The Revenge (2002) – Following up a classic ‘80s album a decade and a half later with a sequel is never going to result in a critical hit and fan favourite, but this album is very underrated. I’ve seen many King Diamond reviews and ranking lists with this cited as the worst thing ever released by the band, and I just cannot agree. There is such a high volume of quality material on offer here. If it had an original concept instead of following up Abigail, I think it would have a much better reputation.
Best songs: “Mansion In Sorrow,” “Slippery Stairs,” “The Wheelchair.”
.
.
.
07. Fatal Portrait (1986) – The debut album. I’m not as keen on it as some fans, but it is undeniably one of the better albums in the catalogue. It does have a charm to it where you can feel the band figuring out what they want to be and how they want to operate. Its non-conceptual nature also makes it easier to follow each song rather than trying to keep track of a longer story.
Best songs: “Halloween,” “The Portrait,” “Charon.”
.
.
.
06. Voodoo (1998) – One of the more diverse and interesting albums in the discography. It has a bit of a difficult production job, and a bit of a confusing storyline, but an excellent atmosphere and some of the best King Diamond songs of the ’90s. It also has a guest appearance from Dimebag Darrel!
Best songs: “Voodoo,” “Cross of Baron Samedi,” “One Down Two to Go.”
.
.
.
05. The Eye (1990) – Many people would cite this as their favourite and it is definitely one of the best. The drum sound is a bit weird, and musically it is a bit less adventurous than the record which preceeded it, but on the other hand it is tight and streamlined.
Best songs: “Eye Of The Witch,” “Into The Convent,” “Burn.”
.
.
.
04. The Puppet Master (2003) – The best album since the ‘80s, a very disturbing horror story concept, excellent vocals, the most variety on any King Diamond album, and some great thrashy moments. What’s not to love?
Best songs: “Blood To Walk,” “Magic,” “The Puppet Master.”
.
.
.
03. Conspiracy (1989) – At this point we are just splitting hairs. I feel like any of the next three albums could be interchangeable in the top spot depending on my mood on the day. The only thing that knocks this one off the top spot today is that it has a bit too much theatrics and too many outro/intro/interlude moments for my impatient tastes. But otherwise, it is a pretty flawless record.
Best songs: “Amon Belongs To Them,” “Sleepless Nights,” “Lies.”
.
.
.
02. Them (1988) – What can be said about this that hasn’t been said already? I almost want to just make it joint number one. It does lack some of the imediacy of the previous record, but makes up for it in craft and technical skills. If you had this as number one, it would make total sense too. If you can only buy one …change your mind and buy two!
Best songs: “Welcome Home,” “Tea,” “The Accusation Chair.”
.
.
.
01. Abigail (1987) – When I first heard this album, I didn’t love it, I was too put off by the vocals, but over time this has seriously grown on me. I won’t waste your time heaping on the praise, almost everyone agrees its either the best or second best thing they’ve made. Chances are if you’re reading this you’ve either heard it or are going to hear it, and you probably like it or at least know its reputation and nothing I can do or say will change that. Its my favourite and it probably is or will be yours too.
Best songs: “Arrival,” “A Mansion In Darkness,” “The 7th Day Of July 1977.”
.
.
.
Recent Purchases and gifts:`
I Went To Go And See Creeper Live At Bristol 02 Academy on Sunday 5th November 2023
I went to go and see Creeper live at Bristol 02 Academy on Sunday 5th November 2023. I normally feel very nervous, apprehensive and anxious for the whole day before going to Bristol, and thought about cancelling and just staying home multiple times, but in the end I pushed through and decided to go. I had forgotten that it was Bonfire night, so my drive there was through a constant stream of fireworks until I hit the motorway. The traffic was surprisingly tolerable, and I only had to stop once, to reinflate a tyre when a warning light came on in the car. Having gone to Bristol a few times before, it was a bit easier and less stressful finding the venue and parking as I had learned from previous mistakes, and only almost-died in a crash once this time, which is an improvement on the last few times.
I arrived a little late, so didn’t have to queue more than 2 minutes. I did miss the first 1 or 2 songs from the opening band, a Welsh Goth band called The Nightmares, who had a bit of a Smashing Pumpkins vibe at times, a bit of a bit of a The Stranglers vibe at times and a bit of Sisters Of Mercy in the presentation. It kind of matches the direction of the first few singles from Creeper’s new album to be honest. A wise choice of support band.
The next band up were a New Jersey Emo band called Save Face, who came out dressed in matching jump suits. Their singer was very charismatic and very animated. He was all over the stage, interacting well with the crowd and generally capturing your attention. His voice / style was remarkably similar to My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way, and I ended up recommending them to a work colleague who likes that band. For the first few minutes I was a bit sceptical and thinking words like “derivative” but the more I listened, the more impressed I became. The band really mean it. They have a song called “Another Kill For The Highlight Reel” which was particularly memorable, and has been stuck in my head ever since. If you like MCR or Thursday, I would advise you check these guys out. A very fitting support band for Creeper’s debut album material. Its celver they managed to book two very, very different bands who both fit so well in different ways.
It wasn’t long before a voice-over came over the speakers, informing the crowd (in a spooky Halloween voice) that the show would start soon, and although you could enjoy a drink or smoke, vampires might get you. Then there was a bit of a light show and spooky music while the crowd waited for the show to begin. (Stop here if you don’t want any spoilers).
Just before the band hit the stage, a narrator character named Darcia came out in front of the curtain and did some jokey, fourth-wall breaking style dialog about being sick of being in the show and sick of cleaning up after vampires etc. Finally, the band took to the stage. I felt such a wave of elation to finally see Creeper live. I have loved this band for close to a decade now and never managed to catch them live yet. They have been so hyped as a good live band by the podcasts and websites I listen to / read, that I was anticipating this more than maybe any other gig I’ve been to in the last five years.
Creeper are one of my favourite bands. Probably the band I’ve loved the most since leaving university. Their early EPs are great – short sharp little blasts of perfection. Their more adventurous debut album is one of my favourite albums by anyone ever and a constant fixture in any road trip or long journey. Its up there with Slippery When Wet for travel music. The next album ended up – despite me initially rejecting it for its change of musical direction before getting used to it – being my album of the pandemic and I used to listen to it at every lunch time with my wife through most of 2020, many songs from it are still in my top-50 most listened to songs since my LastFm records began over a decade ago. The new album is an absolute gem and a contender for my album-of-the-year.
To say I was pleased to see them live would be a significant understatement. The venue is a weird shape and I don’t really like it. However, luckily I got a pretty good spot with a nice view. The sound was perfect. You could hear everything to an almost album-perfect standard, the balance was excellent. The drums live sounded even better for the new-album material. For example, on “Black Heaven,” the record version sounds a bit like a drum machine, but the Hi-Hat patterns were much more human and impressive live.
The setlist featured at least something from every era. There was the superb bouncy up tempo “VCR” from the early EPs. They aired the majority of the new album (the only songs from it they didn’t play were the Meatloaf-esque closer “More Than Death” and the interlude “The Abyss”). There was the non-album single from last year “Ghost Brigade.” Just two songs from the more Brit-Rock influenced sophomore album Sex Death & The Infinite Void made an appearance, and then much to my pleasure, they played a good chunk of their astounding debut album, Eternity In Your Arms (buy now if you don’t already own it, and thank me later). My only complaint is that they didn’t play “Suzanne” – a song so good, we had it played at my wedding.
It must be hard picking a setlist for a band who changes their style so dramatically with every era. The new album is a sort of vampire-themed concept album, with a very gothic tone. There are touches of synthpop, big chunks of musical theatre and also a bit of a return back to their early style at times. The songs from the debut chosen, largely matched the vibe of that. Eg. The raucous punky “Room 309” fits together nicely with “Chapel Gates” and the theatrical and bombastic “Black Rain” fits together well with “Further Than Forever.” Some of the guitar parts in “Lovers Led Astray” fit the style of “Down Below.” Even the fast and bouncy EP track “VCR” felt like it had a companion in new album track “Sacred Blasphemy.” Strangely though, the two songs they played from SD&TIV felt a bit out of place, two of the more Indie tunes were chosen, rather than say “Born Cold” or “Napalm Girls” which might have matched the rest of the material better. Well, whatever, the crowd seemed to love it regardless.
Speaking of the crowd, they were absolutely fevered. Creeper do inspire a rather hardcore following (they’re called the Creeper-“cult” for a reason). The level of sing-along was very intense. At one point, frontman Will Gould was noticeably taken aback by how into-it the crowd were, and joked “Stop it guys, you’re making my make-up run” as he hammed up a fake cry to cover up a real tear. There was another point, towards the end of “Misery” where the crowd were meant to sing a verse without the band, but they just kept going and going and the band chuckled on stage that this had never happened before, and it sort of stumbled the momentum of their usual way to end the song, making it seem even more genuine and not something pre-planned. The energy in the room throughout was absolutely electrifying. I try not to be too hyperbolic, but it was genuinely magical. I’ll never forget this gig as long as I live.
The band and the performance were great. Will was amazing live, pulling off his mixture of voices well live. You could hear all the Glen Danzig, Pete Steele, Gary Numan, Glen Gregory, Brett Anderson and various other influences just as well as on record – something I couldn’t imagine just one singer actually doing by themselves live. His stage presence, with big campy poses and gestures was excellent. Really one of the best frontmen in the scene.
Hannah, when taking lead vocals on “Crickets” gave it a lot of gusto, (even high kicking at one point), and had the crowd in the palm of her hand with such an emotional delivery in the vocal – you could see how personally some of the crowd members were taking the lyrics. Ian Miles was an absolute guitar hero, spotlight on, blazing out the lead lines throughout. If I’m being perfectly honest, I didn’t really notice what a great lead player he was until the new record, but there’s bits of that new album where you would mistake it for a King Diamond album if your concentration lapsed, and that’s a heck of a guitar compliment in my book.
There was a drum solo at one point, and new-ish (2021) drummer Jake sounded more like Mikkey Dee from Motorhead than someone you would expect in what started out essentially as a Pop Punk / Emo band. There was also an amusing “bit” where he and Hannah, (who had one floor tom set up in front of her), sort of duelled & matched drum patterns for a while, until Jake fully unleashed all across the kit, at which point she did a camp theatrical storm off and threw her drum sticks away in a comedy way. Quite amusing when you weren’t expecting it. Speaking of amsuing bits, the narator/cleaner characther Darcia came out at one point while Will – now dressed as a vampire – was eating a victim’s blood, and Darcia had a put-upon downtrodden expression as she waited for him to finish, then glumly dragged away the body while rolling her eyes at the crowd. Almost Alice Cooper in its theatricality! At the end they also came out and did a comical sort of rave, bouncing around with a fake severed head, taking drinks to dance music, in front of a slightly bewildered crowd.
Good sound, good setlist, good crowd, good performance, good singing; this was one seriously good evening! Even the support acts were good. All in all, I had a terrific time.
The commute home was also surprisingly easy, the roads were quite empty, and I made it home safely despite some seriously stormy weather and poorly lit roads. No vampires, as far as I could tell from the car, although with all the fog about it did look a bit like a scene from a horror movie at times, to be perfectly honest.
I can’t recommend catching this tour highly enough. If you still don’t know the band but have read this far, then please go check them out (and check out a range of material from different years, as they’ve changed so much over the years there’s something for everyone). There are few bands on this earth I would recommend more.
Metal-Nerd Blog 