Day 331, AHBL, The Absence, Trivium, & KSE Show Update...
Well, this is the update I should have had out a week ago or so. I ended up going to a show with a few friends to see All Hell Breaks Loose, The Absence, Trivium, and Killswitch Engage.
:@-%-@: Before the Show :@-%-@:
Well, I didn't have work on Friday. Being that it is the day after Thanksgiving, my work let us have Thanksgiving and "Black Friday" off. So, I was able to get ready early and leave whenever I felt like it. Stuart was going to go with me to the show, but he got called in to work for "Black Friday." Same goes for Julie(jewlee182). Mexican Alex(valirus) was going to go, but he ended up not going for health reasons - sore throat, I believe. So, pretty much I just had Jason(kamenriderfaiz) to pick up for the show. Also, Eddie(theonetrueninja) couldn't make it for lack of money along with Mike(orochi_jounin) and Casey(dumshiet66). Dustin(illuded) didn't have a ride, which I didn't know until maybe thirty minutes prior to the show, or I would have went back to pick him up.
Anyways, Jason and I met up with Stef(thepeenkbomb), Matt's g/f Lauren, Dalex(notevenjoking), Dalex's g/f Brittany P, Jen(__shebop), Mexican Lisa(brutalbreakdown), and Katie(andahint_ofred). Waiting outside the venue for a bit, we all watched some random Martial Arts movie from like the late 80s on the preview screens for promotional ads. Mex Lisa and Jen kept on mocking the voices being that there was no sound. So, they'd come up with hilarious but inane dialogue for the outrageously generic characters. Dalex showed up with two of his friends. He said later on that this was their first like metal and hardcore show.
Stephanie kept giving me ball taps when I didn't expect it. She got in some good ones, but the last one was easily the most devastating. It felt like someone came up and hit my balls with a wooden spoon. You guys don't even want know what that felt like. It felt as though she flicked the ball at a perfect angle vibrating the actual cord that connects to it. God, did it hurt.
Eventually, Jen and Mex Lisa took my keys off me and dismantled all the keys off the chains. They went to pseudo-hide them amongst shrubbery and the sidewalk. I knew they weren't going to really leave my keys out there, especially with all these people walking and passing by every second. Nevetheless, I looked around for a bit but to no avail in my fruitless search. I came back to my spot in the line only to find they had my keys stuffed in their bras. At this point, I finally called Dustin on the status of Casey and him. Casey went MIA; Dustin just didn't have a ride there. With that known, the line started proceeding through the venue's doorway.
:@-%-@: During the Show :@-%-@:
As I walked in, I saw The Absence's drummer, Jeramie. I had to take a picture with him. So, Jason got a picture of that shit. Everybody I knew headed up to the front of the stage. After a little waiting, Dalex, Brittany, and I made our way to the merch table for some coveted articles of clothing. I picked up a tee for The Absence, a baseball tee for Trivium, a hat from Killswitch Engage, and KSE's merch guy gave me a KSE sticker. It was a play on KFC with The Colonel throwing up the metal horns.
Also, as I walked into the venue, I saw The Absence's bassist, Nick, walking around by the merch table. I swear to all that he looked just like fucking Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai. I thought to myself, "What the fuck is Tom Cruise doing here? He looks taller in the movies. Man, he must love metal shows to be here of all places." I didn't think anything of it, even though, Tom Cruise is a big-time actor; it just didn't click in my mind that no one was like swarming him as they would if the real Tom Cruise had been there.
I got up to the front to talk to Lisa and Katie, then suddenly, out of nowhere, Mex Lisa just jumps on my back! Seriously, I was just talking to the girls when a sudden crushing weight forces me to the ground. Mex Lisa started to ride me like a cowgirl rides a horse or cowboy rides a bull. She yelled, "Getty-up! Ya damn bull!" Jason got a picture of that, I believe.
Back up at the front, Stef and Lauren were talking to two scene-dressed, hardcore guys. They were actually pretty down-to-earth and all. They must have known every single hardcore, punk, "insert scene"-styled pit moves such as: Punk Skankin', the Machine Gun, the "Skeet," the Lawnmower, the Mohawk, the Gorilla, and several others that I can't even recall anymore. The black kid did some break dance moves(a la El Roboto). They had a great taste in music, and both of their favorite grindcore band was Agoraphobic Nosebleed. About this time, All Hell Breaks Loose started their set up. Also, the venue wasn't that packed. I still had plenty of room to move about freely.
All Hell Breaks Loose:
They started out rocking pretty hard. I was skeptical at first, but my doubts subsided after a few songs. They were actually pretty good live. I don't know any of the songs they played, since it was my first time even hearing about them. I only knew that they were on the same label as Target Nevada.
Dalex, Stef and I noticed their guitarist Chip was a pure sXe guy. He had the shirt on about it and on his guitar - if you stand for an idea, stand out with it. Also, the girls kept going crazy over their lead vocalist's, Alex, pant's outline, which they said they could see his penis; but, I didn't care for that, so I damn sure didn't try to notice.
Chip asked the crowd for some praise for the bands that night. He asked, "Hey, anyone know if The Absence is from here? From Tampa?" Dalex screamed, "I don't fucking know--!" Chip replied during Alex's midspeech "Ok, that kid there-- 'but, you guys fucking rock!' --"Ok, that's more like it." All Hell Breaks Loose proceeded to play a few more songs till their set finished.
The Absence:
The Absence was fucking amazing. I thought they were the best band there in terms of talent, music, and performance. They played all three songs off their 3-song EP: "I, Deceiver;" "My Ruin;" and, of course, "Seven Demons." They played a few new songs as well. The mosh pit had some weak moshers, but it was an above-average size pit. The pit started getting better at this point.
A lot of people went crazy once they heard Seven Demons was going to be played, including myself. That's like the fan favorite, because you can sing to the chorus with them. I knew a good portion of the beats from listening to their songs for the last few days almost nonstop.
I didn't recognize Pat without his facial hair, until Stef was like, "Look at him! It's Pat!" He can play the guitar so well along with Peter. Peter is just fucking pure old-school rocker with the long ass beard, some "metal dreds," and tattooed body, just like the old-school bikers. Jaime had a hell of a voice that night. The screams in their songs on CD are a pretty good length, but live it was like twice-to-thrice as long as the ones in the songs on CD. Jeramie was fucking amazing on the drums, too. Much to the girl's delight, I pointed out to them that Jeramie had taken his shirt off, and they all went apeshit over it. Nick was bouncing around playing the bass the whole time, and what a good bassist he is, for sure. Eddie would have shit his plants with all the solos.
Trivium:
I thought Trivium did amazingly well; however, the girls didn't like them that much live. Actually, the lead vocalist, Matt, looked bad ass that night. They played mostly new songs like: "Rain," "Drowned and Torn Asunder," "Pull Harder," "Ascendency," "A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation," "Suffocating Sight," and their video release song "Like Light to the Flies." They played old song which was "Pillars of Serpents."
Travis was fucking killing the drums during their set onstage. He's really good on the drums, no doubt. Corey and Matt were crushing out synchronized, brutal solos along with the basswork of Paolo. I'm really glad I got to see them for the first time. I'd been waiting to see them for so long. I was hoping they'd play more songs off their "Ember to Inferno" CD. They fucking rocked it out. They had some excellent crowd reaction, for sure. The pit grew a bit bigger for their performance. I had started to see his heavyset girl just throwing down in the pit; she was life in the pit.
Killswitch Engage:
Now, this was the definately the most energetic part of the night, bar none. Dalex and I evolved from the "metal horns" to the "metal claw" during this set. I know almost every lyric to the new CD for KSE. I used to know all the lyrics to "Alive or Just Breathing" as well. They played all new songs from their newest CD out called "The End of Heartache," such as: "A Bid Farewell," "When Darkness Falls," "Rose of Sharyn," "Breathe Life," "The End of Heartache," and encored "My Last Serenade." Everyone was waiting for Howard to walk out on stage. Everyone was anticipating him, since the other band members were out there ready to start it off.
I had a blast during this portion of the show. The entire crowd on the floor was moshing, jumping, head-stomping, stage-diving, crowd-surfing, and everything else. There was such a vivacious synergy from the crowd connected to KSE onstage. Everyone knew the lyrics. Everyone knew the beats. Everyone fucking went insane. I saw Dalex and his two friends moshing along side myself. Dalex was going apeshit the entire set. He crowd surfed roughly 32.7 million times throughout KSE's performance. He got on stage and sang a few lyrics with Howard. Dalex turned his back on stage outstretched his arms and fell back onto the people that held him up to crowd surf. I got up on stage did a move or two and then kinda just scarcely dove out to the outstretch of horns, fists, and hands. It was awesome feeling weightless, though the down side to it is, up there the hands feel like knives jabbing into your sides. Right after coming down from the surfing, I was standing there when a kid stage-dives horizontally ass-first. Everyone avoided him, except for a small net of hands that did little to slow any advance of momentum. His ass bone cracked me across the temple. I was temporarily stunned for a solid minute. I had taken hits all night, but that one was the hardest hit in the last few shows that I had taken.
I think Mex Lisa and Jen were getting pure action from KSE's guitarist - Adam. He would come over whilst playing to throw up metal horns, lick his pinky and index finger only to smear it on Jen or Mex Lisa's face. I got to scream with him when he would come down to yell at the crowd. Adam is blading a little bit, but everyone - including myself - kept rubbing or patting his forehead. They just knew how to play to the crowd. Their songs are all ready perfect for sing-alongs with crushing metal riffs, so the crowd interaction was some of the best comparable to Atreyu shows.
I sang lyrics so much so that I knew my voice was far too strained for the vocal cords to produce any varying wavelengths of sound. I sang the screaming and singing parts with harmony to the music. Adam, their guitarist, said it was the first show that all of the band members had facial hair at the same time on tour. Also, Adam got slammed with a fucking pie to the face by either a fan or groupie or road crew. That was hilarious.
Howard claimed us to be the best crowd KSE had ever played for, which I'll agree to, 'cause with as mnay people as the show enarmored, it was just fucking insane. I lost all my stamina during their main performance. People were screaming for an encore for a few minutes. Adam got back on the mic to ask every band member if they wanted to play for us: the response was a resounding yes from each member. KSE proceeded to play several tracks from their sophomore album entitled "Alive or Just Breathing," including my personal favorite of "My Last Serenade."
:@-%-@: After the Show :@-%-@:
I was so fucking tired after the KSE set that I couldn't even stand. I bent my head over and laid on Katie's back to rest for a few mins. Dalex's friends left along with Dalex and Brittany right after the set was over. I stayed with the girls to see if it was possible at all to get backstage. It wasn't though, unfortunately.
After a little bit, we headed back out to where the merch table was. To my great delight and surprise, The Absence was hanging out right at the merch table. I ended up purchasing their 3-song EP right then and there. I talked to Nick for a little bit, telling him that I thought he looked like Tom Cruise. He said he had been noted as Charles Manson and a few others but never as Tom Cruise. I talked to Jeramie right afterwards. I asked if there was anyway I could have his other drum stick - he threw one out to the crowd at the end of their set. He said he had already packed everything away out back with all their equipment to my disappointment. But, he searched for something to give me but had nothing. However, he said if I came to their next show that he'd give me a pair of signed drum sticks. So, I was stoked about that and gladly accepted that offer. Next, I got to talk to Jaime and Peter for a minute. I didn't see Pat around, but I'll talk to him next time I see him.
I said bye to the girls as they were talking to Silence After Tragedy's vocalist - Wank the Tank. I headed back to my car with Jason. We left talking about the show and rocking out to The Absence some more. Yeah, it owned.
:@-%-@: After-Thoughts :@-%-@:
Just a quick run-through for the people that don't feel like reading about my life or my experience:
- All Hell Breaks Loose was a good show-starter and opener. They got people pumped up for the rest of the show. Though, it is very unfortunate that their drummer, Joe, died not long after the show ended. There are several speculations and rumors flying around about it, but the band announced that they nor the drummer's family knew what happened. These guys need all the support they can get after such a tragedy: http://www.livejournal.com/users/all_hell/. Help out those guys.
- The Absence was fucking wicked live. They ARE Tampa's best death metal/black metal band, bar none. These guys knew how to move the crowd and rock out. The solos and guitarwork were perfectly engineered, the drumming beats were brutal, and the singing was top-notch. These guys were amazing. I joined their street team, and you can also at their site: http://www.theabsence.com. Or, you can visit them on MySpace at: http://www.myspace.com/theabsence.
- Trivium were just wicked as expected. They have become more melodic with their new music, for sure; but, they still maintain a distinct brutal touch true to their style. The solos were amazing. The drums were amazing. The screaming/singing was amazing, too. They WERE amazing. I;m glad I got a chance to see these guys keep it metal, hardcore, and melodic. I wish they had played more older songs from their demo CD or from "Ember to Inferno" CD, but their new stuff was great, nonetheless. http://www.trivium.org & http://www.myspace.com/trivium.
- Killswitch Engage had the crowd going apeshit the entire set. Their crushing metal riffs with their sing-along bridges make for everything a metal crowd wants. The crowd interaction was fucking insane, too. I can't say anything else, but that you should go support them now. They are all ready pretty big, but it doesn't hurt to have more fans. http://www.myspace.com/killswitchengage & http://www.killswitchengage.com/
:@-%-@: Pics :@-%-@:
Jeramie Kling, the drummer, from The Absence with myself. Nick Calaci: "Look at that man. He may dress like he's all hardcore, but that man is straight up metal to the roots."
Mex Lisa riding my ass as though I were a fucking bull! WTF! Nice.
Lead vocalist for All Hell Breaks Loose: "before" shot.
Lead vocalist for All Hell Breaks Loose: "after" shot.
There I am in the middle sporting my Unearth hat. Dalex's friend to my left, Dalex to my right, the girls in front of me. Also, there's the sXe guitarist I mentioned in the post.
There's the heavyset girl that was dominating the pit. Also, to the right, those two hardcore kids were the ones that knew every move created in this genre's history.
Pat(guitarist) on the left; Nick(bassist) on the right.
Jaime(vocalist) in the center; Peter(guitarist) on the right.
Jason(kamenriderfaiz) with Peter on his left and Jaime on his right.
The hardcore kids once more.
Adam on guitar.
Howard on the mic.
Yeah, I still abhor Bush as my President. Love those last two pics, don't you?
:@-%-@: Before the Show :@-%-@:
Well, I didn't have work on Friday. Being that it is the day after Thanksgiving, my work let us have Thanksgiving and "Black Friday" off. So, I was able to get ready early and leave whenever I felt like it. Stuart was going to go with me to the show, but he got called in to work for "Black Friday." Same goes for Julie(jewlee182). Mexican Alex(valirus) was going to go, but he ended up not going for health reasons - sore throat, I believe. So, pretty much I just had Jason(kamenriderfaiz) to pick up for the show. Also, Eddie(theonetrueninja) couldn't make it for lack of money along with Mike(orochi_jounin) and Casey(dumshiet66). Dustin(illuded) didn't have a ride, which I didn't know until maybe thirty minutes prior to the show, or I would have went back to pick him up.
Anyways, Jason and I met up with Stef(thepeenkbomb), Matt's g/f Lauren, Dalex(notevenjoking), Dalex's g/f Brittany P, Jen(__shebop), Mexican Lisa(brutalbreakdown), and Katie(andahint_ofred). Waiting outside the venue for a bit, we all watched some random Martial Arts movie from like the late 80s on the preview screens for promotional ads. Mex Lisa and Jen kept on mocking the voices being that there was no sound. So, they'd come up with hilarious but inane dialogue for the outrageously generic characters. Dalex showed up with two of his friends. He said later on that this was their first like metal and hardcore show.
Stephanie kept giving me ball taps when I didn't expect it. She got in some good ones, but the last one was easily the most devastating. It felt like someone came up and hit my balls with a wooden spoon. You guys don't even want know what that felt like. It felt as though she flicked the ball at a perfect angle vibrating the actual cord that connects to it. God, did it hurt.
Eventually, Jen and Mex Lisa took my keys off me and dismantled all the keys off the chains. They went to pseudo-hide them amongst shrubbery and the sidewalk. I knew they weren't going to really leave my keys out there, especially with all these people walking and passing by every second. Nevetheless, I looked around for a bit but to no avail in my fruitless search. I came back to my spot in the line only to find they had my keys stuffed in their bras. At this point, I finally called Dustin on the status of Casey and him. Casey went MIA; Dustin just didn't have a ride there. With that known, the line started proceeding through the venue's doorway.
:@-%-@: During the Show :@-%-@:
As I walked in, I saw The Absence's drummer, Jeramie. I had to take a picture with him. So, Jason got a picture of that shit. Everybody I knew headed up to the front of the stage. After a little waiting, Dalex, Brittany, and I made our way to the merch table for some coveted articles of clothing. I picked up a tee for The Absence, a baseball tee for Trivium, a hat from Killswitch Engage, and KSE's merch guy gave me a KSE sticker. It was a play on KFC with The Colonel throwing up the metal horns.
Also, as I walked into the venue, I saw The Absence's bassist, Nick, walking around by the merch table. I swear to all that he looked just like fucking Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai. I thought to myself, "What the fuck is Tom Cruise doing here? He looks taller in the movies. Man, he must love metal shows to be here of all places." I didn't think anything of it, even though, Tom Cruise is a big-time actor; it just didn't click in my mind that no one was like swarming him as they would if the real Tom Cruise had been there.
I got up to the front to talk to Lisa and Katie, then suddenly, out of nowhere, Mex Lisa just jumps on my back! Seriously, I was just talking to the girls when a sudden crushing weight forces me to the ground. Mex Lisa started to ride me like a cowgirl rides a horse or cowboy rides a bull. She yelled, "Getty-up! Ya damn bull!" Jason got a picture of that, I believe.
Back up at the front, Stef and Lauren were talking to two scene-dressed, hardcore guys. They were actually pretty down-to-earth and all. They must have known every single hardcore, punk, "insert scene"-styled pit moves such as: Punk Skankin', the Machine Gun, the "Skeet," the Lawnmower, the Mohawk, the Gorilla, and several others that I can't even recall anymore. The black kid did some break dance moves(a la El Roboto). They had a great taste in music, and both of their favorite grindcore band was Agoraphobic Nosebleed. About this time, All Hell Breaks Loose started their set up. Also, the venue wasn't that packed. I still had plenty of room to move about freely.
All Hell Breaks Loose:
They started out rocking pretty hard. I was skeptical at first, but my doubts subsided after a few songs. They were actually pretty good live. I don't know any of the songs they played, since it was my first time even hearing about them. I only knew that they were on the same label as Target Nevada.
Dalex, Stef and I noticed their guitarist Chip was a pure sXe guy. He had the shirt on about it and on his guitar - if you stand for an idea, stand out with it. Also, the girls kept going crazy over their lead vocalist's, Alex, pant's outline, which they said they could see his penis; but, I didn't care for that, so I damn sure didn't try to notice.
Chip asked the crowd for some praise for the bands that night. He asked, "Hey, anyone know if The Absence is from here? From Tampa?" Dalex screamed, "I don't fucking know--!" Chip replied during Alex's midspeech "Ok, that kid there-- 'but, you guys fucking rock!' --"Ok, that's more like it." All Hell Breaks Loose proceeded to play a few more songs till their set finished.
The Absence:
The Absence was fucking amazing. I thought they were the best band there in terms of talent, music, and performance. They played all three songs off their 3-song EP: "I, Deceiver;" "My Ruin;" and, of course, "Seven Demons." They played a few new songs as well. The mosh pit had some weak moshers, but it was an above-average size pit. The pit started getting better at this point.
A lot of people went crazy once they heard Seven Demons was going to be played, including myself. That's like the fan favorite, because you can sing to the chorus with them. I knew a good portion of the beats from listening to their songs for the last few days almost nonstop.
I didn't recognize Pat without his facial hair, until Stef was like, "Look at him! It's Pat!" He can play the guitar so well along with Peter. Peter is just fucking pure old-school rocker with the long ass beard, some "metal dreds," and tattooed body, just like the old-school bikers. Jaime had a hell of a voice that night. The screams in their songs on CD are a pretty good length, but live it was like twice-to-thrice as long as the ones in the songs on CD. Jeramie was fucking amazing on the drums, too. Much to the girl's delight, I pointed out to them that Jeramie had taken his shirt off, and they all went apeshit over it. Nick was bouncing around playing the bass the whole time, and what a good bassist he is, for sure. Eddie would have shit his plants with all the solos.
Trivium:
I thought Trivium did amazingly well; however, the girls didn't like them that much live. Actually, the lead vocalist, Matt, looked bad ass that night. They played mostly new songs like: "Rain," "Drowned and Torn Asunder," "Pull Harder," "Ascendency," "A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation," "Suffocating Sight," and their video release song "Like Light to the Flies." They played old song which was "Pillars of Serpents."
Travis was fucking killing the drums during their set onstage. He's really good on the drums, no doubt. Corey and Matt were crushing out synchronized, brutal solos along with the basswork of Paolo. I'm really glad I got to see them for the first time. I'd been waiting to see them for so long. I was hoping they'd play more songs off their "Ember to Inferno" CD. They fucking rocked it out. They had some excellent crowd reaction, for sure. The pit grew a bit bigger for their performance. I had started to see his heavyset girl just throwing down in the pit; she was life in the pit.
Killswitch Engage:
Now, this was the definately the most energetic part of the night, bar none. Dalex and I evolved from the "metal horns" to the "metal claw" during this set. I know almost every lyric to the new CD for KSE. I used to know all the lyrics to "Alive or Just Breathing" as well. They played all new songs from their newest CD out called "The End of Heartache," such as: "A Bid Farewell," "When Darkness Falls," "Rose of Sharyn," "Breathe Life," "The End of Heartache," and encored "My Last Serenade." Everyone was waiting for Howard to walk out on stage. Everyone was anticipating him, since the other band members were out there ready to start it off.
I had a blast during this portion of the show. The entire crowd on the floor was moshing, jumping, head-stomping, stage-diving, crowd-surfing, and everything else. There was such a vivacious synergy from the crowd connected to KSE onstage. Everyone knew the lyrics. Everyone knew the beats. Everyone fucking went insane. I saw Dalex and his two friends moshing along side myself. Dalex was going apeshit the entire set. He crowd surfed roughly 32.7 million times throughout KSE's performance. He got on stage and sang a few lyrics with Howard. Dalex turned his back on stage outstretched his arms and fell back onto the people that held him up to crowd surf. I got up on stage did a move or two and then kinda just scarcely dove out to the outstretch of horns, fists, and hands. It was awesome feeling weightless, though the down side to it is, up there the hands feel like knives jabbing into your sides. Right after coming down from the surfing, I was standing there when a kid stage-dives horizontally ass-first. Everyone avoided him, except for a small net of hands that did little to slow any advance of momentum. His ass bone cracked me across the temple. I was temporarily stunned for a solid minute. I had taken hits all night, but that one was the hardest hit in the last few shows that I had taken.
I think Mex Lisa and Jen were getting pure action from KSE's guitarist - Adam. He would come over whilst playing to throw up metal horns, lick his pinky and index finger only to smear it on Jen or Mex Lisa's face. I got to scream with him when he would come down to yell at the crowd. Adam is blading a little bit, but everyone - including myself - kept rubbing or patting his forehead. They just knew how to play to the crowd. Their songs are all ready perfect for sing-alongs with crushing metal riffs, so the crowd interaction was some of the best comparable to Atreyu shows.
I sang lyrics so much so that I knew my voice was far too strained for the vocal cords to produce any varying wavelengths of sound. I sang the screaming and singing parts with harmony to the music. Adam, their guitarist, said it was the first show that all of the band members had facial hair at the same time on tour. Also, Adam got slammed with a fucking pie to the face by either a fan or groupie or road crew. That was hilarious.
Howard claimed us to be the best crowd KSE had ever played for, which I'll agree to, 'cause with as mnay people as the show enarmored, it was just fucking insane. I lost all my stamina during their main performance. People were screaming for an encore for a few minutes. Adam got back on the mic to ask every band member if they wanted to play for us: the response was a resounding yes from each member. KSE proceeded to play several tracks from their sophomore album entitled "Alive or Just Breathing," including my personal favorite of "My Last Serenade."
:@-%-@: After the Show :@-%-@:
I was so fucking tired after the KSE set that I couldn't even stand. I bent my head over and laid on Katie's back to rest for a few mins. Dalex's friends left along with Dalex and Brittany right after the set was over. I stayed with the girls to see if it was possible at all to get backstage. It wasn't though, unfortunately.
After a little bit, we headed back out to where the merch table was. To my great delight and surprise, The Absence was hanging out right at the merch table. I ended up purchasing their 3-song EP right then and there. I talked to Nick for a little bit, telling him that I thought he looked like Tom Cruise. He said he had been noted as Charles Manson and a few others but never as Tom Cruise. I talked to Jeramie right afterwards. I asked if there was anyway I could have his other drum stick - he threw one out to the crowd at the end of their set. He said he had already packed everything away out back with all their equipment to my disappointment. But, he searched for something to give me but had nothing. However, he said if I came to their next show that he'd give me a pair of signed drum sticks. So, I was stoked about that and gladly accepted that offer. Next, I got to talk to Jaime and Peter for a minute. I didn't see Pat around, but I'll talk to him next time I see him.
I said bye to the girls as they were talking to Silence After Tragedy's vocalist - Wank the Tank. I headed back to my car with Jason. We left talking about the show and rocking out to The Absence some more. Yeah, it owned.
:@-%-@: After-Thoughts :@-%-@:
Just a quick run-through for the people that don't feel like reading about my life or my experience:
- All Hell Breaks Loose was a good show-starter and opener. They got people pumped up for the rest of the show. Though, it is very unfortunate that their drummer, Joe, died not long after the show ended. There are several speculations and rumors flying around about it, but the band announced that they nor the drummer's family knew what happened. These guys need all the support they can get after such a tragedy: http://www.livejournal.com/users/all_hell/. Help out those guys.
- The Absence was fucking wicked live. They ARE Tampa's best death metal/black metal band, bar none. These guys knew how to move the crowd and rock out. The solos and guitarwork were perfectly engineered, the drumming beats were brutal, and the singing was top-notch. These guys were amazing. I joined their street team, and you can also at their site: http://www.theabsence.com. Or, you can visit them on MySpace at: http://www.myspace.com/theabsence.
- Trivium were just wicked as expected. They have become more melodic with their new music, for sure; but, they still maintain a distinct brutal touch true to their style. The solos were amazing. The drums were amazing. The screaming/singing was amazing, too. They WERE amazing. I;m glad I got a chance to see these guys keep it metal, hardcore, and melodic. I wish they had played more older songs from their demo CD or from "Ember to Inferno" CD, but their new stuff was great, nonetheless. http://www.trivium.org & http://www.myspace.com/trivium.
- Killswitch Engage had the crowd going apeshit the entire set. Their crushing metal riffs with their sing-along bridges make for everything a metal crowd wants. The crowd interaction was fucking insane, too. I can't say anything else, but that you should go support them now. They are all ready pretty big, but it doesn't hurt to have more fans. http://www.myspace.com/killswitchengage & http://www.killswitchengage.com/
:@-%-@: Pics :@-%-@:
Jeramie Kling, the drummer, from The Absence with myself. Nick Calaci: "Look at that man. He may dress like he's all hardcore, but that man is straight up metal to the roots."
Mex Lisa riding my ass as though I were a fucking bull! WTF! Nice.
Lead vocalist for All Hell Breaks Loose: "before" shot.
Lead vocalist for All Hell Breaks Loose: "after" shot.
There I am in the middle sporting my Unearth hat. Dalex's friend to my left, Dalex to my right, the girls in front of me. Also, there's the sXe guitarist I mentioned in the post.
There's the heavyset girl that was dominating the pit. Also, to the right, those two hardcore kids were the ones that knew every move created in this genre's history.
Pat(guitarist) on the left; Nick(bassist) on the right.
Jaime(vocalist) in the center; Peter(guitarist) on the right.
Jason(kamenriderfaiz) with Peter on his left and Jaime on his right.
The hardcore kids once more.
Adam on guitar.
Howard on the mic.
Yeah, I still abhor Bush as my President. Love those last two pics, don't you?