The Post-Rockist

In this era of band reunions, I find it necessary to examine the validity of long-running or reunited acts to determine whether they’re still actual artists with points of view or if they’re simply cashing in on former glory. I’ve seen three such bands this summer, starting with Steely Dan on the opening night of Milwaukee’s Summerfest, and additionally seeing the double bill of Cheap Trick and Blue Oyster Cult at Riverfest in Beloit, Wisconsin. I felt somewhat out of place at both shows, amidst a crowd whose mean age is closer to that of my parents than my own, but an old and inactive crowd is much easier to ignore than a rowdy room of young whippersnappers and I was able to concentrate on the performances, which varied wildly in not only quality but also the performers’ apparent goals.

Cheap Trick’s performance was probably the most typical nostalgia act, but also the most immediately satisfying. The four members from the band’s heyday were all present and all pushing 60, but that didn’t stop them from ripping through an hour or so of hits, plus a couple songs from their 2006 album Rockford. But for the most part, they stuck to their most recognizable songs and performed them with the vigor you expect from a bunch of old guys. Not that anyone really needed them to look or act like a hungry young group of dudes - Cheap Trick has paid their dues, had their hits, and are now basking in the glory of being able to play a packed show anywhere, including Beloit, Wisconsin (population 35,775). And yup, they played awesome rock staples “I Want You to Want Me,” “Surrender,” and “Dream Police,” as well as their sole number one hit, the flaccid ballad “The Flame” from 1988. The whole thing was still a blast, though, and guitarist Rick Nielsen was eccentric as ever, switching guitars for nearly every song (his five-necked monstrosity was thankfully one of the many he included) and showering the first several rows in guitar picks. I think that Cheap Trick are often overlooked and they should be respected as the great songwriters they are - their string of ’70s albums is remarkably consistent and without a time machine set to 1978 Budokan, this is pretty much as good as it’s going to get for Trick fans nowadays.

(Continued)

For my Memorial Day weekend, I decided to fly across the country to watch thirty or so death metal and grindcore bands. Maryland Deathfest takes place this time each year, and people like myself travel from all over the nation and the world to witness the event, which is probably the most highly-regarded metal festival in the country. The fest has a reputation for bringing high-quality bands from around the world, many of whom rarely ever play in America.

There was a pre-fest show on Friday night, spotlighting five bands in addition to the twenty-eight booked for the actual fest. Most of the attendees missed a solid set by New York grinders Defeatist due the doors opening about 10 minutes before they started with the line still stretching around the block. Pisschrist, an Australian crust-punk band was probably the highlight of the night, with outrageous energy and relentless d-beat drums. One-man death metal machine Putrid Pile showed what you can truly accomplish alone in your Wisconsin bedroom while Insect Warfare’s and Pig Destroyer’s sets were marred by poor sound that turned their respective riff circuses into a nasty wall of bassy buzz.

Fests, especially when held in a hot indoor venue with no seating, are kind of an endurance contest. I managed to see at least half of every band except one (the last one) so I could catch a plane early the next morning and after such an insane weekend of standing up watching metal, my feet and ears couldn’t take it anymore. But I think I did pretty well for myself. Saprogenic and Foetopsy got it off to a great start early Saturday afternoon, and the all-female Japanese grind quartet Flagitious Idiosyncrasy in the Dilapidation miraculously managed to make the crowd mosh instead of just staring at them (chicks!). Finnish grinders Rotten Sound were one of the fastest and tightest bands of the weekend, which is definitely saying something. Lots of people expected Cock and Ball Torture (yes, that’s a real band) to have a gimmicky stage show to accompany their groovy pornogrind (yes, that’s a real subgenre), but I was pleased just to see three German dudes playing some killer tunes without any gimps or inflatable anything onstage. There were a healthy number of Swedish grind bands on the fest, including Regurgitate and General Surgery during the first day, both of whom showed these American punks how it’s really done. There was death metal on the bill too, with longhairs Vomitory playing tight and furious and Gorerotted making their way to the US from the UK for the first time. Long-long-long-running English grinders Extreme Noise Terror kept the circle pits circling, but reuniting headliners Brutal Truth weren’t exciting enough to keep me from leaving to go to bed after a couple songs.

After getting enough sleep, I was able to muster the energy to come back for more. The second day brought Canadian weirdos Fuck the Facts, who integrated boinky electronics and a tiny but ferocious female vocalist into a tight and memorable set. Jigsore Terror and Birdflesh (who both share their inhumanly gnarly drummer with General Surgery) both brought the house down with their unyielding old-school grind assaults. Hooded marauders Ghoul played an all-too-brief set of catchy and bouncy splatterthrash and those crazy Cripple Bastards from Italy won the award for Band Who Looks Most Like They Really Mean What They’re Saying. Gut did what everyone was hoping Cock and Ball Torture wouldn’t do and brought PG-13 strippers and an obnoxious posse along with forgettable and sloppy grind. Polish grinders Dead Infection made their US debut in a performance that was still admirable despite the terrible sound mix, and classic death metallers Malevolent Creation played a solid set of death-by-the-books. Zyklon went on last, and a couple friends stayed for one song but left when they started singing with clean vocals.

Because, you see, clean vocals are not what this is all about. It’s about demonic pitch-shifted growls and blood-curdling shrieks. It’s about playing as fast as you can. It’s about t-shirts with band names and slogans that are totally inappropriate to wear anywhere but at a metal show. It’s about seeing some dude in the parking lot shredding on his guitar and growling for a few crusties sitting on the ground. It’s about trying to hold it as long as you can to avoid using the disgusting bathroom. It’s about headbanging and friendly circle pits. And most of all, it’s about watching as many loud bands as your body will allow and being able to wake up the next day to tell the tale.

-Posted by Andrew, Resident Death Metal Expert