This blog specializes in heavy metal music and how it relates to Washington DC and the surrounding area. Featuring info on upcoming metal concerts in Washington DC, Baltimore and Virginia, as well as info on local bands, area concert venues, reviews of live gigs, and lots of give aways.
This Friday, January 16th through Sunday, January 18th, the 5th annual DC Tattoo Expo will be going on at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in the Crystal City area of Arlington, Virginia. I went last year and had a great time and so I’d like to give you the chance to go to so we’re giving away a free pair of single day passes to the DC Tattoo Expo to one of you lucky readers! To enter: just tell me which day you’d like to attend, Friday, Saturday or Sunday, and on Thursday, January 15th at 4pm I’ll pick one valid entry at random (using Random.org) to get the pair of tickets to go on the day they selected. Be sure to use a valid email you check regularly so I can contact you if you win. Don’t worry, I won’t add you to any spam lists or sell your info or anything sleazy like that. If I haven’t heard back from the winner in 24 hours another winner will be chosen at random. Since the event is so close, please don’t enter if you cannot actually attend. If you don’t win you can still go, ticket prices are $25 per person each day or $55 for 3 days. Under 12 gets in free with a paying adult and there’s a military discount as well.
So what exactly is there to do at a tattoo expo? Well for starters if you’ve been thinking about getting some new ink it’s a great place to browse the hundreds of artists there (see the full list here), many of whom will tattoo you right there at the expo. There are many tattoo artists from all over the country that will be there, including several from the reality shows Best Ink and Ink Master, as well as other famous tattoo artists. In addition there will also be dozens of artists from around the DMV area so if you’re looking for a new tattoo artist to get some serious work done with, this is a great chance to discover them without driving around to a dozen shops. Chris Saint Clark of Nashville put an awesome Cthulhu tattoo on my leg there last year (see it here) and he’ll be there this year again too, and there’s tons of other great artists as well! There will also be tattoo contests for many categories including a worst tattoo contest where the winner will get a free cover up! And there’s also the Miss DC Pin-Up Contest which is open to all women and will have a $500 cash prize for 1st place! So if you’ve never been to a tattoo convention before, or you have but would like to get in free this time, just let me know which day you’d like to go in the comments below!
Every year here on DCHM we put together a year end post but instead of making silly lists attempting to linearly “rank” art I like to ask a bunch of the people involved in the Washington DC, Baltimore and Northern Virginia area’s metal scene two questions: what was your most metal moment of 2014? and, what was your favorite album of the year? The answers are as varied and diverse as the people that make up our scene. This is one of my favorite posts every year and I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed putting it together. As we look forward to more incredible metal moments in 2015 take a few minutes to read about some of the best of 2014, and of course feel free to add your own in the comment section.
Kim Dylla runs the metal clothing business Kylla Custom Rock Wear but is probably best known now as Vulvatron, the new female member of GWAR. Favorite album of 2014:Memoria Vetusta III: Saturnian Poetry by Blut Aus Nord Most metal moment of 2014: My most metal moment of 2014 would probably be breaking my rib on stage at the Baltimore Soundstage when GWAR played the last show of the GWAR Eternal Tour there on December 13th. It has been an insane honor for me to be a part of GWAR, a band that has meant a lot to me and are very close friends of mine, as well as this general area for many years. After a 52 date tour we got to close the adventure with this show in Baltimore and I was very excited because so many of my friends from the DC metal scene would be there. It was my first time performing in front of them in many years since the demise of my old band, and what a thrill to perform with GWAR! At the end of our set I battle Mr. Perfect and we defeat and dismember him. Some of his parts are soft and made of foam, others are structural stilts and made of hard fiberglass. I usually elbow drop and leg drop these parts for theatrical purposes, and let’s just say I aimed improperly with full force. I still had to sing one more song and somehow managed to power through it without much stage movement. When I finally went to the doctor and explained how I broke the rib I realized it was pretty fucking metal. Ironically he was a GWAR fan as well!
Kim Dylla performing as Vulvatron on Dec 13th in Baltimore
Aaron Deal is the bass player for one of Washington DC’s biggest metal bands, Darkest Hour. Favorite album of 2014:Once More ‘Round the Sun by Mastodon Most metal moment of 2014: I got lucky this year and got to play some of the biggest, best, and most metal venues in the DC area… Jiffy Lube Live, 9:30 Club, and Empire, in that order. I had never played Jiffy Lube Live before we did this summer on the Mayhem Fest tour, and let’s be honest, who wouldn’t want to play a venue with a name like that? But what made it especially metal for me personally was my bass. I got a couple of new basses from ESP during the tour, a sunburst one and a black one. I can’t really get into black guitars so I sent it off to a friend to have it repainted my favorite color, pink. When we got into town on August 3rd, the day of the Virginia show, I came home to pick up the bass from my house and played it that day and everyday since then. It has quickly become my favorite bass, but that show at Jiffy Lube Live was the first day I ever played it!
Chicken Man, aka Chris Penrod, is the guy you see at many of our area’s metal shows wearing a full body chicken suit while he crowd surfs and destroys the mosh pit. Favorite album of 2014:Miserable by Bongripper Most metal moment of 2014: My most metal moment of 2014 was seeing Eyehategod at the Pinch in DC on July 10th when Iron Reagan opened up for them. It was hot as ballsack with easily 200 people crammed in there. I knew it was metal as fuck when I went to crowd surf and as soon as I went up, I kicked the ceiling.
Sean Saley is the drummer for the legendary doom metal band Pentagram. Favorite album of 2014:For Those Which Are Asleep by The Skull Most metal moment of 2014: This is a tough one. One standout moment was how metal it got when all the punk kids came out. Pentagram played a show at American University in DC on to around 400 people on April 19th and, though it was a booze-free, all-ages show that was heavily promoted in the punk community, we could not have asked for a better reception and a crazier crowd. The front row was pushed halfway onto the (low sitting) stage, it was all beautifully intimate, and seldom have I ever seen heads bang harder. Truly a great show…
…But, honestly, I think my most metal moment for 2014 actually came very late in 2013. It was just so damned metal that the impression lasted well into ’14. My girl Annie and I headed to Baltimore in November to see Sweden’s In Solitude, who were opening for legendary black metal band Watain. After In Solitude’s set, Annie and I wandered over to the far end of the bar, an area that is separated from the backstage area by a heavy curtain. As we’re moving in to order drinks, a rank smell hits our noses like a brass knuckled fist. We looked at each other like, “What the fuck is that smell?” It, quite literally, smelled like everyone surrounding us simultaneously shit their pants. Just putrid. After a few minutes of wondering whether sewage was flowing from the bar taps, Watain took the stage and, mystery solved, as they brought two huge, ripe, well-past-their-expiration-date pig heads and splorched them down onto inverted crosses at either end of the stage- where they continued reeking up the whole place. After speaking with Sean “Pellet” Pelletier, US manager for In Solitude (and Pentagram), I learned that Watain had been carrying the two pig heads in their equipment trailer for two weeks and that show was the last night of the tour. He also told me that the smell helps them play better and enjoy the show more. Now that is fucking metal.
Blake Harrison is the knob twister and hype man for Pig Destroyer as well as the unofficial mayor of Baltimore. Favorite album of 2014:Longhena by Gridlink Most metal moment of 2014: My most metal moment this year was probably Gwar-B-Q and after the passing of Gwar vocalist Dave Brockie, we all knew this would be a special one. I picked up my beautiful traveling companion (whom I was courting) and we headed south, looking forward to the fun ahead. There happened to be an accident approximately every mile on 95 South, so weaving off and on between 95 and Route 1, we slowly picked our way towards Richmond. Finally, after 5 hours, we got to the Red Roof Inn that Pig Destroyer had stayed the previous year when we played, called some peeps and headed into Richmond proper to do some drinking and catching up. At Ipenema we ran into Rob and Frank from Metal Injection, Tony from Iron Regan/Municipal Waste/JRS (for all you old school heads), my buddy Mark and Jason from Suppression. After a couple more cocktails we piled in Mark’s car and headed to a house party where the main event was everyone drinking moonshine from a mason jar. After too much of this behavior, we called it a night and headed home to rest.
Arriving at Hadad’s Lake the next day, August 16th, I had one goal in mind: Meet Ice T. Nothing, I mean nothing, could deter me from that goal. I met up with friends, started hanging and drinking all the free beer we could, when a couple I had just met said “you want to meet Ice T? Come with me.” I had heard that Ice T was a Pig Destroyer fan, and after many failed attempts on security’s part to eject us, we photobomb-ed him and his crew and I said “Yo Ice, you ever heard of the band Pig Destroyer?” He looked up at me, and thought for a second and said “No, that’s a dope name though.” There was so much else going on that weekend, to list it all would be a boring read to most, but I got to see some killer bands, meet Tesco Vee and Dez Cadena, hung with Juan Garcia from Evil Dead, and other great friends, Travis, Jim, Tony, Jason, Rob, Ken, Jeanna, Ashley, Brett, Tannin, Dave (I still have the red mark where you slapped my chest… Fucker), Mark, Will, Rich, Alex, Andrew, and I’m sure there’s more I’m forgetting, and last but not least Lindsey. What a great time, but fuck… Meeting Ice T? Now that’s metal.
Bobbie Dickerson is the promoter for Black Rose Metal Heart Promotions and co-founder of the Flight of the Valkyries metal festival. Favorite album of 2014:Karma Sown by Iris Divine Most metal moment of 2014: It feels like 2014 has been one incredible metal moment after the next. I dubbed the Iced Earth, Sabaton, ReVamp, and A Sound Of Thunder show at Empire on April 21st the “Holy Shit Everyone Is Here” show. The bar was packed with literally everyone from our local scene and I was constantly running into friends every time I turned around. Every band on the bill was incredible! Plus I got the opportunity to rock out watching Iced Earth from the green room upstairs overlooking the whole bar. May 30th brought one of the best attended shows I put on this year, the Face Melting Friday: Drink Your Face Off edition with Sekengard, Dogs & Day Drinkers, Testosteroso, Cab Ride Home and Ralph wasn’t just a show, it was a full on party! On October 14th I brought Betrayer F.T.M. (from Colombia) to Baltimore. Despite it being a Tuesday night (notoriously the worst night of the week for shows), the turnout was really good and the camaraderie among Betrayer F.T.M., Visceral Violation, Metanium and Gateway To Hell made the night all the more memorable! The guys from Betrayer were having such a great time, they signed the door to the Sidebar in silver sharpie before departing. Finally winning tickets to and meeting Devin Townsend at Ram’s in December was a huge metal fangirl moment for me and definitely a highlight for 2014. That man is just amazing! Too many great memories this year to pick just one!
Steve Jones is the brewer at Baltimore’s Oliver Brewery which makes, among other tasty beers, the officially licensed beers for the doom band The Sword including Winter’s Wolves and Sea Of Spears. Favorite album of 2014:The Conjuring by Wo Fat Most metal moment of 2014: 2014 was a great year… I got to see some great gigs including childhood heroes such as Judas Priest, Kiss and Raven. Hooked up with the amazing Wo Fat and brewed The Black Code and Noche del Chupacabra in their honor and of course continued our relationship with The Sword. If I had to choose one “event” it’d be the sold out show by The Sword at the Rock and Roll Hotel on February 21st which we jointly “sponsored” with our friends at DC Brau. The Sword were the band that got me back into metal when I caught them live at Ottobar in 2006. Nothing gives me as big of a thrill as having “Winter’s Wolves” pouring at a Sword show. I got to the venue early to set up and got to hang with the band and watch the soundcheck. The whole pre-show vibe was great, so many of my friends were meeting up before the gig. The show was an ass kicker… I was down in front sweating my ass off and seriously, nothing beats having a pint of Winter’s Wolves in hand when the first chord of that song rips your face off! Magic!
Steve Jones (right) with Kyle Shutt of The Sword
Richard Johnson, aka The Grindfather, is the main man of the Northern Virginia based grindcore band Drugs Of Faith and he also runs the ‘zine turned blog Disposable Underground. Favorite album of 2014:Longhena by Gridlink Most metal moment of 2014: I’ll go with the experience of folks appreciating a Godflesh cover my band did for a tribute compilation. This was before the new Godflesh full-length album (which has appeared on several best-of-2014 lists) hit the shelves, but the song we picked was off the last record Godflesh did before they broke up, Hymns. We only played it live twice, once in Baltimore, MD, and once in Richmond, VA. A person at each gig came up to me after we played and said, “Cool Godflesh cover.” It’s a cliché, but that made rehearsing the song and playing it live worth it. Although the boys in Godflesh distance themselves from being categorized as metal, I’ll call this my most “metal”
moment of 2014!
Matt Rice is the frontman of the local metal band Yesterday’s Saints. Favorite album of 2014:The Satanist by Behemoth Most metal moment of 2014: Mayhem Fest seems to be an annual staple for me and this year the band my friend Andrew Grevey plays bass in, Wretched, was on the tour. I was talking to Andrew on my way to Mayhem Fest’s Jiffy Lube Live stop on August 3rd and he asked me to help them set up the official after party that Wretched was responsible for throwing that night. I went into scramble mode to help them get a Karaoke DJ for the “White Trash Karaoke Party” and with literally minutes to spare I secured “Super Dave” from Manassas to come do it. The party went on as a great success and despite bearing witness to Lonestar of Darkest Hour singing “Mr. Roboto” cross-dressed up as a drunk and pregnant trailer hooker was quite a spectacle, the most metal moment came as the party was winding down. I was talking to George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher, vocalist of Cannibal Corpse, about singing Karaoke. I had been given heads up that George likes singing Hank Williams III songs and I tried to get Super Dave to bring some for George to belt out. George told me that would have been great but he also would have enjoyed doing some John Denver too. Then George began to sing, with a clean baritone voice, a John Denver song to the few of us still there. He really has a nice, clear, powerful (yeah imagine that) voice. That was pretty amazing and my most metal moment of the year: Corpsegrinder singing a John Denver song.
Lauri Lindqvist is better known as DCHM album reviewer Tal around here although you can read more of his writing on his blog In My Winter Castle. Favorite album of 2014:Hymns for the Broken by Evergrey Most metal moment of 2014: This year, I came out as trans, started using a different name, and asked people to start calling me “he” instead of “she.” One of the first places where I transitioned socially was within the metal scene, because that was one of the places where I felt most at home and most comfortable in my masculinity, and also because as a trans guy with waist length hair, it’s pretty much the only place I can pass easily.
On October 7th I went to see Within Temptation at Ram’s Head Live in Baltimore. I was there with another trans person who was soon to become very important in my life. I had considered WT’s 2014 album, Hydra, a transition soundtrack of sorts because so many of the songs spoke to the fears and triumphs of someone taking the risk of really being their true self, and so headbanging to those songs in a live setting with a transgendered friend at my side was incredibly meaningful. But then, Sharon den Adel (WT’s vocalist) made the night, when in introducing “Stand My Ground,” she came out in support of LGBT rights. She talked about how things are changing in the world and then said that people should be whoever they want to be, “gay or straight or whatever you are, whatever religion…” It gives me chills even now thinking about it – it was such an empowering moment. It may well have been the first time a major international band took a stand on the stage in support of LGBT rights – it was certainly the first time I heard such a thing. Not only that but as vague as “whatever you are” is, it is also open-ended and inclusive. The variety of sexual orientations and gender identities only starts at gay, straight, and trans – there are infinite variations, and I like to think that Sharon’s words were intended to include and support all of us, whatever we may be, however we may identify.
Maybe best of all, the place broke out in wild cheers at her words. It was so amazing to know that the metal scene – here, and in international bands like WT – has got my back, and those of all my LGBT friends and family. Hydra was tied with the album above as my pick for album of the year, and I could just as well have told the story that goes with Hymns for the Broken as my most metal moment. But I decided WT’s story was a bit better, and that the other album that spoke deeply to me and got me through some tough times should be honored as my favorite album of the year.
Metal Chris is, well, me! I’m the main writer, editor, calendar updater and dark beer drinker of this very website, DCHeavyMetal.com Favorite album of 2014:The Living Ever Mourn by Nightfell Most metal moment of 2014: I’m not one to get star struck too often but when the opportunity arose to interview original Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward for DCHeavyMetal.com I’ll admit I was taken aback a bit. Not only did Black Sabbath birth heavy metal but they’re also my favorite band. On May 9th and 10th Bill Ward came to Annapolis, Maryland to exhibit an art project he was involved with, one that incorporated his drumming but in a visual medium. In addition to being a metal head I’m also a big fan of artwork so this was the perfect opportunity for me to land the interview to help promote the project to the area’s metal heads. I did a ton of prep work, carefully crafted tons of questions, recorded the interview and did a massive amount of editing to remove all the ums and stutters we both made. In the end it all paid off, the interview was my best to date and it was picked up by several major heavy metal news outlets like Blabbermouth and Loudwire. All of that was great and all but the best part was getting to meet Bill Ward at the art exhibit and somehow convince him to wear a DCHeavyMetal.com shirt, the one that parodies the Black Sabbath Vol. 4 album cover. Not only was this my most metal moment of 2014, but probably the most metal moment of my life! I’m not sure how I’m ever going to top that one!
The excellent instrumental band Russian Circles is coming to the Rock And Roll Hotel this Sunday, December 14th and we’re really excited about this show here at DCHM. So excited that we’ll be giving away a pairs of tickets to this very show! To enter: just leave a comment on this post telling me who your favorite instrumental band is. Maybe it’s Pelican, Animals As Leaders, Conquering Dystopia, Earthless, Set And Setting, locals Black Clouds or another band entirely. At 5pm EST this Friday, December 12th, a winner will be chosen at random (using Random.org) from all valid entries to be given a free pair of tickets to this show. Be sure to use a valid email you check regularly so I can contact you if you win. Don’t worry, I won’t add you to any spam lists or sell your info or anything sleazy like that. If I haven’t heard back from the winner in 24 hours another winner will be chosen at random. If you can’t wait to see if you win or the contest is already over when you read this then you can get tickets from Ticket Fly right now for $15 here.
Russian Circles put on a killer performance when they played the Rock & Roll Hotel back in February and you can bet they’ll do the same this time too. While they’re not the most brutal of bands I’ve always had a soft spot for instrumental bands and Russian Circles is one of the best. Also on the bill is Mutoid Man, a stoner band featuring Ben Koller of Converge and Steve Brodsky of Cave In. Now check out these killer tunes by the bands playing and let me know what you favorite instrumental band is!
The doom/stoner band Trouble has been cranking out the riffs since 1980 but now the band’s original vocalist, Eric Wagner, is back with Trouble’s original drummer, Jeff Olson, and long time bass player Ron Holzner not as Trouble but The Skull. They’ll be coming to the Metro Gallery in Baltimore on Friday, December 12th and they’ll be playing classic old Trouble songs as well as tracks from their killer new album For Those Which Are Asleep. We’re so excited about this show here at DCHM that we’re going to give away a pair of tickets to one of you lucky readers. To enter just leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite metal album of the year has been. At 5pm EST this Wednesday, December 10th, a winner will be chosen at random (using Random.org) from all valid entries to win the tickets. Be sure to enter using a valid email you check regularly so I can contact you if you win. Don’t worry, I won’t add you to any spam lists or sell your info or anything sleazy like that. If I haven’t heard back from the winner in 24 hours another winner will be chosen at random. If you can’t wait to see if you win or the contest is already over when you read this, then you can get tickets from Ticket Fly for $17 here.
The Skull gets their name from the second Trouble album, sort of like how the later version of Black Sabbath with Dio was called Heaven And Hell. Eric Wagner still has that classic doom voice of his so you won’t want to miss this incredible set (and rumor has it the band has a special surprise for fans at this specific show). And if this wasn’t already enough doom for you there’s some great up and coming bands on this bill as well including Philadelphia’s Crypt Sermon and Conclave from Massachusetts. Be sure to get there early so you can catch locals Gateway To Hell as well (what a name!). Now help me find out which great albums I’ve missed listening to this year by telling me what your favorite metal album of the year is and be sure to check out these videos of the bands playing below.
One of the original Bay Area thrash bands from the 80s, Exodus, is coming the Empire on Monday, November 24th for the band’s first area appearance with returning vocalist Steve Souza fronting the band. We here at DCHeavyMetal.com couldn’t be more excited so we’re giving away a free pair of tickets to one of you lucky DCHM readers. To enter just leave a comment on this post telling me which Exodus song you want to hear the most (if you need help you can find their discography here) when they come to Empire on Monday. At 5pm EST this Friday, November 21st, a winner will be chosen at random (using Random.org) from all valid entries to win the tickets. Be sure to enter using a valid email you check regularly so I can contact you if you win. Don’t worry, I won’t add you to any spam lists or sell your info or anything sleazy like that. If I haven’t heard back from the winner in 24 hours another winner will be chosen at random. If you can’t wait to see if you win or the contest is already over when you read this, then you can get tickets from Ticket Fly for $17 here.
Steve Souza fronted Exodus for the band’s four albums from 1987 to 1992, and then again for their 2004 return album Tempo Of The Damned. Now he finds himself back in Exodus with the release of their new album, Blood In, Blood Out, and fans and critics alike are raving about it. Exodus fan’s won’t want to miss the band’s only area appearance this year with Souza back to perform those classic songs with them. Exodus is currently touring with Slayer and Suicidal Tendencies this show is an off date of that tour, which unfortunately isn’t coming anywhere near us. As such there’s isn’t any touring support, however we will get sets by some great locals including Yesterday’s Saints, March To Victory, Oberris, Blunt Force Rebellion, Afarinesh, and Red Sky Research. So check out these awesome Exodus videos below, tell me which song you want to hear them play the most on Monday, and get ready for a killer night of thrash!
There aren’t a lot of metal heads that have broken into the mainstream without being in a huge band, but comedian, actor, writer and heavy metal fan Brian Posehn has done just that. He has appeared in too many movies and TV shows for me to list them all here but you can see him live at the Black Cat doing his stand up routine this Thursday, November 20th, 2014 (details here). You don’t have to be a metal head to enjoy his style of comedy but there’s usually some inside jokes for us in there too. I got the chance to talk to him on the phone recently and what started as an interview quickly turned into a conversation between two metal heads asking each other what bands they like and what they’re listening to lately. You can stream the 19 minute interview by clicking the orange play button below, download it as an mp3 here, or read the following transcription which is full of useful links. Bonus points for reading along as you listen! If you’ve ever wondered exactly what kind of a metal head Brian Posehn is then you’re going to love this interview.
Hello this is Metal Chris of DCHeavyMetal.com and I’ve got comedian Brian Posehn here on the phone with me right now. Brian will be doing stand up at the Black Cat in Washington, DC on Thursday, November 20th. He’s put out three albums of stand up comedy including The Fartist in 2013, has appeared in several movies and TV shows including Just Shoot Me! and [as] the heavy metal loving neighbor Brian Spukowski on The Sarah Silverman Program and he’s even been the full time writer for the Deadpool ongoing comic book series. He’s known as a metal head and often references metal bands in his stand up routine. To get things started here Brian, can you tell me what fans can expect from your stand up show on Thursday?
*Iron Man’s helmet*
Yeah my son is saying that Iron Man is a metal head because he has a metal helmet. Sorry you have a five year old chiming in helping me answer. What was the question? Sorry.
What can fans expect from your show this Thursday?
More of the same is a terrible answer but it’s me and the act right now is pretty self deprecating, but it has been. I’m transitioning out of The Fartist. I’ve retired most of those jokes. There might be one or two of those jokes left but I’m already working on the next album and it’s almost there. I have 45 minutes of new material I just need to kind of cap the hour off with some new stuff and then it’ll be ready to go. Metal Chris is his name, Rhoads.
*OK*
Rhoads is named after a guitar player.
*Yeah.*
Rhoads you love Ozzy don’t you?
*Yeah I like Ozzy*
Yeah.
Is there an opener for your set this Thursday, and do you know who it is?
Yeah it’s a buddy of mine, Jeremy Essig. He’s kind of my regular– not kind of, he’s been my regular feature for the last couple of years. [I] met him in Saint Louis and he flies everywhere and he drives everywhere and is just a really funny dude and loves being on the road so, it’s nice.
So is there any reason you decided to perform at the Black Cat instead of a more traditional comedy venue? I think the last time I saw you here you were at the Arlington Cinema And Drafthouse which does a lot more stand up.
Yeah I love that spot and will probably go back there but I’ve done the Black Cat before with Comedians Of Comedy [a 2005 comedy tour featuring Patton Oswalt, Zach Galifianakis, Brian Posehn and Maria Bamford] and it’s a good rock club space for comedy. I had a couple of good experiences there. I’m looking forward to it. Mostly what I’m doing lately is rock clubs. I still have a handful of comedy clubs that I will forever do pretty much but I’m trying to do more of the one show or two shows in and out at a rock club and then go to the next city.
I heard that you’ve got a comedy album in the works that’s going to be all music, with Scott Ian of Anthrax, that you guys are putting together. Do you have a name for this band or this project?
Yeah we’re just calling it Posehn. That’s what we did for the songs that were on my two Relapse records that I did. It’s just kind of simple, just the last name. And then [I] don’t know what the record is called yet but we’re done with all the demos. We’re mostly done with the basic tracks and Scott’s got to come in and redo some guitars and then we’re filling up solos. Guys like Gary Holt [of Exodus and Slayer] just sent me a solo the other day. Alex Skolnick [of Testament] did one. Kim Thayil is going to do one, from Soundgarden, it’s crazy. It’s shaping up to be really funny and with actual amazing musicianship. Not me of course but all my friends.
Do you plan to tour to support this once it comes out?
Scott and I have talked about doing something. He and I want to do a spoken word tour and then maybe. It would be really hard to get a touring band behind one record too and I don’t know. I’d love to think about it at some point but what we might wind up doing is just doing acoustic versions of stuff, he and I. That [would] probably be easier to schedule.
You could always try to set up getting another band to open for you and then steal some of their members for your set later that night.
That’s a great idea too. Yeah, I’ve never really thought out the logistics because honestly it’s not really a dream. Touring as a stand up is so much easier, from what I’m told, than touring as a band guy.
You don’t have to tear down all the drum kits every night either.
Haha, right.
Who would you tour with, do you think, if you could? I could see you with Tenacious D or Gwar or something like that.
Yeah those guys are funny but I’m talking about going out with bands that I’m friends with that I actually like that wouldn’t be funny. Somebody like Red Fang might be a good fit. Go out with them and just do the straight metal and then I do the goofy metal and then maybe do a stand up routine. I think if you went out with Steel Panther or something like that it would just be… I don’t know… almost too much, you know, too much comedy. I like breaking it up with a regular metal band because I have no problem performing in front of, or after, really heavy bands.
Do you have any favorite metal bands from the DC area?
Not metal but probably one of the best shows all time still for me is seeing Bad Brains [on their] Quickness tour which is their crossover record. Well yeah that is a metal record.
Yeah, definitely.
Yeah I saw them [on] that tour with the band Leeway in San Francisco and it’s still one of the craziest shows I’ve ever seen in my life. Kids were hitting the ceiling from stage diving and crowd surfing and then, because it’s Bad Brains, they would transition from like a really heavy, fast, crazy song to a reggae song and then people were still going off and going nuts and hitting the ceiling. It was insane. Twenty-five years ago [and it still] holds up as one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. Maybe almost thirty, ugh, god I’m old.
Yes! Love it. And that takes place out there right? Yeah.
Yeah it’s from DC. So have you ever thought about coming out to Baltimore for the Maryland Deathfest we have out here every year?
Yeah I’ve been wanting to it’s just never worked out. It’s kind of hard to justify and plus once you’re a dad, like, hey honey I’ve got to fly across the country just to go to a metal show. And if I was performing or bringing people up that might work, that would be awesome. I just did Phil Anselmo’s festival. The Housecore [Horror Festival] thing. Yeah if it was something like that situation that would be perfect because there I got to perform and then I got to hang out for two days and watch a bunch of bands. It was awesome.
So what would you say your favorite metal band to see live is?
Still… I mean the best show ever is still [Iron] Maiden. You can’t beat that. [You] can’t beat that band and those songs and their live performances are insane. Newer bands… not that Lamb Of God is new but I love Lamb Of God shows, I love Mastodon shows, I love Down.
So are there any metal bands you’ve always wanted to see but you haven’t had the chance to yet?
Not really. No there’s not a lot of bands out there that I haven’t seen yet.
So you go out to a lot of shows, that’s good.
I do man. I try to. Like I said it gets tough with me being on the road and then sometimes you know I’ll be in a place like Maryland and then I’ll see that Lamb Of God was just there and then of course I don’t get to see Lamb Of God when I’m in LA cause I’ve got something else or I’m on the road but that said, I make as much of an effort as I can to see bands.
Well on DC Heavy Metal here, next time you’re coming through this area, which will be on November 20th, you know we do have a calendar on here that shows all the metal shows from Maryland, DC and Virginia with links to where to buy tickets, all the venues, all that stuff on there so.
Nice.
Yeah. So, what are exactly your favorite genres of metal? I know you like some different bands from kind of across the spectrum but what are your favorite genres?
Well traditional and I love a lot of new wave of British heavy metal stuff. I was into that before thrash came. And then thrash. But I also love death [metal]. I love a lot of Florida death [metal] bands. I’m probably more versed in Florida death [metal] than any of the other versions just because I was working at a record store when those first couple Obituary and Cannibal Corpse records came out and bands like Exhorder and stuff like that. I really like that stuff.
You grew up like in Sacramento right? Like in the 80s I think.
Sacramento and Sonoma. Sonoma is where I went to high school and then I went to college in Sacramento.
So that’s around when the early thrash scene was starting there too right? So you were probably into some of that weren’t you?
Oh absolutely, yeah. I was reading fanzines and going to San Francisco to see shows, when I could. I was a little young and then 45 minutes away so it was hard to get my mom to let me go to as many as I wanted to but I got to go to some key ones. I saw Death Angel quite a bit when they were really young and I was young and I saw Vio-lence and all those bands. Saw Metallica a couple of times before they were massive and then even after they were massive they came back and did shows in Petaluma when the black album came out so I’ve seen a million great shows being up in that area.
What bands have you been listening to lately?
A bunch of the old stuff. I love the new Carcass record. I love the new Overkill record and then I’m trying to think of newer bands. I love some of the Swedish kind of melodic throwback stuff where it’s more traditional stuff like Graveyard and some of those bands. God who else? Who should I be listening to?
Well let’s see I’m a big fan of Pallbearer. Their new album I’ve really liked a lot.
Yeah I picked it up but I haven’t played it much but I should check that out. I’ve got it.
Windhand out of Richmond, I really like them a lot too.
Say that again.
Windhand.
Windhand. No I don’t know them.
If you like that doomy stuff check them out. They just put out an album on Relapse last year, their first album on Relapse. It’s really good.
Oh ok.
It’s female vocals but it’s doom. There’s not a lot of bands that sound like that I don’t think but they pull it off really well.
Cool.
I have a few just straight up metal head questions that I wanted to ask you like, do you prefer Ozzy [Osbourne] or [Ronnie James] Dio in [Black] Sabbath?
Well now the answer is Ozzy but as a kid I didn’t get into Sabbath until Dio. I wasn’t really that well versed because it was a little before my time but I was in junior high and high school when Ozzy left and did the [Randy] Rhoads records and then when Dio joined up with Sabbath so Heaven And Hell and Mob Rules were my two favorites but now I’ve done my homework and I go a little deeper. I love the early Ozzy stuff. I listen to Sabbath non stop pretty much so.
Right on.
It’s all amazing. And like you heard with my kid I’m trying to… I’m not playing crazy metal for him yet. He hasn’t heard the really brutal or nuts stuff.
The basics. I’ve got him on Sabbath and he knows both singers and I haven’t played any Ian Gillian for him or any of the other records. I’m starting him with the basics. I think it’s super important you know?
Yeah, definitely. Are you more of the Metallica fan or the Megadeth fan?
I love a bunch of Megadeth records but no at the time it was Metallica for sure and still. Those first four records are pretty perfect. But I was also, and still am, at the time a bigger Anthrax fan than Megadeth or Slayer. It was kind of Metallica one and Anthrax two for me.
So have you seen this Baby Metal thing that everybody has been talking about? Do you have any opinions on them?
Of course. Yeah man. Am I going to go see them? Probably not unless it was easy for me. If it was at some festival thing I would walk over and check it out but I think it’s funny and I don’t know why they didn’t come out 20 years ago. It just seems like something the Japanese would have already done, combining cute school girls with metal. I can’t believe they didn’t tour with Loudness 20 years ago.
You know Marty Friedman finally comes back to metal and then this stuff blows up.
Hahahaha yeah.
Do you listen to much black metal?
Not the really brutal kvlt stuff or you know, K-V-L-T version of that word. No, and I’ll tell you why. I’ll probably lose some metal cred for this but I’ve always had a problem with… can I cuss?
Yep.
I haven’t yet.
Nah this is on the internet man you can say whatever the fuck you want.
Oh right on. Well my son was in the car earlier now he’s out or we’re at the house but anyway, yeah man shitty production always bothered the fuck out of me. I bought those Venom records as a kid. Didn’t love them. Never loved them. [I] bought them because I thought that’s what I was supposed to do and then when I put them on… You know even the early Slayer, like I love Hell Awaits but the stuff before that… not produced well and if it’s not I just can’t get into it so that’s my problem with a lot of the original black metal. You know Mayhem and that early stuff, it hurts my ears. My precious, precious ears. But then I got into the probably false version. I like some Dimmu Borgir. I like some black but I feel like that’s not my area of expertise.
Only by name. Are they one of the ones worth checking out?
Haha, uhh, well they’re sort of divisive. They are a bunch of kids from Brooklyn you know they ride bicycles and that kind of thing and they’re basically Brooklyn hipsters from Williamsburg. Well they’ve started a black metal band so I always like to ask people who they think is more trve in the black metal sense, Liturgy or Cradle Of Filth?
Hahaha. I uh, I don’t know. I think that Cradle Of Filth guy would have trouble getting on a bike with all the props and his make up and it would be hard to see with those crazy contact lenses in so maybe Liturgy is more metal.
Haha. Do you have any favorite albums of 2014 because the year’s wrapping up here?
Well, the new Exodus.
The return of [the late Exodus vocalist Paul] Baloff. [Ed. note: I knew I said the wrong name as soon as it came out of my mouth but his answer was too good to edit this part out.]
Yeah or no, of [Steve] Souza.
Haha yeah I wish it was the return of Baloff but that’s not going to happen.
That would be super metal man if he came back from the grave. An undead singer is the most metal singer you can have. That record was great. Fuck, you kind of caught me off guard. I should have been thinking about what my favorite shit is from this year. But like I said that last Carcass record I was listening to a lot.
Yeah, well no I bought it but I haven’t checked it out yet. I just got it. I love them but I hope it’s good. Is it good?
It’s not terrible.
Haha you’re selling the shit out of that.
Well it sounds like old At The Gates. It’s not going to be as good as Slaughter Of The Soul. You’ve got to just accept that. It’s not going to be that album. But at the same time it’s not a terrible album. It’s kind of like the new Black Sabbath album with Ozzy. It’s not horrible it’s just…
Right.
It’s not going to hold up to those classics but it’s not bad.
I think a lot you know, for doing comparable work, I think Carcass’s new record is comparable to Heartwork. It’s probably not classic status yet like that but I don’t know. It’s so hard. And then I’m working on that Scott Ian record, he and I we call ourselves grandpa metal. We make fun of each other for being kind of so set in our ways and you judge these bands on the classic albums and a ton of people think that Anthrax hasn’t ever done anything past Among The Living and [it] depends on your opinion. I do.
Like I said you’ve got to understand what it is going in. When people think it’s just going to be this…
Right.
The new At The Gates isn’t Slaughter Of The Soul but it’s still a good album. It’s got some great riffs on it.
Cool. Yeah I want to check it out. You know what I like is that new Slipknot record and again I’m probably losing cred for not loving Venom and liking Slipknot but whatever. It’s good man. If you like that band there’s some good stuff on there.
So do you really have anything on your iPod besides “Two Princes” by the Spin Doctors?
I actually don’t have “Two Princes” on my iPod.
So now in addition to being a metal head you’re also a big video game fan and I was kind of curious what you’re thinking about this whole #GamerGate thing that’s been going on.
I don’t even know what it is.
This whole reaction to feminism that’s going on in the video gaming world right now.
Oh man… I don’t know. Oh man no I’m not even going to get into it. The whole internet… haha “the whole internet,” I’m a grandpa for sure… Eh I don’t have time for any of that shit. I don’t know what #GamerGate is. Feminism in video games… I don’t know.
It’s a bunch of guys at like 4chan and Reddit [that] have been attacking a bunch of people that have been commenting about sexist things going on in video games and stuff and they’ve been publishing these women’s addresses on the internet and things like that to scare them.
Oh that’s not good.
But then they say they’re doing it all to try to make it so there’s more honesty in journalism or something. I don’t know it doesn’t really make a lot of sense to me either but I’m not the biggest gamer but it’s been all over Twitter.
Yeah I just try not to spend too much time on Twitter or getting into online fights. [There is] not enough hours in the day to care about that shit.
Yeah it’s gotten to the point where Intel I think was pulling ads off of sites. It’s snowballed out of control. At this point I’m not even sure what it’s really about any more.
Huh.
Anyways, so moving on… hahaha So you’ve stopped smoking pot and I was wondering do you still drink beer because there’s a whole craft beer revolution going on right now and there’s a lot of breweries in DC that have ties to metal as well like DC Brau, Port City, Adroit Theory, and in Baltimore their Oliver Ales makes a beer for The Sword and Brewer’s Art makes an Ozzy beer so I’m just curious, are you into craft beer at all?
Yeah but it’s like asking me about new black metal. I’ll drink it but really I really am not that knowledgeable about it. It’s not something I follow or care about but I enjoy beer and will try ones that are recommended to me and that kind of thing. Boring answer but it’s the truth I just kind of don’t give a fuck haha.
I mean it’s just like music, sometimes you have to start somewhere and have someone push you in the right direction ya know?
Right, right, right.
Anyway thanks so much for your time Brian. It’s been a lot of fun and I can’t wait to see you…
Yeah man sorry. Sorry my son was on the phone in the beginning it’s just timing wise he was in the car.
Nah it’s all good man. [It] sounds like you’re raising him to be a hell raiser already so that’s pretty cool.
Haha yeah, [I’m] working on it man.
Alright man well I can’t wait to see you this Thursday, November 20th at the Black Cat.
