March 12, 2008
Music, Uncategorized
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What significance does Venom have to Heavy Metal?
Venom formed around 1979 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. They were among the first (ahem…if not THE first) to blatantly associate themselves with Satan. There was no on-the-fence flirtation with his dark overlord, as with bands like Black Sabbath. In fact, there was no subtext whatsoever.
Venom embraced the idea of Satanic metal. They thrived on everything dark, black and utterly evil. In many respects, Venom was more like a fanclub for Satan than it was actually a band. Granted, this was mostly a publicity tactic — I’d be surprised to learn that any of the members actually knew who Anton Levay was.
In the early 80s, Venom earned a lot of notoriety within the metal community because they were doing something that had never been done. Satanic themes ran deep and the music was recorded very sloppily, low-fi and gritty. Their dress and dark personality highlighted the facade they created.
Venom influenced an entire subgenre, and gave it a name with the release of their second album in 1982, Black Metal. This sparked the black metal craze of the early 1990s, paving the way for bands like Emperor, Mayhem, Immortal and Marduk.
February 25, 2008
Events, Music, Reviews, Uncategorized
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I caught the Lucifer Over America tour last night with Rotting Christ, Immolation, Belphegor and Averse Sefira. This was my second metal show at the House of Blues on Sunset Strip. My first experience was the Radio Rebellion Tour with Gojira and Behemoth. And, while last night’s event didn’t sell out the house, the crowd was sizable — and we had a devil of a good time.
In my experience, this was your typical metal show — a lot of black, metal t-shirts, pentagrams, devil horns and helicopter hair. The turnout consisted mainly of guys. There were a few women, some looking androgenous in the circle pit, the rest off to the sides or upstairs.
Metal crowds are a lot of fun. In most cases, there is no scenester attitude — you’ll simply find good people congregating for love of the music. Don’t get me wrong, you can always count on a few assholes — and this show was no exception. Suffice it to say, a few were escorted from the building and some over-intoxicated chick became a nuisance for those on the floor.
First on the bill was Averse Sefira from Austin, Texas. They were the only band to wear corpse paint, but nothing too flashy. Averse Sefira is a talented group, but the music is not really my flavor. The vocals didn’t drive me to do anything beyond wonder how long their set would last — just a colorless monotone with less range than the Cookie Monster himself.
Next up was Belphegor, a black metal band from Austria. It seems the lot of the crowd was there for Belphegor, more than any other band on the bill. Their music is really fast-paced and has some good breakdowns. In the spirit of true black metal, Belphegor played under a dark stage.
Then came Immolation, from New York. Immolation truly shined when it came to talent. The music has some complicated changes and they were super tight. And what arresting stage presence — I’m impressed by how they maintained badass-itude, while engaging the crowd and showing appreciation for their fans.
Immolation, though they were a treat, would fit better on a death metal grindcore bill.
Lastly, and my favorite of the evening, was the Greek black metal band Rotting Christ. Rotting Christ let the music speak for itself and played on a simple stage, with no adornments. The show was flawless and they had an energetic stage presence. About half of the songs came from the new album, Theogonia. Remaining songs came from Genesis and Sanctus Diavolos. My personal favorites were “The Sign of Prime Creation” and “Keravnos Kivernitos,” from the new album.
As for the House of Blues, it’s one of the better venues in Los Angeles. The sound was a little muddy this time, which distracted from the detailed guitar solos, but it was still a decent show. We also watched from upstairs, so the sound might have been better on the floor.
February 23, 2008
Events, Music, Uncategorized
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Got any plans for the Oscars Sunday? Me neither. Why? Cause I’m not a raging moron. Instead, I’ll be catching the Lucifer Over America tour with Rotting Christ at the House of Blues on Sunset Strip.
Also on the bill is Immolation, Belphegor and some other pack of Satan’s cronies.
Doors at 7:30 p.m. Show starts at 8:00 p.m.
Tickets are $35 at the door — more if you purchase through Ticketmaster.
I know, I know — nothing says subculture like the bubblegum pop capitol of the world. It may be located on the Strip, but give the House of Blues a break. This is the same venue that housed the Radio Rebellion Tour back in October and the 2007 Summer Slaughter Tour. Any venue that books bands with names like Cattle Decapitation and Rotting Christ obviously isn’t targeting the mainstream.
February 21, 2008
Authors, Books, Conspiracy Theory, Events, Issues, Music
2 Comments
Left Gate is a counter cultural blogazine that explores ideas a little left of center.
What Is Counter Culture?
Counter culture is another way to say emerging culture or alternative philosophy. There is no solid definition for counter culture — it is constantly changing and left to individual perspective. By necessity, once society absorbs something into the mainstream, it is no longer considered counter cultural. Herein lies the importance of counter culture, as these innovative, revolutionary waves of thought have a hand in shaping the mainstream.