Kings Of Chaos – Irving Plaza, NYC, New York, USA, Wednesday, December 21st, 2016

Set List: VASOLINE/WHITE WEDDING/FIRE WOMAN/HELLO THERE/SURRENDER/I WANT YOU TO WANT ME/WAITIN’ FOR THE BUS/SHARP DRESSED MAN/TUSH/THE FLAME/STEVE STEVENS GUITAR SOLO/EDIE (CIAO BABY)/INTERSTATE LOVE SONG/JESUS JUST LEFT CHICAGO/ACE OF SPADES/SEX TYPE THING/LOVE REMOVAL MACHINE/REBEL YELL/DREAM POLICE/LA GRANGE/BEER DRINKERS AND HELL RAISERS/GOING DOWN/WHOLE LOTTA LOVE.

While some would classify Kings of Chaos as a super group, (which I would not dispute) I prefer to think of them as one of the best musician jams I have witnessed. With a stage full of rock and roll patriarchs supporting each others’ vast catalogs there was enough to satisfy every music aficionado in the house. Guitar masters, Bill Duffy (The Cult) and Steve Stevens (Billy Idol band) are sometimes underrated wizards but this night showed their true colors as they traded impressive lead solos and strong supporting rhythm melodies.

Vocalist, Chester Bennington, who handles lead vocals for Lincoln Park and occasionally Stone Temple Pilots, did exceedingly well at manning the vocals for the majority of the show. Robert Deleo (Stone Temple Pilots) and Matt Sorum (The Cult/Guns and Roses) rounded out the rhythm section. As if this plethora of talent did not satisfy, let’s throw in Robin Zander and Billy Gibbons as additional guests.

Each artist was given the chance to showcase their own inventory along with a handful of additional covers. The band opened with Stone Temple Pilot’s ‘Vaseline’ with Bennington in familiar territory it was his chance to impress the crowd. Having seen STP with Scot Weiland as opposed to Benningon, this was my first time hearing his version of the songs and he did quite well. From here it was Steve Stevens turn to shine as the band launched in to Billy Idol’s White Wedding. Mental visions of the snarling original vocalist’s music video came to mind, but, again Chester Bennington covered this well while Stevens whaled with his familiar guitar riffs as was also the case with Idol’s ‘Rebel Yell’ which came later in the set.

Since Sorum and Duffy were two partners in crime playing on The Cult’s Sonic Temple album, it was natural that most of the featured Cult songs were from this masterpiece which happens to be my favorite Cult album. As soon as the opening notes to ‘Fire Woman’ rang out from Duffy’s guitar, the resident Cult fans and occasional Cult fans were ecstatic. Chester Bennington once again maneuvered vocals and although good deals of us were skeptical, due to Ian Astbury’s specific sound, we were very impressed.

Enter Robin Zander, one of the most anticipated performers. With a cap pulled down over his eyes and his guitar in place, Zander personified Rock Star status. Zander launched into several Cheap Trick numbers with highlights consisting of ‘I Want You to Want Me’ and ‘Surrender’. Yes Robin, we had our KISS records out.
One rock star switched out for another as ZZ Top’s sharp dressed man took the stage. It was time for some Texas blues by way of Billy Gibbons. Gibbons progressed with ‘Waitin’ For The Bus’ then launched into “Sharp Dressed Man” and the one that had the crowd singing along, ‘Tush’.

Gibbons remained on stage for a series of acoustic numbers as the band was once again joined by Robin Zander. The Cheap Trick power ballad, ‘The Flame’ was the first acoustic number of the event. Steve Stevens was then front and center to deliver a whopping guitar solo with remnants of songs by Yes and Led Zeppelin. It was apparent that we were witnessing a seasoned guitarist who knew how to captivate an audience into near silence. Once Stevens returned to his place on the stage, it was Billy Duffy’s turn to again shine with an acoustic rendition of The Cult’s ‘Edie’. This is one of my favorite Cult songs and one I have not heard live since the Sonic Temple tour. Charismatically played and beautifully performed this one hypnotized the crowd.

Drummer, Matt Sorum was given a chance at the spotlight with his tribute to the late ‘Lemmy Kilmister’s Motorhead classic, ‘Ace of Spades’. This was my first time witnessing Sorum operate as a vocalist. Without missing a beat, Sorum nailed this number perfectly. The evening concluded with more Cult, ZZ Top and Stone Temple Pilot favorites with each vocalist taking turns with their acclaimed numbers. The final piece de resistance was a cover by a band that has inspired endless musicians including this lot; Led Zeppelin’s ‘Whole Lotta Love’.

I anticipated enjoying a brilliant show but I was even more surprised at how delighted I truly was. Each artist held their own but also functioned as a well organized whole. The on stage chemistry was perfect and with such well adaptable musicians there was not one sour note. Having been in the presence of most of them in their own environment; this was the first time observing them together on one stage. Kings Of Chaos were definitely Kings Of Rock at Irving Plaza.

10/10

By Dawn Belotti

Set List: Groove Machine/The World Around Me/Pillow/Flies And Blue Skies/Vegetable/(Thinking And Wondering) What I’m Gonna Do/Everybody Knows A Little Bit Of Something/A Box/Over My Head/Over And Over/Pleiades/We Were Born To Be Loved.

Encore: Go Tell Somebody/Dogman/Goldilox (Sung By Audience).

When you hear that Kings X is coming to a town near by, it grabs your attention and is one of those things that makes you go...hmmm...

I became a Kings X fan back in the 90's with the ‘Faith, Hope, Love’ album and was hoping to be entertained by these three amazingly talented musicians just like I was back then. Well honestly, sometimes your imagination can run wild with you and then you realize that you have conjured up a fantasy in your own mind, that makes you feel unfulfilled when you actually see them live and unfortunately it wasn't all that you had envisioned.

Partially because I don't feel the venue had any idea exactly WHO they had coming to play! There was an apparent lack of advertisement, as the turn out of MAYBE 100 people made quite clear. I suppose it could have been because it was a Thursday night, and that may have deterred some from coming. I also feel the venue didn't have a sound system that enhanced the greatness of the music of Kings X. The light show was less than stellar, but I feel they did the best that they could with what they had.

I did enjoy myself, even though there were only a couple of songs that I recognized. I do know that if things had been done just a little bit differently, it could have been a much more memorable show. At least the Sanjan Theater in Bonita Springs, FL (Southwest Florida Performing Arts Center) can say that they have had ‘the great Kings X’ grace their stage. If I had laid down on the empty chairs in the back of the venue and shut my eyes, maybe the fantasy I had originally created in my mind would have made a better memory than what I actually witnessed.

It's been quite some time since I've heard anything new from Kings X, understandably, as we are all getting older and dealing with health issues...glad things are going well for Jerry Gaskill (Drummer), he put forth an amazing show all on his own. Dug Pinnick (Bass/Lead Singer) brought the ‘smooth’ on, and Ty Taybor, well, did what he does best and jammed his guitar! From what I hear there is still more to come from Kings X!

Kings X is currently on tour, go see them...hopefully you will have a better experience than I did.

6.5/10

By Juliana Kenyon-Anderson

The Robby Krieger Band – Highline Ballroom, New York, September 25th, 2016

The year was 1965, the city was Los Angeles, here four musicians met to discuss the formation of a new band. This new band was called The Doors and has remained one of most memorable bands in music history. Fast forward to September, 25th, 2016, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Robby Krieger, and his band once again graced a New York Stage; this time at Highline Ballroom. In the mood for a more relaxed show; they opted to toss the designated set list, both literally and figuratively, and play a set which included requests.

For many, like me, who were never able to experience the counterculture revolution of the 1960s; this is the closest we will ever come to understanding the music of The Doors. For others; this was a nostalgic glimpse into the past. Even a fraction of the original band is still a piece of music history that any music fan relishes. Combining Mr. Kreiger with a group of accomplished musicians made for an evening of pure entertainment.

Accompanied by my good friend and Doors afficionado, Brian Robison, I knew we were steered toward another evening of splendid merriments. The crowd’s euphoria was contagious and halfway through the set they were on their feet dancing in reckless abandon. Meals were left on tables and women peeled off their high heeled shoes; as the audience became lost in the music.

Robby Krieger treated the crowd to an assortment from The Doors extensive catalog. The seventy year old Krieger did not miss a note and played with the fervor of a man half his age. Waylon Krieger, Robby Krieger’s son, channeled the late Jim Morrison from the notes of the first song to the note of the last. It was apparent that he exceeds as a front man and knows how to work the crowd. Ty Dennis, an established, versatile session musician kept the pace for the duration.

Combined with seasoned bassist Phil Chen’s smooth tone; the rhythm section was quite an impressive. Rounding out the quintet was keyboardist Ryan Daily, a member of Light My Fire - a doors tribute band. Daily caused a few double takes due to his uncanny resemblance to the late Ray Manzarek. Along with his charming musical style, that fits perfectly, Daily is a welcomed addition to the band.

Performing such favorites as ‘When the Music’s Over’ and ‘Light My Fire’ showcased how well this current band captured the sound of the original line up. Of course special mention, to my personal favorite, ‘Peace Frog’; it was difficult not to conceptualize the late Jim Morrison clasping the microphone and crooning in his haunting melodic style.

The band often invites local and national musicians to take the stage; which is not only a treat for the audience but is also an obvious elated privilege for the artists. Most recently, Chris Wyse (The Cult, Ace Frehley Band) joined Kreiger and company. Wyse, a much accomplished bassist, plays with both strong technique and creative finesses; added an intriguing element.

Tonight we were treated to Vocalist, Mike Padròn, who mans the vocals in his own New York based Doors tribute band, Light My Fire. Padròn a natural on stage, joined his bandmate, Daily, for a performance of ‘Soul Kitchen’. His rich sound complete with Phil Chen’s polished classic bass line had this number resonating well with the crowd and was one of my favorites of the evening.

The benefit of a band taking requests is a chance to hear classic songs that may have fallen by the wayside in the onslaught of well known favorites. The opportunity to hear: ‘Waiting For the Sun’ with its hauntingly beautiful slide guitar, as well as ‘Spanish Caravan’; had the crowd expressing even more cherished songs. Of course the evening would not be complete without an encore of ‘LA Woman’ which was the perfect climax to an occasion of musical splendor.

While the music of The Doors initially provided a soundtrack for a decade of war protests, the summer of love, and the sexual revolution, it still remains timeless. Although Jim Morrison has long since left us, Robby Krieger and the artists he chose to accompany him continue to keep the music of the Doors alive. Whether one is a Doors fan or just able to appreciate a first rate performance, The Robby Krieger Band will never disappoint.

10/10

By Dawn Belotti

Bobby Kimball – The Whisky A Go-Go, West Hollywood, California, USA, January 28th, 2015

Set List: Intro – Child’s Anthem/Girl Goodbye/White Sister/99/Girl With The Golden Gun/Georgy Porgy/Africa/Rosanna/Hold The Line.

After interviewing Bobby back in April 2012 I have looked forward to seeing the vocal maestro live for a good while. Originally he was going to be performing here before I arrived in town but luckily the date got switched and I made it.

Tonight the Whisky had a really warm loving vibe to it which was a real change to the previous testosterone filled explosive metal shows I had witnessed here in the past week or two. The band members all came down prior to officially starting the show to make sure the gear was good including Bobby Kimball himself who tested out his microphone, had his keyboard position adjusted, set list and also that his water supply was in easy access too.

Tommy Denander and one the other guitarists posed for photos together since this venue is such a major landmark to play. I am taking they will appear on their facebook pages etc – and why not indeed. The lighting in here was nice and bright, not to mention strobe free, making it great to get quality photos and sound-wise it was exceptional for the crowd although Bobby told us afterwards he could not hear a thing on stage during the show.

When the band got going Bobby jokingly said he was not ready although he was really – lol. Man, his voice was so on form – just as you would have expected and hits all those high notes with no problems at all, drinking plenty of water throughout the show to prevent his throat from drying out, because like he told before, “Once that happens, it’s over”. Wow – what a band, with Bobby telling us it’s actually Dex’s, his co-backing singer. The two of them are vocally exceptional together and making everything blend beautifully in harmony as though it was actually Toto up there on stage. Well Bobby was their original lead vocalist after all. The two of them placed a lot of soul, heart and passion into every part of every single song in the joyous set.

Tommy and the co-guitarists worked together so well too. It was like a laid back soft rock version of Thin Lizzy who had a wicked competitiveness between the three of them. There was some killer posing while playing each number which truly was excellent with even Bobby seeming mightily impressed telling us they are his favourite guitarists in the entire world. Dex gets us to clap along with the songs and the fans here go for it straight away with all the band members totally spoiling us with their immense precisions and magical musical moments. So much emotion was delivered from both off and on the stage with smiles galore in the house and some positive body language oozing from the band as well.

Bobby is a killer keyboard player and mixes in nicely with the sounds coming from the organist – a swell combination of all things ebony and ivory baby! Dex got a chance to shine with his own song that goes by the name of ‘99’ while Bobby bopped a bit and added in some ‘board notes now and again when needed. What a lovely voice Dex has too in his own right and the folks in here appear to take to him so well.

There’s a lot of fun being had on stage without anybody missing a single cue at all – well these guys are totally pro when all is said and done. Bobby messed around a bit and stuck his towel on his head as well as flicking it to the music at the right tempo. He had me laughing constantly and no doubt many more of the peeps too.Bobby threw in a song called ‘White Sister’ which was a solo number he had done with David Paich of Toto. The melody was so solid and likeable too.

Talking of that said band, the main well known numbers of Toto came towards the end of the set with Mr. K informing us that the promotional video ‘Georgy Porgy’ was actually filmed in this very venue back in 1978 when the stage was to the left. This made it a cool moment in time to experience the song performed tonight.‘Africa’ was when the I-Phones in here were put into record position which sounded beautiful which Bobby introduced as about a continent other than America. Wow – this was totally mind-blowing to hear it live after only witnessing it before on those hi-fi speakers at home.

‘Rosanna’ was a real epic performance with both Bobby and Dex sharing lead vocal duties that turned into a massive musical jam session before returning to the main melody of the song. Talk about awesome guitar and bass solos up there plus even a bit of duelling too – such a pleasant thing to see and very impressive as well. Bobby said that during Toto they had won 6 Grammys for ‘Toto 4’ in 1983 and was really happy about the fact – it's little wonder really.

Then came the final number of the night ‘Hold the Line’ that proves that there is no need to come back on for an encore at all. We all sing along to it while Bobby points the mike to us, making everyone work harder in the process. What a singer – okay I’ve said that but this was such a fabulous show from beginning to end that we had been spoiled with for about an hour. It was such a vibrant close family like unity from the get-go and went on throughout.

Many of course wanted more after the final notes of that rock classic bit the band came out to meet us afterwards and had photos with fans and signed autographs too. It was well and truly a fabulous night that I am sure many will remember for a long time to come. I would love to see this some time over in the UK.

10/10

By Glenn Milligan

Kix - The Whisky A Go-Go, West Hollywood, California, USA, Thursday, January 15th, 2015

Set list: Can't Stop The Show/Sex/No Ring Around Rosie/You're Gone/The Itch/Wheels In Motion/Cold Shower/Mean Miss Adventure/Girl Money/Don't Close Your Eyes/Hot Wire/Love Me With Your Top Down/Cold Blood/Blow My Fuse.

Encore: Midnight Dynamite/Yeah Yeah Yeah.

Well this is my first time at theWhisky this year so what better way of starting it than with a classic old 80's set of rockers fronted by as cool ass blonde dude called Steve Whiteman. I've waited around 20 years to see these guys since they've not played in the UK for years.

The place is utterly packed for the event since it's the 51st Anniversary of the venue and guarantees a sure-fine pumped up crowd for the band. Whiteman is full of fun and has the energy and zest of a dog on heat meets Mick Jagger since he hardly stops still through the entire 90 minute or so set.

He has so much joy in his heart not to mention humour and shares it with us all asking us if we've even had a blow-job off a goat - more tea vicar - lol. Tonight marks them playing material from their latest album with a good example being 'You're Gone' and we were asked how many have bought it or have seen the new videos - not many but I think the songs aired in here will convince many to invest in this hot from the studio stuff.

Awesome to hear plenty of classics interspersed with material of now which included well-loved numbers such as 'Hot Wired' and 'Love Me With Your Top Down' which starts up with Steve having us warming our voices to some accapella vocal excersise and of course the major hit of theirs in 'Blow My Fuse' and the ballad 'Don't Close Your Eyes'.

There was a large banter about having an ugly fat girl in his bunk during a Monsters of Rock Cruise who drunk all his whisky and beer and preceded to throw up on his floor the next morning whereby he refused to f*ck and booted her ass out - a lovely touching story indeed. It was as hot as hell in here but Steve didn't want them to mess with the A.C. as he preferred it hot 'n' sticky - the way Rock 'N' Roll should be. Kix were totally spot on in the mix and everyone here were impressed with the vibe and spark of the show.

A kicking concert that I was pleased to have witnessed at the Whisky.

9/10

By Glenn Milligan

King Diamond - The Wiltern Theater, Los Angeles, California, USA, Friday October 31st, 2014

Setlist: The Candle/Sleepless Nights/Welcome Home/Never Ending Hill/Let It Be Done/The Puppet Master/At The Graves/Tea/Digging Graves/A Visit From The Dead/Evil (Mercyful Fate Cover)/Come To The Sabbath (Mercyful Fate Cover)/Shapes Of Black/Eye Of The Witch.

Encore 1: Cremation/Halloween.

Encore 2: The Family Ghost/Insanity.

When going to see the show for King Diamond it was spectacular and there was a healthy helping of people there that were all age demographics.

The long hair was flying, but so were the shirts and sweatshirts and shoes in the pit. I had to duck just to get my shots periodically as stuff came flying over my head. People were standing on the concrete slab wall that separated the pit from the actual rest of the audience and diving in as if it was a pool of water. People were flying over my head. Security earned their money this night. The crowd was totally excited to be a part of this and it was one of the most brutal shows I had ever been to.

It was nothing like seeing King Diamond come through the screen in the 80’s during the beginning of Headbangers Ball and MTV. This was way more real than even that depicted. I am glad I am a grown woman because, if this was one of my first ever concerts it is not the pussified sugar coated version. It is the real deal. So get your tickets if there are any left to obtain and see this realistic depiction.

If you and your band think you are metal you better see this; as King Diamond informed us of the new material will be coming in 2015. We cannot wait to review it and hear all about. The performance is perfected and flawless. I will not spoil it for you by telling you everything about the beginning.

You have got to see it for yourself. Seeing is believing!

10/10

By OZZFestAmy

Set List: European Super State/Sun Goes Down/Rapture/Fema Camp/Unspeakable/Pole Shift/Chop Chop/Primobile/Depthcharge/Asteroid/The Great Cull/Corporate Elect/The Wait/Pssyche.

I believe this was a sell-out gig in this venue. Killing Joke are way too big for this place and I feel they should have been in the O2 Academy.

But away from my little rant, I wasn’t interested in seeing The Crying Spell or The Icarus Line as my earlier venture was to have a few cheap drinks elsewhere.

So what about Killing Joke you may ask, well let’s start at the beginning where the scene was set with an eerie synthesized recording as the band exploded into Euopean Super State from Absolute Descent, which set the expectation and excitement for the night.

9/10

By Tony Watson

You wanted the best – but did you get the best? – find out in a bit but while you hear about the support band who grabbed the hefty special guest spot. Going by the strange name of ‘Taking Dawn’ – taking dawn where? you may ask or are they referring to the opposite of dusk – who the hell knows.

Anyways, these guys have come all the way from Las Vegas, Nevada in order to support the well known New Yorkers tonight – well not exactly true because they’d recently supported Airbourne (my mate Al witnessed them at Rock City) and they couldn’t get back to the USA because of the Icelandic volcano dust cloud, therefore they thought they’d join their buddies Kiss – you believe that – didn’t think so – lol.

Musically it was kind of like Crimson Glory (according to Tony Watson) meets Skid Row bit without the memorable songs to be brutally honest with you. The sound quality was muddy a lot of the time making the bawly lead vocals incredible intelligable. They had plenty of confidence, worked the stage area well and openened with a number called ‘Vodka Revolution’ and finished with a pelted out cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain’.

The classic cover ditty featured the lead man run around the stage left side of the floor and up onto the side posing to the crowd while playing away before leaping over the barrier (despite its height) and back to the stage again where he threw his guitar to the ground and left with the rest of the band.

Not sure if they enjoyed the gig or not it’s hard to tell. They did try to have us all chanting ‘England’ several times in one of their songs to get the patriotic bonding going with us. They went down kinda iffy mixed bag but no doubt we’ll here more of these guys in the future since they are also playing ‘Download Festival in June.

5/10

Set List:
Modern Day Delilah/Cold Gin/Let Me Go, Rock ‘N’ Roll/Firehouse/Say Yeah/Deuce/Crazy Crazy Nights/Calling Dr. Love/Shock Me/Eric & Tommy Jam/I’m An Animal/100,000 Years/I Love It Loud/Love Gun/Love Gun/Black Diamond/Detroit Rock City.

Encore:
Lick It Up/Shout It Out Loud/I Was Made For Lovin’ You/MSO Ensemble/God Gave Rock ‘N’ Roll To You II (Argent Cover)/Rock And Roll All Night.

Not seen the healdiners since Donington 1996 and that was the original line-up of Gene, Ace, Peter & Paul and I missed the new line-up of Gene, Paul, Tommy & Eric when they played that very place a couple of years ago – well I weren’t missing ‘em this time. This was also the 1st night of their European Tour to make the occasion even more worthwhile.

We got the usual ‘You wanted the best, you got the best’ intro and we see the guys walking from the backstage area to the front before their truly maginificient entrance on a large hydraulic craned stage over stage from behind the main one – this was very cartoonesque and dreamstate to say the least and mightly colourful – an entranced I’d not seen before in my life.

Indtead of going into one of their own age-old classics they started up with a number from their new release Sonic Boom ‘Modern Day Delilah’ and then went into the familiar live staple territory of ‘Cold Gin’ with plenty of cocky poses and ballsiness from Gene Simmons.I think many were surprised to hear ‘Le Me Go, Rock ‘N’ Roll’ the not very much heard 12 bar special from the heydays of the band and the Hotter Than Helliness of ‘Firehouse’ with Gene givin’ it his all and nicely flown flame at the end of the song direct from the mans gob thanks to a mouthful of fuel of some sort. He need a good drink of water after it as well – can’t see the fuel flavour being too good – lol.

Back to the now we go after for more from ‘Sonic Boom – this time with the hard-hitting ‘Say Yeah’ or should that be ‘Say Yeah Yeah Yeah’ as the addictive chorus goes. ‘Deuce’ provides a ton of explosions and fire from the back of the stage and we can feel the heat up here in our seats in Block 102 – I dread to think what the temperature is down there on the stage – coupled alongside with the hot lights and hefty, heavy costumes they must be f*ck*n’ sweltering and sweating cobs – there’s little wonder that most of these guys are stick thin or the best part of. Paul Stanley tells us that there are no backing tapes, no one under the stage playing and no extra pre-recorded backing vocals either – it’s just us 4 guys up here on stage performing for you which gets a mass of applause.

He also goes on to say that fans say why don;t you play this and why didn’t you play that, so they have tried to put a set list to please everyone it seems and intruduces the overplayed time-life, rock club song ‘Crazy, Crazy Nights’ that he sets the audience sing quite a bit of at times to no doubt save his vocals for better songs in the set. Now here’s a shock and surprise for y’all – Tommy Thayer’s gonna sing a song for us – a number from the ‘Sonic Boom’ album I thought. Wrong! And how pleased I was that I was wrong because they did an exception version of one of my personal Kiss faves ‘Shock Me’ and kick me and whip me if I’m not toally correct on this by saying that Tommy sounds very much like Ace Frehley – they’ll have him doing ‘Rocket Ride’ or 2000 Man next – or is that boosting the dreams a bit too far and upsetting Ace a bit.

Kiss have never been a band to shy away from solo spots and tonight ain’t no excpetion with Gene & Paul dissapearing off for a piddle and a breather – no back stage antics theses days – it’s all professional – hahaha. Thayer gives us a killer solo accompanied with Singer that’s followed up with a solo Singer drum solo as Tommy needs a breather and a piddle too. Then Tommy’s back on the stage with a Gibson that fires explosive sh*t at the stage lighting rig few times with Eric joining in on the fun when a fake lighting bit falls down due to eric firing bazooka – no need to worry though as its made outta foam. Tommy is up there giving it his all on a mimi stage that rises him up in the air that sees Eric Singer’s drum riser burn into action as well – and he is hight up enough as it is. Drums rise and tommy on right hand side. More explosions take place as well before Gene & Paul join the newbies (well one is I guess) back onstage for Sonic Boom’s ‘I’m An Animal’.

I see that for 100,000 years that Gene is on his famous axe bass. There’s some audience participation too and Paul has us punching our fists in the air and screaming ‘Hey’ at the top of our lungs. In good old Kiss tradition the bat winged vampire does another one of his party pieces, bangs out his bass notes and spits out his fake blood before going up into air on strings and up onto a stage above the lighting rig. The crowd love it – as if they wouldn’t. It’s a f*ck*n’ good job that he ain’t afraid of hights as its a long way up to say the very least and from up there in the gods he performs ‘I Love It Loud’ before coming back down to earth for ‘Love Gun’ with starting accapella vocals from Paul before they crank into the song properly.

‘Black Diamond’ is up next – man we are being totally spoilt tonight that features an opening longish solo from Mr. Stanley and there’s a big silver ball above in the stage in the centre in case we haven’t notice it - lol. It goes to show that apart from being an incredible drummer, Mr. Singer is an exceptional vocalist as well – there’s a clue in his surname I guess – sorry – bad cheap ass joke line there on my part. Tommy Thayer can pose like the best of them during the instrumental section of the song and is on his knees looking up to Paul and Gene waling away on his Sunburst Gibson.

Paul talks about Detroit for a bit saying that it’s a lot like Sheffield (hmm – crimewise I think he may be right there) but I know what he meant by that because there’s a lot of industry (well there used to be) but it’s a very happening town when it comes to bands at times – unless he says that at all the gigs – I am guessing that will be the case but you never know. Funnily enough there are tons of explosives on song during D.T.R. It also seems that Gene’s bass is a bit worse for wear as his bass tech has to place some black electric tape above his bass output – well things don’t last forever do they and theres no doubt that axe has had a lot of hammer over the years. The song (or should I say main set’ is finished off with a sh*tload of explosions after Singer’s signalling with the sticks. After which they all depart from the stage.

When Kiss return Paul tells us that they ain’t gonna keep coming on and off stage again and again but are gonna stop up there and give us the longest encore ever’ amd then exclaims, ‘We’re gonna play’ and they immediately kick into the 80’s classic hit ‘Lick It Up’ that features tons of fire flamage from the back sides of the stage not to mention them also playing the main riff of The Who’s ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’ in the middle of the song. Quality stuff indeed and nobody can help but sing along either – like they did in all the well known numbers played tonight.

It’s Destroyer chapter 3 time next and they are on the home-run just about with ‘Shout It Out Loud’. Sounding good boys. Paul Stanley then asks us if we wanna meet him because he wants to meet us (Kiss Platinum Package not mentioned either – lol). Every screams yeah or words to that effect or just screams in general and he is transported via flying wires in good old Slippery When Wet Jon Bob Jovi style over the centre of the crowd onto a stage in front of the mixing desk for ‘I Was Made For Loving You.

This is still lapped up as the late 70’s disco dancing classic gets many singing and a bopping – wonder what he thought when he saw all the empty seats towards the back of the arena. It don’t seem to bother him much though as he solos a bit for us too on the guitar before being flown back main tage for ‘God Gave Rock N Roll To You II’ with plenty of stars on screens that include John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, their own late, great Eric Carr Last and many more – just a pity we can’t get the cigarrette lighters going anymore like in the good old days – the smoking ban is good but they’ve took it a bit far.

Of course the final song is ‘Rock N Roll All Nite’ that sees Gene and Tommy up on high mini stages at either side of the stage as well as cannons shooting out white bits of paper at the left and right of stage and mixing desk area into crowd filling place – jesus I’d hate to be a cleaner in there after that lot. Stanley smashing the just brought on to use guitar that was paid for by the front row signifies the end of the show but what an amazing show it was – it’s gonna take some beating this one.

10/10

Review By Glenn Milligan

Photos by Glenn Ashley

‘Massacre Of The Megafauna’ were first on band on at half seven, with a band of five people and performing on the small cramped stage. With a half an hour set of just four/five songs, one being ‘Kill Your Boss’, the singer couldn’t exactly sing but could death growl well. All throughout the set, the crowd was small even for the small room. There was slight movement but nobody knew who the support band were.

‘Year Long Disaster’ were the second support band and the crowd grew more before they came on. The band got the crowd going throughout all the set by talking and getting them into the ‘zone’ who really seemed to love the band. They played an excellent 90 minute set. During ‘Show Your Teeth’, the bassist seemed a bit robotic as if he couldn’t move much, but managed to get the crowd cheering.

Karma To Burn played a well presented set by making the songs clash together at the end of every song except from when they spoke to crowd. The bassist from Year Long Disaster ended up playing again with Karma To Burn. The crowd seemed to love ‘Karma To Burn’ by head banging and being enthusiastic to most songs.

With a set of forty five minutes (as they went off twenty minutes before they should) have done, some drunken man ended up getting on stage from behind and making a fool of himself whilst ruining a song due to the bassist telling him to get off.

At the end the crowd got restless as the band walked off the stage and went out the front way. The atmosphere of the Corporation was angry and restless, everyone was shouting encore for five minutes then realised they weren’t going to come back.Overall view is it was an alright gig. I really enjoyed ‘Karma To Burn’ who performed really well as well as Year Long Disaster.

6/10

By Kayleigh Watson

They look the part and they totally sound the part as well and are incredibly authentic with their out-there dry witted old school humour not to mention their amazing use of masks and props which at times are even used as instruments such the Professor playing a large saw on the classic that Spike Jones covered or should I say murdered 'You always hurt the one you love' that sounded brilliantly bendy and so in tune with the song – honest! Malcolm "Lightfoot" Sked boomed out some gargantuan bass notes on basically anything that’s bass (as stated on the bands website – www.whoopeeband.de), not to mention wearing some really scary horror masks.

Funny lines and jokes were aplenty that were close or right on the bone at times that related to sex, dying and all luvverly juvverly things like that – haha. Love the little wound up, I mean wind-up hen that was walking about at the front of the stage in between a couple of the numbers for a lark. There was the wearing of giant female diaphragms on the head, one of which was swapped around because it was dirty – man it’s so wrong but we dug it!

10/10

Review By Glenn Milligan

Pictures mostly taken by Bernard Froggatt & some by Glenn Milligan

Kreator/Celtic Frost/Legion Of The Damned/Watain -

Wulfrun Hall, WOLVERHAMPTON, 15th March 2007

What a bloody wonderful night! For eighteen quid we got four excellent European bands of fascinatingly-contrasting styles, include arguably the finest of them all, the incomparable Celtic Frost.

Sweden’s Watain kicked things off at 7:05 with 20 minutes of fine black metal, featuring a handful of songs from their highly-rated new CD ‘Sworn to the Dark’.

6/10

There was barely time to quaff a plastic cup of Stella Artois before Legion of the Damned were onstage (7:40). These Dutch thrash/death merchants were absolutely incredible – superb songs and convincing playing. Their 25 minute set ran something like:

Sons of the Jackal; Werewolf Corpse; Infernal Wrath; Avenging Archangel; Diabolist; Legion of the Damned.

Try to see these guys, they are well worth it.

9/10

What can you say about Celtic Frost? Their 65 minutes was easily as good as the performance I was lucky enough to see in Helsinki last year, and the sound was impeccable. Beginning at 8:30 in front of a terrific ‘To Mega Therion’ backdrop, the boys from Switzerland soon turned the hall into a seething mass of head bangers. The truncated setlist (to accommodate an early curfew) still managed to cover the majority of the classics and the best of the songs from last year’s ‘Monotheist’ ‘ masterpiece.

Tom was in stunning form, and Martin was his usual disturbed self! Franco played an absolute blinder, and I was also quite impressed by new guitar player V Santura.

Totengott (Intro); Procreation (of the Wicked); Visions of Mortality; Circle of the Tyrants; The Usurper; Ain Elohim; Necromantical Screams; Dethroned Emperor; Into the Crypts of Rays; Synagoga Satanae; Winter (Outro).

The Frost left the stage at 9:35 – no encore was necessary after the 15 minute battering they had given us with ‘Synagoga Satanae’.

9/10

Germany’s Kreator brought proceedings to a close (they went on at 10:05) with a good old fashioned thrash set – I have to say though that I felt they were an anti-climax after the Frost, but the crowd loved them.

Their set seemed to jump from one crowd favourite to another, opening with the dual assault of ‘Violent Revolution’ and ‘Pleasure to Kill’, and covering classics like ‘Extreme Aggression’ and ‘Coma of Souls’ along the way.

7/10

By Roy Evans

Ever wondered what it's be like to witness a stoner rock version of The Shadows - well you should have gone to see Karma to Burn and you'd have found out - unless you did of course. The solid stoner trio from Virginia don't take you down no country roads but instead pump out thunderous Sabbath styled riffs at earth shaking, deafening volume.

The set featured plenty of numerical instrumental mayhem from the new album 'Almost Heathen' like '38', '37' and '19' plus selections from their first two albums - the self titled debut and 'Wild and Wonderful'.

Karma's drummer Rob had to have his stick taped round his wrist less than halfway into the set due to a strain injury - but when he slams his kit as hard as that I'm not surprised. He soldiers on though and makes it through the set keeping solid perfect tempo throughout.

Rob's frontline of Bassist, Rich and Guitarist, Will had an absolute ball though (a dodgy mike seems to bother them - not - they simply carry on regardless - trading strings riffs and backing each other up throughout. In fact it's so tight it's like they are working on auto-pilot - such a well-rehearsed unit are Karma to Burn.

For wellover 60 minutes we were entertained with a gargantuan grinding groove of a soundtrack.

It's about time that people took note and appreciated the stoner rock scene - I hope more people turn up next time they play Sheffield to see these guys in action because the previous night in Swansea it was packed !!

8/10

By Glenn Milligan, BA Hons CS

Krisiun

Having never witnessed an aggressive blast beating trio before I found I was in for something quite impressive, needless to say, deafening !!! Krisiun are like listening to close-range road-works without wearing sound muffs. The drumming is very much pneumatic drill style due to all the double bass tapping and trigger effects. Bawling vocals were marred too much into the instrumentation - the technical guitar fretwork and bass booming virtually muffled them throughout the set - which was only around 25 minutes log - tops. Many of the played came from the new Century Media release 'Ageless Venomous'. The problem was, was that many of the punters missed around half the set because they hadn't yet entered the premises !!! They were still queuing to get in and when did eventually get in they appeared to be more interested in buying their first pint.

7/10

Kreator

Next up were a band who this crowd came to see - the mighty 'Kreator' - these guys should have headlined. We were greeted with a full-on old school thrash assault for well over an hour. Many of the old favourites were there including the anthem, 'Pleasure To Kill'. From what I could see - tonight really was their night - the fans were so into it. Before I saw this bunch I wasn't too bothered about them but live they totally changed my mind. To me, Thrash Metal works better live than on record because of the intensity of both band and audience getting off on it - and this was a clearindication.

The set was recorded for a future live album that I expect will be out some time in 2002. Kreator's Frontman, asked those present what songs they wanted to hear - I guess this would make certain that the album would feature songs the crowd wanted as well - although from what I could see from the set-lists taped to the sides of the front-line speakers - they didn't stray much from them. I guess Kreator already know what the crowd wanted - full-on 80's thrash in any order the band pleased to play it in.

If you weren't there - you missed some absolutely tremendous stuff!!

10/10

Cannibal Corpse

As soon as the double C hit the stage, it is down hill from here-on. They haven't changed at all. It's more of the same Grindcore drivvle and derivative Death Metal of the lowest order. Basically, it all sounded the same - tuneless noise with grunts and squawks from the vocalist - tediously boring I can tell ya. God knows what people see in these guys.

After a few good photos which were taken early in the set we decided we'd sooner get something to eat rather than see the rest of this.

Kebab 1 - Cannibal Corpse 0

3/10

by Glenn Milligan, BA Hons CS