Hard Features |
In King Diamond's Courtby Paul Autry On November 11th, King Diamond came to Crocodile Rock in Allentown, Pennsylvania and I was lucky enough to witness this one of a kind show. There's a lot of people out on tour. But, this is the show that you need to see. It's pretty much the perfect package deal. Haven't heard the music of Single Bullet Theory yet. But, I was really impressed with their aggressive, high energy performance. The vocalist was exceptionally strong and I think he knocked a lot of people off their feet, especially if this was the first time they heard the band. This guy could give Rob Halford a run for his money. Yes, he's that good. I was also thrilled to learn that SBT is from Philidelphia. It's good to see a band from Pennsylvania doing this well. I could think of a few local musicians who could learn a thing or two from Single Bullet Theory. Nocturne was up next and I was totally blown away by their performance. Not to take anything away from King Diamond, but, this band was the highlight of the evening for me. Like SBT before them, they put on an aggressive, high energy performance. I'm not exactly sure how to describe their musical style. The word EXCEPTIONAL comes to mind. I don't know, I guess I would say they've got this gothic, rock, metal, electronic vibe going on. True, it's a style of music that's been done before. But, the way Nocturne does it, they're kicking it up a notch. They've got style and substance. Plus, I spent a little time talking to vocalist Lacey Conner and guitarist Chris Telkes and they were really cool people, very down to earth. I hope they come back to this area again because this is a band I'd like to experience again. Death metal is a style of music that I can do without. So, when Entombed took the stage, that's when I spent a little more time getting drunk. There's a mixed drink that I really like called Red Death and, if they're made right, you can get wasted in no time. I spent some time in the front section of the club talking to two of the guys from Pennsylvania's Balistic, who were there to catch King Diamond. They introduced me to members of another local band, who should be getting in touch with me shortly. The conversation continued until I needed another drink. So, I made my way back into the band area and got another Red Death. I think I had about three of 'em during Entombed's set. I had a good buzz going and a little voice in my head told me that I should at least give this band a chance. You know, I did a CD review on 'em some time ago and I wasn't too impressed. So, maybe I would see something live that I didn't see on that disc. After watching them do their thing for a song or two, I still wasn't impressed. It just didn't cut it for me. Considering the fact that this was the first...and hopefully the last...death metal band that I've seen in action, I've gotta admit, they had their act together and, as far as their performance goes, they were pretty solid. They had a good sound and it was like a tidal wave of crushing metal coming down on you. I might not appreciate their style of music, but, I can appreciate the fact that they do it well. Now, the moment we've all been waiting for...King Diamond. I finished my last Red Death of the evening and got as close to the stage as I possibly could. I ended up in the all age section on the right corner of the stage. King Diamond opened with material from the "Abigail" releases, which isn't high on my list of favorite King Diamond music. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy those albums. But, there's other stuff I happen to enjoy a little bit more. "Welcome Home" and "The Invisible Guest" from "Them" seemed to get the biggest response from the audience. It was almost as if this was the stuff everyone was waiting to hear. I know I certainly was. "The Eye" and "Burn" got a good response as well. He did a few tunes from his latest release, "The Puppet Master," which seemed to go over rather well. I'm not familiar with these tunes yet due to the fact that the release I got to review only had three tunes on it. So, all I could really do was stand there and watch, you know. Other tunes I remember him doing were "Halloween," "Sleepless Nights" and the classic, "No Presents For X-Mas." King Diamond's albums all have a sense of perfection to them. High quality musicianship topped with King's one of a kind voice. I was curious to see how what I've been listening to all these years would carry over to a live setting. I expected it to sound more raw and I didn't think it would sound like what you hear on the albums. But, that wasn't the case at all. King's vocals and the musicianship were right on target. If there was a bum note or a vocal line that didn't quite cut it, I certainly didn't hear it. Bottom line...King Diamond and company were all in top form and this is why they have such dedicated and loyal fans. They deliver on CD and on stage! http://www.singlebullettheory.net |
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