HERSHEY, PA – It has to be said if it hasn’t been already,
Avenged Sevenfold is without a doubt THE premiere metal band of this
generation, PERIOD. I was pretty sure of this assertion before the show in
Hershey, PA even started, but after seeing “The Stage” tour with VolBeat on
Tuesday night (May 9th), I’m ready to put it on paper so to speak.
On Tuesday, May 9th, Avenged Sevenfold pulled
into town with VolBeat and Motionless in White in tow and turned a usually
quiet little town into a raucous freak show; a scene that I was thrilled to be
a part of. Pierced, tattooed and painted, the A7X fans were out in force and
ready to see what their heroes had in store for them, but first, there were
some opening acts.
Motionless in White kicked things off, and I will preface this
review by saying I’m not a fan. If I were reviewing their album I would say
that their music is formulaic and basically typical, and that they offer very
little that’s new or dynamic to a metalcore sound that’s become quite
overplayed. With that being said, I was fairly interested to see them before
they went on because the last and only time I had seen them prior (July, 2014,
Mayhem Fest in San Jose, Cali) they put on a hell of a show with gothic make
up, all white garb and an interesting stage presentation. The other reason I
was a little interested is because this band calls Scranton, PA home, and
whenever a band returns to play for the home audience, they usually offer
something interesting.
Well, I’m sad to report that this wasn’t the case. I will give
MiW credit where it’s due, they played well, sounded tight as a band and fans
of the band were pleased with their set list. However, the look that made them
dynamic was gone. Chris “Motionless” was in a backwards hat, in regular
clothes, and they offered nothing interesting in their set list from what I
could tell. Now to be fair, they only had 30 minutes, and I’m not a fan so for
all I know, they played some rarity that they haven’t played in years, but I
didn’t get that feeling from the MiW fans around me. All in all, it wasn’t a
bad way to start the night although, the rotation of Gojira and MiW for this
tour makes me wish we would’ve pulled the OMG card (Oh My Gojira!) but I
digress.
VolBeat might be the most unsung band in the history of
metal. Often dismissed as some Rockabilly gimmick band, or as more of a
commercial band, every time I see VolBeat live I’m reminded why they are so
popular. Simply put, they kick ass.
Coming from a Prog Rock/Metal background, I thoroughly
appreciate when a band mixes genres without being awkward, and VolBeat does
this with the best of them. Singer Michael Poulsen brings a Rockabilly voice,
and Elvis Presley/Johnny Cash style to some very heavy, at times, music. Now as
I referenced above, VolBeat sometimes suffers from unfair criticism from “too
cool for the room” metal fans that claim they are too commercial or their
Rockabilly style is too gimmicky, and that they are not “heavy.”
RANT TIME:
First off, let me say that nothing makes me roll my eyes
harder than when some douche bag in a Slayer t-shirt, or some death metal shirt
whose name is completely indecipherable, claims a band, ANY BAND isn’t heavy
enough. WTF does that mean exactly? (Don’t answer that, it’s rhetorical and I
don’t care what your opinion is on the “heavy” topic, because there is no right
or wrong answer). Secondly, this claim that VolBeat isn’t heavy is possibly one
of the dumbest I’ve heard since….well….Avenged Sevenfold isn’t heavy enough.
With the exception of “Lola Montez” and “Black Rose,” the set VolBeat burned
through was heavy as fuck.
So why does this claim continue to persist when it comes to
VolBeat? Well, without getting into a 10-page dissertation in defense of
VolBeat, and why these people who make these claims are the problem with this
metal genre that I love so much, let’s just say that these perpetrators of this
level of douchebaggery are simply threatened by anything that seems successful.
It seems like a no brainer to me that if an Avenged Sevenfold, or a VolBeat can
write appealing music that has amazing melodies, and charts, it’s only helping
the metal genre, but these asshats act as if they are cheapening their precious
metal. They happen to be good looking guys who girls like (un-metal), who have
great voices (very unmetal) and write music that you can both SING and MOSH too
(almost pop music)…..UNREAL CONCEPT RIGHT? Listen, Slayer fans….it’s called a
melody, look into it.
OH, and I’ll end this rant with this, if you think VolBeat
is not heavy, look up the songs “Wild Rover of Hell, A Warrior’s Call,” or
“Dead, But Rising” and tell me those aren’t heavy ass songs (again a rhetorical
statement, I don’t care if you think they aren’t….you’d be wrong.)
END OF RANT
Now, onto the performance, seeing VolBeat in a non-festival
setting is a new experience for me, and I will have to say it didn’t matter.
VolBeat might be one of the most consistently solid live bands I’ve ever seen.
They deliver EVERYTIME, and it needs to be said, I wouldn’t consider myself a
VolBeat fan. I have very strange rules when it comes to music fandom that I
couldn’t possibly get into right now (it’s an article all its own that if
permitted, I will gladly share with you all). From the opening guitar riff of
“The Devil’s Bleeding Crown” off their newest release “Seal the Deal &
Let’s Boogie” to possibly their most recognizable closer “Still Counting,” the
energy was at 100, and the crowd was continuously moving.
VolBeat brings what I would call a bouncy, high energy brand
of metal to the stage, and it’s infectious. I’ve seen them 5 times now, and
even when I’m not familiar with a song, I can’t help but jump, stomp, and fist
pump to their songs. Michael Poulsen’s voice is flawless and unique, and the
band is tight and energetic on every song. Despite having a guitar strapped to
him for every song, Poulsen does a great job of fronting the band and pumping
up the crowd at the right times….which is nearly every song. When it’s all said
and done, I say whether you’re a fan of VolBeat or not, it’s a great concert
going experience regardless.
VolBeat is a great band, and none what you’re about to read
will nullify that fact, but the real reason the 10,000-plus screaming lunatics
were in the building was for Avenged Sevenfold. Now, I started this review out
with a BOLD statement, which said that “Avenged Sevenfold is without a doubt
THE premiere metal band of this generation, PERIOD.” I stand by this statement
SEVENFOLD after what I witnessed on this night. From the shredding of Synyster
Gates, and the soaring yet gritty vocals of M. Shadows, to the over-the-top
stage production that you just don’t see very often in rock/metal anymore, A7X
have staked their claim for THE band to take the “Metallica” mantle after this
summer.
Avenged Sevenfold has been a staple in the metal scene since
the early 2000’s and one of the genres most successful bands since their
platinum selling 2007 release “Avenged Sevenfold.” With 2 subsequent #1
releases in “Nightmare” and “Hail to the King” and their newest release, “The
Stage” debuting at #4 despite it having a more progressive sound and a surprise
release with little promotion, A7X has definitely earned the right to make the
claim as the biggest metal act in the world, however, for some reason they tend
to suffer a similar fate as VolBeat.
There’s a strong sect of metal fans that crucify this band
unjustly, making claims that range from them not being heavy enough (again with
that shit) to A7X ripping off other bands like Metallica and Megadeth. Now, a
lot like my VolBeat section of this review, I can spend 10,000 words defending
this band, but I’d rather just use the 10,000-plus fans I saw at the show to
prove my point. Detractors, or true haters will go online and look up what the
capacity for the Giant Center in Hershey, PA would be for a concert, and scoff
that 10K tickets sold is well short of a sellout, and they’d be correct. The sellout
capacity at that particular arena is 12,500.
So I can already hear the collective “See….they can’t even
sell out an arena” but bear with me here. I contend that drawing 10K fans, in
the small hamlet of Hershey, PA, when they have a stadium show opening for
Metallica coming up only 2 hours away in Philly this week, another arena show
2-3 hours away in Baltimore this week, and another stadium show in New Jersey
with Metallica coming up….10K fans, in a small town like Hershey on a Tuesday
is remarkable, and they were not disappointed.
In a bold move, they opened with their 8 and a half minute,
borderline Dream Theater-esque Progressive Metal-ish, title track to their new
album, “The Stage,” which immediately revealed a stage show that had 3 giant
screens on each side of the stage, and a box/screen structure in the middle of
the stage behind new drummer Brooks Wackerman. Synyster Gates finger tapping
intro into a thunderous drum fill and then 8 and a half minutes of Prog Metal ecstasy
had this writer thrilled from the gate.
After the open, the heart pounding pace continued with a set
list alternating between classic A7X tunes, and new songs from “The Stage.” From
a performance standpoint, the highlights have to be vocalist M. Shadows and new
drummer Brooks Wackerman. M. Shadows’ voice sounded as clear and strong as I’ve
ever heard it and his witty banter and interactions with his audience left me
feeling like he’s grown into one of the premier front men the genre has seen in
some time.
“New” drummer Brooks Wackerman (he’s been with the band
since 2015) is hands down the best drummer they’ve had since Mike Portnoy, and
he may even be better for this band. He fits perfectly, but doesn’t fit
perfectly, which in my opinion, makes him a perfect fit. Let me explain.
From a playing standpoint…..the younger Wackerman fits
perfectly. Coming from a punk background (he played with legendary punk band
Bad Religion for years) gives him the metallic chops needed to play A7X’s
music, but his pedigree (his older brother Chad Wackerman has played with Frank
and Dweezil Zappa, Steven Wilson, etc….it’s in the blood) gives him the
technical prowess needed to handle The Rev’s inimitable style.
HOWEVER….have you ever seen Brooks Wackerman? Let’s just
say, he looks more like the band’s manager than he does their drummer. Johnny
Christ, Zacky Vengeance, M. Shadows, and Synyster Gates would stand out like a
sore thumb in almost any “non-metal” setting, but Brooks Wackerman could fit in
at a parent-teacher night at your most conservative elementary school. He’s a
normal looking dude with extraordinary abilities behind the set, and that shone
through during the show. Brooks Wackerman played every song perfectly and then
some, adding his own nuance to The Rev’s playing without changing the song, and
playing his own insane drum parts from “The Stage” to perfection.
The high moments of the show were numerous. After blistering
through the first five songs, with my two favorite songs of the night,
“Paradigm” from The Stage, and my all-time favorite A7X tune being in that
group “Buried Alive,” the band took a poignant moment to remember some of those
who have passed including their brother The Rev during the song “So Far Away.”
After the quiet moment of reflection it was back to the
heavy with “Nightmare” and the newest single “God Damn” which featured possibly
one of the creepiest, trippy background videos I’ve seen in a while. The video
featured politicians with their heads replaced by an eye, and other eyes just
roaming around with tentacles under it watching over….EVERYTHING. A7X actually
had quite a few political statements to make with their vid screens, check them
out on YouTube if you can find them.
Ok, so unfortunately, Motionless in White wasn’t the only
negative to this show. Perhaps a slightly confusing moment occurred after a
short instrumental piece performed by Zacky Vengeance and Syn Gates, a giant
inflated astronaut was revealed and the song “Planets” from “Hail to the King”
was performed. Now in the past, I have not been a huge fan of this song,
however, it’s growing on me as the live performance this time around really hit
me right. Between their performance, the screen production and the giant
astronaut, it made for a very cool, but confusing moment.
Why was I confused? Being someone who has been to over 500
concerts, I’m used to certain things. One of them is the 'theming' of a show. The
theme of “The Stage,” the album that they are supporting with this tour, is
spacey, and the astronaut is like a symbol for this album, or so I understood
it to be. So to use the astronaut for two songs from “Hail to the King” was a
little confusing to me.
In addition to the above scenario, is the “Acid Rain”
confusion. Look, I respect any artist that goes against the grain, and does
what they want to do, regardless of what the fans think, and that’s the truth.
As a former artist myself, I would never want to feel beholden to fans from an
artistic standpoint. With that being said, this portion of the review will be a
“fan” portion.
What is it with this song “Acid Rain” from “Hail to the
King?” If you’re an Avenged Sevenfold fan and you’re reading this, please email
me and tell me if you like this song, because this set was an absolute steam
roller until they got to “Acid Rain.” Maybe the rest of the arena was touched
and felt the emotion of this slow, atmospheric ballad, but in my section it was
like thud. Now if this was the first time I saw this, I would discount it as
something new that they are trying, but this was the THIRD time I’ve seen them
close their set with this tune and I don’t get it. Maybe I’m just not a fan of
the song, but it was even a low point vocally for M. Shadows, who was otherwise
phenomenal throughout the show. It was one low note in 2-plus hours of high
notes.
Now, it’s redemption time. The encore to this show might
have been one of the best things I’ve ever seen live. (Side Note) PEOPLE….if
you’ve never been to a concert, take this as a tip. If the band says “Thank
you, good night” but the HOUSE LIGHTS don’t come on, they’re not done. MOST
bands do at least one encore, whether the crowd calls for it or not. Ok,
now…back to the show.
The encore consisted of a blistering version of their hit
“Bat Country,” the 8 minute ode to necrophilia “Little Piece of Heaven” and the
traditional closer “Unholy Confessions.” The part that made this an incredible
encore was their performance of “Little Piece of Heaven.” Technical, tongue in
cheek and just awesome, this is a great metal tune that is always a joy to hear
live.
So overall, if this show is coming to your town, I VERY
highly recommend it. Tickets are incredibly reasonable (unlike the Metallica
shows) and the lineup with VolBeat and a rotation of various bands ranging from
MiW, Day to Remember and Gojira….it’s worth every cent.
If you have any questions, or comments please email me at TheProgtologist@gmail.com.
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If you have any questions, or comments please email me at
TheProgtologist@gmail.com.
