Brittany Speared's Top Album Cover Picks

Hope everybody's been having a brutal holiday season - though whether it's been a good brutal or bad brutal is yours to decide. I'm Brittany Speared, a regular rotation DJ and occasional cover host of Vintage 80s.

Not even a lot of long-time callers know this, but I'm a graphic design major here at Seton Hall. I'm graduating this spring, and have been doing all sorts of internships to build my resume. Which is to say, my 2011 ran me ragged, and because of that, I am completely behind on listening to metal releases. So I don't have a best-of list of music for you guys. Instead, I'm going to write about something I do have the authority to speak on: ALBUM COVERS.

Marketing tools like album covers can absolutely have artistic value while still being effective, so I developed some loose criteria to evaluate them with. Does the art look TOTALLY AWESOME? If I was in a record store (hahaha), would it instantly grab my eye (through color and contrast)? Are the band logo and album title integrated into the artwork in a thoughtful way?

(Apologies for not including most of the album artists' names. I wish I could have. Unfortunately, because I'm behind on releases this year, I don't have the liner notes at my disposal.)

10. Primordial - Redemption at the Puritan's Hand
Lo-fi folk metal band from Ireland. Refreshingly, Primordial didn't rely on hokey forest imagery (their subgenre) or hokier shamrock imagery (every Celtic band ever). The high-contrast cover with a minimal number of colors definitely draws my eye. But the main reason I like it so much it that I did a package design project with similar elements this year (before I saw the album art, I promise you). It's a little simple, though, which is why it's at the bottom of my top 10.

9. Bosse de Nage - ii
Francophile, avant-garde black metal from the Bay Area totally spit in the eye of their subgenre's tradition of purposely-horrible covers and did something pretty interesting. The minimalistic cover shines in the haze of overdetailed and unreadable logos. The strange fins sticking out of the letters of "Bosse" bother me, though. The one on the B could stay, if its curve followed the path of the O better. I suppose it was a decision to add tension and movement to an otherwise heavy, static cover. It's still very cool, though! It reminds me of early Constructivist propaganda, which is one of my favorite artistic movements.

8. Hull - Beyond the Lightless Sky
I absolutely love Hull's logo, it's a gorgeous piece of typography. The subdued tan and black of the cover is an interesting and unique statement, as well. I can't work up much to say about it beyond that, though, which is why it scored fairly low (even though I would still hang it on my wall). While it's an awesome piece, I think it would be passed over in favor of something more eye-catching, like…

7. Protest the Hero - Scurrilous
Protest the Hero released my favorite album of 2011, so I feel a bad I didn't score them higher. But the painting, while cool and surrealistic, doesn't really excite me as a piece of design. The framing elements are cool, though, and elevate the cover beyond the exhausted "logo on a painting" cliché.

6. Arckanum - Helvítismyrk
Helvítismyrk is the most traditional of the album art on this list; that is to say, it's a painted rendering of something badass and evil going on. Unlike most other covers in the style, which are frequently… crummy, the art is well-rendered and has an interesting composition. It's not overdetailed. Having a flat black negative space lets your eye investigate the mysterious smoky figure without becoming overwhelmed. The more I look at it, the more I like it. Its final place is way higher than I thought I would give it.
Also, it's a haunted skull.

5. Cormorant - Dwellings
Dwellings is guilty of the typical "Step 1: Get a painting. Step 2: Put your logo on it." method of album art design, but the artist is clearly very skilled in both technique and composition (the arrangement of visual elements in a work, much like a camera angle of your mind!). It's an awesome painting.

4. Mastodon - The Hunter (Deluxe Edition)
And Mastodon makes it onto yet another year end list with their amazing cover based on the sculptural work of AJ Fosik. I found their regular version kind of dull, but for the deluxe edition, all elements are in conversation. The text is integrated into the piece, the totem stares you down. Look at the nasty beast. I would not want to mess with him, but Mastodon chopped his head off and hung it on a wall.

3. Black Tusk - Set the Dial
Like most sludge metal bands, Black Tusk once again had John Dyer Baizley, one of my favorite illustrators (and musicians) do their album art. This is not a bad thing. John Dyer Baizley should do everyone's album art.

2. Blut Aus Nord - 777 – The Desanctification
Another deranged, avant-garde black metal band, this time actually from France. Their album art subverts the usual stereotypes of the larger genre, and presents something well-rendered and interesting. Only a metal band could get away with a cover like this today. I would plow over small children (and anything else in my way) to get to this album art in my hands. I placed it higher than a John Dyer Baizley illustration! I credit that largely to the attention-grabbing, high contrast color scheme.

1. Ghost - Opus Eponymous
And the sickest artwork of the year goes to Ghost's debut album. The hand-rendered, destined-to-be-iconic logo, fantastic composition, and unique color scheme all immediately came to mind when I began working on this article. Opus Eponymous is undoubtedly the best and most designed. Ghost has had a lot of marketing support behind them, and it shows. It isn't just a logo slapped on top of a painting, it frames the band's mascot/singer. The latter's cloak becomes the sky as he looms over the building. Bats are flying, a bad moon's rising, the guy has a skullface. It's metal, and it's good design, definitively proving that they're not mutually exclusive.

BONUS ROUND: Most Stereotypically Metal Cover Art
Amon Amarth - Surtur Rising
I don't think anything needs to be explained here.

WSOU and Bandmerch.com Presents August Burns Red

Friday, January 13!
WSOU & Bandmerch.com Presents

August Burns Red
Silverstein • Texas In July • Letlive • An all-ages to enter, 21 to drink event. $18 advance, $20 day of show + applicable surcharges

For tickets, visit Ticketmaster at http://www.ticketmaster.com/

25 Reasons You SHOULD Have Been at WSOU's 25 Years of Metal

What’s going on everybody?! Sorry about the delay on this one, I was too busy spending the weekend recovering from the spin kick I took to the head during Fit for an Autopsy’s set. Yeah, the concert was that insane. With that, here are 25 reasons you should have been at WSOU’s 25 Years of Metal show!!

1. You would have gotten to see local young guns Name the Creature play in front of a small cluster of people. May not sound like anything important, but for those guys to still flash their brand of melodic death metal with as much energy as they did and without a much of a crowd was pretty admirable.

2. Name the Creature also gave out lollipops to the fans who came to their merch table. I mean, c’mon. Who doesn’t love lollipops?!?!

3. Had you been one of the many who began to fill up Starland during Thanatonic Desire’s set, you would have heard the Street Patrol stars’ killer sound. If you took Coroner, asked them to play melodic crossover, and gave their bass player the bass sound of Jeroen Paul Thesseling (of Pestilence and Obscura fame), you would get Thanatonic Desire. Those guys play with a fresh take on the genre that everyone should check out.

4. You probably would have been terrified when Fit for an Autopsy guitarist Pat Sheridan simply said, “We’re Fit for an Autopsy, do something.” When a band that brutal implores the crowd to get crazy in such a simple manner, they’re just leaving the door wide open for the crowd to get violent.

5. Yeah, it did get pretty violent. I was situated on the side of the pit, and as previously mentioned, got kicked in the head. As much as it was unpleasant to deal with, I must admit that it was still pretty metal.

6. The crowd didn’t become brutal without reason, it was matching the intensity of FFAA. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard a deathcore band with such violent breakdowns. The band was ridiculously heavy, but still very technically proficient. Anyone who hasn’t heard them yet needs to crawl out of the rock they’ve been hiding under and get their act together.

7. You would have gotten to be a part of an audience with one of the highest per capita ninja-dancer populations I’ve ever seen.

8. Molotov Solution would have given you a seriously rude awakening. Their brand of technical deathcore – accentuated by rhythmically layered breakdowns and dissonant guitar screeches – was one to be much appreciated.

9. You may have also wanted to cry for momma after watching Molotov Solution’s bassist Shane Slade play. Not only was the dude a sick bassist – having a dense, punishingly deep tone and some serious chops – his stage presence was straight up terrifying. Slade spent the duration of the set glaring menacingly at the crowd, and his stare was just as intense as the band’s set was.

10. Skeletonwitch. You missed Skeletonwitch. What on earth is wrong with you?

11. But seriously, Skeletonwitch was ridiculously impressive. The band, along with their contemporaries, (that include Warbringer, Lazarus AD, and Gamma Bomb) comprise the Neo-Thrash movement, and witnessing their variation of blackened thrash shows that thrash is alive, and doing very, very well.

12. The audience went wild for the band. Singer Chase Garnette in particular seemed to be a crowd favorite. His piercing, pseudo-black metal scream was unique and simply awesome.

13. One last thing about those guys, the old school circle pit that broke out during their set was massive, and was reminiscent to those that the used to take place during the hey-days of thrash.

14. As if you didn’t already have enough reasons to prove to you that you should have been at that show, let me remind you that you didn’t see Chimaira play that night. I’ve personally seen Chimaira multiple times, and I can honestly say that this was the best I’ve ever seen them.

15. Singer Mark Hunter performed his clean vocals even better live than he did on the band’s new album This is Hell.

16. New drummer Austin D’Amond was out of his mind talented. His double bass was blazingly quick, allowing for a slightly faster tempo for all of the songs. His hands were often hard to make out, because they moved so fast they often became a blur. Oh yeah, the dude had a drum solo too. It was filled with lighting fast fills, syncopated ostinatos, and brutal double bass beats. This guy is going to be a great fit for the group.

17. The bands other new addition, Sean Zatorsky, was equally noteworthy. Also controlling samples and sound effects, Zatorsky’s bass drops were absolutely colossal. My chest hurt just from standing in front of those speakers. The drops gave the band a dense and thick tone, one that suits them well.

18. Additionally, Zatorsky has an awesome beard. He puts all of the mere mortals who are partaking in No Shave November to shame.

19. Perhaps the most important aspect of Chimaira’s set was the fact that it was one of the last that guitarists Matt DeVries and Rob Arnold will be playing with the band. The duo will depart from the band after Chimaira Christmas 2011 for “personal reasons,” yet there seemed to be no animosity amongst the members of the band during the show. In fact, the group has seemed to treat the situation since its announcement as an opportunity to celebrate their last moments together, making for a killer, energetic set. Those of us in attendance got to witness one of the last shows with those guys in the band, and it was well worth it.

20. Unearth’s metalcore prowress was on full display as they closed out the show. The tracks from their new album Darkness in the Light were awesome live as well.

21. Guitarists Buz McGrath and Ken Susi did a synchronized jump off of their speaker cabinets. It was almost as if Van Halen had come back in a much heavier and more technical form. (And I mean that in the best way possible).

22. Unearth made a point of letting the crowd know that it was “National Dude with a Moustache Appreciation Day.” I had shaved the night before. My luck.

23. Susi also appeared out of nowhere to shred on top of the bar. Nice touch.

24. When a fan asked “Who the new guy behind the drums is,” we in the audience were surprised and excited to be among the first in the world to hear that touring drummer Nick Pierce is now the official drummer for the band (!!!!!!!)

25. Finally, you should have been at our 25 Years of Metal show because WSOU is the best radio station around. Sure, I may be a bit biased, but even before I started working here, WSOU was one of my favorite things about the Tri-State Area. This show was the culmination of all of the hard work of the managers and of 25 years of keeping metal radio alive. But hey, if you weren’t there, just make it a point to make our 50 Years of Metal show in 2036!

So if you missed this show,t here’s a rough summary of the highlights of the night. That being said, you probably should have been there. I mean, c’mon, it was a killer night. But hey, we’re not going anywhere, just catch us next time!

As always, feel free to hit me up with suggestions, questions, comments, or concerns at Dylan.wsou@gmail.com.

Until next time,

Dylan

WSOU CREATES SPECIAL PROGRAMMING FOR COLLEGE RADIO DAY

For more information, contact:
Mark Maben, WSOU general manager. 973-761-9546, mark.maben@shu.edu
Omar Ahmad, WSOU station manager. 973-313-6110, wsoustationmanager@gmail.com


(South Orange, N.J.)--- 89.5 FM WSOU, Seton Hall Pirate Radio, announced today that for its participation in College Radio Day on Oct. 11, the station will be featuring interviews with Five Finger Death Punch, Senses Fail, God Forbid and other bands WSOU gave early airplay to. Band members will speak about the role WSOU has played in nurturing their rise to fame. College Radio Day is a nationwide event celebrating the importance of college radio to communities, local music scenes, emerging artists and the cultivation of new broadcast and media talent.

“WSOU is well-known in the music industry for being a leader in breaking new bands,” says student station manager Omar Ahmad, who notes that the station gave the first area airtime, and in some cases the first-ever radio time, to Korn, Incubus, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, Rage Against the Machine, Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance and Thursday, among others. “We felt the best way for WSOU to highlight the importance of college radio was to let the musicians who have benefited from college radio’s support tell their story.”

In addition to band interviews, WSOU’s student managers will be offering personal commentaries on why college radio is important to them and the New York. Interviews and commentaries will be aired at the bottom of every hour between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. (see schedule below). The day’s programming will also feature special songs, station IDs, a 15-minute documentary on college radio that is being aired on all stations participating in College Radio Day, and interviews with station alumni Bob Ley and Bob Picozzi, who both went on to notable careers at ESPN.

The student managers of WSOU eagerly agreed to be part of College Radio Day because of the station’s rich 63-year history and because of the recent increase in the sale of college radio stations. “Today, many people tend to overlook or write off College radio as there seems to be a misinformed opinion that radio is dead,” says Ahmad. “Radio is not dead, and in fact, is still responsible for creating and shaping the careers of many artists and experts in the field of communications. While the administration has assured the station that WSOU is safe, there are other schools that are selling off their radio stations due to financial difficulties, and that's troubling.”

WSOU general manager Mark Maben, says that college radio stations provide vital experiential-learning opportunities that cannot be easily duplicated. “College Radio Day is a way for us to remind the world that college stations not only serve their communities, but give students a hands-on learning experience that cannot be emulated by reading a book or going to a lecture. Station alumni such as WINS’ Glenn Schuck, WDHA’s Kim Mulligan and NJ Devils radio announcer Matt Loughlin are all thriving today because of skills and confidence they developed at WSOU.”

One of the students who has greatly benefited from her time at WSOU is music director Gabby Canella, who has become deeply interested in a career in broadcasting or the music industry thanks to her three plus years working at Seton Hall’s station. “Not only have I learned a lot at WSOU, my experience has opened up doors for me that wouldn’t have otherwise.” Instrumental in arranging the band interviews, Canella says that she was struck by a common theme raised by the bands. “All of the bands spoke about how WSOU moved their careers forward and how critical college radio is to supporting bands before they become mainstream.”

College Radio Day will be acknowledged on more than 300 radio stations from coast-to-coast in the United States and Canada on Tuesday, Oct. 11. WSOU’s participation will be anchored by DJs The David Rind Experience, Brittany Speared, Dem Duquettes, and The Brooklyn Dodger. WSOU’s College Radio Day Interview schedule is as follows:

7:30 a.m.: Commentary by Gabby Canella, WSOU music director
8:30 a.m.: Band Interview with God Forbid (New Brunswick, NJ-based band)
9:30 a.m.: Commentary by Omar Ahmad, WSOU station manager
10:30 a.m.: Band Interview with Senses Fail (Ridgewood, NJ); Alumnus interview with Bob Picozzi
11:30 a.m.: Commentaries by Katie Duffy and Samantha Desmond, WSOU staff representative and promotions director
12:30 p.m.: Band Interview with Trivium
1:30 p.m.: Commentaries by Chris Duquette and Victoria Haffner, WSOU technical operations director and news director
2:30 p.m.: Band Interview with Biohazard (Brooklyn, NY)
3:30 p.m.: Commentary by David Rind, WSOU sports director; Alumnus interview with Bob Ley
4:30 p.m.: Band Interview with Five Finger Death Punch
5:30 p.m.: Commentary by Brittany Martinez, WSOU program director
6:30 p.m.: Band Interview with Hatebeed
7:30 p.m.: Broadcast of National College Radio Day Documentary

About 89.5 FM WSOU
WSOU, which began broadcasting in 1948, is the student-run, award-winning radio station of Seton Hall University. On Nov. 18, the station will present a concert with Chimaira, Unearth, Skeletonwitch and more at the Starland Ballroom in celebration of the 25th anniversary of WSOU’s current loud active rock format, which features metal, punk, hardcore and post-hardcore music. In addition to its active rock programming, WSOU is also the broadcast home for Seton Hall athletics and airs religious, public affairs and ethnic programming. With a 2,400-watt signal broadcast from the University’s South Orange campus, WSOU reaches all five boroughs of New York City and much of northern and central of New Jersey. WSOU streams online at www.wsou.net. The website also features additional information about the station.

About Seton Hall University
For 154 years, Seton Hall University has been a catalyst for leadership, developing the whole student, mind, heart and spirit. Seton Hall combines the resources of a large university with the personal attention of a small liberal arts college. Its attractive suburban campus is only 14 miles by train, bus or car to New York City, with the wealth of employment, internship, cultural and entertainment opportunities the city offers. Seton Hall is a Catholic university that embraces students of all races and religions, challenging each other to better the world through integrity, compassion, and a commitment to serving others. For more information, visit: www.shu.edu.

About College Radio Day
The aim of College Radio Day is to harness the combined listenership of hundreds of thousands of college radio listeners throughout North America and to celebrate the important contribution of college radio to America's airwaves. The original idea for College Radio Day was conceived by Rob Quicke, general manager, WPSC-FM, William Paterson University and was founded by Rob Quicke and Peter Kreten, general manager, WXAV-FM, Saint Xavier University. More than 300 stations are participating in the first-ever College Radio Day on Oct. 11, 2011. For more information, go to: www.collegeradioday.com.

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BRING ME THE HORIZON AT ROSELAND BALLROOM

By Victoria Haffner

Roseland Ballroom was not prepared for the pandemonium that was about to be caused by Bring Me the Horizon’s U.S Fall Tour. With supporting acts of Parkway Drive, the Architects (U.K.), Deez Nuts, and On Broken Wings, September 21st was definitely going to be a night of breakdowns and chaos.

On Broken Wings, the only American act (from Boston, Massachusetts) on the bill, opened up the show with tons of energy that would be repeated throughout the night. It was clear that the moshcore pioneers had some fans as Bring Me the Horizon watched on the sidelines with Frankie Palmeri from Emmure as well. Oli Sykes, lead vocalist for BMTH, and Palmeri lent their vocals to two different songs including “Six Hundred Cubic Centimeters”.

The Australian band Deez Nuts were up next and stood out in this tour with their distinct hardcore sound along with their unique and charismatic stage presence. The punk and hip hop influenced trio continued to get the crowd amped up for the next band’s set while showcasing songs from their albums Rep Your Hood and Stay True.
Following were Architects (UK), who played fan favorites such as “Follow the Water” and “Numbers Count for Nothing”. The Brits also performed “Day In, Day Out” and “Delete, Rewind” off of their latest album The Here, The Now.

Since their headlining tour earlier this year, Parkway Drive had not been in the states and they were ready to bring back their metalcore sound to New York City. Needless to say, I was pumped for their set and the boys from Byron Bay, Australia did not fail me. They played songs from all their albums, such as “Romance is Dead”, “Idols and Anchors”, and “Sleepwalker”--appeasing old and new fans alike. Lead singer Winston McCall was continuously amazed at the energy of the crowd and the band reciprocated with an equally powerful and enthusiastic performance. By the end of “Carrion”, their final song of the night, the crowd was thoroughly exhausted, but that didn’t matter as the final band took the stage.

I have seen Bring Me the Horizon play live numerous times in the past and thought I was prepared for the crazy antics Oli Sykes and Co. would bring—but I was wrong. They opened up their set with “Diamonds Aren’t Forever” and immediately set the tone for their set as Sykes flew into the crowd twice. With each song, he urged the crowd to get crazier until the height of the mayhem. During “Anthem“, a track off their latest album “There is a Hell, Believe Me I’ve Seen It. There is a Heaven, Let’s Keep It a Secret”, the band demanded that everyone rush the stage and in minutes it seemed as everyone in the venue was on the stage singing along and often groping the lead singer. Obviously, the security guards were having a fit.

With a lineup filled with Australians and Brits—and some Bostonians for good measure—Bring Me the Horizon’s North American Tour definitely had its fair share of loud metal, mosh pits and great accents, too!

89.5 FM WSOU ANNOUNCES 25 YEARS OF METAL CONCERT
CHIMARIA, UNEARTH & OTHERS PERFORM AT STARLAND BALLROOM NOV. 18

(South Orange, N.J.)--- 89.5 FM WSOU, Seton Hall Pirate Radio, announced today its 25 Years of Metal concert, set to take place on Friday, Nov. 18 at the Starland Ballroom in Sayerville, N.J. The 25 Years of Metal show will feature high-profile metal acts Chimaira and Unearth, with support from Skeletonwitch, Molotov Solution and others. The concert is in celebration of the 25th anniversary of WSOU’s current loud active rock format, which features metal, punk, hardcore and post-hardcore music.

“One reason that WSOU has a national reputation is that as students, we get a chance to learn by doing,” student Station Manager Omar Ahmad says. “Helping to produce a large concert gives us the opportunity to learn new skills while also sharpening our existing ones. It is one of the reasons that WSOU is such a great place for students to learn about broadcasting, media, and the music business.”

Since flipping to its current format in 1986, WSOU has become an industry leader in breaking new bands and nurturing new broadcast talent. WSOU gave the first area airtime, and in some cases the first-ever radio time, to Korn, Incubus, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, Rage Against the Machine, Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance, Thursday and Five Finger Death Punch, just to name a few.

In the last 25 years, scores of station alumni have gone on to professional success, including WDHA’s Kim Mulligan, WEMP’s Dave Packer, Mike DePippa of Sony/Epic Records, Atlantic Records’ Anthony Delia and nationally syndicated music host Jackie Kajzer (a.k.a. Full Metal Jackie).

“WSOU has remained a key innovator in college radio and the New York market,” said Mark Maben, the station’s General Manager. “As the only station of its kind in the metro area, the 25th anniversary of our active rock format is something to celebrate. WSOU has remained at the forefront of the industry since the 1950s, and we look forward to partnering with the Starland Ballroom to create a show that produces the loudest rock, just as we have been doing for 25 years.”

In announcing its anniversary concert, the station also unveiled a new logo celebrating WSOU’s milestone. For the logo, WSOU turned to Framework Media Strategies’ Peter Kelly, a station alumnus and former DJ, to craft just the right logo for the show and format’s anniversary.

"As a former student of Seton Hall University and member of WSOU I wanted this logo to truly embody what the station is all about,” Kelly says. “I wanted it to have an edge, something that makes you think ‘this station is going to rock my face off!’”.

Tickets will be available for purchase for $17 per ticket beginning at noon on Friday, Sept. 23 at www.starlandballroom.com and the Starland Ballroom box office. Tickets will also be available to win in station giveaways in the weeks leading up to the show.

In addition to its 25 Years of Metal concert, WSOU will be celebrating its anniversary in other ways. The station will air a student-produced documentary that examines how Seton Hall Pirate Radio became a world-renown metal station. WSOU alumni will return as guests DJs. WSOU Sports will feature interviews with alumni who have gone on to broadcasting fame, including Matt Loughlin, Bob Picozzi and Bob Ley.

About 89.5 FM WSOU
WSOU, which began broadcasting in 1948, is the student-run, award-winning radio station of Seton Hall University. In addition to its active rock programming, WSOU is also the broadcast home for Seton Hall athletics and airs religious, public affairs and ethnic programming. With a 2,400-watt signal broadcast from the University’s South Orange campus, WSOU reaches all five boroughs of New York City and much of northern and central of New Jersey. WSOU also streams online at www.wsou.net. The website also features additional information about the station.

About Seton Hall University
For 154 years, Seton Hall University has been a catalyst for leadership, developing the whole student, mind, heart and spirit. Seton Hall combines the resources of a large university with the personal attention of a small liberal arts college. Its attractive suburban campus is only 14 miles by train, bus or car to New York City, with the wealth of employment, internship, cultural and entertainment opportunities the city offers. Seton Hall is a Catholic university that embraces students of all races and religions, challenging each other to better the world through integrity, compassion, and a commitment to serving others. For more information, visit: www.shu.edu.

About the Starland Ballroom
After opening in December 2003, the Starland Ballroom quickly became of one New Jersey premiere concert nightclubs. More than one million tickets to Starland concerts have been sold over the past eight years. The Starland Ballroom is located at 570 Jernee Mill Road in Sayreville, N.J. and more information may be found at www.starlandballroom.com.

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For more information, contact:
Mark Maben, WSOU general manager. 973-761-9546, mark.maben@shu.edu
Omar Ahmad, WSOU station manager. 973-313-6110, wsoustationmanager@gmail.com

BIG 4 ROCKS EAST COST IN HISTORIC CONCERT

By Gabby Canella
WSOU Music Director

It was a night of metal to forever go down in history. The four biggest pioneers of thrash metal, each with bragging rights of a 30 or more year career, together on one legendary stage in front of a crowd of thousands and thousands. Yankee Stadium would never be looked at the same way again.

As I made the hike from New Jersey up to the Bronx, I had to note the extensive number of metal heads I saw everywhere I went. Once I stepped into Penn Station, I couldn’t help smiling at all the people, young and old, men and women, wearing shirts that ranged from Metallica to Death to Rammstein to Pantera. On a normal day, it’s unusual to come across a fellow lover of heavy music, but on Wednesday, it was unusual to see someone not wearing one of the above shirts. It was even more amusing for me to ride inside the packed subway cars with all of these fans. A distant observer who was unaware of the historical impact of that day was probably very curious and very confused about where we all surfaced from.

Once I arrived at Yankee Stadium, I was impressed by the way the field was arranged for the show. The sacred infield was covered and cut off from the general admission crowd with rows of protective barricades. The entire outfield was reserved for the hundreds of fans that almost seemingly covered any trace of there being a field at all. Parallel to the score board and advertisements on the back wall of the stadium stood the huge, specially designed stage for the event. I could only imagine the exhausting amount of hours it must have taken to set everything up for this show, and equally how many hours it would take to tear it all down again.

Finally, 4:00 PM hit. Anthrax was the first of the Big 4 to take the stage. They erupted with high energy onto the stage, wearing specially designed pinstriped Anthrax baseball jerseys with the number 30 on the back to commemorate their lifespan as a band. As they played their classics mixed in with a few new tunes off their latest album Worship Music, they were all smiles— and they had every right to be. After all, it was their day (Bronx Borough President declared September 14th to be Anthrax Day). Out of all the bands, they were the most amped and grateful to be performing on their native turf. Scott Ian, a very proud and lifelong Yankees fan, was especially appreciative of the opportunity. After a solid power hour of jamming out, Anthrax left the audience fired up and hungry for more metal.

Megadeth hit the stage next. While their sound was great and they played classic favorites like Symphony of Destruction and Hanger 18, their energy was noticeably different from Anthrax’s. A few songs in, Dave Mustaine greeted the crowd and explained that he shouldn’t even be playing because he was supposed to have neck surgery, but was blessed to be on the stage anyway. Even before Wednesday, several rumors leaked that Megadeth was going to sit the Big 4 show out, but it was finally confirmed on Tuesday that the band would indeed play. Mustaine braced himself through the rest of their set and got the crowd moving, but I felt that Megadeth’s performance was a bit lackluster.

At this point the crowd was getting anxious in preparation for the ones who would steal the show away. Slayer’s opening notes sent everyone into a frenzy of the kind I’ve never seen. Moshing and crowd surfing exploded like it was going out of style, accompanied by plenty of furious head banging and fist pumping that would put the Jersey Shore to shame. Everyone released their troubles of the day while Slayer stomped and pounded out heavier and angrier riffs. Their sound was tight and flawless, much to the crowd’s satisfaction. Any simple observer could understand how much the crowd ate up Slayer from the high fives and smiles exchanged between the fans. Everyone seemed to be a whole lot more tired and sweatier after Slayer left the stage.

Last up were the biggest of the Big 4, Metallica. They greeted the crowd with appreciation for their attendance and high energy. Most of their set consisted of their early work and even a track rarely played live, Orion. Metallica brought out the big guns for their performance, including pyro, fireworks, and even lasers. The entire spectacle really enhanced the already awesome sound performance they delivered. By far the best and most anticipated song of the evening was Enter Sandman. Once the opening notes to that tune were delivered, the fans cheered as loud as if Mariano Rivera was jogging to the field to clinch the winning game. The night felt complete and made all the New York and New Jersey fans feel truly at home. James Hetfield was playful with the crowd, joking and teasing the operator who put up the lyrics on the board. Overall, the entire band seemed to be mesmerized at Yankee Stadium.

The sure highlight of the evening was the Big 4 jam at the end before Metallica closed up. James joked that the fans were following up on the jam song the bands played elsewhere, so he decided to change it up. All the members of the Big 4 came out and simultaneously played Motorhead’s Overkill, which was dedicated to the godfather of metal, Lemmy. I have to admit it was pretty neat to see so many guitar players on stage all synchronizing perfectly. As I checked out all the different musicians, I did notice Mustaine’s absence, probably because of his neck pain. During those five or so minutes, it seemed like the perfect, harmonious moment of metal coming together. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience seeing this happen live before me.

Hetfield seemed very proud of the Big 4’s big moment together. He and the rest of Metallica wrapped up the show by following up with Battery and then closing with the fan favorite Seek and Destroy. As they began the last song, I decided to head out to beat the crowd and catch an already packed subway car back to Penn Station.

All in all, this show was truly one to remember. It was a special event that brought the metal community together and redefined how legendary Yankee Stadium truly is.