My relationship with heavy metal music is somewhat complicated. I'm not a metal head by any means, but I  have a lot of respect for the genre and  would count Iron Maiden among my 10 favorite bands of all-time. With that said, I'm nowhere near as dedicated as the folks I encountered when I went to Darien Lake last Sunday for the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival at Darien Lake. For about 10 hours, in the midst one of the worst heat waves I've ever seen, I watched a crowd of kids, mostly younger than me, head-bang to the loudest, angriest music on the planet. And while I certainly liked some bands more than others, I left the scene with a greater respect for metal and what it does for people.

I arrived three hours earlier than I should have after somewhat foolishly suggesting to my friend that we spend the entire day there even though neither one of us cared/had heard of any band that was going on before 5pm. Still, it worked out well after all, since being there the entire time provided for a good learning experience. The first band that took the stage was California's Thrown Into Exile. If I'm being honest, I thought they were a little generic, but their intensity made up for that to some extent. I was more intrigued by Huntress and their extremely energetic front woman, Jill Janus. She had the best scream of any vocalist I saw that day. She also introduced a song co-written by Motorhead's Lemmy Kilmister by saying it was "the most romantic thing a boy has ever done for me." The song was titled "I Want To Fuck You To Death." Oh, that Lemmy. Always with the sweet talk.

Next up was Attika 7, a band who looked like they were going to beat the crap out of me, and probably wanted to. They were fronted by former Biohazard singer Evan Seinfeld, who may be the scariest looking human being on the planet. They had an excellent rapport with the audience, as the mosh pit grew wider and wider as the set progressed. About halfway through the set, Seinfeld began discussing the "brotherhood of metal," as well as joking about the lack of women in the crowd. "What are there, like four of you?" Seinfeld asked the female audience. It was a bit more than that, but it was a dude-centric scene, and Seinfeld calling it a "bro-down" was certainly not an inaccurate statement.

At this point, the various bands on stage all started to blur into one. It was the same thunderous crunch over and over again, without much deviation. One band that stood out from the pack was The Butcher Babies, not so much for their music, but for their intensity, and their politics. About halfway through their set, they stated they were about to do a song they weren't originally going to play but continually received requests for. What followed was a blistering pro-choice protest screed with a chorus of "JESUS NEEDS MORE BABIES FOR HIS LITTLE WAR MACHINE" that would soon be chanted by the entire crowd. The band dubbed it "Slut Metal," and it was one of the afternoon's more memorable moments.

Up next were goth rockers Motionless In White, who seems to have been heavily influenced by Marilyn Manson. Luckily, they were nowhere near as self-important, and seem a little more willing to have a good time despite the dark nature of their music.

I would like to tell you about the bands that came on next, but this was the part of the day where the heat really started to get to me. Sweat was getting in my eyes and  was starting to burn to the point where it actually hurt to see. I had no choice but to get in the shade for awhile, so I wound up missing sets by Job For A Cowboy, Emmure, and Machine Head. The last one is the only one I'm particularly bummed about.

As 6pm rolled around, it was time for the main event, which meant that we could actually go inside the pavilion, and away from the sun currently threatening our collective annihilation. The first band there was Amon Amarth, a long-running critically acclaimed death metal band from Sweden. They had one of the best sets of the night, but that didn't stop me from nearly falling asleep during their set. Being out in the sun that long really took the energy out of me.

Mastodon came next. They might be the most respected metal band of the past decade, and it was easy to understand why during their performance. Unlike every other act, they almost never spoke to the crowd until their set was over. They were 100% business, giving us nothing but bludgeoning riff after bludgeoning riff with very little chit-chat. After hearing front men command me to scream all day long, it was a welcome change of pace.

After that it was Five Finger Death Punch, a band with a huge mainstream following that readers of this would likely be highly turned off by. In the past, I've defended this band as not being as bad as people often say but I'd be lying if I said I was particularly entertained by the set. They're just kind of a band for meat heads and they'll proudly admit as much. I enjoyed a few of their songs, but on the whole, I felt like they didn't have anything all that interesting to say.

Finally, Rob Zombie came on and gave us easily the best set of the night. Honestly, I don't even think you have to like the guy's music to be massively entertained by his stage show. The lighting was amazing, and the screen was frequently filled with disturbing imagery to fit in with Zombie's 60s B-movie aesthetic. Also, his new songs, "Teenage Nosferatu Pussy," and "Ging Gang Gong De Do Gong De La Raga" (both actual titles) fit right in with classics like "More Human Than Human," and "Thunder Kiss '65." When he closed with "Dragula," the crowd was mesmerized and all the other acts had been thoroughly blown off the stage. Oh, and guitarist John 5 had two extended solos, both of which were brilliant.

The amount of metal I can tolerate in one day was thoroughly put to the test at the Mayhem Festival, but overall it was a good time. There were some bands I just couldn't get into, and I doubt I'll ever relate to this music as much as the ultra-passionate headbangers that filled the crowd in the early afternoon, but I left with a great respect for what metal is capable of, and how much it means to people.

 

I left the venue sunday night feeling like I'd just been crushed by ten tons of heavy steel. From what I understand this is commonplace when you go to an Amon Amarth show.

For those not in the know, Amon Amarth is a melodic death metal band from Sweden known for their Viking-like appearance and sound. The band is even sometimes referred to as "Viking metal" because many of their lyrics center around Viking mythology. This is a band that is proud of their heritage and ancestry, as evidenced by songs titled "Last of Pagan Blood" and "Bleed for Ancient Gods".

Now, before we go any further, understand something. I am very picky and choosy when it comes to metal. While I have always had an appreciation for the dark and macabre, many of the more "extreme" bands I often find gimmicky and contrived. When a metal band is too over the top they appear more like an act, and it takes a bit away from the power that surges from the stage. I like my metal honest, real and pummeling.

Amon Amarth are pure beasts live...or so I had heard. After listening to the Avenger and the Crusher non-stop for two monthes straight, I discovered that the band would be making a trip to one of Rochester's most popular music venues. There was no question I was making it to this show. As I walked into Water Street Music Hall, I was taken aback by just how far metal has come in the past few years. I remember going to shows in the '90's and a band like Amon Amarth might draw a hundred people. This show was packed! Hundreds of screaming metal fans chanting, yelling and waving mead horns (a staple at Amon shows; they're vikings remember?).

Anticipation gave way to excitement as the band hit the stage around 8:30pm. Amon's vocalist, Johan Hegg, immediately declared that the band would be playing two sets that night. They would be playing their recently released album, Surtur Rising, in its entirety and then, after a "short beer break" would return to play a whole other set of classics. In his deep gutteral voice, Johan then screamed "LET'S GET NUTS" and the band blasted into the first song off Surtur. The new numbers are a bit more slow and devastating, with a more epic feel, as opposed to alot of their earlier work, which was breakneck speed death metal. They feel like they took more time developing song structures this time around with careful emphasis on building tension and resolve. Crushing riffs, devastating vocal delivery and a tight rhythm section, accentuated by spot-on drumming, it's easy to see why the band has such a following in the metal community.

After their first set, the band took a 20 minute break, giving the crowd time to rest from the relentless moshing. During this time, me and my friend discussed our favorite metal albums, as music lovers at a metal show are known to do. (I still say Pantera's Far Beyond Driven is the best...guess we will have to agree to disagree).

Second set. All classics. The band played an array of tracks from some of their most popular albums including The Avenger. During this time the band experienced a few difficulties onstage. They had to stop a couple times, due to missed cues and re-start the songs. They handled it in stride though and this showed they had character. Whereas alot of other metal bands would huff and puff, they laughed and soldiered on. Much respect for that.

At the end of the night I left with my ears ringing, and overstimulated from a wild two hour show. If that is any indication of the loyalty and devotion of the fans and the brute strength and power of Amon Amarth, then the metal scene is in good shape.