KISS seems to be getting more attention than ever thanks to their smoking new CD “Sonic Boom”, the “Gene Simmons Family Jewels” TV show and the always rousing concerts that they do for sold out audiences worldwide. With this being the case, I felt that I should go back into my personal archives and add some fun never before seen images to the PiercingMetal Blog so the readers of our adventures can enjoy them in terms of some KISS related fun. After all, they do no real good by being in a random folder on a hard drive only seen once in a blue moon by the occasional curious visitor to the Metal command center.
That being said, this little side story is not about KISS themselves but more about an event that was called the NY/NJ KISS Expo. It was an annual affair that was put together by Richie Ranno (of the band Starz) and was the means for those who sold KISS memorabilia and those who collected it to mingle together along with musicians that had some part of their history connected with KISS or were just interested in being a part of the fun. My friends had been going to this convention for years already but my first go round would be in 2002 but I could not find any photos outside of the scanned ticket below.
KISS Expo 2002: Your Ticket To KISS Purchases
This event was in Hackensack, NJ and only $16 bucks to get in. That was cool to know since you would end up spending hundreds more in terms of KISS things you might have had interest in. If I manage to find any photos from that event I will edit the narrative to allow them to fit in. So far there seems to be only one which you get below. Continue reading Reflections & Photos From KISS Expos Past (2002-2004)→
Obituary is one of the legends of Death Metal and the touring package with Unleashed and Carnifex meant a night of pure, cold Metal. Our coverage is below for those who want to scroll past the logo and learn more. Photos of two of the three performers are also featured, and like the song says, “two out of three ain’t bad”.
Artist: Obituary Venue: B.B. King Blues Club (New York, NY) Opener: Unleashed & Carnifex Date: 10/5/2008 Label: Candlelight Records
I had just dealt with what amounted to nothing less than an insane month of shows in my quest to bring the Metal word to the masses, and as result I was unsure about even hitting this gig until the very last minute. Let’s face it, hitting eleven killer Metal shows in sequence and not only documenting the proceedings of the main band on the bill but also shooting images of almost everyone else who performed and choosing to comment on them also can be exhausting for anyone. Be that as it may, it is not often that two legendary bands in the Death Metal genre are hitting the stages on a tour together so when Obituary hit the road with Swedish legends Unleashed my plans were set in motion. The show would reach our area and visit the ever reliable B.B. King Blues Club and find Carnifex as the first band up. Here is our synopsis of the night. Continue reading Obituary @ B.B. King Blues Club (10/5/2008)→
Artist: Various Artists Title: “This Is Black Metal” Label: MVD Entertainment Release Date: 10/9/2007 Genre: Black Metal Rating: 2/5
“This Is Black Metal” is quite simply a DVD that features a total of seven professional videos and live performance clips and the same number in interview footage segments from a good sampling of Black Metal’s elite. Yet while these bands are true luminaries in the genre most of the videos presented were available on deluxe editions of their individual CD’s and why only seven when it comes down to it? Was it a cost factor or due to licensing and permission perhaps – but either way there is not truly enough to sink your fangs into for this aspect of it and it will leave you saying “well, what else do you have for me”. When you watch the main program as one single view, you will notice that the videos are interspaced by interview segments with the band and all of these portions are conducted by former Adult Film Star Jasmin St. Claire. There are many who know that Jasmin is the hostess of her own straight-to-video DVD series called “Metal’s Darkside” and while this particular release was met with a very mixed opinion (including my own) I had to say that the interview segments seemed to be a little more on a par of getting something good out of the band as opposed to sitting there and shooting the shit inanely. Of the interview segments I found that the best one was with the Mighty Emperor and Satyr for those featured more insight into what Black Metal is about and aimed at than the others. Celtic Frosts interview seemed to show some promise but it was a very bad audio mix during it which made it arduous to listen to. The guys in Venom were more comical to watch than anything else and I felt that the Morbid Angel one was just ill-used space for a band of their caliber. We also get an interview with Ms. St. Claire but it is more focused on her background and life than digging deeper into her own Metal interests to an analytical end. I admit that I remain on the fence about her work in this area but I am happy to see some improvement from the last time that I saw some of her adventuring in this regard. I think that the fans of JSC will enjoy this the most since they get to see her continuing to do that which they love her doing. Continue reading “This Is Black Metal” by Various Artists→
Artist: Jasmine St. Claire Title: “Metal’s Dark Side: Hard And The Furious V.1” Label: Music Video Distributors Release Date: 4/25/2006 Genre: Heavy Metal Rating: 6/10
Sexy hostess and former adult actress Jasmine St. Claire apparently loves Heavy Metal music and by the look of this DVD it seems the harder the better. The DVD series she has launched entitled “Metal’s Dark Side” is her aim at focusing on the darkest and heaviest stuff she can manage to bring you. While it was an interesting premise I wondered what the overall appeal would be on a larger scale. Jasmine being drop-dead gorgeous will appeal to the testosterone levels of most fans of this music but being an actress and then becoming a host of a program (even one of your own design) takes a little more skill than is demonstrated here. On the DVD Jasmine interviews several notable Death and Black Metal personalities along with traditional icons but the interviews seem very ad-hoc and don’t give the viewer much in the way of interesting band commentary. Everyone seems to be whooping it up but there is nothing in-depth that will have you saying “AH HA, that’s what they meant”, and this factor makes the piece a watch once sort of thing. Without being totally negative on it, I felt this would make for an interesting cable television show to give extra pump to the music we all love and fight to keep vital, however just making this a DVD to sell will limit the chance for the wider populace to see it. Jasmine does include some of these bands videos, but with so many groups releasing compilation pieces and with other networks showcasing this type of thing again I was not that taken by their inclusion. There are interview segments and joking with all the groups listed and I think that the interview with Damageplan is probably the best segment on the whole video. It ends with a brief tribute to Dimebag Darrell, a man who Metal misses very much and will never forget. Continue reading “Metal’s Dark Side: Hard And The Furious V.1” by Jasmin St. Claire→