Artist: Jon Oliva’s Pain Venue: Brooklyn Music Terminal Opener: Chris Caffery, Beyond Fear Date: 9/16/2005 Label: SPV Records
The walls were set to rumble at the announcement that Jon Oliva the mighty “Mountain King” would be returning to Brooklyn with his band “Pain”. This “Metal Insurgence Tour” would be partnering him with Chris Caffery and Tim “Ripper” Owens. As everyone knows Chris Caffery performed with Jon as a member of Savatage and Owens is currently the front man of Iced Earth. Combined this would prove to be a great night of Heavy Metal power. Local talent Operatika and Brooklyn’s own Gothic Knights would set off the night for this particular show. Operatika, who have recently set their demo recording “Dream World” on the world performed a very short set of only three songs. I am not sure what transpired but it could not have been fun for the band. Gothic Knights were up next and this would be the first time on stage for them in over a year. After the release of the “Up From The Ashes” CD, the group had split with LMP and also had some lineup changes. Even after so long an absence they sounded very good and it’s nice to see Power Metal is not reserved as a European export. I look forward to seeing more from them in the near future. Continue reading Jon Oliva’s Pain @ Brooklyn Music Terminal (9/16/2005)→
Artist: Judas Priest Title: “Metalogy” – Boxed Set Date: 5/11/2004 Company: Columbia Legacy Genre: Heavy Metal Rating: 10/10
The boxed set for Judas Priest has finally arrived and it is worth looking into. It is 4 music CDs and one DVD. How does one best judge a comprehensive boxed set by a band who’s work is a testament to heavy metal music other than with the simple words of “BUY THIS PRODUCT”. The release of this box does come at a good time, for Rob Halford is reunited with his Mates (Tipton, Downing, Hill and Travis) and they are embarking as the pre-headliner for this year’s Ozzfest opening for Black Sabbath. While many agree that Black Sabbath began the heavy metal music sound, there are many who contend that Judas Priest was the first heavy metal band, taking what Sabbath created and introducing it to a larger variety of sounds and styles. Refining it into so many memorable songs that we still find sounding fresh today. Continue reading “Metalogy” by Judas Priest→
Artist: Iced Earth Title: “Gettysburg” Label: SPV Records Release Date: 6/6/2005 Genre: Heavy Metal/History Rating: 7.5/10
The long awaited DVD release for the Iced Earth opus “Gettysburg (1963)” has finally been released. This is an interesting piece on a few fronts when you take a look at it. In early 2004 Iced Earth released their Metal Masterpiece “The Glorious Burden” and this CD received a large amount of critical acclaim from Metaldom. One of the main reasons behind this albums overall success was not only the level of quality in the song-writing and musicianship, but also since this release would also feature Tim “Ripper” Owens on lead vocals. It was a good match and Metal fans around the world raised their fists in approval. The release covered a theme that was both Military and Historical. The signature track on the record was the 3 part epic “Gettysburg”. Continue reading “Gettysburg” by Iced Earth→
Artist: Iced Earth Venue: Starland Ballroom (Sayreville, NJ) Opener: Trivium & Beyond The Embrace Label: SPV Records Date: 6/14/2004
Normally I would not compose a review for a band that I had just seen very recently. However, this second chance to see Iced Earth perform had a few reasons for getting me to do it. As the Metal World knows by now, Drummer Richard Christy had left the band in the middle of the tour to focus on his interests in comedy. More specific for the Howard Stern radio program which is out of New York. He has since obtained the position, so congrats to him. Jumping into the drum chair was the incredible Bobby Jarzombek (formerly of Halford, Riot, & Pain Museum). Bobby had been in the band a few short weeks but he was a natural fit. Thunderous double bass drumming and solid fills were par for the course this evening. I even saw him providing extra backing vocals when it was needed. A welcome addition to this lineup in my humble opinion. Continue reading Iced Earth @ Starland Ballroom (6/14/2004)→
Tim “Ripper” Owens was no longer a member of Judas Priest and had moved on when the Metal God Rob Halford chose to return to their ranks. Of course the singer would not sit idly by and instead would hook up with the one and only Iced Earth and record their stunning “The Glorious Burden “CD. The powerful release found the group touring to support it and playing with Children Of Bodom as their direct support along with Sweden’s Evergrey. We caught up with the vocalist backstage at the venue and discussed a few of the recent happenings.
KP: Tim it’s indeed a great pleasure to meet you face to face and let me first thank you for taking the time to sit and talk with me on behalf of the Metal Circus
Ripper: Good Man
KP: So it’s awesome to see you in New York again, so how does it feel to be back in the Big Apple
