Abnormality Interview with vocalist Mallika Sundaramurthy 11/2015

Check out this interview!!! 

Skinless' first Boston appearance 11/20/15

Upstate NY's own Skinless has been banging heads since 1992, rearing 5 albums, all supported by countless tours. This latest album, is not seeing tour support, but plenty of shows to fill the months.  Now, for some reason, those earlier album's tours never made it out to Boston, so, Skinless and Boston finally had a long over due devirginizationing throw down, to end off 2015. Skinless regularly played closer to NY, in western Mass. namely the Palladium, which, Sherwood, vocalist of Skinless, was banned back in 2001 for stage diving off the PA, amonst other stuff. Anyway, here I was merchin/drivin/roadietc for Skinless, ( I have for the last couple albums) at the Brighton Music Hall, I was told it was once called Harper's Ferry, and had a lot of good bands rock the place. There's good and cheap South American food next door, if ya ever there, get some. 
 A band called Scalpel opened, but missed them, I was a bit busy with T shirts, and what not. Then it was Dysentery up next. No, I didn't get it from eating the pupusa next door, it was the name of the band up next. They put on what sounded to me like NYDM, and the slam was in full effect. The vocalist is from Tentacles and Streetsweeper, some of upstate NY's finest bands to grace that scene. The crowd in Boston was a cool, generous, old school, heavy patched battle jacket sorta crowd. They were a sweaty bunch, slamming like crazy, a little circle pit action, every one seemed to have fun with it.

Next up to bat was Abnormality, from Boston. They provided your basic death metal style, not as slam-mosh tastic as Dysentery, though the crowd was slamming and moshing up the joint, displaying their appreciation for death metal coming to Boston. I must mention that Abnormality is fronted by a stunning woman named Mallika Sundaramurthy, whom has a deep guttural growl, that matches any male counterpart of hers that I have ever heard. She also at times accompanied her deep death metal vocals with some black metal dying witch screech that makes it's so tasty as a total package.  Look for my interview with Mallika, for further detail about their up and coming death metal band to look out for, they just got signed to a major metal label, and new album soon, etc. 

Next up, it took over 20 years, but Skinless finally hit the stage in Boston. The completely grateful and exuberant crowd responded with fist and headbangin mania, circle pit spazz outs, karate moshers and football clobbering hooligans, all hitting it with a grin. Everyone had a blast, the club sounded great, oh yeah, Bob flubbed a song, haha, and Sherwood said "If some motherfucker comes thru that door waving an AK, I want everybody to attack that fucker and kill him!"
Good times in Boston, that scene is hungry for the death metal, and coming from NY, their scene greeted NYDM style with open arms. 

Noah and Joe Boston 2015

NY vs. Boston aside, we are more neighbors than enemies with Boston, and Mass. as a whole, and it's safe to say as a New Yorker, BOSTON RULES!!!!
*all photos by George DeMers* aka don't steal my blurry shots dickwad

Demo Pile #2 Acid Storm Demo 8/89

2nd demo in our Demo Pile comes to us from Sao Paulo, Brazil circa 1989, from a band called Acid Storm. I guess they made this into an EP, then released a full length. Check 'em out, a little Sepultura mixed with Excel, Death Angel, & Overkill is what we hear, and we love it!

Full Metal Racket Show Demo Pile #1 Abolish Endangered Existence

I have piles of demos from metal and punk bands from the early 90's, and I want to share them with you. Being a musician in several bands with demos throughout the years, I understand these demos represent the basic blueprint, dreams, aspirations, and true unfettered art, of each musician, in it's raw form. ENJOY!

These guys remind me of Nuclear Assault, here' some info on them http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Abolish/117213

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The Shrine, Corrosion of Conformity, (Clutch) Upstate Concert Hall Clifton Park, NY 10/2015

I've been waiting for this day, since C.O.C. announced that they would be back together with Pepper on vocals, to have the tour stop in Upstate NY. For those of you that don't know C.O.C.'s long tenured history, they have a sound that varies  by album, from punk, hardcore, metal, & stoner rock. Basically, any heavy rock genre that seeps from the underground, C.O.C. has an album for it.

 The Shrine opened up, offering up some skate rock from Venice Beach, CA. They seemed to have pulled their more stoner jams out for this tour with Clutch and C.OC. They have a few videos on Youtube of them being kitschy and corny, which to me, kinda takes away from the legitimacy of their brand of rock n roll, something we take very seriously here at The Full Metal Racket Show. Though, the imagery aside, the songs rock. They remind me a lot of Annihilation Time, with that 80's SoCal vibe. It's as if they lived off the SST comps like the Blasting Concepts, with a ton of messy Greg Ginn style guitar work, overall making the band remind me of Rollins Era Flag. Anyway, check out my photos, they're kinda shitty, then watch my quick little interview in the post below!

So, for this tour, Corrosion of Conformity had our favorite lineup of theirs, Woody, Mike, Reed, and Pepper.  C.O.C. has been a band since '82, with vocal additions of Karl and the COC Blind era in the early 90's. Go check out our interview with Karl and Reed and COC Blind on Youtube, and here on our blog. Anyway, Pepper joined the band mid 90's, then left the band a few years later.  Pepper brought that Southern stoner groove to the table, later revitalized with the Down albums.The 2 records, Wiseblood, and Deliverance are the Pepper albums, and they rule. Pepper sounded great, he can still belt out those (now old) tunes. They played a song "Who's Got The Fire" that they haven't played live in years, someone posted it on Youtube, check it out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja9PZjOtikg

Here's some photos I took, All photos by your truly, George DeMers, copyright and all that.

Got to meet those creeps! 


The headliner was Clutch, one of those bands that we have tried to like, but, somehow, it's just not there. It's kinda rocking, kinda stoner rock-ish, but just not at the same time. All I know is, we're ready for the COC Animosity tour!?!!

The Shrine interview Oct 2015

Heavy Montreal 2015 Dokken, Marky Ramone, Sanctuary

 Sunday's lineup of Heavy Montreal 2015 to me personally, was the weakest, though, as I entered the Berri Metro station, I realized that metal has morphed into something greater in numbers than I expected, or at least was unsure of 'til then. The last two days, turn out for the greatest fest in North America was shit, and leave it to us to be frank- It speaks volumes- Hot Topic metal is the only draw, (?) wow and how, do stoic, time tested and true- bands could garner such irreverence is beyond me, especially to be replaced by /for gimmicky chug a lug showboating lamesville pop music. As I heard Rollins once call it "Candy Bar Metal" "Hard outer coating, with soft sweet nugat center." Lamb of God and Slipknot were headliners, and you knew it. We have nothing against these bands, they are great guys, and we have seen them several times live, etc. Just not our cup of tea....which leads to...Dokken...
 Dokken is highly revered here at Full Metal Racket Show, well, early George Lynch Dokken anyway. We even celebrate Lynch Mob, Wicked Sensation, George Lynch did us a station ID way back in 2000. Anyway, Don Dokken followed suit along with other vocalists of the 80's hair bands that we have seen live in recent years, (namely Vince Neil), who barely sings their songs, and never hit the notes. It's sad to see and hear, especially when some of my parents favorite singers of the 70's still hit every note. Mick Brown is the only other original member, and he seemed well, ALIVE- Don seemed, I don't know? anemic, indifferent, tired, something... Their latest guitar player I guess, played for Doro, and is their old attorney.... Anyway, here's some Dokken pics! 

 Marky Ramone got himself an Andrew W.K., and it works. Though Marky could really have an all star band like George Clinton at this point in his career, I guess it's a start. They blazed though their set, in standard Ramones fashion, and, like Iggy the night before, (I don't know if it's an old punk guy thing or what) Marky ended his set, got up and walked off stage as if the crowd wasn't there....Check out my interview with Marky, here on our blog, here's some shots of their show. 

   Sanctuary rocked one of the side stages to a pretty full crowd.The Metal Pig, here at Full Metal Racket is a huge fan of these dudes, from way back. Jeff Loomis, former member, was in the house with Arch Enemy earlier in the week, so between that, it was good to see the Seattle metal crew (Nevermore) represent in Montreal. Here's some photos I took of Sanctuary, dig it!