Good bad Music for bad, bad Times!

Uster is a dump about 10 miles from Zurich. It’s hard to believe, but some folks in the 19th century actually built a railway out there. You ride there, you get out of the coach and you immediately want to get back into the train and leave as fast as you can. I know it, I felt it yesterday, but I had to be strong: Heavy Metal had come to town.

Upon approaching the venue, I noticed a few old geezers standing on the parking lot. I took (metal) heart, walked to the oldest of them guys and introduced myself. “Oh my,”, he said, “I’m Mark!”. Mark Shelton had been one of the first international Heavy Metal musicians to endure letters from some kid, writing notes of praise and how much he hated everything in a horrible English, translated word by word with a pocket dictionary from the 50s, but as soon as I had heard MANILLA ROAD’s “Crystal Logic” LP in 1983, I had to make the connection. So we stayed penpals until about 1985 – and yesterday, I finally met the man!

Mark is the guy at the right here, but of course, he don’t look like this no more these days. Love the photographer’s shadow taking half the picture’s size.

I walked down the stairs, grabbed a chair, underneath a gas lamp, where the air was cold and damp. Sort of. Not long and Eugi from EXCRUCIATION came by, shook hands (I forgot how to shake hands the Metal way, you know that biker thing; I just shook hands like we shake hands in the otherworld). After this fauxpas, I knew I had to take well care of my act and by the time the next guys came by, I had figured it out. After many, many years, I had a chat with Brögi from MESSIAH, more members from EXCRUCIATION, MANILLA ROAD and so on, until EXCRUCIATION entered the stage (well, it was a very small stage and not a very high one at that. One of the three guitarists was placed almost behind the drum kit, so small was the stage). Playing first is always uneasy, especially in Switzerland, the last European country to burn a witch (in the year of 1782). But the quintet tried best and delivered some really heavy riffing and a tight, forceful sound. The gig was a bit on the lengthy side maybe, but then again, last time I saw them live was in 1986, when they played on the legendary tumultuous “Metal meets Punk” festival in Zurich, along with MESSIAH, DARK AGE and others, so I didn’t mind standing there, smoking a couple fags and nodding the silly head of mine up and down.
Next up were Greece’s BATTLEROAR. Normally, I don’t like seeing bands live whose music is unknown to me, but in this case, although it was probably the first band from Greece that I’ve seen live, I realized that in no way this was “new” to me. BATTLEROAR ripped through a set full of OMEN-like Power/Fairytale Metal, with funny lyrics inspired by funny writers such as Robert E. Howards, a racist pig. Never mind, I thought, them are young and innocent geezers up there on that tiny stage and they played with such joy and pleasure, it was highly infectious. The singer had a sexy Freddy Mercury-like live act, what a charming fucker he was!
So I expected MANILLA ROAD to take on the stage and they did. And blimey, how they did! Playing as a four piece with a new singer (a funny, really nice bald headed guy by the name of Hellroadie), the band ripped – and I mean RIPPED! – through a set of mainly older songs. The drummer was incredible! The closest thing I ever heard to that insane over the top drumming of SAVAGE GRACE on their blasphemously godlike “Master of Disguise” LP! All the old songs sounded like on amphetamines! Tight, fast and with a totally unexpected POWER! I tell you, they would have blown most HC band off the stage! From “Road of Kings” (I sang along the chorus with the other 40 fistbangers, but altered the lyrics to “King of Roads”, cause I’m soon gonna buy me one of these) to the most beloved song of mine, “Necropolis” – I banged my head and couldn’t believe how brillant the band was and how much the audience enjoyed themselves.

Greetings go out to everybody I met, including Selwyn, the Headbanger and all the others, especially for stories such as the one about the old friend of ours who now has two kids, one of them he named Laibach, haha.

And for you, here are some songs of the three bands, in case you don’t know them:

EXCRUCIATION
Golgotha.mp3
I am.mp3

BATTLEROAR [external links]
Egyptian Doom.mp3
Mourning Sword.mp3

MANILLA ROAD
Enter the Warrior.mp3 (from 1982 “Metal” LP, vinyl rip)
Necropolis.mp3 (all from “Crystal Logic”, 1983)
Veils of negative Existence.mp3
Dreams of Eschaton.mp3

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