Greetings fellow metal-heads! Welcome to the second edition of my monthly metal column Metal Asylum. I appreciate all of the great feedback from the first article and I hope to continue feeding your metal addiction every month.

I'm sure by now most of you heard that two heavy metal magazines, Metal Maniacs and its sister publication Metal Edge have folded, with just one more issue of each title scheduled to come out. The magazines have been on stands for 24 years and 19 years respectively, and were two of the more popular magazines for the atomically well-endowed genre.

I remember when I first started getting into underground metal, running to the nearest store and buying the newest edition of Metal Maniacs to fulfill my appetite for news of new bands. The horrible state of the economy dealt the final blow to these excellent magazines, which were already suffering from ever-increasing online competition.

Admittedly I have downloaded music as well as gotten my metal news online (one of my favorite sites being Blabbermouth.net). But there is still something I love about the feel of paper in my hands. I buy a lot of the metal-zines, and still consume much of by music by way of CD. I like to see the cover art and read the lyrics while the album is playing (this is especially crucial to the enjoyment of most music I listen to since you can't understand what most of the singers I love are singing about otherwise -- really!). I fear that one day soon all music will just be downloaded from the internet, and that will be a very sad day for hardcore fans like myself that like to physically have an album for their collection.

I have seen too many mom-and-pop music stores, and emporiums dedicated to underground metal, shut their doors. After almost a decade in business, my friend Mark, who owns Metal Haven in Chicago, doesn‘t know how long he can hold on. I cannot adequately express how much that saddens me, so let's just say it fucking pisses me off! I have spent countless hours in stores looking for new bands -- and quality metal conversation. It may be easier to stay at home and hit download, but we fans need to go out and support our local music scenes by actually buying albums (or T-shirts?) from the music stores that support the bands we love.

Onto brighter things. I recently attended the Cradle of Filth, Satyricon and Septic Flesh show on February 11 at the Henry Ford Theater in Hollywood, CA. First of all, I have to admit that I was primarily going to the show to see Cradle of Filth and Satyricon as I've never seen either band live.

When I walked up to the theater I saw that Septic Flesh were playing. What an awesome surprise! I started getting into them last year and absolutely love them. I bolted through the doors to make sure that I didn't miss them. Thankfully, they didn't start the show until almost an hour later.

Greece's Septic Flesh went on first and sadly only got to play a 30 minute set. Indeed their actual set might have been shorter because unfortunately they had some technical problems when they first hit the stage. It didn't matter though, they were FUCKING AMAZING. I love Septic Flesh because like Hollenthon, I can't seem to pin down what they play. They seem to take inspiration from almost everyone and everything. I guess if I had to try to fit them in somewhere, it would be symphonic black metal??? Their sound isn't easy to reproduce live -- they have a lot of symphonic and female vocal elements -- but all things considered they did a great job transitioning their music from the studio to stage.

The next band was Norway's Satyricon. I just got their latest album The Age of Nero last week, and I have been listening to it non-stop. It's similar in sound to their last full length, Now, Diabolical. Live, they put on a very powerful show. They played a lot of songs from the new album, "Wolfpack", "Commando", "Black Crow on a Tombstone" and "Die by my Hand". During the latter song, they had the crowd sing the chorus along with them -- call me cheesy, but I always love it when bands do that. Predictably, the crowd also went nuts when they played their hit song "K.I.N.G." but I was very surprised and very much excited when they ended their performance with an old classic, "Mother North" from '96. I should also mention how awesome it was to see the infamous Frost play. He's an incredible drummer and an icon within the black metal scene. The pitchfork mic stand that Satyr (lead vocals) used, is also worth a mention, and is surely a "must have" for all other metal singers.

Here is the official video of Satyricon's "Black Crow on A Tombstone" for your delectation and delight:



Next and last was the infamous Cradle of Filth from England. I have to be honest here and say that I've never been a really huge fan. The last album I bought was Cruelty of the Beast when I was 16. But Cradle of Filth have a huge following and a very loyal fan base, so can do quite nicely without me added to their number. That said, their live theatrics are legendary so I was prepared to be entertained.

The curtains opened to reveal a huge crucifix laid on its side, with a skeleton hanging from it. Four or five torches also adorned the onstage. Their production value was matched by that of their performance. Frontman Dani Filth has great energy and stage presence. Though I can't get into the high vocal screeching he does, I do like his low gutteral stuff. The keyboardist and female back up vocalist had amazing chops and great stage presence as well. Even if, like me, you're not super into CoF, I would recommend checking out their live show. Hit RoadrunnerRecords.com for tour dates near you.

In the meantime here's a taste of "Honey and Sulphur" from Cradle of Filth's lastest, Godspeed on the Devils Thunder.



Before I go, I want to share some new albums I have been getting into as of late. My current play list if you will. If you haven't already heard these albums, I suggest you do immediately:

Belphegor - Bondage Goat Zombie
Enslaved - Vertebrae
Satyricon - The Age of Nero
Opeth - Watershed
Crimfall - As The Path Unfolds..
Borknagar - For The Elements 1996-2006
Suidakra - Crógacht
Amorphis - Silent Waters

That's it for this month. I would like to hear your current play lists and bands you think I should check out!

Also, make sure to check out my interview this month on SG with Peter Wichers of Soilwork. We talk about his three-year departure from Soilwork, his return to their fold, and what he's been up to in the meantime.

Until next time,
Horns & Hails

Hollee