Ozzfest 2006: XI Off-Date Review

Ozzfest Off-Date Unearth All That Remains The Red Chord A Life Once Lost Walls of Jericho Full Blown Chaos 8/15/06 Tremont Music Hall (Charlotte, NC) Reviewer: Josh Thorne

I would like to begin this, my first show review for FourteenG, with a statement for each and every person reading this.  This is not going to be a typical show review, for many reasons and before you truly start reading it, you need to be aware of that.  This show had the potential to be truly amazing, and in many cases it was, but thanks to the security of Tremont Music Hall, this show ended up never truly reaching it's full potential in my eyes and in the eyes of those who attended the show with me.

I walked backstage, hoping to find Judd.  Suddenly, as I continued walking, the head of Tremont Security stopped me.  What follows, is the conversation that ensued.  For this dialogue, the name of the security individual shall hereby be referred to as...Security Goon.

Security Goon: Where do you think you're going?

Security Goon: Fine.

The security guard left for about ten seconds, returned and informed me that no one named Judd had been at the venue that day.  I started to smell something in the air...and I think you all know what it was.  At this point, I was becoming frustrated so I decided to go and find my brothers in Full Blown Chaos to see if they would be able to help.  I caught a glimpse of Ray walking in the bar area of the club, and decided to go ask him if he'd be able to help me find Judd.  Now, I would have called Judd myself on his cell phone, but my phone had died moments before arriving to Tremont.

I walked towards Ray, only to be stopped once again by You-Know-Who.

Security Goon: Hey, excuse me, where do you think you're going?

Security Goon: Ray IS in there, but you're not supposed to be here.  Now, for the last time...

At this point, I'd grown very tired of this guy.  I just walked past him, and found Ray.  Of course, Security Goon was quite stunned to see that I had indeed been telling the truth about Ray.  So, for a moment, he left.  I was relieved and talked to Ray for several minutes before Candace herself arrived.  Candace, as expected, was very friendly and understood the situation I'd been put in.  So, I asked her if it would be possible to re-schedule the interview, which she didn't seem to have a problem with.

Just as things seemed to be going well, Security Goon made another appearance.

Security Goon: Ok, for the last time, you need to get out of here right now.  I'm not kidding.  You don't belong here, and you're not supposed to be anywhere near these people.  Get back to the line outside right now and wait your turn to get in like everyone else.

At this point, I decided this piece of garbage wasn't even worth my trouble.  I told Ray I would be back, thanked Candace for being so understanding and left the venue.  But this apparently wasn't enough, as Security Goon decided to follow me until he made sure I'd reached the entrance.  After waiting in line for close to half an hour, I returned to the door only to find this guy waiting on me again.  I, to this day, don't know what his problem was but it was beginning to annoy me a great deal.

Lineup: Ray Mazzola – Vocals; Mike Facci – Guitar; Lurk – Bass; Jeff Facci - Drums

As stated earlier, I've been a fan of these guys even before "Wake The Demons" came out. This night, they once again proved why they're one of the fastest rising acts in metal by pulling out one of the most violent sets I've ever seen them play.  Ray was absolutely on top of things, trying his best to work the crowd into a frenzy, but unfortunately for Full Blown Chaos, the crowd seemed dead.

As it turned out, the security guards were doing their best to keep ANY moshing from happening.  I've never seen anything quite so appalling in all my years as a metal fan, but I guess there's a first time for everything.  I found my place up front and did what I could to try and get the place moving by throwing a little headbanging in and giving the horns to the band, but this crowd wasn't having it.

After a dedication of "The Vorhees Complex" to yours truly, and having the mic put directly in my face during "Wake The Demons", Full Blown Chaos exited the stage, and one could easily see they were quite irritated at what had gone down.  It's truly a shame too, because they played one of the tightest sets I've ever seen from them.  Perhaps things wouldn't be so difficult for the other bands...right?

Full Blown Chaos Setlist (in no particular order): Apocalypse, Bloodflow, Suffer In Silence, Solemn Promise, Chopping Block, The Vorhees Complex, Wake The Demons.

Lineup: Candace Kucsulain – Vocals; Mike Hasty – Guitar; Aaron Ruby – Bass; Dustin Schoenhoffer  – Drums; Chris Rawson - Guitar

I had been waiting to see Walls of Jericho for a long time, and tonight, they made my wait worthwhile.  As Mike Hasty's guitar began to shake the rafters, the cymbals soon followed and the opening to "All Hail The Dead" began.  Immediately, the hardcore dancers took to the center, letting out a frenzy for Walls of Jericho.  This time, security wasn't going anywhere near Walls of Jericho's crowd, as they would have likely been pummeled to bloody pulps by the sea of kids going crazy in the pit.

Candace had this crowd eating out of the palm of her hand, and owned the stage for the entire set (save for the moment when Ray from Full Blown did some guest vocals) delivering a high energy performance that, at the time, didn't seem like it could be topped.  Plowing through an arsenal of songs from each one of their albums, (they even did "Playing Soldier Again") Walls of Jericho woke the crowd up and basically indicated to everyone in the general presence of the venue that tonight was not going to be inhibited by anyone or anything standing in the way of extreme music.  The band closed with, "A Little Piece of Me" and the masses ate it up like mad, satisfying Walls of Jericho and signaling their exit.

Walls of Jericho Partial Setlist: All Hail The Dead, Trigger Full of Promises, Another New Song, Playing Soldier Again, New Song, A Little Piece of Me.

Lineup: Robert Meadows – Vocals; Robert Carpenter – Guitar; Douglas Sabolick – Guitar; Nick Frasca – Bass; Justin Graves – Drummer

I'd really been looking forward to seeing this band, since I own the "Hunter" album and consider them to be one of the finest the new breed of American metal has to offer.  However, thanks to some serious unresolved sound issues and the again-looming presence of Tremont security, A Life Once Lost's set was anything but the ferocious display of extremity that it had the potential to be.

Aside from one or two recognizable notes, I didn't know what songs the guys were playing for several reasons.  First of all, the soundman had Bob Meadows' mic turned to down such an absurd level that Bob was really having to push to even be heard.  Secondly, the guitarists had no individual presence.  Whomever had taken the board from the sound guy who had done so well with Full Blown Chaos and Walls of Jericho was really screwing A Life Once Lost over.

The band played their hearts out and did their best to get the crowd doing, but in the end, none of that mattered much.  After their set, it was painfully obvious that A Life Once Lost was not happy with what had just happened...and neither were the fans in the venue.  After watching the powder keg continue to build, everything finally exploded when the next band took the stage.

A Life Once Lost's Set List: Honestly, if you were there and you can tell me, I'd be more than happy to hear it.

Now, for those of you who aren't familiar with The Red Chord, picture a bus filled with inmates from an insane asylum hitting you at 666 mph, and then backing up at the same speed to finish off what briefly remained of your corpse.  That, my friends, is what awaited us when The Red Chord took the stage.  After some hilarious stage banter between Mike "Gunface" Mackenzie and Greg Weeks, Guy Kozowyk emerged, microphone-in-hand, and proceeded to rip into the opening growls of "Black Santa".  At this point in time, one of the most violent circle pits I've ever witnessed broke out and was briefly stopped...again...by Tremont Security.

However, as The Red Chord continued with their sonic assault, the fans finally grew tired of dealing with the endless stream of B.S. being delivered by security (i.e. the fecal equivalent of the new Bleeding Through album) and busted into a frenzy that was bordering on frightening.  Bodies flew through the air, bottles broke on the ground, and jumpers rushed the stage...but apparently, there was a problem with bodysurfing as well.  So finally, after an entire set of madness, Guy offered the fans a chance to come onstage and sing the next song with him.  That song..."Dreaming In Dog Years".  During the course of this song, members from Walls of Jericho, Full Blown Chaos, All That Remains, and A Life Once Lost, along with several crowd participants rushed the stage and the chaos that ensued was some of the most fun, yet violent insanity one could ever hope to witness.

Following the song, Candace from Walls of Jericho actually stage-dived (and was subsequently caught by myself and two of the gentlemen I was moshing with) and with that, The Red Chord ended their sick set.  I'd also like to thank them for playing the unofficial FourteenG Theme Song, "Lay The Tarp".

The Red Chord's Set List: Black Santa, Love On The Concrete, Blue Line Cretin, Clients, Lay The Tarp, Antman, Dreaming In Dog Years.

Lineup: Jeanne Sagan – Bass; Oli Hebert – Guitar; Philip LaBonte – Vocals; Shannon “Feet” Lucas – Drums; Mike Martin – Guitar

Once again, this was another band I'd been a fan of for ages.  Ever since their first album, "Behind Silence and Solitude" hit the shelves, these dudes (and now girl too. Hails Jeanne!) have had a special place in my blackened heart and tonight, they had the crowd going like no band before them.  The command Phil Labonte has over the audience is unlike anything I've ever seen, and was only fuelled by the rest of the band's tight intensity.  All That Remains had the crowd in an even crazier state than The Red Chord (Which, if you'd seen THAT pit, didn't seem possible) with circle pits, headbanging all around, and even women hurling panties and bras at Mr. Labonte, much to his delight.

Oliver Herbert was truly a sight to behold as well, dishing out some of the most unbelievable leads and melodies one could ever imagine and making it all look so effortless.  The band's rhythm section was on it as well and made everything pound harder than a 2-ton wrecking ball against concrete.  Playing a mixture of songs from the new album and from "This Darkened Heart", All That Remains left the fans begging and pleading for an encore...and left me wondering just how Unearth could possibly top this.

All That Remains' select set list: This Calling, This Darkened Heart, The Weak Willed, Whispers (I Hear Your).

Lineup:  Trevor Phipps – Vocals; Buz McGrath – Guitar; Ken Susi – Guitar; John “Slo” Maggard – Bass; Mike Justain – Drums

Arriving onstage to the same intro they had at last year's Sounds of The Underground, Unearth proved just why they were headlining this little shindig.  Opening with "This Lying World" the band whipped the crowd into a frenzy the security staffers had given up trying to limit or control.  The floor became a virtual warzone with hardcore dancing, moshing, circle pits, and even some good old fashioned bodysurfing.  Trevor Phipps seemed to be having a great time watching all of this chaos erupt, and it only fuelled he and his band's performance.

Unearth ripped through a set list comprised mostly of songs from their new album, "III: In the Eyes of Fire" and "The Oncoming Storm" but also threw in a nice surprise with "Endless", which made the crowd go literally insane.  It was during this set that I received more kicks and punches than any other band, but I also delivered the same amount as well.  Good times, my friends...good times.

Ken Susi and Buzz McGrath shredded away like madmen on the guitars and proved once and for all that there is not "core" to be found in this band's sound...just 100%, brutal heavy metal.  The band closed with "Black Hearts Now Reign" and the energy in that place was so ferocious that even yours truly had to step out of the pit and observe the rest of the song from the bleachers.  To say Unearth was the crowning moment of the night would be an understatement.

Unearth's Set List: This Lying World, Giles, Zombie Autopilot, Endless, Unstoppable, This Glorious Nightmare, The Great Dividers, Black Hearts Now Reign.

I'd like to thank Michelle at Metal Blade Records, Full Blown Chaos, Walls of Jericho, Warm Fuzzy PR and everyone else who did everything in their power to make this show enjoyable.  I'd also like to send a mammoth middle finger to the security at Tremont Music Hall for trying their best to botch the show for everyone in attendance (excluding the two decent members of the staff, one of whom actually helped me get back on the interstate following the show) and for prohibiting me from getting my interview.  Until next time, my fellow maniacs! - Josh

o     Click here for photos/review Ozzfest 2006: XI Alpine Valley, WI

o     Here for review for the Ozzfest 2006: XI Chicago date

o     Here for new interview with Trevor Phipps of Unearth

o     Here for new interview with Phil LaBonte of All That Remains

o     Here for new interview with Candace Kucsulain of Walls of Jericho

o     Here for interview with Guy Kozowyk of The Red Chord

o     Here for interview with Mike Facci of Full Blown Chaos