Danzig Kataklysm Trivium Review

Circle of Snakes Tour Danzig Kataklysm Trivium Eyes of Fire 2/21/05 HOB Reviewer: Karma E. Omowale Photo: Erika Kristen Watt

An amazing show with a killer lineup to boot! Rather interesting it took me as long as it did for me to finally see Glenn Danzig, the Godfather of Punk; it was well worth the wait! Judging from the reaction of the audience, many were there to see the legend they as well. A multitude of people brandished Danzig and Misfit tees of the new and old variety.

Considering I arrived, during the first song of Trivium's set, I unfortunately missed Eyes of Fire. Not being familiar with EOF’s music, I decided to poll the members of the audience, trying to get a feel for the band. By a unanimous consensus, the comments ranged from, "They sucked" to "You didn't miss anything" blah, blah, blah...all of which were negative. The one thing, I have slowly but surely learned is not to trust the grumblings a Chicago rock crowd, especially when it comes to their views on opening bands. As I’ve stated in past reviews, fans in Chicago, rarely show love for openers, so I should have known better. However, I must admit that it is refreshing to hear what the public thinks. Eventually, I hope to see the band myself and form my own opinion. Speaking opinions, this show was well worth the price tag of $26.50! Every band I saw was on the mark. Go see Danzig next time he rolls through your town especially since the ever-active rumor mill's saying he will  hang his horns up after Circle of Snakes. Who knows, this may be your last chance... Why regret the things you haven't done? That's no fun, is it? 

Lineup: Glenn Danzig - vocals; Tommy Victor - guitar; Johnny Kelly - drums;

Jerry Montano - bass

The Godfather of Punk, Glenn Danzig, shows he still has it. He performed to a packed house at the Chicago, House of Blues on February 21, 2005. Young, old, metal, punk, it did not matter, Danzig bridges generations and genres. Born Glenn Allen Anzalone, he took his name from the Polish city Danzig, the city has since changed their name to Gdansk. Now for those of you who don't know about this man, shame on you! Mr. Danzig has been at this a long time; he was the lead singer for the legendary punk band The Misfits, (from 1977–1983). He also lent his vocals to the defunct, yet short-lived metal band, Samhain. For a man who stands at 5’3, one would never know, he is such a forceful figure, and has an indescribable grace about him. Perhaps, his grace can be attributed, to the black belt he holds in Jeet Kune Do, as well as being a practitioner of various martial arts.

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Not unless I was taking crazy pills but I really liked Kataklysm’s outing. It was a much better effort than their previous show, performed at the Bottom Lounge on 5/24/04.

Lineup: Matt Heafy - vocals / guitar; Paolo Gregoletto - bass; Travis Smith - drums; Corey Beaulieu - guitar

Trivium's singer and guitarist, Matt Heafy, stated during the course of their set that it was not the band’s first visit to Chicago; the band was here during the Roadrage 2004 Tour when they opened for Machine Head and Chimaira in August. However, this was not the same band I saw a mere 6 months ago. Approaching the stage, at first glance, I thought they replaced the guitarist, Corey Beaulieu because I did not recognize him. All I saw was this massive figure shredding and swinging their long, black hair like a pinwheel without missing one chord. Come to find out, it was Mr. Beaulieu, he had grown about a 1/2 a foot; Matt sprouted a good foot as well. Mind you males do tend to grow in spurts up until the age of 25 years, needless to say the girlies in the audience were awestruck.

A new look was not the only upgrade, the band changed their logo, colors and their sound; they are definitely more refined which is all in good timing for their upcoming album, Ascendancy, due to hit the shelves on March 15^th of 2005. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Heafy tried his best to incite the nonplussed crowd, as did the rest of the band. By the time they got the crowd going, their final song, “Like Light To The Flies” the audience finally responded. I guess the adage better late than never would apply to this situation. Drummer, Travis Smith, was tearing it up behind his 7-piece, Tama Rockstar drum kit. The twin attack from Beaulieu and Heafy was astounding. Again, I think the HOB is one of the best places in Chicago to see a show considering bassist, Paolo Gregoletto's bass was sharp and prominent.

The youthful quartet ranging in ages from 19-24 has a lot of heart and obviously some pretty big balls! They refused to let up until they won the crowd over, and that they did. Well with a heavily influenced sound like theirs that is infused with NWOSHM, and denoting how refined they are…how can you not love this band is beyond me. The band formed in Altamonte Springs, FL (Florida being the original hotbed of death metal) in 2000 and was founded by Smith, in which he was barely out high school at the time.  Heafy joined the band when the band’s original singer quit only after a couple of gigs. Guitarist, Beaulieu joined in 2003 and to solidify the powerful lineup, Paolo Gregoletto, whom officially replaced Brent Young during last year's 2004 Roadrage; Paolo fits this group like a kidskin glove! You cannot afford to miss this band as you shouldn't considering they will be touring their asses this year!!

Here for photos of the band at Road Rage 2005 or

Here for photos of the band during Ozzfest 2005

All live photos Copyright © 2005. Pictures not to be used without written permission by FourteenG