Words Can’t Describe
The history of Fort Worth/Dallas metal isn’t complete unless Abb Greig and his venue, Joes Garage, is mentioned. Sadly, Greig was murdered in his pickup truck on Monday, January 12, 2009, in the north Fort Worth area. Video footage of the suspects prior to the shooting shows a couple. A 19 year old woman was arrested January 27, and police are still looking for a 17-year-old boy.
Greig touched the hearts of many. He gave metal fans a place to let loose by opening the doors of Joes Garage. The small west Fort Worth venue allowed many local metal bands such as Gammacide, Rigor Mortis and Rotting Corpse a stage to showcase their craft to dedicated fans, but it wasn’t just all locals. National touring bands such as Unleashed, Exodus, Death, Cathedral, Nuclear Assault, Deadhorse, Solitude Aeturnus, Devastation, Candlemass, Death Angel and Naplam Death graced the stage as well. It definitely was haven for metal heads.
Pretty much a regular, it was at Joe’s Garage that Pantera played their last two shows as a local club band in June 1990. Later in the summer, Pantera would venture out with Exodus and Suicidal Tendencies as the first of the three-band bill supporting their major label debut, Cowboys From Hell. Obviously the rest is Fort Worth/Dallas metal history.
Greig may be gone, but the legacy he launched 20-years ago still lives on in the minds and conversations of the area’s older metalheads. If only the walls of the old Joes Garage building could talk. Thanks for the memories Abb.
Updates
Austria’s Belphegor is in the final stages of the writing process for the upcoming album follow-up to their 2008 release, Bondage Goat Zombie. The new CD should be released worldwide in the fall of 2009 through Nuclear Blast. The band is part of a massive metal assault tour that features Kreator, Exodus and Warbringer, which stops at Fort Worth’s Ridglea Theater on May 7, 2009…
For the third time in three years, Enslaved has walked away with the Spellman Award (the Norwegian equivalent of the American Grammy) for their latest release, Vertebrae… Norway’s Carpathian Forest, which hasn’t performed live since 2006, has confirmed they’ll play a few shows in 2009 including a co-headlining appearance at the Inferno Festival, April 8-11, 2009 in Oslo. The shows will include guest musicians, a new set list and stage setting and will be filmed for an upcoming DVD release. The band is also busy writing the follow-up album to F*ck You All!!! and is currently negotiating with various record labels…
Guitarist Glen Drover (ex-Megadeth, King Diamond, Eidolon) has commenced work on an instrumental fusion album… Deicide has inked a new worldwide deal with Century Media Records. The band has been working on its new album at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida, with producer Mark Lewis, planning on a summer release… Norwegian black metallers Slagmaur have landed a deal with Osmose Productions for the re-release of two earlier albums, Svin and Skrekk Lich Kunstler… Poland’s Behemoth is in the final stages of songwriting for their upcoming, as-yet-untitled album. The record is tentatively expected next fall via Metal Blade (USA) and Nuclear Blast (Europe)…
Set The World On Fire (1993), the third studio album from Canadian thrash metal veterans Annihilator, will be reissued on January 19 in Europe via Metal Mind Productions and March 10 in the USA through MVD… Megadeth is in the final songwriting stage for their latest, tentatively expected later this year via Roadrunner Records… Denver-based thrasher’s Havok has landed a deal with Candlelight Records.
Personnel
Nicholas Barker (ex-Cradle of Filth, ex-Testament, ex-Dimmu Borgir) will be stepping behind the drum kit for Exodus, filling in for Tom Hunting during the band’s upcoming co-headlining European tour with Overkill, beginning Feb. 20 in London. Hunting had prior commitments for a non-refundable vacation in glorious Mexico…
French doom band Funderalium has announced the addition of guitarist/vocalist Laurent (a.k.a. Pokemonslaughter) of Mourning Dawn and InBorn Suffering to the band’s roster…
Media
Chicago-based journalist Dave Hofer is in the process of writing a “musical biography” of veteran metal bassist Dan Lilker (Anthrax, Nuclear Assualt, Brutal Truth and SOD)… Editor Justin St. Vincent has released a new book entitled “The Spiritual Significance of Music: Metal Edition,” which “provides an exciting exploration of how music powerfully impacts spirituality, and why spirituality influences music… U.K.’s Coolhead Productions is working on a new documentary about legendary British heavy metal band Saxon called Heavy Metal Thunder — The Movie. The film, expected to be released later in the year, will include interviews with members of Metallica and Motorhead…
Industry
The Nordic arm of Warner Music Group’s Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA) has partnered with independent metal label Nuclear Blast on an exclusive distribution agreement.
Mushroomhead – Ridglea Theater, 12/7/08
Cleveland, Ohio’s seven-headed monster hit the stage in an adrenaline and water-soaked fury with “12 Hundred,” as St1tch (samples) and Shmotz (keyboards) pounded the huge water drums on the front of stage. Nothing (vocals) looked like a psychotic butcher in his blood-soaked apron as he traded vocals with Waylon on crowd favorites “Bwomp” and “Solitaire/ Unraveling.” Gravy (guitar) and Pig Benis (bass) spent most of their time perched on the water drums and speaker cabinets, while Skinny (drums) kept the rhythm in line on “Sun Doesn’t Rise” and “Simple Survival.” Mushroomhead made sure to get in everyone’s face, and St1tch and Waylon took turns stage diving. What else could complete a great show but a chance to hear MSH kick out a little “When Doves Cry” (Prince)? Hope ya didn’t miss this one. (Travis Tutwiler)
Vision Of Disorder — Dead In New York, Koch Records – DVD
Dead In New York captures the Long Island hardcore icons throwing down hard during their August 13, 2008, hometown reunion show. Cameras caught the crushing set, all the mayhem in the pit and the non-stop chaos of crowd surfing and moshing. The high powered set list features “Imprint,” “Ways To Destroy One Ambition,” “For The Bleeders” and “Formula For Failure.” The band takes you back stage after the show and gets reactions from the crowd. Bonus features include a history of the band as they reminisce on how they met and vintage photos and live footage. There are also highlights from the August 12, Worcester, MA show and pre-show footage of the Long Island show. After a six-year hiatus, VOD still know how to bring it hard.
(Travis Tutwiler)
