Killswitch Engage – Candiria: Live At Bowery Ballroom

Posted on March 29, 2016 by News Team

As part of their promotion of their new album Incarnate (Roadrunner) Killswitch Engage launched five sold out shows through out New York and Brooklyn. We attended night number two of the Incarnate Takeover of NYC.

Carly Coma of Candiria, by Omar Cordy/OJC Pics

With a revolving list of special guest openers for this mini tour, we were treated to New York heavy weights Candiria. Vocalist Carly Coma and company went with a set mainly compromised from their last two albums ‘C.O.M.A. Imprint’ and ‘What Doesn’t Kill You…’. The crowd didn’t seem to mind one bit as they slammed and bashed along to the odd-timing grooves of drummer Ken Schalk. They even tossed in a new song from their forthcoming new album from Metal Blade Records, to let the world know they’re not done yet.

Ken Schalk of Candiria, by Omar Cordy/OJC Pics

When Killswitch Engage followed up, the crowd was already rabid. It felt like an old-school metal show, full of stage driving and sing a longs. I mean A LOT of stage diving! Even from frontman Jessie Leach who took it a step further and after diving into the crowd, kept singing and made his was up to the balcony to his mom. He later shouted her out for coming out. What a great wireless system, and Mother. No one got hurt and had a great time from what I saw as I moshed my way about the photo pit-less venue. I went through great lengths to get these photos, and my camera and I both survived in one piece. (Well two if wanna be technical). As promised they played a new song from the album each night and tonight’s’ was ‘Alone I Stand’ and as a bonus, ‘Hate by Design’.

Killswitch Engage, by Omar Cordy/OJC Pics

The amount of fans on stage at any one point was staggering to keep up with. BAND Drinks were drunk and Adam D. snatched phones and took pics and videos of himself on fans phones. Even a few awkward selfies were taken too. Set list wise, they covered just about every album except the self-titled one. Still, a really solid set of songs covering over 16 years of fun-loving KSE hijinks. I believe this set the bar for the rest of the shows to follow on this tour. No one throws down like New York crowd.

Killswitch Engage, by Omar Cordy/OJC Pics

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WORDS AND PHOTOS BY OMAR CORDY/OJCPICS

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Geoff Tates’ Operation: Mindcrime – Live at The Chance in Poughkeepsie

Posted on March 28, 2016 by News Team

Operation: Mindcrime, in support of their début album took to the legendary venue of The Chance to showcase material from The Key (Frontiers Records) album and as well as Queensryche classics in 90 minute set full of musicianship. With openers Mike Campesa, Christian Gisondi and Parallel Universe the crowd was well primed for a night of stories through songs.

Parallel Universe, by Omar Cordy/OJC Pics

Opening with a string of ‘Rchye songs starting with ‘Neue Regal’ and ‘Screaming in Digital’, the show was one big sing-a-long. Along for the ride again with Geoff Tate are drummer Simon Wright, the masterful time-keeper who just handled everything with such ease. Keyboardist wizard Randy Gane and guitar maestro Kelly Gray (who looks more like a frontiersman sheriff nowadays) bring their A game and some solid harmonies. New to the fold is second guitarist Scott Moughton and bassist Tim Fernley who both fit in smoothly with the bunch. They gel so well you forget they’re the rookies of the group.

Operation Mindcrime, by Omar Cordy/OJC Pics

Keeping the crowd guessing, the band went into an acoustic set of ‘Jet City Woman’, ‘Take Hold of the Flame’, ‘Silent Lucidity’ and ‘The Weight of the World’. After another story intro from Geoff, they preformed a slew of songs from The Key. From opener ‘Burn’ and ‘Re-Inventing the Future’ you get a glimpse at what this band has in store for this first act of a massively planned trilogy. With saxophone in hand they went into ‘The Fall’ which is one of my favorite songs off the album. Ending the night with ‘Breaking the Silence’ and ‘Empire’, everyone in attendance seemed well satisfied with the song choices of the evening.

Operation Mindcrime, by Omar Cordy/OJC Pics

From opener to headliner, this was a great night for progressive music fans. The year’s early, but this is easily one of my favorite shows of 2016. Operation: Mindcrime is a must see live act.

Operation Mindcrime, by Omar Cordy/OJC Pics

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WORDS AND PHOTOS BY OMAR CORDY

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GWAR – Battlecross: Live At Webster Hall

Posted on December 1, 2015 by News Team

The last time I saw GWAR and Battlecross together in New York was in 2013 with Oderus Urungus (RIP). It took me awhile to get adjusted to the change and I was nervous about the future. With this tour being a part of their year-long 30^th anniversary celebration. It was time to see a return to the slavepits.

Skya opened the show with their brand of hard rock. Solid band with catchy riffs. Battlecross knocked it out with probably their best NY show to date. With new drummer Brian Zink in tow, they hammered a selection of through three albums worth of thrashers. With extra time in their set due to Born of Osiris dropping off the tour because of an injury. GWAR guitarist Pustulus Maximus joined them for a suped-up rendition of Pantera’s ‘Fucking Hostile’. You can never go wrong with Pantera.

Battlecross, by OJC Pics/Omar Cordy

GWAR, by OJC Pics/Omar Cordy

For the headliner tonight, it’s GWAR vs the internet and all types of social media. Going after Twitter to Tinder; no one is safe. GWAR has always been a multi-headed beast and it has never been more prevalent than now with both Pustulus and Balsac, The Jaws of Death stepping up with more vocal duties. New singer Blothar sounds great on the newer songs like ‘Madness At The Core of Time’ and ‘Bloodbath’, as well as classics like ‘Saddam A Go-Go’ and ‘Sick Of You’. The return of ‘Sexecutioner’ was met with joyous roars from the crowd. They played a varied set from songs from their whole career and sounded just as tight as ever.

GWAR, by OJC Pics/Omar Cordy

It’s been said that GWAR by design is a band meant to last a thousand years and can continue on into the next century and beyond. They have some rough edges they’re working out, but that’s expected. The future of GWAR looks bright and I’m excited for what’s next.

GWAR, by OJC Pics/Omar Cordy

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WORDS AND PHOTOS BY OMAR CORDY

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Food Truck and Rock Carnival: Day 2 – Live in Clark NJ

Posted on November 30, 2015 by News Team

We arrived at Day Two of the Food Truck and Rock Carnival a bit tired, but amped up for a full day of bands. With more time to explore the fest this day, we checked out the awesome fair food in the main concert area such as corn dogs and deep-fried Oreo’s as well as some of more interesting choices on the Food Truck side too.

Like A Storm, by Keith Chachkes

Doing a reverse of yesterday, we took in the bands first, followed by some Carnie fun, and then more bands. Up-and-coming New Zealand rockers Like A Storm were the first band we saw and they were insanely good. With several rock hits at satellite radio, they had their own fans in the house. They seemed to make a lot of new converts too with a fiery show. Crobot was next on the other main stage. If you have never seen them, they are a fierce piece of psych rock explosiveness! They whipped the crowd into a frenzy with their over the top antics.

Crobot, by Keith Chachkes

Anthrax, by Keith Chachkes

After I headed back stage to conduct some band interviews we headed back out the now full festival grounds. It was really impressive to see this for a first time fest. Especially after the performance of the next band I caught: Anthrax. The band has been touring like crazy leading up to their new album For All Kings (Megaforce) due this winter. The band had a short set so they dispensed with the pleasantries and commenced the ass-kicking. In addition to their typical hits, they played the rarely-ever-heard live ‘Lone Justice’ as a tribute to Eddie Trunk. The band was on fire too, especially drummer Charlie Benante and singer Joey Belladonna.

Nighttime fell on the fest and lights from the stages and the carnival lit up the sky and you just felt everyone’s collective energy was high. Following the model of some European fests the two areas in front of the main stages were cut into a big “Y” shape with an enormous VIP area. This also helped security with crowd control, but at the same time made it a chore to see both stages easily. This was the only weakness of the weekend for me. At the same time the two stages also created an awesome VIP Cabana area between them, that for came with tons of amenities including private wait staff services, a private viewing area of the stage, a private VIP meet and greet sesh, free beers and up close access to the bands and the main stages other fans did not have. The fan in me was a little bit jelly and some of the patrons I talked to were over the moon about the experience.

Clutch, by Keith Chachkes

The perfect band to bring in the spirit of rock revivalism to the darkened skies was Clutch who happened to be up next. They played a lot of songs from their new album ‘Psychic Warfare’ (Weathermaker Music) and no one complained. Neil Fallon gesticulated wildly all over the stage, tending to his flock. The band was tight as hell and just jammed it out for an hour straight. Late in the set brought the hits fans wanted to hear like ‘Spacegrass’ and ‘The Mob Goes Wild’.

Schism, by Keith Chachkes

Tucked away in the far corner of the fest, the carnival area was the last stage, and by all accounts had been decently attended all day with locals and some bands paying tribute to rock and metal heroes. Two of the most prominent tribute bands in the nation closed the stage each night: RATM2, the Rage Against the Machine Tribute, and Schism, the première Tool tribute band. I managed to catch some of Schism’s set, and having been a Tool-o-phile from back n the day and seeing the band as many times as I have, they are the real deal. If you have never seen the enigmatic gods of art rock, Schism is a fair stand in both sonically and visually. Next year this stage ought to be closer to the main stages.

Chester Bennington with Stone Temple Pilots, by Keith Chachkes

Godsmack and Stone Temple Pilots closed the main stages respectively on this night with a lots of bravado from each. STP featuring Chester Bennington (Linkin Park) for one of the last times, played all the songs that made them of the première alt rock bands of the 90s. Chester is spot on vocally, and a star in every way imaginable. Fans have commented that his copying Scott Weiland is unflattering to the band and off-putting, and I have to say it isn’t necessary at all. Chester can hang with anyone vocally and to me was a great fit with STP, end of story.

Crowd at The Rock Carnival, by Keith Chachkes

Godsmack opened up with a montage film that recapped their last few years touring and intercut shots of iconic Boston sports people such as Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, members of the Boston Bruins, and David Ortiz. Curious choices in New Jersey, the land of many Jets and Yankees fans, but oh well. The band came out fired up and played all their big radio-friendly tracks. They were a worthy closer on this night. Drummer Shannon Larkin always stands out a lot to me. He is one of the most talented drummers you will ever see live and worth watching. Sully Erna flipped back and forth between playing guitar and running around with a wireless microphone and seemed to really relish performing for such an enthusiastic crowd.

Godsmack, by Keith Chachkes

I made it a point each day to hang a lot at the Birch Hill Stage towards the end of each day. It seemed that a lot of industry types were gathering there, and it was awesome to see my brethren from the world of music journalism and publicity. Plus the beer garden was right there. The final band’s trifecta of LA Guns, Lita Ford, and Slaughter was a great way to cap off the weekend. LA Guns was solid, Lita was excellent, but Slaughter was downright special. After all these years it’s amazing how little Slaughter has changed. They were a thing to behold, especially Mark Slaughter’s stratospheric singing voice. Of course, they closed the weekend with ‘Fly To The Angels’ and ‘Up All Night’ performed to a crowd feeling a mix of jubilation and satisfaction that comes from having a great time. I held my BFF tight and raised up those horns one last time for the night. Food Truck and Rock Carnival, do us a solid and come back next year twice as baddass!

Slaughter, by Keith Chachkes

DAY 1 OF THE FOOD TRUCK AND ROCK CARNIVAL

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY KEITH CHACHKES

Food Truck and Rock Carnival: Day 1 – Live in Clark, NJ

Posted on November 3, 2015 by News Team

Throngs of people descended on Southern New Jersey for the first annual Food Truck and Rock Carnival to enjoy the sites, tastes and sounds that they had to offer. Although New Jersey may not be the first place you think of for a destination music festival, to paraphrase a line from the movie Dogma: never underestimate the staggering appeal of “The Garden State”. In the post Hurricane Sandy reality for residents here, including many of the vendors I spoke with, it was great is spend some time and money down here and support this community.

The lay of the land was on the vast side: with two main stages, plus several smaller stages, one hosting a lot of glam rock notables and another with local bands and tribute acts. One entire area was scoped out for the free carnival full of rides, traditional attractions, wrestling matches, notable entertainment personalities speaking, music industry lecturers, comedy shows, merch and a bunch of amazing food trucks. The rides and games were non-stop Some had the typical fair food while others were unique and were like catnip to the foodie souls. Although it was impossible to try them all as the formed a perimeter around the entire carnival area, we did sample a few. Among the best were my personal favorites Fork in The Road, followed by The Angry Crab, Amanda Banana, Dark Side of The Moo, Empanada Guy, Nooch’s Mac Truck, and So Jersey.

Then there was the music. Day 1 featured a bevy of cool bands from across the rock and metal world. Early day entrants from the rock world such as Bad Case For Big Mouth, Fit For Rivals, Otherwise and rising superstars Pop Evil were greeted to a large early crowd and enthusiastic fans. Their recent new album Up (eOne) they are supporting, and the bands high-profile tours and car commercials are starting to bear fruit that can be seen in their sizzling live performances.

Sevendust, by OJC Pics/OmarCordy

Skid Row continues to plow ahead with new singer Tony Harnell. They played a set heavy on the hits, and sounded refreshed. It’s been a minute since I heard this many people screaming along to ’18 And Life’, ‘Monkey Business’, and ‘Youth Gone Wild’. The world needs more of this on a regular basis. Puddle Of Mudd has been road tripping themselves ls a lot of late at similar festivals. Choppy at times as a live band, they leaned on their hits like ‘Blurry’ and their closer ‘She Hates Me’. Next Sevendust was bringing the crowd to their feet in praise for their about to be released (out now), album Kill The Flaw (7Bros) They played some heavy hits and one deep cut, ‘Shine’, that had me and other fans besides ourselves. This band always brings live.

Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society, by OJC Pics/OmarCordy

As the warm up to the headliners, Zakk Wylde and his Black Label Society played a crushing set of heavy tracks. Wylde of course is the main attraction for shred nerds, Ozzy fanatics, MC crew types. Not only was the band tight, and he played his customary extended guitar solo in the set. Highlights for me included ‘The Beginning… At Last’, ‘Funeral Bell’, ‘Bleed For Me’, ‘Suicide Messiah’, and ‘Stillborn’.

Eddie Trunk of That Metal Show introduces King’s X, by OJC Pics/OmarCordy

In between bands all day I tried to catch some of the talent at the Birch Hill Stage, named for the old Birch Hill Nightclub, the stuff of Jersey legend and special venue to me. Among the acts we caught some or all of were Gilby Clarke (Gun ‘N Roses), Faster Pussycat, Stephen Percy of Ratt fame and King’s X. We saw all of their set and it was terrific. Hanging out with fans and singing every word in the set from the crowd was LaJon of Sevendust, who also gave the band a shout out earlier in the day too.

Three Days Grace, by OJC Pics/OmarCordy

Three Days Grace, by OJC Pics/OmarCordy

Back to the main stage, it has been a big year for Three Days Grace and Ghost Cult has been there for a lot of it. Playing the fest in a run of headline dates, the band leaned heavily on their greatest hits and their new album Human (RCA). Lead singer Matt Walst has won over most of the hold out fans who wanted Adam Gontier (Saint Asonia) back and he is a great replacement for Adam.

Slash closed out night one with his mates Miles Kennedy And The Conspirators and just blazed through a set of his own material and of course, a lot of GNR stuff too. It felt like an epic happening, as Slash is a one of a kind showman, beloved blues jammer and icon. Myles and crew are total pros and deliver song after song all night. It was a fine end to a long day of fun.

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FOOD TRUCK AND ROCK CARNIVAL DAY 2 COVERAGE

WORDS BY KEITH CHACHKES

PHOTOS BY OJC PICS/OMAR CORDYhttp://www.twitter.com/Ojayy666

On The Road… with Karyn Crisis – The Gospel Of The Witches

Posted on August 17, 2015 by News Team

Gospel of the Witches, by Omar Cordy/OJC Pics

On a hot summer night in New York City; Queens to be exact saw the mighty return of the one and only Karyn Crisis. She didn’t really go away anywhere, as she has continued to work and create music for years, if somewhat under the radar. While the denizens of The Big Apple might recall the death wail that was her voice at the front woman/force of nature at the helm of death metal legends Crisis in the 90s, Karyn’s new project is no less deadly, yet in different ways. The Gospel of The Witches is a different kind of brutality, one with all the shades of her soul on display. Several years in the making, The Gospel of the Witches’ album Salem’s Wounds (Century Media) seemed destined to be made by Karyn and her partner Davide Tiso (Ephel Duath). Joining them for this live performance were Ross Dolan (Immolation) Bob Vigna (Immolation), Charlie Schmid (Tombs) and Larry Burns on sound. The crowd at Blackthorn 51 was enraptured by Karyn et all and their rituals, as captured here by photography Omar Cordy for Ghost Cult.

Gospel of the Witches, by Omar Cordy/OJC Pics

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My Favorite Concert Memory: Matt Young of King Parrot

Posted on July 31, 2015 by News Team

Matt Young of King Parrot, by Omar Cordy/OJC Pics

One of my first and best concert memories was from when I was about 13-14 years old and I was going to see my first death metal concert. Cannibal Corpse came to Australia back in the early 90’s when Chris Barnes was still in the band.

The album The Bleeding had just come out and was getting a lot of publicity due to the graphic nature of the material, which I absolutely loved as a young whipper-snapper.

My Mum dropped my best friend and me off at the show at The Palace in Melbourne and we met up with several hundred young metal heads that were ready to destroy in the pit. Two great Melbourne bands were opening the show, Damaged and Abramelin and I was just as excited to see them as Cannibal Corpse.

As we walked into the venue, I went to take a piss and was greeted by young die-hards carving upside down crosses into their foreheads, arms and stomachs. There was blood pissing out all over the bathroom floor. I was scared shitless.

None the less, all the bands blew me away that day. It changed my life forever and I knew I had to be in a metal band after that. I did my first ever stage dive, straight into a gap in the pit and ripped the skin off my knee cap and I didn’t give a shit. It was awesome. I still have the scar.

Alex Webster of Cannibal Corpse, by Evil Robb Photography

Watching Alex Webster kill it on the bass was brilliant and I was sold as an extreme metal fan from that day… Nothing much has changed!

King Parrot just released their debut full-length album Dead Set on Housecore Records, and is on tour this summer opening for Superjoint.

MATT YOUNG

Superjoint – King Parrot – Child Bite – Fulgora: Live at The Chance

Posted on July 24, 2015 by News Team

It’s been awhile, ten years actually since the band formerly known as Superjoint Ritual has graced New York with a show. Now known simply as Superjoint and armed with a new rhythm section, Kevin Bond, Jimmy Bower and Phil Anselmo come a crushin’.

Child Bite, by OJC Pics/Omar Cordy

In tow on the “It Takes Guts Tour”, was Fulgora from Missouri who features past and present members of Misery Index. Up next was Detroit Michigan’s Child Bite, who bring their experimental punk metal mesh to the hungry crowd. Following their eclectic set was Australia’s new golden boys King Parrot. Vocalist Matt Young and crew just drenched the on lookers with water and sweat. A mystery masked man joined them during their “hit” song ‘Shit on the Liver’. It may or may not have been the proprietor of Housecore Records under the cowl!

King Parrot, by OJC Pics/Omar Cordy

Phil and company were on fire, sounding like no time has passed since 2003. Everyone was on point, new bassist Stephen Taylor and drummer Joey Gonzalez of Phil’s solo band, The Illegals fit seamlessly into the SJR sound. Playing a hefty 17 songs from their two albums. Opening with ‘The Alcoholik’, many tunes turned into sing-a-longs. They were so good I ended up in the pit moshing after I put the camera away. The much missed Kevin Bond was treated to an intro and chant before ‘It Takes Guts’. Phil joked about their bus not having air conditioning and did an improv mini-song about it. Hearing these songs live after so many years felt like a time warp. Even though I didn’t hear ‘Dress Like A Target’, a blast was had by all. Thankfully these songs are timeless and it was easy to get lost in the music. Here’s to more Superjoint tours and music in the future.

Superjoint, by OJC Pics/Omar Cordy

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WORDS AND PHOTOS BY OMAR CORDY

On The Road… with Shattered Sun

Posted on April 30, 2015 by News Team

Shattered Sun are tearing up the road as the opening act on the Dark Roots of Thrash II Tour and playing with legends like Testament and Exodus, opening both ears and eyes and minting new fans daily. Texas’ favorite six sons of modern thrash just released their new album Hope Within Hatred (Victory Records) and along the way on this coast to coast tour of the US, the bands has left an impression at festivals such as the New England Metal And Hardcore Fest as well as Welcome To Rockville. During their tour stop in Atlanta, the band captivated the fans at The Masquerade with their tight set of jams, active stage performance and ability to connect with the crow. Ghost Cult contributor Omar Cordy shot this photo set of this young, impressive band.

Shattered Sun, by Omar Cordy

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PHOTOS BY OMAR CORDY

The Winery Dogs – Tony Harnell: Live at BB Kings, New York NY

Posted on April 4, 2014 by News Team

Starting off their current tour with not one, but two New York City shows, The Winery Dogs backed up their bite with a huge bark. Their brand of hard rock is so full of energy you couldn’t help but get drawn into the hype Opening the night was an acoustic set from Tony Harnell of TNT and his guitarist Virus, of Device fame. They belted out songs from his solo career as well as Westworld. Singer Rachel Lorin joined them for the final three songs of the set including a cover of the Nazareth song ‘Love Hurts’. Tony did reveal there will be some TNT shows in the US to mark their upcoming anniversary.

The Winery Dogs fans are surprisingly vocal. For a band with only one album there was a sing-a-long for almost every song. From opening songs ‘Elevate’ and ‘We are One’ the crowd nearly eclipsed the bands’ harmonies. Maybe it has something to do with the musicians themselves being killer players. It was a pick-less night between the bass behemoth of Billy Sheehan and singer/guitarist, Richie Kotzen they both displayed insane finger playing. Seeing a bassist in rock without a pick is normal, but for a guitarist, rare. During ‘Six Feet Deeper’, they leaped into part of Jimi Hendrix staple ‘Hey Joe’ before diving head first into a dizzying drum solo by the mighty Mike Portnoy. Following that up, Billy blurring goodness filled ‘The Other Side’. With only an hours worth of material on their debut album, they treated the crowd to a brand new song. As they were wrapping up they went into my personal favorite, ‘The Dying’. It is one of those great, moody songs can stay on repeat forever.

They returned to the stage for the encore, a massive rocking rendition of The Four Tops, ‘Reach Out (I’ll be There)’. Before closing the night off they Richie made his way over to the church organ for rendition of “Regret”. Instead of lighters, there were cell phone lights shining as the ballad carried on. To wrap up the first night of a two night stand, they knocked out ‘Shy Boy’ by Sheehan’s old band Talas. The Winery Dogs are a rocking groove machine of fun that I’d encourage anyone to check out when they hit your area.

Set List:

Elevate

Criminal

We are One

Time Machine

Damaged

Six Feet Deeper

Drum Solo

The Other Side

Bass Solo

You Saved Me

Not Hopeless

I’m No Angel

Untilttled New Song

The Dying

Desire

Encore:

Reach Out (I’ll Be There) (The Four Top cover)

Regret

Shy Boy (Talas cover)

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The Winery Dogs on Facebook

Tony Harnell on Facebook

Words and Photos by Omar Cordy

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Tag Archives: OJC Pics

Killswitch Engage – Candiria: Live At Bowery Ballroom

Geoff Tates’ Operation: Mindcrime – Live at The Chance in Poughkeepsie

GWAR – Battlecross: Live At Webster Hall

Food Truck and Rock Carnival: Day 2 – Live in Clark NJ

Food Truck and Rock Carnival: Day 1 – Live in Clark, NJ

On The Road… with Karyn Crisis – The Gospel Of The Witches

My Favorite Concert Memory: Matt Young of King Parrot

Superjoint – King Parrot – Child Bite – Fulgora: Live at The Chance

On The Road… with Shattered Sun

The Winery Dogs – Tony Harnell: Live at BB Kings, New York NY