CRYPT MAGAZINE: sex. horror. rocknroll.

Asesino, Belphegor, The Haunted, Lacuna Coil, and Danzig.

House of Blues

Las Vegas, NV

by Jason

Photos by: Elizabeth V. Bouras

Tuesday November 21, Las Vegas, at the House of Blues inside the Mandalay Bay: Its almost 3:00 and in a few hours the Evil Elvis himself will be on stage for what is respectively his final Tour. Part of me doesn't believe it. Hell KISS had three farewell tours in Las Vegas in the same year, so this is the last thing on my mind. It's an hour before the show doors open and the line is already forming. So far the line consist of hard core metal heads, Goths, Danzig groupies, old timers, and various other miscreants. In other woods, good people, my kind of people. Since it's early and the tickets haven't arrived to the all too pleased ticket girl who has had to listen to me and Necro ask very 20 minutes if the list is up. (damn right -DN)

Blackest of the Black 2006 featuring Asesino, Belphegor, the Haunted, Lacuna Coil, and of course DANZIG is opening its doors in about 40 minutes. The merchandise table has been erected. The new shirts gleam with the Danzig skull, Latin, and satanic symbols. A gothic beauty with the Betty Paige bob cut steels my eye as she decides weather or not to keep the black and deep blue corset that shows the complete hourglass of her figure or to trade it off for the concert tee. Momentarily lost in lust, my mind seems to play tricks on me. A group of kids who can't be more then 14 are actually arguing with a man with the first Danzig tour shirt on over which concert on the tour has been the best. The first time Glenn Danzig was in Vegas these kids weren't even born. Still waiting for my ticket, the party from Crypt Magazine has decided to get a drink at the restaurant.

We sit and bullshit for a while about up coming shows, the new CDs out, Lacuna Coil... as if on cue Cristina Scabbia the lead singer from Lacuna Coil appears by the host stand. Jesus Christ she's attractive. Dressed in a black prep school shirt, red tie, black skirt, dark leggings and midnight hair she would turn the head of even the most jaded; my anticipation boils over. I have heard very little Lacuna Coil but I what I have has been amazing, which makes Cristina even more hot. Before anyone in the group can say hi, Doyle casually walks by with his blonde bombshell, and her kid. Doyle, can you believe it, Fucking Doyle. Could he be there to play? Could he be there to watch? Could he just be out for a bite with his girl and her kid? I mean he does live in Vegas, and there have been no hints or rumors of this installment. But there he was, Doyle without make up like a regular guy, not a horror punk god. Christ this is surreal.
We finish our drinks and head in. Our photographer heads to the front, and Necro and I finally get our tickets straightened out.

The crowd is as big as it is multifarious. A group of metal boppers play hacki sack, while the burn outs of yesteryear decided where the best spot to sneak a toke would be since in the bathroom was a hand attendant. Necro and I head up stairs to get a better view of both the stage and crowd. Besides the fact that it is really hard to write with a group of people slamming around you, it is also easy to get lost in the crowd excitement. Speaking of excitement, lots of different people can be heard bitching that the House of Blues is playing a Run DMC video on the projector. Sometimes people forget their target audience.
Asesino is the first band up. Asesino is the off-shoot project of Brujeria guitarist Asesino. Their lyrics are sung entirely in Spanish but they contain the same amount of blood, violence, death, Satan, and perversion that a band deserving of calling themselves the blackest of the black requires. I couldn?t tell you because, well, I don't speak Spanish.

The theater goes black, the project screen starts to rise, and a deep unearthly scream comes from the stage. With a trash head banger sound, minimum stage requirements of an up and coming band, they take the stage. They take the stage hard and they do not let up. Perfect for an out of control pit, cattle stampede, blasting down the street in your car. Unfortunately the venue is just too big for them. If they were in a small bar, like the Vegas Double Down or the Titty Twister from Dust Till Dawn, their unrelenting sound would cause ears to bleed and minds to warp. They need to be in a place where the tequila runs as warm as blood. Momentarily distracted by the pigtail pixie getting a beer from the bar, I unmistakably hear the beginning of a Slayer song. When looking back up I see the three members of the band, dressed in black with their wrestling masks trying to get a roadie to hold up a Mexican Flag in tribute to their roots. Asesino is Spanish for Assassin, but they where swallowed into the vastness of the crowd and theater. They would be more at home touring with the likes of Rob Zombie, Pantera, or even Nashville Pussy where stage theatrics would help build them up.

For those of us who read Milton's Paradise Lost, Belphegor is as beautiful naked woman and as a monstrous, bearded demon with an open mouth, horns, and sharply pointed nails at the same time. The Demon of discovery. Four guys with long mains of hair stand enumerated by the lights behind them. Very Spinal Tap on the Simpson?s. For the newcomers and neonates out there, Belphegor's muted sound, Latin, and satanic lyrics might pass over their heads. A much understated band, with an understated sound might be seen as tame and dull. They would be mistaken. It's the kind of metal listen to over vodka and cigarettes. A mature acquired taste, but light enough for a first date sound to test the waters with your doll. Decent guitar licks, I smoked too many Lucky Strikes vocal, pretty boy looks be damned. These guys are black metal art. If you want to argue listen to Bluhtstrum Erotika and Bleeding Salvation, then try. I dare ya.

In between setups, the House of Blues starts running various horror clips over the projectors and closed security TVs. Amazed by the number I can name at the first glance, I am so pleased that they finally set the mood of the evening. Checking my notes, the line up says that Haunted is next. The Haunted is a group I knew nothing about before they got on stage, and after they left I wish I knew less. MTV puked all over this band before eating them, and crapping them out on to us. The lead singer was so mainstream that they only way you can tell him apart from the tinny boppers in the audience is his bright pink back stage pass. What the hell was Glenn thinking?? Then I remember that Glenn is a God, and like all gods, they make mistakes. Take a look at cancer.

Three hours in and its time for the big show. Lacuna Coil and Danzig are preparing the last of their setups. People are flocking to the bathroom early as not to miss anything, and the crowd as tripled in size.
            Andrea Ferro, Cristiano Migliore, Marco Biazzi, Marco Coti Zelati, Cristiano Mozzati, and the goddess Cristina Scabbia make up the band Lacuna Coil. If you haven?t heard of them, you have sorely missed out. An Italian band, they have been breaking thru the US with tours with Rob Zombie, a feature on the soundtrack of Underworld Evolution, the cover of Revolver and Rolling Stone, and of course now on the Blackest of the Black circuit, they should be a house hold name soon. Today they are dressed in a Black Flag meets White Stripes attire, do not be fooled, they are about to rock the living fuck out of this joint.
             A surrealistic glow takes over the stage. Miss Scabbia's voice haunts the air as 'Fragments of Fate' begins. By far the best opening band of the night, they know how to work the stage and crowd. Their head banging doesn?t interfere with their music, the lights compliment the stage, and they introduce almost every song by name and work the crowd with banter. The play list is drenched with pain and despair with a mixture of rage and hope. Songs such as "Closure," "To the Edge", and an amazing Depche Mode cover all held their own, yet their was one that stood out to a freak like me.
            Synthesized keyboards ring in a heartbeat that bounces of the back of your throat. Guitar preludes a violin cutinized thru Satan, "Oh no, here it is again I need to know when I will fall in decay" "Set me free your heaven's a lie set me free with your love set me free??"  Cristina Scabbia's voice makes Amy Lee's cower in shame. For an atheist like me, there is truly nothing better.

Lacuna Coil finishes up and helps welcome Danzig. In less the 15 minutes band we wouldn't be without is set up. Random sound checks come from behind the curtain. A crank in the curtain reviles the Danzig horns. Crowds build, the floor is packed, the bar is rushed, and the balcony's empty seats fill by the second with more darkness with everything from goth cuties to old time heads. The sound check leads into song riffs and the crowd is on their feet. "Danzig!! FUCKING DANZIG?"The anticipation builds like sparks flying near a gas can. "DANZIG DANZIG DANZIG.." chants the crowd.
The anticipation is cut "Ladies and Gentleman, the House of Blues is pleased to bring the Blackest of the Black tour 20006, and would like to remind you that if are under the age of 21 and are in the possession of alcohol, you will be removed from the building. If you are caught providing alcohol to persons or people under the age of 21 you will be removed from the building. And finally if you are caught moshing or causing any fights during this performance you will be removed from the building and charges will be pressed" The crowd seems to be empowered by this complete waste of breath. As the people around us bitch about these "announcement" a rumor that Doyle is not only going to be at the show, but will be performing.

Danzig blows the curtain off the stage as they open with "Wotans Procession." Everyone is on Their feet. Dawning a black mesh shirt and leather pants, this rock demon has thrown us back into a time when metal was great and alternative ment was turning the doom box off. Glenn holds the mike not like a singer but more like a demented serial killer wielding a knife. At the end of the opening he salutes the crowd with too much ROCK for one hand. The next few minutes are a timeless rock on blur. In no real order the hits fly out. Everything from "Skincarver" to "All Murder All Guts All Fun."
         Then blackness. The stage goes pitch black. A corona blue lights the Danzig horns and symbols over the stage. A gothic hymn builds slowly as the Samhain classick "To Walk the Night" (the highlight of the evening for yours truly -DN) begins. Glenn Danzig was been around for a long time, and he knows how to build a show. Something strikes me. Unlike Rob Zombie, Trent Reznor, or Marilyn Manson, Glenn never over shadows his band even through it has changed over the years. Bassist Steve Zing has been highlighted extremely well throughout the show. He even had a rarely seen bass solo. Johnny Kelly from Type O Negative has thundered every song while new guitarist Kenny Hickey (also from Type O Negative,)provided the lighting like a man possessed; his fingers a blur.
           The nightmare continued with "Left Hand Black," "Twist of Cain," ending with "Mother." From the second those opening chords rang out huge mosh pits erupted on the floor. Security was quick to try to control them, but from the balcony all you could see was a couple of yellow dots bounce around the crowd. Some rock chick caught Glenn's eye from the top left balcony. She gives him an exciting little show while Glenn licks the mike. Security is on her as well but she skirts them and moves to the other side to continue rocking out. A loyal metal head gets passed above the crowd to the barracade, where Glenn high fives him before security escorts him out. I bet it was worth it. Even through the song is only about 3 minutes long, this powerhouse version feels like and hour long orgasm.
            The main set is over and Glenn leaves the stage for less then a minute. He knows what the crowd wants and he's ready to give it to them. He at this time would like to welcome to the stage a very special guest, a long time friend, and Las Vegas local, DOYLE! The demon god stomps the stage in full Misfit make up and gear. A black cordless guitar looks more like a medieval axe in his hands. From stage left you can see his girl and her kid rocking out as Glenn and Doyle get down with "Astro Zombies" and "Skulls;" the final songs of the time.
             On my feet the entire encore I collapse as the exit lights fill the room. Lighting a smoke and nodding to Necro we grab our gear. Five hours later, every minute was worth it just for these last three songs. This was an excellent concert and a surreal goth treat. Perfect For a guy who likes his chicks goth, his Camels light, his beer dark, and his music the Blackest of the Black.