Heavy Metal as a Social Movement

Thorin Shafer

[Social Movements]

Dr.Harry Murray

Prologue
It began in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 with Black Sabbath…. Factory worker and world renowned Guitarist Tony Iommi lost the fingertips of his ring finger and his middle finger on his right hand in a work related accident. Being left handed, this almost prevented him from playing guitar ever again. Instead he found a work around that would prove to be most beneficial for the metal movement that was to take place thereafter. After attempting to play right handed, He tuned his guitar down with lighter strings and used homemade plastic fingertips and created a new sound. After playing with several bands in the early 1960’s, he teamed with Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward under the moniker Earth. After some controversy with another band who shared the name Earth, in August of 1969 they changed the name of the band to Black Sabbath. This breathed new air into the band and they would go on to be pioneers in The Heavy Metal genre for decades to come. Black Sabbath paved the way for other bands like Motorhead, Deep Purple, and Rainbow. It was these bands that would be influential and play a pivotal role in the lives of the next wave of heavy metal bands that was to come. It started out slowly in 1969 and took a bit of a nosedive in the 1970’s with the disco era, but the 1980’s and the 1990’s would be two decades of aggression that would shape the minds of millions of Die Hard metal fans, including yours truly! This is not to say that the movement is not still very strong today, as happens it is growing stronger as I type this, but the 1980’s and the 1990’s were crucial times for the bands and the fans that shaped the heavy metal movement. There are several genres and sub genres of heavy metal music that range from melodic and operatic to the most extreme fastest and most guttural. Heavy metal came under fire in the 1980’s with the formation of The Parents Music Resource Center or P.M.R.C. which was founded by 20 wives of United States senators, two of which were Tipper Gore and Susan Baker in an effort to Censor Music after Tipper Gore’s own daughter came home with the album “Purple Rain” by Prince. The main focus and goal of the P.M.R.C. was to Print lyrics on album covers, Keep explicit covers under the counter, establish a ratings system for records similar to that for films, establish a ratings system for concerts, and to reassess the contracts of performers who engage in violence and explicit sexual behavior onstage. They also wanted to establish a citizen and record-company media watch that would pressure broadcasters not to air "questionable-talent." The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America refused to comply with the PMRC's demands. The RIAA in fear of losing revenue however agreed to start ordering stickers that read "Parental Advisory Explicit Lyrics" to be put on albums containing profanity, violence, and sexual content. Heavy Metal Music again in the 1990’s met with political strife in Norway with the conviction of the Mayhem band member Varg Vikernes who was also known by his stage moniker as Count Grishnackh, for arson related to several church burnings and also for the murder of his band mate Øystein Aarseth who was known as Euronymous. These events would create a dark cloud that would linger over the heavy metal community and lead many to believe that all heavy metal bands and fans alike were evil Non Christian vagabonds that roam the earth in search of victims. This tainted image of heavy metal would be long lasting. Even today people still associate heavy metal with an almost vampire like stigma. A lot of bands also were criticized and looked down upon by the masses due to the MTV generation. MTV depicted heavy metal as fun loving drug addicts and alcoholics. Many bands as well as their fans were persecuted because of their image, whether it be long hair or tattoos. They depicted bands like Motley Crue and Poison as being beer drinking, motorcycle riding womanizers. This, however, is NOT the case with most heavy metal bands. In fact as part of the New York Hardcore movement there was an entire new genre emerging called Straight Edge, which was strictly dedicated to being alcohol and drug free. I myself admit freely to taking part in some Recreational drugs once upon a time. However after some negative experiences I fear that drugs can undermine the foundation of one’s memory palace. The damage that can be done especially by hallucinogens can be very detrimental, and in my personal experience irreparable. I have been proudly drug and alcohol free for over a decade now, but I have not fully recovered and fear that I never will from the damage done.
The mainstream perception of what heavy metal was in the 1980’s was not the reality. MTV only showed a small portion of the underbelly of what was to become The Heavy Metal Movement, but The Heavy Metal Movement was much larger than what corporate America would have you believe. It saddens me deeply to think that a few moments and select incidents that happened to gain nationwide and worldwide recognition could have such a negative impact on something so grand, but as they say, a few bad apples spoils the bunch.
Unlike other Social Movements that I have learned of, The Heavy Metal movement was purely accidental. Out of the ashes of Industrial Revolution and post-war working class environment came the Heavy Metal Movement. It was entirely accidental with no goals in mind at the time. Since the beginning of Heavy Metal Music there has been several common threads however. Many bands are speaking openly about anti-war solutions for example. Another theme I have seen prevail is the anti-drug and anti-alcohol message that comes through in the Straight-Edge genre. I had always listened to heavy types of music growing up. It started when I was about 3 years old, because I was fortunate enough to have an older brother and he turned me onto bands like Iron Maiden, Slayer, and Quiet Riot, and as the years went on, My tastes grew progressively heavier. In the early to mid 1980’s I saw the political fire that heavy metal bands fell under, like Ozzy Osbourne and Judas Priest. Bands that had controversial lyrics were openly accused of assisting in teen suicides. I saw Ozzy Osbourne virtually condemned for allegedly biting the head off of a bat. It happened at a record label meeting in which Ozzy Osbourne was to sign a record deal. Some details remain unclear to this day. This incident shocked the nation and caused for media havoc. The incident was later revealed to be a publicity stunt that involved a dove. Ozzy Osbourne was also accused of writing lyrics that promoted suicide, when in all actuality the song entitled Suicide Solution was an anti- drinking song about the negative effects of alcoholism. I saw millions of bands and fans condemned for the use of a hand gesture known as the Maloik (il malocchio), or The “Evil Eye”, commonly referred to as the “devil horns” or the “sign of the devil”. Millions were accused of being “Satan Worshippers , most of whom were devout Catholics or Christians.
I saw Twisted Sister front man Dee Snider and even Frank Zappa go up against Tipper Gore and the Parents Music Resource Center in court for what she claimed were obscene graphics on album covers. To me as a young child, it was very apparent that human rights were being violated, as well as free speech. I watched thousands, perhaps millions of music fans collectively protest, and this spawned many bands forming in the wake of these battles. Many of these had direct political motivation. (like Rage Against The Machine, which formed in 1991, for example, as well as the band System of a Down) As I watched it all unfold on the television, I decided to become more involved in the heavy metal music industry myself. I have dedicated most of my life to the heavy metal movement. During my Adventures with the heavy metal movement I have interacted with people of all color, religious background, political background and financial situations. The Heavy Metal Movement does NOT discriminate. People from all walks of life are involved. The wealth a person has accrued or lack thereof does not matter. Neither does their faith, or even their level of education. We take all comers and welcome them with open arms. This is not true for most other Social Movements that I have seen. In all other social movements that I have learned of, there is always some sort of invisible boundary that separates them from the rest of society, whether it financial, color, religion or other factors that are key to their movement. One example of a movement that DOES discriminate is the Anti- Saloon League , another example would be the Ku Klux Klan. The personal accolades of a person, however, are irrelevant to The Heavy Metal Movement..
This inclusiveness would for obvious reasons stand out against the stereotypes. Most people think that ALL Metalheads are bearded, longhaired filthy animalistic brutes that wear only leather, chains and spikes. This is NOT the case however. In fact one of the heaviest bands that I have had the privilege of hearing consists of four Neuro surgeons who wear suits. It amazes me how society can have such a narrow view of things. This is largely based on media portrayal and perception, which tends to have a direct correlation to how the bands are viewed in the public eye. I am also very much an advocate for civil rights, as someone who has had their own rights violated on more than one occasion. In the late 1990’s I was assaulted by the Rochester Police department and pepper sprayed as well as shot with a Taser gun, then I was beaten bloody and had my face bounced off of the police car. My mother had called the police and asked for an ambulance because I suffer from some mental health issues and she was afraid that I was going to have a panic attack, and instead we had the police show up and beat me although I was unarmed, My sister who was a mere 13 years of age at the time, and I was only 17 years old, as well as two other family members, my cousin and my aunt. The police were not aware of the situation and acted violently towards everyone who was present. And more recently I have been falsely accused and spent over three years fighting for my freedom in another case. I am of the humble opinion that in order to gain a proper perspective of the story that I am telling, it is important, perhaps even crucial to know a little bit about the storyteller. With that being said, allow me to tell you a bit about myself.
I was born here in Rochester, New York, but traveled the country quite a bit as a child. I lived in Louisiana from age 5 to age 6, and then moved to Oxnard, California for roughly half a year. My family then moved to Colorado Springs for roughly one year. We then moved back to California to a town called Apple Valley near Victorville. In 1986 my parents were sent to prison and I was brought back to Rochester. My parents were released in 1989, after which I went back to California again, but only for a short while. All the while I was listening to bands and learning more and more as I went along before returning to Rochester in March 1990. This would be the beginning of my Journey.
As time moved forward, I became familiar with bands like Carnivore, Carcass, and Possessed. I never imagined that we had so much talent right here in Rochester, although, as it turns out, this city is a breeding ground for ALOT of musical talent. On the surface it would appear that we have a real knack for breeding great drummers especially, with the likes of Tim Yeung, Dave Culross, Brann Dailor, and John Paradiso to name only a few, but there is much much more talent that stems from here with Multi-Talented musicians such as Erik Burke, and Mikael Bayusick. The Journey I was going to embark upon in the early 90's was something special and much more meaningful to me. It was a social movement that I was to become enveloped by, although at the time I didn't know it.

The Following is my attempt to encapsulate the feeling of camaraderie that was felt deep within the bones of everyone who was witness to the metal bands in Rochester back then and the social impact that it had on me. I doubt that these tender morsels will completely duplicate that feeling, but someone needs to tell the story!
It was mid - summer in the early 90's when a loner type of kid became a part of something more, something bigger, Something much more relevant.

PART 1 - The Beginning of The End

It started with Buckman's Carwash (in its former location on Lyell Ave). There I was, about age 14 hanging out with some friends, doing tricks on our skateboards and on our bikes... There we were, being kids…
We could hear some kind of music coming from the big warehouse next door. It grew louder and heavier. We approached the building with anticipation, wondering what is this? As we drew closer to the building, I saw a shimmering light, something caught my eye. What could it be? I got closer, and grew more curious with every step. When it came into sight fully, I quickly realized that it was a cassette tape. I picked it up and looked at the cover. "Nasty Trast" it read. I remember thinking to myself. "Self, what is this?" I put the cassette tape into my Walkman. My curiosity grew. With every breath I took, I could feel the air entering my lungs and the sweat from anticipation running down my brow. I couldn't wait to find out what it was.
I pushed the "play" button...

"THIS IS AWESOME!!!!!" I exclaimed. My friends all turned to me with the same curiosity that I had a moment prior. "What? What is it?" one of my friends asked. I then let him hear it for a moment, and we then passed the headphones back and forth between all of us present. We were all so excited and overcome by joy at the music that came from those tiny headphones. We were all so excited at the music on the tape that we had almost forgotten about the music coming from the building. We regained our faculties, and headed once again toward the building, all the while I studied the cassette cover in my hand as we approached. As we neared the door of the building, curiosity and anticipation grew. Then all of a sudden we saw a man coming towards us. I looked up at the man. My jaw dropped and hit the pavement. I was frozen for a moment, speechless. My friends all looked at me. One of them finally asked, "Thor, what's wrong man?" I laughed nervously. As I just stood there, looking at the man, completely speechless, with a look of awe upon my face. I held up the cassette cover into the air for all to see. There was a collective silence. It probably only lasted a split second, but it felt like an eternity to me at the time. My friends and I all looked at each other in amazement, as if we'd all won the Lottery. It was this realization that stuck in my mind for years to come. This very moment has been etched into my brain, and forever will be. It was then that we ALL realized that the man at the door was also the man on the cassette cover. The man referred to on the inlay as "Donny"
"Hey" he said..
"Hi" I said
"Can we watch your band?" I asked...
"Sure" he replied
We all followed him into the building. We climbed the stairs. We went through some big doors. It was here that we heard the shredding of guitars and the wails of screaming echoing throughout the halls of this grand palace. I remember thinking to myself "wow! I wonder how many bands practice here." We approached a closed door. Donny opened it up, and we entered a room. We all stood in awe and we were introduced to the rest of the band known then as "Nasty Trast" There was R.C. on Bass, M.X. on Drums, Tim on Guitar, and Alvin (who would ultimately be replaced by Ty) on Guitar. They were very friendly to us, and welcomed us into their practice spot with open arms. The impact these events had on me would be everlasting. We all got to know each other. We then watched the band play for some time. I was very impressed. I had never been to a bands rehearsal before. I had been to concerts, and I knew people who were musicians, and had even helped move equipment before, but this was different. This was a legitimate band. Up until now I had never experienced anything as intimate or as enlightening to me as this. This event made me feel like a part of something, something I had aspired to become, something I had longed for since the 1980’s when I saw my favorite bands on television. This was it. This was what I was to take part in. It was something truly unique. Truly Special, and I am eternally grateful to all who were there that day, as it would help to shape the rest of my life thereafter. PART 2 - Getting To Know You I spent a great deal of the early 90's in a "getting to know you" phase, in which I was introduced to a great many bands in and around Rochester, many of whom practiced at the same warehouse where I had first met Donny Death from Nasty Trast, who was also in a great number of other bands, such as Fuel, H8 Machine, PIPE, Smackin' Daddies, Setiva, Caustic Method to name a few. I went to several hundred (maybe even thousand) parties, where I met ALOT of great friends. I was introduced to Disgorged, Lethargy, Within, Bughouse, Mikael from the Sonic Insanity Radio Show (as well as the many great bands that he was members of over the years which I will mention later), Night Conquers Day, Buried Beneath, Withered Earth, Matrikhore, A Death Between Seasons,H8 Machine, Pigmaster, PIPE, Kalibas ,...And Here I Lie, Agiel, Moment Of Truth, Demonic Sacrifice, Fledgling Death, Sulaco, Windbreed. The list goes on and on and on. One day, I was sitting at home and a friend came by. He threw a cassette tape at me, and said "dude, I was working at A Plus with my mom, and this guy gave me this tape, he plays drums, it's pretty cool man, check it out." I looked over the cover and saw that the band was called "Lethargy." I thought I had heard of them but couldn't be sure. I popped the tape in and knew right away that this was something to Behold! After spending some time getting to know some of the Rochester Metal Bands, I took a job at what is now The Water Street Music Hall. It was called The Horizontal Boogie Bar back then. This opportunity presented itself to me in the summer of 1994 (I think) , when Smitty (the general manager), moved into the house next to where I was living at the time. I was living at home still, and he came over to my house to greet us as a friendly neighbor, and he became friendly with my father and myself. After a few brief conversations, he invited us to come visit his "club" , We visited the place. We weren't really impressed at the time. This was because the music that was playing at the time was not a style that we enjoyed. However, The venue itself was not all bad. He invited us back a few times, to which we declined respectfully, but then on June 3rd I was invited along with Richard Kirk (who would later become Yeti, and sing for many great bands, including but NOT limited to Abdicate, Skodag, Salt This Earth) to attend a Concert in which Cannibal Corpse was playing. Also on the bill were Sinister from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Cynic from Miami, Florida, and the late great DISGORGED from right here in Rochester! The concert was absolutely Amazing! I had previously met a couple of the guys from Disgorged a few times at parties and such, but I was still very impressed by their performance at this show. It also made me see this particular venue in a new light. It was shortly after this event that I was offered a job doing security along with my father. We both accepted the position, and after some time, we started doing work loading bands in and out of shows as well. This consisted of setting up the stage for performances as well as tearing down the set afterwards. I learned a great deal from doing this type of work, but I wanted to experience more. I expanded my horizons by looking for work at other venues as well. I was able to find work doing shows at other locations such as The Penny Arcade (which is closed as of right now), The Harro East Ballroom, New York Nights (which was Gotham City., Heaven, Hell, various other names for this venue escape me at the time of this writing),I also learned how to operate lighting equipment as well as toying around with a few soundboards. Once I got my hands dirty with that I was able to learn more and enjoy a great many more experiences. In the summer of 1995 a great friend, Richard Kirk (Yeti), was moving away, so my family and I packed up our school bus that we used as a mobile home, and moved him down to Florida. On this trip to Florida several pinnacle events took place. Our bus blew up on the way back. We stayed in a hotel for 2 weeks while we found a replacement bus that we traded the old one in for along with some cash. Also on this Journey we were chased by a tornado out of Florida into Georgia. I had only one single cassette tape and a walkman with me on the entire trip. The cassette tape was the same exact Lethargy tape that I mentioned previously. I still have it to this day. It has been through the ringer, but it STILL plays! I recall listening to "Lost In This Existence" over and over again on that trip. It was truly a special time for me! The band Lethargy has since disbanded and members have moved onto other bands. Erik Burke has enjoyed success with bands such as Blatant Crap Taste, Girdle, Sulaco, Kalibas, Nuclear Assault, Brutal Truth and Matrikhore to name a few. Both Brann Dailor and Bill Kelliher joined Today is the day, then moved on to form The Grammy Nominated and Metal Hammer Golden God Award Winning Band Mastodon. I remember attending the last Lethargy show at the Bugjar on Christmas night 1999. They among many other now defunct Rochester bands are truly missed.

PART 3 - Connections Promotion is Key to getting bands heard. I have seen various techniques used. One of my favorites is Street Teams. Another great tool is merchandising, whether it’s T-shirts, posters, figurines or whatever else you can imagine. Another tool is good old fashioned word of mouth. Promotion within the music industry is amazing in and of itself. The heavy metal industry takes it to a whole new level though. Fans tend to be much more dedicated. Even more so than the deadheads who traveled the countryside following The Grateful Dead in search of “The Ultimate High” .The Heavy Metal community will spill their own blood literally and figuratively in order to make sure these bands get their messages heard. Techniques vary in many different ways. Whether passing out flyers, wearing patches or pins on your vest, or even tattoos to represent the bands you love. I myself have a tattoo that represents a band. I have the signature dragon logo on my ribs that represents the band Sick of it All from New York City. These are only a mere few of the vast array of lengths that fans will go to in order to have their favorite bands heard. In my personal opinion all ways of promotion are advantageous to both the fans and the bands that they are trying to promote. These are all very important tools that The Heavy Metal Movement uses to recruit people to the movement. It was during my time working at the Water Street Music Hall that I met some of the most influential people in my life. It was here that I was introduced not only to the bands, but to their managers, and to the promoters, I got to learn all the behind the scenes things, the ins and outs of what makes a great concert, I met some extraordinary people during this time.
Take Diane White for example.
Who is Diane White? You ask. Well, Diane is one of, if not the absolute greatest promoters that Rochester has EVER been blessed with. She brought many GREAT acts to Rochester, as well as helping many great acts from Rochester flourish and become some of the greatest bands in history! Bughouse, and Withered Earth for example. The list goes on. She is also married to a great friend and a great front man from right here in Rochester, Adam Bonacci, Adam sang for Disgorged before moving on to Withered Earth, and various other projects, at the time of this writing he is currently fronting the band Babayaga. I remember attending their wedding which was held on Saturday, September 4th 1999. I still have the invitation that they sent to me. It is one of my most guarded possessions.

On an interesting side note, I was married on October 31st 2000 (yes Halloween), I remember calling Adam one hour before the wedding and asking him to come. He was caught completely off guard. He had no idea that I was even engaged at the time, and he was at work when I called, but he STILL showed up at Mt. Hope Cemetery for my wedding! We were ejected from the cemetery however by the police, because they didn't appreciate us being there in costumes on Halloween. The Cemetery administration claimed that we were devil worshippers and that we were holding a sacrifice to Satan. Several civil rights were violated that day as is reminiscent of the free speech debacle at The Free Speech Movement (FSM) which was a student protest which took place in 1964–1965 at the campus of the University of California, Berkeley . (Goldberg 1991) The entire event was documented and was aired on the local C.B.S. station news later that evening. I imagined how Mario Savio must have felt when he delivered his famous “put your bodies upon the gears” speech at Sproul hall during the Free Speech Movement, and how he felt in 1964 when he attended Freedom Summer in Mississippi. I envisioned heavy metal odes to Joan Baez. I then remembered the lyrics to the Black Sabbath song entitled “War Pigs” which was a political protest against war. All of these culminations filled my mind, and I imagined how the Civil Rights activists of the 1960’s must have felt being referred to as “Bearded Unwashed Characters” , and how their movement was a political awakening, but was viewed as a “Civil Rights Panty Raid” These similarities although a generation apart scream out for public awareness. Among the many people that I met during these times were other promoters and various crew members, stage techs, soundmen etc... Artie and Marcel from Delsener-Slater Enterprises based out of Buffalo, Scotty Paluza, Glen Knoblauch, Sebastian Marino (of Overkill fame, who's sound system was the in house system at Water Street for several years) During this time i became friends with Mikael Bayusick as well as meeting "Evil Eye" Ron Pappert, both of whom were well known DJ's for a local college radio station, Sonic Insanity had a 15 year run on the station, they played the best of underground metal from all over the globe, Mikael is also a very talented musician in his own right, he was in Buried Beneath, Night Conquers Day, Into The Sunless Meridian, Taghut, Shadowcaster, Kill The Bitch, as well as other great bands in the area. Aside from the people immediately involved in putting these shows on such as the bands and crew members, I got to meet some of the most Die Hard fans in ANY music genre, Metal Bob Sutherland for example. I believe it was a Type-O-Negative show at the Harro East Ballroom where I met him, this guy is truly a fan of all things metal. There are many others throughout the area as well, the entire Rochester Slay Team for example. These people are truly dedicated to their craft, and I in my heart of hearts believe that it is people like them and like myself that keep Metal Music thriving with the ferocity that it does. There are plenty of genres to choose from, but NONE have the Die Hard fan base that Metal does! Near the end of my time at the Water Street Music Hall, there were several renovations done, most of which I took part in. The city was threatening to close the place down entirely, so Peter Sewell, former owner, and friend, after devoting several years to the place and countless hours of back breaking labor, decided to sell. The new owner came in and fired pretty much all of the old crew, including yours truly.

PART 4 - Fading Beauty

Rochester hit a dry spell for a bit around the end of 1999, maybe even into 2000.
Bands split up and members moved on to bigger, better things. Water Street was under new management. The Penny Arcade was also under new management and has since flopped out, entirely. The scenery was pretty grim. Shows became few and far between, even scarce. People grew up, got married, had children, moved away...
A lot of bands also had falling outs with record labels in these day’s which led to the demise of many bands. Out of the ashes of the fallen however came a new movement in the heavy metal world known as DIY, which stands for do it yourself. This fairly new Ideology is shared by bands these days as technology continues to advance. Bands are finding new and simpler ways to record and release their own music from the comfort of their own homes with the help of their personal computers. This eliminates the record labels that led to the downfall of many great bands Years earlier. It was during this time that I had my darkest spell. I had by then quit partying, so some of the social element and "fun" factor was vanquished due to that. Also after being poisoned with anti-freeze by my now ex-wife, I fell into a deep depression and became extremely addicted to an online video game called Everquest. I spent the next few years in a catatonic state. It seemed to me like the entire music scene had also died out as well. I was devastated by this on a personal level, it seemed like all hope was lost.

PART 5 - New Beginnings In 2002 I decided to start my very own Television show called "Plague T.V." I interviewed several bands personally, including a band called Septicemia from Austria. The show was originally going to focus around Rochester bands exclusively, but when the opportunity presented itself to expand beyond the area, I capitalized on it. The local bands I grew to love had pretty much all became extinct at this time, all but a small handful still existed, so I felt that expanding my horizons would be beneficial.
After collecting as many videos as I could (at the time I had no internet access, so collecting video was a bit harder, sort of like the old tape trading of the 1980's, which was in itself a social phenomenon), I had a 6 month run all setup and ready to go, but when I approached a local television station the price they were asking for air time was astronomical (the guy quoted me a price of $250.00 for a 20 minute slot at 4 a.m. on a tuesday) So I had to put the show on the back burner. The idea slowly fizzled and died without ever airing a single episode....

After several years of silence in the city, I discovered an internet radio station called Open Grave Radio. This was in 2007.
I met several people there, most of whom I am still friends with (as friendly as can be in the "online" world anyhow) One of the DJ's at the time was Metalmark. A very well learned fellow. As it would happen, I learned that he used to live in the area and knew several of the bands that I grew up with. We quickly formed a friendship, and have shared many stories between each other as well as knowledge of bands past and present. Open Grave Radio was mismanaged and fell apart. Out of the ashes came Brutal Existence Radio near the end of 2008, formed by another former DJ from Open Grave Radio named Fowler Doxey. Fowler is a very talented individual from Virginia, and I consider him a great friend as well. He quickly got Metalmark on board for his new station, and eventually I became the Minister Of Propaganda (See Attachment # 3) for the station. My role was strictly on a promotional level. I was not to be a DJ, but instead I would spread the word to the entire world (as much as I could get to listen anyhow) about the station. This was not a paying job mind you, but we all enjoy the station, and we are not in it for the money. We want bands to be heard! If you (the reader) are interested, please tune in to http://www.brutalexistenceradio.com

During the time I spent getting to know the people at Open Grave Radio, a hilarious event took place during one of Metalmark's shows. This would later become something bigger, but at the time it was just pure unadulterated silliness... He went on a mic break during his show (Audio Aggression), and when he returned he hopped on the mic and said "damn chili, I just destroyed the porcelain god" Then someone ( I forget who actually) in the chat room said, " that sounds like a great name for a Grindcore band", then Damn Chili was born...

Since Grindcore was one of my personal favorite genres I created Damn Chili. Damn Chili was a Parody/Grindcore project and was born in or around May of 2008, and just recently disbanded in February of 2010, the band consisted of only one member, that member being myself. I released 3 albums during that time all of which can be found in digital format for FREE by contacting me at thor@brutalexistenceradio.com, or if you are interested in this project at all refer to the following website http://www.myspace.com/damnchiligrind

Part 6 - Reminiscing

I had ALOT of fun with a great deal of different people over these years, and I am sure that tons more is to come. I have too many stories to tell and far too many great memories to list, but I would like to share with you some of my personal experiences ,for example, during the Milwaukee Metalfest in 2000 ,Slayer was playing the same day at another venue. Of course I bought tickets for that show as well, and I had every intention of seeing BOTH concerts. I instead decided to stick it out at the Metalfest and skip the Slayer show. I gave my tickets for Slayer to Chris Burgio and John Paradiso, who were with Withered Earth at the time. I figured that since I was not going to attend, the tickets shouldn't go to waste. So there I was enjoying the Metalfest with some friends and whatnot, when John Paradiso and Chris Burgio returned. Come to find out, they were too late and had missed Slayer... We all laughed and continued to have a blast for the remainder of the evening, despite the unfortunate events that had taken place, we all still managed to have a great time. This is what I am talking about. This is the type of bond. The social element that surrounded everyone who took part in the heavy metal movement that I speak about throughout this tale!

Another story of pure dedication that I would like to share with you is a story about the band Overkill.
Sebastian Marino and Joe Comeau both played with them for a stint. During this time I had a few experiences that stick out in my memory quite profoundly. I remember one year seeing them play with a broken foot, I simply wrapped my foot up in an ace bandage and thrashed my fool head off all night. Something else that happened that very same night is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I got stuck through my hand with a friends fingernail. I realize that it may sounds humorous, but I will explain to give you a better vision of what took place. Two days prior to the show a friend of mine, Jason was in a terrible car accident, in which he got several staples in his head, and some hand injuries, but he was able to attend the concert none the less.
About halfway through Overkill's set, there we were thrashing the mosh pit like maniacs. Myself with my broken foot, and he with his head trauma and injured hand. We decided to do attempt an old school "whip skank". We grabbed each other’s hands and flung around in a circle. Just as we did, someone bumped into him from behind, so he fell into me after losing his balance. When he did this, his fingernail on his injured hand somehow snagged into the palm of my hand, cutting my hand open, and tearing his fingernail completely OFF! We both looked around and started laughing at what had just transpired as if it were normal behavior. After another great performance by Overkill on another day, my hand became injured and I learned a very valuable lesson ( DO NOT LOAD OUT A SHOW THAT YOU JUST SPENT ALL NIGHT THRASHING AT). I was loading the band out after the show. It had been an exhausting mosh pit and I could feel fatigue beginning to set in . As I pushed a road case up the ramp into the truck, Joe Comeau was setting one in place in the truck. I tried to rush up the ramp tiredly, and as he pulled the top end of his case up, I misjudged and slammed mine into the bottom end of his, pinching my finger between the two, which ended up ultimately breaking my finger. It was a hard lesson, but after that I NEVER loaded out a show after moshing all night again! Part 7 - Betrayal I would like to share a little piece of history with you. Not everyone realizes the impact that Rochester has had on the metal community, starting with Metallica recording their record “kill em all” here. Metallica, as you may know, is famous for their thrash metal antics and their legendary performances, as well as their controversial, highly publicized lawsuits with the file sharing website Napster over a dispute involving copyright infringement. This went against everything that most of their longtime fans stood for, myself included. Most bands as well as their fans would rather have the music heard for free as opposed to skipped over on a shelf in a record store because a fan can’t afford it. To date Metallica are the highest grossing metal band. This has caused quite a lot of controversy over the years, and has alienated the band from most of their original fans. The younger crowds still latch on, as we did back in the early 1980’s, but most of their core fan base views these actions as a slap in the face. It is very difficult to watch something you poured years of hard work and sweat, blood and tears into simply crumble before your very eyes. Money is the root of all evil afterall. Part 8 - MY PERSONAL INJURIES
I have suffered several injuries over the years at the hands of fellow Metalheads. The Mosh pit is my playground. A few of my favorite and most memorable Injuries were at local shows, enjoying bands like H8 Machine. In the summer of 1997 I endured several injuries at their shows, I broke a finger, I smashed my shinbone on the stage at the now defunct Penny Arcade, and I fractured my pelvic bone in two places. (See Attachment #1)
Some other injuries include but are not limited to Three broken ribs (on Three separate occasions, one of which also earned me a perforated lung) and most recently During a H8 Machine show at Water Street Music Hall with other local bands PIPE, Fuel and Setiva, in which I received a concussion as well as a Cervical Sprain and Neck Strain, which earned me a neck brace as a souvenir after spending most of the night in the emergency room. ( See Attachment # 2)There has been quite a bit of media sensationalism regarding mosh pits over the years. Most Christian fronted groups oppose the idea rather vehemently of the mosh pit, and call those who entertain the notion as barbaric, violent brutes. I as well as many others on the other hand would disagree. As a troubled male teen, growing up can be very difficult, and a lot of anger and rage can be built up. Instead of lashing out violently towards people at random to rid myself of all my pent up aggressions, I was able to find solace in the mosh pit. It is a somewhat controlled environment, and everyone is a willing participant. Would you rather have millions of heavy metal fans fighting in the streets or shooting one another? Indeed, people can get hurt in a mosh pit, as is evident by my own injuries, but these were all invited as I was not a victim, I was a willing participant who chose to engage in actions that cause the injuries. These were not random acts of violence. Part 9 - RESURGENCE

Above I mentioned that Alot of the bands I grew up with had disbanded, and members had gone their separate way's, etc... However, beginning in 2008 there has been a tremendous resurgence in activity amongst the bands.

It started in 2008 when H8 Machine did a Reunion show on 08-08-08 , I was ecstatic to hear the news, and the show was very energetic and pumped life back into my otherwise dead veins for the night. But this was only the beginning....

In May of 2011 I caught word that there would be another H8 Machine show (minus their guitar player Scott, who had passed away since the show in 2008 tragically) .This next show was to take place on August 19th 2011 at Waterstreet Music Hall, other bands who were also in a reunion state at the time included the legendary PIPE, Fuel and Setiva respectively.

Setiva started off with a great set, then PIPE slayed the crowd with their fast paced set, then Fuel played a killer set with frontman Todd drawing energy from the crowd with his highly energetic antics, then it was time for H8 Machine to take the stage, they started off strong, within seconds I was in the Mosh pit, thrashing and slamming as if I were still in my teens, this is when the night took a tragic turn for me.

I made a rookie mistake...

I lost my shoe about midway into the third song, instead of taking a logical route and waiting for the song to finish before retrieving my shoe, I mistakenly bent to grab it from the floor after my foot got stomped upon. The timing was perfect for the crowd to smash into my back, slamming me head first into the barricade. It was unforgiving. My head stopped dead in its tracks, while my body lunged forward in motion, causing a cervical strain and a sprain in my neck, as well as a concussion from my head hitting the raised barricade. I sadly had to cut my night short as I went to get X-ray's to make sure I had not broken any of the bones in my neck. I was very disappointed and angry at myself for making such an error in judgment, and much to my dismay I thought I had seen H8 Machine perform for the very last time, there would never be another reunion show...

Shortly thereafter however, I learned much to my excitement that there was in fact going to be another H8 Machine show, the dream was NOT over for me! I learned that the band was back together with a few new members and that the band had started writing NEW material.

I also learned that Nasty Trast was back together as well, this is something I have waited MANY years for, and I am very excited about this reunion! The last I heard about this was that it will take place sometime in May 2012.