Like an invading hoard of Viking warriors, Black Label Society descended on a frigid Myth Live and left nothing but smoldering ruins in their path. The band, on the “Tour O Doom”, are out supporting their latest release Grimmest Hits. And while it’s called Gimmest Hits, the album actually contains all new material, some of which they highlighted Friday night. With support from Red Fang and Corrosion Of Conformity, the stage was set for an epic night of heavy rock.
The first pummeling the audience took was from Red Fang. Dense, heavy metal party music is what this Portland band gave the ecstatic crowd. They have a less is more approach, yet there was a lot going on underneath. These guys were having a blast on stage, and that energy was totally transferred to the audience. It was obvious these guys have a lot of local fans, as “Blood Like Cream” thundered along, many shouted the chorus along with the band. “No Air” leaves you breathless with its relentless power chord barrage. The band stated that they were sad because this was their last show of the tour, however, Zack Wylde jumped out of a cake BLS made for them to mark the occasion.
Corrosion of Conformity administered the next dose of aural over indulgence. These guys have been around a while in a couple of different forms, but their current 4-piece line-up is heavy as hell. These southern Sludge Rock behemoths delivered a set that mixed the old and the new, even blowing the dust off of some tunes from Deliverance. Pepper Keenan and Woody Weatherman bombarded the room with huge, crunchy riffs. What COC performance would be complete without a mosh pit? And while” The Luddite”, off of the new album No Cross No Crown, may have just been released, the crowd sang along like it was one of their classic tunes. Keenan talked it up with the crowd between songs, making for as intimate of a performance as you can get at the Myth.
Setlist: Bottom Feeder – The Luddite – 7 Days – Vote – Long Whip – Who’s Got The Fire – 13 Angels – Broken Man – Albatross – Clean My Wounds
The final beat down of the evening began around 10PM, when Black Label Society appeared before a sea of fists and devil horns. Whole Lotta Love/War Pigs mashup blasted from the PA system . Bathed in red light, the boys went into the way back machine and opened with “Genocide Junkies”. Perched like a rock god next to a skull laden mic stand platform, Zack Wylde whipped his blond mane like he was trying to snap his head off of his neck. It’s hard to articulate the level of shred-dome that occurred on the Myth stage Friday night. Wylde is a savage on the six string, pushing amps and guitars into dimensions of distortion no man has dared to tread.
The band ripped through tune after tune with barely a break. It was around seven songs in before we heard any new music. “Trampled Down Below”, “All That Once Shined” and ‘Room Of Nightmares” were played in a row before BLS slowed it down a bit. With Zack behind the piano to open the tune, the band played “In This River” as a tribute to “Dime Bag” Darrell. The closer “Stillborn” seemed to seemed to get the biggest crowd reaction of the night.
The Twin Cities chapter of Black Label Society (as their fan base is affectionately known as), were left gratified, as Zack and company left it all on the stage Friday night.
Set List: Genocide Junkies – Funeral Bell – Suffering Overdue – Bleed For Me – Heart Of Darkness – Suicide Messiah – Trampled Down Below – All That Once Shined – Room Of Nightmares – Bridge To Cross – In The River – The Blessed Hellride – A Love Unreal – Fire It Up – Concrete Jungle – Stillborn
