Paradise Lost came on to the stage and delivered near forty minutes of great gloom metal. It was a great performance to a split crowd. There were a good number of Paradise Lost fans in attendance and they were having a great time. However, the old school thrash fans that were there for Overkill did not particularly care for the slowed tempo style of Paradise Lost. They were not terribly vocal in their displeasure, but after their set there were audible complaints about why they were even there. No matter, their performance was excellent and the fans loved it.
Their sound was big, full, and was just gorgeous as it filled the small theater. They peaked mid-set with the pairing of "Enchantment" and "As I Die." Those two songs just sounded great and were the highlight of their set. Their stage presence may not be as energy-filled as Downfire or Overkill, but their is no lack of charisma. It is just the charisma is different, more of a burning smolder just below the surface. This band burned up the stage. I would love to see a full set from them.
Four bands deep into the night and it was finally time for our main event. At 11:45 Overkill took the stage by force and proceeded to tear the house down for 75 minutes. Time filled with old school thrash delivered with attitude that won't quit and has a distinctly metal-family oriented bent. Now, let me be up front and say that I have never been a big Overkill fan. I am not, and have never been, a hater or anything of the sort. Overkill just happens to be one of those bands that never really took up much space on my radar. Well, that and I have never particularly cared for Bobby Blitz's voice. Back to the show at hand.
Bobby led the band with a voracious energy and a ripped physique that belies his age. While I may not care for his voice, he has scarcely lost a step in the two plus decades that he has been on the road. He wasn't the only one delivering the goods. The twin guitars of Dave Linsk and Derek Tailer were excellent playing that old school thrash while original bass player DD Verni filled out the aggressive bottom end. The most impressive of all was drummer Ron Lipnicki whose performance was fantastic, highlighted by some wild double bass.
Early on in the set there was a bit of a ruckus down in the pit by the stage. I could not quite make out what was going on, but I did see the one of the monitors getting yanked from the stage. Bobby responded by saying, "Hit the fucking road, there's no murdering anyone at my fucking shows." Whatever was going on, security responded and escorted someone from the building. That's the kind of stuff that we don't need and can ruin a show for everyone.
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