My son Chris Olsen, 17, is our secret teen weapon in the metal wars. Bass player for the black metal band Blood Omen, he covered Ozzfest last summer, Primus in December, and he recently covered the Road Rage Tour for us in Cleveland, interviewing members of Trivium, Chimaira, and Machine Head.
By Chris Olsen
My girlfriend decided to come with on this trip to a metal concert. We got there early since we were interviewing all day and went straight to the front row. Trivium was the first band up and there was a small crowd that was fairly low-key.
Halfway through I realized that their heavy riffs and breakdowns crawled underneath my skin and made me want to kill something, and I had to go into the circle pit. Every time Matt would let out a low scream his eyes would roll to the back of his head. They tied with Chimaira as the best band there.
Machine Head came up next and I could feel my rib cage being pushed in by the pressure of the crowd. While being crushed to death, I also had to protect my 4-foot 11-inch 97-pound girlfriend from being killed. She could not see anything besides the perfect view of the back of the guy in front of her.
I was getting punched and elbowed and the crap beaten out of me - she was getting crushed to death and laughing hysterically in the process.
We started out in the first-row-center, but by the time Machine Head stopped playing we were all the way on the left side and about 7 or 8 rows back. Machine Head wasn't bad: I'm not a big fan of the music, but they put on a pretty good show.
Then came Chimaira. Ashley and I were a little worn from Machine Head so we went back and hung out with Trivium. Chimaira played my favorite song by them, "Severed." I ran up to the moshpit although I was hesitant because Matt from Trivium was hitting on Ashley, but I trusted her so I went. I got the crap beaten out of me and got a nice gash on my forehead that I am hoping will leave a scar so I have a free souvenir.
They were awesome, every song was a headbanger. They were going nuts on stage. They, Slipknot and Primus are my three favorite bands live.
Article comments
1 - Matt Wardlaw
Eric,
It looks like I have found my future co-host for The Metal Show:-)
2 - Eric Olsen
M, he would crap himself for joy - he's a good talker too
Are you going to that Chimaira DVD screening on the 16th?
3 - BRICKLAYER
Dude, I've seen Chimaira several times now, and at each show they have had the best sound, set, and shown up the headliners. They are s-s-solid. Your girlfriend sounds hot, but based on the stats you provided, I fear she may be a leprechaun. Or a lilliputian. And I wouldn't leave her alone with any of them metal dudes, they are nefarious lechers! Tell your pops he's the coolest for having a kid in not just a metal band, but a cold kult BLACK metal band. Big ups Mr. O! If Converge swings by your fair city, you oughta check 'em out and do a review. They will rock your socks off.
Peace in the middle east. And the midwest.
4 - Eric Olsen
thanks Bricky, he's a young man of many talents and interests - I'm a lucky dad all the way around
5 - yak
i think that chriss is the hottest kid of the band and i hope i can get with him after one of his shows and REALLY GIVE IT TO HIM!!!!!!
6 - pheobe119
found this site randomly! haha...anyways
ah, chimaira and trivium.....2 of my fav. bands...1st is slipknot though...loved reading all about the shows, and what the bands like, and how they started out. It kind of gives me a little bit of hope for the band that im starting in *lead singer/screamer* not bad for being a girl eaither, if i might say. Anyway it was a pleasure reading.