photo by Justina Villaneuva

As I watched Alice in Chains power through their amazing 90+ minute set at Irving Plaza this past Tuesday, I couldn't help but think of how many modern rock radio bands ripped off Jerry Cantrell's signature sound. There probably wouldn't be a modern rock radio if it wasn't for Alice In Chains. In fact, I tweeted "All shitty new radio rock bands need to bow down at the alter of Sir Jerry Cantrell. Lookin at you Shinedown!" (more…)

After hours of traffic along the NJ Turnpike, we arrived at the box office booth where an ocean of arms swung back and forth in praise of Behemoth. I asked Rob, "Is that Behemoth?" By the time the words left my mouth, however, I could see the tall corpsepainted bodies. No matter how bad I had been anticipating seeing those evil motherfuckers, after holding my urine for hours while in traffic, finding a toilet become the priority at hand. And yes, the Tweeter Center actually has indoor, clean restrooms. Despite my personal matters, I still found a way to get a portrait of bassist Orion (above) for you Injection-seekers out there.

Read about the rest of the bands after the jump.
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As Mayhem brought Blackened Fest to St. Paul, MN on June 9, 20009, the vibe was unexpectedly and unfortunately even more somber than one would have hoped for the return of some of Norwegian black metal's reigning elite. After already suffering the crippling blow of a late visa-related cancellation from Marduk before the tour began, the rest of the lineup except for Mayhem (Cephalic Carnage, Cattle Decapitation, and Withered) were forced to cut the trek short the night before St. Paul due to a variety of complications described by Justina V. already. Whether or not Justina's indictment of Mayhem's responsibility for the festival's implosion is accurate or not, I'm not here to argue. However, I certainly can understand her resentment as a fellow Metal Injection reporter (non-roving, based in MPLS) and someone who was on the opening band's guestlists that never arrived. To put it shortly, it was a huge bummer to be greeted with the cancellation announcement sign as I walked in, and it made me skeptical I'd even enjoy what was now becoming an expensive evening for me (although, I must admit, the ticket price was actually slashed to 1/2 the original cost for those who bought advanced tickets, and refunds and free tickets to next week's Absu show were being offered to attendees – in other words, the venue was graciously being overly apologetic for the unfortunate circumstances).

While performances from Cattle Decap, Cephalic Carnage, Withered, and Marduk would never occur, Mayhem pushed on alone, against the odds and advice of financial experts, carrying the torch of blackness alone on the remaining dates of a now-solo headlining tour. Playing to a crowd of devoted Twin Cities extreme metal faithful, Mayhem's blistering, theatrical black metal combined with a choice selection of local supports bands eventually succeeded and won over the dejected. (more…)

Last week, the conceptual prog/thrash/stoner metal masters in MASTODON came to the intimate Fine Line Music Cafe in the heart of downtown Minneapolis’s  club district in support of their brilliant new album Crack the Skye, and without a single word spoken to the audience the entire night, the band played through a gripping set that left the devoted Minnesota crowd salivating for more. It’s one thing to make every one of your albums into a separate concept piece, but it’s an entirely different story when you are able to execute that concept, front-to-back, in front of the live audience. However, MASTODON succeeded at just that by dedicating the entire first half of their set to the new release, and it didn’t even end there; in fact, they treated each of their releases with the same type of reverence, playing back through their career with mini-conceptual sets devoted to Blood Mountain, Leviathan, and Remission as the night went on…  (more…)