Everyone in metal in 2023 has memories of gigs and tours that will forever alter how they view a concert experience. Of the thirty-four events that I had the absolute pleasure of attending this year, sixteen of which yours truly covered for Metal Insider, these were the five that left me with one thought that remained days after at work.
“That was fucking amazing.”
05) Royal Thunder at the Saint Vitus Bar on 1/05/23 – After Sleeping Witch, everyone in the stage area got to behold and vibe with a celebratory group hug between Mlny Parsonz, Josh Weaver, and Evan Diprima. It’s almost as if everything and nothing has changed since Royal Thunder last performed in 2019. It was obvious that the trio seemed genuinely happy to be on stage again.
04) Cattle Decapitation at Warsaw on 11/24/23 – Clocking out a great year of concerts, I did it up big time for a last thrash bash. Cattle Decapitation, Immolation, Sanguisugabogg, and Castrator! All four bands equally shined for New York’s finest. The styles of brutality that all four bands brought to the fight was just as intense as the last and vollied the energy that Brooklyn brought with them. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention vocalist Travis Ryan and his over the top performance. His vocal chops are out of this omniverse and his just-as-hilarious theatrics was also great.
03) Rob Zombie at the Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater on 9/09/23 – Yeaahhh! This was a big-final-big-taste-of-summer-rock-till-you-fucking drop-gimme-us-some fucking danger kind of evening with Rob Zombie, Alice Cooper, and Ministry. A truly unique kind of hot September night, made even better by getting to experience it with my mother and her boyfriend. Relentless energy from Rob Zombie with great production from Alice Cooper, and some incredibly fun moments from Ministry.
02) Dark Angel at Irving Plaza on 6/04/23 – Annihilating Irving Plaza for thirty-five more minutes to perform all of Darkness Descends, Dark Angel flawlessly gave everything, bringing heaviness and savagery to the table to honor the legacy and music of Jim Durkin. It may have taken thirty years for Dark Angel to play in New York, but it was worth the wait. This event was a dream come true for many. We were thrilled to have witnessed a special night in New York’s metal history.
01) Helloween at Terminal 5 on 5/20/23 – Here were two of the mightiest metal bands of all time, Helloween and Hammerfall dominating the stage in one night. The result was one of the finest touring packages I have ever seen. Hammerfall galloped along at breakneck speed, supporting Helloween, carrying the torch for a style of metal that was not cool in the nineties. Hammers high until we die, my friends!
Between the iconic encores of Keeper of the Seven Keys and I Want Out, Helloween was inducted into the Metal Hall of Fame by Alissa White-Gluz and Pat Gesualdo. From Burning Witches to Enforcer to Holy Grail, an entire generation of bands would not exist as paved by Helloween. Only a handful of Euro-metal bands can perform with as much heat and passion as Helloween. Thank you, Metal Hall of Fame! Gracias, Pat Gesualdo! Danke, Helloween!
