Chuck Schuldiner Project

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Goatwhore and Iron Reagan at Gramercy Theater


Gramercy Theater is rapidly becoming one of my favorite spots to see a show. Despite the union regulations making it hard to run around the backstage area the venue is still a wonderful place. There is a sense of conviviality to a show at Gramercy that you don't get elsewhere. Perhaps it's because the shows there bring absolutely everybody out, but it almost feels like a performance at Gramercy can't help but be a good time. So when I found out I was going to get to see two of my favorite metal bands out there right now I couldn't help but get excited.

After the longest guest list line ever I was able to get in to see Iron Reagan play and was, as usual, blow away. I've actually had the good fortune of seeing this band a handful of times now and every time seems to be better than the last. The burning ball of energy that is Tony Foresta is clearly still enamored with the concept of the band, crying out things like “We're going to play five songs in a row now, let's count them down” or “We have three songs left, so like four minutes of music.” It's fun to see these guys having such a good time on stage and just fucking delivering. The raw energy of Iron Reagan is ecstatic and inspirational – this is a band who are only going to get better and continue taking the world by storm.

I've always loved Goatwhore live and this particular set was no exception – in fact this was an excellent night for the band. As Falgoust let out his beloved cry of “Let's see those fists” hundreds of crazed fans screamed along to his every word. When the time came for that immortal cry of “Fucked! By! Satan!” it felt like the room was going to explode. Goatwhore, more than almost any other band out there right now understand what makes heavy metal greay. When Falgoust talks about being a metal family from the stage it doesn't feel contrived, rather it feels like a reflection of the man himself. This is a band who are here to smoke your weed and kick your ass but be nice about it. Goatwhore fucking deliver live and it's hard not to fall in love with what they do.


The night came to a close as I wandered out of the venue to interview Falgoust and simply reflect upon the power of what I had just seen. Sure The Black Dahlia Murder was inside rocking the house, but that wasn't for me, I had gotten what I had come for. The veritable rock and roll hootenanny that is life in New York City comes to a head at events like his and shows us that through the fire and the flames there is still a whole lot to be stoked on. Rock and roll will never die, it will just get more and more demented.

Find the bands on Facebook!


No comments:

Post a Comment