If you’re wondering why I would repeat Pentagram as my Frydee pick — aside from the obviousness of their kicking ass — it’s because I just got off the phone after more than an hour of interview with legendary frontman Bobby Liebling, which I’m pretty sure makes me the coolest motherfucker on the planet. Wait, no. Yeah. Yeah, that’s me.

Look out for that interview to be posted next week, and dig the clip of “South of the Swamp,” which is a new song.

Thanks to everyone for checking in this week and leaving comments once they were fixed. A note to anyone who’s been trying to contact me using the nifty form on the contact page: I know it’s broken and I’m sorry. I’ll get to work on it as soon as I can, but if you need to drop me a line, my email address is jj (atsign) theobelisk (dot) net. Easy enough to remember anyway.

If you’re in North Jersey, Moth Eater are playing Dingbatz in Clifton, and that’s where I’ll be tonight. If not, I hope there are good times wherever you are. Enjoy the weekend.

A double album is always a curious read, and Cathedral’s ninth full-length, The Guessing Game, with which the legendary UK doom outfit celebrates their 20th anniversary, is no exception. All the more so considering The Guessing Game is so close to the 80-minute limit of what would fit on a regular compact disc that, if the band had nixed the two two-and-a-half-minute intros, the record would have fit easily. So it’s not like they’ve come up with such an abundance of material as a follow-up to 2005’s The Garden of Unearthly Delights, but the jeans are just a little too tight to hold what they’ve got. I think we’ve all been there at one time or another.

Please don’t take that as calling The Guessing Game bloated. As one of the bands who set the course for the genre of traditional doom with classic albums like 1993’s The Ethereal Mirror and 1995’s The Carnival Bizarre, they know what it takes to make a good record, and although I generally fall on the side of cut what you need to to make it work — to the point of agreeing with George Martin that The White Album should have been a single disc (would the world really miss “Rocky Raccoon” or “Revolution No. 9?”) — if after two decades of existence, Cathedral want to make a 2CD, I’m not about to fault them for doing so. After five years, I’m just happy to have a new record. Any issue of how to interpret whether to take it as one whole work or two separate albums is secondary to that. Maybe that’s The Guessing Game.

In any case, the remaining original and principal members of the band, vocalist Lee Dorrian (whose back story by now shouldn’t need retelling) and guitarist Garry “Gaz” Jennings, both give remarkable performances throughout The Guessing Game. From “Funeral of Dreams” and down the line of the first disc’s material, Dorrian’s voice is a constant high point. Even as “Funeral of Dreams” pays bizarre homage to ritualistic ‘70s prog — think bands like Black Widow and Coven — Dorrian stays in character and on point vocally. And it’s a hearty “holy shit” moment nearly every time Jennings kicks into a solo, perhaps most especially on “Painting in the Dark.”

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If there’s one buzzword The Patient Mrs. can’t stand hearing me say, it’s “completist.” Now, whether that’s because she doesn’t think the term accomplishes anything that “collector” doesn’t or because she just doesn’t like being married to one, I don’t really know, but it drives her up the god damn wall.

On the other hand, I think “completist” describes a very specific mindset — particularly as it relates to music — that “collector” just doesn’t capture. It gets to a certain point where it’s not even about the music anymore, about the bands, their songs or any of that. It’s about the thing, about having that thing that you don’t have yet, getting it before someone else can, finishing the band’s catalog or just having one more record with that band’s name on it to sit on the shelf with the others.

Case in point: I recently purchased a Kyuss promo off eBay, titled Sky Valley Part III. After shipping and a five dollar donation to Haiti, I paid a whopping $17.98. It came in the mail yesterday, and it is, as I knew when I bought it, just the last four songs from the classic 1994 album, Welcome to Sky Valley. You get “Odyssey,” “Conan Troutman,” “N.O.” and “Whitewater” (still as one track, mind you), and that’s it.

I’m not sorry I bought it, but I don’t think there could possibly be an argument made on the side of my needing this CD. I already have two copies of Sky Valley itself (a standalone and one in the 3 for One box set), and with nothing more than the last four songs and separate artwork — an interesting journey back in time to when a label could afford something like putting a jewel case promo like this together — even I can’t say I had to own Sky Valley Part III.

Maybe it’s a status thing? Bragging rights? Like the douchebag banker and his Ferrari? I’m certainly not a better person for having paid for what someone initially got for free, but it was an impulse I couldn’t have fought if I’d wanted to, and even now, I don’t really have buyer’s remorse for having snatched it just before the auction ended. This is what I do. I’m a completist. If I’m going to be obsessive compulsive about something, at least I’m not hurting anyone other than myself, and that only fiscally.

But I think there’s a strong case to be made for the differences between collecting and completism. And if anyone needs me to make that case for them, I’d be more than happy to do so just as soon as I’m done seeing if I can get a copy of Masters of Reality’s Reality Show cheap on any of the international Amazon.com sites.

I’ll be brief because I know that if some dumpy site I went to had a Saint Vitus interview I wanted to read, the last thing I’d be looking for would be the author’s wax poetry about the importance of the band. I’ll just say this:

In the interview, Dave Chandler, legendary guitarist of the reunited Saint Vitus, theorizes that his music has endured so long perhaps because it’s simple. And maybe he’s right, since Vitus interminably delves to the primordial beginnings of heavy metal. But I think there’s more to it than that. By stepping away sound-wise from the Californian punk/hardcore scene that was all around them, and by being in such stark contrast to their own era, to their followers, they were of none. A band without time. Timeless.

After replacing original drummer Armando Acosta, Saint Vitus now consists of vocalist Scott “Wino” Weinrich, Chandler, bassist Mark Adams and basher Henry Vasquez (Blood of the Sun, Debris Inc.). Thanks to Dave Chandler, Rodney Pawlak and Ilka Pardinas for making this one happen.

Chandler checked in from the road in between Los Angeles and San Francisco, having just played the former the night before. Q&A is after the jump.

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If you asked, they probably wouldn’t tell you so — in fact, they’d probably say something along the lines of, “Who?” — but I think we all know Shrinebuilder’s newly-scheduled NYC date was booked with me in mind. So thanks guys, for that. Could’ve been in Jersey, but it’s fine, I’ll make the drive. I appreciate the effort.

In addition to this show at NYU and their West Coast shows (some with Harvestman) and their Roadburn appearance, they’ll also be at the Scion Rock Fest on March 13. Busy, busy, busy. Here’s the latest tour update:

These two newly announced Shrinebuilder dates fall directly after the previously announced West Coast Neurot Recordings tour, also featuring labelmates A Storm of Light and with special appearances from Harvestman at three Bay Area shows. Shrinebuilder will also perform at this year’s Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, Holland alongside Thorr’s Hammer, Goatsnake, Enslaved, Eyehategod, Eagle Twin, Church of Misery and more.

Shrinebuilder live appearances:
3/02/2010 The Casbah – San Diego, CA
3/03/2010 Echo – Los Angeles, CA
3/04/2010 Echo – Los Angeles, CA
3/05/2010 The Voodoo Lounge – San Jose, CA w/ Harvestman, Brain Oil
3/06/2010 Oakland Metro – Oakland, CA w/ Harvestman, Laudanum
3/07/2010 The Independent – San Francisco, CA w/ Harvestman
3/09/2010 Neumo’s – Seattle, WA
3/11/2010 E+L Auditorium @ New York University – New York, NY
3/13/2010 Scion Rock Fest – Columbus, OH
4/17/2010 Roadburn Festival – Tilburg, Holland

They say there are all kinds of ways to learn things. Some learn by audio cues — people telling them things. These are usually the people who do well in school. Some learn visually, by reading or by seeing something acted out. They also get the passing grades. Some learn in different measure of the two, and some learn by experience. This one’s for you visual learners.

Saint Vitus are headed to Europe for most of next month, so make your travel plans now. I had thought The Gates of Slumber were going to be on this tour as well, and I know from my interview with frontman Karl Simon that they were looking forward to it, so whatever the circumstances that led to their not being able to do the shows, that’s a bit of a bummer. Centurion’s Ghost are a suitable fit, though, and will no doubt be well received by both their UK and continental brethren. Here’s the flier:

The deal was basically that I was going to drive back from Maryland to catch one of two shows, though even as I made my way out of Sparks where I’d been staying, I wasn’t 100 percent sure which. Short story shorter, Pentagram in Philly won out over Mighty High/The Brought Low in Brooklyn, and given the events to be detailed in the second part of this review, I’m glad it did.

We’ll get there.

I’d never been to the Starlight Ballroom before, but its name being so similar to Jersey’s own Starland Ballroom, I was perhaps prejudiced against it from the start, even if only on a subconscious level. Any regular attendees out there should be well familiar with pre-made excuses for being an asshole. Well, there’s another one.

Serpent Throne was on when I walked in, the native instrumental stoner act chosen from out of the ether to open the show. It was early, around 8:30, and the place was mostly empty. The Solace guys were hanging out in the crowd, The Gates of Slumber too. Both bands waiting their turn to kick ass as the audience grew in number and intoxication.

In the second part at least, I also count myself. And though it started innocently enough with living the High Life, all smiles and laughs and appreciation for what was to take place on the stage, by the time The Gates of Slumber were finished and Pentagram were getting started, my buzz had morphed into that special kind of belligerence and nastiness that’s both embarrassing and shameful. I was at the show with a friend whose patience I’ve tried far more times than intended. It’s hard to be an asshole.

I’m getting ahead of myself. When Jersey natives Solace were on stage, it was still the land of smiles and good times. As ever, Solace were amazingly heavy, the double guitars sounding massive through the surprisingly large Starlight Ballroom, and Keith Ackerman’s destructive force on the drums not to be forgotten. It wasn’t the best I’d ever seen them (though if you asked me what was, I don’t think I’d have a specific answer; likely it occurred in a smaller room), but they gave a great showing as few bands can.

All the while, more beer. Hadn’t been my original intent to drink myself to a point much past sobriety, but I did, and while The Gates of Slumber were on stage, once again impressing is a way that I’m beginning to see more and more as their own, I and my compadre began handing out fliers for a show of our own back in Jersey that’s coming up. Seems simple enough.

We went outside and put them on cars, came back in and put them on tables, etc. Normal flier protocol. By the time The Gates of Slumber finished, the word had been spread. Soon, shortly after Pentagram went on, a young woman in a Kill Hannah hoodie (minus points) came up to my friend holding several of the fliers and said, “Are these yours?” He said they were, and was promptly told that we couldn’t hand them out inside the building because they advertised another venue.

Sounded like bullshit to me. And even more right then. I’ll cut to the end (in no small part for my own sake) and say I didn’t make enough of a scene to get kicked out, but having paid $25 for a ticket and already spent over $100 on beer and merch, leaving some pieces of paper around at the show didn’t seem too much to ask, especially when the “other venue” being advertised was more than two hours away from the Starlight Ballroom. But you know, some situations just don’t call for being a dick.

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Actually, they’re from the west, so it’s more like they’re heading to where they already are. Whatever. They announced live dates, alright? There’s only so many ways I can say it.

Geez. Some people.

Something, something, something PR wire… something, something, complete.

Neurot Recordings is proud to announce the second wave of live Shrinebuilder appearances, this time alongside labelmates A Storm of Light, taking place early this March. This West Coast mini-tour features as an added bonus, Harvestman — the solo act of Steve Von Till (Neurosis) – to serve as main support on the Bay Area shows on March 5th, 6th and 7th.

3/02/2010 The Casbah – San Diego, CA
3/03/2010 Echo – Los Angeles, CA
3/04/2010 Echo – Los Angeles, CA
3/05/2010 The Voodoo Lounge – San Jose, CA w/ Harvestman, Brain Oil
3/06/2010 Oakland Metro – Oakland, CA w/ Harvestman, Laudanum
3/07/2010 The Independent – San Francisco, CA w/ Harvestman
3/09/2010 Neumo’s – Seattle, WA

By now it’s quite a comeback Saint Vitus have launched. They might at this point be a regular touring band. I don’t know the official designation for when you go from doing a reunion show here and there to touring. I guess it probably involves mode of transportation and shit like that. I’ll get to work on figuring it out. Meantime, the PR wire has the flier-form goods on a Vitus date for Los Angeles:

With Ancestors, Totimoshi and Saviours on the bill, that’s a good night to be in CA. Because there’s little I enjoy more than posting these videos, here’s some live Saint Vitus from Hellfest in France. The day I get tired of watching this stuff will be a sad one indeed.

In the interest of full disclosure, I put that “‘Fairies Wear Boots’ Edition” in the title just to sound more official. Truth be told, I’m just using New Year’s — like I’ve used several other holidays — as an excuse to post some bootleg Black Sabbath. This time it’s the aforementioned track from the renowned Paris 1970 show. The video rules, the song rules, you can’t really lose by watching it. Be sure to rock out to it later when you’re all boozed out. I know I will.

This is it for 2009, so before I go grab the evening’s first adult beverage, I’d just like to take a second to say thanks to all the attendees, bands, labels, stoppers by, comment-leavers and everyone else for making this year such an incredible start for The Obelisk. It’s been killer beyond belief for me and I hope you’ve enjoyed it as well. Be safe tonight, enjoy yourselves, and we’ll see you back here next decade — IN THE FUTURE!

After this, we’re done with 2009, but before January gets here and we all step one day closer to armageddoom, there are a couple experiences I want to share/rehash one more time, since they turned out to be defining moments of the year. There were a bunch of great shows and festivals, good times were had, but there was little that compared with Roadburn and Planet Caravan.

Flying to The Netherlands for the first time was cool enough in itself, but going with a purpose — specifically to see the Saint Vitus reunion — made it all the better. And bearing witness to acts like Ufomammut, Colour Haze (for the second time), Cathedral, Church of Misery, Wino, Firebird, Neurosis and about a million others only added to the excitement. But really, it was the communion with the gods that motivated me to get off my ass and finally get over there, and I can honestly say that Roadburn 2009 was the pinnacle of the year. I’ve mentioned it more times than I can even think of in reviews and interviews with bands, and it has shaped every opinion of shows I’ve been to since — usually to their detriment. Even seeing Vitus in Brooklyn, as killer as it was, didn’t stack up to seeing them at 013 in Tilburg.

By contrast, I drove 10 hours solid to get to Asheville, North Carolina, for Planet Caravan. The vibe was much more American, even though the bands weren’t necessarily — Orange Goblin being a notable import for the occasion — and although it couldn’t really compare to Roadburn in its inaugural state, there were no shortage of incredible acts to check out: Zoroaster, Clutch, Burst, Wino again, Kylesa and Pentagram all ruled, but it was YOB who, like Vitus, got me off the couch. Admittedly, a close second was catching the legendary awesomeness of Pentagram for the first time (I’d missed those shows they did in NYC), and knowing it was probably the only time I’d ever get the chance to see Burst made that all the more special. But true enough to what I expected going into it, YOB destroyed all in their path. Worth pulling out the earplugs for, worth the hearing loss residual.

I’ll stop short of waxing poetic or intellectual about the meaningful nature of these sets since, as Devin Townsend reminds us, “It’s just entertainment, folks,” but there’s something to be said about what you do with your time and the memories you make as you go along. Actually, there’s a lot to be said about it, but I think it’s mostly implied. In any case, of all the places I managed to put myself in 2009 — grad school, this chair (a lot), numerous record stores, etc. — I know as long as I remember anything, I’ll remember Planet Caravan and especially Roadburn.

If you look at the math, I should be there. It’s Clutch, it’s New Year’s, it’s Jersey, they’re performing the entire self-titled and filming it for a DVD, and I still have use of both my legs. Really there’s no excuse for my absence, and I can only imagine the heartbreak the band will feel at my not being there. I can just see Neil Fallon on stage now, gleefully bouncing his way through “50,000 Unstoppable Watts,” suddenly looking out on the already-melted Starland Ballroom crowd, realizing I’m not there, and — perhaps not mentioning it out loud, because he’s a professional — but maybe tearing up a bit. Little tear in his eye.

But, although the reasons for going are plentiful, the unfortunate rationality of sitting this one out seems to have won the day. I will not recommend you follow me in this course of action — if you’re lucky enough to have Clutch tickets for a New Year’s show, you damn well better use them — but here are my reasons for not seeing one of my favoritest bands rock in 2010:

01. Starland Ballroom.
I’m not even going to debate the matter. Last year around this time, Clutch played Starland and it was so packed I had to leave early. When Starland Ballroom fills up, it is not only a fire hazard, but one of the most unpleasant places to exist in the entire world. You know that scene in Rambo: First Blood Part II when the Russian guy comes after the not-Viet Cong have been torturing Rambo and cuts open his chest for no good reason? It’s like that, only with overpriced Bud Light. Plus, they charge $6 to park in their parking lot, which as far as I’m concerned is like paying the gorilla to rape you.

02. I don’t have a ticket.
And the show’s sold out. Might make things difficult if I suddenly decided to make the trip.

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Unless that Blue Cheer disc shows up in the mail tomorrow, I just received the final album I will have purchased this decade. It was Trouble, by Trouble. I bought it off Amazon used, but as close to mint as anything I’ve seen, spent $30 of an Xmas gift card and $18 of my hard-earned on top of that to get it. Worth every penny, virtual and otherwise.

The 1990 release is widely regarded as the apex of Trouble’s career, and with tracks like “Psychotic Reaction,” “At the End of My Daze” and “Black Shapes of Doom,” it’s hard to argue. The classic lineup of vocalist Eric Wagner, guitarist Bruce Franklin and Rick Wartell, bassist Ron Holzner and drummer Barry Stern (RIP) captured a defining moment in doom which even 20 years later many bands still emulate without the same kind of effect on the listener.

Whatever they’ve done since — the lineup changes, naming their yet-to-be-released new album The Dark Riff, etc. — there’s no denying the presence of Trouble, and two decades on, the power of these tracks still speaks for itself. It is an acquisition most welcome, and a fitting end to 10 years of rampant expenditure without regard for credit rating, checking account balance or common sense.

Speaking of, anyone got a lead on a CD copy of the Saint Vitus live record on Hellhound? There’s a couple extra tracks they left off the Southern Lord reissue I’d like to get my hands on.

I don’t even know what to say about this one. Fuckin’ Roadburn is kicking my ass all over the place. What I really want to know is who’s going to be in his backing band, but whoever it is, the fact that it’s going to be John Garcia up front singing Kyuss songs is enough to make me wish even harder I could afford airfare to The Netherlands next spring. Here’s the news from Blabbermouth:

John Garcia (Kyuss, Unida, Hermano) will perform an entire set of Kyuss songs at next year’s Roadburn festival, which will be held at the 013 venue and Midi Theatre in Tilburg, Holland from Thursday, April 15 through Sunday, April 18, 2010.

The incredible emotional content of Kyuss is due in large part to the vocals of Garcia. Deeply rooted in blues and baked solid by the searing desert sun, his powerful contributions to the classic Kyuss records Blues for the Red Sun, Kyuss (a.k.a. Welcome to Sky Valley) and …And the Circus Leaves Town cast the mold for a legion of imitators.

Roadburn festival 2010, including Tom Gabriel Warrior’s Only Death is Real, a Goatsnake reunion, Candlemass 25th-anniversary show and Enslaved as “artists in residence,” will run for three days. There will be an additional Afterburner event on Sunday, April 18, 2010.

Blue Cheer more or less speaks for itself, but I was listening to Vincebus Eruptum earlier this week and thinking about Dickie Peterson (blessings and peace be upon him), and I figured for this Frydee afternoon, they were probably the way to go. Their cover of Albert King’s “The Hunter” originally appeared on 1968’s Outsideinside. This performance is from Virginia Beach in 2007, and anyone interested in tracking down the rest of the show can do so here.