Iron Maiden!

Phantom of the Opera! Probably in my top 10-15 favorites.

In one week’s time I’ll be making my way over to Great Woods (I still call it that, not the Tweeter or

Xfinity or Comcast Center or whatever the fuck it is currently being called) in Mansfield MA to watch the greatest heavy metal band in history.

I’m talking of course about Iron Maiden.

I’ve had the fortune of seeing Maiden 10 times prior, on the following dates and at the following venues:

• Jan. 1991: Providence (RI) Civic Center
• July 1999: Orpheum Theatre, Boston
• August 2000: Tweeter Center, Mansfield
• July 2003: Worcester Centrum
• July 2005: Tweeter Center (on Ozzfest Tour, where they proceeded to destroy Ozzy)
• Oct. 2006: Agganis Arena, Boston University
• March 2008: Izod Center, East Rutherford NJ
• June 2008: Tweeter Center, Mansfield
• June 2012: Comcast Center, Mansfield
• July 2017: Xfinity Center, Mansfield

So many good memories in that list above. I saw them the first time in 1991 on the “No Prayer on the Road” tour, and my 17-year-old self was so fanboy-ed out that I bought a tour poster and tour book (which I still have). My mouth was hung open in joy when they hit the stage playing Tailgunner. No one does war songs and history like Maiden.

You’ll notice the major gap from 1992 to 1998, which was when Bruce Dickinson took a break from the band and went solo, and Blaze Bayley stepped in. I realize now I made a mistake by choosing to not attend Maiden shows during Blaze’s tenure, as I really like several songs off the X Factor and Virtual XI (Judgement of Heaven, Sign of the Cross, Futureal, Man on the Edge, The Clansman).

If I had to pick a favorite show from all of the above it would be the ’99 show at the Orpheum Theatre. A small venue, sold out, ridiculously hot, but HUGE energy with Bruce just back in the band. “Transylvania” opened the set and my pulse rate doubled, and they came tearing out like Gods of Old. Metal was back after taking a hiatus during the grunge era. And so was Maiden.

Watching Maiden play the entirety of A Matter of Life and Death in 2006 at the Agganis Arena was amazing. What band with this much history and pressure to play just the hits, cranks through an entire new album? It’s a great album, and I loved it.

Maiden probably sounded their best at the 2008 show in East Rutherford, NJ. Watching them do a full rendition of “Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner” with Bruce in a full cloak, wreathed in fog, was amazing. Pure art, worthy of broadway.

Right now I’ve got a copy of Dickinson’s autobiography What Does this Button Do? waiting to be read. Can’t wait to dig into that.

If anyone reading this is a Maiden fan and hasn’t yet discovered Talking Maiden: The Podcast of the Beast, correct that right now. The co-hosts are not only passionate but put in huge amounts of research and show prep, often breaking down single albums over 4 or more episodes. I’ve learned a ton about Maiden’s early years from this show. Plus they have good taste in beer.

Up the Irons. I’m sure I’ll post a review of the August 1 show here.

Rest in Peace, Rutger Hauer

Man, this one hurts: Blade Runner Star Rutger Hauer Has Passed Away.

Hopefully he's facing his creator right now, with a scowl, and a demand:

I want more life...fucker.

Here's a link to one of my oldest SK posts about Blade Runner, one of my all-time favorite films.


Perhaps we'll meet at the Tannhäuser Gate some day.

Just backed Tales from the Magician's Skull kickstarter

I support sword-and-sorcery! Looking forward to what is next from these guys.

I recommend you do the same. Kickstarter closes on July 25.

Haakon: The Golden Ax, a review

No man could defeat him.
No woman could resist him.

Alas, I had high hopes for this one, being a sucker for all things Viking fantasy (is this a subgenre? If not, time to coin one. Broad-and-battleaxe? Skald-and-shieldwall? Leave your suggestion below). It sounded great. From the back cover:

Warrior, leader, lover, conqueror… HAAKON.

OUT OF A VIOLENT AGE, when longships and broadswords rule the earth, comes the mightiest Viking warrior of them all—Haakon the Dark.

I'm in.

Haakon started out with a bang, a desperate ship-to-ship battle in the North sea. This was the best sequence in the book. I don’t know if there was anything quite like these old longboat battles, with crews of desperate Vikings leaping over the rails and murdering each other, with drownings and maimings and mayhem miles from shore.

A spear drove down toward Haakon. His shield rose to meet it. The spearhead pierced the leather-covered wood, nearly skewering Haakon as it flashed by his ear. He swung the shield, and the shaft of the embedded spear lashed through the ranks of the enemy. A man screamed and clapped his hand to his face, where jaw and cheek and one eye were bloody wreckage. One of Haakon’s men closed in and struck with an ax. The man’s screams died as his head lolled on his shoulders. The thud of the falling body was lost in the swelling uproar of clashing weapons and cries of panting men.

Outrageous that these wild combats actually occurred. Not a bad start.

After the initial carnage the battle scenes are not as well-depicted or as plentiful as I’d hoped. I guess I’ve been spoiled by the likes of Bernard Cornwell, who does the desperate, fear and sweat drenched press of shield wall combat better than anyone. Author Eric Neilson’s prose is workmanlike.

Haakon flags terribly in its second half, once Haakon returns home to Norway with his booty and the willing English maid Rosamund under his arm. Like Arnold in Conan the Destroyer, my prevailing thought plowing through interminable dialogue and dickering was, “enough talk!” There’s too much Haakon lounging around his deceased father’s steading, pondering whether to launch a pre-emptive strike on Ivar Egbertsson who has designs on his lands and his lady. Politics and perception stays Haakon’s hand, but he’s forced to take action when Ivar’s men steal his beloved Rosamund.

Haakon could almost be classified as sword-and-sorcery, with its action-oriented central hero, gritty historical setting, and light touches of magic, which possess a bit of the weird unpredictability that makes for good S&S fiction. But the feel isn’t quite right to me. I’d place it in the category of historical fantasy. Haakon the Good was a historical figure and served as king of Norway circa 920-961, but nothing in the first book bears any resemblance to the events of his life.

Spoiler alert: Haakon culminates with the rescue of Haakon’s beloved Rosamund following a pitched final battle and the promise of more adventure in Book 2: The Viking’s Revenge. I may read it yet, sucker as I am this kind of fiction. But overall Haakon: The Golden Ax is sadly well outside the rarefied air occupied by the likes of The Broken Sword, Hrolf Kraki’s Saga, and Eric Brighteyes. 

Perhaps worth a read if you enjoy the Northern Thing.

Paying tribute: The Priest and AD/HD

Some day in the not too-distant future my favorite heavy metal bands will be retired, the big concert halls silent, and only memories remaining of the glory days of Iron Maiden, Megadeth, and their ilk. And I will be reduced to watching tribute bands.

Frankly, I’m very much OK with this, if they are anything like the caliber of The Priest and AD/HD.

I would be happy until the end of my rocking days watching good tribute bands perform. I don’t feel any need, whatsoever, to seek out new music. That’s not to say there are no new good bands on the scene. Far from that. Nor do I actively dismiss new music. I have had a few finds over the years that I find enjoyable.

But the fact of the matter is, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, KISS, AC/DC (and throw in Rush for good measure), have massive and varied catalogs of studio and live albums that are more than enough for my limited listening time. I don’t feel the need to seek out new bands. And now, if I want the experience of listening to live music—and there is nothing like live music—I have the tributes.

This past Saturday I got the opportunity to check out two tributes playing locally. I live some 20-odd minutes from the venue, Uncle Eddie’s in Salisbury MA. It was an absolutely beautiful summer evening. I pulled out of my driveway, alone, around 8 p.m., rolled the windows down, and started blasting Unleashed in the East. Route 110 in Amesbury passed too quickly as I drove the two-lane blacktop, wishing I was on Desert Plains to some far-flung destination. I wish that drive was long enough to get me through the album, and a few other discs besides. It was a divine experience. 

Ahead was the knowledge I’d be meeting up with an old friend of mine and his wife, for some conversation and cold beers. And then a full evening—three-plus hours—of some of the best hard rock and heavy metal ever written. Yes, played not by the original artists, but by bands of talented performers who dedicated countless hours to perfecting their craft, and paying homage to a pair of rock and metal greats.

Uncle Eddies is right on the beach, and you can hear the waves of the Atlantic rolling up the sands outside the club. It’s not much to look at inside, with a stained drop ceiling and restrooms with broken mirrors and ill-cleaned graffiti, and a low stage in the back. But it’s got a charm of its own, and the owner works hard to give local music and heavy metal in particular a voice. It’s a hard-working, blue-collar venue.

I paid more to park ($10) then the cover to get in ($5). I would have gladly paid five times that over. The lights of Salisbury beach pizza joints and arcades made for a fun walk to the club. Uncle Eddies was as packed as I’ve ever seen it. Judas Priest, AC/DC, and other various metal T-shirts were ubiquitous (dude with the Kreator T--nice work. This one’s for you). The beer was flowing. Life was great.

As for the show, my words can’t do it justice. The level of musicianship was incredible. Both lead singers were excellent, in particular Ron Finn of The Priest, who not only is Rob Halford reincarnated, but can pull off a very credible David Coverdale, among others. The Priest crushed hits like The Ripper, Beyond the Realms of Death, Devil’s Child, and Victim of Changes. AD/HD was a crowd favorite and packed the dance floor. I was so pumped to hear If You Want Blood (You Got It) and Have a Drink on Me, both in my top 5.

I took a lot of clips with my crappy cell phone, but they don’t do these bands justice. For a better idea of how good these guys are, here’s The Priest playing Devil's Child.

The two Brians.

Afterwards I thanked as many members of each band as I could. I praised The Priest’s Bryan

Shepherd for owning the guitar solo of Beyond the Realms of Death. I hugged Ron Finn and his wife. And I told the hyper-talented AD/HD guitarist “Angus Young” that he was performing an amazing service, keeping alive a breed of rock that is slowly becoming a relic of the past.

And I meant it.

Priest, AD/HD, KISS Forever, and legions of others playing small clubs across the USA and in parts unknown—this post is your tribute. Keep rocking, brothers in metal.

Check out The Priest on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thepriestnh/

Here’s AD/HD’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ADHDNE/. Worth a visit and a like, too.

Revival

It’s official, The Silver Key is coming out of retirement. “Rising from Ruins,” to quote the great Judas Priest.

So where have I been the last six years?

Still reading, still writing. Still thinking about sword-and-sorcery. Still enjoying heavy metal. In short, still living the dream.

There were a few reasons why I stopped writing this blog. I was burning the proverbial candle on both ends, with too many competing responsibilities. Maintaining the blog started to feel like a chore. Along with every other adult on the planet I have many obligations, mainly related to a full-time job, my home, and other responsibilities. Writing for a personal, unpaid, bit of electronic real estate of ruminations on fantasy books and music should not become weekly content churning. It started to feel that way toward the end.

I have not vanished from writing. Former Cimmerian site editor Deuce Richardson had managed to rope me into a few posts over at DMR Blog (publisher of the awesome Swords of Steel, among other sword-and-sorcery related fiction). Here’s a link to one of them here. I wrote a review for Skelos.

But principally I have been working on a book-length non-fiction project, one that has consumed most of my free writing time over the last 4-5 years. The principal writing is complete and I hope to have it published. I will explain in some upcoming posts.

If you enjoyed the material I posted here from roughly 2007-2013, I plan to bring more of the same. It may be weeks or longer in between posts. But I do feel the urge to do some writing again, and this will be the space. Although I’m on Facebook that’s not an option for my ramblings. Too many cat pics and kids’ sporting activities to compete with. I debated blowing this blog up and starting fresh somewhere else, but I think some of my old posts are OK reading. So I’m dusting off the older Blogger site and opening up shop a second time.

I hope this is not a false start. I don’t intend it to be.

Rising from Ruins