I have to talk about this band

Okay so there's this tour going on rn, the Decibel Magazine Tour with Mayhem headlining.

Anyway I clearly came to see Mayhem, they've been touring 45 years for fock sake if I didn't seize the opportunity who's to say I will again? Plus, the ticket was $23 for 10 hours of heavy music, of course I'm going. 

Anyhow the event starts at 1pm, and for 4 1/2 hours it was local bands outdoors while the bands on the flyers set up. Shoutout to Chronepis out of New Jersey, they were unreal. I meet some cool people, we chop it up, eventually everybody goes inside for the main event. Merch stands are up, nobody on stage. 

A huge line forms at the Mayhem stand so I decide it's not worth the wait when I have a perfectly good Mayhem hoodie at home, I'm not even a Mayhem fan like that. I just appreciate that their sound is like the prototype of what black metal would become, and the band's artistic integrity over the years. I ventured over to a stand for the opening band, a deathrock group from Cali called New Skeletal Faces. 

I hadn't listened to their music yet as I wanted any bands I wasn't familiar with to be a surprise. I saw they had a small bone white vinyl EP for $10. I thought "10 bucks for a physical copy of an EP that I'll have good memories tied to? sign me up." and bought it. I figured, worst case scenario the album art serves as room decor. its ten bucks who cares yknow? 

I found a spot in the crowd as the lights shifted and vaguely glam rocker esque silhouettes appeared on stage. These guys looked like goth motley crue. That caught my eye immediately, when the lights came on and the music started I was immediately mesmerized. It was perfect, the sound was exactly what I had been searching for in every playlist. It was the vibe I could never put my finger on.

At the end of the night I was still absolutely in awe from their performance, I made my way back to their merch stand to get a shirt. While I was in line a guy who played with the band (I tried to look him up, but he's not listed anywhere as a member or in any photos of the band, it was loud but I think he said his name was Shaggy but don't quote me on that) asked me if I wanted my EP signed. I said sure, and they all signed it. While I was deciding on a shirt Don asked me which Tshirt design I preferred and I picked the one he did not create (sorry!! your designs were sick too!). The merch dude also gave me a pin for free that went straight onto my battle jacket and a sticker that I gave my coworker who couldn't see the show. Overall, they were phenomenal and I left with a new favorite band. 

Also somebody broke their leg during Mayhem's set and I'm not sure what animal the bones they brought on stage were from but they were pretty big. Everyone who played killed it. 

Anyhow here's my personal favorite by NSF:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzctciYmEoA&list=OLAK5uy_nV8atMb-fJkEl-NGZ5dzCpGVUI5KWwyKo&index=1

And here's a recording of how they opened from the show this happened at so you can imagine being there in the crowd hearing it for the first time("shaggy" is on viewer right hand side of the stage): 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fm3WObrZug

CAN WE PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO APPRECIATE THAT THE LEAD SINGER IS ALSO PLAYING A GUITAR??? I sing in a band, and I have so much respect for people who can do that. So much talent.