Getting the Most Out of Your Metal: a Louisville Case Study

This past Sunday I woke with a touch of hangover and a sharp ache in my neck. Going out on a limb, I'll assume that many of you have an intimate familiarity with these symptoms. Either I got drunk and fell asleep awkwardly on my couch, or I got drunk at a particularly kickin' metal show. Considering I also had a fading ring in my ears, it was obviously the latter. The ringing was the remains of the previous night's din. The event was Nile and by-god Immolation at Headliners Music Hall in Louisville, Kentucky. But this isn't a live review. This is a quick lesson in how I got the most out of my evening of death metal.

One essential element was the crew (friends, not the sweaty guys wearing laminates), which consisted of myself, a couple of the Cincinnati boys, our very own Matt Mooring (Eminor to you forumites), and two friends from the Bloomington area. There is just something extra special about a gathering that includes friends from all around, and also something about the timeless heavy metal road trip. The latter always includes lots of "Dude, you gotta hear this shit!" This particular drive down I-71 nearly resulted in my friend Jon soiling the driver's seat at the sound of the new Overkill.

Another element is to pick the ideal venue for the pre-game. My usual concert hot spot is Bogart's in Cincy, making nearby Steelers-backers bar Martino's the default pre-gamer. Both are ok, but when I head to Louisville for a show, it's GAME FUCKING ON. First, no Steelers fans. Second, a selection of a few hundred beers courtesy of the New Albanian Brewing Company in New Albany, Indiana just across the river. Third, the best pizza on this planet Earth. I really don't mind enjoying some signature Upside Down Pizza, an NABC smoked ale, and a Founder's Red Rye while missing obnoxious openers like Rose Funeral.

Another experience enhancement came from Headliners, a club with a great setup and consistently good sound mix. Love the elevated bar in the back, the shallow depth of the club, and the strangely courtious staff (a rarity when metalheads are involved). And holeeeeee shit was our timing right in arriving late. As we walked in, Dreaming Dead were taking the stage, who were followed by Brazil's Krisiun, New York's Immolation (who owned the night for me... most likely something to do with my buzz reaching a perfect balance about the time they played "Father, You're Not a Father"), and of course the incomparable Nile. I think I just love death metal. And drunken me likes it even more.

Like I said, this wasn't a live review, just a quick write-up of how I got the most of my most recent concert experience. Make an event of it: muster the crew, grab a bite, get a little buzz on, and headbang like its 1989.

-ZD

Note #1: no vegetarians or straight-edgers were harmed in the writing of this editorial.

Note #2: Rose Funeral, fuck off. If you are so hard up for traveling funds that you have to walk around the crowd trying to sell merch, don't get so drunk at the show and be shits to all of the fans while the good bands are playing. Hipster assholes.