Written by Zoth Ommog

The freezing temperature and ice-cold cold winds Thursday night could not keep this head-banger from going to B. B. King Blues Club & Grill in New York City. The notorious Times Square venue hosted a trio of metal bands which heated up The Big Apple with their hellish lyrics and aggressive music.

On the B. B. King’s stage was Rotting Christ who came all the way from Greece, Mantic Ritual hailing from Pennsylvania, and Minnesota’s metal masters Epicurean. All three forces converged onto one stage in New York City to show us how diverse metal can be. Although the club was not as packed as it usually is (probably due to the extreme cold), those who braved the elements and did attend got to witness 3 bands that put on one hell of a great show.

Up first was Epicurean. They came out with all guns blazing, ripping through the meatiest tracks from their “A Consequence of Destiny” CD. Full of energy, and taking no prisoners, Epicurean showed the crowd exactly what melodic death metal from Minneapolis is all about.

Vocalist John Laramy’s harsh screams with melodic choruses cut through the crowd like razors through warm flesh. John Gensmer’s drumming kept the pace of the music fast and furious, while bassist Eli Pete and guitarist Jarod Mills laid down a solid rhythm section for featured soloist Brian Koenig (of the band Luna Mortis) to do his thing.

Epicurean’s keyboardist Jared Schneider was not on the stage but could be heard coming through the sound system. My guess is that he was working his magic from somewhere behind the stage. Regardless of where all the band members were, their music came together perfectly and stirred the New York crowd into a welcomed frenzy.

Next to hit the stage was Mantic Ritual. Their chosen musical style is classic 80s thrash, and they personified the very essence of said genre to the fullest. I’d like to compare their vintage sound to early Metallica or Megadeth. Super fast guitar riffing, non-stop straight ahead drumming, and vicious vocals all came together in perfect unison to deliver a sonic punch to the faces of all those who think thrash is dead. Mantic Ritual is leading the resurgence of the thrash genre and I personally am glad to see that this kind of music is making a huge come back.

Lastly, but certainly not least, were the Greek gods of black metal, Rotting Christ. Opening up with a dramatic orchestration pumping through the club’s sound system, Rotting Christ took the crowd at B. B. King straight into the pits of hell with their infernal music. Blast beats, heavy detuned guitars, shredding guitar solos, and blasphemous lyrics, accompanied samples of chanting and eerie orchestrations, Rotting Christ kept the audience entranced with their wonderfully wicked music.

Returning for an encore, the band closed off this night of furious metal with fist pumping, crowd chanting, mosh pit mayhem. Although the concert seemed to end relatively early for a metal show, I was completely satisfied by what I had witnessed at the legendary B. B. King club.