Idolatry
San Antonio, Texas played host to the third annual Housecore Horror Film Festival this year. The bill for this event was full of talented bands and I was filled with excitement when I found out I would get to cover the festival. The film screenings took place at the Holiday Inn located on the famous San Antonio Riverwalk. The two venues selected for the music side of the festival were the Aztec Theater as the main stage, and The Korova as the second. The Aztec is architecturally appealing and the sound and lighting system is phenomenal. The floor space is tiered so there’s no need to worry about someone’s head being in your way. There is also balcony seating where you can get a birds eye view of the entire stage. The Korova is a fairly good sized club with a nice sized patio area to go and catch your breath. The staff is very friendly, which makes for an enjoyable time.
I arrived on Thursday night for the kick-off party at The Korova, the anticipation and adrenaline were coursing through my veins. I checked in, got my credentials, walked in and there was a band by the name of Protest on stage. I hadn’t had a chance to see them before, but the day prior to the show I became aware that an old friend of mine that I had not seen in sometime was playing drums for them. Their set was the perfect thing to walk into to begin this horror and metal filled weekend. It had the same feeling as that old Maxell cassette tape commercial where the guy is sitting in his chair and the sound is blowing his hair straight back. Only I have no hair, so there was nothing preventing me from pushing straight to the front of the stage. The rest of the line-up included such bands as The Black Moriah, Black Breath, and Idolatry, all of whom completely destroyed the audience. I regret not getting there in time to catch Aggravator’s performance. I remember telling myself at the end of the night, “Now this is how you kick-off a festival of this magnitude!”
On Friday the 13th I headed straight for the Aztec because the line-up was unbelievable. It consisted of Warbeast, EyeHateGod, Superjoint, Exodus and King Diamond. Warbeast started things off with their bone crushing, thrash style, that anyone who’s heard them can identify it in a heartbeat. Joey Gonzalez is a demon behind the kit, Bruce Corbitt is a psycho on the mic, and Scott Shelby is a beast on lead guitar. This was the first time seeing them perform with Lyric Ferchaud on bass and Drew Shoup on rhythm guitar, and considering the shoes these young men were filling, they utterly slayed.
I arrived on Thursday night for the kick-off party at The Korova, the anticipation and adrenaline were coursing through my veins. I checked in, got my credentials, walked in and there was a band by the name of Protest on stage. I hadn’t had a chance to see them before, but the day prior to the show I became aware that an old friend of mine that I had not seen in sometime was playing drums for them. Their set was the perfect thing to walk into to begin this horror and metal filled weekend. It had the same feeling as that old Maxell cassette tape commercial where the guy is sitting in his chair and the sound is blowing his hair straight back. Only I have no hair, so there was nothing preventing me from pushing straight to the front of the stage. The rest of the line-up included such bands as The Black Moriah, Black Breath, and Idolatry, all of whom completely destroyed the audience. I regret not getting there in time to catch Aggravator’s performance. I remember telling myself at the end of the night, “Now this is how you kick-off a festival of this magnitude!”
On Friday the 13th I headed straight for the Aztec because the line-up was unbelievable. It consisted of Warbeast, EyeHateGod, Superjoint, Exodus and King Diamond. Warbeast started things off with their bone crushing, thrash style, that anyone who’s heard them can identify it in a heartbeat. Joey Gonzalez is a demon behind the kit, Bruce Corbitt is a psycho on the mic, and Scott Shelby is a beast on lead guitar. This was the first time seeing them perform with Lyric Ferchaud on bass and Drew Shoup on rhythm guitar, and considering the shoes these young men were filling, they utterly slayed.
Up next was EyeHateGod who astonished me as usual, from the ferocity with which Arron Hill pounds his drums, to the sometimes sludgy, sometimes punk influenced chords, that are perfectly mixed with a symphony of feedback produced by Jimmy Bower, Brian Patton and Gary Mader. Then you add Mike IX Williams’ vocals to it and you have just the right balance to get some aggression out of your system. Exodus followed EHG and put on a thrash metal clinic.
When Superjoint took the stage the crowd erupted. At about three songs or so in, Phil pulled all of the photographers out of the press pit and onto the stage for a different point of view. That was one of the coolest things I had ever seen and I was a little jealous, but happy for them none-the-less. It was at this point that I recalled something Bobby Landgraf once told me in an interview, “Phillip will take you right into his hand and holler at you, and throw you right back out into the audience.” This was an example of just that. The set included some Superjoint classics such as “Ozena”, “Oblivious Maximus”, “The Alcholik” and even featured Dave Hill on guitar for “Fuck Your Enemy”. You could tell that all the guys were having just as much fun as the crowd was.
King Diamond
The night was wrapped up by King Diamond and he left me totally mesmerized by his theatrics, stage set up, and his voice. This was most definitely a night to remember.
Saturday I woke up around one and was feeling the effects of the night before. I was still in awe but also in a little pain. I had a couple of interviews to do that day and heading for the 7th floor of the Holiday Inn. There were movie screenings, signings, and a cast of guest celebrities. Among those were; the world renowned tattoo artist Paul Booth, comedian/musician Dave Hill, Anya Cornin from Dead of Night, Bill Moseley from a slew of horror classics like Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and Army of Darkness. There was also the one and only Sleazy P. Martini, GWAR’s manager just to name a few. Sleazy P. and I talked about cameras and whatnot while I was waiting for my interview and he was one hell of a nice guy. With my interview over I realized that I hadn’t eaten in twenty-three hours so decided to take a stroll down the Riverwalk to grab a bite to eat before my interview with Warbeast at 5:15.
Saturday I woke up around one and was feeling the effects of the night before. I was still in awe but also in a little pain. I had a couple of interviews to do that day and heading for the 7th floor of the Holiday Inn. There were movie screenings, signings, and a cast of guest celebrities. Among those were; the world renowned tattoo artist Paul Booth, comedian/musician Dave Hill, Anya Cornin from Dead of Night, Bill Moseley from a slew of horror classics like Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and Army of Darkness. There was also the one and only Sleazy P. Martini, GWAR’s manager just to name a few. Sleazy P. and I talked about cameras and whatnot while I was waiting for my interview and he was one hell of a nice guy. With my interview over I realized that I hadn’t eaten in twenty-three hours so decided to take a stroll down the Riverwalk to grab a bite to eat before my interview with Warbeast at 5:15.
Once the interviews were wrapped and I got the footage uploaded at my editor’s place, it was time to get back to the Aztec for Crowbar and a little bit of Corrosion of Conformity. I decided to leave my gear behind for these two sets, and just enjoy the show, and enjoy I did. After Crowbar and about 20 minutes of C.O.C’s set, I had to hightail it back to the Korova to catch Thor, Fang, and Disfigured.
Photo courtesy of Metal Mina
Thor, I would have to say was one of the most entertaining shows of the whole event. This line-up of the group featured Jon M. Thor on vocals, Dave Hill on guitar, Scott Shelby of Warbeast on bass, and Joey Gonzalez and Jimmy Bower taking turns hammering the drums. There were numerous costume changes for Jon, and
Dave wound up getting caught with his pants down, as in Phillip H. Anselmo pulled Dave’s pants down! He then proceeded to tie an apron around him as a loin cloth effect.
Did it affect Dave’s guitar work? Hell no it didn’t, he just kept on shredding!
Thor, I would have to say was one of the most entertaining shows of the whole event. This line-up of the group featured Jon M. Thor on vocals, Dave Hill on guitar, Scott Shelby of Warbeast on bass, and Joey Gonzalez and Jimmy Bower taking turns hammering the drums. There were numerous costume changes for Jon, and
Dave wound up getting caught with his pants down, as in Phillip H. Anselmo pulled Dave’s pants down! He then proceeded to tie an apron around him as a loin cloth effect.
Did it affect Dave’s guitar work? Hell no it didn’t, he just kept on shredding!
Fang was another band I was itching to see. They’re a hardcore punk group from California and the energy they put out was intense to say the least. They were balls to the walls from start to finish, and very talented players. The night was closed out by Disfigured. They are a brutal death metal band that will knock you back a few feet if you aren’t prepared for what comes out of their instruments. I’ve seen these guys on quite a few occasions as they’re from my hometown of San Marcos, Texas. Mike DeLeon’s guitar work is powerful and skillful. Disfigured is a very well put together group with a super heavy, groove based sound. Haven’t seen them? Well next time they’re out and about, make sure you do so because they never disappoint!
On Sunday I woke up with some pretty agonizing back pain from carrying fifty pounds of gear for almost seventy-two hours. I decided I needed to take it easy. I hadn’t really had a chance to hang out with my buddy Luis the whole time I was in San Antonio, and he was kind enough to let me have the spare room at his house for the weekend. So, we got to kick back and watch some football and catch up. I only wound up going to one set that night before heading home, the set of choice was Honky. Honky is a band based out of Austin, Texas and they always put on a brilliant show. The players in this group of guys are J.D. Pinkus (Butthole Surfers/Melvins) on bass, Bobby Landgraf (Down) on guitar, and mister Trinidad Leal on drums. Their music in my view would best be described as southern rock on speed, they call it Superboogie. They have some definite heaviness to them, but it’s different from the heaviness of metal. It was a nice change and a very good way for me to end my experience at the Housecore Horror Film Festival III.
My all-embracing view of this event is just that, all-embracing! It had an enormous spirit of comradery, it was good to see old friends and make new ones. We were all bound by our love for music and horror. The only key to this puzzle that was missing was Cory Mitchell who passed away at the end of last year’s event. He and Phillip have created an event like no other. Rest in peace Corey, you’ve done well, your legacy and spirt will carry on.
On Sunday I woke up with some pretty agonizing back pain from carrying fifty pounds of gear for almost seventy-two hours. I decided I needed to take it easy. I hadn’t really had a chance to hang out with my buddy Luis the whole time I was in San Antonio, and he was kind enough to let me have the spare room at his house for the weekend. So, we got to kick back and watch some football and catch up. I only wound up going to one set that night before heading home, the set of choice was Honky. Honky is a band based out of Austin, Texas and they always put on a brilliant show. The players in this group of guys are J.D. Pinkus (Butthole Surfers/Melvins) on bass, Bobby Landgraf (Down) on guitar, and mister Trinidad Leal on drums. Their music in my view would best be described as southern rock on speed, they call it Superboogie. They have some definite heaviness to them, but it’s different from the heaviness of metal. It was a nice change and a very good way for me to end my experience at the Housecore Horror Film Festival III.
My all-embracing view of this event is just that, all-embracing! It had an enormous spirit of comradery, it was good to see old friends and make new ones. We were all bound by our love for music and horror. The only key to this puzzle that was missing was Cory Mitchell who passed away at the end of last year’s event. He and Phillip have created an event like no other. Rest in peace Corey, you’ve done well, your legacy and spirt will carry on.