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“Here comes the pain…” could very well be the unofficial subtitle to this incredible retelling of events in New York in 2005 that for anyone who was not in attendance remains part of Metal folklore. It is hard not to feel the bittersweet pang of pain and loss when you hear one stellar performance after the other by the much-missed pair of Joey Jordison and Paul Gray. The utterly mindblowing version of Slipknot’s ‘(sic)’ features both Jordison and Gray sans masks alongside Corey Taylor who – thanks to some stellar behind-the-scenes footage – had to be persuaded by Anthrax’s Scott Ian to perform the song…” I was like, I don’t really want to…I don’t want to fucking sing my own song…that sucks”. Thankfully, Mr. Taylor relented and performed what can only be described as an example of someone expelling all their inner demons live there on stage, alongside two musicians whose deaths still hurt. And now, this milestone performance is available as part of the fabled ‘Roadrunner United: The Concert (Live At The Nokia Theatre, New York, NY, 12/15/2005)’ multi-media release from Roadrunner Records – which includes a stunning triple -vinyl available for the first time.
Brief history lesson for anyone in need of a refresher: Roadrunner United was a project organised by iconic hard rock record label Roadrunner Records to celebrate its 25th anniversary, and the end result was ‘The All-Star Sessions’ CD which many might still have a cracked jewel-case version lurking somewhere in a pile of long-forgotten discs. For metalheads, the CD was like the ‘Frampton Comes Alive’ vinyl back in the ’70s; as every home had a copy. It was a mandatory purchase. Four “team captains” (Slipknot’s Joey Jordison, Machine Head’s Robb Flynn, Fear Factory’s Dino Cazares, and Trivium’s Matthew K. Heafy) were chosen to lead 57 artists from 45 past and present Roadrunner bands and produce original material to celebrate the milestone that Roadrunner Records had landed on. What is amazing about all this is that Heafy was only 19 at the time, and even more amazingly, if you compare footage from the gig in 2005 with Trivium footage from the current day, he has not aged a bit. He is the Paul Rudd of Metal. A live celebration was always going to happen, and with a core band of the aforementioned trio of Cazares, Paul Gray, and Joey Jordison, along with Adam Duce (Machine Head), Andreas Kisser (Sepultura), and Roy Mayorga (Hellyeah, Stone Sour) performing alongside so many well-known names in Metal, this was a one-off that had to be seen to be believed. Kind of like the remaining members of Queen performing with various acts at the Freddie Mercury tribute gig in 1992, and more recently; Foo Fighters being the backing band for one legend after another at the Taylor Hawkins tribute gigs…but gnarlier.
The original ‘The All-Star Sessions’ CD is available again for a limited time, but it’s the live album that is going to persuade metalheads around the world to depart with their hard-earned cash – the triple vinyl set is particularly lush. 25 tracks of relentless, full-on fury that stands the test of time 18 years on, and very apt that the New York set begins with the ensemble tearing through a furious version of the Biohazard classic ‘Punishment’ – complete with Brooklyn’s finest sons Evan Seinfeld and Billy Graziadei lending their inimitable style to proceedings…but as masterful as the hardcore pioneers are, it’s the pummeling drum work from Jordison that lingers on the most. Ditto the quick follow-on of Madball’s ‘Set It Off’ which features Jamey Jasta on vocals and continually rams home the fact of how much of a loss Jordison is. An early shout for the standout out moment of the opening stages is a killer version of Life Of Agony’s ‘River Runs Red’ which features Mina Caputo, Scott Ian, and Paul Gray alongside the core members of Roadrunner United, the lead work from Andreas Kisser is tasty, very, very tasty. Another highlight would be the ear-piercing vocals of Tim “Ripper” Owens on a gonzo rendition of King Diamond’s ‘Abigail’ which features his maniacal Joker-like high-pitched vocals to great effect, and raises the question of “Why is Tim “Ripper” Owens totally underrated?”. Roy Mayorga of Stone Stour puts in one almighty shift behind the kit on this one.
It’s often easy to forget how long Trivium has been slaying audiences, and the youthful, fresh-faced lot that unleashes hell on ‘Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr’ – along with Robb Flynn on co-vocals – could not have imagined that decades later they would still be delivering albums of such high quality as ‘What the Dead Men Say’ and ‘In the Court of the Dragon’. If you could bottle the sheer enthusiasm and piss and vinegar from Heafy, Corey Beaulieu, and Paolo Gregoletto then there wouldn’t be an energy crisis today. A performance to make the neck hairs stand on end, even 18 years on. The Barry White of Love Metal, Ville Vallo, is currently sending thousands of H.I.M. fans into raptures with his long-awaited VV tour, and he pops up here with a throaty version of the Type O Negative classic ‘Black No. 1’, and while he doesn’t quite hit those low, rumbling notes of the much-missed Peter Steele, it is great fun. It’s raw, loose, and right-here-right-now – the way that live music should be. Of the featured original material, ‘The Dagger’ is the one that sticks out the most. Penned by Robb Flynn, it crushes. Fucking crushes. Co-vocals between Flynn, and Howard Jones of – at the time- Killswitch Engage, are frightening and throw in the dazzling lead work of Annihilator’s Jeff Waters and it is pretty much perfect. Sepultura’s ‘Refuse/Resist’ featuring Robb Flynn, Phil Demmel, and Adam Duce is worth the price of admission alone, and it’s fair to assume that Scott Ian must have found the fountain of youth because he has not slowed down at all on stage. After the insanity of Slipknot’s ‘Surfacing’ and ‘(sic)’, and Machine Head’s ‘Davidian’, the evening ends with a romp through Sepultura’s ‘Roots Bloody Roots’ which features some words from Joey Jordison and if you can watch/listen to this without getting something in your eye – especially when Jordison and Paul Gray launch into the opening grooves of Black Sabbath’s ‘Children of the Grave’ – then you my friend have a cold, black heart.
History in the making, and performances that, decades later, will still make you want to break shit. RIP Joey Jordison and Paul Gray.
Purchase information, here.
Review – Dave
