International Insanity: Fall 2006 edition

#41
Friday September 22 2006

The Illuminati
3 Inches of Blood
A Javelin Reign
Lee's Palace, Toronto Ontario

#42
Saturday September 23 2006
3 Inches of Blood
The Illuminati
The Underground, Hamilton Ontario

Starting miles: 29666 (really)
Ending miles: 30910
Best gas mileage achieve: ~39 miles per gallon

Yes, this was crazy. But, it was my 29th birthday so I obviously had to do something crazy. I left DC about 10am and got to Toronto about 10pm (I stopped a couple times). I was able to borrow my friend's GPS so it was pretty easy to get to the club, even though it was dark and rainy. I parked in a lot near the club and lucked out that someone had left their $5 parking receipt in the machine (I only had $20's). I did make it inside in time to catch part of A Javelin Reign's set. At this point I don't really know how to describe them - go check out their myspace page or something. The 3IoB boys remembered me and all wished me a happy birthday before and after their set. It was awesome. Nick got a nosebleed halfway through - too metal to stop, he played the rest of the set with a paper-towel in his nose. They played a couple new songs that I hadn't heard before - 'Assassins of the Light' and 'Black Spire' - and my new favorites 'Night Marauders' and 'Goatrider's Hoarde'. Oh, and Cam doesn't like to play 'Balls of Ice' anymore because it was 'a song they wrote in 10 minutes' and they have better songs now. AND Brian did get married off (Congratulations!) and is just working now. The Illuminati I had not previously heard (of) but I really enjoyed them. Toronto natives, some of their instrumental stuff really reminds me of Verbal. They were quite rockin. One thing that was nice about clubs in Ontario is that there's no smoking inside. Friday night people were kinda testy though - a couple of dudes in the front got into some kind of argument over a beer bottle and there were some really really drunk people who ran into me numerous times because they could barely stand. There was also a guy with a pierced back-of-the-neck...

Saturday I went to bed about 7am after checking into a hotel right on Lake Ontario. I slept for a few hours and then drove around Ontario's wine country (I don't drink wine, but it was still fun) and looked at antiques and smelled grapes and stuff. Then I took a 3 hour nap and headed over to Canada's answer to Pittsburgh - Hamilton. I actually liked the club in Hamilton better than the one in Toronto. The sound was a little better and the stage a lot lower. There was also actual moshing, which was very refreshing. [pits in Baltimore always turn into hardcore dancing showcases, regardless of the genre of the show] I missed A Javelin Reign because I slept too long but this time 3 Inches of Blood headlined the show. The set was basically the same as Friday night. One thing that really struck me on Saturday was just how much Alexei adds to their sound. The new songs they wrote have super-heavy and complicated drum parts and even some cowbell, which is not to be missed. So, in addition to adding some essential inks (neck tattoos) Alexei adds a depth of sound not present in their older songs. [ooh, a musical review for a change] I wanted to hang out longer, but had plans at 5pm in MD on Sunday, so I had to get up early and drive back.

Sunday - Medieval Times is fun!
Monday - my friend made me an awesome Bear vs Shark necklace for my birthday - yay!