Yesterday, a sinister force rolled into the 'Burgh. As people slept quietly in their homes, music fans from across the city came to witness a true metal phenomenon. And that man's name is Phil Anselmo. As he stalked the stage and screamed his lungs out, we all watched just to see what he would do, or say, next. In interviews that I have read, the man comes across as distant, but bluntly honest. On stage, though, he retains that honesty but is also able to connect with the audience in such a way that we can't help but like the guy. Equal parts charisma and aggression, he remains metal's top frontman. The music wasn't bad, either. A throwback to the classic era of metal (ie 80's thrash/whatever), "Use Once and Destroy" has quite a few moments. Of all the songs they played, the most appealing in terms of vocals had to be Ozena. "cuz it feels gooooood/just like the way it should" sounds just as good live as it does on my cd player. Other favourites of mine that they played were Stupid, Stupid Man and Everyon hates Everyone. The band, which includes Hank Williams III (!!) on bass was tight, and backed up the man with full force. All in all, a great chow.

Before SJ came on, there were two stellar opening bands. First off was Speeddealer, an in your face riff based southern metal (in my opinion) band. They openend up with a Pink Floyd intro, which is cool in my book. Next was one of the best new bands around, Skinlab. Having put out excellent albums like "Disembody the New Flesh", I was waiting for the new album, "The Revolting Room" with a lot of anticipation. And I have to say, it ain't bad at all. The best track, "Slave the Way" led the way into a killer, tight set that included classics and soon to be classics like "Purify" and "Know Your Enemy". Steev Esquival is another charismatic frontman who handles the crowd with ease and can sing with the best of them. All in all, a great show and a great pairing of bands.