SLAY AT HOME
In this very uncertain time, the music industry has been affected in more ways than one. From tours being canceled, to venues shutting down, everyone from musicians, crew, managers, press, ect have been facing obstacles like no other. While we eagerly wait for this nightmare to end, many people in the community had to figure out ways to adapt to this pandemic. No matter what band you are in and where you are from, this hell did not discriminate on who was affected. Like many times before, people in the metal community had to hold their own and figure out a way to jump this hurtle. If there is anyone who can triumph from tragedy and figure out ways to make this darkness our armor instead of our anchor, it is the metal community.
Metal Injection, as we have stated many times before, have always had creative and innovative ways of exposing metalheads to new music, discussing the art with many musicians we know and love, and helping bands in many ways. Frank has created an outlet that goes beyond what we would normally expect from a music journalism site. With everyone in the confines of their homes, many musicians were eager and itching to play, and many fans were eager and itching to witness this beautiful art. With the drive and creativity of Metal Injection, we got an online virtual festival.
Now there is no denying that nothing can beat the experience of going to a venue whether it is a DIY place like St Vitus or a stadium like Madison Square Garden and witnessing the power of this music before our eyes, but with live shows out of the question, many of these streamed performances is the best we can experience under the circumstances. Metal Injection took many of these streams and combined them into one big virtual festival, calling it The Slay At Home Fest. This online event was completely free and accessible to the public on Metal Injection’s Youtube channel. All donations and proceeds from this event went to two great organizations, Music Cares, and Global Giving. We all got to forget what is happening on the outside world and immerse ourselves in a virtual realm of everything we know and love from the scene. From awesome performances of original material, great cover performances to great appearances from figures in the community, this was the perfect festival to hold us over. Everyone in the community from all over the world united to give us great video performances from their homes, hence the term, Slay at Home.
Day 1 featured awesome performances of a diverse group of bands. We had members of Zeal and Ardor, Silvertomb, Employed to Serve, War on Women and more. Covering classics from bands such as System of a Down, Deftones and Van Halen.
Many of these cover performances were so fun to watch. While all these musicians were apart physically, their playing with each other made it very close to playing in a room or on a stage together. Of course we cannot forget some of the great performances of original music. We get the awesome live steam performance of New York’s newest supergroup, Silvertomb, featuring members of Type O Negative, Inhuman, and more, giving us killer material from their newest album, Edge of Existence. We also had one of Australia’s finest prog acts, TesseracT come on and deliver serenading melodies that deliver emotion and atmosphere. Crowd killing was definitely incited in people’s living rooms when dethcore masters such as Suicide Silence kicked in. We get the classic intro of You Only Live Once and those riffs hit us right through the computer screen.
One performance that was also beautiful to watch was Spylacopa, featuring Johnny and Mike of Candiria, Frank from Metal Injection and Julie Christmas. Their debut performance was originally supposed to take place at St Vitus 5/1, but this time, we get thousands of viewers witnessing their debut performance of pure serenading darkness. In addition, we also get another phenomenal acoustic performance from the newest industrial gem, Contracult Collective.
With Nick hitting hard with the acoustic notes, Travis delivers mesmerizing and chilling vocals with an interesting presentation on his end of the stream with a great use of darkness and imagery, representing this intolerable confinement we are all dealing with. Spotlights also delivers a great acoustic performance, starting off with just Sarah and Mario bringing a beautiful Shoegaze like performance, and then having their drummer Chris Enriquez joining in halfway through bringing more oomph with the rhythm section. We also get a debut commissioned track featuring Dave Davidson, Elliot Hoffman, Liam Wilson and Luc Lemay in their crushing new death/doom track Pallid Veil. Add a chilling and dark performance of AA Williams with a noir like piano and her haunting and beautiful voice guiding us as we further experience this intense festival, you have a diverse and intriguing virtual experience.
This is just a few of the amazing performances we were able to experience in day one at Slay at Home. In just three and a half hours, we got tons of great musical performances of all different styles. We also get to dive into the visual aesthetics of metal with artists such as Vincent Castiglia, Photographer Kevin Wilson and Mario of Gojira.
With public service announcements showing us how we can support the community from Jose Mangin, Jamey Jasta, Chris Santos, Chef Brian Tsao and Jessica Pimentel, the first day brought us joy, unity and release. Spirits were set high, horns were raised and we were ready for day two.
Like any festival, we were looking forward to Day 2, and expectations were surpassed.
We had some returning guests giving some public statements and expressing their art such as Mario of Gojira, and, Jose Mangin, Chef Brian Tsao. We also got some great people in the music industry such as Brian Slagle of Metal Blade Records, Rob Caggiano of Volbeat, Michael Alago, as well as a virtual tour of the headquarters from Lance, the King of Black Metal and 500 other things you cant handle of Witch Taint. No show on screen or off screen is complete without some corpsepaint. We got to experience more beautiful visual art such as the concert photography of Nathaniel Shannon and Melinda Oswandel.
We got all types of performances, with Employed to Serve returning to deliver intense hardcore to make us crowdkill in our living rooms, some beautiful progressive instrumental guitar work from Angel Vivaldi, and Astranoid who delivers their signature sound of black gaze that is beautiful and dark at the same time.
We also got some great tech-death performances such as from Chaney and Navene of Entheos as they dimmed their studio blood red and delivered a performance that can leave you with chills and aggression at the same time and Allegaeon bringing savage brutality from their catalogue as well as members of Allegaeon, Black Dahlia Murder and Revocation delivering some death metal classic covers.
Add some Darkest Hour and Twelve Foot Ninja delivering some melody and aggression, you get the ultimate Slaying at Home. From Cadaver, to Zeal and Ardor, to Khemmis and more, this festival brought every aspect we know and love from the music and the movement. Ending with Matt Heafy of Trivium delivering some serenading acoustics to make us wave our lighters in our living rooms, we ending this on the highest of notes.
These were just some of the many great performances we got from Slay at Home. Thankfully, both days are still on youtube for everyone to check out \m/ \m/
Lets be clear, this is NOT the future of live music. Everyone, from the bands, to the fans to all parties involved in booking and touring, we are all eager to return to the stage, the pit, the barrier and the seats. While we are currently in Uncertain times, all of this is just temporary, and we are eagerly awaiting the return of an art that brings people together and helps us through so much, we know it will be worth the wait.
To hold us over, Metal Injection delivered something that proves that the metal community holds its own and nothing will stop us from expressing what we love. This gave the fans fulfillment and helped everyone in the industry who can use a hand. It was fun and all for a great cause. No matter what this crippling reality will brings us, the metal community will always stick together, despite having to be physically distant now.
Thank you to Metal Injection for keeping the horns high during this low point.
Missed it?? Check out the videos here!!
Day one
Day 2
Support these amazing organizations if you can!
Music Cares
Global Giving
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