GRIM REAPER / MIDNIGHT MESSIAH / WIDOW
Water Rats, London, England
June 8, 2013
My travels with my friends in Widow have taken me to the West Coast, to the
mid-Atlantic, to Greece, and now to Jolly Olde England. It’s true.
The boys booked a one-off gig in London opening for the legendary Grim Reaper
last weekend. Being an intrepid heavy metal adventurer without a lick of
sense, I leaped at the opportunity to tag along.
It had been a picture-perfect sunny Saturday. Some of us had killed time
that morning and early afternoon by heading to Camden Market, where we marveled
at the many goods on display and sampled delicious food from the stalls.
We arrived at the Water Rats (near the King’s Cross Tube stop on Grays Inn
Road) at around 4 p.m. for load-in. The venue was cool. It had a
big, open airy pub in the front, and a smallish, dingy back room with a
stage. The music venue part looked very British, from the crushed red
velvet curtains to the dignified chandeliers to the dark wood paneling.
But the place was tiny. Stage was just a few inches off the ground, and
maximum capacity couldn’t have been more than 200 people. The back stage
area (stocked with a sandwich tray, some apples, and a case of Carlsberg beer
labeled “WIDOW” – woohoo, free beer!) consisted of a small narrow hallway
leading to the stage. Honestly, Water Rats had character, it had
personality, and it had old English charm. It was the perfect spot for a
Saturday night classic metal gig.
Load-in, set-up and soundcheck all went smoothly. A highlight for me was
hearing Grim Reaper use their soundcheck to perform two brand-new songs (“From
Hell” and “Scream for Murder”), which sounded for all the world like classic
Reaper tunes. Widow used their soundcheck to rip through their best song,
“Take Hold of the Night.” Everything sounded great, and all three bands
were ready to kill. I also really enjoyed seeing the collegiality among
the bands. Grim Reaper and Midnight Messiah (formed from the remnants of
Elixir) are older British bands, but they were remarkably kind and welcoming to
Widow and their entourage (i.e., me). There wasn’t a whiff of
competitiveness or ego in the air during load-in / soundcheck, just three bands
facing the same obstacles and trying to help one another and make their way in
the heavy metal universe as best they can. I had a pleasant chat with
Grim Reaper’s bassist Chaz Grimaldi, an American from Maryland who relocated to
England about five years ago in connection with his wife’s employment and,
through a strange twist of fate, wound up playing with the Reaper.
The doors opened at 7:00 p.m., and the Water Rats’ front pub area filled up
quickly. But none of the punters made their way to the back room right
away. They waited until a band started to play, then crowded into the
music room en masse, only to vanish back out into the front pub once the band
finished. So it was that around 7:27 p.m., the promoter walked over to
where the Widow guys were drinking and socializing and asked them if
they’d be ready in 3 minutes. They said sure, then went back to their
drinking and socializing. At straight-up 7:30, they walked back stage,
nonchalantly slung their guitars over their shoulders, and presto! flipped the
switch and started rockin’, Widow style. For the next 40 minutes, they
owned that tiny little stage and held the audience in thrall. It didn’t
appear that the crowd was familiar with Widow’s music, but the room filled up
nicely, and nobody left. Everyone stood transfixed by the music and was
quite vocal in their appreciation of the Yanks’ performance. From where I
stood, it was a typical, high-energy, hard-rockin’ Widow gig. Everything
sounded terrific, song selection was perfect, and the boys proved once again
that they are fantastic showmen. Now, obviously, I’m biased. Duh, I
was on the road with them, sleeping in their hotel bed, lugging their gear, and
selling their merch. But that admitted lack of objectivity doesn’t alter
the fact that Widow completely and utterly kicked England’s ass tonight.
Not sure I’ve ever been prouder of Chris, John E. and Peter than I was
here. Judging by the audience reaction and solid merch sales over the
course of the evening, the Brits agreed with me.
Setlist: Take Hold of the Night, Reanimate Her, Lady
Twilight, American Werewolf in Raleigh, Nightlife, Beware the Night, Angel Sin,
Reunion, Pleasure of Exorcism.
Next up were Midnight Messiah, who feature in their ranks vocalist Paul
Taylor and guitarist Phil Denton, both of revered NWOBHM act Elixir, who
released the cult classic ‘The Son of Odin’ album in 1986. I’m not sure how it
came to be that Taylor and Denton ditched the Elixir name in favor of Midnight
Messiah, but be that as it may that’s what they’re calling themselves.
Midnight Messiah’s debut album, ‘The Root of All Evil,’ was released
recently. The boys were obviously here to promote the new album, as their
setlist was heavily weighted in favor of new material. By my (imperfect,
I’m sure) count, they played 8 or 9 songs off ‘The Root of All Evil,’ with (I
think) just two Elixir songs being included. But oh how glorious those
two Elixir songs were: “Treachery (Ride Like the Wind”) and “Son of
Odin.” Both were delivered in stellar renditions that left me slack-jawed
at the timeless classics they are. The Midnight Messiah songs (which I’d
never heard before) actually sounded quite cool too, especially the uptempo
“Damned for All Time” and the pounding “You’re No Friend of Mine.” For
comparison’s sake, I’d say Midnight Messiah’s sound is firmly rooted in the
NWOBHM, perhaps sounding closest to the likes of Saxon (not only musically, but
also in Taylor’s gritty but still melodic vocals). A little static in
their onstage demeanor perhaps, but the twin-guitar fueled Midnight Messiah
were a more than worthy act and I’m so pleased I had the opportunity to see
them. I’ll definitely be checking out ‘The Root of All Evil’ in short
order. Setlist (approximate): 30 Pieces of Silver, Damned
for All Time, The Evil One, Treachery (Ride Like the Wind), Son of Odin, Wise
Man of Roklar, You Put Me Through Hell, King of the Night, You’re No Friend of
Mine, Midnight Messiah.
At long last it was time for the main event. I had the dubious fortune of
witnessing Grim Reaper at Wacken 2000 during their short-lived
“reunion.” My recollection of that event is not fond. Keyboards,
wimpy Grimmett solo tracks mixed into the set, unimpressive performances, and
at least one song being played twice left a sour taste in my mouth,
indeed. I’d resigned myself to the certainty that I would never be able
to see a proper Grim Reaper show. But now here it is, the year 2013 and Steve
Grimmett is giving Grim Reaper another go. Nick Bowcott is not in the
picture of course, so six-string duties are handled by Grimmett’s longtime
friend and collaborator, Ian Nash. My new buddy Chaz was on bass, and the
drums were handled by Mark Rumble (great name for a drummer, no?). From
the opener, “Rock You to Hell,” I was blown away by Grim Reaper tonight.
They sounded perfect. They played the classic songs the way they were
supposed to be played. The audience was fanatical in its intensity,
starting “Reeeee – puhhh, Reeeee – puhhh” chants after nearly every
single song. Most of the classic Grim Reaper songs were aired, including
such evergreens as “Night of the Vampire,” “Fear No Evil,” “Matter of Time,”
“Rock Me Til I Die,” and of course the all-time amazing set closer “See You in
Hell” (complete with lengthy audience singalong part by the euphoric
crowd). The blond-maned, hulking Grimmett was in fine form at the front
of the stage, still blessed with that characteristic voice of his. To be
fair, he was not trying to hit most of the high notes, and he was consulting
lyric sheets because (as he sheepishly admitted from the stage) he can’t
remember the lyrics to his own songs anymore, part of the indignities of the
aging process. (He had trouble with Ronnie James Dio’s lyrics too, as he
fumbled a few times during the “Don’t Talk to Strangers” tribute.) But
Grim Reaper sounded incredible, and the crowd was 100% into the gig. Even
the new songs “From Hell” and “Scream for Murder” fit perfectly into the set,
and bode well for the upcoming studio album. (Chaz told me it hasn’t been
recorded yet, so these songs might change a bit before they are
finalized. He also told me that he didn’t think these two were the
strongest of the new material the band have written. If that’s the case,
then Grim Reaper’s forthcoming comeback CD could be something really special,
indeed.) As I quaffed Carlsberg and rocked out with my Widow friends,
banging my head and singing along at the top of my lungs to every word of the
Grim Reaper set, I was a truly happy man. Life doesn’t really get any
better than this: Great music, great friends, good (and free) beer.
Back in the ‘See You in Hell’ / ‘Fear No Evil’ days, Grim Reaper were one of my
top 5 favorite bands. I never thought I’d have a night like this with
them. It really, truly was a dream come true. Having a photo taken
with Steve Grimmett after the show was just the icing on the cake. The
Reaper’s back, boys and girls … you have been warned. Setlist:
Rock You to Hell, Night of the Vampire, Lust for Freedom, Wrath of the
Ripper, Fear No Evil, Liar, Never Coming Back, Matter of Time, Rock You ‘Til I
Die, From Hell, Scream for Murder, Don’t Talk to Strangers (Dio cover, in
tribute to the late great RJD), Wasted Love. Encores:
Final Scream, See You in Hell.
After the gig, we broke down the gear, packed up the merch, then spent a couple
of hours hanging out with the super-cool Jaeger-bomb pounding bar manager at
Water Rats while she poured us free drinks (our Carlsberg supply having long
since been exhausted) and poked fun at us for being stupid Americans who can’t
pay our cable bills and don’t watch television. I think she kept us
around because she liked our accents. But we were having such a great
time that we didn’t care what the reasons were. Fast-forward a few short
hours, and we were at Heathrow Airport, headed back home and wondering if this
whole experience had been a figment of our imagination. If it was a
dream, it was a very good dream …
~ Review by Kit Ekman ~
Water Rats, London, England
June 8, 2013
My travels with my friends in Widow have taken me to the West Coast, to the
mid-Atlantic, to Greece, and now to Jolly Olde England. It’s true.
The boys booked a one-off gig in London opening for the legendary Grim Reaper
last weekend. Being an intrepid heavy metal adventurer without a lick of
sense, I leaped at the opportunity to tag along.
It had been a picture-perfect sunny Saturday. Some of us had killed time
that morning and early afternoon by heading to Camden Market, where we marveled
at the many goods on display and sampled delicious food from the stalls.
We arrived at the Water Rats (near the King’s Cross Tube stop on Grays Inn
Road) at around 4 p.m. for load-in. The venue was cool. It had a
big, open airy pub in the front, and a smallish, dingy back room with a
stage. The music venue part looked very British, from the crushed red
velvet curtains to the dignified chandeliers to the dark wood paneling.
But the place was tiny. Stage was just a few inches off the ground, and
maximum capacity couldn’t have been more than 200 people. The back stage
area (stocked with a sandwich tray, some apples, and a case of Carlsberg beer
labeled “WIDOW” – woohoo, free beer!) consisted of a small narrow hallway
leading to the stage. Honestly, Water Rats had character, it had
personality, and it had old English charm. It was the perfect spot for a
Saturday night classic metal gig.
Load-in, set-up and soundcheck all went smoothly. A highlight for me was
hearing Grim Reaper use their soundcheck to perform two brand-new songs (“From
Hell” and “Scream for Murder”), which sounded for all the world like classic
Reaper tunes. Widow used their soundcheck to rip through their best song,
“Take Hold of the Night.” Everything sounded great, and all three bands
were ready to kill. I also really enjoyed seeing the collegiality among
the bands. Grim Reaper and Midnight Messiah (formed from the remnants of
Elixir) are older British bands, but they were remarkably kind and welcoming to
Widow and their entourage (i.e., me). There wasn’t a whiff of
competitiveness or ego in the air during load-in / soundcheck, just three bands
facing the same obstacles and trying to help one another and make their way in
the heavy metal universe as best they can. I had a pleasant chat with
Grim Reaper’s bassist Chaz Grimaldi, an American from Maryland who relocated to
England about five years ago in connection with his wife’s employment and,
through a strange twist of fate, wound up playing with the Reaper.
The doors opened at 7:00 p.m., and the Water Rats’ front pub area filled up
quickly. But none of the punters made their way to the back room right
away. They waited until a band started to play, then crowded into the
music room en masse, only to vanish back out into the front pub once the band
finished. So it was that around 7:27 p.m., the promoter walked over to
where the Widow guys were drinking and socializing and asked them if
they’d be ready in 3 minutes. They said sure, then went back to their
drinking and socializing. At straight-up 7:30, they walked back stage,
nonchalantly slung their guitars over their shoulders, and presto! flipped the
switch and started rockin’, Widow style. For the next 40 minutes, they
owned that tiny little stage and held the audience in thrall. It didn’t
appear that the crowd was familiar with Widow’s music, but the room filled up
nicely, and nobody left. Everyone stood transfixed by the music and was
quite vocal in their appreciation of the Yanks’ performance. From where I
stood, it was a typical, high-energy, hard-rockin’ Widow gig. Everything
sounded terrific, song selection was perfect, and the boys proved once again
that they are fantastic showmen. Now, obviously, I’m biased. Duh, I
was on the road with them, sleeping in their hotel bed, lugging their gear, and
selling their merch. But that admitted lack of objectivity doesn’t alter
the fact that Widow completely and utterly kicked England’s ass tonight.
Not sure I’ve ever been prouder of Chris, John E. and Peter than I was
here. Judging by the audience reaction and solid merch sales over the
course of the evening, the Brits agreed with me.
Setlist: Take Hold of the Night, Reanimate Her, Lady
Twilight, American Werewolf in Raleigh, Nightlife, Beware the Night, Angel Sin,
Reunion, Pleasure of Exorcism.
Next up were Midnight Messiah, who feature in their ranks vocalist Paul
Taylor and guitarist Phil Denton, both of revered NWOBHM act Elixir, who
released the cult classic ‘The Son of Odin’ album in 1986. I’m not sure how it
came to be that Taylor and Denton ditched the Elixir name in favor of Midnight
Messiah, but be that as it may that’s what they’re calling themselves.
Midnight Messiah’s debut album, ‘The Root of All Evil,’ was released
recently. The boys were obviously here to promote the new album, as their
setlist was heavily weighted in favor of new material. By my (imperfect,
I’m sure) count, they played 8 or 9 songs off ‘The Root of All Evil,’ with (I
think) just two Elixir songs being included. But oh how glorious those
two Elixir songs were: “Treachery (Ride Like the Wind”) and “Son of
Odin.” Both were delivered in stellar renditions that left me slack-jawed
at the timeless classics they are. The Midnight Messiah songs (which I’d
never heard before) actually sounded quite cool too, especially the uptempo
“Damned for All Time” and the pounding “You’re No Friend of Mine.” For
comparison’s sake, I’d say Midnight Messiah’s sound is firmly rooted in the
NWOBHM, perhaps sounding closest to the likes of Saxon (not only musically, but
also in Taylor’s gritty but still melodic vocals). A little static in
their onstage demeanor perhaps, but the twin-guitar fueled Midnight Messiah
were a more than worthy act and I’m so pleased I had the opportunity to see
them. I’ll definitely be checking out ‘The Root of All Evil’ in short
order. Setlist (approximate): 30 Pieces of Silver, Damned
for All Time, The Evil One, Treachery (Ride Like the Wind), Son of Odin, Wise
Man of Roklar, You Put Me Through Hell, King of the Night, You’re No Friend of
Mine, Midnight Messiah.
At long last it was time for the main event. I had the dubious fortune of
witnessing Grim Reaper at Wacken 2000 during their short-lived
“reunion.” My recollection of that event is not fond. Keyboards,
wimpy Grimmett solo tracks mixed into the set, unimpressive performances, and
at least one song being played twice left a sour taste in my mouth,
indeed. I’d resigned myself to the certainty that I would never be able
to see a proper Grim Reaper show. But now here it is, the year 2013 and Steve
Grimmett is giving Grim Reaper another go. Nick Bowcott is not in the
picture of course, so six-string duties are handled by Grimmett’s longtime
friend and collaborator, Ian Nash. My new buddy Chaz was on bass, and the
drums were handled by Mark Rumble (great name for a drummer, no?). From
the opener, “Rock You to Hell,” I was blown away by Grim Reaper tonight.
They sounded perfect. They played the classic songs the way they were
supposed to be played. The audience was fanatical in its intensity,
starting “Reeeee – puhhh, Reeeee – puhhh” chants after nearly every
single song. Most of the classic Grim Reaper songs were aired, including
such evergreens as “Night of the Vampire,” “Fear No Evil,” “Matter of Time,”
“Rock Me Til I Die,” and of course the all-time amazing set closer “See You in
Hell” (complete with lengthy audience singalong part by the euphoric
crowd). The blond-maned, hulking Grimmett was in fine form at the front
of the stage, still blessed with that characteristic voice of his. To be
fair, he was not trying to hit most of the high notes, and he was consulting
lyric sheets because (as he sheepishly admitted from the stage) he can’t
remember the lyrics to his own songs anymore, part of the indignities of the
aging process. (He had trouble with Ronnie James Dio’s lyrics too, as he
fumbled a few times during the “Don’t Talk to Strangers” tribute.) But
Grim Reaper sounded incredible, and the crowd was 100% into the gig. Even
the new songs “From Hell” and “Scream for Murder” fit perfectly into the set,
and bode well for the upcoming studio album. (Chaz told me it hasn’t been
recorded yet, so these songs might change a bit before they are
finalized. He also told me that he didn’t think these two were the
strongest of the new material the band have written. If that’s the case,
then Grim Reaper’s forthcoming comeback CD could be something really special,
indeed.) As I quaffed Carlsberg and rocked out with my Widow friends,
banging my head and singing along at the top of my lungs to every word of the
Grim Reaper set, I was a truly happy man. Life doesn’t really get any
better than this: Great music, great friends, good (and free) beer.
Back in the ‘See You in Hell’ / ‘Fear No Evil’ days, Grim Reaper were one of my
top 5 favorite bands. I never thought I’d have a night like this with
them. It really, truly was a dream come true. Having a photo taken
with Steve Grimmett after the show was just the icing on the cake. The
Reaper’s back, boys and girls … you have been warned. Setlist:
Rock You to Hell, Night of the Vampire, Lust for Freedom, Wrath of the
Ripper, Fear No Evil, Liar, Never Coming Back, Matter of Time, Rock You ‘Til I
Die, From Hell, Scream for Murder, Don’t Talk to Strangers (Dio cover, in
tribute to the late great RJD), Wasted Love. Encores:
Final Scream, See You in Hell.
After the gig, we broke down the gear, packed up the merch, then spent a couple
of hours hanging out with the super-cool Jaeger-bomb pounding bar manager at
Water Rats while she poured us free drinks (our Carlsberg supply having long
since been exhausted) and poked fun at us for being stupid Americans who can’t
pay our cable bills and don’t watch television. I think she kept us
around because she liked our accents. But we were having such a great
time that we didn’t care what the reasons were. Fast-forward a few short
hours, and we were at Heathrow Airport, headed back home and wondering if this
whole experience had been a figment of our imagination. If it was a
dream, it was a very good dream …
~ Review by Kit Ekman ~