For the web of thoughts that bounced around in my head for the duration of those first few weeks of being off in 2017, one thing that stuck out as a highlight was my first gig of the year…seeing the almighty Black Sabbath.
Gigging and music is pretty much my life. I write about music for a few websites. I love writing for Louder Than War magazine and get my fix of the depraved writing at The Sludgelord. During 2017, I also got the chance to write for the Manchester Evening News.
Black Sabbath was very much a gig I wasn’t reviewing and was there solely for my enjoyment. To top it, I was going to the gig with my good friend Neil. Neil is a man who was a tower of strength throughout 2017, and to be honest, for the best part of the 15 plus years we've been friends.
His own experiences of stress, anxiety and depression have brought us closer as friends as we began to truly fully understand each other. He helped give me my love of heavy metal after talking me into seeing Shrinebuilder several years ago. We have seen countless bands together of many different genres over the years and I couldn't think of a better person to share my first gig of 2017 with. Some of my other family members and friends were there too, including my dad, cousin Joe and uncle Damian, however they were in the standing area and I was in the nosebleed seats!
Black Sabbath needs no introduction. One of the founders of heavy metal and the root of many metal sub-genres, their run in early 2017 was the dubbed ‘The End.’ Thematically, I could relate to this. It was the end of a period of my life and the start of a year that would become very tough.
The gig was immense. The chiming bell to announce the bands self-titled anthem set Manchester Arena into a frenzy before two hours of crushing heavy metal. Ozzy Osbourne was in great form, Geezer Butler swung through his bass duties in impeccable fashion and seeing Tony Iommi lay down some of the most evil and demonic riffs ever absolutely filled me with joy. Hearing After Forever, a snippet of Supernaut and N.I.B. was a real privilege and they were a band that I could tick of my bucket list of bands. The whole set was incredible.
One of the best things about the gig was that it was aptly on a Sunday and I knew that I didn’t have to get to work in the morning. For the first time in a long time, it was a rare moment of relaxation and peace for me. In a wall of noise and surrounded by upwards of 18,000 people, many of which I didn't know, I was happy. I’d forgotten what that felt like.
Unfortunately, the day after, I came crashing back down to earth in a pattern that would frustratingly emerge throughout the year. With any high that I had, the abominable low that ensued was something that I really struggled to deal with. I was vulnerable and because I had time on my hands, my thoughts consumed me more than once.
With this pattern of comedowns that occurred throughout 2017, I got to thinking if this had happened to me before? When I returned from a work trip to China in 2014, I remember feeling inherently upset when I got home and I was on my own. I'd had a great trip and had such a good time but the reality of everyday existence just hit me straight in the head when I stopped. Again, as I had time to dwell, I was questioning how far back in my life my moods had been erratic. As it goes, May 2014 was just one particular instance I thought of. This set me off in a bit of a spin. Just what I needed...more thoughts to dwell on!
Why I chose the these songs:
Black Sabbath was the obvious choice! It took me a while to fully appreciate Black Sabbath beyond the 'hits.' I got to review some vinyl reissues a couple of years ago for Louder Than War, and I really got immersed in their 'classic' early albums. Since then, i've enjoyed discovering more and more of their music. They're true pioneers of heavy metal, and a band i'm glad to say that I have seen live.
The link to my Black Sabbath review is here, if you'd like to read it.
As for Shrinebuilder, they were the band that kick started my love of heavy metal. Made up of musicians from other esteemed metal acts, Shrinebuilder opened a lot of doors for me.
Al Cisneros is the bassist who owns this particular song with his hypnotic bass work; he also plays in OM and Sleep (another one of my favourite bands). Scott 'Wino' Weinrich is most famous for his work with The Obsessed and Saint Vitus. He also guested on Dave Grohl's Probot album in 2004.
Dale Crover is most famous for his work with The Melvins but appeared on early Nirvana material before Dave Grohl joined the fold. Lastly, Scott Kelly is one of the masterminds behind the almighty Neurosis, and has worked a lot with American prog-metallers Mastodon. He also founded Neurot records which has a big, heavy roster of bands (Ufomammut, A Storm of Light and Yob being two of my favourites from that label).
Hopefully you can see how this opened up so many musical doors for me. I always think back to that gig in 2009 and remember being blown away by it. I could probably do a seperate playlist for the huge amounts of bands connected to Shrinebuilder. If anyone wants to go any further...send me a message!
Also...thanks, Neil!
Side A
Black Sabbath - Solitude
My future is shrouded in dark wilderness
Sunshine is far away, clouds linger on
Side B
Shrinebuilder - Blind For All To See