Sound Obsession

Failure Date:  June 5, 2014 Venue:  The Fillmore, Silver Spring, MD Naming your band "Failure" seems kind of stupid - not just tempting fate but poking it right in the eye. Then again the early 1990's was a time when a rocker could be a " loser ," a " creep ," or " dumb " and still be a chart-topping superstar.  This was an era of drab irony and false modesty, when po-faced guitar heroes with secret arena-rock ambitions were saddled with the overwhelming weight of "punk rock guilt" - the pop-cultural pressure to act like you just didn't care . It was in this miasma of anti-careerist posturing and slacker ethos that LA based alternative rockers Failure formed and eventually disbanded.  Comprised of Ken Andrews and Greg Edwards, with drummer Kellii Scott and guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen joining later, Failure did everything right.  Their debut album Comfort , released in '92, was produced by indie-rock iconoclast Steve Alb...

Skeletonwitch, Enslaved, Amon Amarth Date:  January 31, 2014 Venue:  The Fillmore, Silver Spring, MD I've learned a few things during my relatively brief time as a metal enthusiast/amateur anthropologist gone native - the opener and support bands are almost always just as awesome as the headliner, and every band worth their salt makes a sincere 200% effort to melt your face.  Absolutely no room for mopey wallflower behold-my-art bullshit.  These bands take pride in perfecting their chops and treating their fans to the most bang for their buck.  As expected, for an affordable $25, such was the case last Friday at The Fillmore in Silver Spring, Maryland, with an awesome package tour featuring Skeletonwitch, Enslaved, and Amon Amarth.         Skeletonwitch - Scott Hedrick, Evan Linger, and Chance Garnette (left to right) Athens, Ohio, blackened-thrash five piece,  animal welfare advocates , and all around good guys (han...