Frost and Fire IV

They definitely showcased their
faster, heavier material, which was a
prudent decision given the brevity of
their set and the understandable
desire to just go out there and kick
ass. (That said, someday I’d love to
hear them play “Always with Me,” a
more nuanced, highly emotional
tune, which has emerged as my
favorite on the new record.) Levine
offered up a heartfelt speech about
never giving up before “Every Giant
Shall Fall.” Those bastards who try
to thwart your dreams will turn to
stone at morning light if you can just
survive the night, so keep fighting
on, my friends. By the time the
band’s namesake tune, “Lady
Beast,” closed out the festivities, the
party was in full force, Levine
extending the mike into the front row
to let many fans (including me) belt
out the chorus. What a killer set. It
made me so happy for Lady Beast
that their initial foray to California
was such a triumph.
Setlist: Seal the Hex, Forest of the
Impaled, Lone Hunter, Devil’s Due,
Vicious Breed, Every Giant Shall
Fall, Get Out, Lady Beast.
Sadly, it’s become a rarity to see
European bands at underground
metal fests in the US these days.
The visa process is so convoluted,
arbitrary, and expensive that
promoters simply can’t take the risk
of booking Euro acts, fronting the
money for flights and deposits, and
having the whole escapade fall apart
at the eleventh hour. That sad story
has played out far too often at far too
many fests in recent years. For that
reason, I was pleasantly surprised to
see SCREAMER on the Frost and
Fire bill, playing this fest as part of a
short, 4-gig run through California.
T h i s a f t e r n o o n w a s m y fi r s t
encounter with the Swedish fivepiece
NWOBHM/trad metal machine,
and they did not disappoint. Their
choice of attire was interesting, all
wearing matching black vests and
trousers, with the only difference
b e i n g t h a t v o c a l i s t A n d r e a s
Wikstrom wore a black t-shirt under
his vest, whereas his colleagues
across the front of the stage were all
clad in white tees. I don’t generally
go for “uniform bands,” but this
consistent look worked for me.
Everything about Screamer’s 40-
minute performance screamed
(errmmm, sorry, couldn’t resist)
professionalism. All members had
great stage presence, moving
around constantly, interacting with
each other, making eye contact with
the audience, and generally rocking
the hell out. The catchy, fist-banging
material had everyone smiling and
singing along in no time, with the
band looking ecstatic about their
enthusiastic reception at the Ventura
Theater. Songs like “Can You Hear
Me Now” and “Monte Carlo Nights”
(fantastic singalong to this one), and
“Keep on Walking” and closer,
“Rock Bottom,” were tailor-made for
the stage, and they all worked
beautifully. As the song goes,
s o m e t i m e s l i f e i s j u s t p u r e
rock’n’roll, and that’s exactly what
Screamer were today. Top-notch
performance in all categories, and a
definite highlight of the weekend.
I must admit, I was quite curious to
experience TANITH live for the first
time. Ordinarily, ‘70s progressive
hard rock stylings are not my thing;
however, Tanith is the side project of
Satan guitarist Russ Tippins, whose
acumen as both a player and a writer
is well documented. Tanith ended
up being an outstanding change-ofpace
band for Frost and Fire. Not
blazingly fast or heavy, arguably not
even metal at all, but just cool
laidback music with excellent guitar
playing, and trade-off lead vocals
between Tippins and bassist Cindy
Maynard (who rocked hard even
though her bass was as big as she
was). Watching this band felt like a
time warp to the 1970s, not only
musically, but also in terms of the
band’s stage clothes, all the way
down to their white patent leather
boots. I could sit and watch Russ
Tippins play guitar all night long,
despite my lack of familiarity with the
material. Tanith were extremely well
received, and the band seemed