Frost and Fire IV

one point, I just had to lean over and
exclaim, “Look at him. Your Dad is
such a badass.” He really, really is.)
And bassist Jarvis Leatherby
worked the stage, served as
ringleader to keep his bandmates on
the same page, and sweated even
more than usual in the sweltering
Ventura Theater. The visuals were
accentuated (beyond the massive
black praying skeletons backdrop
overlaying the white Frost and Fire
backdrop, to create an image of four
praying skeletons behind the band,
as well as the two illuminated
physical praying skeletons guarding
the sides of the stage all weekend)
by a pair of makeshift fog machines
in large trash cans, creating ankledeep
fog for much of the set. Cool.
P e r h a p s t h e m o s t e a g e r l y
anticipated moment tonight was the
live debut of Ungol’s new single,
“Witch’s Game.” It’s a challenging,
epic track, one fully deserving of the
Cirith Ungol legacy, and it appeared
in the setlist as first encore. Perhaps
it was a bit rough in spots, but how
cool to hear a brand-new Ungol tune
played live for the first time: “Ride
into the battle / play the witch’s
game!” Another definite highlight
was the trilogy of “Chaos Rising,”
“Fallen Idols” and “Paradise Lost”
played back-to-back-to-back, which
I’d not heard them do since their
inaugural reunion performance at
Frost and Fire II. It’s enough to send
shivers down your spine. All in all, a
glorious ending to a glorious first
day of Frost and Fire. All hail the
kings of the dead, and play the
witch’s game!
Setlist: Atom Smasher, I’m Alive,
Join the Legion, Black Machine,
Frost and Fire, Finger of Scorn,
Blood and Iron, Chaos Descends,
War Eternal, Chaos Rising, Fallen
Idols, Paradise Lost. Encores:
Witch’s Game, Master of the Pit, King
of the Dead.
The music was over for today, but
the party was just beginning. You
see, Frost and Fire has become
legendary for its after-show beach
parties. For some reason, they let
you drink on the beach in a certain
section of the Ventura coastline,
alongside the rickety old wooden
pier. (Not so on other areas of the
beach, as a friend from Germany
unfortunately discovered the next
night and nearly got arrested.
Fortunately, today was not the day.)
Thus, the post-show ritual each
night for several dozen attendees
was to exit the Theater, head over to
Clark’s Liquor Store before it closed
at 1:00 a.m., load up on booze, and
walk 10 minutes or so to the
designated location at the beach.
Some of the best conversations I had
all weekend long were on that beach,
in a sleep-deprived and alcoholenhanced
state. Tonight I’m proud
to say I was one of the last ones
standing, and it was past 5:00 a.m.
when I stumbled back to the
Clocktower Inn to catch a bit of
shuteye. After all, Day 2 beckoned.