Ghoul and Spiter, Live in Cleveland 9-01-25

I made the decision to fly solo up to Cleveland this Labor Day to check out the Weapons of Mosh Destruction 666 Tour featuring 2 bands high on my list of needing to see live: Ghoul and Spiter.

I had been trying to see both bands live for a while now, but the timing had never worked out. Until now.

Five bands for 30 bucks at No Class, Cleveland's best hole-in-the-wall, cheap beer punk dive bar to see live music. It was a no-brainer.

After many years of trying, I finally got to witness the hooded madness of Ghoul, playing on a small stage in a small club, still complete with various gruesome stage characters sporting blood-spraying prosthetics. It was glorious. The band sounded tight and I was treated to a shower of fake blood not 15 seconds into their set. Twenty years on, they still bring it live!

The other band I really wanted to see was Spiter, a somewhat tongue-in-cheek black metal band, sporting the perfect throwback goth makeup, cape, leather-and-spikes metal aesthetic. Stripped down and raw, their set was a black feast for the ears.

And the absolutely insane Spiter video that started it all for me. (Not for the kiddies!)

I was wary at first of heading to the show solo, but I really wanted to see both bands, so I said what the heck. And it was the best decision. I don't go out to too many shows anymore, but I'm glad I went to this one. All five bands were really great and it was definitely the most fun I've had at a show in a long time.

All hail the metal and don't forget to support live music!

  

Axemaster - "Slave To The Blade"

The underground Heavy Metal scene of the 1980s was just so rad. Case in point is this incredible gem from the (local to me) band, Axemaster. 

Now picture it. It's 1986 and you're watching your local horror host on a Saturday night (in this case, it's Cleveland's own Son of Ghoul), ready for another unending roll of terrible-yet-hilarious skits and bad jokes, all enveloping this week's awful horror film. And then during one of the show's breaks, you get the privilege of this added bonus. A one-take "music video" of a local heavy metal band belting it out, complete with astoundingly low-budget video effects and a live "dungeon master" actor, complete with prop axes and a hood, who looks like he's not sure where he's supposed to be. IT IS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT. 

You just know everyone is having a total blast with this, and that's what makes it so strangely authentic. The band is giving its all on a show that doesn't even take itself seriously. It's a campiness that is painfully missed today and a reason why I love this video so much. Enjoy!

And a silver lining to this video is that Axemaster is still around today, releasing new records and playing shows! True metal will never die!!

  

Midnight - "Evil Like A Knife"

So tonight's plan to go to the Blackout Cookout 11 in Youngstown, Ohio fell through, and I still have yet to catch Cleveland black/speed metal band Midnight live. They are still at the top of my list and come hell or high water, I WILL see them someday.

In the meantime, I'll just leave this quick power punch to the face for all to enjoy. I've watched this one a hundred times and it still totally rips...

 

VANIK - VANIK III Album Release Show

I have a full day of prop building planned in the garage, so no longwinded posts today! Instead, how about some straight up Cleveland horror metal to power you through your day, too?

VANIK just released their third record, III, and on October 2nd they streamed a live record release show direct from the studio. Featuring Vanik from the band Midnight on guitar and Ed from the band Ringworm on bass, this band is no joke.

Watch this killer set and then go pick up VANIK's newest release here. Enjoy!

Red Fang, Live In Cleveland 12-9-16

Not much going on in the post-Halloween Cemetery, but we braved the Lake Erie snow machine last night and made it up to the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland to catch Red Fang, Torche and Whores. All three bands killed it! A few more dates left to go on their tour, so go check them out if they happen to play your town...

 

 

Lakeview Cemetery - Cleveland, Ohio (Part 1)

It's time to kick off another season of Cemetery Sundays, where I grab my camera and tour the grounds of local cemeteries, documenting the ornate beauty of older sculptures, mausoleums and tombstones. This has become one of the more exciting things that I look forward to sharing each October. I find that checking out for a few hours to roam a quiet cemetery alone is a much needed break from the hectic schedule of rest of the week.

And to kick off the 2016 season, I'm starting with a doozy. Lakeview Cemetery in Cleveland is world-renowned for it's size, history and beauty. It has been at the very top of my list of cemeteries to visit and last week, I was able to get up early and make the drive up.

Upon arrival, I was not disappointed. A massive cemetery covering 285 acres with over 100,000 burial plots, and it was all to my own. When all was said and done, I had covered the entire cemetery in just under 4 hours, walking a total of 5.5 miles, and snapping 175 photos. I was completely exhausted, but every second was worth it. Everywhere I turned, I found beautiful old sculptures, mausoleums and tombstones. For this project, I focused on the older pieces throughout the grounds, as well as some of the famous names interred there. And even then, I still have to break up the photos into two separate posts!

So sit back and enjoy my photos from Lakeview Cemetery...

The James A. Garfield Monument

Burial place of the twentieth President of the United States. Standing 180 feet tall, located in the center of the cemetery.

The E.M. Peck Tombstone and Statues

Located just to the left of the Garfield Monument. Wonderfully eerie gothic figures.

Collinwood School Fire Memorial

A memorial for the 172 students and teachers lost during the tragic Collinwood School (Lake View School) fire on March 4, 1908.

So at this point, I am roughly half way through the cemetery. Stop back next Sunday to see the rest of the photos, including some of the famous (and infamous) names buried here, as well as the world-renowned Haserot Angel.