As soon as I got my 4oz cup for the day I headed over to Brimming Horn and tried the Golden Goddess hard cider which was one of my favorites of the weekend. I went back, forth, around and between Brimming Horn, Black Circle and Odell, getting down 9 beers, ciders and meades. I was ready to be social. The people running Black Circle were a DELIGHT and the cheeriness of the Brimming Horn guy had me feeling pretty cheerful myself.
I caught some of Necrofiers set which was pretty cool, Good Ole fashion melodic Black metal. They had great stage presence and are from Texas of all places. I went to get a few more beers but the beer getting area was already a solid wall of people. I miss when DMBF was at the gloriously chill Summit over on Blake Street with the cool hobos and way better pizza. Managed to get a beer from Brujos, can’t remember what it was but it was but I enjoyed it.
Up next was Conan who are one of my favorite bands as the huge tattoo on my left leg can attest to. It was very cool to see them play in front of a big projector screen playing scenes from Fire and Ice, Crom, old video games and some other movies I wasn’t familiar with. The scenes went well with their slow and heavy caveman battle doom. After Conan ended their set with Volt Thrower I once again entered the heavily decorated obstacle course of human bodies to acquire more drinks. I managed to get two before deciding to stand in the way with everyone else to see Primitive Man.
A few years ago I saw Mogwai in Omaha and was up against the rails. They were so incredibly loud it felt like I was under water with a hand on my throat. Every hair on my head felt like it had a life of its own. Primitive Man were louder. They were a whole new level of loud, stanky loud. The death throes of a kaiju and the collapsing city beneath it, it hurt and I immediately turned 80 years old. I shoved my ear plugs into my ears as far as they would go and told myself to stop being a wuss… but felt myself becoming progressively more nauseous and went outside. It was easier to get out than it was to get in because I was not the only one getting sonically humbled. I went outside to smoke and shake like a smelly little dog when I ran into a dude my friend and I had befriended at the pre party. He was visiting from I forget where. We had convinced him to get tickets last minute despite him not knowing any bands and he was having a good time. I said to him,
“Primitive Man is the heaviest band in the universe I think, their new album is great too. If you have every heard heavier I want to know… Portal is a close second though.”
He says to me,
“I don’t know man, have you ever listened to Carnifex?”
Once Primitive Man (who sounded great outside actually) were done I permeated through the moving denim wall of spikes and shampoo smells back to the beer zone. I had 3 more, just grabbing whatever I could reach. Deadguy was next and they were Deadguy which rules. Lots of crowd interaction, fun live band. They had been broken up for 24 years before getting back together in 2021. I haven’t heard their new album yet but have read a few reviews from trusted sources saying the new album is just as good as the old ones. I had 3 more beers again bringing my weekend total to 33/46. I decided I was too old for championship drinking and called it a night as far as alcoholic beverages were concerned.
While leaning against a banister and curling up like a dead spider, one of my friends I had made through a mutual obsession with the band Inter Arma appeared. I told him how I had sat in puke outside but at least it was dry. He asked me why I didn’t just sit upstairs on the balcony. I had thought it was for VIP and never tried. We went up there to sit down and I was so gloriously comfortable for the first time in like 6 hours I snoozed off and on during Eyehategod. I could almost see the whole crowd from the balcony and there had to be at least 3,000 people. My friend I brought with me had began her slow ascent to the front for Acid bath during Deadguy and I could see that she made it all the way to the front, just two bodies from the rail. I was so proud cause fuuuck that lmao After Eyehategod‘s set I could feel the energy start to shift. Something very important was about to happen, which was the arrival of Acid Bath. I had never listened to them much but was excited for my friend. Acid Bath had been her favorite band for over 20 years and she never thought she would see them. A lot of people thought they would never get to see them, but here they were playing shows for the first time in like 27 years.
From my snoozy abode amongst the chandeliers I watched the crowd surge forward and about as Acid Bath took the stage. People were going shit ass bananas, jumping up and down, drooling, buckwild. I was happy for all of them, what a great way to end the weekend.
This was my 4th and probably final Decibel Metal and Beer fest. The lack of art associated with the band collaborations was a big disappointment. I’m not certain exactly when it started, but for years all of the bands that collaborated with breweries for the festival would get cans made with art associated with their albums or songs. I have a pretty big collection of metal beers from attending the 3 I have been to. People would sneak the empties out of trashcans or sweet talk the folks running the brewery booths into saving an empty can for them to get later, it was a lot of fun. I was so excited to see a Conan beer with some Tony Roberts’s art on it or a Blood Incantation one with cool space shit all over it. Brimming Horn brought their Know Hope Panopticon meade bottles and Woods Boss went all out with the Antman Kicked my Ass Red Chord / Wesley Willis cans but that was it. Us physical media freaks love our little gimmicks and artworks, the full run of tactile and visual enjoyment. The artless beers didn’t feel like true collaborations. Might as well hand me an Old Rasputin with the label peeled off and tell me think real hard about Black Tusk (or whatever band) I can do that at home. It was an incredible line up this year, but I can see most of these bands somewhere else for cheaper. The band/beer collaborations are not as easy to come by. The Summit was such a cool venue, I liked the Fillmore alright but missed the feeling of it being a more underground affair and less corporate feeling. Anyway, while I wait for the wah-mbulance to come get me here are my tasting highlights for day 2:
Jukes “Double Barrel Bone Music” imperial stout , Woods Boss “AntMan Kicked My Ass” Mexican lager, Black Sky “Cryptic Swig” stout , Black Circle “Das Erling” peated stout, Black Sky “Catheter” IPA
MID SOUTH 