LIVE REVIEW: Danzig @ The Regency Ballroom 6/27

A cornucopia of  metal. Is there a more perfect juxtaposition from the joyous troves of gays and straights lining the streets for Pride in wild abandon? If you are a fan of ironic moments like these, you would have loved Sunday night at the Regency Ballroom where Danzig took the stage in SF for the first time in three years (not five, SF Weekly. I saw them at the Warfield in 2007).

First on the stage was Portland’s Toxic Holocaust. From Portland. Yeah, I thought I had seen it all, too. I would be more likely to believe there are a small truckload of punk bands in the hippie mini-Mecca, not hardcore metal bands. As it turns out, I was half right. Toxic Holocaust has a little punk in them, begging to get out in their skinny drums and uncomplicated timing. Baby steps, Portland. One day, you too can produce  real metal bands but Toxic Holocaust is not a bad start on the journey.

Oakland’s All Shall Perish followed and they wanted to make sure we knew, once and for all, that real metal comes from California…when it doesn’t come from Sweden. Singer Eddie Hermida has a split personality in vocal form, sometimes evoking the screechings of Blood Brothers singer Jordan Blilie. Altogether, the band has the polish of Thrice while reaching for the power of Meshuggah.

Danzig made us wait about half an hour in the oven that was becoming the dance floor. Thanks guys. I really want to say it was worth the wait, but I think for someone who isn’t the most hardcore of Danzig fans, seeing a Danzig show is more of an attraction and not a habit. Besides, it’s just the harsh reality that Danzig himself isn’t a spring chicken anymore. Seeing someone who lives as a metal god in the hearts of many starting to bald, but still trying to go with the image they’ve had since the late ’70s, is sad. I choke while speaking ill of Glenn Danzig, but alas, it’s true.