7/28/2000 Stuttgart - Limelight
Anyways, lets not get ahead here. Got to the Limelight a few hours before the music started (courtesy of Andreas Preisig) and met with some new and old friends at the club.
1st off was End of Green. While I personally liked the doomy sound that the band produced, I wasn�t much into the vocalist�s style. I�m more into a traditional clear vocalist like Morris from Solstice, where as the E.O.G. vocalist has a more �alternative� style for lack of another word. There were some obvious E.O.G. fans in the crowd so obviously it is just my opinion.
Next up was Mirror of Deception. Here I was finally able to experience a live set from an old time favorite. Honestly, being from Fremont, California, I never ever expected to see this local cult doom act live. Some sheer melodic doomy heaviness blasted from the stage during this set. I�m unfortunately unable to remember exactly which songs were in the set, but I�m sure I heard �cease� and� be kept in suspense� + others from their forthcoming cd �Mirrorsoil. It is hard for me to put into words this experience. Unfortunately for me the set ended after about 45 minutes and closed the curtain on any chance of me experiencing this again.
Up next were the Lord Weird Slough Feg. On the other hand this band I�ve seen many times. But I knew they were eager to play after being stuck in their tour van after a 25 hour nonstop drive. And play they did. The crowd was excited and Gerrit Mutz, Ralf Gaiser, and quite a few others were right up front head-banging and singing along. Quite a few songs from their latest release �Down among the dead men� were featured in the set along with plenty of other songs from their 2 prior releases. This was one of their best live sets I�ve ever experienced, it is obvious after the mediocre crowds in San Francisco that the band appreciated being able to perform to an eager group of ~150 Deutsch rivitheads, hellrats and earthdogs.
Finishing off the evening were Solstice. This was also my 1st chance to see my favorite UK metal band of the 80�s.For me this was Total nonstop headbanging for 1 hour from one of the all time best Epic doom metal bands, easily in the same league as Solitude Aeturnus/ Candlemass/ and old Trouble. Morris was feeling a little sick (so I was told) but I though he did an excellent job.Finally I got a chance to revel in the doomy sounds of �The Sleeping Tyrant�, �To Ride With Tyr�, + more. Sheer heaven on earth. What a great treat for me just 2 days after my 30th birthday. METAL!
(Rob Preston/ Doomed Planet)
