It was "November to Dismember"
by Dave Schwartz  davybass@dabelly.com
Photos by Keith Durflinger  photoguy@dabelly.com

After a 14 year residence in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Metalfest (www.metalfest.com) has elevated itself to the national level by presenting "November to Dismember" in San Bernardino, California. This first ever outside of Wisconsin event was a massive undertaking, featuring an advertised 120 bands on three stages over the course of two days. With an agenda this large there was no reason not to push the show right to event status by including an assortment of record companies selling CDs and T-shirts. And what else goes with aggressive hard rock? How about the porn girls of Matt Zane Productions and, of course, XPW wrestling? It was all a natural fit.

As with any undertaking this large, it would be foolish not to expect hiccups along the way, but in general, the stages operated relatively well. Sound was hit or miss due to the lack of sound checks and the almost assembly line presentation of bands. The show was punctual if nothing else. I must admit that I was a bit astonished to find the stages on schedule even after six hours of bands. All the precision and timing of a fine German watch.

Presented was an endless list of the hardest hitting metal bands, including Testament, Vader, Witchery and so many others. Several of the bands, such as Witchery, held autograph sessions. This is always a great opportunity for fans to meet the shredders that they have idolized.

Along the way, we ran into Raven Mad. Raven Mad really kicks ass in an old school way and has been one of the leaders in the metal resurgence of Southern California. Frequent readers may remember Melanie Sisneros in our Sexism feature from last June. I asked lead guitarist and singer, William Rustrum, how they got such a sweet spot (10:30 p.m. on the main stage) in the Metalfest lineup.

In an almost matter of fact way he replied, "We have been talking with the promoters of Metalfest for almost a year now. It was really just a matter of negotiations and persistence. It's important to know the business end of any band."

I know that there were about seven hours worth of bands on before them that wished they had the same diligence. We will be hearing more from the Raven Mad camp in an upcoming interview. Look for it.

One of the largest draws at Metalfest was the booth setup by Matt Zane and Inzane Records (www.inzanerecords.com). Zane brought his stable of porn girls to the show to sign autographs, take the occasional photo op and generally "press the flesh." To say that some of these girls were a distraction was an understatement. When not working, the main floor at Metalfest was littered with an abundance of delightful young beauties all having a great time.

The event also featured the wrestlers of the XPW. It was the usual show of breaking tables and smacking people with folding chairs. In perhaps one of the more surreal moments, one of their star performers was walking the ring bragging to the audience of his victories over such notables as Hulk Hogan and Roddie Piper despite the chants of hundreds of leather bound metal heads screaming "You suck cock! You suck cock!" I guess it just wasn't his crowd!

Aside from the headliners, notable bands performing included Raven Mad, Coffin Text, Decapitator, Deep and, from Reno Nevada, Darque Carnival. In one of the more disappointing moves by promoters, some of these groups suffered severely limited sets in order to accommodate all of the bands and wrestling on the bill each evening. Given that so many of these artists had paid to play, it is unfortunate that they were unable to utilize all of their time.

I would like to thank Metalfest and Mazur PR for including DaBelly in this event. We look forward to next year and another great show!

Later People!