The sheer lack of security didn’t scare me as Mondo and I basically walked back stage without a ticket or credentials and no one screened us for weapons or patted anyone down. The 16-year-old boys I saw dressed as high priestesses didn’t scare me, nor did the girl with the real crown of thorns on. The Screwdriver shirts hanging among some of the best bootleg metal shirts I have ever seen didn’t worry me as they just didn’t stand up in comparison and everyone knows that shit ain’t cool. And lastly the questionable skin head looking label and there small booth no one visited didn’t scare me either as I know they are going to get theirs if they are indeed up to no good. So none of that shit scared me really, although I put the guard up, ready for all. What did scare me was how awful the bands and the metal was. Not how dark, or evil, or brutal or demented, but how terrible it was. Of the first 40 bands I saw, not one had a drummer that could do it. They were half timing to give the impression of the blast beats. It was so bad. The funniest line came from some horrible band, who said, “This one goes out to all the fucking bloody fucking cunts out there; it’s called Hallowed Out Cunt!” And, I’d like to add that this was, by far, the ugliest crowd I have EVER seen.

Seeing the Mentors, led by Sicky Wifebeater, was cool and everyone seemed into them or like me they were just dying to hear anything that wasn’t an unintelligible mouth swallowing a mic going, “Bwwwwwwwaaaaaarrrr”

We get inside the other room to catch M.O.D. and they were incredible. They barreled through some new joints as well as, “Aren’t You Hungry” and “A.I.D.S.” from the now classic USA for MOD. But the real treat came when Danny Lilker joined them on stage to go through some choice S.O.D. songs. During “United Forces,” Mondo felt the need to re-enact a scene from his adolescence by leaping over the barricade and pummeling the front row of unsuspecting Heshers.

Note to Self: You are way too old to attempt that move ever again. Needless to say I was in sheer fucking pain.

Nuclear Assault was up shortly thereafter and they were so awesome and tight considering what they do at their age. They busted through their catalog of Crossover Masterpieces and it seemed Milwaukee was down with the Assault. John Connolly was in true form as he downed brew after brew. Oh, it felt like old times again.

After this show I found myself revisisting some of those old MOD and Nuclear Assault records. Maybe it was nostalgia but many a Nuclear Assault record got spun on the Tech 12 following this Milwaukee Metalfest. Check the photos:

-a joint review show review venture brought to you by Reali-D and Dominicanedge.