The Restaurant at the Center of the Universe (a departure)

The sun was out and the roads were clear through the west end of Montana and into Idaho. This did not stop a half a dozen people from wiping out on the winding roads. Gigantic car accidents have been a theme of this tour; we have been detoured by several, many involving jackknifed semi trucks, and one in Ohio featured a truck cab that had been peeled open like a can of tuna with the top half of it thrown about three hundred feet back on the road. No doubt it was a fatality. We managed to make it through all of this unscathed and once in Idaho we stopped in a town called Wallace, which was basically a late 1800's main street that once hosted a bordello on the second floor of every building. It also happens that Wallace is the center of the universe. There are even municipal signs on the signposts to prove it. We found a great diner whose cook knew the whole history of the town. It was refreshing to be in a place that was still virtually untouched by the gaudy corporate world outside. I enjoy visiting places that seem frozen in time. From there we floored it all the way to Seattle which was a grueling and overlong ride, but we finally made it to our friend Jme's house. It was remote in the woods but we were happy to be there as we had not seen her since our Rochester days nine years before. It feels like the sick that has been permeating the tour now wants me too so I am concentrating on staying warm, staying rested, and staying well-fed. Bob is now full-blown ill and he was one of the last holdouts so I may not get any say in the matter.

Away From God

This is the part I was dreading. We are now proceeding through North Dakota and while there is no snow or storm in the region the forty mile an hour winds are buffeting the van and creating intermittent white-out conditions that are fairly scary. There is literally nothing out here- no cell phone reception, few exits, no people, and potentially no help if something goes wrong. Once again I have to question why it was decided that this package should travel through the northernmost parts of the US in the most brutal month of the year. I suppose one might ask why we agreed to do it (hint: the answer begins with 'I' and ends with '-ation'). Regardless, I just want us to get through here as quickly and safely as possible and the problem is that we may be forced to choose one over the other, ideally the latter.

Later: After about 100 miles the wind died down and the going was easier. It was still deadly cold though, and even leaving the van for more than a couple of minutes was excruciating. This is not just a Texan's estimation, mind you; below zero is cold, period. Once we entered Montana we discovered that the roads had not been sufficiently cleared and once we started skidding we had to slow down significantly. Finally the roads dried up and we were able to make much better time to the point where we even passed up the tour bus. North Dakota is desolate and harsh. I recently read about the massive depopulation that has occurred in this region, but it is hard to imagine that such a cruel place would ever have been teeming with people. We are now in the center of Montana and it is nice to see mountains again. Nevertheless, we are anxious to make it to Seattle as we have friends there and we'd like a day off somewhere other than a truck stop or a motel in the middle of nowhere.

Under the Supreme

Minneapolis exceeded my guarded expectations by miles. We played the 7th Street Entry which is part of the 1st Avenue club that Prince made famous in the film “Purple Rain”, so it was a special honor to get to wash my hair in the ladies' room sink. The room in which we played was extremely small at only 200 person capacity and it was also sold out so people were packed in very tightly. This was actually an ideal scenario for us as we enjoy playing in intimate settings and connecting head-on with the audience. We had a great set and the response was fantastic. This show, along with New York and Poughkeepsie, was probably the best of the tour so far and it was a badly needed recovery from the disappointments of the previous two. Our friends Neil and Tanner came out and I enjoyed watching Immolation and going crazy with them up front. All the bands had a good night, and if every show was like this one I would never want to leave the road. Afterwards we went to an Irish pub across the street and had some drinks and a very delicious shepherd's pie.


We did ourselves a favor and got three separate hotel rooms for the night and this morning is the first time I've felt like something other than a homeless person in about a week. We have the two day drive to Seattle ahead of us and it is something of a relief to know that my morning shower will not be summarily undone within a handful of hours. Bob suggested that we rendezvous somewhere along the road and all have a meal together. We'll see if we can meet the pacing demands but I would indeed like more chances to socialize with the other bands.


The guys in Rotting Christ and Belphegor are cool people and they have been very accommodating and supportive of us, but as they are on the bus and we are in the van we have not had as much time to bond with them as we did with the bands on our previous tour. We still have almost two and a half weeks to go so there is still more time, but the sad thing is that it is usually the last third of the tour where everyone gets to be proper friends and then it is all over too soon.

Put My Hand in the Fire – When the burn sets in, part II

Being the opening band on the tour is as hard as it looks. It often means going on early to a half-full room and not being the band everyone is there to see. It means less money, less sales, less hospitality, less of everything. We knew this would be the case of course, but we are tired and this feels difficult right now. We played well in Chicago despite an absurd stage mix but despite an overall good response it felt like we were reintroducing ourselves. It is also daunting to be followed by Belphegor who seem to be a fan favorite on this tour. Their reaction makes ours feel muted by comparison even when the show was otherwise a good one. We knew we were in for this when we agreed to start touring nationally; we are no longer a big fish in a small pond, and we are also having to quickly develop chitinous protection to our collective ego in order to see things for what they are. All that aside, we are glad to have a couple of days off after Minneapolis as Sanguine and The Carcass are both sick and we will need a rest. We have 24 hours worth of driving to do to get to Seattle but not having to perform makes it easier. The rest of the Chicago show was a success, particularly for Immolation who set the room on fire and inspired a violent pit. Our friend Tammy came out as well and it was good to see her. At the end of the night I had a very late dinner with Ross and Bob and they counseled me on the nature of uphill battles with a band. They certainly have had their share of them, and I always appreciate their practical and earnest advice.

We finally cleared out from the venue and cursed the steep flights of stairs that we had tackled earlier. I like old buildings but loading a four-band backline up three flights of steep stairs is not my idea of a good time.

I Feel Nothing

Nashville was bad. Every band has their off nights and this one was definitely ours. The room and stage were unusually dark so I got caught in some unsecured cables and nearly fell while taking my position, the stage sound was impossibly bad and we could not hear one another, and none of this did anything to win over the static audience who attended the set. Sanguine is still struggling with his illness and his voice, so we ended up paring the set down to four songs. We debated this wisdom of this after the fact but I doubt it would have improved the situation to play the full set. We cut “Vomitorium Angelis”, which is the closing track off the new album, as it is the longest song we have on this tour and while we like performing it is starting to feel unwieldy and as it is new it is also a lot for an audience to absorb. We will likely perform other tracks in its stead for the remaining dates. We left early from Nashville to get to Chicago in plenty of time. I was fine to go and allow the bad show cloud to dissipate but it meant having to walk away from an Immolation set so our departure was not without regret.

Despondent Souls

Louisville was a good show but the circumstances surrounding it definitely could have been better. We nearly died of exposure in the van during our meager four hours of sleep and when I pulled the van up to parallel park in front of the club I failed to see the tiny Ford Focus parked on our right and sideswiped it. Fortunately the owner was a nice college girl in a neighboring coffee shop who was ambivalent about the damage but I was mad at myself all the same. This is why you always purchase the insurance coverage on rental vehicles. The coffee shop itself was a comfortable place to relax and recharge, and the management even allowed us to use their bathroom to change into our gear. Bob and Steve from Immolation broke into uproarious laughter when they saw us emerging from the shop in full regalia. It is an understatement to say that we would have a much easier time if we decided to stop wearing the corpse paint, but that will never happen so we have no choice but to take advantage of any mirrors and lockable doors that are offered to us.

The show itself was well-attended and we were greeted with another fervent crowd. For some reason my wireless unit died during “Battle's Clarion”, I had no vocals in the mix, and the stage levels were horrendous, but we were still given horns and hails throughout. Sanguine gave a monstrous performance despite the fact that he is now (almost like clockwork) sick and losing his voice. The entire tour bus is a hive of road-AIDS now, with members of all the bands coughing, snorting, and generally laying around and looking haggard. I am doing my best to stay well, but it may be a losing battle in the end. The climate is not helping in the least, but mercifully Nashville is about twenty degrees warmer than our last stop. We have been mining for reviews for “Advent Parallax” and they range from glowing to hilariously muddled. We have no problem with legitimate criticism but it seems like the naysayers are too busy complaining about how they don't understand the album to offer a proper review. As far as I am concerned this proves we have succeeded in our mission once again. We are not seeking approval in every corner, as this demands compromises we do not wish to make.

Unholy cult

Somehow, despite lethal temperatures and the accompanying snow storm, Detroit managed to be another good show. As mentioned earlier we had to organize the merchandise ourselves, and there were very few people when the doors opened so it was assumed by all that the evening would prove a fiasco. At the last minute we were informed that the opening band was not to play and suddenly we were expected to go on before we had applied paint or even changed into our stage gear. We managed to assemble a stripped down but suitable visage and took the stage to a somewhat small but very eager audience. I felt we played well and the set was fluid and dynamic. Sometimes going in with low expectations removes the urgency in a way that allows a freeness to shine through. We need to continue in cultivating this sensibility regardless of the size or prestige of the show in question. It can only serve us well. By the time Belphegor hit the stage the room had filled, which was great for the shows overall success though it is also one of the downsides for us in that we have to go on early even if the crowd capacity has not yet been met. Immolation was, as always, simply amazing and they once again played songs from every album with mastery. If you haven't realized it by now Immolation is my all time favorite band, and if you find my fervent admiration of them to be tiresome then you are out of luck.


As the night went on we were approached by more and more people who wanted autographs and photos and complained about how the road conditions made them miss our set. It was a shame to think that we could have been playing to a bigger audience but it was still good to know that we were anticipated. We also signed the torsos of two attractive girls with an oversized black magic marker. Incantations were scrawled across their chests, arms, and backs, and it looked pretty arcane when we were done.


The I-Rock has quite a bit of history attached to it, judging by all the rock and metal memorabilia on the walls, many of which are signed by the respective artists. The club owner honored us by requesting an artifact of ours to add to the gallery and we obliged with a battered cymbal that was personally destroyed by The Carcass. Another first for the cabal, and a fitting tribute to a tumultuous but ultimately triumphant night.