Skullcrackin' Good Time
Big Iron, Sweetooth, State of Aggression, Mud Flap at Galaxy Club on 3-29-02 by James

Well, now, how do I relate how much fun I had at this show to all of you fine folks? I saw four rocking bands, saw a bar brawl, got to breathe in mace and got thrown (yes, thrown) into a wall. I got a chance to meet the guys in Stillborn Nursery, as well as hang out with the Southforty patrol. All in all, it was one of the best times I have had at a local show and it will definitely go down as one of the craziest shows I have been to. That being said, you are probably wondering what I thought of what was actually happening on the stage. Well, let me tell ya…

Mud Flap started the whole thing off to a crowd of about five people, including myself. I have been wanting to see these guys for a long time and they did not disappoint me, one bit. There are no screaming vocals and very little yelling to be found in Mud Flap's sound, so they had to rely on the band to bring the aggression. I would say they did a damn good job. The vocals were crisp and definitely brought forth thoughts of Machine Head. Lots of thumping grooves to bob your head to and a few kick ass breakdowns, here and there, were the order of the day for the music. I kept thinking they sounded like Nu Metal done with a much bigger emphasis on the metal part. They had a really tight set and deserved a better crowd than they had. I guess people are scared to support a band that they don't know or something, because there were plenty of people sitting in the back.

A similar fate befell State of Aggression, as they were left with a rather small crowd up front for them, but at least the floor wasn't completely barren. Still, there were a lot more people sitting on their butts than there were standing on their feet. The guys from Dustborn were in attendance, though. I won't spend too much time on SOA, because I have reviewed them, once before, and this time was no less impressive. If you want metal, SOA has metal. Come and get it and quit sitting on your asses.

Sweetooth was up next and they were every bit as good as I remembered them being, before. Mind you, yes, rapcore is losing it's appeal to some folks (myself included), but that didn't seem to be the case with the huge crowd that came out for Sweetooth's return to Deep Ellum. With two vocalists and a sound that is quite a bit heavier than most bands playing this style of music, Sweetooth hits you, right between the eyes. They keep things moving, steadily, onstage and the dual screamers work the crowd, equally well. The best thing about Sweetooth, to me, is they are a fun band. Fun to watch, fun to listen to and fun to have on the bill. Sure, they are heavy, but they aren't dark and brooding, like a lot of heavy bands are. In that respect, they made for a good transition from SOA to Big Iron.

Now, before I got to see Big Iron, there was a huge bar brawl in the Galaxy Club. It was insane. I saw some dude with blood running down his face and next thing I knew, I couldn't breathe for shit. Mace, it's what's for dinner. Man, if you haven't had the chance to inhale this lovely chemical, than you sure need to. It's lots of fun. You feel like your throat has completely dried out and you cough your head off. Mind you, that was how it affected me, and it had dissipated a bit by the time it hit me. I can't imagine the poor sap that got it in the face. Anyway, they ran us all outside, saying the show was over, so we should go home. Fuck that. I stood out there, for awhile, talking to some folks, including Gotti from Low Gear, and watched some members of the fiasco get hauled off to jail. As I was sure they would, the people from Galaxy were allowed to let everyone back in and the show continued.

Sadly, this was only my second time to see Big Iron. I wish I could make it out to more of their shows. I love their sound and I love their fans. Not everyone made it back in, as I am sure a lot of people actually thought the show was over, but there was still a nice crowd for Big Iron. If you live in Dallas and have never at least heard of Big Iron, please take your life. Big Iron threw down the best performance of the night, even though I was really hoping to hear more stuff from Tierra Del Diablo. I understand that most people have seen them play that material, a million times, so I was happy to jam out to all the new shit they threw our way. The new material absolutely rips. As I was saying, though, I love Big Iron's fans. I stayed in their pit the entire time and, barring one little incident, good fun was had by all. That one little incident was this jerk off who didn't know how to act, apparently. We were all out there, moshing it up and this dude grabbed me and threw me into a wall. That shit hurt!! My big ass was literally airborne. Craziness, I tell ya. So, yea, after that, I got back out there, just in time to hear Big Iron belt out my song - Suffocation. The rest of the set was kind of a blur, but I don't think they played many more. Large quantities of alcohol and a bump on the noggin aren't conducive to a vivid recollection of events.