Editorials
[Live Review] Avenged Sevenfold/Deftones/Ghost B.C. In Detroit, MI
This past Sunday I went to the “Hail To The King” tour, which features headliner Avenged Sevenfold with direct support from Deftones and Ghost B.C.. While each band represents rock/metal they also present a very unique sound, bringing their own flavors to the genre. So, in theory, this tour should be a fun, exciting celebration that pays homage to the heaviness that only metal can bring. And while this tour almost got it right, there is one glaring problem, one issue that I just couldn’t shake off. Head on down to see what it was.
I’ve been trying to catch these guys for a few years now, so seeing them was a real treat. The best adjective to describe them would be “theatrical”, as it speaks to their stage presence as well as the visuals that supported them. The band had no pyrotechnics nor any stage set pieces. Instead, the mood of their performance was based heavily upon the almost Argento-esque use of color. Deep purples washed the stage while green beams shone upon the audience, as though the band was trying to find the perfect victim for a ritualistic sacrifice.
The nameless ghouls of the band performed with enthusiasm, engaging the audience and obviously having a great deal of fun. Vocalist Papa Emeritus II stood on stage with gravitas, addressing the audience with charm and an infectious dry, wry humor. Papa also paid homage to Detroit, the Motor City, by referencing the KISS “Alive!” tour, drawing huge cheers from the audience.
Ghost B.C. was a fantastic opener and kicked the night off wonderfully.
This was not the first time I had seen Deftones, so I knew what I was getting into. And let’s just say that the band did not disappoint in any way. Vocalist Chino Moreno leapt around the stage with seemingly boundless amounts of energy, jumping off the drum riser and stage monitors, climbing on top of the bass speaker cabinets, and even getting right up against the audience. He sang with such crazed fervor that he went through at least three microphones, slamming each on the ground when one would stop functioning and quickly grabbing another.
Bassist Sergio Vega also seemed filled with the same kinetic energy, running around, jumping, and singing with a huge smile on his face. Drummer Abe Cunningham furiously played, his sticks a blur as lights reflected off the cymbals, creating shimmering waves against the plain white backdrop. Electronics man Frank Delgado bobbed sinuously through each song while guitarist Stephen Carpenter had his feet firmly planted in his spot, headbanging with his hair wildly splayed thanks to a small stage fan. The entire group fed off of the crowd, playing such favorites as “Change (In The House Of Flies)” and “Shove It” as well as several tracks from the recently released Koi No Yokan.
Once again, Deftones have shown that they are a live band that is well worth every penny to see.
And now we come to the problem child, the point where things not only went downhill but where they plummeted right off a cliff: Avenged Sevenfold.
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve never been a huge fan of the band. I like a few songs here and there (“Critical Acclaim” is badass) but they’ve never drawn me in. But this “performance” (if you want to call it that) was nothing short of boring, and, in a way, insulting.
So let’s start with the good, shall we? The stage design was pretty awesome. The backdrop was built as though it were the front of a medieval castle. The center door was framed on both sides by two large screens that were used to display various scenes, such as rotting corpses and skeletal figures locked behind jail bars. The center door opened a few songs in and a large skeletal king emerged, sitting on a throne made of skulls. The head of this statue moved side to side, surveying the audience. Flames shot forth from nearly everywhere, a river of fire often appearing in front of drummer Aaron Ilejay. Bursts of fireworks would appear at timed intervals, creating shockingly loud eruptions. So overall, the stage production was pretty badass.
But onto the problem: the band. They played with almost zero enthusiasm, wandering aimlessly around the stage and barely engaging the crowd. Actually, in a “quite the opposite” move, they very often had their backs turned towards the audience, facing Ilejay. Their complete lack of enthusiasm was mind boggling. Here’s one of the biggest bands in the rock/metal world and they can’t muster the energy to put on a performance that matches their numbers?
It was almost the complete opposite of Deftones. Avenged Sevenfold had an amazing stage production while the band had no enthusiasm. Meanwhile, Deftones had no stage production whatsoever but played with more excitement in one night than most bands can pull out over an entire tour. I’m sure you can guess which one I find more important.
Here’s how bad A7X’s show was: I left five songs in. While I was walking out of the Joe Louis Arena, there was a large crowd gathered around a small television. They were watching the Tigers/Red Sox game (damn those Sox) instead of watching the band perform. I could only laugh as I realized that I was not alone in my views on the band’s “show”.
The Final Word: For a concert that is dubbed the Hail To The King tour, I truly wish the “king” had been dethroned. While it’s always a pleasure seeing Deftones and Ghost B.C. were amazing, I can safely say that I never have to nor want to see Avenged Sevenfold again.
Banner credit: Christopher Mark
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Having grown up in a religious family, Christian movie night was something that happened a lot more often than I care to admit. However, back when I was a teenager, my parents showed up one night with an unusually cool-looking DVD of a movie that had been recommended to them by a church leader. Curious to see what new kind of evangelical propaganda my parents had rented this time, I proceeded to watch the film with them expecting a heavy-handed snoozefest.
To my surprise, I was a few minutes in when Denzel Washington proceeded to dismember a band of cannibal raiders when I realized that this was in fact a real movie. My mom was horrified by the flick’s extreme violence and dark subject matter, but I instantly became a fan of the Hughes Brothers’ faith-based 2010 thriller, The Book of Eli. And with the film’s atomic apocalypse having apparently taken place in 2024, I think this is the perfect time to dive into why this grim parable might also be entertaining for horror fans.
Originally penned by gaming journalist and The Walking Dead: The Game co-writer Gary Whitta, the spec script for The Book of Eli was already making waves back in 2007 when it appeared on the coveted Blacklist. It wasn’t long before Columbia and Warner Bros. snatched up the rights to the project, hiring From Hell directors Albert and Allen Hughes while also garnering attention from industry heavyweights like Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman.
After a series of revisions by Anthony Peckham meant to make the story more consumer-friendly, the picture was finally released in January of 2010, with the finished film following Denzel as a mysterious wanderer making his way across a post-apocalyptic America while protecting a sacred book. Along the way, he encounters a run-down settlement controlled by Bill Carnegie (Gary Oldman), a man desperate to get his hands on Eli’s book so he can motivate his underlings to expand his empire. Unwilling to let this power fall into the wrong hands, Eli embarks on a dangerous journey that will test the limits of his faith.
SO WHY IS IT WORTH WATCHING?
Judging by the film’s box-office success, mainstream audiences appear to have enjoyed the Hughes’ bleak vision of a future where everything went wrong, but critics were left divided by the flick’s trope-heavy narrative and unapologetic religious elements. And while I’ll be the first to admit that The Book of Eli isn’t particularly subtle or original, I appreciate the film’s earnest execution of familiar ideas.
For starters, I’d like to address the religious elephant in the room, as I understand the hesitation that some folks (myself included) might have about watching something that sounds like Christian propaganda. Faith does indeed play a huge part in the narrative here, but I’d argue that the film is more about the power of stories than a specific religion. The entire point of Oldman’s character is that he needs a unifying narrative that he can take advantage of in order to manipulate others, while Eli ultimately chooses to deliver his gift to a community of scholars. In fact, the movie even makes a point of placing the Bible in between equally culturally important books like the Torah and Quran, which I think is pretty poignant for a flick inspired by exploitation cinema.
Sure, the film has its fair share of logical inconsistencies (ranging from the extent of Eli’s Daredevil superpowers to his impossibly small Braille Bible), but I think the film more than makes up for these nitpicks with a genuine passion for classic post-apocalyptic cinema. Several critics accused the film of being a knockoff of superior productions, but I’d argue that both Whitta and the Hughes knowingly crafted a loving pastiche of genre influences like Mad Max and A Boy and His Dog.
Lastly, it’s no surprise that the cast here absolutely kicks ass. Denzel plays the title role of a stoic badass perfectly (going so far as to train with Bruce Lee’s protégée in order to perform his own stunts) while Oldman effortlessly assumes a surprisingly subdued yet incredibly intimidating persona. Even Mila Kunis is remarkably charming here, though I wish the script had taken the time to develop these secondary characters a little further. And hey, did I mention that Tom Waits is in this?
AND WHAT MAKES IT HORROR ADJACENT?
Denzel’s very first interaction with another human being in this movie results in a gory fight scene culminating in a face-off against a masked brute wielding a chainsaw (which he presumably uses to butcher travelers before eating them), so I think it’s safe to say that this dog-eat-dog vision of America will likely appeal to horror fans.
From diseased cannibals to hyper-violent motorcycle gangs roaming the wasteland, there’s plenty of disturbing R-rated material here – which is even more impressive when you remember that this story revolves around the bible. And while there are a few too many references to sexual assault for my taste, even if it does make sense in-universe, the flick does a great job of immersing you in this post-nuclear nightmare.
The excessively depressing color palette and obvious green screen effects may take some viewers out of the experience, but the beat-up and lived-in sets and costume design do their best to bring this dead world to life – which might just be the scariest part of the experience.
Ultimately, I believe your enjoyment of The Book of Eli will largely depend on how willing you are to overlook some ham-fisted biblical references in order to enjoy some brutal post-apocalyptic shenanigans. And while I can’t really blame folks who’d rather not deal with that, I think it would be a shame to miss out on a genuinely engaging thrill-ride because of one minor detail.
With that in mind, I’m incredibly curious to see what Whitta and the Hughes Brothers have planned for the upcoming prequel series starring John Boyega…
There’s no understating the importance of a balanced media diet, and since bloody and disgusting entertainment isn’t exclusive to the horror genre, we’ve come up with Horror Adjacent – a recurring column where we recommend non-horror movies that horror fans might enjoy.
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