May 22, 2015 - You Would Think Randy Would Learn...

We kicked the show off with a few classic tracks from the legendary Ronnie James Dio. Hard to believe that five years have already passed since his death, but what's not so hard to believe is the musical legacy he left behind. He'll never be forgotten!

Sadly, Joe and I weren't able to share our memories of that Septic Flesh/Moonspell show in Rochester, as our interview didn't pan out. Instead, he and I went out to Donselaar's for the first night of Finger Lakes Metal Fest. Honestly, probably the right choice, considering the awesome performances we were able to check out that night!

Yep, Finger Lakes Metal Fest 2015 has come and gone, and what a great time it was! I mean, there were certainly no doubts, because Metal Fest is always a blast, but I will now go on record to say that the 10th anniversary was among the best of them!

Randy (or RJ as he likes to be called) from Thirteen South even came out to share some of his memories of the day. As a matter of fact, we dubbed him Mr. Metal Fest, due mostly for his involvement not only with his band, but also because he joined Blood Snot on stage to provide vocal support. For the record, Blood Snot doesn't actually have a regular vocalist, and RJ was improvising lyrics off the top of his head. Pretty fucking impressive, when ya think about it... He also paid a visit to the stage during Ire Clad's set to provide some backing vocals to "Force It Down", which is always a blast to watch! So, yes, many fond memories of Finger Lakes Metal Fest 2015 were shared, and we all agree that we're looking forward to seeing it continue another ten years and beyond!

That was the happy portion of the show...

Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse when I was once again thrown under the bus for smoking. Now, I've actually been pretty good about keeping the habit under control, but as I've said before, I tend to crave tobacco strongly when I'm in social settings. Don't know why this is, really, but in the interest of not being a mooch, I will usually purchase a pack to float me by, especially when I know there are a number of shows coming up in a short period. And, I get the fact that the guys are really just looking out for my well-being, I really do! But, come on... I mean, I've heard of tough love, but these guys take it to a whole new level, as was already proven when Joe clotheslined me through a table last November. (Yes, the video is on our website...) This time was perhaps a bit less brutal... or not... hard to say. It certainly wasn't pleasant. First off, Azkath bloodied me up with a rusty chain, and I would have said that was punishment aplenty... but, these guys LOVE to go to extremes, so in the interest of "cleaning the wound", he liberally poured peroxide into the wound... and followed it up with rubbing alcohol... and, because that must not have seemed like it was good enough, he poured on some lighter fluid next. He then struck a match, and turned me into Ghost Rider for about 30 seconds...

I hate to sound like a broken record, but I sure am glad that clones heal quickly.

- Randy Metalwulf