Realm of Tomcat

Hello dear reader, welcome to the grand mega anniversary of our blog. We've now been around for an incredible single week. A week during which we broke every record imaginable and reached new heights never before seen by man.

Our first week also coincided with the summer edition of the Metal Archives review challenge. This review challenge is all about reviewing all sorts of albums that do not yet have a review on the metal archives yet. For the last several years I at least tried to participate in every challenge. However the passing of Diamhea cast a shadow over the latest edition. Not only was Diamhea an essential part of MA, he also held the record of reviewing the most reviews during a single edition. It is thus very just that the review challenge has been renamed to the Diamhea review challenge. Every review of mine on the blog so far was written for this challenge. While writing reviews I was reflecting about his passing. I would say that we were only friends on a casual basis but still we hung together in the official metal archives chat room for years. You never know when somebody you know quite well suddenly passes. I am asking everyone who uses the archives regularly to blast some Overkill in his memory.

Tonight I am going to see Neurosis again. Neurosis were one of the first bands I ever got into when I just got into metal. I think I first heard them back in 2004 but the one play through I really remember was back in the summer of 2005. It was well past midnight and I was just chilling in bed and listening to music. I was listening to the The Word as Law album which I had not heard yet. This album got an untitled bonus track at the end that is just nothing but feedback, I had heard feedback and stuff before but still somehow they managed to create a super creepy ambient piece out of it unlike anything I've heard before or since. I was basically this close to shitting my pants.

Despite being a real long time fan it took me years and years before I could finally see them. Usually they would play only a single gig while I was not even in the country in the middle of the summer. This finally changed when they performed at Roadburn 2016, not only that but they played two 30^th anniversary shows, 2 different sets of showcasing their entire discography. The first of the 2 sets was especially incredible, they build the setlist in such a way that the tension just kept on building and building. When they played Through Silver in Blood itself I couldn't keep myself together any more, I don't even really remember what I did maybe I almost opened up a mosh pit but what I do remember was the music. I am not really sure if it was a good thing that this band seemingly triggered something akin to a psychotic break. Afterwards I was pretty much completely shattered and empty, I was staggering around the venue and somebody I knew told me I was all drunk but while I had a few drinks 90% of what she saw was just the sheer power of Neurosis. I do not really expect them to have such an amazing setlist or performance again but I am sure it is going to be an amazing experience once again.