Photo Gallery: Singers, Part 2

Obituary, Andrew J Brady Music Center, Cincinnati
Rivers of Nihil, Old National Centre, Indianapolis
The Casualty, Muddy Roots Festival
Mercyful Fate, Andrew J Brady Music Center, Cincinnati
Ancient Days, Black Circle, Indianapolis
Heartsick, Michigan Metal Festival
Dark Funeral, The Vogue Theatre, Indianapolis
Cannibal Corpse, Blue Ridge Rock Festival

Photos by Wayne Edwards.

© Wayne Edwards

Photo Gallery: Singers, Part 2

Photo Gallery: Bassists, Part 1

Stöner at Muddy Roots
Mercyful Fate at Andrew J. Brady Center, Cincinnati
Armored Saint at BMI Event Center, Versailles, Ohio
Deocculted at Tennessee Metal Devastation
Exodus at Newport Music Center, Columbus
Goatwhore at Higher Ground, Burlington
Hookers at Muddy Roots
The Red Mountain at Tennessee Metal Devastation

Photos by Wayne Edwards.

© Wayne Edwards

Photo Gallery: Bassists, Part 1

New Year’s Day, 2023

Here we go.

It’s a new year, and a new set of opportunities. More important than anything: more heavy music.

This year we are stepping it up at Shardik Media. The plan is for five new release reviews every week, expanded coverage of live music including music festivals we have not covered before, and a couple surprise features that will be new to Flying Fiddlesticks Music Blog. Stay tuned.

Speaking of something new, we are looking for an intern to do some of the writing and posting for the blog. It is unpaid, so it is not a good deal, but if you like heavy music and you want to get involved, pop us an email at shardik@flyingfiddlesticks.com.

I am going to put up a couple of random photos that haven’t been on the website before as a little celebration of the year to come. Let’s make 2023 count.

Wayne Edwards

King Diamond, Mercyful Fate
Blackie Lawless, W.A.S.P.
Amon Amarth
Primitive Man
Moru
Dying Wish
Spirit Adrift

Photos by Wayne Edwards.

Links and info.

Contact email address: shardik@flyingfiddlesticks.com

I also write for Ghost Cult Magazine: https://www.ghostcultmag.com/

Social Media accounts used regularly…

Instagram, @wayneedwardsffmb

Twitter, @we21011

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082879764669

Mastodon, @ShardikMedia@universeodon.com

© Wayne Edwards

New Year’s Day, 2023

Mercyful Fate at The Andrew J. Brady Music Center, November 4, 2022

Mercyful Fate, Kreator, and Midnight took the stage in Cincinnati down by the river at the Andrew J. Brady Music Center last Friday night, and the place might never be the same.

Mercyful Fate

One of my earliest European metal fascinations was Mercyful Fate. I jumped on with the Melissa (1983) album. At the time, you could still get the even earlier self-titled EP, so I did that – wish I still had it. Those two records and the almost-equally engaging Don’t Break The Oath (1984) kept me company in my formative years. Vocalist King Diamond left the band and it split up right afterward. A decade later, Mercyful Fate was at it again. During the nineties, several more albums came, and the sound was a little different. I always thought that King Diamond’s solo albums were more like the original Mercyful Fate than the nineties albums. In any case, there hasn’t been anything from Mercyful Fate since before the new millennium.

For these reasons and many more, I was thrilled to go to Psycho Las Vegas this year and see Mercyful Fate together again. Michael Denner is not with the band now, but Hank Shermann is, and, of course, King Diamond. It is Mercyful Fate.

The night started with the masked trio, Midnight. In the studio, Midnight is the one-man band Jamie Althenar Walters. Live they play a speedy brand of black metal that fits right in with Kreator and Mercyful Fate. I have really liked the last two records from Midnight, so it was great to see him and them live.

Midnight

The middle slot was held by the German thrash band Kreator. The legend of the band stretches back forty years. Here we have another example of a band I have listened to for decades but somehow never saw live. I have been on their trail for some time and finally caught up with them. Their performance smoked, and I was especially glad to hear the title track from their new album Hate Über Alles.

Kreator

As I mentioned, I saw Mercyful Fate a couple months ago in Las Vegas and, of course, it was basically the same set and show in Cincinnati. In other words, it was mind-blowingly incredible. If I could, I would be at every stop on the tour because I am a long-time fan, but also because the performance is just so good.

King Diamond
Mercyful Fate

King Diamond, Hank Shermann, Mike Mead, Bjarne T. Holm, and, filling in on bass for the tour, Becky Baldwin, laid down the law for an hour and a half. They played my absolute favorites “A Corpse Without A Soul,” Curse of the Pharaohs,” and “Black Funeral,” and a half a dozen other songs from the early albums that were instantly recognizable. They also performed a new piece, “The Jackal of Salzburg,” reinforcing the word on the street that another album is in the works.

Mercyful Fate
Mercyful Fate

There is still time to catch the tour. There are not very many dates on this leg, but there are (at this writing) still six more chances to see the show. Check out the tour poster below for details and grab your tickets if any remain. There is no knowing whether there will ever be another Mercyful Fate tour so don’t put this one off because once you see it, it will live with you for the rest of your time.

Photos by Wayne Edwards.

Links.

Mercyful Fate, https://mercyfulfatecoven.com/

Kreator, https://www.kreator-terrorzone.de/

Midnight, https://totalmidnight.webs.com/

The Andrew J. Brady Music Center, https://bradymusiccenter.com/

Metal Blade Records, https://www.metalblade.com/us/

Photo Galleries.

Mercyful Fate, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2022/11/08/photo-gallery-mercyful-fate-cincinnati-november-4-2022/

Kreator, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2022/11/08/photo-gallery-kreator-cincinnati-november-4-2022/

Midnight, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2022/11/08/photo-gallery-midnight-cincinnati-november-4-2022/

© Wayne Edwards

Mercyful Fate at The Andrew J. Brady Music Center, November 4, 2022