From the start of their set, Behemoth had flames and explosions on stage.

Crowd surfers wasted no time and just went for it, there was a steady stream of bodies over the barricade from start to finish of this night. The first thing one would think when seeing this band for the first time is “ KISS meets Slayer,” and the fans loved every minute of it. Straight outta Gdansk, the band is credited with playing an integral part in establishing the extreme metal scene in Poland.

Today was no exception, with doors opening at 4 pm, and the first band going on at 5:30 pm already! Yes, sir, it’s going to be a long night of metal.įirst up tonight was Poland’s Behemoth. I’ve been noticing a trend that concerts are including more and more bands, which means doors and showtimes are much earlier these days.

Slipknot fans descended upon the city in full regalia, including some pretty creepy looking masks. The result is a version of “Don’t Tread On Me” that’s more about one’s personal standards and attitude than old-school ‘Murican pride.This past Tuesday, Toronto’s Budweiser Stage played host to the Knotfest Roadshow, featuring heavy metal hitters Slipknot, Volbeat, Gojira, and Behemoth, for an “intimate” gathering of several thousand metal fans.įor anyone in the area of the venue not aware of what was going on, it must have been a terrifying spectacle. “Don’t Tread On Me” typically opens with Metallica playing a snippet of the melody out of “America” from the musical West Side Story (hey, maybe Volbeat just don’t dig Sondheim), and goes hard with the American military references (it can’t be a coincidence that James Hetfield’s cries of “So be it!” sound a lot like “Soviet”). But a slightly closer look shows a bigger shift: Volbeat have taken the America out of the track. What fans will immediately notice about Volbeat’s cover of “Don’t Treat On Me” is that they’ve put a spring in the track’s step, cutting the time between the track’s rapid-fire chugs and giving the chorus a little bit of vocal shimmer. Now, the cover of Metallica‘s “Don’t Tread On Me” by Danish Elvis-metallers Volbeat has been dropped, and it’s an interesting take on a pretty straightforward classic. Last month, it was announced that a tribute album dedicated to Metallica’s 1991 self-titled ‘Black Album’ was in the works to honor the record’s 30th anniversary.

Volbeat album cover mustache