What do you do when you live in America’s third largest metropolis and are too cheap/lazy to travel to the country’s largest traditional metal festival? You wait for said festival to come to you! Of course, I’m speaking rather hyperbolic, but not necessarily, as there’s no shortage of bands who played Hell’s Heroes and are subsequently touring around said appearance. One such band is Satan. Did you really think these NWOBHM legends were gonna fly across the pond for a one off and dip? I mean, they could’ve, but why the headache, especially considering the eager throng of maniacs who couldn’t swing Hell’s Heroes this year, but wanted their fair share of English metal excellency?
This was exactly what ensued at Reggies in Chicago, the greatest place on earth (sorry Disney World), the other night. Joining Satan on this bill were local epic metallers Professor Emeritus, who I unfortunately missed, but highly encourage you check out, as well as current up and coming hipster-doom thespians, Castle Rat. Unenthused by their one-note brand of doom metal (the schtick is fun, though), I found myself outside of Reggies after three songs, anxiously anticipating the return of the ’80s metal titans, Satan. After all, this would be my first time seeing a proper Satan headline set, for as the last time they headlined in Chicago, guitarist Russ Tippins handled vocals for an ailing Brian Ross. Tippins, in his self-deprecating English way, has apologized to me for being “subjected” to that set, which is ironic for a man who’s a top notch singer in his own right, but I digress.
So finally, here we were, up and ready to go for the full Satan treatment on a Tuesday night, and boy, did we get it! As the instrumental “Into the Fire” roared over the PA, I couldn’t help but feel the goosebumps forming on my arms and the back of my neck. I knew exactly what was to follow, a song I’ve heard a million times, but gives me chills with every single listen: “Trial by Fire”. As the band blazed through this absolute epic, I headbanged and screamed along like there was no tomorrow, to the point where I had tears streaming down my cheeks. Yes, I know. “There’s no crying in metal.”, you say. Good luck when you’ve got 70 year old Brian Ross right in front of you singing, “I heard the wise men calling…WHHHYYYYYYY?!” like it’s fucking 1983 all over again.
Did I mention Ross is 70 now? Yeah, I’m as shocked as you are. The secret to his ageless vocal heroics? A magical elixir known as Firemeister: Half Fireball, half Jägermeister! Visual evidence of such brew can be viewed below, and some shared swigs from the front row confirmed there was NO iced tea in that bottle! As for the rest of the band, ALL original members, I should add, talk about absolute virtuoso musicians. Guitarists Russ Tippins and Steve Ramsey are absolutely in the same caliber as Tipton and Downing, Denner and Shermann, and I will not accept any arguments to the contrary. As for the rhythm section of bassist Graeme English and drummer Sean Taylor, they held down the evening with the type of proto-thrashing intensity that made Satan so unique for their era, and to this day, to begin with.
The setlist drew heavily from Satan’s post-reunion output, now consisting of five brilliant albums over the course of 12 years. This would be a gutsy move for any other *ahem* “nostalgia” metal act, but Satan are far from banking on the glories of their yesteryear. This is a band who picked up right where they left off, so when they lay down modern day classics like “Burning Portrait”, “Ophidian”, and *gasp* “Twenty Twenty Five” (no common men or kings have died…yet), they fit right in with the likes of “Break Free” and “Alone in the Dock”.
The icing on the cake was the way how, when all was said done, and after absolutely playing their asses off, Satan came down to greet their beloved fans, not denying a single autograph or photo op. They could’ve easily charged $50+ for such a “VIP package”, but nope. Here I was, face to face with my mate Russ Tippins again, cracking jokes over a mutual friend. It’s this type of camaraderie, coupled with a flawless soundtrack (I’ve never met a Satan album I didn’t like) that makes Satan an anomaly in the best way possible. Make no mistake: Chicago is bound to feel those “Blades of Steel” from this latest ritual for years to come!
Setlist
- “Into the Fire” (Intro)
- “Trial by Fire”
- “Blades of Steel”
- “Ascendancy”
- “Burning Portrait”
- “Break Free”
- “Sacramental Rites”
- “The Devil’s Infantry”
- “Twenty Twenty Five”
- “Ophidian”
- “Turn the Tide”
- “Into the Mouth of Eternity”
- “Testimony”
Encore
- “Alone in the Dock”
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