Rock And Shock 2010: Day 1
By Jason Joseph at October 16, 2010 | 9:04 am | Print
Day 1 of the 2010 Rock And Shock Music and Horror Convention has come and gone and it looks like it is going to be another banner year for the festival. I made my way down to the Palladium in Worcester, MA for part of the first night to check out some of the bands and the place was definitely rocking. I decided not to head over to the convention center part of the event on the first day because I knew I’d have a few hours to check it out before the bands started on Saturday, but after talking to a friend that made his way over, I can’t wait.
Because of work, I missed a few of the opening bands, and the playing when I walked in was Decrepit Birth. As the name would suggest, they were very much a death metal band and played the part well. Check it out:
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The next band to play was Through The Eyes Of The Dead. I’ve seen this band a number of times through a number of variations and it is truly surprising to me that they are able to stay so consistent. Not that they aren’t talented, I just know I’ve seen them with at least three different vocalists, and that can be quite the challenge to overcome. They were really good and a solid chunk of the crowd was really into it. Here are some shots:
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Next, I made my way upstairs and battled through a jam packed crowd to get some shots of As Blood Runs Black. I’ve been out of the loop much more than I’d care to acknowledge lately, and this was actually my first time experiencing the band from Los Angeles, California. My first impression was just how old they made me feel, because they were pretty young, but they very well may have been the best band I saw on this day. Lots of energy and everyone was really into them. This is definitely a band I plan on checking out some more:
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Next up was the holy shit moment of the day, as a band called Dawn Of Ashes took the stage. It just wouldn’t be Rock And Shock without some shock, and these guys totally played the part. Dressed as some variation of mutilated zombie like freaks, this was definitely one of the better visual packages I’ve seen a band put together as far as costumes, or whatever you want to call them. They really went all out and it really fits their music. I have no idea where they are from, but they sound European. I know they just released on Metal Blade, so I’ll have to look into that. Check it:
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After deciding not to fight my way through one of the biggest upstairs crowds I have ever seen for Stick To Your Guns, I made my way back downstairs to get ready for the band I was looking forward to the most on the evening: MyChildren MyBride. This was my first time seeing the band, and I thought they really delivered.
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Lastly, I have some pictures of all the merch areas so you can see what the bands had on sale. Here it is:
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With apologies to Suffocation, Suicide Silence and The Faceless, I started feeling really sick just as MyChildren MyBride began to play and decided to call it a night early. I knew Day 2 was going to be a big day, and there was no way I wanted anything to carry over and miss out. I also kind of wanted to see the Tony Danza Tap Dance Extravaganza since I have somehow never seen them, but it looks like I just missed them due to my ride in. The Shockblast crew will be heading over to the DCU Center for Day 2 in a couple hours, so check back tomorrow for all the craziness that is sure to ensue! Hopefully we’ll see you down there.