Illinois Entertainer

Plenty of people dislike Dave Mustaine (read the Al Jourgensen cover story for one), but you have to give the Megadeth frontman credit for Gigantour.

Its virgin run in 2005 wasn’t all that impressive because a lineup clogged up by Bobaflex, Dry Kill Logic, Symphony X, and Life Of Agony wasn’t a convincing reason to part ways with $40. Lamb Of God and Opeth as main supports on the following year’s package were huge improvements over Dream Theater and Fear Factory, but the problem was still getting through all the mediocre (or worse) acts before the big guns – the roster was wildly inconsistent.

• Read more: Third Time’s A Charm

The seed of Testament’s reunion was planted in 2001, the year Chuck Billy was fighting for his life. Diagnosed with germ cell seminoma, the hulking frontman was undergoing chemotherapy and drowning in medical bills. So friends from the Bay Area and beyond united for the Thrash Of The Titans benefit gig in San Francisco. On an evening that included icons (some of whom reunited specifically for the show) like Death Angel, Heathen, Vio-Lence, Exodus, Anthrax, and S.O.D., the highlight was a headlining appearance by Legacy, Testament’s earliest incarnation. Though it was only a semi-reunion it did include guitarist Alex Skolnick, significant because he had been largely M.I.A. in heavy metal (concentrating largely on his jazz trio) since he left Testament in 1992.

• Read more: The Legacy Remains

Doro Pesch, the iconic German power metal songstress, will hate Reptoids, or at least her publicity team will hate Reptoids.

I had Doro penciled in for this column as far back as December (she is playing the Pearl Room in March) but in mid-January I received Reptoids’ three-song Slayed EP, threw it on, listened to the first track, “We Are The Wolves,” and immediately demoted Doro.

• Read more: Reptoids’ Sweet Sides

My first face-to-face encounter with Blake Judd didn’t leave me with a very good impression of the Nachtmystium frontman. In the summer of 2003 I had just moved to Chicago and was living half a block from Metal Haven’s old Lakeview location. Homesick, overwhelmed, clueless, and friendless, I dropped by the store a few times a week, hoping to connect with some like-minded music fans. On one of these particular visits I asked then-employee Judd if they had the most recent Black Label Society CD. He shot me one of the dirtiest looks I’ve ever received, like I had just asked for a Bell Biv Devoe record, before answering “I don’t think we carry that band.”

• Read more: Judd’s Dread

This was a good year for heavy music, and by that, I mean there were a lot of really good records released. So I hounded some notable Chicagoland headbangers and begged them to name their top five heavy albums of 2007. A few people used the ol’ “in no particular order” line when they submitted their lists, but I numbered them one through five anyway because I’m a bastard for continuity, though I did let Bruce Lamont have seven instead of five (”Top five? No! Seven for ‘07″). I think there is a good cross section of local (Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante is a Chicagoan now) personalities here, so enjoy, and thanks to those who participated. FYI: I gave a short explanation for my picks; it is my column, after all.

• Read more: You Wanted The Best?

For two months now I’ve stashed away Rhino’s The Heavy Metal Box and Megadeth’s Warchest just so I could reveal all the glorious details in December and make this month’s column a sort of “Headbanger’s Gift Guide.”

Cheesy, I know. But I’m only trying to spread a little holiday cheer to all you godless heathens. Worth a try, right?

• Read more: Ho, Ho, Headbang

I visited the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in September. The six-hour drive to Cleveland was actually to see the Indians play, but I thought, being a music journalist and all, I should probably check out the Hall Of Fame as well.

I’m glad I did it. Beautiful building, stunning architecture, built just off Lake Erie, a short walk from my downtown hotel, something like five or six floors dedicated to the memorabilia and collectables of popular music from every era – you could even walk through Johnny Cash’s tour bus!

• Read more: Justice For All?

Jason Novak is busy right now. Really busy.

It’s 11:30 a.m.-ish on a Thursday morning in September and the Acumen Nation frontman/guitarist/songwriter is tending to his sick daughter, who is home from school with the flu, supervising the painter working on a new addition in his house, trying to finish some Flash web work (Novak has done Flash development for everyone from Touch And Go Records to Tresemme), and preparing the Internet campaign for the presales of new Acumen and DJ? Acucrack (an electronic duo Novak also masterminds with help from Acumen guitarist Jamie Duffy) albums, Psycho The Rapist and Humanoids From The Deep respectively.

• Read more: Crack Music

This month I’ll give you a rundown on some new records and try to whittle down the ever-increasing stack on my desk. But first, the debut of the new “Caught In A Mosh” feature, My F’n Playlist.

It’s pretty simple. A person of my choosing is given the hypothetical scenario one of his favorite band’s entire catalog will be destroyed tomorrow, and he gets to choose 10 measly songs to last him forever. Poppin’ the cherry on this thing is Scott Hedrick, guitarist for Cleveland’s Skeletonwitch, whose Prosthetic debut, Beyond The Permafrost, is in stores October 2nd (sample the goods at www.myspace.com/skeletonwitch).

• Read more: Scandinavian Sleaze

Not many people have realized the headbanging possibilities in The Beatles catalog, but a few clever fellas from Milwaukee did.

• Read more: Beatallica (They’re So Heavy)

Metallica vs. Megadeth – album for album. This battle has taken place in my head many, many times through the years, and now it gets put to paper.

• Read more: Battle Of THE Bands

Quickly: Welcome to the first “Caught In A Mosh,” the Illinois Entertainer’s new monthly heavy music column penned by me, associate editor Trevor Fisher. While you won’t read much about Korn or Godsmack here, I’m not too snobby – underground or mainstream, if worthwhile I’ll talk about it. I never have nor will claim to be an infinite source of heavy metal history and knowledge, only an avid fan who does a decent job constructing a sentence.

• Read more: No Respect