Cealed Kasket preview

Cealed Kasket
Otto’s, DeKalb
Friday, June 29, 2007
Double Door, Chicago
Saturday, June 30, 2007

Like a weightlifting, protein shake-pounding, barbed-wire armband-wearing man unable to confess his secret love of figure skating, it can be tough for heavy metal fans to admit the silliness of some of the music they, and the bands they love, take so seriously. Cealed Kasket can help.

Maybe with the exception of the last decade of hip-hop, no genre in the history of recorded music has been so vulnerable to mockery. Graveyards, witches, ghouls, goblins, Satan, black magic, demons, and dragons? Take a step back, headbangers, and cast an objective look at metal: That shit is hilarious! Chicagoans Cealed Kasket understand this and proceed accordingly. Comprising frontman and self-proclaimed “Jesus Christ of heavy metal” Mortal Death, guitarist/500-year-old wizard Sarsicus, drummer Scott Jackson, and corpse-painted diamond baron Maurice Pearlman, Kasket mainly dealt with the fantasy realm (chivalry and honor; swords and steeds) on last year’s self-titled debut. But Penetration, the follow-up scheduled for a July 7th release, finds the band more concerned with modern-day realities: the demands of being rock stars on “Rock Idols” (“clap for us/clap for us/motherfucking clap for us”), rock-star groupies in “Backstage Sluttin'” (the only heavy metal song ever to use the term “pee pee”?), and raucous rock ‘n’ roll concert crowds on “Riot Party” (“hey you fucking asshole/get over here/get over here/I’m gonna stab you”).

Somewhat tasteless – mostly hysterical – jokes like “Sex Stained Lady” (“gonna have to use bleach/to sanitize the evidence of sex stains”) aside, Cealed Kasket are also a pretty darn good band. Making fun of metal music is easy; playing good metal music and being funny is much, much harder. A combination of traditional power metal and Alice Cooper/KISS-ish theatrical glam, Casket’s chops are as sharp as the broadswords they arm themselves with. Should we be surprised by Sarsicus’ booty of riffs or super-shredding solos, though? He has had five centuries of practice, after all.

Awesome Car Funmaker opens both shows. Strong Shark also play Otto’s while Central Standard and The Politicians are part of the Double Door bill.

– Trevor Fisher

Click here to listen to streaming samples of Penetration.

Category: Stage Buzz, Weekly