Arch Enemy & Zakk Sabbath Perform At Schecter NAMM Party

By Lisa Burke

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January 23rd 2016, City National Grove Of Anaheim, Anaheim CA: Last Saturday I attended the annual NAMM convention in Anaheim and the Schecter Guitars sponsored after-party concert featuring Zakk Wylde in Zakk Sabbath and Arch Enemy at the Grove. Now, I’ve recently seen both of these bands and loved them, so naturally this time was no different though it was a great combination to see them in one packaged show.

If you’ve never been to NAMM you should know that it’s a place for music nerds to get their rocks off on expensive gear first and foremost, but there is also the group that goes for the rock star autographs and photos so they can brag on Facebook thinking their friends are only looking at their badass photo of them arm in arm with Dave Mustaine or Kerry King and not twenty-seven of the same photos of their friends on separate occasions in the same pose with same said rock stars. What a rough life these dudes live, having to pose in endless photos with hot chick groupies and sign their name 60,000 times while hearing how amazing they are. Oh, and then there are the people who go there simply because they think they appear cooler to the world and that giving their LP to some famous dude will in some way help them to also make it big. While this is a ballsy and commendable move, I highly doubt that the rock star really even has that power or gives a shit to go out of their way for you to get it to the hands that may actually grant that power, provided they even bother to listen and don’t think you suck perhaps because they have bad taste anyway. Then there are the people who similarily to the gear nerds have a legit purpose for attending because of some work they do in the industry including journalism, or they have an endorsement with someone and they are there to help promote the brand.

Upon your first NAMM adventure you will discover that geeking over badass guitars and drumsets also involves you painfully enduring slow ear torture as you walk by the many DJ equipment setups scattered about playing bad drum and bass beats until you trip over some nobody child who is doing a live performance of some eclectic music you didn’t even know there was a category for. After surviving eight hours of this, then crashing the best hotel party you can when you probably should be eating dinner, and then you give up six times on getting into the exclusive Schecter after-party show that basically you just failed to get tickets for early enough, to then find an amazingly cool top secret way inside at the last minute VIP style nonetheless.

Now that I have your attention I’d like to talk a little bit about the bands I watched which of course is the main focus of this article just like it was the main focus of everyone that attended the after-party show despite the abundance of free Coldcock whiskey on the outdoor patio that I was not stupid enough to partake in, although I was surprised at the lack of vomit on the ground. So to start off with the Zakk attack, I will say that Zakk Sabbath may be my favorite band out of his many projects despite the obvious fact that it is all Black Sabbath covers. He sings exceptionally well and the whole abomination is commendably Black Sabbath quality, yet in the stylings of Zakk Sabbath. If you want to hear Tony Iommi then go see Tony Iommi play guitar and this show is not for you. This show has Zakk written all over it from his signature bullseye “polka dot V” that Randy Rhoads was known to play, to his ridiculously amazing and intense badass solo during ‘War Pigs’ that he plays half of with the guitar behind his head on his upper back. Maybe I spoke too soon when I said this was the best I’ve seen of him, but let’s not forget that Zakk played for Ozzy Osbourne for years and idolized Randy Rhoads so he has a right to channel him if he wants too. I could go on and on but just know that at least Black Label Society becomes pussy metal after watching him do this.

Zakk Sabbath (photo borrowed from @WyldeAudio instagram)
Zakk Sabbath (photo borrowed from @WyldeAudio instagram)

Next on the list of badasses was Alissa White-Gluz in the new version of Arch Enemy featuring Jeff Loomis on guitar, who is of course endorsed by Schecter which works out great at the Schecter after-party show. I’ve been a fan of Arch Enemy for years and I loved the last singer Angela Gossow very much, but Alissa is such a badass on stage and has serious presence about her that she definitely can not be ignored. She is perfect as a frontwoman in a melodic death metal band like this and I normally catch myself with my jaw hanging open watching her just kick everyone’s ass the entire time, not to mention the rest of the band still sounds amazing as well. Her outfits are usually pretty fantastic as well and fairly complex as she is herself. The new album she is responsible for, ‘War Eternal’, is also pretty badass and worth a listen.

Arch Enemy (photo borrowed from @ArchEnemyOfficial instagram)
Arch Enemy (photo borrowed from @ArchEnemyOfficial instagram)

If you were at the party and not watching the bands the entire time, you were most certainly schmoozing out on the patio and quite possibly drinking, smoking, eating tacos, jamming to the DJ tunes, or all of the above. This is about the point when you realize your worth as one tiny human being involved in the music industry swimming in a sea of the same kind of somebodys who in a room together negate themselves into what morphs into a room full of ‘who really gives a fucks’. Congratulations, you survived NAMM and you will need lots of vitamin C and perhaps a bit of therapy in order to fully recover.

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