Concert Review: Lamb of God / Anthrax / Deafheaven

Lamb of God during encore.

Concert Review: Lamb of God / Anthrax / Deafheaven

Aragon Ballroom, Chicago

Jan. 30, 2016

Lamb of God’s latest album *VII: Sturm Und Drang* contains a few songs about singer Randy Blythe’s imprisonment in a Czech prison for the accidental death of a fan at a show, an incident for which he was eventually brought to trial in Prague and ultimately exonerated.

But it would be unfair to accuse Blythe of profiting creatively and monetarily from this young man’s death through the writing and publishing of tracks “512” (nominated for a Grammy for Best Metal Performance) and “Still Echoes,” which speaks to the horror Blythe endured while imprisoned. As he writes in his memoir of the ordeal--entitled “Dark Days”--he is a man of honor and would have served his proposed 10-year sentence willingly and eagerly if found guilty. He could not live with himself if he were guilty and unpunished, his “hands painted red” and his “future painted black,” as he sings in “512.”

This sense of honor combined with Lamb of God’s unflinching dedication to their brutal form of thrash metal are two reasons why they have built a rabid following, on full display at a near-capacity Aragon Ballroom. During the entire 90-minute set, the crowd moved as one, head-banging and swaying to the crushing rhythms--it was total crowd buy-in that is rarely seen at any show, regardless of genre.

The band opened with “Desolation” then quickly transitioned to classic track “Walk With Me In Hell,” with images of Armageddon playing on twin screens. Rather than using unsteady monitors for his perch, Blythe frequently jumped up on a platform at the front of the stage to growl out his orders: “Pray for blood / Pray for the cleansing / Pray for the flood / Pray for the end to this wide awake nightmare.”

“512” and “Still Echoes” were played, but it was tracks like “Ruin” that really got the double mosh pits frothing and even combining like two twisters meeting. Footage from cult debacles including Jonestown and Waco, Texas, played on the screens as Blythe and the crowd sung together the ending words to “Ruin,” a mantra of a warning about the evils of cult deception: “Fear, pain, hatred, power.”

“Now You Have Something To Die For,” a staple at any L.O.G. show, whipped the crowd into another frenzy as slideshow images of U.S. military servicemen and women scrolled on the screen, all in a tribute to their service.

The first encore included “Blacken The Cursed Sun,” during which the entire crowd was ready for every call-and-response moment, answering “Hell, no!” to every question Blythe barked at them, including: “Is there still hope for us?” and “Is any of this even real?”

Oh, it was real, and the crowd won’t soon forget this show.

“Redneck” closed the second encore, but not before Blythe declared during “Vigil”: “Smite the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered.”

As long as Blythe and L.O.G. are shepherding, this crowd would have followed them to hell and back.

Set list for Lamb of God:

“Desolation”

“512”

“Walk With Me In Hell”

“Still echoes”

“Ruin”

“Overlord”

“Walk The Faded Line”

“Now You Have Something To Die For”

“Set To Fail”

Encore #1

“Blacken The Cursed Sun”

“Erase This”

Encore #2

“Vigil”

“Laid To Rest”

“Redneck”

Anthrax breaks out the classics.

Original “Big Four” member Anthrax still holds a relevant place in metal, opening for L.O.G. in advance of forthcoming album “For All Kings,” to be released Feb. 26, a date the crowd was reminded of no less than six times during the set.

They opened with “Fight ‘Em ‘Til You Can’t” from 2011’s *Worship Music* and also played “In The End” from that album as a tribute to deceased metal legends Ronnie James Dio and Dime Bag Darrell.

The band’s 50-minute set was full of polished arena rock posturing, which was a nice juxtaposition to Deafheaven’s at times awkward stage presence (more about that later). Classics “Caught In A Mosh,” “Antisocial” and “Got The Time” showed the aging thrashers are still fun-loving yet defiant,  and new tracks “Evil Twin” and “Breathing Lightning” were also introduced with warm reception from the crowd.

The best moment came during the last song--1987’s “Indians”--during which the song came to an abrupt end mid-thrash. Drummer Charlie Benante (who is originally from Chicago while the rest of the band hails from NYC) wanted to make sure his hometown crowd was having fun, and lead singer Joey Belladonna (who couldn’t quite hit the high-pitched Native American-inspired wails in the song) encouraged the twin most pits to merge once they restarted the song where they left off. The crowd did its best to oblige.

Set list for Anthrax:

“Fight ‘Em ‘Til You Can’t”

“Caught In A Mosh”

“Got The Time”

“Antisocial”

“Evil Twin”

“In The End”

“Breathing Lightning”

“Indians”

Deafheaven played a four-song, 35 minute set.

Pitchfork-endorsed hipsters Deafheaven tried to engage the early-arriving crowd, but its brand of death metal may be a tough sell to those who haven’t heard the studio albums, which are chock full of subtle and beautiful movements amid the crushing tempos and blood-curdling shrieks from lead singer George Clarke.

Clarke, although wearing all black, doesn’t quite embody the mannerisms of a death metal singer. Starting with opening song “Brought To The Water” from latest album *New Bermuda,* he head-banged his short-haired head in short bursts, waved his arms like a conductor over the crowd and moved about the stage like some awkward interpretive dancer.

The other four band members (three on guitar and bass, and a drummer) were also all in black, and largely stationary in the shadows as only green or blue spotlights barely illuminated any stage activity during the 35-minute set.

The California band hit a comfortable groove during the second (and less brutal) half of “Luna.” The crunchy power chord riffs of “Come Back” were another high point for the band trying to find its niche with the diverse metal audience in attendance.

“Dream House” closed the set with Clarke theatrically banging on his chest with two fists and wailing into the din--the vocals were mixed much louder live than on studio recordings where they are more of an eerie, ghost-like presence.

Set list for Deafheaven:

“Brought To The Water”

“Luna”

“Come Back”

“Dream House”

Power Trip, from Texas, opened the evening with a short set of songs that showed influences from punk, hardrock and thrash in the vein of classic Metallica.

Link to original post of review on www.illinoisentertainer.com

Concert Preview: Lamb of God / Anthrax / Deafheaven

CONCERT PREVIEW: Lamb Of God / Anthrax / Deafheaven

Aragon Ballroom, Chicago

Jan. 30, 2016

The first significant heavy metal tour to come through Chicago in 2016 caters to a wide range of head-bangers. Thrash titans Lamb Of God are headlining this bill in support of last summer’s release of “VII: Sturm Und Drang.” This is the first opportunity for local fans to hear songs from this album live, including tracks “512” (nominated for a Grammy for Best Metal Performance) and “Still Echoes,” which shed light on singer Randy Blythe’s stint in a Czech prison.

Original “Big Four” member Anthrax open, no doubt to drum up interest in upcoming album “For All Kings,” to be released on Feb. 26. These legends, who built their reputation in the early days of thrash (late 1980s) competing with Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer, may take a slight backseat to more relevant L.O.G., but the NYC crew will be sure to bring the “Madhouse” to the Aragon. “Evil Twin,” the first single from the new album, continues in the hard-rocking vein of the last album, 2011’s “Worship Music.”

Pitchfork-endorsed hipsters Deafheaven also appear, rounding out a line-up of current and future legends. These death metal shoegazers, the most alternative of the three, are the most intriguing on the bill, especially as 2015’s release of “New Bermuda” showed more polish and focus compared to 2013’s jaw-dropping effort “Sunbather.”  How will their brutal-beautiful dichotomy be accepted by fans of the other bands? That’s just one reason this show is a must-see for metalheads.

Link to original publishing of preview on Illinois Entertainer.com

Best Metal Albums of 2015

2015 was a great year in metal. Veteran rockers Slayer and Iron Maiden released new works, and new bands continued to expand and redefine what metal is and can be. I hear most of my new metal on the Sirius XM channel Liquid Metal, whose programmer Jose Mangin does a solid job mixing classic tracks with new artists. I wasn’t able to take it all in, but below are my top picks, with links for your listening pleasure. Let me know what music you liked this year in the comment section below. \m/

1. Lamb Of God’s “VII: Sturm Und Drang”: The undisputed statesmen of new American thrash metal add to their legacy with the first album after singer Randy Blythe’s imprisonment in a Czech prison.

Highlights: “512,” “Still Echoes,” “Embers” (featuring Deftones’ Chino Moreno on vocals)

2. Deafheaven’s “New Bermuda”: The hipster metal darlings live up to the hype built by 2013’s “Sunbather” with a more focused, more fierce, more beautiful collection of five songs that average nine minutes each. A transcendently heavy and gorgeous sound pervades.

Highlights: “Brought To The Water,” “Baby Blue”

3. High On Fire’s “Luminiferous”: Singer-guitarist Matt Pike is a living metal legend, and his three-piece band’s latest offering continues to define its own grungy, stoner-metal genre.

Highlights: “The Black Plot,” “Slave The Hive”

4. Faith No More’s “Sol Invictus”: A reunion album worth the wait, this might be the genre-bending band’s best album ever.

Highlights: “Superhero,” “Separation Anxiety”

Deer hunting: The equation

A northwest Indiana six pointer.

Deer hunting is two parts sheer will, one part luck (being in the right place at the right time), one part knowledge of deer behavior, one part knowledge of the land you are hunting and one part gun-handling skill. My hunt this fall illustrated this equation.

A work-related trip to sunny Orlando prevented me from hunting opening weekend on Nov. 14 and 15, a strike against me for sure. Most of the deer I have taken have been during that all-important first day of the firearm season. But I didn’t let that detail discourage me. Instead I hoped that the weather forecast would play in my favor: I was planning to hunt Friday, Nov. 20 through Sunday Nov. 22, and the forecast called for a major winter storm to hit Friday night and to last through Saturday. I figured that boded well for my chances on Friday.

The deer--tuned into the natural world in ways we don’t understand--would surely sense this impending storm and be on the move (seeking to feed) ahead of it. And the forecast represented at least a 70 degree temperature change from the previous weekend (it neared 90 in Orlando). I would suffer through it.

Friday, Nov. 20

I climbed into my treestand at 5:30 a.m. that Friday on my family’s 50-acre plot of land (a mix of farm fields, woods, prairie, pond and stream) in northwest Indiana. The weather was cold (upper 20s) and dry, and I was ready. I heard and saw a Great Horned Owl multiple times that morning, and at first light, four does crept from behind me and crossed a creek directly to my left. They fed in the prairie in front of me about 60 yards away. After 15 minutes, they started across the prairie and I quickly lost sight of them as they headed north.

At about 7:30, the flock of Canada geese that had overnighted on the nearby pond took off in a noisy ruckus. For the three days of hunting, about 20 flocks of geese flew overhead, each flock containing at least 6o geese. I know because I had the time to count them.

Soon after, a pair of scrawny coyotes approached in front of me (from the general direction the does had headed) and trotted along the edge of the prairie, only to disappear in the nearby treeline. Some time later, I spotted a third coyote (or maybe it was one of the first?) moving from right to left about 100 yards from me. I stayed in the treestand until 9:30 a.m. after no bucks were spotted.

That afternoon, I sat in the same treestand. At last light, seven does approached from the north and fed in the same general area the does in the morning hit. After I lost sight of them in the dark, around 5:30 p.m., I descended my stand and took the long way around the prairie so as not to spook them.

Day one wildlife total: 11 does (some of them no doubt repeats from morning and evening), three coyotes and a Great Horned Owl. It was the most wildlife I’ve ever spotted in one day, but no bucks.

Saturday, Nov. 21

The storm hit hard about 3 a.m. There was only about an inch of snow when I climbed into the stand at 5:30 a.m., but the temperature was 17 with a wind chill of 7.

I knew I wouldn’t last long being pelted by snow 20 feet in the air, but I dug in and willed myself through it. I managed to stay in the stand for two hours, and with nothing moving, I called it early and headed back to the house to warm up and prepare for a cold afternoon.

I decided not to freeze in the treestand that afternoon, instead choosing to shelter in a ground blind that overlooks the corner of a harvested corn field. Deer travel the edge of this field to go to and from the wood lot to the west and the creek to the east. I kept watch there from 3:30 until sundown. Although dry, I shivered and saw nothing except blowing snow. The deer were hunkered down for the storm, which produced 4-6 inches by nightfall. So far I had spent 10 hours in the stands.

Sunday, Nov. 22

Waking up at 4:15 this morning, I knew it would be my last chance at a buck before heading back to work for a short week, then going into Thanksgiving. If I didn’t get a buck today, I’d be back hunting Wednesday through Sunday of Thanksgiving week. That’s not a popular decision with my family, but they understand my deer hunting obsession and would meet me in deer camp for Thanksgiving dinner if that’s what it would take to be together for the holiday. They get me.

The weather was dry and warmer, but still a brisk 25 degrees. I once again chose the treestand at the southern edge of the prairie, a strategic pinch-point where two creeks merge. I theorized that deer would certainly be on the move after the previous day’s storm. And I knew they were out there because on the way to the stand in the pre-dawn dark, I saw multiple tracks throughout the prairie--a sure sign they had fed that night. Would any still be awake this morning? From sunup (about 6 a.m.) to 9:30, I saw nothing, and headed back inside to rest.

Now, I had an easy decision to make: stay and hunt the afternoon or head home (about 90 miles away) and prepare for work. I chose to stay with thoughts that deer were on the move.

I once again climbed into the treestand, this time at 3 p.m. About 3:15, I heard a hiker approach from behind me, across the creek. He stood 50 feet away, oblivious to my presence above him in the tree. I spoke.

“Hey there, I am deer hunting in this field.”

“So am I,” the teenager said sarcastically, wearing shorts in the below freezing temps and carrying no gun.

I seethed, but held back from saying a few choice words. Instead I remained diplomatic.

“This is private property in front of me, so I’d appreciate it if you headed the other way. There’s no trespassing this way.”

He didn’t reply, but instead sat on a log across the creek directly behind me. He checked his phone and sat for about 10 minutes--just to irk me--then left.

I really thought the rest of the day would be a bust. Surely no deer would approach now, certainly not from behind me. More than an hour passed and it was completely motionless in front of me. I nearly left the stand a half dozen times, but kept an internal argument running in my head. I decided to stay five more minutes, then call it a weekend to head home. I am glad I stayed.

At last light, behind me and to my left, appeared a buck. I noticed immediately that it was limping, favoring a front leg. I didn’t have time to wonder why. I shouldered my Savage 220, centered the sights on the buck about 30 yards away and fired. The deer jumped, twisted in the air, then hit the deck in the marshy grassland by the creek.

It sat there, head raised like a dog, and looked around. I thought I had hit it, and that it just needed time to come to peace with its impending end. It didn’t see me, so I fought the urge to descend the ladder and instead waited it out.

Not 10 minutes later, the buck stood up and began to walk directly back the way it had come. This surprised me--I had missed the easiest shot a hunter could take! A broadside shot at less than 50 yards. I must’ve shot over the deer, as my gun is sighted in to shoot high at targets less than 100 yards away. The buck had merely been waiting for a moment to sneak away. Perhaps without the bum leg, it would have sprinted away directly after I missed that first shot.

I quickly chambered another round (Remington Accutip slug) while it walked directly behind me, not 20 yards away. This time, I didn’t miss and the buck fell stone dead right near where the hiker had sat down on the log and checked his phone. I never thought that would be the spot.

Buck fever (adrenaline rush) was in full effect and darkness soon descended. I knew now that not only would I need to take a personal day for work the next day, but I had a hell of a task in front of me. The work had only begun.

A drop tine

Recovering the buck

Here’s what I had to do to get the buck back to the house for butchering, alone and in the cold and in the dark: I had to drag it across 50 yards of the marshy land it was on and up a hill for another 100 yards. Then, I had to drag it across 150 yards of a corn field to the gravel road where I could load it into the front scoop of a tractor for the rest of the trip. Although only a six-pointer (with a rare drop tine!) it was a big body, bigger than the deer I had taken the year prior.

The layer of fresh snow helped with the dragging, but I still don’t know how I hauled the heavy body up the tree-covered hill. I couldn’t retrieve the body any other way--a creek blocked the other access point. No family members or friends were able to answer the call for help, so self-reliance won out. I’m glad I didn’t have a heart attack.

Monday, Nov. 23

I spent the day butcher the deer and preparing it for the vacuum sealer and the freezer. I noticed no other bullet wounds on the deer’s injured leg so can only guess that it might have been hit by a car. It was a healthy specimen otherwise.

I deposited the carcass in the prairie for the coyotes to fight over. And I thought about the determination, luck, knowledge of deer and the land and finally the skill of hitting that second shot that made the hunt successful. Without all of those working in my favor, it would have been a long Thanksgiving week at the deer camp.

Instead, I was happy to spend that time with my family, retelling the stories about the animals I saw (and the insolent hiker) and planning out the venison meals to be had. Truly, I am thankful for the entire experience.

Concert Review: Rage Against The Machine Live at Finsbury Park

Rage Against The Machine

*Live At Finsbury Park*

(Eagle Rock Entertainment)

Think about all the political and social causes Rage Against The Machine might sonically support today through its  infectious rap-rock blend: Occupy Wall Street, Black Lives Matter, opposing the Keystone Pipeline, shedding light on the migrant crisis in Europe, to name a few. A motherload of topics, to be sure, yet the band last released an album in 2000.

To get a sense of  how the band could captivate a live audience and how it could mobilize the public for action, one only has to check out this five-year-old  concert, just released on DVD and Blu-Ray. The genesis of the show occurred in late 2009, when a social media campaign was launched by two UK residents to make the 17-year-old song “Killing In The Name” the No. 1 song on the UK singles chart during Christmas-time, dethroning the X-Factor winner in the process. Well it happened, and although not exactly a ground-breaking social cause, the movement did show how music fans could pull off a grassroots campaign and stick it to the corporate music man. Singer and frontman Zack de la Rocha promised the band would perform a free concert to celebrate, which was set in London on  June 6, 2010.

“Testify” opens the show, with 80,000 spectators bouncing in rhythm to De la Rocha’s own jumping. Multiple cameras quick-cut from  the band to the crowd, which continues to bounce as if operating with a hive mentality. The video production and sound are sharp.

Throughout the hour-plus concert, De la Rocha’s vocals come through loud and clear, overpowering the drums, bass and guitarist Tom Morello’s riffing. It’s only when De La Rocha doesn’t sing does one clearly hear the mix of bass, drums and rhythm guitar. Morello takes the spotlight on solos for  “People Of The Sun” and “Bulls On Parade,” standing on a monitor to demonstrate his flamboyant scratch-tastic style.

But the frontman was the star of the band, and he takes time early between songs to get in his rant against the U.S. and  Israeli government for their roles in the West Bank blockade. And later, after pausing the concert to announce all proceeds would be donated to charity, De laRocha invokes a litany of punk band names to introduce a gritty cover of The Clash’s “White Riot.”

“Guerrilla Radio,” delivered a little slower paced than on the album recording, still seems just as urgent today as it did in 2000. And of course the song that started it all--“Killing In The Name”--closes the concert. De la Rocha lets the crowd sing the lyrics  “Now you do what they told ya” while he sings in call-and-response style: “Now you’re under control.” The crowd certainly is under the band’s control, and I have to believe the band wishes it still had that pop culture influence today.

Set list:

1) Testify  

2) Bombtrack  

3) People Of The Sun  

4) Know Your Enemy  

5) Bulls On Parade  

6) Township Rebellion  

7) Bullet In The Head  

8) White Riot  

9) Guerrilla Radio  

10) Sleep Now In The Fire  

11) Freedom

12) Killing In The Name

Link to print publication of review, page 28, November 2015 issue of Illinois Entertainer.

Comparing two 'New' breweries: Belgium and Glarus

This summer my family and I embarked on a 5,000+ mile road trip from Chicago to Oregon and back, camping for 11 of the 21 days we were gone. We hit a few breweries, including Lucky Labrador and Mash Tun in Portland, and Crux and Deschutes in Bend.

They are all worthy of their own blog posts, but there’s an interesting contrast between New Belgium Brewery, which I visited on the way back to the Midwest, and New Glarus Brewery, which I visited as part of a subsequent overnight camping trip this summer, mostly because I was jonesing for more camping after being home from the road for a few days.

Craft brewer New Belgium has inspired many breweries to come in its wake and aspires to be one of the biggest in the U.S., while maintaining employee ownership. New Glarus, however, is content being an exclusive Wisconsin brewery (also employee-owned) with zero ambition to expand beyond cheeseland borders.

Here’s my take on both:

Fat Tire art in the brewery

NEW BELGIUM, Fort Collins, Colorado.

One has to make reservations months in advance to go on the brewery’s free, 90-minute tasting tour. We missed the opportunity, but arrived at the brewery at 11:30 on July 19 hoping for the best. We sweet-talked the tour guide to put us on the waiting list for the noon tour, in case someone didn’t show. Sure enough, my wife, Jill, two kids (10 and 8) and I got in due to no-shows and thoroughly enjoyed the tour through the grounds and buildings, canning and bottling lines included--we saw it all. The female tour guide was simply delightful. The brewery’s most recent acquisition: dozens of wooden barrels in which to age sour beers.

Along the way, we tasted four beers: Eric’s Ale Peach Sour (very good, and priced around $18 for a 22 oz), Cocoa Mole, Shift Pale Ale and Tripple. After the tour, we sat outside in the renovated AirStream trailer, played the rolle bolle game and munched on sausages from the food truck parked in front. In all, New Belgium projects a family (and employee) friendly vibe, and encourages patrons not to tip the bartenders. Instead, they suggest, buy another round to support the company overall.

We could’ve spent all afternoon there, but other nearby attractions--including a swim in the Horsetooth Reservoir--took us away.

Gorgeous summer day in Wisconsin.

NEW GLARUS, New Glarus, Wisconsin.

Jill and I got a chance to camp one night sans kids later in August, so we headed to New Glarus Woods State Park south of Madison, which also happens to be an uphill bike ride away from the brewery. The park and campground is woody and small (and we encountered brazen raccoons at night), but the location couldn’t be beat.

New Glarus is idyllic and eccentric: the brewery is open from 10 to 4 p.m. only, patrons must purchase a souvenir glass for their tastings, and there is no food available. The first beverage purchase also includes a coupon for a free small beer at participating taverns and restaurants in the nearby, Swiss-inspired town of New Glarus. The subtle message is: eat dinner in town and support the community as a whole.

Aside from those details about the brewery’s quirks, the grounds are stunning: brewery buildings were designed to resemble barns and ruined rock walls with seating areas are scattered among the hillside’s boulders. A bavarian aesthetic is made complete with a beer garden and views of the surrounding hills and dairy farms.

Four of the brewery’s classic beers were offered on tap in the tasting room (including Moon Man IPA, one of my favorites--I don’t particularly care for Spotted Cow), but as Illinoisans who can’t get the beer except for north of the cheddar curtain, it was still a treat.

The self-guided tour is actually fascinating. Visitors can wander through the inner workings, brushing shoulders with production employees. While we were there, we stood 10 feet away and watched a half-dozen employees struggle to fix a problem with the bottle-filling machine.

The package beer in their store is priced higher than at the gas station down the street, furthering the idea that the brewery doesn’t want to undercut the local businessman selling their product. You have to respect that, but would be a fool to buy it at the brewery.

At 4, we biked down the hill and into town. We redeemed our free beer coupon at one of the taverns and dined on bar food, relishing the small town, slow-paced feel. The camping may not be much, but the brewery and town more than make up for it.

Restaurant Review: Kuma's Corner moves to 'burbs, still head-bangs

Kuma’s Corner has opened a new location in the western suburbs, a move that coincides with the 10th anniversary of the original dive-bar location (2900 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago) that built its legend on big, messy burgers, fully tatted employees and loud heavy metal music.

National name recognition came by sparring with local Catholics who were offended by its seasonal Ghost BC burger offering (all burgers are named after metal bands), topped with a communion wine reduction sauce and a communion wafer.

But the new Schaumburg location (1570 E. Golf Road) has made, ironically, a quiet debut by nestling in a strip mall just north of Woodfield Mall, with suburban staples such as Trader Joe’s, Old Navy and Five Below nearby.

The menu is roughly the same as the city version, as is the ambiance: a number of classic Black Sabbath songs--with accompanying videos playing on a projection screen--blasted from the speakers as I visited recently, only to be followed by a sequence of more contemporary stoner rock Clutch songs, videos also included. The volume makes comprehensible conversations just challenging enough, and the servers on average are slightly less tatted than the ones at the city location.

Rock posters line the walls, the best ones, in my opinion, being the Mastodon graphic that greets visitors with open arms, and the Melvins skull (with singer King Buzzo’s Sideshow Bob hair) in the main dining room.

Although I was tempted by the BBQ Pork Fries appetizer ($13), I skipped it because I knew I would be done in alone by trying to finish a 10-ounce burger stacked with toppings. Having ordered the Mastodon (bacon, BBQ sauce, cheddar, frizzled onions) years before at the original location, I opted for the YOB ($14, roasted garlic mayo, bacon, smoked Gouda, roasted red pepper) over the Led Zeppelin (bacon, pulled pork, cheddar, pickles).

The burger was a solid brick of meat and toppings held together well by a pretzel roll. The sweet roasted flavor of the pepper really defined this option. The Gouda served less as an additional flavor and more as a cheesy, blanket binder. The burger offered a good beef flavor, even though it was a bit rare for my “medium” choice of cooking. Overall it was very satisfying. House-made chips or fries come as sides, and amped-up versions of mac-n-cheese are also available. Five-ounce burger options are appropriately named after lightweight metal bands, such as Skid Row ($8, bacon, blue cheese and mushrooms).

The small room/bar and outside seating area was full by 12:15 on a weekday, but the servers hit all the right notes, frequently checking on me and my companion. This kind of prompt service is vital in the ‘burbs, as a number of businessmen were there for a quick lunch, with at least one wisely taking off his tie before his food arrived. A mixture of clientele, including parents with kids in strollers, filled out the rest of the seats.

A fine beer menu, on tap and in bottles, is a must with both burgers and metal. Kuma’s delivers here as well, even including some up-and-coming local craft brews such as One Trick Pony and Noon Whistle. Be prepared to pay a premium, however, as a bottle of Stone Delicious IPA cost me $7.

Metal, burgers and the ‘burbs: a marketing concept whose time has come.