Obituary and Holy Moses Live
Death and Thrash Metal Legends on Xecutioner's Return Tour in London
Florida death metal pioneers Obituary and German thrash band Holy Moses finish European leg of the Xecutioner's Return tour live at the University of London Union (ULU).
One of the original Florida death metal bands, Obituary, teamed up with one of the original German thrash metal bands, Holy Moses, for the European leg of Obituary's Xecutioner's Return tour. The final gig of the tour, held on February 3, 2008, was originally scheduled to take place at The Fridge in the London borough of Brixton, but was relocated by the promoters, Sinister Heart Promotions, to the ULU at the University of London.
Sabina Classen Leads German Thrash Metal Band Holy Moses
After a short opening set by Swedish death metallers Avatar, Holy Moses took to the ULU stage. Holy Moses formed in the early 1980s and recorded their debut album, Queen of Siam, in 1985, making them one of the original German thrash metal bands.
Not only are Holy Moses one of the original German thrash bands, they are also one of the first extreme metal bands to be fronted by a woman, Sabina Classen. Sabina joined Holy Moses in 1981 at the request of then boyfriend, and future husband (now ex-husband), Andy Classen, who played guitar for the band.
Without a ballad or slow number in sight, Holy Moses thrash through their 55 minute set full speed ahead. For the final song, a cover of the Dead Kennedys' "Too Drunk To F***", Sabina Classen called up onto the stage a woman who had been working the merchandise stand for the entire tour, along with a fan who attended a number of the shows, to help sing the chorus.
Sabina Classen letting rip with her throaty roar while commanding center stage is part sexy, part scary, and 100% pure metal. While Sabina may be the only member left in the band from the early years, the modern version of Holy Moses, with Michael Henkel taking Andy Classen's place on guitar, Oliver Jaath on bass, and Atomic Steif drumming, proved to the London crowd that they can thrash just as hard.
Xecutioner's Return With Florida Death Metal Band Obituary
Shortly before the release of their 1989 debut, Slowly We Rot, Florida death metal band Xecutioner changed their name to Obituary. They were part of the late 1980s Florida death metal scene, along with bands like Death and Morbid Angel, that helped shape the entire death metal genre.
In a nod to their early career, Obituary titled their 7th studio album, released last summer by Candlelight records, Xecutioner's Return. After taking the Xecutioner's Return Tour around the United States late last year, Obituary have been busy touring Europe since the begining of January.
On stage guitarist Trevor Peres, bassist Frank Watkins, and drummer Donald Tardy lay down the metal foundation while lead guitarist Ralph Santolla provides the guitar shredding. On top of all this, Donald Tardy's brother John growls the vocals from somewhere hidden beneath his long blonde hair.
From set opener "Find the Arise" the London crowd packed into the ULU go crazy. In front of the stage a mosh pit forms and stagedivers make their way onto the stage before diving back into the pit. Throughout Obituary's set the mosh pit never faltered as the band kept providing the energy.
During show closer "Slowly We Rot", Holy Moses singer Sabina Classen returned to the stage to stagedive into the crowd. And once she made her way out of the mosh pit and backstage, she came out and did it again!
Obituary return to Europe on the Xecutioner's Return Tour later in the year. Their MySpace page already lists a number of summer metal festivals where they will be playing.
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