All systems rock

Published on October 16, 2007

Thai rockers Bodyslam will wow the crowds at the Indoor Stadium on Saturday.

American thrash-metal legends Megadeth will be in the Kingdom next Tuesday shaking the walls of Bangkok Hall, Suan Lum Night Bazaar with tracks from their "United Abominations" album.

"The band plays some of the best speed metal in the world with really groovy rhythms that just lend themselves to headbanging," says Apisit "Eak" Pongchaisirikul, guitarist of rock band Blackhead, and a long-time fan.

Apisit started off listening to Megadeth's "Rush in Peace", which he describes as the bible of hardcore metal, then went on to hone his skills on "Symphony of Destruction".

"It was very hard to imitate Dave Mustaine's guitar parts. He doesn't play to a normal major scale but to a speedy pentatonic scale," he adds.

"Megadeth are one of the metal legends of the world and are as well-known as Metallica," says Prart Aroonrungsi, concert organiser and editor of Overdrive guitar magazine.

"The band has been in the business for almost 25 years and has a string of successful albums behind them. 'United Abominations' is selling well both in the States and Europe but it was the DVD of their 2005 concert 'Live at Buena Vista' that persuaded me to bring them here," he explains.

"I'm not a big fan of either Megadeth or Metallica but I stand by the concept of my magazine and am proud to present a 'real musician' band."

As a pioneer of the American thrash-metal movement, Megadeth, led by founder, frontman and songwriter Mustaine, rose to international fame in the mid-1980s and collected a string of platinum and gold albums from 1986 to 1997, including seven consecutive Grammy nominations for Best Metal Performance. After a two year split, the band was reformed in 2004 and released "The System Has Failed" followed by "United Abominations" this year.

Megadeth are known for their distinctive guitar style, often involving complex, intricate musical passages and trade-off guitar solos. The band is often mentioned as one of the "Big Four of Thrash", along with Anthrax, Metallica and Slayer.

Megadeth's current lineup has Dave Mustaine on vocals/guitar, Glenn Drover on guitar, James LoMenzo on bass, and Shawn Drover on drums.

Thailand is the first step on Megadeth's Asian tour that also takes in Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea and Japan, before the band move on to Australia.

Many fans will remember the band was originally billed to appear in Bangkok on October 25, but the date was rescheduled at some cost to the organiser.

"By joining forces with other Asian countries to make the concert booking, we thought we'd got a more favourable price. Unfortunately, a country - outside  Asia - offered more money for the show. We wanted to keep our word after announcing the concert so we ended up paying two-fold," Prart explains.

Tuesday's concert will cost about Bt10 million and Megadeth is bringing in a four-tonne load of production gear - double that of progressive rock band Dream Theatre - plus a crew of 12.

"That's a lot of gear for a metal band," says Prart, with a chuckle. "The band demands a five-star level for everything. But that's okay. I intend asking Megadeth to make a set of their handprints for our club Overtone."

Prart hopes to see at least 5,000 metal fans crowd into the downtown venue. Tickets from Bt700 to Bt1,800 are on sale at Thaiticketmajor.com.

Those who prefer their rock with a softer centre, and can't make it to Impact Arena, Muang Thong Thani for Thursday's Black-Eyed Peas concert, can catch opening act, the Click Five tomorrow at Atrium 2 on the ground floor of Siam Centre.

The five boys from Boston will be playing a pre-show in support of their sophomore album "Modern Minds And Pastimes" at 5pm. The song list includes first single "Jenny", which meshes up-tempo beats with a melancholy sentiment; "Flipside", a rockier '70s number, and "Mary Jane", a love-stoked ballad.

Tomorrow's gig is free. Tickets for the Peas concerts cost Bt2,800, Bt1,800, Bt1,200, and Bt600 and are available at Thaiticketmajor.

There's also good news for fans of Thai rockers Bodyslam. Tickets for the band's "Save My Life" concert at Indoor Stadium Hua Mark this Saturday sold out so quickly - within three hours, apparently - that a second show has been added on Sunday at 7pm.

"We were really surprised to hear that tickets went to fast," says singer Arthiwara "Toon" Kongmalai. "We hope that by adding another night, all our fans will be able to enjoy the show."

The concerts will showcase Bodyslam's new album "Save My Life" released on Genie Records.

First cut "Ya Pis" "Poison" topped the charts and "Ok Hak" ("Broken Heart") is also doing well.

"We're encouraged that 'Ya Pis' is a frequent request on the radio," says Toon.

"'We originally intended to call the album 'Music Saves My Life' as a way of thanking the music for what it's given us, but then changed our minds.

"We've grown together with the music and it's always on our minds. So 'Save My Life' is more like a question; it has a broader meaning."

The 10-track album, the band's fourth, features more freestyle jamming but retains Bodyslam's signature style.

"After completing a 200-date tour that lasted two years, we were absolutely exhausted but we managed to come up with new material," says Toon.

"We recorded our new songs at the same time as we were rehearsing the numbers," adds bassist Tanadol "Peed" Changsawek. "That's why there's so much jamming."

Some fans have criticised the album, saying it has too much of a pop feel.

"Everyone's entitled to their opinion. I've heard people say 'Ya Pis' is too heavy, while others say it's too light," says Toon with a chuckle. "It depends on their tastes."

Tickets for Sunday's concert cost Bt1,000, Bt800, and Bt600 from Thaiticketmajor.

Kitchana Lersakvanitchakul

 The Nation