FORBIDDEN Guitarist Issues 'Thrash Domination' Recap

Reactivated San Francisco Bay Area metallers FORBIDDEN took part in the Thrash Domination 2008 on September 20-21 at at Club Citta in Kawasaki, Japan alongside TESTAMENT and VOIVOD. FORBIDDEN guitarist Craig Locicero has checked in with the following update:

"Well, it's been three weeks since we've returned from Japan, so I guess we're due for another update. I must say this... it was so much cooler then we ever expected. I guess everything that you hear about the people, culture, food, venues and most importantly... the fans, is true. Organization is an understatement. I don't want to bore you with the details so I'll drop a few highlights.

"After picking us and TESTAMENT at the airport outside of Tokyo (yes, we did fly together and some people got pretty f'd up) and took us to the hotel that was downtown. Of course, there were quite a few fans already waiting for all three bands in the lobby. They were very gracious and never got pushy. So much respect was given, it was bizzare. VOIVOD had not arrived yet, but neither them or FORBIDDEN had ever played in Japan. So we were overwhelmed to say the least.

"Let's cut to the shows. Holy shit, that was unreal! Obviously the fans in Club Ciatta where waiting for this for a long time. There was a HUGE curtain that they had dropped right before the first note of 'Infinite'. We were lucky enough to be the only band that got that treatment. Sometimes it pays to open the show. Goosebumps! They went crazy! I guess people are a lot less reserved during the actual performance then they used to be. Headbanging I expected, circle pits I did not. It was awesome to hear them sing all of the words and/or mouth something to the effect. Then Paul [Bostaph; original FORBIDDEN drummer, currently in TESTAMENT] came out and did some songs at the end of each show. He was having just as good of time as us. He and Mark [Hernandez; current FORBIDDEN drummer] are so funny when they get talking about the music; it's great to watch the interaction between them. It's legit, they respect each other's playing a lot. Obviously, the crowd went nuts when Paul stepped in; it was a classy touch to the gigs, no doubt. The adreanaline kept me up all night after that first show. It was a dream.

"We played much better the second night, but nothing beats your first time. It was also a smoother transition getting Paul up on stage. It was Russ' [Anderson, FORBIDDEN vocalist] B-day this night. During 'Chalice Of Blood', which is always last, Chuck Billy [TESTAMENT singer] came out and brought Russ a cake. A strawberry one... I thought carrot ginger would have been just as appropriate! We blew it out that night. The cake AND the show.

"Now let's talk about VOIVOD. Fuck, yes, they were great! Anyone who knows me understands my great respect for this band. First off they had Blacky [bass] back in the band. I hadn't seen them with him since 1991. He was on fire, in fact he broke his bass the first night. Snake [vocals] and Away [drums] are true pioneers and artists. It's pure magic watching them and I really got to hang and speak to Snake for the first time. He's a funny guy and a very deep thinker. That was fun. Next, with no Piggy [late VOIVOD guitarist who died of colon cancer in 2005] I was very intrigued to see how Daniel [Mongrain; current VOIVOD guitarist] was going to do. He blew my mind! This guy was nailing all of Piggy's parts down to the effects and tones. You could close your eyes and hear old VOIVOD right in front of you. That's crazy! He is a super-cool dude as well. Super-cool! When I walked into the venue that day I was told by our crew that he was a huge FORBIDDEN, TESTAMENT, VOIVOD fan for life, and that it was a surreal experience for him to be playing with all of us. After we played he came over to our dressing room and played me some FORBIDDEN riffs... correctly! That never happens. He knows probably any song we have. I was lucky to witness it and was NOT disappointed, the honor was all ours. We will always miss Piggy, but Daniel is the only replacement that I can imagine. VOIVOD is back!

"OK, TESTAMENT was CRUSHING! These guys have been our friends for years and the last time we played any gigs with them is in '95 on the 'Low' tour across the U.S. They had James Murphy [guitar] in the band then, not Glen [Alvelais]. Obviously there is a lot of history between the members with Paul and Glen having been in both bands. It makes for some pretty good laughs now that we're all older and wiser. So anyhow, TESTAMENT are STRONG right now! I was on the side of the stage on the first night with my tech Eddy. We just kept looking at each other laughing and singing. Those are some great metal songs. They stand the test of time like not many others of our genre. The band had a few technical issues the first night, so they had to cut it short. But the second night was perfect! Top to bottom, a great show. What was amazing was when Chuck told the fans they could all get up on stage and sing the last song with the band. It was 'Disciples Of The Watch' and I helped pull the kids up onto the stage. I'm not kidding when I tell you that I think there where about 200 fans on stage at one time! Really. I went through the pit that was the stage one time and came out soaked from the sweat. Yuck! It was great.

"All of the guys in TESTAMENT treated us great. Chuck was an awesome host and brought everyone over to the Hard Rock in Tokyo after the show for some good old fashioned metal bonding. Translation, some people got VERY drunk! It was a fun ending to a great couple of days. It's like Eddy said to me in Europe. 'We're having the greatest time of our middle lives!'"

FORBIDDEN performing in Japan: