The setting on this dark and stormy night was the "Cup Complex" in Linden, New Jersey, where guitar shredder extraordinaire "Metal" Mike Chlasiak and his band Painmuseum, also featuring drummer Bobby Jarzombek and Symphony X bassist Mike LePond, held their CD Release party. The new CD, entitled Metal For Life was the reason for us all gathering that night and at the organization of Rich and Toni of "Thatssometal.com" and Metal Mania, the evening was filled with fun conversation, cool giveaways, music and a helluva lot of beer drinking. Sea of Tranquility's Ken Pierce was in attendance, and gives us this report.
The Cup Complex seemed to be a cool place to hang out. There was a nice sized bar and friendly staff where a live band was performing some good hard rock covers upstairs while the roomy downstairs area would be the scene for the party. In this area, tables were set up and loaded with Mike's music and photos. The members of the band Bobby Jarzombek (drums) and Tim Clayborne (vocals) were mingling and seemed very appreciative of the people who had come to wish them well. I look forward to talking to these guys again and perhaps bringing some interview words to the site.
Among the highlights of the night was when the action shifted upstairs as the band took the stage to perform a few songs for everyone in the club. "Metal" Mike gave a small speech on the current state of the metal industry before they tore into some numbers from the CD. Mike LePond of SymphonyX was on bass duties and did a terrific job. Songs the group played were as follows: The Divine Birth Of Tragedy (Intro), Speak The Name, Bloody Wings, Locked And Loaded. It was great to see these guys rock at such close quarters. Bobby Jarzombek is perhaps one of the best Metal drummers in the industry and the Singer Tim is like an unleashed tornado onstage. Mike's guitar wizardry truly speaks for itself and he was definitely having a great time.
When they were done, Mike told everyone to go back down for more beer drinking and some CD signings. It was a lot of fun and a great way to spend the time. I wish these guys luck with this release as it certainly does deliver heavy metal the way it is meant to be. Check Mike's weblink below on how you can hear samples of or order the CD.
Metal Mike's Website: www.planetshred.com
Ken Pierce
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