2008 Woodie Awards
Metal heads find metal dead in Orlando
Lindsey Turnbull
Issue date: 5/15/08 Section: Variety
Lines of black-and-denim clad metal heads wrapped around the small St. Petersburg block. There I stood, at the gates of Jannus Landing, awaiting the Legions of the Chosen Few Tour outdoor show - my fourth metal show in three days.
That night, Keep of Kalessin, Behemoth and Dimmu Borgir took the stage.
In order to find this jackpot of a metal bender, I needed to leave Orlando. Finding metal in Orlando is hard work, according to Laura Kinnell, who saw the Dimmu Borgir show in Fort Lauderdale.
"Most bands skip Orlando due to lack of turnout," Kinnell said. "If they can't make gas money, it's not worth the drive. Plus there's no venue that's the right size for a band like Dimmu."
Kinnell and her partner Rob Gallagher own Centralfuge, a metal store based out of Sanford Flea World. Kinnell grew up in Orlando loving metal, making her an authority of Orlando metal.
"We travel to shows a lot," Gallagher said. "We traveled to Dimmu, Symphony X [and] Doro in St. Pete. Next week we will go to Virginia for Candlemass and Seminole for Death Angel."
Three of the four shows were held in Tampa; however, standing at the gates of Jannus Landing, seeing the lights dim made me feel like the road trip was all worth it.
A diverse crowd of people from Orlando, Tampa and as far as Port St. Lucie milled around.
"It was an even mix of people, different ages, different styles," said Ashiq Ricker, a 20-year-old Brandon resident. "I have never seen so many people at a show, except Ozzfest."
No venue in Orlando could house a show of this magnitude. This show required three things: a big stage, a projection screen and a huge floor space.
Chords reverberated off the surrounding buildings as countless sound techs tried to perfect the sound. Multicolored lights flickered as the stage hands set the mood.
Images flashed across a projection screen, the crowd erupted in cheers and horns flew into the air as Norway's Keep of Kalessin took the stage. The mosh pits began as Keep hammered through "Crown of the Kings" and a new song off of their upcoming album, "Kolossus."
That night, Keep of Kalessin, Behemoth and Dimmu Borgir took the stage.
In order to find this jackpot of a metal bender, I needed to leave Orlando. Finding metal in Orlando is hard work, according to Laura Kinnell, who saw the Dimmu Borgir show in Fort Lauderdale.
"Most bands skip Orlando due to lack of turnout," Kinnell said. "If they can't make gas money, it's not worth the drive. Plus there's no venue that's the right size for a band like Dimmu."
Kinnell and her partner Rob Gallagher own Centralfuge, a metal store based out of Sanford Flea World. Kinnell grew up in Orlando loving metal, making her an authority of Orlando metal.
"We travel to shows a lot," Gallagher said. "We traveled to Dimmu, Symphony X [and] Doro in St. Pete. Next week we will go to Virginia for Candlemass and Seminole for Death Angel."
Three of the four shows were held in Tampa; however, standing at the gates of Jannus Landing, seeing the lights dim made me feel like the road trip was all worth it.
A diverse crowd of people from Orlando, Tampa and as far as Port St. Lucie milled around.
"It was an even mix of people, different ages, different styles," said Ashiq Ricker, a 20-year-old Brandon resident. "I have never seen so many people at a show, except Ozzfest."
No venue in Orlando could house a show of this magnitude. This show required three things: a big stage, a projection screen and a huge floor space.
Chords reverberated off the surrounding buildings as countless sound techs tried to perfect the sound. Multicolored lights flickered as the stage hands set the mood.
Images flashed across a projection screen, the crowd erupted in cheers and horns flew into the air as Norway's Keep of Kalessin took the stage. The mosh pits began as Keep hammered through "Crown of the Kings" and a new song off of their upcoming album, "Kolossus."