even sloans are big in japan

well so it has come to this, my first actually worded contribution to the HMR blog. but you too would need to find some sense of rationale when you stumbled across this particular headline:

PIG DESTROYER and INTO ETERNITY have been added to the previously announced Japanese tour featuring AT THE GATES, MAYHEM, and THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN.

see what i mean? if you are remotely a fan of any kind of heavy music of the past 25 years you are probably thinking "what the hell kind of lineup is that?" and you are absolutely right. but for those not in the know, a quick wikipediation will suffice:

Pig Destroyer: the band chose their name motivated by a strong socio-political consciousness. Believing that naming themselves "Cop Killer" or "Cop Destroyer" would be tactless, they eventually settled on "Pig Destroyer" ("pig" being a pejorative American slang term for the police)

into eternity: i actually don't know who these guys are, and neither do you. forget about it.

At the Gates: The band's legacy is far reaching, because of their influence on the metalcore and melodic death metal genres. Many bands, such as Darkest Hour, The Black Dahlia Murder, Now Until the Hour, and Killswitch Engage were influenced by their sound.

Mayhem: much controversy has followed the various murders, suicides and other forms of violence that surrounded the band in the early years. Mayhem is considered one of the most controversial bands in modern musical history, especially due to the vast number of urban legends and myths surrounding their early years.

what controversies you ask? let's do a rundown:

notable band member occurrences
dead (suicide)
euronymous (murdered)
varg vikernes (imprisoned...for the death of euronymous)
maniac (institutionalized)

yup. they play music too! probably wouldn't think that though. actually, these guys are probably one of the most renowned artists in all of black metal. i know next to nothing about this genre, but i can appreciate their utmost importance to the scene. and their lead singer's real name is attila, and he's hungarian. that rules.

dillinger escape plan: the band gained notoriety in the hardcore scene for the intensity of their performances, which have incorporated light shows, fireworks, fire breathing, and other special effects.
my note: they also gained notoriety for kicking a lot of ass, and making meshuggah's approach to songwriting essential for every single guitar player who wants to be taken seriously today. bridging the gap between hardcore's ethos, metal's intent to bludgeon, and progressive rock's progressive...ness.

so basically what you have here are three bands who pretty much are the pinnacle of their respective genres, including a band that has been out of commission for over ten years. and if you live in japan, where promoters go out of their way to blow your mind, you can see them all on one bill.

i ask you, dear readership: are you tired of safe tours with bands that are interchangeable with their headliners? tell me about any strange combinations on a bill that you think worked. for a counter example see: wutang + apollo sunshine...right jer?