3 Inches of Blood. Oct 15 lucky bar. 2004

It had been a week of the tune Kill the Orcs and Balls of Ice playing in my head. I got in my van and the heavy sounds of Pentagram blast from the cd player. Arriving downtown i walk alone to the Lucky bar. Tonight 3 inches of Blood return to Victoria..... they claim they were hatched here but most of disfigureation germinated in East Van. If your a metal fan of the likes of King Diamond/Iron Maiden you must see 3 inches of Blood before you die.
The Luky bar is dark and i drag my old lonesome body to the bar and order the key to life...... a fuckin bottle of....water. The first band takes to the stage and i wander over to my usual spot to see if i can feel the music.
The band is called Removal and they are from Vancouver. A three piece that worked out the beats with no vocals. They were weird but good. Heavy yet jazzish..... maybe a little alternative??? I don't know... alls i can say is "The dogs were puppin it" wich is an old Greg Gin SST punk release from the 80's. This band worked thier instruments hard and i think thier music would make great roadtrip music... They were worth seein.
The time dragged and then all of a sudden 3 IOB took to the stage with a flurry of metal and screams. The room was pulsing to the sound and the audience was standing room only... and if you were brave enough to do a little dancin the front was a thrash of people. The music was greta and some songs of their CD were played. But they have a new CD out in a few days and so a brash of unheard 3IOB was played,,,, sounded good but was unfarmiliar territory. Then one of the singers announced the two new guitarists were very fresh and untrained in the execution of some of the songs.... Then it was over... The crowd was yellin for it... and i wanted to hear it.... "Balls Of Ice!!!" but it was over. Balls of Ice is a classic metal song and years ago when i saw 3IOB this song was sung by the crowd. I shuffled out of the Lucky into the street of beutiful people feeling like i did in 1984 when Deep Purple played the PNE without playing "Smoke on the Water". But i still stand strong on ifs yous a metal fan you need to see 3 INCES OF BLOOD!! They do rock!

Back in my van Pentagram comes back on the CD player and i sit in awe listening to yet another power of metal!!

-ricky jak