One of extreme metal's brightest lights, Car Bomb does more than pander to ADD by cramming together an assload of riffs. Yes, the band nods heavily to the highly technical, post-death metal of its mostly defunct New Jersey neighbors like Human Remains and Deadguy, but it also draws equally from the likes of Zappa and Aphex Twin. It shows in Car Bomb's command of atmospherics.
As for the highly anticipated re-emergence of Sacred Reich, guitarist Wiley Arnett is quick to point out that the band is doing a short set only, and that fans shouldn't expect a chance to recapture SR's recent shows in the area. Nonetheless, with Sacred Reich recently back from a one-off trip to Europe, where, Arnett says, they received a positive reception beyond their wildest expectations, he enthuses that the band is well-rehearsed and still tingling from the experience. The fact that Sacred Reich essentially returns to inactive hiatus after the D-Low concert certainly makes the appearance bittersweet, but also more special. There's no telling when — or if — Sacred Reich will ever play again, so get it while you can.
"When we disbanded," Arnett explains, "we never broke up. We never had a falling out. What we agreed on was that we all needed more time at home. Back in '85 when I joined the band, we were mixing some cover tunes with original work and playing a lot with Flotsam and Jetsam. I was 17 years old. Within a year, we'd gotten signed and found ourselves on tour. It seemed like a blur. Fourteen years went by; we came home and we were, like, 'What the hell happened?' We thought we'd leave the window open, but the more time we spent at home, the harder it seemed to get away from home."
The band is playing this memorial show because of its longstanding relationship with Gloria Cavalera (Max's wife) and the late D-Low (Max Cavalera's stepson and best friend).
"We watched him grow up," Arnett says. "He toured with us many years out on the road, even before Sepultura was part of the family. For whatever reason, it just hadn't been viable for us to do the memorial show in the past. Now, we're super-prepared."
