Concert Reviews

Mac Sabbath attack Pittsburgh

Published

2 years ago

November 24, 2023

Can a band be a bit creepy, profound, and enigmatic while offering insightful commentary on our grotesque feeding habits and our society’s behaviors buried under theatrical costumes, stunts, and heavy metal riffs? Mac Sabbath, fronted by Ronald Osborne, provides a twist to a slew of classic Black Sabbath songs. Bringing these masterful metal riffs back to life are guitarist Slayer MacCheeze, bassist Grimalice, and pulling drum duty is a half Hamburgler, half Peter Criss character known as the Cat Burglar.

Mac Sabbath Live Pittsburgh PA Nov 11 2023 By Josh Drespling for Empire Extreme

Mac Sabbath has been crisscrossing the United States for the last few months on the “More Than Meats The Eye” tour with the band of Transformers known as The Cybertronic Spree, along with Playboy Manbaby, who are taking a brief break from their jobs in the fast food industry.

As the band prepared to perform, the air hung heavy with the scent of fried mystery meat and the distant echo of deranged laughter. The intro music began to play, which was coupled with the sounds of hooves of stampeding cattle pounding the ground and long, woeful mooing. The scene was set for a descent into a gastronomic hallucination. The stage was flanked by two larger-than-life plastic Ronald McDonald heads with glowing red eyes that were ripped from the top of a set of exterior trash cans at McDonald’s chain restaurants in the mid-80s.

The four horsemen of the fast food apocalypse emerged onto the stage and blasted into the haunting opening riffs of “Organic Funeral” a parody of Black Sabbath’s “Electric Funeral”. A full minute and forty-five seconds into the song, the groups of fast-food mascots were joined on stage by vocalist Ronald Osborne, clad in a straitjacket. He spent several moments gyrating in an effort to free himself from the confines of the white straitjacket that was stained with greasepaint and what one could only assume was ketchup.

The leader of the culinary renegades of rock stepped up to the mic with a manic energy that was equal parts terrifying and exhilarating. His eyes, wide and wild, scanned the crowd as if searching for souls to devour. He began bellowing the lyrics, “Asparagine in the fries warns you of synthetic food dyes. Warm numbing feeling inside from the poisons that are fried ammonium sulfate. Monosodium glutamate, Monsanto run FDA, ONLY LEGAL IN THE USA!”

As the unholy communion of music and madness continued, the band played “Sweet Beef” (Black Sabbath “Sweet Leaf”) and The Lizard (Black Sabbath “The Wizard”). In this surreal circus of sonic excess, reality and absurdity collided, creating a dimension where the boundaries between fast food and heavy metal dissolved like a cheeseburger in a vat of hot oil. Ronald proceeded to douse the audience with water from squeezable ketchup and mustard bottles.

As the kaleidoscope of characters laid down the songs “In Dreams” (Roy Orbison), “Bread” (KISS “Beth”), and “Love Buns” (KISS “Love Gun”), one began to realize that the experience was not just a concert; it was a psychedelic trip through the greasy underbelly of rock and roll, a journey into the heart of a culinary carnival where the only rule was to embrace the madness and savor the high calorie content of the chaos.

As the carnival of parody and homage wound down, the lead singer, in his carnivalesque regalia, reached out to the crowd like a mad preacher, exhorting the congregation to embrace the madness as the band marched through the tracks “Supersize” (Black Sabbath “Supernaut”), “Chicken for the Slaves” (Black Sabbath “Children of the Grave”), and “Frying Pan” (Black Sabbath “Iron Man”). Ronald shouted, “Cows, we’re going to grind. Hope your stomach is well lined. Do I have the gall? Chopping onions makes me bawl, to the tune of Iron Man.

As the final notes reverberated into the ether, the crowd knew there was more to the orchestrated psychedelic feast for the senses. Mac Sabbath returned to the stage for a two-song encore that featured a collaboration with members of The Cybertronic Spree on the track “Hallowiener Schnitzel” (Misfits “Halloween”), followed by “Pair-a-Buns” (Black Sabbath “Paranoid”), which left an indelible mark on the collective consciousness of all who bore witness to their peculiar brand of musical alchemy.

FULL SET LIST:
Organic Funeral(Black Sabbath “Electric Funeral”)
Sweet Beef (Black Sabbath“Sweet Leaf”)
The Lizard (Black Sabbath“The Wizard”)
Grilled by Death (Motörhead“Killed by Death”)
Drive Thru the Void(Black Sabbath “Into the Void”)
In Dreams (Roy Orbison)
Bread (KISS “Beth”)
Love Buns (KISS “Love Gun”)
Supersize (Black Sabbath “Supernaut”)
Chicken for the Slaves (Black Sabbath “Children of the Grave”)
Frying Pan (Black Sabbath “Iron Man”)
Hallowiener Schnitzel (Misfits “Halloween”) with members of The Cybertronic Spree
Pair-a-Buns (Black Sabbath “Paranoid”)

About Author

Josh Drespling

Josh is the Publisher and creator of Empire Extreme and it’s sister publication Kingdom Extreme Magazine. He is an accomplished writer, photographer and graphic designer. He is always conjuring up new ideas and has a amazing passion for the music industry and all the things that surround it.

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Concert Reviews

DARK WINTER TOUR:BALTIMORE SHOW REVIEW

Published

1 month ago

January 26, 2026

Ron

LORD OF THE LOST AND WEDNESDAY 13 CAME INTO BALTIMORE MARYLAND OR AS LORD OF THE LOST SINGER CHRIS HARMS CALLED IT BALTIMOST..

WEDNESDAY 13 opened and had a killer set. It’s tough when you have such a great spanning career to choose which songs to play, but Wednesday nailed it. From new to old, the band played a ton of great songs and got the crowd hyped and ready for a night of kick-ass music. When between band breaks,outside, I was outside and a guy who has never seen Wednesday 13 before was like “I’ve never seen an opening band, with so much energy and having the crowd pumped up like that before”. We got to see Wednesday throw out some plastic spiders from a Halloween pail,say… and this time his umbrella didn’t break when he performed “I Love to Say..Fuck”.

Lord of the Lost came to Baltimore last year and was super amazing and such a great show that I was excited to see them again. They did have a member of the band missing; their bassist was taking time away from the band to focus on his own mental health, which I applaud because in a world of music and entertainment we lose too many people who are afraid or ashamed to work on their mental health. This was the first day of the tour, and not knowing what song was gonna be played was kinda thrilling, but I knew that at one point that Wednesday 13 would come back on stage and play “I Hate People” which is the latest single from Lord of the Lost. The band sounded amazing, and I loved their cover of “She’s Got the Look.”

Overall this was a great day for music and such a great show. Go out and check it when they come to your city and just enjoy seeing live music.

About Author

Ron

Ron has keen eye for new talent, a love for the underground, and a tremendous passion for music of any genera. You’ll probably bump into him at a horror convention or some seedy club checking out the next need-to-know band.

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Concert Reviews

Let’s go back to 2000’s Ozzfest with Darkest Hour, Bleeding Through and God Forbid.

Published

3 months ago

December 19, 2025

Ron

DC’s Hometown Hero’s Darkest Hour came to the Filmore in silver spring Maryland to celebrate 30 years and not only did they kick some ass the made us go back in time to a killer lineup of bands.

God Forbid celebrating the anniversary of “Constitution of Treason” opened up the show and got the crowd rowdy. It’s been years since I’ve seen God Forbid but I remember all those tours and ozzfests when they played and always kicked so much ass. The band still sounds great and singer Byron Davis still looks and sounds amazing. We got to hear songs like “The End of the world” “The lonely dead” and “under this flag”.

Bleeding Through was next up and they were celebrating the anniversary of “The Truth” and throwing a few extra songs from previous albums and new material. Brandan still puts on a hell of a show and always finds a way to hurt himself at shows I’ve seen him perform. In Pittsburgh years ago he stepped on a water bottle and fucked up his ankle and 2 seconds into this show he almost fell straight off the stage. But that didn’t stop him from getting off the stage jumping in the crowd and killing such a great set. Then you add bad ass keyboardist Marta to the mix and this is why I’ve always loved this band. We got to hear songs like “Love in slow motion” , “Line in the sand” and “Love lost in a hail of gunfire “ the crowd went crazy.

It’s been years since I’ve seen Darkest Hour too, I always remember those tours and seeing them with so many kick ass bands, it’s crazy to think they they have been together for 30 years and still bring it to the stage. I loved the energy and fun the band has on stage, loved the intro from a guy in a tux and also loved that the fans were engaged the whole set. I got to hear some great tunes like “The Sadist Nation”, “ Sound the surrender” and “Knife in a safe room”.

This small 3 date tour was great and put me back into the days when I was younger and listened to some great metal.

About Author

Ron

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Concert Reviews

All Time Low: EVERYBODYS TALKING TOUR

Published

3 months ago

November 30, 2025

Kylie Thomas

The appropriately named “Everybody’s Talking” tour from All Time Low featuring Mayday Parade, Four Year Strong, and The Paradox was one of true pop-punk nostalgia. The stop over at UPMC Events Center on November 19 was a must for any fan of the year 2005. Being able to see some of the top names in this genre all with a room full of old-school emo kids is a blessing on its own.

Opening the show first was newer band The Paradox, a mix of core pop-punk anger and modern hip hop nuances. Think heavy riffs over more melodic vocals that float over top.

Four Year Strong, a band more on the hardcore side, follows this up with a pit for the ages. It’s a time for moshing to begin as the members take the audience through years of heavy breakdowns. These guys are a throwback for the ones who always went to Warped Tour.

The third opener, Mayday Parade has the power to pull together an entire crowd just by playing their hits “Jersey” and “Jamie All Over.” This band has been around the scene for a long time and there’s no doubt you’ve heard a song or two of theirs on the radio. Their energy is infectious from singer Derek Sanders to guitarist Brooks Betts and all the rest, too.

At the end of the day though, it’s obvious this crowd is here to see all eras of All Time Low come to life. After 22 years together, there are many layers to this band but their set manages to hit on them all. Whether you’re there for the songs from the beginning years like “Time-Bomb” or brand new ones like “SUCKERPUNCH,” you’re bound to hear something you like. One of the best parts of an All Time Low concert though is the party vibe. Alex Gaskarth, Jack Barakat, Zack Merrick, and Rian Dawson all carry an energy that’s similar to walking down Fremont Street in Vegas. It’s all flashy lights, big personalities, and good times. But, don’t be led astray, there are tender moments as well. It all creates a story of love and heartbreak alongside the highs and lows of life.

The “Everybody’s Talking” tour from All Time Low is one that chronicles their history. It’s a show that reminds audiences of their place in pop-punk and a chance for these audience to disappear back to high school again when all that mattered was eyeliner, CDs, and hair dye.