Biohazard

Brutal Assault - 2009

Text: Tobias Nilsson Photo: Lunah Lauridsen

One of the absolute highlights of this years’ Brutal Assault was that I was given a most unforeseen opportunity to once more jump around to the beat of the reunited Biohazard, who had been added to the bill in the 11th hour to cover for another band which couldn’t make it. Lucky me, I say, as the New Yorker’s put on one hell of a show for us.

Already from the start, Biohazard showed us that they were in a top shape for the nights gig, but what really came as a surprise to me was that the otherwise so hardcore black / death metal audience seemed to be in an equally good mood for their performance. We are talking about corpsepainted guys with camouflage pants and studded leather wristbands who were more than happy to be led into a crowdsurfing and moshpitting hell orchestrated by a band who from the very beginning have had roots almost as deeply anchored in hip hop as they have had in metal! Well, kudos for being opened-minded, that’s what I say.

Biohazard kicked off in a strong way with the old classic Urban Discipline, and from thereon out they stuck true to the formula they had show on earlier shows on this tour; they only played songs from the very beginning of their career (namely from their first three albums).
But these sweet tracks were not all that the boys played for us; they also gave us an old cover song from Bad Religion in We’re Only Gonna Die (From Our Own Arrogance); another cover song came from Cypress Hill in I Ain’t Goin’ Out Like That, wherein Billy Graziadei who normally handles guitar duty took over on bass for Evan Seinfeld as he went down in the photopit to pick out girls with which he filled the stage (because hip hoppers gets all the girls nowadays as he said).
As a very special treat he also got the crowd to sing at one point; we were to sing the Czech version of the Happy Birthday song in honour of Danny Schuler as he was celebrating his 40th birthday.

As this extraordinary show marked the last one on Biohazard’s 20th anniversary reunion tour, the band was in no hurry to leave the stage, and luckily they were allowed to stay and finish the set even though it meant they went far over their time-limit; and even with this in mind both Seinfeld and returned guitarist Bobby Hambel found the time after the rest had left to get down in the photopit once more for some handshaking and a final farewell to the Czech and European audience, before returning to the States with a promise of a new album under way.
Now, you can call me sentimental, old fashioned or what have you (and of course I have high hopes for a new album with the original line-up), but after seeing this I don’t really feel a desperate need for something new; they can keep on doing this until the end of days, and I’ll still be perfectly happy!
Lunah Lauridsen (our photographer) even named the show a potential for Concert Of The Year in her book; I’m not sure if I would put it that high though. Well, why not...

Setlist:

Urban Discipline
Shades Of Grey
What Makes Us Tick
Wrong Side Of The Tracks
Down For Life
Love Denied
Tales From The Hard Side
How It Is
We’re Only Gonna Die (From Our Own Arrogance) (Bad Religion cover)
Five Blocks To The Subway
Punishment
I Ain’t Goin’ Out Like That (Cypress Hill cover)
Hold My Own

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