Metalheads received a special treat this past weekend when Superjoint Ritual blasted into town and rocked the foundation at Rafters in downtown Johnson City.
But, Superjoint – comprised of Philip Anselmo, guitar/vocals; Hank Williams III, bass; Jimmy Bower, guitar; Joe Fazzio, drums; and Kevin Bond, guitar – wasn’t the only band on the roster. Local favorites Omega Tribe opened the show. The Tribe had the crowd breaking their necks before the first song came to a halt. It was a perfect way to open a hardcore show that didn’t stop the assault on your eardrums until the last note blared from the guitar.
“It was such a rush opening for Hank and Phil,” said Jason Walsh, guitarist for Omega Tribe. “Hank is such a nut.”
The second band, Zeke, set the stage and increased the excitement. Hailing from the Midwest, Zeke has shared the stage with bands like Tommy Lee’s Methods of Mayhem and Pearl Jam, to name only a few. Plans to tour the country hitting all the hot spots somehow brought them to Johnson City and will take them on a promotional tour for the release of “Til the Living End” on April 6.
During the fast paced set, Zeke took time to throw in an old Lynyrd Skynyrd tune “Needle and Spoon.” The Zeke version of the song was like a refresher course for old songs long forgotten but revived with a wailing guitar and a lively lead singer.
As for the headlining band, Superjoint Ritual hails from Louisiana and has been a band since the early ’90s. The release of their debut album, “Use Once and Destroy,” won acclaim from critics in 2002.
With the new release of their highly anticipated second album, “A Lethal Dose of American Hatred,” the band has put their musical fist right down the listener’s throat.
Fans enjoyed the first two sets with some spectacular bands, but after a quick break, they could be heard chanting “Superjoint, Superjoint,” unwilling to let the headbanging and mosh pits stop.
Not only can Superjoint claim bragging rights for their fast-paced, in-your-face metal music, but they can also claim to have living legends onstage every night.
Anselmo, of Texas based band Pantera, is a god in the metal world. He grants Superjoint his unmistakeable voice and entertaining antics. Pantera fans will find Anselmo, as always, onstage cursing, screaming and whirling his long straight Mohawk around. He never lets his energy down for one minute.
The Superjoint show at Rafters was no exception. And, if you found yourself to be one of the brave souls willing to take a dive from the stage while the music was blaring into the ever-thrashing mosh pit, Anselmo just shakes your hand and seems to hope you are enjoying yourself. But make no mistake about it, he is all about Superjoint Ritual claiming in the band’s bio that “I can dedicate 100 percent of myself to Superjoint Ritual now.”
He then admits “This is the band I always wanted to be in.”
Anselmo isn’t the only legend onstage though. Yes, Hank Williams III also lends his talents to the bass for the band. Carrying on in his father and his grandfather’s footsteps he has taken up music as his fulltime job.
Recently at a different show, where he preformed solo he barked, “OK if you were only here for my country tunes then it’s time for you to leave,” after he had played a few of his famous father’s country songs.
The other two members, though their names do not carry all of the assumptions of the names Phil and Hank, can literally hang with the best of them.
The guitars wailed and roared, complete with plenty of hard edge. The drums pumped the sound and kept the metal running though the audience’s veins for the entire show.
If you missed this show, it’s easy to say you missed one of the best metal, rock, thrash, punk or whatever genre you wish to place them bands of the new millennium.
Forget the sell-out Saliva, forget the ever-detested Limp Bizkit and the publicized bands of the mainstream sound they would like to call “rock.” Superjoint Ritual has come to reclaim the scene that was once at its heyday.
You wanna see a real band playing really hard music that is not only pleasing to the auditory sense but pleases deep into the depths of even the most calm fan’s heart, then go see Superjoint Ritual. The only thing you’ll be sorry about is that you didn’t get enough bruises to prove the experience to your friends.
If you wanna catch Superjoint Ritual on the road, the band will be in Nebraska and Illinois in the beginning of April.
They will also be headlining at Ozzfest this summer. Information about their upcoming shows can be obtained at www.superjointritual.com.

Author