Crucified Barbara
April 18, 2013
Atlanta, GA
The Masquerade
Crucified Barbara is a band that I have been looking forward to seeing ever since being turned on to their latest album “The Midnight Chase.” Well, I finally got my wish. Crucified Barbara finally made it to Atlanta as the middle band on a three band bill that was being headlined by their homeboys and fellow Swedish glam rockers Crash Diet. The show was opened by Canada’s own Snakeskyn Whiskey. These guys really had me scratching my head. It was kind of like watching Steel Panther only these guys were serious as opposed to joking. They definitely didn’t suck and they reminded me of a harder edged RATT like almost as if Ratt listened to A LOT of Judas Priest. They had some chops and while I appreciate tongue in cheek sleaze kind of stuff, these guys’ songs just weren’t good. I mean, c’mon. These guys have a song called, “I Hate It When Pretty Girls Are Married.” Really? If you were really sleazy you’d say, “I Fuck Girls Even If They’re Married and I Don’t Give a Ratt’s Ass.” While they were pretty silly, they were really fun to watch. They had some great energy on stage and the audience really seemed to like them. They closed out their set with a cover of Judas Priest’s “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’” which the singer totally nailed. I was pretty impressed. I wouldn’t go run out to buy any of their shit but they were definitely entertaining and did a great job warming up the crowd.
I can only imagine how exciting it must have been for people to see European bands invading the US for the first time. I’m sure getting to see The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and later Iron Maiden invading America was exciting. Getting to see Sweden’s Crucified Barbara on stage in Atlanta for the very first time on their first ever North American tour gave me a glimpse as to what a special feeling that must have been. I pretty much just discovered Crucified Barbara (thanks Loana) this year so I feel like I was discovering them at a very exciting time. With three albums under their belt and an impressive following of fans already here in the states, Crucified Barbara seemed to be hitting it at just the right time.
The energy in the sparse but very appreciative and vocal audience was nothing short of electrifying. The band took the stage to a very appreciative and vocal crowd and slammed right into “The Crucifier” which right off the bat melted my face clean off. Lead singer/guitarist Mia Coldheart immediately had the audience eating out of her hand as she bantered back and forth with the audience throughout the show. It was very clear to see that while Crucified Barbara was completely stoked for their first US tour, they didn’t allow themselves to get overly comfortable. Delivering a passionate, exciting, and fun packed 45 minute set, Crucified Barbara pulled from all of their releases showcasing their ability to be a very versatile metal band. One minute they’re doing a song like “Shut Your Mouth” which shows their Motorhead like influences and then next thing you know they’re doing “Rules & Bones” which shows their more alternative Hole/Alice In Chains kind of influences. One of the highlights was the song “Jennyfer” from their “’Till Death Do Us Party” album which very well could have been an 80’s glam metal hit. Crucified Barbara manages to take all of their influences and put them into one big ass goulash of awesomeness that defies any real genre tags. I love that.
Crucified Barbara’s stage presence was so amazing and they truly owned that stage with all the confidence and professionalism of seasoned veteran headliners. Watching Mia take a guitar solo was flat out fierce and you could see her totally captivating the crowd with her ability and massive guitar tone. Guitarist Klara Force, bassist Ida Evileye, and drummer Nicki Wicked played off of each other both musically and physically egging each other on and taking turns addressing the crowd and keeping the energy level at peak levels. The band closed out their facemelting 45 minute set with “Everything We Need” which took things out in anthem like proportions even ending the song with a nod to Kiss as they closed it the same way Kiss closed out “Black Diamond” on Alive I.
While already a fan before the show, Crucified Barbara’s performance made me an even bigger fan than I already was. They proved that they could more than hold their own in a live setting and they should have no problem at all winning over a legion of loyal followers from town to town. Crucified Barbara is a strong force in this Swedish Metal Invasion and I feel proud and lucky to be able to say that I saw it all for the first time. I have a feeling we’re going to be seeing a hell of a lot of Crucified Barbara. These girls are just getting warmed up.
Oh yeah. As for Crash Diet… I went home. I’d already seen the real stars of the night.
Crucified Barbara Setlist
The Crucifier, Shut Your Mouth, Rock Me Like the Devil, Losing the Game, Motorfucker, In Distortion We Trust, Jennyfer, Into the Fire, Rules & Bones, Sex Action, Everything We Need
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