Heathen Live

[State of Epicicity]

I live for the more technical thrash that matured as the 80s lead to the 90s: Twisted Into Form by Forbidden, ... And Justice For All by Metallica, Horoscope by Overkill, etc. I'm also a huge fan of one of the most criminally unknown bands ever: Prototype. Their non vocalist guitarist, Kragen Lum, has played in many thrash bands, including Exodus, but right now he's on tour with Heathen, whose album Victims of Deception is to me one of the greats in the cannon of trash metal.

I've just recently moved to Wisconsin from Denver, and I hadn't seen a metal show in years. In celebration of the move, which has been positive in every way, my wife and I went to see Heathen play last night close to Milwaukee, and it was an incredible performance. I really love that one album, but live their performance was so good, so filled with the right spirit and energy, it made me reevaluate all their music, and now I have to revisit all the other albums too; I feel like I have a much better understanding of them as a band.

I also got to meet Kragen Lum, who was such a cool guy, and talk with him for a long time. He was talking, among many other things, about how his main tone is from a parametric EQ boosting the mids, like a Tube Screamer, into his Mark IV, that this tone is the same that he's used for all the Prototype albums too. I've been lucky enough to have met a few of my guitar heroes, including Chuck Schuldiner and Craig Locicero, but Kragen was someone that I thought I might never get to see perform, much less talk to, so I feel really lucky.

If you at all care about technical thrash, I highly recommend trying to catch Heathen on the remainder of their tour.

 

[JT]

I live for the more technical thrash that matured as the 80s lead to the 90s: Twisted Into Form by Forbidden, ... And Justice For All by Metallica, Horoscope by Overkill, etc. I'm also a huge fan of one of the most criminally unknown bands ever: Prototype. Their non vocalist guitarist, Kragen Lum, has played in many thrash bands, including Exodus, but right now he's on tour with Heathen, whose album Victims of Deception is to me one of the greats in the cannon of trash metal.

I've just recently moved to Wisconsin from Denver, and I hadn't seen a metal show in years. In celebration of the move, which has been positive in every way, my wife and I went to see Heathen play last night close to Milwaukee, and it was an incredible performance. I really love that one album, but live their performance was so good, so filled with the right spirit and energy, it made me reevaluate all their music, and now I have to revisit all the other albums too; I feel like I have a much better understanding of them as a band.

I also got to meet Kragen Lum, who was such a cool guy, and talk with him for a long time. He was talking, among many other things, about how his main tone is from a parametric EQ boosting the mids, like a Tube Screamer, into his Mark IV, that this tone is the same that he's used for all the Prototype albums too. I've been lucky enough to have met a few of my guitar heroes, including Chuck Schuldiner and Craig Locicero, but Kragen was someone that I thought I might never get to see perform, much less talk to, so I feel really lucky.

If you at all care about technical thrash, I highly recommend trying to catch Heathen on the remainder of their tour.

I think we've had this convo at FAS or the other place? My buddy took lessons from Kragen for a few years. He said he was super cool. That era of thrash has some real gems

 

[State of Epicicity]

I think we've had this convo at FAS or the other place? My buddy took lessons from Kragen for a few years. He said he was super cool. That era of thrash has some real gems

Man, I didn't remember that. That is so awesome. He's such a monster. It was interesting to see that, while he plays with left hand classical technique, his guitar is low slung, so he stands in some unusual ways when soloing; I came away with an even deeper appreciation of his playing.

The other guitarist was a guy who had posted a YouTube cover of a Heathen song. The cover caught Kragen's eye, and the YouTube guy asked if the band needed a merch guy or something like that. Instead, Kragen asked the guy if he'd like to join the band!

 

[JT]

Man, I didn't remember that. That is so awesome. He's such a monster. It was interesting to see that, while he plays with left hand classical technique, his guitar is low slung, so he stands in some unusual ways when soloing; I came away with an even deeper appreciation of his playing.

The other guitarist was a guy who had posted a YouTube cover of a Heathen song. The cover caught Kragen's eye, and the YouTube guy asked if the band needed a merch guy or something like that. Instead, Kragen asked the guy if he'd like to join the band!

Nice! I think he did all the Exodus tab books? My buddy got one from him and gave it to me for christmas a few years back. I think it's for Fabulous Disaster? I need to look again. I think Kragen signed it? From all he said; he was super cool.

 

[State of Epicicity]

Nice! I think he did all the Exodus tab books? My buddy got one from him and gave it to me for christmas a few years back. I think it's for Fabulous Disaster? I need to look again. I think Kragen signed it? From all he said; he was super cool.

I wouldn't be surprised if he was the transcriber for that. I have all the Prototype tab books too, which he transcribed. That's a rare thing for the transcriber to be one of the songwriters!