Battery Assaults Irving Plaza

Metallica tribute act Battery played Irving Plaza last night, entertaining a small but fanatical crowd of die hard ‘Tallica fans with spot-on renditions of their favorite songs.

The Midwest-based band played a two hour set filled with Metallica’s greatest hits, the musicians nailing solos, bass lines, and James Hetfield’s signature roar almost to a T. Singer George Hartwig looks spookily like 1995 Hetfield, and sounded like him as well, with bassist Phil resembling 1987 Cliff Burton down to his Misfits T-shirt. The band’s image, however, was merely incidental compared to their playing.

Opening with biblical thrasher Creeping Death, the band instantly proved their dedication to all things Metallica, with fans chanting “Die! Die! Die!” during the song’s legendary breakdown. The 150 or so fans on the floor of Irving Plaza sang along enthusiastically, cheering wildly as Battery moved on to perfect renditions of Enter Sandman and Master of Puppets.

In a refreshing change from the real Metallica’s setlists in recent years, Battery knew exactly what the audience wanted to hear, playing only two cuts off of newest record Death Magnetic. The crowd went wild for songs like Fuel, Fade to Black, and Wherever I May Roam, all played with note for note accuracy. What the audience may have lacked in numbers, they more than made up for in fanaticism, with virtually every fan in attendance shouting out every word of every song.

Small mosh pits occasionally broke out during heavier songs such as One, Sad But True, and a particularly enjoyable Seek & Destroy, with the open floor space allowing fans to really cut loose without bothering those next to them. Battery also saluted St. Patrick’s Day with Whiskey in the Jar off the Garage, Inc. album, to the delight of the green-clad drinkers in the audience. Even the fans hanging in the back of the venue by the bar still sang out every word and played air guitar to their favorite solos as the band shredded through hit after hit for two straight hours. Wrapping up with a fantastic For Whom the Bells Tolls, Blackened, and a dead-on accurate Disposable Heroes, Battery had the entire venue whipped into a frenzy by the end of the show.

In the difficult world of tribute acts, it can be hard for bands to get often lethargic audiences into the music and rocking out. But Battery is no ordinary tribute act, and Metallica fans are no ordinary audience. Metallica’s monstrous sound and gripping songs are legendary, and Battery channeled that power with brute force last night. While Irving Plaza’s small floor and low-end lighting doesn’t hold a candle to Metallica’s laser and pyro filled arena shows, the enthusiasm and drive coming from the stage was almost the same, and in some ways, even better.

Despite a few technical difficulties with tuning, the band’s setlist was better picked than anything Metallica has played in years, and while Hartwig might not have personally written the songs he played, he sang them with the same ferocity that James Hetfield lost when he went to rehab. The riffs, solos, and double-bass blasts were played with laser-like precision, and the relatively small attendance allowed for fans to move around the venue comfortably and get right up against the stage.

No tribute act can be expected to replace their namesake acts, but Battery is one of the best bonuses a Metallica fan can take advantage of. The show may be smaller in scale, but so is the ticket price. The band doesn’t come to New York very often, but next time they do, every fan who has ever sang along to Master of Puppets at the top of their lungs while speeding down a highway with the windows down and stereo blasting should be front and center, rocking out to their favorite song.

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