The roar of the crowd, the smell of sweat and grease in the air, the hum and screech of the towering speakers and amplifiers, to Eddie this was just another night, another show, sitting in the shadows of the stage curtain with the lead guitarist’s instrument in hand, tuning the keys and plucking the cool metal strings until it came into tune.
“Hey Riggs, you better have fixed my guitar man or-“
Eddie groaned, these wannabe rockers were nothing compared to the legends of old, holding the guitar in hand and making it sing, strumming and plucking the strings as if it were fresh out the box.
“It-it’s like new!”
the guitarist exclaimed, snatching the instrument from Eddies hands and began walking on stage without even acknowledging his existence, but Eddie simply shrugged his shoulders, pulling a cigarette and a chrome skill lighter from his pocket, lighting its end before placing it to his lips, breathing deeply as he took in its root like aroma and taste before releasing a thick cloud into the air.
The crowd suddenly erupted into cheers and screams as Eddie watched the rest of the band emerge from backstage, Eddie groaned once again, he knew what was coming, and he knew the audience would eat up anything these “artists” played, it was nothing but an insult to what true music was, REAL metal, he had watched and hated every moment this so called metal band was on tour, but work was work he figured so he had grit his teeth and held his tongue.
“Hey Eddie”
Came the voice of one of the stage crew, Eddie turned to see a large burly dude, handlebar moustache, black sleeveless leather jacket, spiked leather cuffs and boots, torn black jeans and a grey bandana over his forehead
“Hey Jim, how are things back stage?” Eddie said as he reached into his pocket, offering a cigarette to his coworker, who gladly accepted, grimacing as he listened to the band play
“About as good as you’d expect”
“Let’s face it Eddie, metal is dead, these
tween bands have butchered the legacy of true metal legends” Jim said with a heavy sigh, taking the whole cigarette down in one heavy drag before crushing it underfoot.
Eddie nodded as he looked out on stage, the strobe lights flashing as the lead singer began head banging to a mix of base guitar metal and hip hop, it was almost enough to make him puke
“Yeah…..you may be right, but there can still be try metal out there, it’s gotta be” with a hopeful look Eddie toon another drag, watching as Jim shook his head and walked away.
It tore him up inside to see true metal lovers loose that spark, to see metal as dead, Eddie had grown up with hardcore metal as far bad as he could remember, his dad letting him watch backstage or front row as he performed, every show on his tours a full house, but after he passed, and then his mom, Eddie found life easier to just bounce from one gig to the next, always on the road, making others look as good as he could make them.
“Used to think I could fix anything” he muttered to himself, groaning as he watched the base guitarist begin to climb the stage set backdrop
“Ugh, but I can’t fix whatever that is” he huffed, stamping out his light before stealthily rushing on stage, raining in the wannabe rebel back to his post before returning to his.
But what awaited him when he rushed back was definitely a surprise, leaning against the stage scaffolding was every metal heads thing of beauty, there sat a sleek black electric guitar, strings thick as a babies arm, glistening in the light, each key shaped like a demons head, large horns and fangs, the head a silver clawed hand, the body decorated with skeletons and demons posed as if clawing for freedom.
“Woooow, hello gorgeous, where have you been all my life” Eddie marvelled, looking around to see if this work of arts owner was around, only to find no one, intrigue eventually won him over, seizing the instrument to closer examine it, noticing a plaque printed at the base of the body
“Chronivac….interesting name” he murmured, sliding the strap over his shoulder before tentatively plucking the silky strings, feeling a strange heat fill his fingers.
“Cool” he grinned, a feeling of power overwhelming his senses, any awareness of the ongoing train wreck of a performance going out the window, raiding his hand high into the air before hammering it down on the strings, making the instrument sing for him, his fingers commanding each note, each chord humming with an aftershock of music, sending screaming music into the air, easily overpowering the band, his pace and tempo giving a feeling of electric energy into the night air the stage lights turning red and the earth began to shake with his music.
The feeling of heat in his fingers returned with an intense bite, quickly retracting his hand as if grabbing a hot pan, blowing on his fingertips in an attempt to cool them, but the guitar kept playing without him, looking down in shock Eddie found himself unable to move, the strumming of the strings getting louder and louder until without warning, the stage and ground beneath him gave way, the sound of a metallic roar seeming to bellow from the underground, and Eddie now free falling had no other option but to head straight towards it.