By A while back, I reviewed the first metal themed mystery box from Zobie Productions. I felt it was a promising start for a great concept, one that had no equals on the market. I wasn’t sure I’d go for box #2, but decided to give it a shot and ordered one. COVID is wreaking havok on carriers and the box finally showed up here in Canada (from Texas) after close to a month. How does it stack up to the first box?
The first item I pulled out is the ‘Women of Metal’ t-shirt, with an exclusive design by Spicy Donut. The design is cool but might have worked better as a print than a shirt. Not sure I can wear that at my age without looking creepy… Let’s count this as a good item for which I’m not the right audience.
Next item was an advertisement for the book ‘Daughters of Darkness’, a collection of fine art portraits of women in corpse paint by photographer Jeremy Saffer (who incidentally took the photos featured in this month’s box). It also came with a 10% discount for pre-ordering the book… but it expired 3 days before I got the box. Another strike for international shipping.
Up next was a guitar pick from the collection of Dope’s bassist Acey Slade. Dope is not my cup of tea, but it’s a cool item nonetheless, so it goes into that column too.
Next, I picked up what is simply described as an add-in item: BrBr Deng! I had no idea what that was, but the Internet tells me this relates to the song ‘Dig’ by Mudvayne, and has become a popular meme for which I obviously did not get the memo. I beleive the item is an air freshner as it is sealed in a plastic bag and comes with a string, but I’m not going to open it to confirm. That one’s a big miss for me.
Instead of an art print, this month’s box wisely includes a live photography of the late Peter Steele from Type O Negative, as photographed by Jeremy Saffer. A bunch of different shots were available, and it makes for a cool item to have. I’m not a Type O negative fan, but this is cool. We want more!
And finally, the item I was most interested in, the autographed photo. This month’s features Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta. Four different studio portraits are available, and the metallic glossy print just looks gorgeous (notice my reflection in the photo. It’s that glossy). Props to Jasta for a signature that looks like his name in a time where so many celebrities will just sign scribbles.
My only gripe is that I wish they’d use live shots for the autographs. The studio shots are cool, but not as nice a concert photos. I really hope they change it up for later boxes. Still, I like Hatebreed, so this one’s a hit.
My verdict? It’s a good box, but as with the first one, it’s highly dependent on your appreciation of the artists involved. Zobie’s other mystery boxes announce the franchises found in the box ahead of time, and maybe they should announce the bands too.They’ve teased that box #3 will feature a classic LA punk-rock band from the 80’s, so I’ll probably get it too, but I’ll jump off the train soon if they don’t hit closer to my heart sooner than later.
He's also a regular contributor at the excellent news site Montreal Rampage
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