by Alex Henderson

After the Sex Pistols, Alice Cooper, Slayer, W.A.S.P., Ozzy Osbourne, Black Flag, and the Germs -- after N.W.A, the Geto Boys, and Ice-T -- it is hard to be genuinely shocked by the nihilistic rants of Amen frontman Casey Chaos. Nihilism? Been there, done that. Angry, bitter, rebellious, and full of burning rage? Ditto. But if Amen's caustic metal/punk assault is less than revolutionary -- certainly by 21st century standards -- Chaos nonetheless generates his share of excitement on Gun of a Preacher Man, which documents a February 2003 show in Manchester, England. This isn't exactly a happy-go-lucky sort of concert; Chaos is as furious on "Piss Virus" and "Whores of Hollywood" as he is on "The Price of Reality," "Here's the Poison," and "Coma America." And given how bad times were in February 2003 -- when war, terrorism, and recessionary unemployment were all over the news headlines -- Chaos has plenty of reason to feel pissed off and less than optimistic. Does Chaos propose any solutions? Not really. Gun of a Preacher Man has more to do with complaining than problem-solving. But then, no one realistically expects metal or punk to save the world -- and in terms of pure, primal, gut-level exhilaration, these performances do the trick. Gun of a Preacher Man is unlikely to win over or convert anyone who isn't already an Amen enthusiast, but die-hard fans will find that the band's February 2003 lineup -- Chaos on lead vocals, Rich Jones and Matt Montgomery on guitar, Scott S. Sorry on bass, and Blake Plonsky on drums -- is in generally good form on this Manchester gig.