Sabbath Wheels - Black Mass at Fastlands

Organising skate events outdoors in November is a brave move. That was the first thought that went through my head when the rabble at Sabbath Wheels announced that they'd teamed up with Heathen Skateboards, Vans and Ideal Skateshop to run their first Black Mass event in the Sabbath spiritual homeland of Birmingham on Sunday just past. As the Fastlands day of carnage drew nearer - appropriately dubbed Black Mass - momentum behind the gathering started to pick up pace, with Slap Ramps getting involved to provide a some wallride assistance, and Heathen came through with the 'monolith', which turned a strip of the old faithful nine set into a Wembley gap/kicker setup. The nine set rail, which was previously located on the far side of the stairs, next to the pillar, mysteriously moved a few feet across into the middle of the stairs, making it easily accessible from both sides, giving Fastlands an additional whole new heroic dimension.

Ben Plumb - wallride. Photo: CJ.

The Brummy stage appeared to be all but set, and with the Met Office claiming clear blue skies and temperatures around 12 degrees, for a few hours on the day of the Black Mass, you could've tricked yourself into thinking it was springtime again.

Rory Buckley - wallride. Photo: CJ.

Photos: Rob Whiston.

Dan Smith - frontside wallride. Photo: CJ.

Naturally, the West Midlands was out in full force, with the enigmatic pairing of Bob Sanderson and Forde Brookfield sharing microphone duties, whilst crews of skaters gradually emerged from as far afield as Glasgow, Essex, Wales and Bristol.

Kris Vile - ollie to frontside wallride. Photo: CJ.

James Woodley - frontside boardslide. Photo: Rob Whiston.

Ollie Lawrence - frontside feeble. Photo: Rob Whiston.

Lucas Healey - crooked grind. Photo: Rob Whiston.

I'll spare you a 'who did what' rundown of the day, as the photographic and moving image evidence provided here will do a far better job of explaining the specifics than I, so go ahead and soak up the Fastlands mayhem for yourself.

Photos: CJ.

Huge props to Sabbath, Heathen, Vans, Ideal, Slap Ramps, OG Distribution, and everyone else involved in making the first Black Mass happen - where will the chaotic roadshow pop up next...? Eyes peeled...