By Andrew Bansal
The year of 2014 is drawing to its close, and considering the fact that the bulk of Metal Assault’s content this year has come through gig reviews, the year-end recap would be rather incomplete without a selection of the best shows. All said and done, I managed to attend 298 shows in 2014, and here are my picks for the best 20 out of that lot. For those interested, the fully detailed reviews of each show is linked to its title.
#20. Intronaut @ The Roxy, West Hollywood CA, 12/18: Los Angeles experimental/progressive metal group Intronaut celebrated ten years of widespread success and recognition through an anniversary tour culminating with a special hometown gig at the Roxy in West Hollywood. Performing tunes from every release, Intronaut pulled out all stops in delivering their most comprehensive and career-spanning show till date, complete with additional instrumentation such as the second drum kit and tabla. Original guitarist Leon Del Muerte performed two of the older tunes with them, and Justin Chancellor of Tool also came up for the final tune of the set. An unforgettable performance that did the Los Angeles heavy music community proud.
#19. Pelican / Tombs / Mustard Gas & Roses @ El Rey Theater, Los Angeles CA, 06/13: Chicago-based instrumental rock quartet Pelican mesmerized a packed house at the El Rey Theatre, presenting a combination of darker, heavier new material and psychedelic older tunes and along with an array of visuals projected in the backdrop, giving the audience an audio-visual experience to savor for a long time. To add further to the quality of the event, Brooklyn NY progressive extreme metal band Tombs’ set was worth its weight in gold, and local opening act Mustard Gas And Roses were worthwhile appetizers as well. But more than anything, Pelican’s performance showcased the true power of instrumental rock and the intricate intelligence of the group’s songwriting abilities as it was heavy and mellow in equal measure.
#18. Russian Circles / Helms Alee / KEN Mode @ El Rey Theater, Los Angeles CA, 03/10: Three months prior to their fellow Chicago instrumental rockers in Pelican headlining the very same venue, Russian Circles performed at the El Rey. Opening act KEN Mode started off the show all guns blazing with unabated energy and intensity, while Helms Alee chilled out the vibe with some righteous desert rock jams. Then came Russian Circles, who went on to put forth arguably the most hallucinogenic live performance of the year with a brilliant display of top-notch musicianship that had the audience floored mentally and otherwise. To hold a crowd in Los Angeles of all places completely captive is no mean feat, and Russian Circles achieved it quite effortlessly.
#17. Night Demon w/ Lloyd Grant @ Five Star Bar, Los Angeles CA, 08/04: Ventura CA traditional metal trio Night Demon played a downtown Los Angeles headline gig towards the end of their short summer run. Even though the band’s LA fans were excited for this gig which did not charge a cover at the door, little did anyone know what they were in store for. For the encore, original Metallica guitarist Lloyd Grant stepped up on stage and jammed with Night Demon on ‘Hit The Lights’ and ‘Seek And Destroy’, bringing the house down and giving this predominantly young audience a brief taste of what it would have felt like to attend an early 80s Metallica club gig. Old-school metalheads couldn’t have imagined a better way to spend a Monday evening in Los Angeles. An incredibly intimate and memorable event for all involved.
#16. Nik Turner’s Hawkwind / Witch Mountain @ The Viper Room, West Hollywood CA, 08/27: English space rock veteran Nik Turner toured the States with his own version of Hawkwind this year, with heavy focus on the classic ‘Space Ritual’ album along with an assortment of other material, and with him he brought Witch Mountain as support. His backing band Hedersleben was the opening act and began proceedings for the evening on an interesting note. Featuring the efforts of departing vocalist Uta Plotkin for one last time in Los Angeles, Witch Mountain took this fortunate audience through an emotional, spell-binding journey of doom worship, and to take the evening to its crescendo, out came Nik Turner’s band with a show-and-a-half of old-school psychedelia. A truly mind-bending experience.
#15. Goblin / Pinkish Black @ Fonda Theater, Hollywood CA, 05/03: Italian instrumental cinematic progressive rock maestros Goblin descended upon the States for a headline tour which included a gig at the Fonda Theater in the heart of Hollywood. They presented their classic soundtrack/cinematic score work with visuals in the backdrop, as well as the purely prog rock selections with no visuals, and gave the audience the best of both worlds. Steve Moore of Pittsburgh space rock band Zombi joined them as guest on the second keyboard and added further to the sonic richness of the set. Texas experimental did well in the support role too. Goblin were pioneers in bringing progressive rock music into cinematic scores, and proved it beyond doubt through this gig.
#14. Municipal Waste / The Shrine @ The Echoplex, Los Angeles CA, 07/25: Richmond, Virginia crossover thrash giants Municipal Waste didn’t do much this year in terms of live performance, but they still left their mark with a one-off headline show at the Echoplex in Los Angeles with Venice skate-n-roll sensation The Shrine as support act. This Pabst Blue Ribbon/DoLA event was free of cost to those who RSVP’d and entered on a first-come-first-serve basis. As a result, the atmosphere inside the venue was off the chains, easily the craziest this place has seen for a 21-plus show. The Shrine were at the peak of their powers, pulling quite a few of their own fans to the gig and satiating them with a rock ‘n roll onslaught, while Municipal Waste ripped the stage a new one with their signature blend of beer-fueled party thrash. One of the most fun gigs the year of 2014 bore witness to, without doubt.
#13. Earth / King Dude @ Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Hollywood CA, 09/11: Seattle drone doom veterans Earth have been going from strength to strength in the 25 years of their existence, and show no signs of stopping. Their 2014 release ‘Primitive And Deadly’ garnered the unanimous approval of their fans, and based on its strength they did a headline tour with folk rock group King Dude as support act. Playing in a very unique setting at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, the two bands combined to put on an incredible show, King Dude warming up the crowd with their folk-driven tunes, and Earth utilizing the power and life of every single note they played to its maximum. One of the finest shows of the year by the masters of minimalism.
#12. Devin Townsend / Animals As Leaders / Monuments @ The Mayan, Los Angeles CA, 12/16: As part of the ‘Abstract Reality’ tour, Canadian multi-instrumentalist genius Devin Townsend played at the Mayan in Los Angeles with co-headliners Animals As Leaders and openers Monuments. For fans of his, shows such as this are nothing less than worship, but the most unique aspect of Devin Townsend as a live performer is his ability to blow the minds of even those people who might not necessarily like his music, and very, very few musicians can truly boast of this quality. Along with Devin Townsend’s usually mind-boggling array of tunes, visuals, expressions, jokes and monologues, instrumental progressive trio Animals As Leaders put on their best ever LA show, and Monuments were a more-than-decent opening act. A tremendously enjoyable show for one and all.
#11. Opeth / In Flames / Red Fang @ The Palladium, Hollywood CA, 12/09: After an underwhelming show at the Roxy in 2013, Swedish progressive metal giants Opeth redeemed themselves emphatically with a performance and song selection that was a far better representation of their creative repertoire. Opeth’s music resonated around the Palladium in all its glory and swept everything in its path. Fellow Swedish band In Flames were worthy co-headliners and Portland, Oregon stoner metal quartet Red Fang were extremely solid as openers. A show completely worth the paying audience’s money and time from start to finish.
#10. Dream Theater @ The Orpheum, Los Angeles CA, 04/19: There’s a plethora of bands currently pursuing the progressive rock/metal style. Nearly all of these bands come to Los Angeles and play their respective shows, impressing crowds with their musicianship, but then Dream Theater comes back around and one realizes what the pinnacle of progressive music really is. Visiting the grand, ancient Orpheum in downtown LA on their ‘evening with’ tour, Dream Theater brought with them a show of epic proportions and those in attendance truly considered themselves fortunate to witness the individual and collective wizardry of each of their five esteemed members. Regardless of what critics and haters might keep saying, Dream Theater will always hold the crown as kings of prog. By far the finest prog show of 2014.
#9. Death Angel / Orchid @ The Whisky-A-Go-Go, West Hollywood CA, 12/26: Following a successful support tour with Children Of Bodom in the States, longstanding San Francisco thrashers Death Angel saved their best for the very end of 2014 and gave their Los Angeles fans the thrash show they’d been waiting for all year, with support from fellow Bay Area metal group Orchid. Playing their very first Christmas show, Death Angel presented their latest album ‘The Dream Calls For Blood’ in its entirety plus staples and rarities from the rest of their catalog, brought on ex-Megadeth guitarist Chris Broderick as guest musician for one song, and even pulled Beatles and Elvis covers out of the hat. Death Angel never disappoint as a live band and only seem to get better with every new album cycle. The most righteous thrash show of 2014, and fans can prepare for an even stronger one from them next year.
#8. Skeletonwitch / Ghoul / Black Anvil / Doesn’t Matter @ The Roxy, West Hollywood CA, 09/23: Athens, Ohio blackened thrash stalwarts Skeletonwitch gave Los Angeles a bangover and then some with a massive 21-song headline set and were ably assisted by crossover thrash marauders Ghoul, New York black metal warriors Black Anvil and local hardcore punk group Doesn’t Matter. When they stepped on the Roxy stage, Skeletonwitch were ready for the kill and delivered each of the 21 songs with cutthroat precision in a matter only they can. Only a set as long as this could ever do justice to the quality of the band’s decade-long career, and it certainly did so at this show as it was, in every aspect, Skeletonwitch at its finest.
#7. Amon Amarth / Enslaved / Skeletonwitch @ The Wiltern, Los Angeles CA, 02/15: When it comes to Swedish melodic death metal mainstays Amon Amarth, there is no such thing as a bad live performance, but just when one thinks they’ve already reached their peak as a live band, they go on to raise the bar every time they come through town. Bringing their giant viking ship with them exclusively for the Los Angeles show at a sold-out Wiltern Theatre, Amon Amarth put forth a thrilling display. Enslaved weren’t far behind with their brand of articulate progressive black metal, and Skeletonwitch got the heads banging right from the outset. Undeniably one of the most enjoyable shows of the year.
#6. Down / Orange Goblin / B’last / King Parrot @ The Wiltern, Los Angeles CA, 12/06: The ‘Punk Rock But Kinda Not’ tour delivered exactly what it promised, with the stoner metal onslaught of Down and Orange Goblin and the punk of B’last and King Parrot. A packed Wiltern in downtown Los Angeles witnessed an extremely powerful performance from the Down boys led greatly by Phil Anselmo, and each of the support bands brought positive things to the table as well, King Parrot in particular blowing first-timers away with an insane set. To think that Down sounded better in 2014 than they did in 2009 is every bit as amazing as it is true, and with an absolutely amazing support package, they gave us one of the best shows of the year.
#5. Carcass / The Black Dahlia Murder / Gorguts / Noisem @ The Observatory, Santa Ana CA, 03/25: British extreme metal legends ruled the metal world with their comeback album ‘Surgical Steel’ in 2013, and followed it up with a stellar year of live shows in 2014, including the Decibel tour in the States with The Black Dahlia Murder, Gorguts and Noisem. Carcass absolutely destroyed a sold-out Observatory in Orange County with a performance that turned back the clock several years in terms of its sheer power and impact, and the reaction it garnered from the audience. Jeff Walker and longtime cohort Bill Steer are as good as they’ve ever been, and with two great younger band mates, are reigning the world of extreme metal all over again.
#4. Iced Earth / Sabaton / ReVamp @ House Of Blues Sunset Strip, West Hollywood CA, 05/02: Rejuvenated by the talent and enthusiasm of their newest singer Stu Block, longtime American heavy metal flag-bearers Iced Earth are well and truly back at their peak, delivering live shows as solid as anyone in the genre. They did exactly that at the House Of Blues Sunset Strip this year, assisted by brilliant performances from support acts Sabaton and ReVamp. Iced Earth have unearthed a gem in Stu Block, and he proved so by putting forth one of the most impressive performances by a heavy metal singer seen in a long, long time.
#3. Alice Cooper @ Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood CA, 07/21: Even though the headliner for this event put on an absolutely horrendous performance, support act Alice Cooper was the only saving grace for all the unfortunate souls that spent their hard-earned money to attend the show, and by virtue of a short but typically righteous set, the shock rock legend finds himself near the top of this list. Even at his age, he continues to belt out fierce vocals and enjoys the company of some excellent musicians that comprise his band who help him put on a show of timeless class. The undisputed king of cinematic rock at his best.
#2. Accept / Raven @ Saban Theatre, Beverly Hills CA, 09/12: German legends Accept visited the States for a short run of dates with British veterans Raven as support act, and took to the oddly located but lovely-looking and great-sounding Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills for an evening of pure old-school heavy metal. Sounding incredibly massive and pristine, they hit the audience hard with song after song of great material old and new, the new blending seamlessly with the old and each member at the peak of his powers, performance-wise and in terms of their overall stage persona. Along with the efforts of the ever-energetic and athletic rockers in Raven, Accept went on to treat the gathering to a feeling of true classic metal bliss.
#1. KISS / Kobra & The Lotus @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, Irvine CA, 07/05: For rock ‘n roll veterans KISS, the best way to brush aside all forms of criticism and negativity directed towards them is to step on stage and play a rock show, because as soon as they start doing that, everything else is forgotten and rock ‘n roll takes the front seat. Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer can definitely still play their instruments, lock in well with each other and seemingly have a great time doing it. KISS played in Irvine this year, and along with a sonically rich and powerful performance of the music itself, their insanely elaborate stage production delivered the knockout punch onto a grateful crowd. Co-headliners Def Leppard honestly didn’t add much to the show from my perspective, but opening act Kobra And The Lotus showed that they can hang with the big guns. Some might find it hard to fathom, but believe it or not, KISS put on the best live show in the year 2014.
