15. Monolord + Beastmaker + Sweat Lodge + Ironaut @ Viper Room (West Hollywood) 08/09: On a warm summer night, the Viper Room was swept by an avalanche of riffs, led by Swedish trio Monolord and assisted ably by tour mates Beastmaker and Sweat Lodge as well as local openers Ironaut. The four bands converted this tiny stage into an altar of riff worship and attendees basked in the captivating sounds emanating from it. While Monolord were all about unrelenting heaviness, Beastmaker induldged in Sabbath-esque horror doom, Sweat Lodge brought the classic hard rock flavor with their jams, and Ironaut threw in the sludge. Even though stoner doom has undoubtedly had a resurgence in recent years and enjoyed big success in 2016, this tour went somewhat under the radar, but those that attended it know it was one of the finest this genre offered this year.
14. Intronaut + Scale The Summit + North @ The Roxy (West Hollywood) 03/15: Los Angeles prog luminaries Intronaut outdid all of their own past efforts yet again as they began their 2016 North American headline tour with a mind-blowing performance to reconquer the Roxy stage. Playing their latest album ‘The Direction Of Last Things’ and more, Intronaut put forth a flawless, relentless exhibition of music that is complex and catchy in equal measure, and showed why they’re one of the greatest bands this city will ever produce. With a support cast that featured Houston, Texas instrumental prog quartet Scale The Summit and Tucson, Arizona doom newcomers North, Intronaut treated their fans to a show that delivered the goods from start to finish.
13. Nik Turner’s Hawkwind + Hedersleben @ Complex (Glendale) 11/27: Space rock pioneer Nik Turner brought his version of Hawkwind to Glendale this year with backing band/support act Hedersleben, who played a fantastic set of their own and remained on stage to do full justice to the instrumentation and backing vocal delivery on the Hawkwind tunes Turner chose to perform. 76 years old and still rocking as hard as ever, Nik Turner cast quite the spell on a mesmerized audience at Complex, with a smoothly flowing set of songs, and powerful transitions between hypnotic spoken-word segments and fast-paced tunes that rendered many in the crowd absolutely delirious. Space rock has evolved and morphed into several forms of heavy rock and metal over the past five decades, but one of the genre’s originators is still clearly not only relevant but is orchestrating undeniably amazing performances such as this one.
12. Fu Manchu + Venomous Maximus @ The Viper Room (West Hollywood) 08/13: For any heavy music lover, a calendar year would be incomplete without attending at least one Fu Manchu gig, because the California stoner rock group always puts on one of the best shows in a manner so distinctly effortless, simple and barebones, it separates them from the rest and etches them in a part of the brain that never forgets the band. Fu Manchu brought out the classics at the Viper Room, but also played the slowest, heaviest possible cover of Foghat’s ‘Slow Ride’ one could ever imagine, in the process also promoting their latest single which presents a studio recording of the same. Houston, Texas group Venomous Maximus were the ideal opening act, and with their dynamic, high-energy, set, vindicated attendees’ choice to invest in this show just as much as the headliner did.
11. Napalm Death + The Black Dahlia Murder + Misery Index + Abnormality @ The Regent (Los Angeles) 11/04: Coming together to form the most devastating touring package of the year, grindcore veterans Napalm Death and technical/melodic death metal group The Black Dahlia Murder co-headlined the ‘Abysmal Predator’ tour along with Misery Index and Abnormality as support acts, and all four bands played great sets in front of a packed house at the Regent in downtown Los Angeles. Variety from one band to the next is utmost crucial in a show of this genre, and this lineup excelled in this aspect, giving the attendees four varied interpretations of extreme music. The Regent did its bit by removing the barricade, crowd-surfing and stage-diving was at its maximum, the bands welcomed it, and the atmosphere inside the building was electrifying. A quintessentially intense metal outing for all involved, and without doubt one of the best 2016 had to offer.
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