Photo Gallery: Metal Assault Matinee Vol. 2 @ Silverlake Lounge

Photos by Matt Nielson

August 12th 2017, Silverlake Lounge, Los Angeles CA: Volume 2 of our Metal Assault Matinee series of events at the Silverlake Lounge took place yesterday, a show we were extremely excited about, ever since the lineup was set in stone. Four excellent bands rocked the stage and blew us away. The show began with two fantastic stoner rock power trios, Brilliant Machine (Ventura) and Disastroid (San Francisco), then things changed completely with the mega-theatrical and hypnotizing act of Orange County extreme metal outfit Morbid Eclipse, and the evening came to a close with LA’s finest metal band, Void Vator. Thanks to everyone who came out in support, as we’re absolutely sure you did not regret doing so. Relive the event or get a visual taste of what you missed out on if you weren’t there, through our man Matt Nielson’s images here, and mark your calendars for the next Metal Assault Matinee at Silverlake Lounge, Saturday September 23rd! Continue reading “Photo Gallery: Metal Assault Matinee Vol. 2 @ Silverlake Lounge”

Seizures and Chaos: Dead Cross plays First Show with Mike Patton fronted lineup

By Andrew Bansal
(photos by Matt Nielson)

August 10th 2017, The Observatory Orange County, Santa Ana CA: Dead Cross, the Los Angeles-based hardcore punk/heavy metal group, started out in 2015 as a four-piece featuring Dave Lombardo on drums, two members of The Locust i.e. Justin Pearson on bass and Gabe Serbian on vocals, along with Michael Crain from Retox on guitar. The band booked their debut shows in 2015 even before they had any material ready, but were able to put together a short set of original songs for a run of Southern California shows in club venues such as The Roxy, Slidebar and Glass House. But in 2016, Mike Patton replaced Gabe Serbian as the vocalist while the rest of the lineup remained the same, the band signed to Patton’s label Ipecac, and was given a whole new lease of life. Dead Cross released their crushing self-titled debut LP on August 4th, and embarked on a North American headline tour, starting off with their debut show in this incarnation at The Observatory in Santa Ana last Thursday August 10th. Continue reading “Seizures and Chaos: Dead Cross plays First Show with Mike Patton fronted lineup”

Hot, Hard & Heavy: Warped Tour 2017 Turns It Up to 11

By Andrew Bansal
(photos by Matt Nielson)

August 6th 2017, Fairplex, Pomona CA: When the lineup for the 23rd annual Warped Tour was announced earlier this year, it caught many by surprise, those of the hard rock and heavy metal ilk in particular. That’s right, the largest and longest-running touring music festival in North America decided to go heavier than usual for its 2017 lineup, featuring several bands that would easily fit on a metal festival. So, for the first time in 6 years, we ventured out to the Pomona Fairplex to attend the final show of this year’s 7-week, 41-date Warped Tour. Continue reading “Hot, Hard & Heavy: Warped Tour 2017 Turns It Up to 11”

Stunning and Spectacular: Gojira Headlines House Of Blues Anaheim

By Andrew Bansal
(photos by Samuel Ware)

August 5th 2017, House Of Blues, Anaheim CA: Amidst playing a few stadium shows in North America as an opening act to Metallica, French extreme metal stalwarts Gojira are also currently out here doing a handful of headline dates of their own, with support acts Pallbearer and Oni. Gojira is a band that’s been in existence since 1996, perhaps a lot longer than many of their newer fans realize. But in the last 5 years this band has enjoyed a rapid rise in popularity, not because of a dramatic sellout move, but simply owing to two brilliant albums, ‘L’Enfant Sauvage’ (2012) and ‘Magma’ (2016). Gojira’s relationship with North America goes back at least 11 years when they first started touring here regularly, and for new fans as well as people who had seen them through the years, last Saturday’s concert at the House Of Blues Anaheim was a stunning embodiment of the dizzy heights Gojira have climbed to as a live band. Continue reading “Stunning and Spectacular: Gojira Headlines House Of Blues Anaheim”

Angels Of Death: Slayer, Lamb Of God & Behemoth play Sold-Out Show at The Forum

By Lisa Burke
(Photos by Brad Worsham)

August 5th 2017, The Forum, Los Angeles CA: As a part of all praise and popularity stemmed from creatively bold risk taking in music, there is also the notion that it comes with a heavy price due to its naysayers. Is it worth the price? Absolutely, because it means that pure hearted passionate metalheads can have their cake and eat it too, which includes witnessing live performances by such controversial bands such as Slayer, Lamb Of God and Behemoth. On Saturday August 5th, I was able to do just that at the great indoor arena stage that is the Forum. Unlike most arena stages, the Forum does not really have bad seats as it is not too big or steep, although the floor is always prime picking. With such a compatible line up of three great heavy metal bands who enjoy singing about Satan, there was not really a dull moment to be had. Continue reading “Angels Of Death: Slayer, Lamb Of God & Behemoth play Sold-Out Show at The Forum”

Extreme Meltdown: Summer Slaughter heats up Knoxville, Tennessee

By Rosie Walker
(photos by Brian Wyner)

August 2nd 2017, The International, Knoxville TN: Resting in the rickety warehouse district of Knoxville, Tennessee, is the town’s principal venue for heavy metal. The International hosts every genre, but says it can really cater to the extreme. Last Wednesday proved that to be true. That worn-down part of town was buzzing with the excitement as hundreds of young, punk kids gathered to enjoy Summer Slaughter. Starting out in the US ten years ago, Summer Slaughter is a tour that caters primarily to very heavy metal bands. Taking a month or two, a handful of acts from around the world come together and make for the most extreme tour of the year. Continue reading “Extreme Meltdown: Summer Slaughter heats up Knoxville, Tennessee”