By Avinash Mittur
June 27th 2013, The Whisky A Go Go, West Hollywood CA: Local thrash shows just seem to have no luck wherever I go, huh? On this Thursday night at the Whisky A Go Go, forty-odd people ended up seeing four very talented acts for the low price of around $12. Having the opportunity of seeing Bonded by Blood play a headline show was an intriguing one; the band has suffered a depressing amount of lineup changes, and has been forced to play shows with only one guitarist on board. The resulting sets have felt like the band was at half power. Hatchet is a far safer proposition- I’ve seen them own the stage again and again back home in the Bay Area, and their new album Dawn of the End is a blistering slab of modern thrash. With that in mind, a venture to the Whisky was in order and I hoped to have my faith in Bonded By Blood restored, and my faith in Hatchet affirmed.
The first band I caught was Slain Vitals. The band played a mostly mid-tempo style of death metal that was rather reminiscent of Obituary, but with plenty of E-chugs lifted from thrash. Daniel Lebert’s authoritative vocals were easily the best feature of the band- when the guys busted out a rather sloppy cover of ‘Refuse/Resist’, Lebert gave an utterly perfect impersonation of Max Cavalera that made my jaw drop. However, the band was otherwise actually pretty decent, and it was nice to see a death metal band not obsessed with blast beats and speed, instead letting their riffs breathe and drive forward a bit.
The last of the locals was Ophiuchus. You know a band is cool when the worst thing about them is their name. And God, what an awful name for such a kick-ass band. The set was full of spunk and confidence from these dudes- “Mad” Mike Licea and Jake Isaacson were a formidable guitar team, with Isaacson evoking the screeching whammy screams of Kerry King very well during his solos and the two offering brutal and tight riffing. Licea’s rough yelps stood in stark contrast to drummer Jimmy Bones’ occasional death growls, but it reminded me of a thrashier version of the dual-vocalist style of Carcass, Exhumed and Impaled. It’s a neat, yet somewhat unique feature for a thrash band to have on display. As for the music, the relentless thrash brought to mind both Slayer and early Kreator in its primal aggression and made for a perfect primer for the music to come. Now if only they’d change their damn name to something easier to pronounce.
Coming all the way from Santa Rosa, Hatchet played a solid, though problematic set. Having seen the band quite a few times over the years, I already know what to expect from these guys live. When luck is in their favor, a Hatchet set is nothing less than white hot, tightly performed, neck breaking thrash. For a few songs, that was what the Whisky got to hear. The opening salvo of ’After the Dark’ and ‘Silenced by Death’ saw Hatchet in absolutely top form. Their recent touring activities have made them a far more confident and mobile band live- bassist Travis Russey and guitarist Clark Webb especially attacked the stage with a fierceness and determination that I never saw from them back home. Webb was unfortunately the victim of a rather large amp malfunction, and his guitar would drift in and out of the mix as the rest of the set went on. This was capped off by the guy making a mad dash backstage in the middle of the set to replace his amp head. It didn’t help that his and Russey’s backing vocals were basically inaudible, which completely stunted the choruses of ‘Fall from Grace’ and ‘Vanishing Point’. Hatchet gave the sharpest performance I’ve seen from them yet, but I can also say I’ve seen superior sets from these guys before. The pounding onslaught of ‘Sinister Thoughts’ alone was proof of what Hatchet are capable of live- for both the band and the crowd’s sake, I hope that’s what everyone came out of the show remembering.
Set List:
1. After the Dark
2. Silenced by Death
3. Fall from Grace
4. Sinister Thoughts
5. Dawn of the End
6. Vanishing Point
Last up was Bonded By Blood, playing a rare headlining show to what may as well be their hometown crowd. It’s hard to believe but these guys are finally a few albums into their career, and are now armed with more than a solid catalog of great songs. To the delight of everyone in attendance, the band acknowledged that fact with a lengthy and prolific set. The show went through their career in chronological order, starting off with the Exodus-inspired early material from Feed the Beast through the dizzying sucker punch of The Aftermath. It was actually kind of shocking how much more mature and heavier the newer songs were in comparison to the old stuff. In what was another surprise, the band was joined by guitarist Mauricio Rivera. For the last two years Bonded by Blood has suffered from a lack of a second guitarist, but for about half of this set the band finally had the beefy and full sound they desperately needed live.
It’s a shame that Rivera didn’t stick around for every song, for the band was on fire during every minute that they were a two-guitar entity. Singer and frontman Mauro Gonzales was a hyperactive screwball as always, and his voice and energy simply never wavered. Bassist Jessie Sanchez was also an unexpectedly powerful and charismatic presence onstage, headbanging like his life depended on it and refusing to stand still. He and guitarist Juan Juarez even got to show off a cool harmonized solo during ‘Shepherds of Rot’. This was a strong set from a band that hasn’t been at full strength in far too long, and a true display of their growth and evolution as a thrash act. When a band shuffles members as often as these guys, it can be easy to forget that they have not just a few cool songs, but three very killer albums’ worth of material.
Set List:
1. Civil Servant
2. Mind Pollution
3. Another Disease
4. Tormenting Voices
5. 600 A.B. (After the Bomb)
6. Prison Planet
7. Sector 87
8. Blood-Spilled Offerings
9. Shepherds of Rot
10.The Aftermath
11.Repulsive
12.Crawling in the Shadows
13.Show No Fear
14.Restless Minds
Overall, this show was easily a fun night out. A few very solid bands for a cheap ticket made for a guaranteed good time on this Thursday night. More importantly, this show made me remember the power that Bonded by Blood are capable of unleashing live. As for Hatchet, they’ve had and will have better shows, but that didn’t stop this set from being a reliably decent one. Getting to find out about a pair of cool local acts was a pretty great bonus too (a genuine rarity at this venue!). An entertaining and enjoyable weeknight out by any standard.