Slough Feg Raises Hell In Oakland

By Avinash Mittur

July 5th 2013, Eli’s Mile High Club, Oakland CA: “True metal” is a somewhat vague phrase, so I’ll let Urban Dictionary define it: “True metal- Metal that stays true to the original tenets of the genre. Metal that is about integrity and not getting your music video on MTV or Fuse. Metal that is about staying true to yourself and not following whatever is popular at the moment. Metal that is about the music and not the money. Metal that the makers have put effort and time into, not little effort righteous preaching and teen angst. Metal that you mosh to, not fight invisible ninjas to. Metal that stands the test of time because true metal will never die.” By this definition, Eli’s Mile High Club in Oakland was host to a night of the truest of heavy metal music. San Francisco’s Slough Feg and Midnight Chaser joined forces with Portland, OR’s Spellcaster for a couple hours of heavy metal music in the old school tradition. No growls, no blast beats, and perhaps most importantly, no invisible ninjas.

This was perhaps the most laidback show I’ve attended in a while; $5 at the door was all one needed for this evening of music and the opportunity to knock back beers with a few friendly musicians and long-haired local lifers. Sure enough, some of the friendliest of those locals were the first to take the stage. Midnight Chaser was on hand to kick off the classic metal festivities, and they did so in fine fashion. I had been given a great first impression of these guys just a couple of weeks ago at Thee Parkside in San Francisco, but this time may have been even better. Unlike the last go-around, vocalist Josh Rodstein was front and center in the mix alongside guitarist Zack Ohren. Ohren’s red-hot solos were much easier to hear this time around as well, and both he and his partner Steve Lauck were extremely easy to pick out. Moving ‘Lions Choice’ to the end of the set was a brilliant move on the band’s part- this song along with their take on Savage’s ‘Cry Wolf’ are bound to become Chaser classics if they aren’t already. The main riff driving ‘Lions Choice’ gave a high-energy finish to the set, and Ohren and Lauck’s trade-off solo was simply sublime. Their impromptu reading of ‘Down for Whatever’ was also a fun addition, with the band in bright and cheery spirits despite the rather small attendance. Another stellar set from a band primed to carry on San Francisco’s true metal legacy.

Midnight Chaser Set List:
1. Swords for Hire
2. Juicer
3. White Denim
4. Too Wild to Tame
5. Cry Wolf (Savage cover)
6. Rollin’
7. Down for Whatever
8. Mother Mary (UFO cover)
9. Lions Choice

Before this show I had heard nothing but great things about this next act from out of town, Spellcaster. Rave reports from attendees of their shows and friends who have shared the stage with them have been the norm, and I’m happy to offer you all a similar debriefing of this band’s set. Elements of thrash, power metal and NWOBHM made their way into Spellcaster’s sound but none dominated completely. The guitar team of Cory Boyd and Bryce Vanhoosen was not only a treat for the ears (Vanhoosen’s soloing was particularly quick), but their mirror reflection stage presence made for a cool visual as well (one was a righty, the other a southpaw). The two worked the stage with a surprising level of confidence and swagger despite their young age, and the nonstop motion between them and bassist Gabe Franco was quite simply pretty badass. Vocalist Tyler Loney was not to be outdone, keeping his leg planted on a monitor and always going for eye contact when he could. His soaring vocals immediately impressed, though one can tell that he’s still growing accustomed to singing the older material. A couple of tunes from Spellcaster’s debut, Under the Spell, snuck their way into the set but the show was mostly full of fresh material that Loney shined on. The breakneck ‘Voyage’ was a highlight when it came to the new stuff while ‘Locked On’ was sure to have pleased longtime Spellcaster followers.

Spellcaster Set List:
1. Silent Storms
2. Nite of the Hell Beast
3. Eyes of Black
4. Bound
5. Locked On
6. Voyage
7. The Crystal Calls

Earlier I mentioned San Francisco’s legacy of quality old school heavy metal. In the mid-90’s, there was but one band flying the flag for that style of music. That band was Slough Feg, and on this night they effectively reasserted their sovereignty over Bay Area traditional heavy metal. The band began with their longtime classic ‘High Season II’ as the opener, but soon enough they offered Eli’s a taste of their upcoming album, Digital Resistance, with a new song, ‘Magic Hooligan’. Frontman Mike Scalzi was in vintage form, making the tiny stage his playground and domain. Scalzi is easily one of the most compelling entertainers in this business- no one else can bring an epic track like ‘Ape Uprising’ to a halt just to spend a full five minutes telling a story only for it to end with an awful pun (“I left my harp in San Francisco!”), and still hold our attention with ease. The break was brought to an end with the truly mighty force of ‘Death Machine’. The jackhammer bridge during this track should send any metalhead into a frenzy; bassist Adrian Maestas was more than happy to back up that notion with plenty of side-to-side headbanging that would make Tipton and Downing proud.

Scalzi and Angelo Tringali’s fantastic lead harmonies took the reigns during ‘Lycanthropic Fantasies’, but Scalzi soon channeled his dramatic side with a rare reading of ‘Baltech’s Lament’. Tringali, Maestas and drummer Harry Cantwell once again took a backseat for Scalzi’s storytelling but the band went into full steam for the epic ‘Final Gambit’, the roaring climax from Feg’s masterwork, Traveller. As is traditional with the live version of this song, the band performed Judas Priest’s legendary interpretation of ‘Diamonds and Rust’, with some new improvised lyrics from Scalzi. After a solid hour onstage, Feg finished the show off with another new track, ‘Laser Enforcer’. Cantwell was given the opportunity to debut some new disco beats for the band, but it was the bridge of the track that really impressed. Scalzi and Tringali’s futuristic riffing combined with Cantwell’s tribal pounding made for a future Feg classic in the making.

Slough Feg Set List:
1. High Season II
2. Magic Hooligan
3. The 95 Thesis
4. Eumaeus the Swineherd
5. Ape Uprising
6. Death Machine
7. Lycanthropic Fantasies
8. Baltech’s Lament
9. The Final Gambit/Diamonds and Rust (Judas Priest cover)
10. Hiberno-Latin Invasion
11. Laser Enforcer

Sure, with a catalog as vast and consistently awesome as Slough Feg’s it would be easy to complain about anything less than a marathon set. This simply wasn’t the setting for that kind of show though, when was the last time you heard about a two hour set in a dive bar after all? No, this was the kind of show where minutes after seeing the headliner’s singer shred his throat, he could drop by with a pair of beers and a generous smile. $5 was what it cost to get in the door- funny enough, $5 was what Feg got to put in their pockets when the night was over. Scalzi’s reaction- a goofy smirk and a wisecrack (“Gotta pay the bills, right?!”). Yeah, that’s pretty “true metal” if you ask me, with or without the awesome guitar solos.

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