By Christian Redelsperger
April 17th 2014, The Terrace, Pasadena CA: For many metalheads, the question of “Where the hell is Bonded By Blood?” has come up more than once. The band played a free show last August for the Century Media Showcase and seemed to fall off the radar shortly after. Fortunately for fans, the band returned this week for a headlining show to warm up for their month-long European tour with the legendary thrashers in Hirax.
Lethal Dossage was the second act of the night since traffic barred me from catching the first band, Mutants of War. The three-piece boasted a fierce guitar player and a dynamic bassist/singer. And though there were major issues with Lethal’s drumming, the band played a decent set.
Set List:
01. Biostrike
02. Sadistic Intrusion
03. Infernal Powers
04. Hadephobia
05. Corruptor
06. Victim of Death
Madrost played next as direct support for Bonded. Frontman Tanner Poppitt kicked off the set with a whirlwind of headbanging and riffing while only a handful of people in the crowd seemed to be reciprocating the energy he gave. Guitarist Alejandro Pelaez and bass player Richard Orellana matched Tanner’s aggression and made the performance cohesive as a whole. Drummer Cesar Escobar was on-point with every blast beat and fill which beefed up the old songs and fit the new ones. Tanner howled, growled, sang, and shredded, but for some reason the crowd of so-called metalheads barely moved. The song choices were fierce and the band’s charisma was through the roof, but it was pretty disappointing to see a sub-culture that prides itself on wild behavior and undying dedication not even move behind the second row. Fortunately this didn’t get the band’s spirits down as they played with as much aggression and enthusiasm as they did when they started. Great job, boys.
Visit Madrost on the web:
facebook.com/Madrost
Set List:
01. Aggressive Nihilism
02. Operation: Xenomorphic Protocol
03. Depravity
04. Drawn and Quartered
05. Desecrator
06. Universal Energy
07. Zombie Grinder
Although the sets were behind schedule, it was finally time for Bonded By Blood to take the stage. Opening with the blistering “Sheperds of Rot,” the band performed with a vigor and speed unlike anything they’ve had before. Maybe their absence from playing shows for a few months caused so much chemistry, but Mauro’s vocals were fuller than ever, Jessie’s stage presence was vibrant, and of course Juan and Carlos seemed to make no mistakes. Guitar tech Mauricio filled in for the songs on the first two albums and everyone made excellent work with the small stage they were given. A couple of pits (finally) broke out but were swiftly ended due to the venue’s bizarre “no moshing” rule. Anyone that’s seen Bonded knows it’s impossible to watch the band without moshing, so every couple of songs a pit was resurrected for a good chunk of time before being guillotined by the venue. Regardless, the crowd was as active as ever, and the band didn’t fail to put on a stellar performance, with a killer setlist and encore. The vibe was comfortable and asshole-free, and despite the weird (and enforced) anti-mosh regime, the show was a fitting way to send off the mighty Bonded By Blood to Europe; well done.
Set List:
01. Sheperds of Rot
02. Psychotic Pulse (1st performance in 5 years)
03. Civil Servant
04. Prison Planet
05. Repulsive
06. Among the Vultures
07. Mind Pollution
08. Crawling in the Shadows
09. I Can’t Hear You
10. Restless Mind
11. Left Behind
12. The Aftermath
13. Critical Mass (Encore/Nuclear Assault Cover)
Visit Bonded By Blood on the web:
facebook.com/OfficialBondedByBlood
twitter.com/BondedByBloodLA