Review & photos by Andrew Bansal
May 17th 2014, Pomona CA: Scion A/V’s annual marquee event, the Scion Rock Fest, travels to a different American city every year, and three years after it was held here in 2011, it returned to grace Pomona yesterday with a stellar lineup of bands from across the country and beyond. This time, event wristbands were handed out through various record stores and outlets well in advance of the show date, which made things much smoother and easier for attendees to enter and there was no need to stand in long lines for wristband pickup. For this one day, the Fox Theater/Glass House enclosure in Pomona was converted into a metal pilgrimage, and the Los Angeles metal community was out in full force. In a mad dash from stage to stage, yours truly managed to watch and photograph each of the 26 bands in the lineup for long enough to be able to review them all and capture the action for your reading and viewing pleasure (full photo gallery is near the bottom of the page).
Igniting sparks to begin the event promptly at 3 PM on the Glass House stage were LA’s very own Nekrogoblikon, who in the past couple of years have seen a meteoric rise in their fortunes, from a pay-to-play local band to extensively touring Europe. But their performance here clearly showed that they justify their stature and are very much capable of delivering the goods, musically as well as with their dynamic stage presence, due in no small part to the appearance of Mr. ‘John Goblikon’, the band’s mascot. I’ve been missing out on chances to see them live ever since they took themselves to the next level, and this being my first time seeing them in nearly 3 years, it was evident that they’ve amped up their live musicianship several notches. The set consisted mainly of material from their latest EP ‘Power’, with a couple of tunes off of the previous album ‘Stench’. For me, this show by Nekrogoblikon makes their next LA headline show, which happens to be June 20th at the Whisky, an eagerly awaited event. All hail Nekrogoblikon.
Nekrogoblikon links:
facebook.com/Nekrogoblikon
twitter.com/Nekrogoblikon
instagram.com/NekrogoblikonOfficial
Nekrogoblikon.bandcamp.com
Set List:
01. Bears
02. Bells & Whistles
03. Nothing But Crickets
04. Prince Of The Land Of Stench
05. No One Survives
06. Powercore
Next door to the Glass House, proceedings on the Acerogami stage were started by Pittsburgh PA-based hard rock quartet Carousel making their first ever West Coast appearance. People attending this festival obviously had their eyes set on certain bands they picked out as the ones they wanted to see, but I was looking forward to Carousel as much as any other band in this lineup, simply because of the fact that they don’t get to travel to these parts. That’s the great thing about what Scion does, giving these kinds of bands the opportunity to play in the LA area. Carousel’s debut full-length album Jeweler’s Daughter was hands down one of the best albums to have come out last year, and as soon as the band opened this set with its title track, it was all systems go for the headbangers in the crowd. They went on to play a couple other tracks off of the album along with some newer compositions, and ended with a fantastic cover of AC/DC’s ‘Let There Be Rock’ which suited frontman Dave Wheeler’s voice perfectly and was given the right treatment by the band as a whole, as they played the full unabridged version of the classic. Carousel truly set the stage ablaze with their scorching traditional hard rock, and I had a feeling that by the end of this event, their performance was going to turn out to be one of the best of this entire 26-band lineup.
Carousel links:
facebook.com/pages/Carousel/220084014687656
instagram.com/CarouselPgh
Set List:
01. Jeweler’s Daughter
02. Photograph
03. * New Song *
04. On My Way
05. Blast Off
06. * New Song *
07. Light Of Day
08. Let There Be Rock (AC/DC cover)
Melvins frontman Buzz Osborne recently launched his solo acoustic act under the moniker King Buzzo, making his live debut at a Scion-sponsored show at the Satellite last February, subsequently doing other shows and is set to release the debut album “This Machine Kills Artists” on June 3rd via Ipecac. He opened the lineup on the Fox Theater stage, and for those who’d already attended the Satellite show there was nothing new to be seen or heard here. But it was a typically entertaining performance from this eccentric, wild-haired musician and he garnered a positive response not only from the Melvins fans in the crowd but from first-timers as well. He’ll be touring the US as a solo acoustic act all summer long, and is set to perform at the Echo in Los Angeles on June 11th and the Observatory in Santa Ana on June 12th.
The Melvins/King Buzzo links:
Melvins.com
facebook.com/MelvinsArmy
twitter.com/MelvinsDotCom
Upon exiting the Fox Theater, going around to the back of the venue and ascending four flights of stairs, attendees would arrive at the Sky Fox Lounge which served as the other small stage. Los Angeles-based sludge/post-hardcore outfit Black Sheep Wall were given the task to kick things off on this stage. For an opening band they got quite a long 45-minute set, and they used it to the fullest to bring forth their blend of downtempo extreme music which induced some slow head banging amongst bystanders. They set the tone rather aptly for how things would unfold on this stage during the course of the evening. Black Sheep Wall will be back in Pomona next Thursday itself, at Casa Jimenez with Shai Hulud, Bad Blood, and Colombian Necktie, and fans of hardcore/sludge in the area should consider attending the show.
Black Sheep Wall links:
facebook.com/BlackSheepWallBand
twitter.com/BlackSheepWall_
BlackSheepWall.bandcamp.com
So, after the first round at all four stages, I was back at the Glass House to catch the last 15 minutes of Denver, Colorado speed metal/crossover thrash band Speedwolf‘s set. They absolutely annihilated the crowd at last year’s Thrasho De Mayo event, but the barricaded setting here at the Glass House largely prevented them and their fans from achieving anywhere near the same levels of intensity and insanity. But during the last song, vocalist Reed Bruemmer encouraged the fans to challenge the security staff and break the rules, and sure enough, one dude made his way onto the stage, grabbed the mic from Reed, yelled a few chorus lyrics into it and dived back into the crowd. The security staff were cool about it and laughed it off, keeping the atmosphere positive and jovial as a result. Speedwolf certainly have done and will do better shows than this one, but for their die-hard fans it still seemed like a fun experience.
Speedwolf links:
facebook.com/Speedwolf303
twitter.com/Speedwolf303
Over at the Fox, Big Business served as a great follow-up to Buzzo as they raised the decibel levels tenfold and the power trio presented their brand of unabatedly loud and delightfully straightforward hard rock. They served as an excellent opener to The Sword on their last US tour and put on a great show at the House Of Blues Anaheim not so long ago. Even here, their sound was more than sufficiently massive to fill this much bigger room, but one gets a feeling that their kind of show is best suited to tiny rooms that get packed, sweaty and loud. Perhaps the Sky Lounge or the Acerogami stage would have done better justice to their style of live musicianship, but this set of theirs at the Fox was good and solid nonetheless.
Big Business links:
BigBigBusiness.com
facebook.com/BigBigBiz
twitter.com/BigBigBiz
instagram.com/BigBigBiz
San Francisco stoner rock band Pins Of Light were next to take the Acerogami stage, and they put forth a highly enjoyable show with their sweet retro jams. They opened for Weedeater at the Scion Rock Show at the Satellite earlier in the year and formed a positive impression on the audience on that occasion, and this was no different as all four members of the band were at the top of their game, moving around freely and expressing themselves fully even on this small stage. They also got to play a 45-minute set and utilized it excellently, presenting their entire range of musicianship for this appreciative audience.
Pins Of Light links:
facebook.com/pages/Pins-Of-Light/124270370694
PinsOfLightSF.bandcamp.com
Set List:
01. Western Sky
02. We Fly
03. New Sun
04. Sister
05. Empire
06. Lie Detector
07. Buried Light
08. Maybe Mill
09. 4112
Meanwhile, reunited Cleveland, Ohio hardcore veterans In Cold Blood took the Glass House stage for a high-octane set, and while it was clear that not too many in the audience were familiar with their music, they did instigate some action in the circle pits and carried forward the momentum built by Nekrogoblikon and Speedwolf so far on this stage. They bring forth a very old-school ‘metallic’ hardcore style through their music, and for fans of bands that fall in that category, In Cold Blood is a band worth seeing live.
In Cold Blood links:
VictoryRecords.com/InColdBlood
I then ran to the Fox Theater as I had planned to catch at least 30 minutes of San Francisco-based stoner doom metal band Orchid who were making a rare Los Angeles area appearance. I’ve enjoyed the studio releases they’ve put out so far and was anticipating a great show from them, but much to my disappointment, this Orchid set completely failed to impress and there was no real zing in their collective live musicianship or on-stage personality. There was a lot of hype surrounding their appearance here and many of the attendees were particularly excited for Orchid’s set, but I’m afraid to say their performance didn’t quite match up to this hype and the impact of their set, which was little to begin with, faded away much too quickly. So unfortunately, Orchid turned out to be the first major disappointment of the day.
Set List:
01. Saviours Of The Blind
02. Wizard Of War
03. Capricorn
04. Silent One
05. Eastern Woman
06. He Who Walks Alone
From the Fox I climbed up to the Sky Fox to catch Los Angeles-based stoner rock trio Moab, who instantly made a much stronger impact than Orchid did at any point during their set. They delivered the kind of heavy riffs that would be expected of them as a representative of this genre, but their set was also interspersed with slower, spacey psychedelic jams, and amidst all the chaos of running around all over the place, this segment of Moab’s set served as welcome relief to the eyes, ears and mind. They got to play a full hour, and rightly so, as their set came at exactly the right time in terms of everything else going on around them on other stages.
Moab links:
MoabBand.com
facebook.com/MoabBand
The Acerogami stage was about to get a taste of the Austin TX flavor of stoner rock, as three-piece outfit The Well delivered a righteous 45-minute set that pleased those in attendance, and was also the first band of the day to introduce the female element in the show’s lineup, through the excellent efforts of Lisa Alley on bass and vocals. They definitely presented some entertaining jams and got the crowd grooving to their psych rhythms. The size of the stage and the atmosphere in this room fit The Well perfectly and they did their reputation no harm whatsoever with this performance.
The Well links:
TheWellBand.com
facebook.com/TheWellBand
twitter.com/TheWellBand
instagram.com/TheWellBand
Also from Texas but presenting an entirely different musical style on the Glass House stage were crossover thrash quintet Power Trip. They put out a killer album called Manifest Decimation last year, and have been going extremely strong as a live act ever since. I’ve never had a chance to see them prior to this, and unlike one or two other bands that failed to meet expectations earlier in the day, Power Trip’s set came across with the exact kind of viciousness I’d expected it to, led by vocalist Riley Gale’s unabated angst and well supported by his band mates through a delivery of crushing riffs and relentlessly paced segments. During the set Gale also gave a shout-out to bands in the LA hardcore scene such as Xibalba and Nails, with whom Power Trip has performed in these parts many times. They’ll be doing more shows around the country this summer, and everyone who appreciates this style of music is encouraged to attend a Power Trip show.
Power Trip links:
facebook.com/PowerTripTX
twitter.com/PowerTripTX
Set List:
01. Drown / Manifest Decimation
02. Conditioned To Death
03. Crossbreaker
04. Heretic’s Fork
05. The Evil Beat
06. Suffer No Fool
07. Divine Apprehension
Over at the Sky Fox, Portland, Oregon’s riff worshipping quintet of Lord Dying took the stage and did what they do best, playing an hour’s worth of instantly appreciable riff-laden sludge. They’re a band that tours relentlessly but each time they come to town they put on a tremendous show, leaving a long-lasting impact on anyone and everyone in attendance, as was evident from the sizable turnout they enjoyed for this set, despite the fact that three other bands were playing nearby at the same time. They’re about to enter the studio this summer to record the follow-up to their excellent latest album ‘Summoning The Faithless, so expect more riffs and heavy goodness from Lord Dying in the near future.
Lord Dying links:
facebook.com/LordDying
twitter.com/LordDying
instagram.com/LordDying
LordDying.bandcamp.com
Set List:
01. Dreams Of Mercy
02. Wound
03. What Is Not… Is
04. Poisoned Altars
05. Offering Pain
06. Summoning The Faithless
07. In A Frightful State Of Gnawed Dismemberment
The so-called ‘main’ stage at the Fox was actually turning out to be the weakest of the four so far, but Crowbar played on it next to rectify that to some extent with an earth-shattering hour of straightforward sludge, with guitarist/vocalist Kirk Windstein, a veteran of the genre in his own right, at the helm of it all. Due to this being a one-off performance for Crowbar, not actually part of a tour or anything of that nature, they hadn’t been able to rehearse any of the brand new material off of the upcoming studio album ‘Symmetry In Black’ enough to solidify it for the live set, so we didn’t get any new songs this time but the album is certainly as strong as anything Crowbar have ever put out, and this set serves as an appetizer for a full Crowbar tour later in the year. I was able to do an interview with Kirk before this set to talk more about the new material and touring plans, and you can now read it here.
Crowbar links:
facebook.com/CrowbarMusic
twitter.com/CrowbarRules
instagram.com/CrowbarMusic
Following the great efforts of The Well on the Acerogami stage were Hot Lunch, yet another San Francisco-based band. They attracted a good crowd for their set, probably more than any of the bands on this stage had been able to so far, and played some pleasant retro-metal tunes that would go down perfectly well with those here to witness and bask in the performance. But perhaps what separated them from the other stoner/proto metal bands that played this event up till this point was their energy level. It was certainly by no means a downcast stoner set, as was almost a punk vibe to Hot Lunch’s stage presence, specially that of singer Eric Shea and drummer Rob Alper. A great set, in every sense.
Hot Lunch links:
facebook.com/HotLunchRocks
Set List:
01. Period Incorrect
02. Monks On The Moon
03. She Wants More
04. Hit The Deck
05. Revenge
06. Ripped At The Seam
07. House Of Whispers
08. Killer Smile
09. Knife Edge
10. Tragedy
11. Prevention
12. Gold Lyre
Over at the Glass House, deathgrind masters Exhumed were getting ready to cause an obliteration of typically epic proportions. People in the LA/OC area might well think Exhumed have played in these parts much too regularly in the recent past, and perhaps they’re right to think that, but upon seeing the reaction from the Glass House crowd towards this Exhumed set, there’s no doubt that the band succeeds in drawing its horde of loyal fans every time they take the stage around here, even on such a regular basis. Matt Harvey and the boys played an expectedly killer set, and I for one was disappointed at having to miss a part of it in order to cover the other bands playing at the same time. The impact level of Exhumed’s set here just went to prove that it never gets tiring to watch a good live band in action.
Exhumed links:
facebook.com/ExhumedOfficial
twitter.com/ExhumedOfficial
Set List:
01. Decrepit Crescendo
02. The Matter Of Splatter
03. Coins Upon The Eyes
04. Necrocracy
05. Limb From Limb
06. Your Funeral, My Feast
07. Distorted And Twisted To Form
08. In The Name Of Gore
09. Dysmorphic
10. All Guts, No Glory
11. Bur Burke Guitar Solo
12. As Hammer To Anvil
13. Torso
14. Sickened
15. Necromaniac
Meanwhile, that Crowbar set had certainly sparked some much-needed energy at the Fox, and the following band on this stage Red Fang only succeeded in taking it several notches higher. Whether it be the quality of new material or live performance, Red Fang is at a point in their career where they can simply do no wrong, and all of their success is well and truly deserved. With that said, such bands often get complacent and start to go through the motions after a continued period of activity, but thankfully Red Fang hasn’t fallen into that trap, not yet anyway, as they put on a fantastic performance here, focusing their 12-song set mainly on the two most recent albums ‘Whales And Leeches’ and ‘Murder The Mountains’, before ending with an older song called ‘Prehistoric Dog’. ‘Blood Like Cream’ off of Whales And Leeches, a song they recently went on the David Letterman show with, sounded as great as ever, and other tunes like ‘DOEN’, ‘Crows In Swine’, ‘No Hope’ and ‘1516’ were memorable highlights as well. Red Fang, in all honesty, are one of the finest bands going around in the world of heavy music these days, and attendees at the Scion Rock Fest should feel highly grateful for being able to enjoy this 60-minute set by them free of cost. With this performance, Red Fang set the bar really high for the handful of bands that were still to follow in this festival lineup.
Red Fang links:
RedFang.net
facebook.com/RedFangBand
twitter.com/RedFang
instagram.com/RedFangBand
Set List:
01. Malverde
02. Crows In Swine
03. Blood Like Cream
04. No Hope
05. Number Thirteen
06. 1516
07. Into The Eye
08. Wires
09. DOEN
10. Throw Up
11. Dirt Wizard
12. Prehistoric Dog
At the Sky Fox upstairs, Richmond, Virginia’s female-fronted psychedelic doom outfit Windhand were completely holding the audience captive with their ultra heavy, slow and trippy tunes. A lot of people mentioned to me during the day that they were really looking forward to Windhand’s set, some even saying they attended the event just for Windhand, and sure enough, Windhand pulled quite a large crowd for their 60-minute ritual. Vocalist Dorthia Cottrell was in her element and commanded the audience powerfully, while her band mates quietly went about fulfilling their roles to combine together for an immensely sounding performance. The esponse Windhand received from this crowd was justifiably amazing, and should lead to more frequent LA visits for the band.
Windhand links:
facebook.com/WindhandVA
instagram.com/Windhand
On the Acerogami stage, Nashville TN-based quartet All Them Witches brought forth a strong element of psychedelia, perhaps more than any band that done so far. Their singer/bassist seemed pleasantly surprised by the excellent turnout the band enjoyed during this set, and kept thanking them for sticking around. There was an unmistakably exotic, desert-like vibe to their jams which provided a slight variant from what the other bands had done earlier in the day on any of the four stages. This was another band I wish I could have stuck around to watch for longer.
All Them Witches links:
facebook.com/AllThemWitches
twitter.com/AllThemWitches
AllThemWitches.bandcamp.com
Bl’ast, another band that had been through these parts as a headline act recently, took the Glass House stage to play their brand of old-school hardcore punk through tunes off of their classic The Power Of Expression and It’s In My Blood! albums. The Clifford Dinsmore-led quartet was as solid as ever, and bassist Nick Oliveri laying down the low end with great purpose, but somehow the crowd’s response left a lot to be desired. The turnout itself wasn’t nearly as great as it should have been for a band like Bl’ast, and they’re one band that definitely suffered from two bigger/more popular bands playing on other stages at the same time. The Bl’ast show last January at the Echo was certainly a much better experience than this, both from the band and fan’s point of view, and there’s no doubt Bl’ast will get a stronger response the next time they return as a headliner.
Bl’ast links:
BlastOfficial.com
facebook.com/pages/Blast/44354206391
instagram.com/xxxxBlastxxxx
Set List:
01. Surf & Destroy
02. Ssshhh!
03. Fuckin With My Head
04. Tomorrow
05. Something Beyond
06. Break It Down
07. E.I.B.
08. It’s In My Blood
09. Nightmare
But perhaps the most intriguing set of the day came from Madison, Wisconsin’s female-fronted psychedelic doom metal quartet Jex Thoth. The amount of excitement inside the Sky Fox during this band’s set was palpable and Jex Thoth (Jessica Bowen) completely mesmerized this gathering with a truly otherworldly performance on vocals. She lived and breathed each and every note played by her band mates all the while she was up on stage, expressing it through her movements. I’d never had a chance to see this band live prior to last night, and after witnessing what I did from Jex and her band here, I’d have to admit I’ve been missing out on something incredibly amazing and they’ve instantly converted me (and every other first-timer, I bet) into fans. This Jex Thoth set was mind-bending in the real sense.
Jex Thoth links:
JexThoth.net
facebook.com/JexThoth
Set List:
01. To Bury
02. Places
03. Nothing Left
04. Divide
05. Rather North Spirit
06. Keep Your Weeds
07. Separated
08. Ehja
09. Son Of Yule
Descending down the four flights of stairs, I entered the Fox once again to catch High On Fire‘s set, which would be one of the low points of a largely entertaining day of music, and yet another weak performance on this particular stage. I first saw High On Fire open for Megadeth in 2008, then for Opeth later that same year and as headliner at the Viper Room in late 2010. In all honesty, I despised their performance on all three of those occasions, but with the vast amounts of music I’ve been exposed to since that time which has led to a natural progression and evolution in my musical tastes, I figured I might enjoy High On Fire this time, and just might perceive them differently. But alas, they failed to make any kind of impact. There’s no doubt that they have great guitar riffs, but there’s absolutely nothing else redeeming about their music and as a result, the riffs don’t serve much purpose. Matt Pike and ‘s vocal delivery is terrible and the rhythm section is spineless and toothless. As a three-piece, how a band can survive with such major shortcomings is beyond me. But may be it’s just me, because everyone I know loves and worships this band. For me this High On Fire set took the cake as the worst performance of the show.
Set List:
01. Furywhip
02. Razorhoof
03. Fertile Green
04. Madness
05. Hessian
06. Speedwolf
07. Fireface
08. Devilution
09. Zion
10. Serums
11. Rumors
12. Slave The …
13. Snakes
Finally, it was time for the headline acts on each stage to come out and do their thing. On the Acerogami stage, it was French experimental psych rock group Aqua Nebula Oscillator who definitely delivered the weirdest set of the day with their unique presentation, not only with the music itself but right down to the outfits and stage props as well. Their music is not everybody’s cup of tea but has plenty in it for connoisseurs of weird and the experimental things in music. Even for the bookers at Scion A/V, it is slightly out of left field to bring a band like Aqua Nebula Oscillator as one of their headline acts for the Scion Rock Fest, but those who chose to check this band out were appreciative of their performance, albeit perplexed at the same time.
Aqua Nebula Oscillator links:
facebook.com/AquaNebulaOscillator
twitter.com/AquaNebulaOsc
Set List:
01. Spiritus Mundi
02. St Trip
03. Turn On
04. Human Toad
05. Sitar And The Beast
06. Kill Yourself
07. Jungle Man
08. Jam sex
09. Now or Never
10. Up To The Sky
11. To Seras Roi
12. Lucifer
13. Solo
14. Ready To Fly
In complete contrast, Cleveland, Ohio blackened speed metal tyrants Midnight headlined the Glass House stage next door and put forth a typically killer performance, just as they’ve done every time they’ve played in LA. They clearly have an ever-growing cult of fans in this town, who happily basked in this 75-minute set and gave the band a tremendous response not only with the high volume of applause between songs but also via mosh pit and crowd surfing. It was quite a pity that their set was scheduled at the same time as the other headliners, because they deserved to play in front of everyone who attended this event. Nonetheless, Midnight never disappoint as a live act and they weren’t about to do so here either.
Midnight links:
facebook.com/pages/Midnight/87909491643
Up at the Sky Fox (which I reached after shooting the first three songs of Machine Head), Japanese death/doom outfit Coffins were delivering an ear-crushing onslaught of extreme music, and their participation in this event as one of the headliners should go as another feather in Scion’s cap, for treating attendees with a great band from afar. Coffins have been in existence as a powerful extreme metal force since 1996 and their experience and expertise at aptly portraying the genre shows in their nonchalant effortlessness. Coffins brought proceedings at the Sky Fox to a heavy end, leaving most attendees satisfied and blissfully deaf.
Coffins links:
Coffins.jp
Coffins.bandcamp.com
Set List:
01. Here Comes Perdition
02. Hellbringer
03. Under The Stench
04. Colossal Hole
05. Till Dawn Of The Doomsday
06. Vacant Vale Vessel
07. Evil Infection
08. Slaughter Of Gods
And lastly, it was the turn of main stage headliners Machine Head to play a full 75-minute set for their die-hard fans who’d stayed all this while despite being visibly tired from the 9 hour-long event. Ozzy’s ‘Diary Of A Madman’ was played in full on the PA as an ideal buildup for the arrival of guitarist/vocalist Robb Flynn, guitarist Phil Demmel, bassist Jared MacEachern and drummer Dave McClain onto the stage. They opened up with the epic ‘Imperium’ and instantly set this crowd in motion as most fans began jumping up and down in unison, a sight to behold for any band up on stage, and equally for anyone part of such a crowd. Machine Head’s performance at Mayhem Fest last year left me slightly underwhelmed, but they definitely redeemed themselves this time, and the quality of this set reminded me of just how good Machine Head can be as a live band.
They went on to play two songs from the latest album ‘Unto The Locust’ along with three off of the fans’ favorite album ‘The Blackening’. But ‘The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears’, a song from the band’s infamous nu metal era, was also played in the set and was met with a mixed response from the crowd, to say the least. Moving on from that, they played ‘Ten Ton Hammer’ which was much more appreciated. Before they played ‘Darkness Within’, Robb Flynn addressed the crowd and paid a long drawn out tribute to Mitch Lucker of Suicide Silence, but on every other occasion he spoke to the crowd, it was on a positive and funny note, such as the moment when he fondly spoke of the last time Machine Head headlined a gig in Pomona, which was due to the ban placed on them by a Disney-owned venue.
They treated their LA fans with something special, playing the new song ‘Killers & Kings’ for the first time ever on a live stage, and ended the set just as strongly as they began, with ‘Aesthetics Of Hate’, ‘Old’ and ‘Halo’. The head bangers were going at it full tilt, the mosh pits were constantly moving, and the general response from the crowd was what Machine Head would expect from their fans, which is unfortunately not something they’re accustomed to in the United States as they rarely get to do headline tours in their home country. This was my first ever time seeing them as a headliner, and it almost goes without saying that it was infinitely better than seeing them open for the likes of Metallica, as they were greeted with cheers and applause instead of blank faces and folded arms. The ever-incredible ‘Halo’ served as the perfect way to end not only Machine Head’s set but this Scion Rock Fest as a whole, and with that the-nine hour treat of non-stop live music entertainment had come to a close.
Machine Head links:
facebook.com/MachineHead
twitter.com/MfnH
Set List:
01. Imperium
02. Beautiful Mourning
03. Locust
04. The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears
05. Ten Ton Hammer
06. The Darkness Within
07. Bulldozer
08. Killers & Kings
09. Aesthetics Of Hate
10. Old
11. Halo
Overall, the best bands of the day in my opinion were Machine Head, Red Fang, Jex Thoth, Carousel and Moab, but aside from the few bands I gave negative reviews to, everyone put their best foot forward and justified their slot in the lineup. My favorite stage was actually Acerogami. I loved the vibe in that room and the bands that played there were all excellent from top to bottom. I know for a fact that a majority of the attendees didn’t eve bother to check out that stage at all, and that’s a real shame. While I watched some part of every band in the lineup to be able to give you this review and photo coverage, I was clearly able to note that regular attendees (i.e. not media folks) made no attempt to do even half as much, and most people, if not all, were content with seeing just two or three of their favorite bands in the lineup. The partisan nature of the crowd was also evident as each stage had its own kind of gathering, the Fox Theater lineup serving to a more mainstream crowd, the Glass House catering to the punk/thrash/hardcore/grind fan base, Sky Fox being hipster-centric, and the Acerogami hosting the newer/smaller bands mostly unheard of. People always wonder, whine and complain about why America doesn’t get metal festivals of the same level Europe does, but the answer is quite clear. The metal fan base in America is not really tailor-made for a 26-band, 4-stage festival. People would always rather just go see a handful of their favorite bands, so it defeats the purpose of putting together such an eclectic lineup with so many bands of varying styles and statures. Anyhow, credit goes to organizers like the folks at Scion A/V for still attempting to develop an annual festival culture in this country.
In terms of the logistics and the actual organization of this event, I’d have to honestly say almost all of it was smooth sailing, except for a couple of annoyances, like the repeated full-on body and pocket search every time you entered the Fox Theater (even if you’re media), and the first three songs rule for photographers trying to enter the photo pit to shoot bands, which didn’t make any sense to me as with four stages and overlapping schedules of so many bands it would be literally impossible for any photographer to make it to the first three songs of every band.
Other than that, Scion Rock Fest 2014 was by all means a memorable metal extravaganza, and attendees will await its swift return to LA.
Check out a full gallery of 140 photos from the show below (each photo labeled with its respective band name in the upper left corner) or view it here if you’re on a non-Flash device:
Scion A/V links:
ScionAV.com
facebook.com/ScionAV
twitter.com/ScionAV
instagram.com/ScionAV