Review by Andrew Bansal, photos by Jerry Averill
December 12th, Loaded Rock Bar, Hollywood CA: Even with the year of 2014 coming to an end and the holiday season imminent, there’s no stoppage of live heavy music at Hollywood’s Loaded bar. Last Friday December 12, the venue witnessed the congregation of some of Los Angeles’ most exuberant, hardest working bands, put together by prolific local promoter Lara Gladstone. Featuring Brain Dead, Madrost, Tormenter, Ascendancy, Lethal Dossage and Sons Of Eli, the lineup for the gig undoubtedly carried a predominantly thrash vibe to it, and in the present-day scarcity of listenable bands in that particular genre, this event promised to reaffirm thrash fans’ faith. A healthy turnout comprising Friday night Hollywood regulars as well as supporters of all of these bands from elsewhere in the Los Angeles/Orange County area was expected.
Huntington Park-based group Sons Of Eli started proceedings at 8 o’ clock with a solidly heavy 20-minute set of groovy thrash tunes, setting the tone perfectly for the rest of the evening’s entertainment. This is a band heavily gigging locally at the moment, and it’s only natural for these young musicians to get better every time they step on a stage. More than anything else, that’s what they can take away from each performance. This definitely won’t be their last gig at Loaded, and if anything, they should have played above the next band on this bill.
Lethal Dossage, whom I’ve seen several times over the past six years, got their 20-minute turn next. They bring good energy to the stage and have a decent set of friends and fans that accompany them to all of their shows. But musically and performance-wise, while their guitarist isn’t bad by any means, I don’t feel like there’s sufficient dynamism in the guitar play to justify a three-piece, single-guitar lineup. All through their set, the one thought that crossed my mind the most was that the band would benefit hugely from adding a second guitar player to bring their songs to life.
Next up, emerging from the infernal depths of Southern Orange County, Madrost scorched the stage with some technically proficient yet thoroughly enjoyable high-intensity shred. Songs off of their latest full-length ‘Into The Aquatic Sector’ have added new dimensions to their live set, as was evident from the unanimously positive response they collected from this audience which was probably at its largest during their set, as the room was completely packed. Frontman Tanner Poppitt stunned first-timers and pleased fans with his sheer ferocity, both on vocals and guitar, and his band mates managed to keep up. Not associating themselves with beer-fueled party thrash, Madrost pursues the more serious, technical variant of the genre and excels at it.
Things were just about heating up here, as after Madrost came Brain Dead, tearing the stage apart with an insanely off-the-chain performance that brought the house down. It was an expulsion of unbridled energy by all four members of the band, and they combined to deliver a powerful onslaught of the sonic and visual kind. They were the only band of the show to get a proper mosh pit going. The progress Brain Dead has made in a little over a year’s time with their musicianship and live play is almost unreal, and one hopes they’ll be determined and driven enough to make a sincere attempt at showcasing their talents to thrash fans outside of Los Angeles.
The evening was far from done yet, as San Gabriel Valley quintet Tormenter kept the thrash flowing. Vocalist Charlie Rodelo brought forth not just his bestial vocal delivery but also his typically enjoyable sense of humor and personality to the stage, while lead guitarist Jahir Funes ripped his instrument to shreds and the deadly duo received great support from their band mates and the audience alike. Brain Dead was a tough act to follow but these dudes were absolutely up to the challenge and held the attention of everyone inside the room, which was no small achievement.
Usually in these shows, the last band of the night starts a few minutes before midnight, and is almost like an after-thought. But, hailing from Redondo Beach, Ascendancy proved to be an exception to the norm in every sense by putting forth a performance that was a match the effort and impact of any and every other band in this lineup. The vocalist displayed incredible range and pulled off a variation of styles with exemplary skill, and the guitar work laden with crafty solos and harmonies was nailed down with effortless ease. The only qualm was their usage of a drum track as a result of their drummer calling in sick for this gig, although it was indeed hilarious to see the Tormenter singer get behind the drum kit to air-drum for a few songs. But credit goes to Ascendancy for still soldiering on and delivering a show strong enough to win new fans even at this late stage of the evening, and one can almost be guaranteed of an even better show when their human drummer is with them.
Overall, this was a highly entertaining show from start to finish, worthwhile for the attendees as well as all the participating bands. It’s genuinely pleasing to see this promoter deservedly rewarded with such successful gigs at this venue. Her stronghold on Friday nights in this kind of location, attained in a relatively short period merely from curating local metal shows, vindicates her efforts to the fullest and augurs well for LA metal bands and fans.
Lara Gladstone links: facebook | twitter
Loaded Hollywood links: website | facebook | twitter | instagram