By Andrew Bansal
April 1st 2016, Complex, Glendale CA: Black metal is one of the more intriguing sub-genres of metal, simply because of the fact that there are so many variants of it, with some bands taking their lyrical themes a little too seriously and fans being overly particular about the kind of black metal they prefer. In all honesty, a lot of black metal that has come through town, whether it be local shows or national and international touring acts, has not captured my imagination, but I was in for a pleasant surprise as I stepped into Complex in Glendale on April 1st 2016 for a Church Of The 8th Day event, to bear firsthand witness to Brazilian first-wave black metal trio Power From Hell’s live debut in the Los Angeles area on their first ever U.S. tour, performing with local support acts Witchaven, Old Coven and Horrid.
By the time I arrived at the venue at around 10:30, the second band of the night Old Coven was playing. It actually took me a minute to ask around and figure out that it was indeed them, because the place was as packed as I’ve ever seen it for a local opening act, and it seemed like the headliner was already on stage. Sure enough, the show was already officially sold out and anyone trying to pay the cover charge on the spot had to be turned away. This LA-based first-wave black metal band’s style and presentation was very much akin to that of Power From Hell, which naturally meant that the crowd here loved what Old Coven had to offer. Mosh pits were rolling full tilt and the headbangers were in full fury, and I couldn’t help but admire and be awe-struck by the sheer intensity they brought to the stage.
Next up, longstanding LA black thrash warriors Witchaven hit the stage, clearly primed from the recent cross-country tour they completed, motivated by the occasion of Power From Hell’s first ever LA show, and hungry to deliver their best as the main support act. They sure did, putting on the most aggressive and enjoyable performance I’ve seen from them in a long time. In addition to playing some of their newer compositions, they turned things old-school with early-years gems such as ‘Black Thrash Assault’ and ‘Unholy Copulation’. The speed and violence in the mosh pit went up quite a few notches from the previous band. Witchaven have gone through a lot in their ordeal as an underground extreme metal act, and have perhaps not received the level of recognition or credit they truly deserve. Witchaven are up there with the best bands the LA area has produced in the last decade, and it was refreshing to witness a set from them wherein the performance as well as the crowd response did justice to their true stature as a band.
And lastly, Power From Hell took the stage, and what ensued for the next hour was pure, ominous, unabated, unstoppable black metal of roof-shattering proportions, and by the end of the show I was left with no doubt in my mind that this was the best black metal band I’ve ever seen. People were getting ejected for vomiting in the club, fights were breaking out, and the crowd-surfing and stage-diving was so relentless that the band’s equipment was getting damaged, and as many as four men from the venue and promoter’s staff had to step on the stage and stand there for the remainder of the set. I’ve never seen this happen at Complex, and this was by far the craziest show I’ve been to here. Church Of The 8th Day mainman Daniel Dismal himself was instructing kids to get off the stage in a ‘get off my lawn’ manner which added further to the entertainment, even though he was clearly not amused. The band had to take a break after every song to sort out their gear. But all this was so delightfully rock ‘n roll that it made the show all the better and more memorable. The beauty of first-wave black metal (a la Venom, Bathory and the like) is the clear influence of rock ‘n roll, classic metal and speed metal, and Power From Hell portrayed it better than any other first-wave black metal bands I’ve seen till date. Having been around since 2002, this band has five full-length records to their name and obviously have a legion of fans that were eagerly awaiting their arrival in the U.S. They played a few tunes off of their debut album ‘The True Metal’, and the title track in particular was one of the highlights of the set. After all, what can be more fist-raising than a black metal band singing about metal? If you’re a fan of this style, Power From Hell is absolutely unmissable.
Overall, I would go as far as saying that this was the best show I’ve ever been to at Complex, which is saying a lot, considering the number of metal shows that take place here. While the mainstream black metal bands going around the country at the same time are pulling bigger crowds but failing to create an impact, underground bands like the ones that played this show are serving as far better representatives of the sub-genre. Power From Hell is black metal perfection personified, and comes as very, very highly recommended.
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Remaining Tour Dates:
04/07 – Los Osos, CA @ Sweet Springs Saloon
04/08 – Chico, CA @ The Iron Scarab
04/09 – Suisin City, CA @ Rush Ranch
04/10 – Sacramento, CA @ Cafe Colonial
04/12 – San Diego, CA @ Til Two Club