By Andrew Bansal
August 15th 2016, The Regent, Los Angeles CA: The Los Angeles hard rock/heavy metal scene is a complex conundrum, in that there are plenty of bands but there is no actual scene, because of the clear divide between different sub-genres, and the fact that most musicians in bands only go to their own shows. But, a new conglomerate called The Black Communion has formed to make an effort to unify and highlight the LA scene, by organizing free/cheap metal shows at the Regent Theater in downtown LA on a Monday every month, showcasing the best local talent and at times the odd traveling band or two. The third edition of The Black Communion took place last Monday August 15th and was headlined by new thrash supergroup Eliminate, featuring former members of Dark Angel, Kreator, Whiplash, Destruction, Hirax and Subversion, along with San Francisco Bay Area thrashers Hatchet as main support, and local openers Kaustik, Tormenter, Brain Dead and Dowrr. The thrash kids came out for a fun time, and this show treated them with plenty of music dedicated to their favorite sub-genre.
As always, the show was free to ages 21+ and $5 for ages 18-21 (and also $5 for everyone 18+ after 10 PM). Doors opened at 7, and at 7:45, hardcore punk quartet Dowrr started proceedings at 7:45. This is a very new and very underground band with only one demo cassette release to their name, and this is most likely the biggest stage they’ve played till date. They put forth an intense performance but the room was nearly empty during their set, and without energy and violence from a crowd, there is no point or purpose to a style of music like hardcore punk. Their slot as the opener was justified as all bands after them on this bill are more established, but as attendees were here for thrash only and nothing else, Dowrr were probably on the wrong show.
Next up, thrash/punk trio Brain Dead livened up the atmosphere with a high-energy set, as they delivered hard-hitting tunes interspersed with really well thought-out humor content. The sound guy was sleeping as one of the vocal microphones was not even switched on for the first two songs, but thankfully the rightful action was taken and this was rectified. Watching a set of identical twins play in the same band is entertaining in itself, but it’s more than a mere visual novelty when they actually play good music and command the stage. The only thing that could make it more mind-blowing is if one could play left-handed and the other right-handed. Brain Dead were a four-piece band that parted ways with its singer last year, but that didn’t deter them from continuing on. In comparison to the very first show they played at the Viper Room in September 2015 with twins Adam Axe and Rez Peterson taking over vocal duties, they’ve strengthened their singing abilities by leaps and bounds, while still keeping all other aspects of their musicianship intact. Meanwhile, drummer Josh Angel continues to be formidable behind the kit, and this trio is bringing life back into an otherwise dead genre. Their new album ‘Disaster Ahead’ is slated for an end-of-August release, and they are poised to dominate on and off stage with their new set of tunes fully showcasing the band as a trio.
Next were Tormenter, who hadn’t played a show in nearly six months, which was clearly a good step for them because they were one of those local bands playing far too many shows not so long ago, and this break has given them a chance to reinvigorate the LA thrash community’s interest in them. They’re supposedly starting work soon on a new album called ‘Prayers Upon Deaf Ears’, and gave a taste of it in this set. Their guitar work was supreme here and they stood out as the best band of this show in that aspect, but all members were solid in their roles, plus their frontman was more entertaining than ever. There was a sizable turnout by the time they started their set, but most people were chilling out in the back, very far from the stage, until Tormenter, broadcasting their set live on their facebook feed (welcome to 2016), urged everyone to get involved and succeeded to some extent. Excellent set, by all means.
Kaustik were next to take the stage, clearly winning the backdrop contest with their ‘Fuck Politics, Listen To Kaustik’ banner proudly standing behind them, and also proceeding to put forth a performance wherein they really excelled in stage presence, and this trait combined with the sheer quality of their gear makes them look and sound like an absolute pro-level band. As for the music itself, it takes time to grow on you, and Kaustik is the kind of band that would impress you more every time you see them. Just like Brain Dead and Tormenter, they kept the humor quotient to a maximum, so much so that it was impossible to not laugh at their jokes, and as a result, they held most of the audience’s attention. All four members are experienced musicians, so this is by no means a band of newbies, and if you’re into Testament-style thrash, Kaustik might just float your boat.
After all four local bands had shown their wares, it was up to San Francisco Bay Area thrashers Hatchet to provide main support. Coming out all guns blazing with a serious thrash attack, Hatchet instigated some lively mosh pits, thanks in part to their guitarist himself stepping off the stage and in the middle of the mosh pit at one point during the set. Except for perhaps may be Hell Fire as the only mentionable band other than Hatchet, Bay Area thrash does not boast of the young thrash generation it did many aeons ago, and these days it’s rare for a young Bay Area thrash band to visit Los Angeles. But, Hatchet are waving that flag to perfection with their vicious tunes, consistently high energy levels and competent musicianship, and one hopes for them to continue for many more decades.
And lastly, Eliminate began their set at 11:45, which was a bit late for a Monday night and this show would have been better served to go with a maximum of five bands instead of six. But, regardless of this being a school night and commitments to school/work the morning after, fans stayed late and gave Eliminate their full support, as stage diving was non-stop throughout the set, to an extent this venue had most likely never witnessed before. There have been past occasions, such as the Overkill/Symphony X show in 2015, where the security staff would in fact step in the mosh pit to stop it completely, but they’ve obviously got a better hang of things by now, and they allowed the kids to have fun at this thrash extravaganza. Fronted by Don Doty (ex-Dark Angel) with guitarists Kelly McLaughlin (Pessimist, Diabolic, Unholy Ghost and Possessed) and Scott Owen (Hirax), drummer Joe Cangelosi (Whiplash, Kreator, Massacre) and bassist John Signorelli (Subversion), Eliminate is a group of thrash veterans that formed in 2015 and played their first show at the Grindcore Fest in Los Angeles that year, but this is their first ever run of tour dates, starting with this gig at the Regent. Doty got the crowd riled up when he spoke after the first song, and the already abundant circle pits and stage dives intensified further. It would be fair to say that it was as entertaining watching the crowd as watching the band itself. Eliminate played songs off of the first two Dark Angel albums ‘We Have Arrived’ and ‘Darkness Descends’, including title tracks of both, plus a few original tracks that will feature on their debut album, slated to be recorded by the end of this year. They cut their originally planned 9-song set short by two songs, and rightly so, considering the late time slot. Performance-wise, they did good for a band that’s playing some of their first shows together, but certainly haven’t hit their peak yet but showed enough to indicate that they’ll get better with every show. Thrash fans attending any of the remaining shows will probably see a better, stronger Eliminate. But more than anything, Dark Angel fans longing to hear the classic songs live would welcome the arrival of Eliminate, and should attend one of their shows, as it’s very much a thrash party.
Overall, an enjoyable Metal Monday for all in attendance. The next Black Communion show is on September 19th and will be headlined by Exmortus. Each event offers a different set of bands playing varying styles of heavy music, and LA locals would be well-advised to keep tabs on The Black Communion’s future activities.
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Eliminate set list:
01. We Have Arrived
02. Darkness Descends
03. City Of Sodom
04. Syndicate Life
05. Merciless Death
06. Perish In Flames
07. Bombs Of Death
Eliminate + Hatchet remaining tour dates:
08/18/2016 – Fullerton, CA @ The Slidebar Rock N Roll Kitchen
08/19/2016 – San Francisco, CA @ Thee Parkside