By Lisa Burke
October 8th 2016, Complex, Glendale CA: Getting out of the Hollywood/West Hollywood metal scene once in a while is a refreshing change of pace as long as you are going to make up for the potential lack of metal by seeing metal anyway, in Glendale at Complex run by Church Of The 8th Day. Saturday night I did just that for a great line-up and solid dosage of heavy metal featuring headliners Act Of Defiance with support from Hatchet, Crowned By Fire and Fracture. If you have no idea what happened to guitarist Chris Broderick after Megadeth you are about to find out, since he still has the power to steal a show with his riffing talents as he did on this evening with his new project Act Of Defiance.
Opening the night with some well-rounded metal, Fracture brought the groove along with some great vocal switch-ups between the clean and the grind. They have a straight-up heavy metal sound with elements of hardcore, groove, grind and even a little progressive guitar happened at one point. They definitely were a strong start to the show and brought all the necessary elements of a good heavy down-to-earth band and then some. For some strange reason there was a rumor going around that this was a sold-out show and oddly, it was a mediocre crowd dominated by one band’s fans, most of whom seemed to dissipate after their set. Also, there were three or four mosh pit champions that decided the parameters of the pit were the edge of the stage and the sound booth wall in the back, which meant no one could stand on the floor unless on the outskirts. While this is not a huge deal, I’ve seen plenty of crowded shows at this venue where the pit took up a much smaller space, not to mention it is slightly mind blowing as well as humorous when dudes fall down in the pit from moshing with themselves and not touching another soul. This happened a couple of times and it definitely takes a special skill set to accomplish.
Crowned By Fire was the band that seemed to draw the most crowd, as they should, however in my mind with a solid headlining band with very well-known and talented artists that should be much higher on the ranks than this band seemed to be on this occasion despite their newish formation, I really was under the impression that a crowd would show up for Act Of Defiance any minute, but instead, the crowd thinned significantly after Crowned by Fire’s set. Anyway, back to the Crowned By Fire set, those guys always pull off a professional set full of fun, chaos, and riffs galore. The drummer is always ready to blow shit up with the force and aim he is capable of maintaining throughout as well. Vocals are direct and dirty with that in-your-face attitude, and the bass grooves are always creative and precise. There are also three strong singers in this band, and it’s great to hear them more active in the back-up vocals. This is one of those bands that, even though two guitarists are a nice thought, benefit greatly by having just the one star of the show. There was a song or two where the guitarist went to town with the pedal effects and the guitar porn moves which if you don’t know quite what that means it’s when a guitarist suddenly forgets that his guitar is not an actual woman and basically plays it as if he’s trying to score on a first date. I mean, let’s just say I think afterwards they at the very least exchanged numbers and made a second date. Seriously though, watching the guitarist in this band is highly entertaining and his skill level is definitely at the top of the ranks. Also, when a band has a mosh pit starting prior to the music they must be doing something right. The range of songs resonate and fluctuate from the most heavy and more groove based tunes that are slightly reminiscent of Pantera to the more classic heavy metal riff-dominated sound. Either way, the tunes are fun and badass and this was probably the strongest set I’ve witnessed from them to date. Any extra efforts by them to push themselves towards the future in terms of new writing is always highly welcomed by fans.
Just because the next band on the bill is a band you may not know does not mean you won’t love it, and you can also have discover something new in the process. That was exactly the case for me as San Francisco thrashers Hatchet took the stage and shook it to the ground with their fast, clean thrash that never skipped a beat. There was ideal stage presence happening with the hair whipping and a moment where the riff champion guitarist played in the center of the pit, which in 2016 you can do without anyone tripping over the guitar cord because he doesn’t need to plug in. Maybe it really will be the next generation of heavy metal shows to hold them outside in a forest because it adds that natural visual enhancement and who needs amps, cords, or proper sound and lights anyway? Seriously though, this was good, clean, top notch thrash and those who missed it missed out.
I believe the two main competitors to this show on this night were Frost And Fire and Steve Vai, but both were at least a forty-five minute drive out of Los Angeles which usually deters most metalheads from attending. Regardless, as I mentioned before, the lack of turnout here was apparent, yet the true fans got to watch the magic of Act Of Defiance making history up close and personal, so no harm no foul in that regard. This band is a supergroup with dominant thrash and melodic death elements formed by ex-Megadeth members Chris Broderick on guitar and back-up vocals and Shawn Drover on the drums, with lead singer Henry Derek (Thrown Into Exile, ex Scar The Martyr) and bassist Matt Bachand (ex Shadows Fall). I suppose the term supergroup always has its connotations and generalizations but when you see very talented, grateful and humble musicians on stage, you tend to forget about the drama surrounding the formation, which by the way is no reason to judge any band. Have you walked a mile in the shoes of a rockstar? Anyway, while the audience was jokingly yelling inappropriate Megadeth titles at the band such as Hanger 18 and Holy Wars about mid-set, the band had other plans to jokingly make fun of Metallica and then bust out with a cover almost better of ‘Seek And Destroy’ almost better than the original. When the talents, guns and delicate guitar hands of Chris Broderick are standing in front of you smiling at you instead of just looking into the crowd, life is perfection for a moment or two. I really enjoyed this band because I really enjoy Chris’s style of playing and Shawn’s as well, and I will support whatever they do, past present, and future. Chris was great on vocals as well as guitar and I thought it’s best when him and Henry share vocal duties. I also enjoyed Henry singing alone, but I believe I prefer when his vocals become more melodic than when he gets too thrashy and starts to mimic Dave Mustaine slightly even though perhaps completely unintentional. Their song ‘Birth And The Burial’ was a fun and favorite jam and is the title track to their one and only album released last year on Metal Blade Records, and I really enjoy the crossover of extreme elements in this band, with the heavy yet melodic spurts and the result of it all. There was a great moment when the Hatchet guitarist came back out to jam with Chris. It is always great to see when bands on the same bill support each other, and more than once, Act Of Defiance acknowledged all of the previous bands on this bill which is a huge plus in my book to show respect when no one is twisting your arm to do so. These musicians obviously do it for the love of the craft and not for the fame and fortune, which is what it should always be about first and foremost. I probably have at least 100 favorite guitar players with a vast range of playing styles throughout that I’ve seen in my lifetime but it is always the classically driven metal sound that I resonate with most. Chris just has that seemingly effortless brilliance about him as well, and I was thrilled when he joined Megadeth as my all-time favorite guitarist aside from Dave Mustaine because their styles were a perfect match and they are still among my top favorite bands as well. As I said, I not only always support Chris Broderick in his endeavors, but I also respect any decision he makes and his heartfelt and honest performance in this new band are all the words I need to justify my loyalty in this regard. Check these guys out if you get the opportunity because they are a delight to watch, and they thoroughly enjoy bringing you the future of metal.
After the set the man-behind-the-curtain and master of all trades Daniel Dismal played a closing DJ jam of Michael Jackson’s ‘Don’t Stop ‘Till You Get Enough’ and I found it to be an extremely appropriate ending. Once again a competent line up from start to finish, and another successful evening was accomplished in the land of heavy metal adventures.