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By Andrew Bansal

May 30th 2013, El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles CA: Led by frontman and only original member Lee Ving, Los Angeles punk rock veterans Fear were set to take the stage at the lovely El Rey Theatre in western Los Angeles to play their 1982 release ‘The Record’ in its entirety, and also to celebrate the 2012 release of its re-recorded version. The band has a lot of unique history associated with them, influencing the development of the California hardcore punk scene back in the day, so I was very much interested in finding out whether they still have it in them to perform these tunes live, and the kind of turnout they would get. Opening for them at this show were The Shrine, a last-minute addition to replace the original openers Dirty Fences. This Venice-based band always put on a great show whenever I saw them in the past. It was going to be interesting to see if they could raise their level any higher, and my goodness, they sure did. Continue reading “Fear & The Shrine Perform At The El Rey”

By Andrew Bansal

May 29th 2013, The City National Grove, Anaheim CA: It’s been well documented that American heavy metal giants Lamb Of God have had a difficult recent period, but they’ve put all of the legal trouble behind them now and are simply looking to make up for the lost time. In that endeavor, they are currently on a month-long US tour which is seeing them hit some of the secondary markets, places they usually don’t get to play. Nine shows deep into the trek, Lamb Of God’s touring party, also consisting of Polish extreme metal band Decapitated and Canadian heavy rock outfit Anciients, arrived in Orange County to play at the Grove of Anaheim. The tickets were already sold out in advance, the fans looked excited right from the get-go, screaming ‘Lamb Of God’ even as they drove into the venue’s parking lot, and the atmosphere was set for a very metal evening. Continue reading “Lamb Of God Plays Intense Set For Sold Out Grove Of Anaheim”

By Andrew Bansal

May 26th 2013, The Whisky, West Hollywood CA: Southern California’s very own thrash maniacs Warbringer have released three albums till date, and up until a couple of years ago, they were literally on a non-stop touring cycle which saw them open for a multitude of high-profile metal bands. But it came to a point where they were touring the same cities every couple of months, and thankfully, they put a halt to it and took a break. Now, they are back rejuvenated and raring to go again, as they headlined the Whisky last night on an all-thrash bill that also featured Vektor, Witchaven, Velosity and a few others. Warbringer promised to play their first album ‘War Without End’ in its entirety to celebrate the five-year anniversary of its release, so that was something to look forward to. When I arrived at the venue at around 8 PM, the place was already packed. The vibe was set for a night of nothing but thrash, and this all-ages crowd looked more than ready to soak it all in. Continue reading “Warbringer Headlines Thrash-Filled Night At The Whisky”

By Avinash Mittur
[Live photos by Vince Edwards]

May 25th 2013, The Glass House, Pomona CA: It’s been over twenty long years since Bolt Thrower last stormed across America. Unless one has been lucky enough to attend Maryland Deathfest over the last few years, American metalheads have had to live without live Bolt Thrower for far too long. Sure, Bolt Thrower basically have a spotless discography to treat our ears, but that has made the wait all the more agonizing. Luckily, Southern California was finally offered the chance to see these guys once more. The location was the Glass House in Pomona, and it proved to be the perfect battleground for the carnage that would ensue. With more than able assistance from fellow death metal legends Benediction and Autopsy, this show proved to be an utterly flawless night of classic death metal- a show that has forever raised the bar for live extreme music.  Continue reading “Bolt Thrower Conquers Pomona After Long Absence”

By Andrew Bansal 

May 24th 2013, The Roxy, West Hollywood CA: Following the release of their tenth studio album ‘Heritage’, Swedish prog rockers began a new world tour in late 2011, which included a North American run with fellow Swedes Katatonia. Almost two years on, they are still on the Heritage world tour, and have yet again brought Katatonia with them for the North American leg. They visited the Roxy last night as they’re coming to the ending stages of this tour, and the smaller sized venue as compared to the previous LA visit was a deliberation on Opeth’s part to create a setting for what was supposed to be an intimate show. The venue was sold out well in advance, so the fans gathered in numbers and flocked to get the best possible spot once inside the Roxy at 7 PM. I had heard weird things about what Opeth are doing with the set list on this tour, so I was curious to discover how this gig turns out, and having seen them put on some incredible shows in the past, this time I was dreading the thought of a less-than-amazing Opeth live performance. Continue reading “Opeth & Katatonia Perform At The Roxy”

By Andrew Bansal

May 23rd 2013, The Echoplex, Los Angeles CA: There’s just so much live music going on in a city like Los Angeles, it’s impossible to catch everything, as oftentimes there are two or more great bands playing on the same night. Japanese experimental rock trio Boris, who’ve been around for more than two decades, is one such band that I missed out on seeing in the past. Well, that was about to change last night as the band visited the Echoplex on their North American tour, for the first of two sold-out nights. This gig featured their ‘All-Time Classics’ set, while tonight they’ll play the Flood album in its entirety. For gig #1, they brought with them Deafheaven and Marriages as the opening acts. The doors opened at around 8, and the long queue of patiently waiting people entered the venue for what promised to be an intriguing night filled with eclectic music. Continue reading “Boris Plays ‘All-Time Classics’ Set On Night One At The Echoplex”