May 18th 2013, The Troubadour, West Hollywood CA: Following the release of their sophomore album ‘Meanderthal’, Miami/Gainsville based sludge outfit Torche underwent a lineup change and after a gap of four years, came out with a new album called ‘Harmonicraft’, released on the Volcom Entertainment label. They’ve been doing plenty of touring since the release, and currently they are on their own extended headline run across the United States. The trek made a stop at West Hollywood’s famous Troubadour last night, along with touring support band KEN Mode and one-off local opening act Totimoshi. Having never seen any of these bands before, I went into the show keeping an open mind, not knowing what to expect. For such a premise, the cozy Troubadour promised to be the perfect setting.

The doors opened a few minutes past 8 PM, and there weren’t too many people in line at that point. Even by the time Totimoshi started their set at 8.30, very few were actually inside. But once the band went up on that stage, it didn’t seem to bother them whatsoever, as they delved into their 30-minute set with utmost dedication. Honestly, this Los Angeles-based psychedelic doom rock band somehow slipped under my radar despite having been around since 1997, and last night I totally felt like I missed out on something great all these years. The trio were successfully able to encapsulate and exhibit an entire gamut of musical soundscapes through which they expressed themselves wholly but still conformed to stay within the boundaries of the genre they were embracing. They played what turned out to be probably the most diverse 30-minute set I’ve ever seen. It’s no wonder they’re still a largely underground band, because it’s hard to follow so many different styles and variations all at once. But if you’re looking for weirdness and unpredictability in your rock music, Totimoshi might just be your calling.

facebook.com/totimoshi 

Set List:
1. Dance Of Snakes
2. Avenger
3. Mainline
4. The Fool
5. The Whisper
6. Cellophane
7. Waning Divine

Canadian heavy rock band KEN Mode is another group that’s been around for a number of years but for various reasons I didn’t get a chance to listen to their music and kept missing out on their live shows. Well, last night I certainly got my KEN Mode fix, as the band belted out 30 minutes of pure intensity. While seeing them, I was once again reminded for the millionth time to not go by anything on Wikipedia, which describes KEN Mode as noise rock. Although they’re not everyone’s cup of tea and it takes a degree of acquaintance to the style of music for one to appreciate a band like theirs, they’re anything but ‘noise rock’. With that said, their aggression seemed genuine and they were able to channel it well into their music. The drummer played a crucial role in keeping the songs structured. The crowd reaction was getting progressively louder during their set, and at the end of it, vocalist/guitarist Jesse Matthewson kneeled down in front of his monitor and I feared he was going to smash his head into it in a typical hardcore stage act. Thankfully he didn’t, as I’m really not a fan of those types of antics. Great set by KEN Mode. If they keep this level of performance every night, they’re surely winning plenty of new fans on this tour.

facebook.com/kenmode
twitter.com/kenmodenoise 

Set List:
1. Counter Culture Complex
2. Obeying the Iron Will
3. Frye
4. No; I’m In Control
5. The Book Of Muscle
6. Seul
7. Secret Vasectomy
8. The Terror Pulse

At 10.30, Torche took the stage and by now the Troubadour was packed with a sizable audience. I was familiar with guitarist/vocalist Steve Brooks through his work with the band Floor whom I saw at the Scion Rock Fest in Pomona in early 2011. But this was a completely different vibe, with the low end significantly more prominent. Both Steve Brooks and Andrew Elstner mixed in copious amounts of fuzz and distortion in their guitar sound, while bassist Jonathan Nuñez really brought the heavy. His bass made the entire Troubadour shake under the vibration it generated. So that was an entirely new experience for me at a metal show. I thought Jason Newsted’s bass was heavy when I saw him earlier this month, but Torche were several times heavier on the low-end.

Their songs followed a similar style and pattern, with that one catchy chorus music piece. In a crowd of this nature, not everyone likes to head-bang. Some like to dance, while others simply jump. The cool and appreciable thing about Torche was, they were able to cater to all varieties of people in this audience with that one catchy chorus that constantly featured throughout their set. Usually, specially in recent shows I’ve enjoyed slower music more, but last night was totally opposite because I actually ended up digging Torche’s faster bits more. I felt too much of the first half of their set was slow for my liking and with that level of low-end, it was getting a bit tedious. But they did change it up later on with those faster parts, and segments with twin guitar melodies albeit briefly. There was one amusing moment as Brooks broke a string on his guitar and even as he sat down on stage to fix it, his band mates continued on and finished the song anyway. I enjoyed his vocals but again there was very little of that as the music was instrumental for the most part.

Based on this show, I certainly would not put Torche in my list of favorite bands, but I’ve got to give it to them for the strength and energy they put into their performance, and the sheer decibel level of it all, making this Troubadour crowd bounce with every single beat.

facebook.com/torcheofficial
twitter.com/torcheband 

Set List:
1. Letting Go
2. Kicking
3. Arrowhead
4. Reverse Inverted
5. In Pieces
6. Grenades
7. Healer
8. Harmonicraft
9. Across The Shields
10.Snakes Are Charmed
11.Warship
12.In Return
13.Sky Trials
14.Kiss Me Dudely
15.Rockit
16.Little Champion
17.Without A Sound
18.Out Again
19.Charge Of The Brown Recluse
20.Harmonslaught
21.Tarpit Carnivore

May 17th 2013, The Vex, Los Angeles CA: After headliners Hypocrisy and direct support act Aborted dropped off, this tour appeared to be in the doldrums. But, Brazilian death metal trio Krisiun decided to go ahead with the tour and took on the headliner spot, as Viriginia-based melodic tech death metal band Arsis became the main support act. The trek began on May 1st in New York and made its way to Los Angeles, visiting the Vex last night. The local promoters Church Of The 8th Day had made every effort to ensure that the turnout still remains strong by lowering the price of the tickets and allowing the pre-sale buyers to come in with a plus 1. I arrived at the venue at around 7, waiting to check out how these remaining touring bands and the three local openers would fare at this show, what the turnout would be like, and whether the Vex made any improvement in their much-maligned sound system.

Los Angeles-based melodic metal band Sirion opened the show with a short 20-minute set. Although they aren’t the kind of band a hardcore Krisiun or Arsis fan would necessarily be interested in, they took the opportunity to play this show and made good use of their short time. I was familiar with their style through listening to them on the internet, but they came across as more diverse than I was expecting, actually. They had the Amon Amarth-style windmills going on, with power metal, symphonic metal and even thrash elements at times. One thing I did expect though was the sound at the Vex not being up to par, but despite that, these guys sounded pretty good. I enjoyed the keyboard player’s lead parts immensely, specially because that was to be the last keyboard action for the night. Good set, I look forward to seeing them again open for Katatonia later this month, a show in which they’ll be a much better fit.

facebook.com/sirion 

In almost complete stylistic contrast, local tech death metal band Isolation In Infamy took the stage next. I saw them at the Airliner on May 4th, and they were back on yet another extreme metal LA show. They took a long time setting up before they started playing, probably because they wanted to make sure the sound up there was as good as it could possibly be. But still, I wasn’t able to feel the impact of their music as much as I did at the Airliner. The concert hall at the Vex is rather oversized to create any sort of real vibe, and that was evident during Isolation In Infamy’s set. Performance-wise, they were as good as always, but the sound just wasn’t cutting through because of the size of this venue. With that said, the set closer ‘Psychological Bombardment’ was still awesome. This was a solid set marred by sound issues. If this was your first time seeing them, don’t form your judgements yet. See them in a better setting before doing so.

facebook.com/IIIofficial
twitter.com/isolationinfamy 

The last of the local openers Nihilitus hit the stage with a deathgrind-influenced extreme metal style that again didn’t really fit the theme of the show but were fun to watch for those with an open mind. I couldn’t help but think of Cattle Decapitation while watching these guys. This form of extreme music requires the group’s frontman to showcase a certain level of mad energy on stage, and Nihilitus vocalist Nic Ody had that in plenty. One or two of their songs were a little too long for my liking. They should throw in some shorter length, higher impact tunes instead, specially as an opening band. Other than that, this band piqued my interest, and they’d be very entertaining in a smaller-sized room, with more like-minded bands and audiences. They would have been perfect at that Gorod show at the Airliner that I mentioned earlier. But, there’s always a next time.

facebook.com/Nihilitus 

I tried to do a head-count, and the turnout last night couldn’t have been more than 100, which was sad for the touring bands that worked hard to continue with this tour. But even amongst those 100, some middle-aged folks from the LA underground scene were seriously rolling their eyes and grumping at the number of local openers, eagerly waiting for the touring lineup to start playing. That time finally arrived at close to 10 PM, as Arizona-based Autumn’s End hit the stage. Looking at them, I imagined they’d sound something like Slayer and play a death/thrash type of set, but I was hugely surprised by the progressive and intricate nature of their musicianship. They had the faster death-thrash segments, but I was definitely digging the slower, doom-laden stuff more. The riffs packed serious punch, the tempo changes were interesting, and the quieter, clean guitar parts were great. These guys simply got together in a car and drove from Arizona without any gear, to be part of a few shows on this tour. They were playing with Arsis’ gear, and considering all that they did a mighty fine job. I’d say the vocals were the only flaw in their sound. May be it was the venue’s echo or may be the vocals could actually use some improvement. Either way, a pleasantly surprising set by Autumn’s End.

facebook.com/pages/Autumns-End/201535399874795 

Arsis came on next, much to the delight of their fixated fans who were rendered restless at this point of the evening by having to stand through four bands they clearly weren’t in the mood to see. I’ve seen Arsis plenty of times in the past both as an opening act and as headliner, following their checkered journey through recent years pretty closely. At first impression in 2010, I liked their melodic death metal style and hoped they wouldn’t fall into the modern trap by going too technical. But judging from the new songs they played last night, I think they have done exactly that. Guitar prodigy Brandon Ellis is their new member after Nick Cordle’s departure to Arch Enemy, and that might have something to do with it. Granted, he showed his skills on guitar plenty during the set, but for me it killed the strength of the music to a great extent. Nothing against Brandon at all, I guess it’s just the style of the band now. I much prefer the simpler, catchier direction they were going for on ‘Starve For The Devil’ but sadly my hopes have been smashed and they are back to being a technical million-notes-per-second metal band again. And if I remember correctly, they did not play even a single song from that album.

So as you can tell, honestly I was beyond bored by this Arsis set. I respect and admire their guitarists as excellent musicians, but I was tired of hearing that same old technical stuff over and over again. And the sound issues didn’t help. Everything was sounding really muddy and there was no clarity in any instrument whatsoever. At times the vocals weren’t loud enough, and at other times they were too loud. ‘A Diamond For Disease’ was the only exception. The sound seemed to be decent and the tempo changes sparked some interest in an otherwise monotonous set. All in all, I was disappointed by the song selection by Arsis on this tour, and I hope for a better set next time.

A lot of people left after Arsis were done, which did not surprise me but it was sad to see the lack of support for Krisiun, on a Friday night. No excuses for leaving early, really. There were hardly 50 people remaining inside the venue by the time Krisiun took the stage, and I’m glad to say that the band put on a show that vindicated the decisions of those who stayed, treating us with an hour of massively crushing, no-bullshit death metal. The biggest factor in the excellence of this performance was, funnily enough, the weak link that affected the show for all other bands that played last night, the sound. Krisiun being a three-piece act was a huge advantage for them, as every instrument sounded big, strong and clear. Instead of drowning each other out, they locked in together and created a sonic colossus. I had seen them open for Destruction, Obituary and Nile in the past. While I did like their show each time, I wasn’t really blown away or anything like that. Well, last night was completely different, and I was proven wrong as I could not believe how good of a show these guys put on.

I can’t really pick out any highlights from their set because every single song had its own purpose and impact. On the flip side, one thing I did find off-putting was bassist/vocalist Alex Camargo’s constant speeches to the crowd, saying the same thing repeatedly, thanking pretty much everyone he knew by pointing out their names. I did get excited and pumped when he said, ‘We don’t find cheap excuses to drop out of tours. We don’t give a fuck, and we’re here for you guys!’ But other than that, his talking was a bit excessive and if he could tone that down a tad, Krisiun would become a perfect live extreme metal band well capable of blowing better known bands off the stage. Overall, killer set by Krisiun that more than made up for Hypocrisy and Aborted’s absence and gave this small gathering something to cheer about. If you’re an extreme metal fan and haven’t heard of Krisiun, check them out right now!

facebook.com/krisiun.official
twitter.com/krisiun

Set List:
1. Ominous
2. Combustion Inferno
3. The Will to Potency
4. Vicious Wrath
5. Vengeance’s Revelation
6. Descending Abomination
7. Kings of Killing
8. Bloodcraft
9. Ravager
10.Slaying Steel
11.Hatred Inherit
12.Blood of Lions

Remaining Tour Dates:
5/18 – Phoenix, AZ – Joe’s Grotto**
5/20 – Dallas, TX – Trees**
5/21 – San Antonio, TX – Korova**
5/23 – Tampa, FL – The Orpheum***
5/24 – Pompano Beach, FL – Firehouse***
5/26 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade***
5/27 – Charlotte, NC – The Casbah***
5/28 – Springfield, VA – Empire***
5/29 – Wilmington, DE – Mojo 13***
5/30 – Baltimore, MD – Metro Gallery***
5/31 – Trenton, NJ – Backstage at Champ’s***
6/1 – Middletown, NY – Sounds Asylum***

*= with STARKILL
**= with AUTUMN’S END
***= KRISIUN only

May 16th 2013, The Observatory, Santa Ana CA: Death metal mainstays Cannibal Corpse have been an actively touring band in recent times, completing the Summer Slaughter run last year and following that with a short tour of their own. Now they’re back with another headline run, this time with Napalm Death and Immolation as support acts, along with the rotating opening slot going to Cretin for this part of the tour. The caravan arrived at the Observatory, formerly the Galaxy in Santa Ana. As a venue or a promoter you can never go wrong with a Cannibal Corpse show, and the proof of that was there for all to see. The box office window said ‘Cannibal Corpse is sold out’ at least an hour before the start of the show, even as a huge line of people was still hoping to score tickets to get in.

Although the show flyer on the venue’s website and social network suggested the show was going to start at 8, it actually started surprisingly early, with Cretin hitting the stage before 7.30. For those who don’t know, this is the band fronted by Marissa Martinez from Repulsion. She formed the band more than 2 decades ago but after a large period of inactivity it was resurrected in 2003. Elizabeth Schall, known for her work in LA bands like Dreaming Dead and Winterthrall, is the touring guitarist for Cretin on this trek. She’s been an impressive musician over the years, and it was great to see her guitar work whenever she got a chance to play solos during the set. They played a 30-minute set, and if you like Repulsion’s music, it’s safe to say Cretin would be up your alley. I thought they could have utilized the venue’s sound a bit better. Their mix had too much distortion, specially with the drum sound, and if impacted the strength of the two guitars negatively. I was digging the vocals and their music itself was solid. Decent set, but they are well capable of putting on an even better show next time.

facebook.com/Cretanic

Abysmal Dawn went up on stage next. I honestly had no idea they were playing this show as the local opener. There was no mention of it anywhere by the promoter/venue. So that was a pleasant surprise, as they put on an absolutely killer show which satiated the Observatory’s death metal-hungry packed house. Set-list wise, they did the same thing they’ve been doing for the past year or so, not that anyone was complaining. Unlike Cretin, they got their sound levels and mixes perfectly spot-on. Getting to hear the full extent of their musicianship was lovely, and my favorite moments were Charles Elliott and Andy Nelson’s twin guitar melody in ‘Perpetual Dormancy’ and the title track off of ‘Leveling The Plane Of Existence’. It’s typical to enjoy a band’s older material, but Leveling has been my personal favorite Abysmal Dawn track ever since it came out. It’s just the ideal amalgam of modern and old-school death metal which makes it a standout for me. Following that, they ended the set with another great tune off the same record, ‘In Service Of Time’. In all, a fantastic set by Abysmal Dawn, well worthy not only of the ‘local opener’ slot at this show but worthy of being on a full high-profile tour like this one.

facebook.com/AbysmalDawn
twitter.com/AbysmalDawn

Set List:
1. Programmed to Consume
2. My Own Savior
3. Rapture Renowned
4. Perpetual Dormancy
5. Pixilated Ignorance
6. Leveling the Plane of Existence
7. In Service of Time

The ever-consistent New York death metal giants Immolation came up on stage next to show their wares. With the volume of shows I’ve been attending lately, I haven’t had a chance to listen to the new Immolation album ‘Kingdom Of Conspiracy’, so I was very much awaiting their performance here. They focused almost half of their short set to the new material, and it was a fairly good taste of what the album’s like. It follows the same path along which they’ve been heading over the past few albums, but it’s still solid and fresh enough to garner interest of fans and first-time listeners alike. I thought it was very fitting of them to be on this tour, as both Cannibal Corpse and Immolation have completed 25 years of successful existence this year.

Frontman Ross Dolan was in his elements, well backed up by his band mates. I found it kind of hilarious that even though his voice is exactly like Anthrax’ Scott Ian, he comes across as so much more of a nice guy. Besides Dolan’s bestial vocals, bass and hair, Robert Vigna lit up the set as well. He truly is one of the most underrated extreme metal guitarists. As he weaved his way through the set with power-packed riffs, compelling solos and strong physical presence, his talents were there to be seen and heard. To be honest, I’ve always enjoyed seeing death metal bands live, but there are only a few of those bands I listen to at home. Immolation is one such band that goes the extra mile to come up with something more than generic cookie-cutter extreme metal to force me to appreciate them at home. Great set as always by Immolation. Go pick up their new album!

facebook.com/immolation
twitter.com/immolation 

Set List:
1. Kingdom Of Conspiracy
2. What They Bring
3. Majesty and Decay
4. Bound To Order
5. Dawn of Possession
6. Swarm of Terror
7. All That Awaits Us

Soon after, Napalm Death took the stage in an attempt to crush this audience with their much highly regarded, respected and admired grindcore that has been blowing eardrums for the past 31 years. I had never seen them before, but heard so much about their wild shows. There’s always been such a huge hype about their shows, I always wondered, ‘What the hell does this band have in them?’ Finally, last night I got a chance to witness it first hand, and I am disappointed to say it really did not live up to that kind of reputation. The band’s fans were happy, of course, keeping the circle pits and crowd surfs going at full tilt. Their guitar sound was muddy at best. I know they go for the ‘wall of sound’ effect with their music, but I’ve seen several other bands, Nails for example, that pulled it off better than what Napalm did last night. Their sound was certainly loud and heavy but not strong or penetrating enough in my opinion. I mean, they were definitely good in the absolute sense, but not amazing by any means.

I did enjoy the few moments where I could actually hear the guitar riffs, and the super-short ‘You Suffer’ song was funny. Besides, vocalist Mark Barney Greenway’s speeches to the audience were awesome. In fact, whenever the band took a pause and he announced the song they were about to play, I was able to enjoy that particular song more than I otherwise would have. The power and command of his beautiful Birmingham accent got to my head, I think. But overall, this Napalm Death set did not blow me away at all. They didn’t convert me into a fan. With that said, I’d definitely see them again when the opportunity arises and hope to get a better experience of their live show.

A huge roar went up around this incredibly jam-packed venue as the giant Cannibal Corpse banner graced the backdrop of the stage while we waited for the band to appear in the foreground. Promptly at around 10.45, the lights went out, the band came out, and madness ensued for the next 75 minutes. It had been a while since I saw this band live, and last night I realized what I was missing in my life. Simply put, they proved yet again why they are one of the best live bands on the planet. But aside from all the insane windmill head-banging by Corpsegrinder in perfect synchronization with that of bassist Alex Wester and guitarists Rob Barrett and Pat O’Brien, they got their sound right. The horde of crazy fans gathered here wouldn’t mind even if Corpse sounded like mindless noise on that stage, but to the band’s credit they ensured that their guitar tones were thick, crisp and crystal clear, bass solid, drums mixed to the appropriate level, and Corpsegrinder allowed to exploit the full strength of his massive vocals.

Talking of Corpsegrinder, he is a legend not only for his vocals and his inhumane neck (or lack of), but for his on-stage banter with the crowd. In comparison to what he said between songs the last time I saw the band, he certainly came up with new jokes and lines this time and wasn’t just going on autopilot. Hundreds of extreme metal bands around the world try to announce the next song in the ‘death growl’ voice. All of them should stop it, because Corpsegrinder is the one and the only death metal vocalist who does it right.

Believe me, I tried my hardest to look for flaws in this performance, but I failed. This Cannibal Corpse set was spotless. People were going nuts in the front GA pit, but there were plenty jumping from the section just behind it, where I was. There was no rail to stop them from doing so, as each section at the Observatory is a couple of feet higher than the one in front, actually making the jump very easy. Talking of which, I had never seen this place so densely populated ever before. Between sets, there was hardly any room to even walk around. Orange County, specially Santa Ana, is supposed to be a ‘smaller market’ for Cannibal Corpse, but if you saw that crowd last night you’d think it was a LA or NY show.

I have to give major props to the Observatory’s sound system. As long as the band’s technicians got their mix right, the PA sounded absolutely fantastic. I didn’t even need ear plugs, such was the control in the level of distortion. I must also mention the lighting, which was beautiful for the photographers but also highlighted the bands on stage excellently well. The blues and reds enhanced the impact of the music even further. The sight and sound of Cannibal Corpse showered in red lights playing one of their typically brutal tunes was a very ominous moment. Of course, songs like ‘I Cum Blood’, ‘Make Them Suffer’ and ‘Hammer Smashed Face’ were phenomenal in this live setting and thoroughly enjoyed by one and all in attendance. Overall, a decimating performance by Cannibal Corpse, one that’s worthy of defining live extreme metal musicianship.

Set List:
1. A Skull Full of Maggots
2. Staring Through the Eyes of the Dead
3. Edible Autopsy
4. Addicted to Vaginal Skin
5. An Experiment In Homicide
6. Sentenced to Burn
7. Gutted
8. Demented Aggression
9. Scourge of Iron
10.Disfigured
11.Evisceration Plague
12.Dormant Bodies Bursting
13.Disposal of the Body
14.Decency Defied
15.Dead Human Collection
16.I Cum Blood
17.Encased in Concrete
18.Make Them Suffer
19.Hammer Smashed Face
20.Stripped, Raped and Strangled

Remaining Tour Dates:
5/17 Oakland, CA @ Oakland Metro
5/18 Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
5/19 Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
5/21 Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
5/22 Calgary, AB @ MacEwan Ballroom
5/23 Edmonton, AB @ Starlight Room
5/24 Regina, SK @ Riddell Centre
5/25 Winnipeg, MB @ The Garrick
5/26 St. Paul, MN @ Mill City Nights
5/28 Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
5/29 Detroit, MI @ Harpos
5/30 Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom
5/31 Toronto, ON @ The Phoenix
6/1 Montreal, QC @ Club Soda
6/2 Boston, MA @ Royale
6/4 New Haven, CT @ Toad’s Place
6/5 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
6/6 Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
6/7 Cleveland, OH @ Peabodys
6/9 St. Louis, MO @ Pops
6/11 Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
6/12 Orlando, FL @ Beacham

May 15th 2013, The Viper Room, Hollywood CA: Following the release of their sophomore full-length effort ‘Ride The Void’, Los Angeles’ very own metal warriors Holy Grail have been highly active on the road lately, finishing a successful run on the mighty Metal Alliance tour alongside the likes of Anthrax, Exodus, Municipal Waste and High On Fire. They will go on their own tour next month, but in the meanwhile they are enjoying their break in LA, turning up to perform a headline show or two, like they did last night at the Viper Room. As support acts, they had with them three fellow LA bands in doomsters Behold! The Monolith, death/thrash/punk outfit Gravehill and Cliff ‘Em All, a tribute to ’81-’86 Metallica. Being as heavily involved in the LA gig circuit as I am, I look forward to these all-LA shows probably more than anyone else. I got there at around 8.30 PM, and the stage looked set for a fabulous LA metal night.

Cliff ‘Em All kicked off the show at around 8.45. The complete ‘Ecstasy Of Gold’ intro a la Metallica proved straightaway that this band took their act very seriously. They tore things up right from the get-go with ‘Fight Fire With Fire’, and once you open with a song like that, there’s just no looking back. You simply can’t go wrong with early Metallica, as was evident from the positive response of the crowd even at this early point of the evening. The band was top notch in their performance of the songs they chose to play, which included ‘No Remorse’, ‘Whiplash’, ‘Damage Inc’ and ‘Creeping Death’. The whole set itself was great, but there were two major pleasant surprises for me. I didn’t think anyone would ever attempt ‘Anasthesia–Pulling Teeth’, but these guys did so, and sure did a good job at it. I had no idea that the lead guitarist and bassist are from the band Lightning Swords Of Death. It was highly amusing to see them play Metallica songs up there. I’m so glad they didn’t do the generic Metallica ‘hits’, specially that criminally overrated ‘Seek And Desterrroy’. The other surprise was a cover of Slayer’s ‘Die By The Sword’, as Cliff ‘Em All became Slay ‘Em All in honor of Jeff Hanneman. In all, it was a feel-good set by Cliff ‘Em All and it was great to relive the magic of those classic Metallica tunes all over again.

facebook.com/cliffallica 
twitter.com/metallicliff 

Set List:
1. Fight Fire With Fire
2. No Remorse
3. Anasthesia–Pulling Teeth
4. Whiplash
5. Die By The Sword (Slayer cover)
6. Damage Inc.
7. Creeping Death

Gravehill appeared on stage next, with frontman Mike Abominator glistening gloriously in stage blood. I’ve seen these guys a few times in the past. They’re the kind whom you can’t possibly hate when you’re seeing them live. If you like the music, great. Even if you don’t, their visual aspect with the stage blood along with the humor infused by Mike’s hilarious facial expressions and crowd banter makes them entertaining to watch. The Viper Room places a catwalk which extends the stage down its center for some of their events. Last night was one such event because of a porn sideshow going on between the bands’ sets that I did not give a flying fuck about, no pun intended. But it made for some uniquely funny moments during Gravehill’s set as Mike Abominator marched down the catwalk, blood dripping everywhere, careful of every step and worried about the catwalk collapsing under him. Now that’s a Gravehill experience I never thought I’d get. Their music was filled to the brim with good ol’ death/black/thrash, compelling the head-bangers to get their necks in motion with their invisible oranges raised high. They ‘punked’ it up for the last two songs of the set though, with a G.G. Allin cover followed by the set closer ‘Crucify’. Killer set by Gravehill, as always!

facebook.com/gravehill 

Set List:
1. Death Curse
2. Devil Worshipper
3. Open Their Throats
4. Fear The Reaper
5. Unending Lust
6. I Kill Everything I Fuck (G.G. Allin cover)
7. Crucify

The LA metal vibe was so strong and relentless, I could almost smell it. Doom trio Behold! The Monolith were next. They impressed me the first time I saw them, opening for Armored Saint at the Sunset House of Blues in 2010, and I’ve kept tab on their activities ever since. I found their most recent full-length album ‘Defender, Redeemist’ to be fantastic, one of the best ‘undergod’ releases of last year. And indeed, they opened this set with the 11-minute doom treat ‘Redeemist’. They brought along a completely different atmosphere as compared to any of the other bands that played this show. At the start, there was smoke everywhere, and as guitarist Matt Price fired away the sweet, clean guitar segments on his Gibson Les Paul, it was an ethereal, psychedelic feeling. Even with the strong doom vibe, they had plenty of variations within each of these long tunes. Having seen Motörhead the night before, I couldn’t help but think of Matt Price as a younger Lemmy because of his appearance. ‘We Are The Worm’ was the other song off of that album, following which they belted out a Celtic Frost cover, and ended with a new unreleased tune which makes me excited for their next album even more. A mighty awesome performance by Behold! The Monolith.

facebook.com/beholdthemonolith
twitter.com/btmband 

Set List:
1. Redeemist
2. We Are The Worm
3. Into The Crypts Of Rays (Celtic Frost cover)
4. Mithridatist

Sharply at midnight, headliners Holy Grail took the stage in front of a now-packed Viper Room. It was a little over two years ago that I saw them here on this very stage, when they were kicking off their first ever headline tour, and that was also then-new guitarist Alex Lee’s first show with the band. Time has flown by, the band has done numerous high-profile tours, released another album, and I was very much waiting to see how they’ve progressed as a live band. And sure enough, they’ve improved leaps and bounds as on-stage musicians and performers. They seemed to revel as a headliner, playing to their own crowd and their energy was transferring well into the audience. They mixed up the set perfectly with 6 songs each from the Crisis In Utopia and Ride The Void albums, although I would have also liked to hear ‘Cherish Disdain’ and ‘For All Eternity’, specially the latter, a forgotten Holy Grail classic that never made it onto a studio release.

Of course, the staple crowd favorites like ‘Immortal Man’, ‘Call Of Valhalla’, ‘My Last Attack’ and the final song ‘Fight To Kill’ sent this crowd into a frenzy. The songs off of Ride The Void sounded great and blended with the older songs better than I was expecting. ‘Bleeding Stone’ was as enjoyable as any of the old songs actually, along with the tile track ‘Ride The Void’ and ‘Take It to The Grave’. Singer Luna and guitarists Eli and Alex were definitely enjoyed the extra stage room by utilizing the catwalk to its fullest. It made for an entertaining show and their on-stage personalities were there to be appreciated by one and all. Technically, there was one flaw in the set. The vocals were mixed too low, and were being drowned out by the drums. All bands were playing on the Viper Room’s house kit so may be that had something to do with it, but things sounded fine for the opening bands, so the mess-up during Holy Grail’s set was a bit weird. I mean, I could see Luna hitting all the right notes, but sadly couldn’t be heard too much (I was in the front row but I verified this with people in the back).

Other than that, it was a kickass performance that delighted die-hard hometown fans of the band and largely gained the approval of first-time Holy Grail concert attendees. I would like to thank the promoter for putting on such a killer all-LA lineup. I love Los Angeles metal, and I hope for many more such nights in the near future.

[Check out Holy Grail's headline tour schedule here]

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Set List:
1. Immortal Man
2. Bleeding Stone
3. Too Decayed To Wait
4. Dark Passenger
5. Call Of Valhalla
6. Ride The Void
7. Crisis In Utopia
8. Hollow Ground
9. Take It To The Grave
10.Crosswinds
11.My Last Attack
12.Fight To Kill

May 14th 2013, Club Nokia, Los Angeles CA: The loudest band on earth was back in town, and this time it was only a one-off show, specially for us Los Angeles folks. Yes, I’m talking about none other than Motörhead, who were here to blow eardrums at Club Nokia last night along with Canadian veterans Anvil and local metal band Kemical Kill as the support acts. Motörhead put out ‘The World Is Yours’, their latest studio album of original material, in February 2011 in the States and are currently working on a new album. So this gig had nothing riding on it in terms of promoting a new product. It was simply meant to be a treat for fans of the band’s adopted hometown before they begin their travels for the upcoming shows in Mexico and Europe, and as expected, the fans had turned up in huge numbers for this show.

The doors opened at 7.30, and the crowd flooded in to get the best possible spot to see the show from. Kemical Kill, led by 12-year old guitar prodigy Nik Kai, took the stage 10 minutes before schedule, at 8.20 PM. Right off the bat, they created a bad impression when their vocalist started singing. The clean vocals by him and the generic cookie-cutter metalcore vocals by the bassist were plain horrible, the rhythm section was bland, and Nik Kai’s performance on guitar was the only saving grace for this band, the only thing you could look at or listen to. It just goes to show that it’s impossible for any band to cover up bad vocals. The crowd was booing them rather loudly after the end of every song, with jeers of ‘You Suck!’ getting stronger and stronger. These jeers gained even more impetus when the band brought out a violin player for a couple of songs. It absolutely did not fit with the old-school vibe of this show, and I have to say they got what they deserved. Finally, to everyone’s relief, they ended their set at about 8.45 and left the stage. All I’d say is, Nik Kai is certainly a talented young guitarist but he needs to find other musicians to jam with, and quick.

Toronto-based trio Anvil, heroes of the 2008 documentary film ‘The Story Of Anvil’, took the stage soon after, and started off with the ‘March Of The Crabs’ instrumental from the Metal On Metal album before going into ’666′ from the same album and taking their shortish set forward from there on. The last I had seen them was in February 2010 when they were on their own headline tour, and at the time I didn’t think they were anywhere near as great as they were made out to be in that documentary. Three years go by, and they’re back on an LA stage, but on this occasion I went in with no expectations. Their 2011 release ‘Juggernaut Of Justice’ was nothing special, and I had no hope in hell from their upcoming album ‘Hope In Hell’, which by the way doesn’t even have a North American release date yet.

If you go in with no expectations and/or have never seen them before, I guess Anvil is an entertaining band, more so to watch than to listen to, in my honest opinion. Steve ‘Lips’ Kudlow brought out some cheesy stage props like the microphone inside his guitar and his famous dildo, to go with his crazy facial expressions. I appreciate the fact that he seemed so happy to be up on that stage performing for a crowd that was already in the mood for old-school metal, a crowd that gleefully accepted Anvil over that other opening band, but the reality is, his vocals and guitar solos were showing his age as he struggled to keep up with the faster material. May be the band should choose slower songs to overcome that. Robb Reiner has always been a solid drummer, but my goodness, that drum solo in the middle of ‘Swing Thing’ was absolutely pointless. When a support band does a drum solo, it just baffles me. Lips’ guitar solo with the dildo just made me cry out in sympathy for that brand new hollow-body guitar of his. Amongst the actual songs they played, there were two off of ‘Hope In Hell’. The title track sounded pretty weak, but ‘Eat Your Words’ was decent.

They ended the 45-minute set with their biggest hit ‘Metal On Metal’. The mostly young crowd generally seemed to enjoy Anvil’s set, the band enjoyed playing here and fit in well with the Motörhead audience. They were way better than the opening band, but that’s not much of a compliment, and for me they’re over. They’ve milked the life out of that one hit song and that 2008 documentary, and haven’t done anything since then to prove that they still have it in them to make good music. I totally respect their legacy and history, but for how much longer can they stretch that one riff?

Set List:
1. March Of The Crabs
2. 666
3. On Fire
4. Winged Assassins
5. Hope In Hell
6. Eat Your Words
7. Guitar Solo
8. Swing Thing/Drum Solo
9. Metal On Metal

It was a 30-minute wait before the show’s headliners took the stage. Black Sabbath’s ‘Into The Void’ on the PA was a nice little warm-up for Motörhead‘s big onslaught. They appeared on stage at 10.15. Lemmy greeted the audience with his famous words, ‘Good evening! How are you doing? We are Motörhead, and we play rock ‘n roll!’ Right about this time, people started going nuts. I was standing right behind the rail that separated the front GA pit from the other sections of the floor, and lots of people started jumping over the rail to get into the pit, even though people already in the pit had probably paid extra money to gain that privilege. But who cared at that point? People were jumping and rolling off of that rail left and right, to the dismay of the handful of security staff who couldn’t do much about it. The band ripped into the song ‘I Know How To Die’ from the latest album The World Is Yours to start the set, and that turned out to be the only recent material for the night.

As someone who’d never seen them play the song before, I was thrilled to bits to hear ‘Damage Case’. They played it a bit slower than the recorded version, which actually wasn’t a bad thing. Somehow it made the song more enjoyable, a song you could head-bang to at even slower speeds than usual. I was loving the hefty dosage of the Overkill album in this part of the set, as they followed Damage Case with ‘Stay Clean’ and ‘Metropolis’. There are so many songs in that album other than the title track that deserve recognition, and I’m glad it happened tonight, albeit briefly.

Phil Campbell then made a mention of the new album and told us it’d be coming out in 3 or 4 months. He said, ‘Now we’ll play a song that’s … not on the new album.’ The mosh pits truly broke out in full force when that song turned out to be ‘Over The Top’. The younger crowd definitely didn’t seem to dig the slow songs off of Overkill as much as I did, and I could sense they were waiting to something a little more up their alley. Then came ‘Over The Top’ and changed the momentum. But immediately after, things calmed down again as Lemmy and Mikkey Dee left the stage and Phil Campbell played a soothing solo with his guitar neck lit in green light. The band reappeared and they brought out ‘The Chase Is Better Than The Catch’, a song that has become a bit of a staple in recent Motörhead set lists. But then they dug into their catalog, dusting off deep cuts such as ‘Rock It’ from the Another Perfect Day album, ‘You Better Run’ from March Or Die and ‘The One To Sing The Blues’ from 1916.

Honestly, in the past Motörhead shows I’ve seen, I felt they were on autopilot, not doing much different in the set lists. But last night was a pleasant surprise in that aspect, I must say. Looking at them, they still felt like they were on autopilot though, and I think that’s probably because they’ve been playing this set in recent shows in Europe. For a change, they gave us the same set they give to the Europeans, and I for one was mighty pleased about that. Everything came easily to the band, and they didn’t seem to make much of an effort or even break a sweat as they belted out this 65-minute set. That’s not a bad thing, that’s just how Motörhead roll.

The rarities were done with, and now it was time for the ‘hits’, the most popular live songs. ‘Going To Brazil’, ‘Killed By Death’ featuring Lemmy’s son Paul Inder and ‘Ace Of Spades’ formed the last portion of the main set. As expected, the crowd went wild and by this time the entire front GA pit was an actual mosh pit. It’s fun to look at mosh pits in general, but I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the one dude sitting on his friend’s shoulders and happily circling inside that pit. The encore had one major surprise. ‘So now, we’re going to do a Thin Lizzy cover, because you know, we can’, said Lemmy as they treated us with a cover of Lizzy’s ‘Are You Ready’. Motörhead doing a Lizzy cover? That’s a rare gem if I’ve ever seen one. Don’t forget us, we are Motörhead, and we play rock ‘n roll’, said Lemmy as he addressed the crowd for one final time before they went into ‘Overkill’. For the entirety of the song, we were absolutely flooded by strobe lights. I think I can still feel the daze in my head as a result of that. The song ended and with it the proceedings for the night, as the band took a collective bow and gracefully departed the stage, leaving their instruments switched on, with the volume turned up the maximum.

Performance-wise, as I said earlier, everything came naturally and easily to them. They’ve done this perfectly right for way too long to screw it up now. Obviously, with such a plethora of music tucked away in their mighty arsenal, not everyone would be satisfied with a Motörhead set, no matter what they play. Songs like ‘Iron Fist’, ‘Bomber’, ‘The Hammer’, ‘Fire Fire’, and many others were truly missed, but I’m sure the band is saving those for another time. My only gripe is, they could have played a couple more songs and made it a 75-minute set, but in general it was a satisfactorily awesome and deafeningly loud Motörhead set, well aided by modern marvel Club Nokia’s state-of-the-art acoustics. Here’s to many more Motörhead concerts and new albums in the near future. \m/

Set List:
1. I Know How To Die
2. Damage Case
3. Stay Clean
4. Metropolis
5. Over The Top
6. Guitar Solo
7. The Chase Is Better Than The Catch
8. Rock It
9. You Better Run
10.The One To Sing The Blues/Drum Solo
11.Going To Brazil
12.Killed By Death (w/ Paul Inder)
13.Ace Of Spades
Encore:
14.Are You Ready (Thin Lizzy cover)
15.Overkill

May 13th 2013, The Joint, Los Angeles CA: The last time Finnish grindcore band Rotten Sound visited North American shores was on the Finnish Metal Tour, where they were on the fourth band on a bill consisting of Finntroll, Ensiferum and Barren Earth. They released an album called ‘Cursed’ at the end of that tour, and two years on, they’ve put on their new ‘Species At War’ EP. They’re back in the States as a headline act this time, with a rotating support slot filled by the likes of Black Breath, Early Graves, Enabler, Abigail and Speedwolf. I enjoyed their set on the Finnish Metal Tour last time around, so I was stoked for this show and wanted to find out how they cope with being the headline act and what kind of turnout they got here at the Joint in West LA, on a Monday night.

I entered the venue at 9 o’ clock, and by the time I finished doing my interview with Early Graves frontman John Strachan, the band on stage, Orange County-based grindcore act Semtex Vest were more than half-way into their set. Based on the duration I got to see them for, I thought they sounded pretty solid with all the necessary elements of ‘grind-olence’ as they like to describe it. I was rather amused to see Steve Nelson up there on the guitar and vocals. He truly is LA’s most multi-faceted underground musician, as a member of bands like Destroy Judas, EvilDead, Winterthrall and 600 others, and this was yet another avatar of him I had never seen before, and honestly didn’t even know about. Good stuff, would love to check them out in greater detail next time.

Destroyed In Seconds, the last local opener for the show, took the stage next and kept the same kind of vibe going, although their sound had a bit more of a crossover element at certain times. I enjoyed their vocalist’s on-stage energy, and it was funny to see him trying to find room to move around on that tiny stage. He jumped down into the crowd at one point but that didn’t work for too long so he went back up, and towards the end of the set, he was like, fuck this, and jumped on the bar adjacent to the stage instead. I could really feel that he was trapped by the limited space he was given. Music-wise I actually enjoyed their slower parts, the breakdowns and interludes more. I tend to be saying that a lot these days. I don’t know, may be I’m enjoying slower music in general now, specially when it comes to bands I’m already not too familiar with. Their fast bits were repetitive, but fun nonetheless. Solid set by D.I.S., and it’s no surprise that they are one of the stalwarts of the SoCal underground.

The show was moving along quite swiftly, as Early Graves were ready to explode soon after D.I.S. were done. The first time I saw this band was in fact their first show with John Strachan on vocals, after the tragic death of original vocalist Makh Daniels. This was the Power Of The Riff festival at the Echo/Echoplex in LA in August 2011, and The Funeral Pyre frontman fit right into Early Graves from the get-go. The band’s latest release ‘Red Horse’ was further proof of that, and last night they split their set equally between Goner and Red Horse, showcasing the thrash, hardcore and crust elements of their devastating sound.

The bearded five-piece group brought on their A-game not only with the music but with their energy as well, constantly head-banging throughout the set. As if the music alone wasn’t alone to get you pumped, all you need to do is take a look at them performing on stage. The guitars were sounding sweet, heavy and rid of any unnecessary distortion, while the rhythm section dictated the pace of the songs. Just like the D.I.S. singer, John also seemed restricted by the lack of space on stage and was doing his best to hold back his inner demons. The last two songs ‘Rot’ and ‘Quietus’ together formed the best part of the set, specially the outro they played after John left the stage. This is the kind of performance I would have normally gone apeshit to if I didn’t have a long week ahead of me. I really had to try very hard to control myself. Overall, kiler set by Early Graves.

Set List:
1. Skinwalker
2. Goner
3. Give Up
4. Wraiths
5. Red Horse
6. Pure Hell
7. Rot
8. Quietus

After much deliberation with the monitor levels and making sure everything sounded perfect to them on stage, Rotten Sound finally began their short, precise and powerful set. For a headliner to play just 30-35 minutes, the set has to be all about the impact and substance, and not so much about the quantity. This kind of music demands it, and Rotten Sound sure as hell supplied it. I remember the last time on that Finnish Metal Tour, it was amusing to see the stunned faces in the folk-metal audience as they rammed through a 15-minute set of pure brutality. Of course, the response they got was much different last night and people were generally appreciative. This one guy started the moshpit in an otherwise dull crowd, and got the promise of a free t-shirt from frontman Keijo Niinimaa as a reward.

Even when a show is going absolutely perfect, there is always that one single element threatening to ruin it for everyone. And believe it or not, last night it wasn’t anyone from the band, it was the guy with the video camera on stage. He was filming all the bands tonight, and sure enough, he got up there for Rotten Sound too. He was much too intrusive for his own good, and to the dismay of the band members. He was shoving that big video camera of his right in the faces of the musicians up there even as they were busy performing, and the poor guys tolerated him but only up to a certain point. He was knocking down drum mics and doing everything he wasn’t supposed to do. Besides annoying the hell out of Keijo and his bandmates, he was obstructing the view of the audience too. No one wants to see a guy like that taking up all the space on such a tiny stage. Keijo looked like he was about ready to smash his camera into pieces, but finally he got out of the way and the set continued as normal. Besides that unwanted disturbance, Rotten Sound proved their worth as a headlining act touring the States. Their new music sounded as crushing as anything they’ve done in the past. The sudden tempo changes and stop-start moments were a lot of fun. This is a band that will get more and more popular during the course of the near future. If you dig grindcore and haven’t checked out these guys yet, please do.

In terms of the venue, I liked the way everything was run, except for that video guy. The sound was really good, the locations of the bar and merch stand were appropriate, and in general it was a good vibe for metal. I hope there are more shows taking place at this venue. The crowd last night was really dull though. I’m not sure whether that’s the kind of crowd this place attracts or whether it was the Monday night factor. A grind/crust show of this nature could have been a whole lot more fun if the crowd got more involved. Nonetheless, it’s more important that the venue and promoters are supporting this music and bringing out these bands for us to see.

All in all, a solid show put on by the lethal combination of Rotten Sound and Early Graves, well backed up by the local openers.

Remaining Tour Dates:
14 – San Diego, CA – Club Soda (with Early Graves)
15 – Phoenix, AZ – Rhythm Room (with Early Graves)
16 – Chicago, IL – Reggies (with Enabler)
17 – Detroit, MI – TBA
18 – Toronto, ON – Hard Luck
19 – Montreal, QC – Il Motore
20 – Boston, MA – Elks lodge
21 – Philadelphia, PA – The Barbary (with Hellshock, Krömosom, Nomad, and The Wake)
22 – Brooklyn, NY – The Acheron (with Hellshock, Krömosom, Nomad)
24 – Baltimore, MD – Maryland Deathfest
26 – Richmond,VA – Strange Matter (with Abigail)
27 – Raliegh, NC – Kings Arcade (with Abigail, Speedwolf)
28 – Atlanta, GA – 529 (with Abigail, Speedwolf, Kromosom)
29 – New Orleans, LA – Siberia (with Abigail, Speedwolf, Kromosom)
30 – Houston,TX – Walters on Washington (with Abigail, Speedwolf)
31-June 2 – Austin, TX – Chaos in Tejas (with Absu, Integrity)

May 11th 2013, The Vex, Los Angeles CA: After its fifth edition in 2010, LA’s most popular thrash metal festival Thrasho De Mayo took a brief hiatus. Even though LA is never short on gigs, the underground community definitely felt the desire to see the revival of Thrasho. Finally, after 3 years, it became a reality and the 6th edition of the festival was upon us. This time it featured the 25th anniversary celebration of headline act M.O.D., the first ever West Coast appearance of Morbid Saint, Ghoul headlining the Poor Kids Radio stage, and a multitude of other bands part of the 2-stage lineup. The Vex was the venue chosen for the occasion. The doors opened at 3, by which time there was already a line of people waiting to get in. Looking at that, I knew that the turnout was going to be great, and the atmosphere was set for an intriguing 10-hour thrash fest.

The Poor Kids Radio stage was set up outdoors, and Velosity kicked off the show on it promptly at 3.30 PM with their Megadeth-inspired brand of thrash. I’ve seen Velosity a couple of times in the past and guitarist/vocalist Oscar Castillo came across as a talented kid each time. Today was no different as he merrily shredded away on his Dean flying V, with able support from bassist Omar and drummer Abimael Cruz. I thought the sound coming from the stage was decent from where I was standing, facing stage right near the front. Velosity were a bit lucky in that sense because the sound on this stage took a massive downward spiral for the bands that followed. The three-piece band packed a solid punch and proved their worth on this lineup.

It was then time to switch over to the indoor main stage for the first band on there, Madrost. The drums were much too high in the mix, but the band did put on a good show. The diminutive figure of frontman Tanner Poppitt was surprisingly powerful, both in performance and stage presence. His vocals were fun to listen to. It was cool to see the variations in their set with the slower, death metal-style riffs, and their cover of Hirax’ ‘Bombs Of Death’ was a real old-school touch that most people were able to appreciate. In all, Madrost did most things right and warmed up the main stage nicely for the acts to come.

I was digging how there was no gap at all, and the moment a band finished on one stage, the other stage was ready to go. Back outside, Infinite Death were the next band. The singer had corpse paint on, as the band played a very death metal-oriented style, as their name suggests. The sound was downright horrible during their set and this was the start of things going bad on the Poor Kids stage, sound-wise.

Xpulsion took the main stage next, and turned out to be a decent follow-up to Madrost. A good chunk of the crowd that didn’t really enjoy Infinite Death outside were indoors early before the start of Xpulsion’s set, so the band got to play to a larger audience as a result. The sound was better during their set as well, so that worked in their favor too. The guitarist’s yellow Jackson was a cool little visual aspect, as it went well with the largely abundant blue denim at this show. Music-wise they didn’t do anything that would necessarily stand out or be remembered amongst the plethora of bands playing the same show, but they fit in well with the thrash vibe and got a couple of mosh pits going, so it wasn’t a bad set by any means.

Sakrificer followed on the outdoor stage, and unfortunately they couldn’t do much to liven it up compared to the previous band on this stage. There wasn’t any variety in the set with every song following the same Slayer-esque style, and it sounded even worse because all I could hear was bass, vocals and drums. Listening to metal without any guitars is not fun to say the least, and I have no idea why this issue wasn’t addressed.

The band that was supposed to take the indoor stage next was Paralyzer, but they didn’t make it to the show and from what I heard, they got into an accident while on their way to the venue. I hope they didn’t get hurt on the road out there and I’m sure they’ll be playing a show soon somewhere to make up for their absence here. So, this led to a slight lull in proceedings but thanks to the Denver, Colorado-based Speedwolf, it was shorter than expected as they started their set outdoors a lot earlier than the scheduled time of 6.20. As far as this whole lineup is concerned, this is the first band I was really looking forward to seeing, and my goodness, they didn’t disappoint. Speedwolf, rather aptly, were like Motörhead on speed, and this show truly began in full earnest when they unleashed their set onto us. In contrast to almost all of the other guitarists that performed on either stage with their typical old-school thrash tremolo-picking styles, Speedwolf guitarist Kris’ sweet riffs and lead parts came across as a welcome and refreshing change-up. And more importantly, I could actually hear it. The band must have made an effort to take care of the guitar sound, something the other outdoor bands should have done too.

Speedwolf definitely tore up this place and gave it a new lease of life, with a vast majority of the crowd indulging in head-banging, circle pits and surfing. I was thoroughly impressed by all aspects of their performance, and they might have been the best thing to happen to this show. The Speedwolf fans had turned up here in large numbers, and the band obliged them by ending the set with their favorite tune Denver 666. In a surprising turn of events after they were done with that song, the singer Reed announced that they were going to let local heroes Witchaven take up the rest of their set time. Witchaven were originally supposed to play this festival but were then taken off it, so it was a pretty unique thing to see another band letting them back on like that. It got the crowd absolutely pumped, and Witchaven’s 3-song onslaught consisting of ‘Terror Storm’, ‘Black Thrash Assault’ and ‘Unholy Copulation’ was one of the highlights of the evening.

As I walked towards the indoor stage to catch the long-awaited one-off return of Pittsburgh thrashers Mantic Ritual, their guitarist Jeff Potts was behind me and got stoked to see the Mantic Ritual patch on the back of my vest, telling me that it was the first one he’d ever seen. I bought that patch when the band opened for Destruction at the Key Club in March 2009, and have had it on the vest ever since. It was one of the first things to go on that vest, and it was a cool little conversation with Jeff as we made a connection on that story. The band took the main stage, and needless to say, I was super-excited to see them after such a long time. The sound wasn’t up to the mark, but it didn’t matter too much as fans reveled in the band’s spectacular thrash tunes. With Jeff Potts, bassist Ben Mottsman, and drummer Carlos Cruz part of Warbringer as well, it was like infusing the power of 3/5ths of Warbringer into a Mantic Ritual set. It was a major surprise though to see them include a cover of Mercyful Fate’s ‘Gypsy’ in the set. For a band that’s returning after nearly 4 years and apparently not playing a show ever again, it didn’t make sense to play a cover, specially of a non-thrash band. Anyhow, the set was very enjoyable right up till the final moment, when they ended with the song ‘One By One’ and frontman Dan Wetmore smashed his guitar to pieces. People in the front couple of rows weren’t really expected that and were a little freaked out by it as it could have been dangerous. May be Dan was like, ‘I’m never going to play this guitar ever again, so might as well be done with it now.’ Nonetheless, it was a rather nostalgic performance by this killer thrash metal outfit that brought back some great old memories from past shows, and it will be sad to see them disappear again.

Cleveland, Ohio’s Nunslaughter was next on the outdoor stage. The band has been around for more than 25 years, have a fan-following of their own even here in LA, and this set had a lot riding on it but unfortunately the sound yet again ruined everything. Out of all bands that played this stage, Nunslaughter probably got the worst sound. I mean, the fans didn’t seem to care too much and were having an absolute blast out there, but for someone seeing the band for the first time, it wasn’t exactly the kind of experience that would justify the band’s stature in the extreme metal underground. So I’ll have to reserve judgement on their live performance until the next time I see them at a better venue.

There was a sizable gathering inside to see Fueled By Fire, and they lived up to their billing by performing an extremely solid set. The guitar sound was meaty, and I was enjoying Rick Rangel’s style of vocals. He showed that you can have your own identity as a vocalist even in a death/thrash band and it doesn’t necessarily have to be the cookie-cutter version. I was honestly not familiar with their music that much, but after seeing them here, I’m more than inclined to check out their recorded material. They played a couple of new unreleased songs which I thought sounded pretty cool. This rock-solid set from Fueled By Fire led perfectly into the final band on the outdoor stage.

The mighty Ghoul marauded this outdoor stage and what ensued was 60 minutes of full-on entertainment. This was another band I’d never seen before and was very curious to find out what exactly garners them their rabid fan base. Well, last night I did find out. The guitars still weren’t sounding as good as during Speedwolf’s set, but it was decent enough and much better than some of the other outdoor bands for sure. Judging from this performance, the theatre of it all was truly great, but their music alone would be sufficient for them to have the same kind of fan-following, and that’s the major difference between them and the other theatrical acts of our genre. Their speed/thrash/crossover punk tunes went down extremely well with the fans as well as with first-time listeners like me. Various stage props and mascots were used throughout the set as ‘blood’ was sprayed onto the thirsty audience several times. Stage diving hit its maximum level, and security staff had to come out on stage to control it. Overall, an incredible show by Ghoul. They do ‘theatrical metal’ the right way. I’d take them over the likes of GWAR and Ghost any day.

The outdoor stage was now done, and although none of the remaining three main stage bands could live up to the visual awesomeness of Ghoul, the music certainly didn’t let anyone down, and people still had the energy to go around in mosh pits and bang their heads. Idolatry from Texas, featuring the original members of the band Devastation, played next. Devastation had basically reformed into Idolatry but were still playing Devastation songs for this set. As with one or two of the early bands, I could definitely appreciate the death metal element in Idolatry’s thrash. They drew a huge applause from the crowd when they finished their set, and people will look forward to what the band has to offer in their new incarnation in the near future.

Morbid Saint, all the way from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, making their first ever West Coast appearance were up next and they seemed genuinely thrilled and happy to be playing in Los Angeles for the very first time. The manner in which LA crowds respond to thrash took them by surprise a little bit, and they definitely got pumped by the energy coming from this huge crowd. A lot of people were mentioning before the show that Morbid Saint was the main band they were here to see, and it showed in the kind of circle pits that broke out, and the raucous cheers they gave when the vocalist announced a couple of the better-know songs. An absolutely brutal performance by Morbid Saint, and I do not understand why they haven’t been to LA before this. They were inactive for a long time, then started back again in 2010, and based on last night’s show they’re excited to be back, and mean business.

Headliners M.O.D. finally took the stage at 10 minutes past midnight to bring an end to this long thrash festival. They had that old Anthrax/S.O.D. kind of crossover punk/thrash vibe, as you would expect from a band fronted by Billy Milano. Besides Milano’s beastly vocals, the bass sound was pretty massive and it was a different ending to Thrasho as compared to previous editions. Sadly a lot of people left after Morbid Saint’s set, so M.O.D. didn’t really get the kind of audience they should have as a headline act. They were almost rendered an ‘after-hours’ type of band last night. Their performance was certainly top-notch though, and it would have made for a fun atmosphere had they played a bit earlier in the night. It was still great to see these New York stalwarts play an LA show.

Besides the actual music, there were several other aspects and elements of this entire event that were both positive and negative. The crowd had its own colorful characters too, specially this one guy who had his t-shirt perfectly tucked into his jeans, and was part-headbanging part-dancing away throughout the entire day. He just never got tired, stood by himself in the middle of the floor, and enjoyed his day. Dancing is not metal, but the way he did it, it sure was. The other positive was the merchandise. There were plenty of stalls in there with an entire range of merch items to choose from. Both the indoor and outdoor areas were spacious enough to accommodate this large crowd, most unlike the dingy sweatbox of a venue that was the Ultra-Violet where Thrasho 5 took place. The biggest positive was the lineup, and I take my proverbial hat off to the promoters for putting together these bands from all over the States, and not cheaping out with an LA-dominated lineup.

But that’s where the positives end. The sound was absolutely the most glaring negative of the day. It was bad indoors, but much worse outdoors. I think it was the venue’s fault, and looking at the list of metal shows they have coming up, I really do hope they get their stuff together sound-wise. They were constantly running out of food and drink supplies too, and I’m not even talking about beer. Even the water and soda were a rarity at most times during the day. For an all-day event, shortage of such supplies was uncalled for and a little bit unprofessional.

Nonetheless, I’m glad this festival made a return because LA has a huge following for thrash metal, but the event overall could have been so much better than it ended up being.

May 9th 2013, House Of Blues, Anaheim CA: Until last night, it was nearly five years since I last saw Yngwie J. Malmsteen perform on stage, at the Avalon in Hollywood sometime in October 2008. Time flew by, he did a tour here in 2011 that I had to miss out on, and finally the day had arrived when I would get to witness his virtuosic guitar show. When I got to the House of Blues in Downtown Disney around an hour before doors opened, there was no queue of people waiting to get inside, and the tickets weren’t sold out by any means. But by the time the show was ready to start, there was a more than decent sized gathering of people here, ready to have the fury unleashed onto them.

At 8 o’ clock, Boston MA-based guitarist Ethan Brosh came out with his band as the opening act for this show. They played an all-instrumental 40-minute set, and as the set went along, Ethan seemed to grow in confidence and the crowd started warming up to him. I didn’t understand why Yngwie’s mic stands were up on stage while Ethan’s band was playing. It made no sense at all and was unnecessarily obstructing the view of some audience members and photographers. Anyhow, the thing I liked most about Ethan’s performance was that he wasn’t trying to show off too much of his guitar skills, and wasn’t really trying to compete with or match up to Yngwie. It was very much his own thing, with a clear structure in the songs that highlighted the solos. He had his individual moments obviously, but I was digging the manner in which he combined with his sister Nili Brosh on guitar as well. I thought she kicked ass on the rhythms and dual leads with her beautiful red Ibanez guitar, and may be they should do more of the dual lead stuff in their music. It sounded great and was fun to look at. Towards the end of the set, Ethan sat down on the edge of the stage and really expressed himself on the guitar piece he played in that position, after which they closed out the set with the song ‘Downward Spiral’ which features George Lynch on its studio recording and music video. Ethan will be putting out his new album ‘Live the Dream’ later in the year, to feature David Ellefson and mixed by none other than Max Norman. As you can tell, this guy has contacts, but he sure has the talent to back that up.

At 9 o’ clock, surprisingly right on schedule, the curtains were drawn apart and it was time to witness not only a guitar-oriented performance, but an exhibition of sorts. The Yngwie wall of Marshalls was the first thing we saw, then the man himself appeared on stage in his shiny black full-sleeved shirt, shiny black leather pants, high-heel boots and tons of jewelry on. His entrance was so grand, as if a God-like creature had appeared in front of us. The guitar nerds in the audience started losing their minds. He took up at least three-fourths of the stage as his vocalist/keyboardist, bassist and drummer were all hopelessly crammed into the other corner, at least 10 feet away from Yngwie. Then he ripped into his Fender Strat with the Ferrari symbol on the back, and didn’t stop for the next 100 minutes.

Aside from the million-notes-per-minute guitar play, he is well known for his cheesy, over-the-top stage moves. As it was mentioned several times during the set, he has a book out called ‘Relentless’. I just hope he has talked in the book about how he developed these stage moves, because it’s his thing, only he can pull it off and anybody else trying to imitate him would look absolutely stupid. The tip-toe dance across the stage while playing the guitar, the kicks, the kneels, and the guitar twirls are just some of his moves. He is the true maestro of spazzing out while playing guitar, and he demonstrated that in plenty last night. Besides that, who can match his pick-throwing skills? No one. He throws out at least five picks during each song, and he seems to have even perfected the art of kicking out picks and throwing them from between his legs. He must carry thousands of picks for a full tour like this. His stage assistant probably is the hardest working roadie I’ve ever seen, having to catch Yngwie’s guitar when he throws it after each song, and constantly placing new sets of picks on the mic stand. Yngwie gesturing to him to put on new picks while still perfectly playing his guitar parts right was one of the absolute hilarious highlights of the show, and I had to commend Yngwie on his multi-tasking.

Talking of his guitar-playing itself, I honestly got tired after 45 minutes of his set because he kept on doing the same thing over and over. You really can’t do much other than stand still. You can’t head-bang to that music, air-guitar is too hard, you can’t jump or dance either, so it can get tiring. Whenever he did change it up though, it was great to hear, like the two occasions when he brought out the classical guitar, and the very few times when he actually held down a note long enough for us to hear it distinctly. When he holds a note like that and looks skywards, that’s a classic pose and I have no idea why he doesn’t do more of that as opposed to the wiggling around. He has the strength in his fingers to make single notes sound better than what most other guitarists could. The man has so much talent in the neo-classical genre of music, I just feel disappointed to see him overshadow it with the ridiculous showmanship.

Even the few songs that were supposed to be the standouts in this overtly long set, like ‘Far Beyond The Sun’, ‘Black Star’ and the Rainbow cover ‘Gates Of Babylon’, he effectively ruined their impact by excessive soloing. I appreciate improvisation in live renditions of songs to a certain extent, but not when the song loses its identity in the process. For example, we had to wait for more than five minutes of his soloing to be done before we heard the final chorus in Gates Of Babylon! Not the right way to do it, in my opinion. The drum solo by Patrick Johanssen was also pointless, and the bassist Ralph Ciavolino trying to spew jokes while Yngwie took breaks in between songs got old pretty quickly. Even though I would have preferred seeing Tim Ripper Owens as the vocalist any day, I did enjoy the performance of the vocalist/keyboardist Nick Marino, and his vocals on Gates Of Babylon reminded me a lot of Russell Allen.

Despite its fair share of negative aspects, Yngwie’s performance was undeniably entertaining. When you’re seeing Yngwie Malmsteen, you can revel at the good bits and laugh at the bad ones. He hasn’t changed his appearance, guitar-playing style or stage persona in any way whatsoever during the past five years, and to me it’s clear that he never will. The poster for this North American tour says in bold letters ‘Come See The World’s Greatest Guitar Player’. I’m not sure that he is, and it’s a very subjective thing, but he sure is one of the world’s most unique guitar players, and last night’s show dispelled any doubts about that.

Set List:
1. Rising Force
2. Demon Driver
3. Spellbound
4. Overture
5. From A Thousand Cuts
6. Arpeggios From Hell
7. Crown of Thorns
8. Badiniere
9. Adagio (Niccolò Paganini cover)
10.Far Beyond the Sun
11.Dreaming
12.Gates of Babylon (Rainbow cover)
13.Into Valhalla
14.Baroque & Roll
15.Masquerade
16.Red Devil
17.Trilogy Suite
18.Blue
19.Fugue
20.Drum Solo
21.Heaven Tonight
Encore:
22.Black Star
23.I’ll See the Light Tonight

May 8th 2013, The Roxy Theatre, Hollywood CA: Following the release of their sophomore album ‘Meir’, rapidly rising Norwegian extreme metal/rock outfit Kvelertak are currently bringing their tour to North American audiences, and made the inevitable LA stop of the tour at the Roxy Theatre in Hollywood last night. Cancer Bats and Black Tusk were the support acts, along with local openers Killing California. When I first heard it, I really thought Kvelertak’s newest effort is a stellar release and would go down well in the live setting too. The album has maintained its impact over repeated listens, and I was about to find out whether or not it holds up in the live setting in the manner I expected it to. Despite the fact that all three of these bands tour so actively, strangely enough I’d never really seen them before. So this night promised to be an entirely new experience altogether.

I missed out on Killing California’s set, unfortunately, as I was busy with my Cancer Bats interview at the time. But I entered the venue perfectly in time for the start of Black Tusk‘s set. This Savannah, Georgia based sludge trio instantly tore up the stage and got the crowd moving. Their 30-minute set can only be described as full-on intensity to the maximum, so much so that their drummer broke one of his drums. That’s how hard he was smashing them. I initially imagined there’d be a great divide in the crowd between fans of each of the three bands, with the ‘bearded heshers’ (as Cancer Bats frontman Liam Cormier described them in my interview) sticking to Black Tusk. But everyone in general seemed to have a great time during Black Tusk’s set, and enjoyed basking in the band’s monstrous wall of sound. I guess when the music’s heavy, loud and simple, you can’t really ask for much more than that as a heavy metal fan. In all a  great set by Black Tusk, and I look forward to seeing them many, many more times in the near future.

After a very short interval, the mighty Cancer Bats stormed this Roxy stage with their no-holds-barred performance. I’ve liked what they’ve done musically on their studio albums thus far, and I was glad to see them play here as the main support act. They got a hefty 45-minute set, and to be completely honest, I wished for it to continue for much longer than that. Their set was just so much fun, it was a bit upsetting to see it end. They don’t exactly fit with either Kvelertak or Black Tusk in terms of the musical styles, but the sheer energy and oomph of their on-stage show is more than sufficient to make up for that. Besides their dynamic frontman Liam Cormier, they have an excellent group of musicians to collectively create a juggernaut. I’ve always associated Cancer Bats’ image with Liam, but after seeing them last night I now know how crucial guitarist Scott Middleton is to their sound. The dude shows how to use the pinch harmonic the right way. Zakk Wylde could take a lesson or two. Besides their killer set, Cancer Bats have a lot of other things to offer on this tour, like their merch. I bought a $1 CD from them which has a bunch of cover tunes and music videos. Spending a dollar can do no harm, can it?

At around 10 minutes past 10, the curtains raised for one final time and Kvelertak hit the stage with the first two songs off of Meir. It was a great way to introduce the new music to the audience, in the process also building up for the older material which was sure to make the fans go apeshit. As expected, the song ‘Mjød’ from the debut album did just that. The jumping, dancing, head-banging and moshing started and pretty much every single person in the crowd was doing something or the other, anything but standing still. Following Mjød was ‘Fossegrim’. Every band has that one song which is most awaited by fans, the one song which draws the best response. For Kvelertak, that song is certainly Fossegrim as was evident from the madness level of the crowd while it was being playing.

But aside from that, there were highlight-worthy moments throughout their 60-minute set. Amidst the crazy, fast and heavy tunes, I really enjoyed the song ‘Evig Vandrar’ from the new album, with its softer acoustic guitar-like vibe and slower tempo which got the crowd to clap along. On a headline tour such as this, they were able to give us a fair chunk of their 2-album discography, with as many as 14 of the 23 songs played. Of course, the older songs still drew the better responses from the crowd, but I’ve got to say the new material went down well too. In addition to nailing down the music, the band’s interaction with the fans was top-notch, specially that of the singer Erlend Hjelvik. Several times during the set, he dived into the crowd and continued singing while surfing on top of them. The fans took perfect care of him by passing him along back to the stage safely enough for him to leave the show completely unscathed. But the entire time I was watching his on-stage persona, he reminded me of the Valient Thorr dude, a band that has been around for much longer than Kvelerta, and I was thinking to myself, ‘Damn, he stole Valient Himself’s moves!’

All in all though, it was a mighty impressive set by Kvelertak. The last time they did a headline show in LA, if I remember correctly it was at the Echoplex. They’ve made the big leap to headline the Roxy now, and it’s all purely because of the music, properly legit with no gimmicks involved. The three-pronged guitar attack sounded big and sweet, plus stand-in drummer Jay Weinberg did a fine job too. The band’s black metal elements on some of the newer songs shone through as well, and Weinberg had a big role to play in that. Last night marked a successful LA return for Kvelertak, without a doubt.

Related: Cancer Bats audio interview 

Kvelertak Set List:
1. Åpenbaring
2. Spring fra livet
3. Mjød
4. Fossegrim
5. Ulvetid
6. Bruane Brenn
7. Nekrokosmos
8. Sjøhyenar (Havets herrer)
9. Evig Vandrar
10.Nekroskop
11.Månelyst
12.Offernatt
13.Blodtørst
Encore:
14.Utrydd dei svake

Remaining Dates:
5/09/2013 Joe’s Grotto – Phoenix, AZ
5/11/2013 Fitzgerald’s (Downstairs) – Houston, TX
5/12/2013 Club Dada – Dallas, TX
5/13/2013 Red 7 – Austin, TX
5/15/2013 Exit/In – Nashville, TN
5/17/2013 The Studio at Webster Hall – New York, NY
5/18/2013 Underground Arts – Philadelphia, PA
5/19/2013 Rock & Roll Hotel – Washington, DC
5/20/2013 Great Scott – Allston, MA
5/21/2013 Les Katacombes – Montreal, QC *
5/22/2013 The Wreck Room – Toronto, ON  *
* = w/ Black Tusk only

May 7th 2013, Five Star Bar, Los Angeles CA: After scoping out venues on the Sunset Strip and a few other places over the past 15 days, I was back at the good ol’ Five Star Bar in downtown LA. I used to live a few blocks away from this place in the past, and this was one of my favorite hangout spots. I love the weirdness and intimacy of the venue, and it has been host to some interesting shows. Last night it was Toronto-based classic heavy metal band Cauldron stopping by on their ‘America’s Lost’ tour. They’re on their first full North American tour since the last time I saw them open for Holy Grail in 2011, and this time they’re headlining with local support in each city. I’ve enjoyed them every time I’ve seen them, and was looking forward to see them as a headliner for the first time ever.

The doors opened at 8 and the show started at 8.30. Meth Leppard are on the flyer but they didn’t play the show. The band Livin Alive was first to take the stage. What they were playing wasn’t anything new, but this wasn’t the kind of show where people came out to discover bands that reinvent the wheel. It was all about fitting in to the classic metal theme of the night, and Livin Alive certainly did that. These four kids looked like they were playing their hearts out, and that’s what endeared them to the crowd. Singer/guitarist Wowie put on a great show, both music-wise and in terms of his interaction with the crowd. They turned out to be the perfect opener for this show and I’d be definitely in touch with their upcoming shows to check them out next time as well.

Night Demon were up next. Another band that kept the classic speed metal vibe going, much to the delight of the crowd. The trio came across as genuinely good musicians. While watching them I somehow got the feeling that I’ve seen them somewhere before, but for the life of me I can’t remember where, when or with whom. Anyway, for me they were the best support band last night and did all things right. For the traditional heavy metal fans in attendance last night, it was near impossible to not enjoy this Night Demon performance. A lot of people in the LA scene often sound jaded and keep saying that local music is dead, there aren’t any good bands coming up anymore, and all of that stuff. But as long as LA gives us bands like Night Demon, we have nothing to worry about and plenty to rejoice.

The show was going so excellent thus far, I feared there had to be something amiss. It couldn’t just be perfect all the way through. And sure enough, the next band Brain Dead stuck out like a sore thumb. When I saw them setting up on stage and two of the members wearing Slayer shirts, I got an inkling that they weren’t going to fit. And unfortunately I was right. Their music seemed like a hybrid of Slayer and Pantera with a touch of punk thrown in. Yeah, not the kind you’d want or expect to hear at a Cauldron show. Some people in the crowd started leaving the venue to have a smoke outside. When every band on a lineup is different from each other, then it’s fine, but when all other bands follow a certain theme and one band sticks out, it’s not a good thing. I have nothing against Brain Dead’s performance itself though. I just feel this was a wrong show for them to be on, that’s all.

Everything was going as per schedule so far, and the mighty Exmortus came next as the main support act. This is a band that’s been around for a number of years now, playing tons and tons of local shows, eventually breaking out on tours, and gaining a following of their own in the process. Frontman Conan absolutely ripped on his guitar with some scorching neo-classical influenced leads and solos, with able assistance from band mate David Rivera. To be honest, I’ve been a fan and admirer of their goofy, cheesy, fun-filled approach to metal and I enjoyed their set for a good while last night. But after 25 minutes or so, it was getting a bit tiring to hear the same style of shredding continuously. They played a 45-minute set which I felt was a bit too long for a show that was supposed to be Cauldron’s. I get that Exmortus probably has an equally big or even bigger following than Cauldron in LA, but their set definitely cut into what could have been a longer Cauldron set. Nonetheless, an entertaining-as-ever performance by Exmortus.

At midnight, it was finally time for bang heads to Cauldron‘s awesome classic metal tunes. After a rather prolonged and exaggerated intro, they tore into their set with the opening song ‘End of Time’ from the new album Tomorrow’s Lost. So the impact of the new material was felt on this crowd straightaway and despite the greater prominence of the guitars as compared to previous albums, the catchy Cauldron choruses and melodies were still very much intact. The new stuff blended greatly with the old, as End Of Time was followed by Frozen In Fire off of the Burning Fortune album. I wanted to get a close look at what they were doing on stage, so the PA speakers on either side of the stage were almost alongside me rather than facing me. Hence I wasn’t hearing the full volume of the vocals but I’m sure it was heard absolutely fine a little further back in the crowd. Three more new songs ‘Nitebreaker’, ‘Summoned To Succumb’ and ‘Burning Fortune’ (not to be confused with the previous album’s title) were played, and it’s safe to say that Cauldron made best use of the short time they were given in promoting the new album as well as keeping fans of the old material happy. Talking of old material, ‘Frozen In Fire’ and ‘Rapid City/Unchained Assault’ sounded as good as I remembered them. Rapid City is such an instant classic when it comes to Cauldron live shows, I don’t think it should ever leave their set. In typical Cauldron humor, they asked if anyone in the house was a Rush fan, and then played a cover of Venom’s ‘Die Hard’. They ended the short and sweet set with Conjure The Mass and All Or Nothing.

I certainly felt robbed of at least 15 minutes of Cauldron as they played for only 45 minutes, doing just 9 songs as opposed to the usual 11 or 12 they’ve been doing on this tour. Nonetheless, it was a pleasure to see them perform at the peak of their musical powers yet again. I will never understand why this band isn’t bigger or more popular, but as long as they release good music and put on good shows, they have a fan and supporter in me.

Overall, a mightily amazing show for a meagre price of 5 bucks. If you’re even remotely an old-school metal fan, go see Cauldron as soon as they visit your town!

Related: Photo Gallery

Set List:
1. End Of Time
2. Frozen In Fire
3. Nitebreaker
4. Summoned To Succumb
5. Rapid City/Unchained Assault
6. Burning Fortune
7. Die Hard (Venom cover)
8. Conjure The Mass
9. All Or Nothing

Remaining Dates:
May 08 – Fullerton, CA – Slidebar (FREE)
May 09 – Las Vegas, NV – Bunkhouse
May 10 – Mesa, AZ – Nile Theater Underground
May 11 – Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad (w/ TORTURE VICTIM)
May 15 – St. Louis, MO – Cusumanos’
May 16 – Indianapolis, IN – Indy’s Jukebox
May 17 – Columbus, OH – Kobo
Jun. 08 – Detroit, MI – Orion Music + More festival
Jul. 05 – Richmond, VA – TBA
Jul. 06 – Raleigh, NC – The Maywood