Metal Assault: Gig Reviews

By Andrew Bansal
(photos by Andrew Hernandez)

March 31st 2017, The Glass House, Pomona CA: Nearly 10 months after the release of their tenth studio album ‘The Fall of Hearts’, Swedish progressive rock/metal stalwarts Katatonia finally brought their current touring cycle to North America and arrived here for a headline run, with support acts Caspian and Uncured. The tour made its way to Southern California for two shows, at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles and the Glass House in Pomona. The latter took place last Friday March 31st 2017, and plenty gathered in high anticipation of this eclectic three-pronged prog avalanche. Katatonia has never put a foot wrong on their past visits to the Los Angeles area, and fans expected their first gig in Pomona to live up to the band’s solid reputation, but perhaps no one predicted this show to be as spellbinding as it turned out to be, not only during the headliner’s set, but from start to finish. Continue reading “Silhouettes in Prog Heaven: Katatonia, Caspian & Uncured visit Pomona on ‘Fallen Hearts of North America’ Tour”

Photos by Robert De Anda

March 30th 2017,  The Viper Room, West Hollywood CA: The first ever Metal Assault Night took place last Thursday at the Viper Room, and it was one for the books! We were honored to have three of our favorite LA based bands, i.e. Yidhra, Taarkus and The Rare Breed grace the stage for this one, the performances were fantastic, as was the turnout. Thanks to all the bands for their efforts, and to everyone who came out to attend! Here we present you our photographer Robert De Anda’s photos in an attempt to capture the action. Check them out below, and mark your calendars for the upcoming Metal Assault Nights! Continue reading “Photo Gallery: Metal Assault Night Vol. 1 @ The Viper Room w/ Yidhra, Taarkus & The Rare Breed”

By Cesar Villatoro
(photos by Andrew Bansal)

March 28th 2017, The Roxy, West Hollywood CA: While I admittedly haven’t been to very many shows that are held at the various legendary venues on the Sunset Strip, I can at least say that I’ve had the good fortune of seeing phenomenal shows each time I have made a visit to this part of town, and tonight was no exception. Continuing their promotion of their latest album ‘Rheia’ which was released in September 2016, headliners Oathbreaker brought with them a very diverse set of bands with them on this tour which spans multiple countries. While it’s unfortunate that King Woman and Sannhet wouldn’t be on this leg of the tour, doom rock band Khemmis and the one-of-a-kind Jaye Jayle filled that void and brought with them their own sound and energy. With three distinctively different but equally talented bands on the line-up, tonight was practically guaranteed to be a no-filler, straight-to-the-point experience. By the time doors opened at 7 PM, there was already a modest number of fans in attendance waiting to experience the first band of the night, and luckily they didn’t have to wait very long as the show promptly (and surprisingly) started right on time at 8 PM. Continue reading “Sonic Captivity: Oathbreaker, Khemmis & Jaye Jayle Perform at The Roxy”

By Andrew Bansal

March 25th 2017, The Observatory Orange County, Santa Ana CA: The 2017 edition of the annual Decibel Magazine tour embarked on its journey through North America earlier this month, and its four-band lineup of Kreator, Obituary, Midnight and Horrendous arrived in Southern California for a sold-out show at The Observatory Orange County in Santa Ana last Saturday March 25th. The venue made it very clear (with the sign above) that those who slept on getting tickets were not going to be able to score any on the day of show. The pre-show buildup suggested that this was one of the marquee metal events on the Southern California concert calendar this year, an event every metalhead anywhere within Los Angeles, Orange County and surrounding areas wanted to attend. By the end of it all, it lived up to the hype, perhaps much more than any previous edition of the tour. Continue reading “Hail to the Hordes: Kreator, Obituary, Midnight & Horrendous Play Sold-Out Orange County Show on Decibel Tour”

By Rosie Walker
(photos by Brian Wyner)

March 23rd 2017, Diamond Pub Concert Hall, Louisville KY: Nestled in an industrial corner of Louisville, Kentucky rests Diamond Pub & Billiards. Aged factory buildings loom over the bar and concert hall as if keeping it safe from the ‘less than ideal’ neighborhood it resides in. Louisville is home to the Kentucky Derby and the Major League baseball bat factory. A city you’d last expect a legendary heavy metal band to play, but Amorphis showed up and a magical night of heaviness happened. Continue reading “Finnish Takeover: Amorphis, Swallow The Sun bring North American Tour to Kentucky”

By Jason Williams

March 16th 2017, The Slidebar, Fullerton CA: From Eric Clapton, Joe Satriani, Jeff Beck, Steve Vai, and even Tosin Abasi, these names brighten the moods and smiles of guitar enthusiasts, musicians, and also fans. They range from mostly instrumental music, mainly focusing on the guitar aspect, to the vastly elite, and spellbinding level. We grow to admire these players for being able to create compelling works through the art of the guitar axe. For many, the name spoken as John 5 would not be considered in that category, as his name was heavily promoted and involved within his guitar role starting with Marilyn Manson, and making his way to Rob Zombie, horror rock/pop that lets the lyrics and themes to be shown so much more. But to those who are aware, John 5 is a brilliant guitar player whose impeccable style must be heard to be believed. With that said, fans all around would be salivating at the prospect of his band John 5 and the Creatures performing club shows all across North America for his recent 2017 release ‘Season of the Witch’. The first Southern California appearance? It would luckily be in Fullerton, home to the under-appreciated venue known as the Slidebar. A wonderful music venue/bar to rock out in, alongside the work of John 5 to be witnessed? This brisk Thursday evening would be nothing short of memorable. Continue reading “Season of the Shred: John 5 and the Creatures play Intimate Orange County Show”