Metal Assault: Gig Reviews

By Andrew Bansal

August 17th 2013, Loaded Bar, Hollywood CA: Amidst the plethora of hard rock and heavy metal bands attempting to ply their trade basing themselves out of Los Angeles and surrounding areas, Pasadena rock n’ roll flag-bearers Gypsyhawk have been a standout group ever since they began in 2008. Musically they have their own thing going on, with a kind of style that largely separates them from most other bands of similar age. And when it comes to live performances, very few acts match up to Gypsyhawk’s aura and persona. They got signed to Metal Blade Records and put out a great sophomore album last year called ‘Revelry & Resilience’. For a number of reasons, I still hadn’t seen them live since the release of the album, and last night at Loaded Bar I was finally able to rectify that. Obviously I had a level of expectation from them based on my past Gypsyhawk live experiences, but they had a few surprises in store for this audience. Continue reading “Gypsyhawk Plays First Show With New Guitarist At Hollywood’s Loaded Bar”

By Andrew Bansal

August 16th 2013, Paladino’s, Tarzana CA: Los Angeles might be regarded as a big city but when it comes to its metal community, it’s a small world. Whenever a member of this community is suffering from any kind of ailment or needs any kind of help, action is usually taken immediately and funds are raised via a benefit concert of some sort. Sound Barrier was a Los Angeles-based band that started out in 1980, the first and only all-black heavy metal band of its kind. Sadly, the band disintegrated in the late 80s, but their relationship with their then contemporaries in the LA scene still remain. Which is why, when Sound Barrier drummer Dave Brown was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer, singer Bernie K along with friends in Armored Saint, DC4, and a few other bands put together a benefit gig to raise money for Dave last night on August 16th 2013, and the venue chosen for this special gig was Paladino’s. Continue reading “Armored Saint & Friends Perform At Paladino’s For Dave Brown Cancer Benefit”

By Andrew Bansal

August 14th 2013, Five Star Bar, Los Angeles CA: Based out of Providence, Rhode Island, doom mongers Howl have had a great year so far, putting out an excellent sophomore album called ‘Bloodlines’ via Relapse Records and touring plenty in support of it. Currently they are coming to the end of a headline run, with support from Relapse label mates and fellow doom metal band Lord Dying. This tour made a stop at the always lovely Five Star Bar in downtown Los Angeles last night courtesy of local promoters Thee Static Age and openers Exmortus and Infinite Death. I hadn’t seen Howl since Metal Alliance 2011 and had never seen Lord Dying before this, so there was a lot to look forward to as two of the most rapidly rising bands of this sub-genre took the stage at the Five Star. Continue reading “Howl & Lord Dying Raise Decibels In Downtown LA”

By Andrew Bansal

Day 1, August 9th 2013, The Echo, Los Angeles CA: The fourth annual Power Of The Riff festival is a two-day event that kicked off last night with 5 of the 25 bands on the festival lineup taking the stage here at the Echo. The atmosphere at the 2010 and 2011 editions of Power Of The Riff was amazing to be part of, and having been forced to miss out on attending the 2012 edition, I was eagerly awaiting this year’s festival. This kickoff gig was headlined by Black Breath along with Early Graves, Obliterations, Nomads and Creative Adult as the support acts. It was a solid lineup of bands by all means. I reached the venue a good 30 minutes before the doors opened, and the turnout was already decent at the time, growing in number as the evening went by. A good portion of the Los Angeles underground metal community was in attendance. I had a feeling this was going to be a great gig, and it sure was. Continue reading “‘Power Of The Riff’ Festival Brings Together The Best Of The Underground”

By Andrew Bansal

August 8th 2013, Hard Rock Cafe, Hollywood CA: Led by guitarist Benjamin Woods, Heavy Mellow is a Los Angeles-based group that plays hard rock and heavy metal classics on flamenco guitars. Originally the creator of the band Flametal, Woods writes flamenco arrangements for some of the most popular songs of our genre and presents them on stage with the help of fellow flamenco guitarist Luis Villegas. They played two full sets at Hard Rock Cafe Hollywood last night and despite the fact that plenty of other events were going on at the same time, I feel glad and fortunate to have made the right decision in choosing to go see Heavy Mellow. For this gig their percussionist was Mike Bennett, and they had two flamenco dancers to add further color to an already interesting presentation. Amidst all the loudness and brutality of my nightly schedule of hearing live heavy music, this promised to be a refreshing change and I was certainly intrigued by the prospect. Continue reading “Heavy Mellow At Hard Rock Cafe: A Unique Twist On Metal”

By Avinash Mittur

August 4th 2013, The Whisky, West Hollywood CA: I’ve never been a particularly religious guy, and my friends and colleagues usually know or assume that about me. One can imagine that it came as a surprise when I told them that I was going to church last Sunday. This wasn’t your everyday Sunday mass however. This was a congregation under the flag of the Metal Church. A few hundred other fanatics joined together at the Whisky in West Hollywood and went absolutely bananas for some of the best American heavy metal ever, played by truly world-class musicians. Metal Church are back friends, and believe me when I say that I witnessed something truly transcendent and yes, perhaps something genuinely holy. Continue reading “Metal Church Performs At The Whisky”