Metal Assault: Gig Reviews

By Lisa Burke

January 16th 2017, The Griffin, Los Angeles CA: Monday nights in Los Angeles are quite far from ever boring, especially if you are hungry for live music. I made a fairly recent new Monday night live band discovery at an appropriately atmospheric spot for metal and friends on Mondays in Atwater Village, at the Griffin pub. As it was my second appearance there in probably five years or more, on January 16th 2017, I once again had a great relaxing primarily drama-free time watching Black Mare and Deth Crux. Continue reading “Mesmeric Monday: Black Mare, Deth Crux perform at the Griffin”

Review & photos by Cesar Villatoro

January 14th 2017, Union, Los Angeles CA: As I walked up and took my place in line outside with the few other attendees who decided to show up just as early, I noticed quite the juxtaposition: two Christian churches — one Presbyterian and the other Orthodox — which just so happened to be situated across the street from what was advertised to be the single largest Satanic public event in history, hosted by the famous industrial night club, Das Bunker. Continue reading “Raising Hell: An Insight into the Satanic Mass”

By Cesar Villatoro

January 13th 2017, The Echoplex, Los Angeles CA: For the second night in a row, Deafheaven performed in front of a sold-out crowd at the famed Echoplex venue in Los Angeles near Echo Park. Los Angeles is a well-known mecca for bands of all musical styles vying to make their mark on the music world, so it’s always a treat when you get a trio of very diverse yet equally talented bands on the same bill. The demographic among audience goers was just as diverse, ranging from your long-haired, denim vested thrashers to your more contemporary night club attendees, making for quite the interesting mashup that ultimately resulted in a jam-packed Friday night show that promised to deliver. Continue reading “New Extremes: Deafheaven Play Sold-Out LA Show with Health, Skeletal Remains”

By Cesar Villatoro

January 12th 2017, Black Light District Lounge, Long Beach CA: The rainy and bleak weather outside seemed almost indicative of what the rest of the night promised to bring in, yet another great line-up prepared by the booking and promoting staff at The Elegy Ensemble, hosted by Black Light District Lounge in the culturally vibrant city of Long Beach, CA. With new and recurring bands coming together to bring their own unique sound of extreme music, tonight promised to deliver. Local up-and-coming bands Goshen and Erode were slated to start the night off before they make way for co-headliners Skyeater, and last but not least Infernal Coil, hailing all the way from Boise, Idaho. Continue reading “Hatred and Dissonance: Infernal Coil, Skyeater perform in Long Beach”

By Lisa Burke

January 9th 2017, Echoplex, Los Angeles CA: Selling out in rock n’ roll terms can either be a positive or negative term depending on the context, and in some cases it can serve as a little of both. On Monday January 9th 2017, I went to Echoplex specifically for a local Los Angeles band I have known of since their origin in 2010, a band I have been in support of when I can get out to one of their shows. That band is Stitched Up Heart, and they were the headliners of the evening with a strong lineup of four bands consistent with female rock vocalists, and although the music ranged in flavor there was a hint of emo running through all of it. Continue reading “Female-Fronted Monday: Stitched Up Heart, Letters From The Fire, Varna & Wild Eyes perform at Echoplex”

Review by Andrew Bansal, photos by Jay Valena

January 7th 2017, The Regent, Los Angeles CA: Following its successful inaugural edition in 2016, the Show Your Scars fest returned to the Regent in downtown Los Angeles in 2017, boasting an irresistible lineup for underground heavy music lovers in the LA area. Brujeria, The Casualties and Pinata Protest started their US tour with this event, and were joined by local and regional heavy-hitters Repulsion, Exhumed, Nausea and others, for this nine-band, single-stage festival, christened “Dia De Los Metaleros”. The event was sold out in advance, and ticket holders gathered early in the afternoon in anticipation of a long debaucherous day of live music. Continue reading “Grind, Punk & Doom: Second Edition of ‘Show Your Scars’ Fest Sells Out The Regent”