Metal Assault: Gig Reviews

Review by Andrew Bansal, photos by Chris Loomis

November 30th 2016, City National Grove Of Anaheim, Anaheim CA: Swedish melodic death metal veterans Dark Tranquillity unveiled their eleventh full-length studio album ‘Atoma’ in November 2016, and to coincide with the release, set out on a North American headline tour the same month with support acts Swallow The Sun, Enforcer and Starkill. Heading into its final week, the tour arrived in Southern California for two shows, the first of which took place at the City National Grove of Anaheim on a chilly Wednesday night. By most of the participating musicians’ own admission, the venue was far too big for this tour package and stood out as quite the anamoly on an itinerary that took the four bands to much smaller venues all over the country, but metal diehards from Los Angeles, Orange County and surrounding areas turned up to attend a show they hoped would make the trip worthwhile. Continue reading “Undying Metal: Dark Tranquillity, Enforcer & others Perform at Grove of Anaheim”

By Andrew Bansal

November 27th 2016, Complex, Glendale CA: Space rock pioneer Nik Turner and his incarnation of Hawkwind embarked on a US headline tour in late October 2016 with main support/backing band Hedersleben, and towards the end of the four-week run, visited the Los Angeles area for a gig at Complex in Glendale which was presented by Church Of The 8th Day and featured Flying Hair as opening act. The timeless, ageless, multi-dimensional musical luminary that he is, Turner played an unforgettable show at the Viper Room in 2014, and had returned to perform in front of his eagerly awaiting LA fans amidst high expectations. Continue reading “Space Rock Sunday: Nik Turner’s Hawkwind Hypnotizes Los Angeles”

Review by Andrew Bansal, photos by Robert DeAnda

November 22nd 2016, Complex, Glendale CA: British traditional metal act Grim Reaper returned with a new album called ‘Walking In The Shadows’ in 2016, their first since 1987, albeit under the new moniker Steve Grimmett’s Grim Reaper as a result of vocalist Steve Grimmett being the only remaining member from the band’s classic lineup of the ’80s. Embarking on an extensive North American headline tour in October, Steve Grimmett’s Grim Reaper played the final show of the run at Complex in Glendale on Tuesday November 22nd, with local support from Thrust and Blade Killer. Denim-and-leather clad old-school metalheads from all over town gathered in good numbers in anticipation of a great evening. Continue reading “Old-School Metalheads Unite: Grim Reaper, Thrust & Blade Killer Perform At Complex”

Review & photos by Andrew Bansal

November 21st 2016, The Echoplex, Los Angeles CA: Los Angeles based all-female hard rock/punk/grunge group L7 started out in 1985 and were prominent in the ’90s as they thrived in a musical environment that very much embraced them. In 2001, they went on indefinite hiatus, but announced a reunion in 2014 with original bassist Jennifer Finch also returning to the fold for the first time since ’96. They started touring again, and a Kickstarter-funded documentary ‘Pretend We’re Dead’ was completed (with an as yet unknown release date). Back with a bang, L7 set out to rekindle the spark between their members on stages in Europe and North America, and last Monday November 21st, they played a sold-out hometown show at the Echoplex for a gathering of eager, excited fans. Continue reading “Back From The Dead: L7 Play Sold-Out Show At Echoplex”

Review & photos by Andrew Bansal

November 20th 2016, Teragram Ballroom, Los Angeles CA: Portland, Oregon stoner metal group Red Fang have hardly put a foot wrong since their 2005 inception, establishing themselves further as heavyhitters of the genre with every album and tour. Following up their stellar efforts on the 2009 self-titled debut, ‘Murder The Mountains’ (2011) and ‘Whales And Leeches’ (2013), Red Fang released their fourth LP ‘Only Ghosts’ via Relapse on October 14th 2016, and embarked on a four-week North American headline tour in November to present new and old material live, with support acts Torche and Whores. The tour started in California and arrived at the Teragram Ballroom in downtown Los Angeles on November 20th. On a chilly, rainy night, it seemed like Red Fang had brought the flavor of their hometown with them, but the weather did not deter heavy music lovers from congregating at the venue in anticipation of a deafening barrage of riffs from these three bands. Continue reading “Raining Riffs: Red Fang, Torche & Whores Rock Teragram Ballroom”

By Andrew Bansal

November 19th 2016, The Lexington, Los Angeles CA: Even in a market as heavily saturated as it is, there is always scope for a metal band to push the envelope and emerge with something new, unique and engaging. Tempe, AZ group Take Over And Destroy are doing exactly that with their fresh take on dark heavy music, blending elements of death rock, Scandinavian extreme metal and rock n’ roll into their musicianship, which they’ve presented through three full-length studio albums and various EP/split releases over the past 8 years of their existence. The latest effort is the beautifully compelling self-titled LP, unveiled in October 2016 via Prosthetic Records. Take Over And Destroy played two Southern California album showcase gigs, including an appearance at the Lexington in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday November 19th, where they put on a memorable, uplifting performance in the most uninspiring circumstances. Continue reading “Blackened Death Rock Magic: Take Over And Destroy Showcase New Album At The Lexington”