Metal Assault: Gig Reviews

Review by Andrew Bansal, photos by Chad Alexander

November 19th 2016, The Regent, Los Angeles CA: Dutch symphonic metal stalwarts Epica released their seventh full-length studio album ‘The Holographic Principle’ in September 2016 via Nuclear Blast, and are currently in the midst of a North American headline run with support acts Fleshgod Apocalypse, Arkona and The Agonist. This has been a long-awaited tour for Epica fans across the continent, the band having forced to cancel their last two scheduled North American runs due to varying circumstances, a family emergency in 2015, and headliners Machine Head canceling a tour that had Epica as main support in 2014. This time things have gone to plan for Epica and co, and they are making their first appearance in North America since 2012. The touring party arrived in Los Angeles for a sold-out show at the Regent Theater last Saturday, and fans of Epica as well as followers of symphonic and extreme metal anticipated a treat from start to finish. Continue reading “The Symphonic Principle: Epica & Fleshgod Apocalypse Play Sold-Out Los Angeles Show”

Photos by Chad Alexander

November 18th 2016, House Of Blues, San Diego CA: Metal legends Queensrÿche and Armored Saint have joined forces for a four-week US run of dates this November-December, each presenting strong new material as well as more than three decades worth of timeless classics, very much proving themselves as bands that are relevant and creative in 2016, not mere nostalgia acts. Queensrÿche and Armored Saint visited the House Of Blues San Diego last Friday, and our photographer Chad Alexander was on site to capture these stills for you. Enjoy the galleries below, and catch the tour if you still can. Continue reading “Photo Gallery: Queensrÿche & Armored Saint @ House Of Blues San Diego”

Review by Andrew Bansal, photos by Matt Nielson

November 17th 2016, Complex, Glendale CA: Following up their triumphant 2014 full-length ‘Savage Gold’, Brooklyn NY extreme metal band Tombs released a stellar five-song EP called ‘All Empires Fall’ in 2016, and are closing out the year with a North American headline run this November, also featuring Wolvhammer as support act. The two bands visited the Los Angeles area for a Church Of The 8th Day presented gig at Complex in Glendale. The show also included locals Wovoka and Mustard Gas And Roses, and for LA underground metal fanatics, it was a lineup too enticing to miss, even on a Thursday. Continue reading “Angels Of Destruction: Tombs Headline Complex”

By Andrew Bansal

November 16th 2016, City National Grove Of Anaheim, Anaheim CA: Throughout a career that has now spanned more than three decades, from 1985 when they formed the group in their late teens all the way to the present day, progressive metal demigods Dream Theater have consistently exhibited exemplarily skillful musicianship in their studio recordings as well as live performances, which is what anyone loves most about them and it’s also the single biggest quality that makes one a Dream Theater fan. Following the release of their 2013 self-titled effort, guitarist John Petrucci wrote the story that would become the concept for the next album, ‘The Astonishing’. With keyboardist Jordan Rudess, Petrucci created the music as the soundtrack to this story, and after three years in the making, the double LP was unveiled in January 2016. With ‘The Astonishing’ being written as a single extended musical piece meant to be performed in its entirety, Dream Theater ventured to do exactly that, playing the whole album on all tours they did this year, with grand visual production to accompany the live music. But on the final North American leg of this cycle, they decided to add an encore of classics to make it even more worthwhile for ticket buyers. As part of this leg, Dream Theater visited the Grove of Anaheim last Wednesday, and with a full three-hour show and no opening acts, sent Los Angeles/Orange County fans to prog heaven. Continue reading “Pinnacle Of Live Music: Dream Theater Enthralls Anaheim With ‘The Astonishing’ & More”

Photos by Robert DeAnda

November 15th 2016, The Roxy, West Hollywood CA: Sunset Strip’s greatest band of all time, Steel Panther, have been home doing a residency at the Roxy this month. The third show took place last Tuesday, and treated a packed house to all of the band’s antics. Theirs is a show that simply never gets old even during a residency, due in part to them constantly changing almost the entire set list from one week to the next, but mainly because they’re the world’s most expert jokesters. In this show they presented a thoroughly enjoyable combination of originals, covers, improv songs and sleazy humor, as the audience was in splits the entire time. Our photographer Robert DeAnda captured some stills for us. Enjoy the photo gallery below, and if you’re anywhere near the LA area, enter our ticket giveaway for the fourth and final residency show on November 22nd.  Continue reading “Photo Gallery: Steel Panther @ The Roxy”

By Andrew Bansal

November 13th 2016, Complex, Glendale CA: Salt Lake City experimental doom quintet SubRosa embarked on a week-long run of US West Coast headline dates, and visited the Los Angeles area last Sunday for a gig at Complex in Glendale, presented by Church Of The 8th Day. As the story goes, this promoter had SubRosa booked for a show at the same venue in 2013, but it was canceled last-minute because the band got robbed at a prior gig in Sacramento on that tour. Almost exactly three years later, along with local/regional support from Ides Of Gemini, Ancient Altar and Høurs, SubRosa made it well worth the wait, playing to a packed house even on a Sunday night. Continue reading “Violins Of Doom: SubRosa Stuns LA Audience”