Metal Assault: Gig Reviews

By Andrew Bansal

September 4th 2016, The Viper Room, West Hollywood CA: Coming together to form one of the most devastating two-band touring lineups of the year, Colorado group Cobalt and German duo Mantar embarked on a North American tour in September 2016 for a three-week skull-crushing campaign, and arrived in Los Angeles last Sunday September 4th for a show at the Viper Room. Put together by Church Of The 8th Day, as almost all great underground shows are, the gig also featured Wire Werewolves as the local opener. This was no typical Sunday evening on the Sunset Strip as the Labor Day weekend was in full force and parties were swarming in every bar and club in the area, but for the LA underground music community, the Viper Room was where the real party was happening, and a queue of ticket holders formed outside even before the doors opened. Continue reading “Sonic Annihilation: Cobalt Brings ‘Slow Forever’ Tour To Los Angeles”

By Lisa Burke

September 3rd 2016, Fonda Theatre, Hollywood CA: Zakk Wylde is known for many guitar accomplishments including being a noted guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne, founder of Black Label Society, and creator of his signature bullseye custom guitars. He also fronts Zakk Sabbath and put out two solo albums titled ‘Book Of Shadows’ I and II, with the latter released twenty years after the first, in April 2016. Last Saturday September 3rd 2016 at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood I witnessed the tail end of his solo tour with supporting bands Otherwise and Jared James Nichols. As a pretty diverse line up there were still some valid connections to be found and this night served as an intriguing event throughout. Continue reading “Flying Solo: Zakk Wylde Ends Headline Tour At Fonda Theatre”

By Andrew Bansal

September 3rd 2016, Teragram Ballroom, Los Angeles CA: Chicago, Illinois instrumental trio Russian Circles released their sixth full-length studio album ‘Guidance’ via Sargent House in August 2016 and embarked on a North American headline tour with support acts Cloakroom (first leg) and Helms Alee (second leg), arriving in Los Angeles last Saturday September 3rd 2016 for a sold-out show at the Teragram Ballroom. First landing on our radar with their 2011 album ‘Empros’, Russian Circles became a ‘love at first listen’ band that was even more compelling as a live act, and they kept enhancing their reputation every time they came through town over these past five years, particularly as headliners. Despite this being a busy concert night in the LA area, this Russian Circles gig was a must-attend, and a capacity crowd had put their faith in the band to live up to expectations. Continue reading “Instrumental Bliss: Russian Circles Play Sold-Out Los Angeles Show”

By Andrew Bansal

September 2nd 2016, The Novo, Los Angeles CA: Amidst a run of U.S. dates supporting Volbeat, Massachusetts metalcore giants Killswitch Engage booked a three-show West Coast headline mini-tour with San Francisco Bay Area thrashers Exodus and fellow New England metal group Unearth as support acts. The three bands arrived in downtown Los Angeles for a gig at the Novo (formerly Club Nokia) last Friday September 2nd 2016. Out of the three, Killswitch Engage are the only band with a 2016 release to their name, and Exodus and Unearth both released their latest albums in 2014. The power-packed three-pronged metal attack was an enticing prospect for LA metalheads, and a large number of them gathered at the venue to indulge in copious amounts of head-banging, mosh pits and toxic waltzes. Continue reading “Reincarnated & Re-embraced: Killswitch Engage Headline The Novo In Downtown Los Angeles”

By Andrew Bansal

September 1st 2016, The Viper Room, West Hollywood CA: Since their ’93 inception, New York based independent label Tee Pee Records has been perpetrating the power of the riff with their predominantly rock n’ roll/stoner rock lineup of artists. Boasting of an impressive alumni list which includes the likes of High On Fire, Graveyard, Kadavar, The Shrine and Sleep, Tee Pee Records have been major supporters of riff-centric heavy music and have played an important role in reviving the genre to its newfound popularity. Currently housing great bands such as The Atomic Bitchwax, Carousel, Earthess and The Skull among many others, the label is continuing to march forward with clear intentions and purpose. But this summer, they put together a four-date US showcase run for four of their lesser-known bands. Dubbed the ‘Tee Pee West Coaster’, this lineup featured Lecherous Gaze, Death Alley, Hot Lunch and Mirror Queen, and visited Los Angeles for a gig at the Viper Room last Thursday September 1st. Booked and announced relatively late in the game, the showcase drew a decent crowd of LA’s riff worshippers and treated attendees to an interesting mix of bands. Continue reading “Beers, Bandages & Rock N’ Roll: Lecherous Gaze Dominate Tee Pee Records Showcase At Viper Room”

Review by Andrew Bansal, photos by Matt Nielson

August 31st 2016, Complex, Glendale CA: Fort Worth, Texas experimental duo Pinkish Black recently concluded a two-week headline run, bringing their synth-heavy prog psych madness to stages across the US West Coast. Formed in 2010, the band has delivered three compelling studio full-length albums each on different labels, the latest release ‘Bottom Of The Morning’ having surfaced in 2015 via Relapse Records. They opened for Italian prog masters Goblin on a run of dates in 2014 and gained attention from a lot of people that were unfamiliar with them, and have been playing their own shows this year, drawing a good segment of that Goblin crowd to see them headline. Last Wednesday August 31st 2016, they arrived in the Los Angeles area for a gig at Complex in Glendale put together by Church Of The 8th Day and featuring openers Upsilon Acrux, Spirit Collector and Jason Christoper Watkins. Many had been eagerly awaiting this show in the weeks leading up to it, while some had ventured in on strong recommendations of their friends. Regardless, both sets of folks were in for quite a treat. Continue reading “Architects Of Delirium: Pinkish Black Stun Glendale”