Metal Assault: Gig Reviews

By Andrew Bansal

July 20th 2016, Complex, Glendale CA: Los Angeles stoner doom quartet Yidhra recently completed the 5-date ‘Southwest Tempest’ mini-tour through Southern California, Arizona and Nevada with Wisconsin stoner rock band Attalla (not to be confused with Atala, a stoner rock band from the California high desert). Yidhra and Attalla began this short run of shows with a Los Angeles area gig at Complex in Glendale, California on July 20th 2016. Presented by Church Of The 8th Day, this gig also featured Sisters Ov The Blackmoon and Ancient Spell as local openers, the four bands together constituting an enticing lineup for a chilled-out, riff-filled Wednesday evening at LA’s home of underground music. Continue reading “Riffs Abound: Yidhra’s ‘Southwest Tempest’ Tour Hits Glendale”

By Andrew Bansal

July 24th 2016, The Roxy, West Hollywood CA: British extreme metal legends Carcass embarked on the ‘One Foot In The Grave’ U.S. headline tour this month, for what would be their last run of dates on the already extended touring cycle in support of their sixth full-length release ‘Surgical Steel’ (2013). The album, their first in 17 years, marked quite a triumphant comeback for Carcass and they began actively touring worldwide again after a long time. To celebrate the release, they played two special sold-out shows at the Troubadour in 2013, which many LA fans missed out on because of such limited capacity and small number of tickets on sale, and even though Carcass headlined the much larger-scale Decibel tour through North America the following spring, they only hit Orange County on that run, and not LA proper. Last Sunday July 24th 2016, they played at the Roxy with touring support acts Crowbar, Ghoul and Night Demon, selling the venue in advance, and ticket holders excitedly made their way to the Roxy for what was a highly anticipated event in the LA extreme metal community. Continue reading “Carcass, Crowbar, Ghoul & Night Demon Sell Out The Roxy On ‘One Foot In The Grave’ Tour”

By Andrew Bansal

July 22nd 2016, The Roxy, West Hollywood CA: Following the release of their breakthrough third full-length album and Nuclear Blast debut ‘You Will Never be One Of Us’ in June 2016, Oxnard, California power-violence powerhouse Nails announced a four-show California headline run with support acts Terrorizer LA, Nomads, Freedom and Lies, including a gig at the Roxy in West Hollywood last Friday July 22nd 2016. Nails’ Los Angeles area fans have seen the band perform in all kinds of dungeons, basements, bars, parking lots and unconventional venues of all varieties, and a few years years ago, most perhaps would not have imagined seeing them headline a Sunset Strip venue which was nearly if not completely sold out. The last time Nails played at this venue was opening for Pig Destroyer in 2015, and on this occasion it was their turn to shine in the spotlight. Fans were eager in excitement and anticipation for how the band’s newfound popularity would impact the fury of their live performance, and packed the Roxy to find out for themselves. Continue reading “Nails Pillage West Hollywood On California Mini-Tour”

By Andrew Bansal

July 16th 2016, Complex, Glendale CA: UK blackened death/doom metal quintet Dragged Into Sunlight recently concluded a four-week U.S. headline tour with support act Primitive Man, a run of 26 consecutive shows with no off days whatsoever. On their first U.S. trek in four years, Dragged Into Sunlight expectedly attracted good turnouts wherever they went this time around, and after three weeks worth of shows, arrived in the Los Angeles area for a sold-out Church Of The 8th Day-presented show at Complex in Glendale, also featuring local opener Teeth. Despite the more popular and also sold-out Destroyer 666 show taking place at Los Globos on the same night, the LA extreme metal underground community turned up for Dragged Into Sunlight, and anticipated a great show. Continue reading “Dragged Into Sunlight Plays Sold-Out Show At Complex”

By Lisa Burke

July 16th 2016, Los Globos, Los Angeles CA: When one tyrant diminishes, another one usually sprouts up in its place, or a nearby place, and in the Los Angeles music scene, venues often play musical chairs. Los Globos has quickly sprouted up as a pretty decent medium-sized venue for rock n’ roll and metal among other genres, a place that can easily accommodate two shows at the same time in its two rooms spread across two levels. It used to just be a Latin dance club for a while and occasionally may still be on certain nights, but on Saturday July 16th 2016, it held a fantastic sold-out metal show in the upstairs room, featuring headliners Destroyer 666, with support acts Ritual Combat, Scrapmetal, Iconoclast Contra, and Helfire Deathcult. In the downstairs room there was a booty shaking dance night happening that when the metal stopped could be heard, and vice versa for them, I’m sure. You could also mingle with anyone who visited the smoking patio from the downstairs room which was sort of similar to mingling with aliens from another planet, but all got along just fine on this night, and to each their own. Continue reading “Fury Upon Silver Lake: Destroyer 666 Headlines Sold-Out Los Globos”

By Andrew Bansal

July 15th 2016, Complex, Glendale CA: Depressive suicidal black metal group Ghost Bath released their second full-length album ‘Moonlover’ via Nuclear Blast this year, and just completed a short North American headline tour to promote it, with support acts Underling and He Whose Ox Is Gored. The tour arrived in the Los Angeles area for a gig at Complex presented by Church Of The 8th Day, and unlike most shows of this nature, there was no local opener this time around, and just as well, because based on the quality of the lineup and the regularity with which its first band has visited LA and this venue in particular, this show didn’t seem to need a local opener. On a fine Friday evening in Glendale, a smallish but devout crowd turned up to expect the unexpected from the live music on offer. Continue reading “Ghost Bath Makes Exclusive Southern California Appearance In Glendale On ‘Moonlover’ Tour”