Metal Assault: Gig Reviews

By Andrew Bansal (photo & videos by Matt Nielson)

September 22nd 2015, The Satellite, Los Angeles CA: Chicago doom metal group The Skull, featuring Trouble members Eric Wagner and Ron Holzner in its five-piece lineup, formed in 2012 as a continuation and rebirth of everything that Trouble stood for, but aside from performing Trouble classics, The Skull worked on their own original material, and as a result, released a full-length debut album called ‘For Those Which Are Asleep’ in October 2014 via Tee Pee Records. The record not only turned out to be the finest representation of the genre to have surfaced in a long time, but also proved the relevance of The Skull beyond being a mere nostalgia act. In the midst of a US headline tour, The Skull arrived at the Satellite in Silver Lake, for their first Los Angeles area show in nearly two years. The gig also featured Sasquatch and Yidhra as opening acts, and LA’s underground community was expected to turn up in good numbers to support the event, even on a Tuesday night. Continue reading “Doom Over Silver Lake: The Skull, Sasquatch & Yidhra Perform At The Satellite”

By Andrew Bansal

September 21st 2015, The Viper Room, West Hollywood CA: Kansas City speed/power metal quintet Vanlade are currently on a 12-day ‘Race On Earth’ tour, and made it to the Los Angeles area for a gig at the Viper Room in West Hollywood last Monday September 21 2015, sharing the stage with LA veterans Desecrate, who were celebrating their homecoming after a month-long US tour of their own. The show also featured local acts BrainDead, Enrot and Thorns Of Sin. I have never seen a show at The Viper Room where as many as five bands were put on the bill. Besides the prospect of the main focus of attention Vanlade’s heroic on-stage exploits and the local supporting lineup, Viper Room regulars approached the show with heightened curiosity to discover whether or not a five-band lineup would work at this venue. Continue reading “Kansas City’s Vanlade Bring Denim, Leather & Metal To The Sunset Strip”

By Andrew Bansal

September 20th 2015, The Troubadour, West Hollywood CA: Longstanding Boston MA metal band Unearth released their sixth studio album ‘Watchers Of Rule’ in 2014, and continuing on the touring cycle in support of the album, are currently on a US run with opening act Wovenwar (plus Extinction A.D. (for some shows), comprising headline shows as well as a handful of gigs as main support to Atreyu, including an appearance at the Troubadour in West Hollywood last Sunday September 20th 2015. Atreyu, Unearth and Wovenwar arrived at a sold-out Troubadour, and lived up to the ticket holders’ expectations with an intimate evening of high-energy American metalcore/modern metal. Continue reading “Atreyu, Unearth & Wovenwar Play Sold-Out Show At Troubadour”

By Andrew Bansal

September 19th 2015, Loaded Rock Bar, Hollywood CA: Canadian post-hardcore/sludge trio KEN Mode are currently on an extensive North American headline run with a variety of support acts for various legs of the tour, Detroit, Michigan post/hardcore punk quartet Child Bite providing support in the ongoing segment. They arrived in Los Angeles last Saturday September 19 2015, for a gig at Loaded Hollywood presented by Church Of The 8th Day and Forgotten Form and featuring Colombian Necktie as the local openers. Besides the bands, KEN Mode are also presenting Garrett Jamieson, a stand-up comedian from their country, at these shows. Loaded hosts a large number of rock/metal gigs of diverse natures, but the unabated intensity and expressiveness of this lineup from start to finish most certainly made this something this venue had never witnessed before. Continue reading “KEN Mode, Child Bite & Colombian Necktie Annihilate Loaded Hollywood”

By Lisa Burke

September 18th 2015, Mystery Box, Los Angeles CA: In the midst of a month-long North American headline tour with Richmond VA marijuana-themed death metal band Cannabis Corpse, Canadian technical death metal group Archspire and St. Louis MO progressive thrash quartet Black Fast as support acts, Boston MA modern metal heroes Revocation arrived in Los Angeles for a gig at the Mystery Box last Friday September 18 2015, and our writer Lisa Burke was in attendance to capture the show for us. Read her review below: Continue reading “Revocation, Cannabis Corpse, Archspire & Black Fast Perform At Mystery Box”

By Andrew Bansal

September 17th 2015, Complex, Glendale CA: Even though Complex in Glendale has become the home of underground music in the Los Angeles area and draws people to its confines at least twice a week nowdays, it is not often that it gets to host a lineup as experimental and innovative as that of the show that took place here last Thursday September 17 2015, featuring San Diego industrial doom one-man act Author & Punisher and Portland, Oregon atmospheric/drone/sludge duo Muscle And Marrow, presented by, you guessed it, Church Of The 8th Day. This was the first gig of a North American tour for these musicians, and with no local support acts, they drew an expectedly decent turnout and held the audience captive for the best part of two hours with musicianship possessing unparalleled hypnotic power. Continue reading “Author & Punisher, Muscle And Marrow Hypnotize Glendale”