Metal Assault: Gig Reviews

By Andrew Bansal

April 9th 2015, House Of Blues Sunset Strip, West Hollywood CA: Hailing from geographically very distant corners of the United States but undergoing a similarly strong comeback phase in resurrecting their mission of carrying the flag for American modern heavy metal, Florida’s Nonpoint and Alaska’s 36 Crazyfists embarked on a tour together in early April 2015 and rolled through Los Angeles for a gig at the House Of Blues Sunset Strip last Thursday April 9th. Fans of both bands came out in large numbers to show their support and bask in some straightforward modern heavy music. Continue reading “Nonpoint & 36 Crazyfists Perform At House Of Blues Sunset Strip”

Photos by Chad Alexander

April 8th 2015, Livewire Concert Hall, Scottsdale AZ: Michael Schenker’s Temple Of Rock played a memorable gig in West Hollywood last Friday April 3rd (read review here) and continuing on with their US tour, visited Scottsdale, Arizona for a show at the Livewire Concert Hall. Our photographer Chad Alexander was on site to capture these great shots for your viewing pleasure. Check them out below (each thumbnail opens up in a new tab): Continue reading “Photo Gallery: Michael Schenker’s Temple Of Rock In Arizona”

By Andrew Bansal

April 8th 2015, The Whisky-A-Go-Go, West Hollywood CA: Even though the name Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein does not need much of an introduction to fans and followers of punk and metal, in 2013 the guitarist began an eponymous solo project in an attempt to branch out beyond his association with the Misfits. Doyle released his solo debut album ‘Abominator’ the same year, and has been playing shows with his own band ever since. Following a run of headline gigs, he joined up with masked industrial metal veterans Mushroomhead to open for them for a string of shows. The first of two Southern California appearances as part of this tour was at the Whisky-A-Go-Go in West Hollywood last night and attracted an excellent turnout. Continue reading “Doyle & Mushroomhead Perform At The Whisky”

By Andrew Bansal

April 5th 2015, Los Globos, Los Angeles CA: In 2014, longstanding Portland Oregon-based heavy worshippers Witch Mountain announced that they were amicably parting ways with singer Uta Plotkin, and the world of doom metal collectively held on with bated breath to find out where it would lead this incredible band, and what they would do next. Much to the relief of their fanbase worldwide, they recruited nineteen-year old singer Kayla Dixon as the band’s new frontwoman, and soon after recording a cover of Black Sabbath’s ‘Sleeping Village’ for an upcoming tribute album on Cleopatra Records, Witch Mountain embarked on a US run, first supporting Yob for a few dates and ending the tour with a string of headline shows. This brought them to Los Angeles on Easter Sunday, for a gig put together by the tireless gentlemen in Church Of The 8th Day and Thee Static Age, also featuring locals Glaare, Dead Dawn and Rare Breed. Attendees that had seen Witch Mountain in their past incarnations really did not know what to expect, but the level of curiosity was sky-high. Continue reading “Witch Mountain Mesmerizes Los Angeles”

By Andrew Bansal

April 5th 2015, Loaded Rock Bar, Hollywood CA: In recent weeks, the ever-pleasant and welcoming Loaded Hollywood has played host to an increasingly regular trend of Sunday rock/metal matinee shows, organized by Metal Sanaz. For those still tired, beaten and hungover from Saturday nights at the very same venue, these matinee events, outlined by very tempting special offers on chicken wings and beer, serve as great doses in active recovery. Being completely free of any cover charge and typically running from 4 to 7 PM, they leave Hollywood rock enthusiasts no reason to be anywhere else. On this occasion, the lineup featured the return of rising LA progpower force Novareign, and South Bay epic metal quintet Soulera, both bringing mind-boggling amounts of shred to this stage and giving a decently sized turnout much to cheer about. Continue reading “Dawn Of The Shred: Novareign & Soulera Slay Loaded Hollywood”

Review by Andrew Bansal, live photos by Karina Diane

April 4th 2015, Loaded Rock Bar, Hollywood CA: Featuring in its ranks former Gypsyhawk and White Wizzard guitarist Erik Kluiber handling bass duties, Los Angeles-based instrumental stoner/doom metal trio Ironaut are a brand new entity, and made their on-stage debut at Hollywood’s premier rock venue Loaded last Saturday, along with Arizona’s Howitzer and four other LA locals Enrot, Lethal Dossage, Ascendancy and Abbacinare, for a gig put together by Lara Gladstone. The show attracted fans of each band as well as Hollywood rock regulars to create a typically bustling Saturday evening atmosphere at Loaded. Continue reading “Ironaut, Ascendancy & Others Rock Loaded Hollywood”