Metal Assault: Gig Reviews

By Andrew Bansal

April 3rd 2015, The Whisky-A-Go-Go, West Hollywood CA: Rock guitar legend Michael Schenker instigated a resurgence in his celebrated and prolific four-decade long career by reappearing under the moniker Michael Schenker’s Temple Of Rock in 2011. With a new group of musicians, he began writing music, and less than four years later, already has released three albums under the band’s name. The latest of these, called ‘Spirit On A Mission’, came out worldwide in March 2015, and to promote the album his band embarked on a North American headline tour. They visited the Whisky-A-Go-Go in West Hollywood last Friday April 3rd. Alongside Schenker in this lineup are Francis Buchholz on bass and Herman Rarebell on drums, together comprising three-fifths of an old Scorpions incarnation, with Doogie White (Rainbow, Yngwie, Tank) on vocals and Wayne Findlay on rhythm guitars, keyboards and backing vocals. With all these musicians bringing their experiences with such legendary bands into this performance, rock royalty was represented on this stage, and attendees certainly indulged in a gratifying worship session as the Whisky was turned into a temple of rock in every sense. Continue reading “Los Angeles Worships At Michael Schenker’s Temple Of Rock”

Review & photos by Andrew Bansal

April 2nd 2015, House Of Blues Sunset Strip, West Hollywood CA: In terms of maintaining an absolutely flawless touring reputation in recent years, Testament have done it as well as any band in existence. Since the release of their stellar 2008 album ‘The Formation Of Damnation’, whether it be as a support act or headliner, Testament have come through with some tremendous lineups. Their tour with Judas Priest, Heaven & Hell and Motörhead (2008), headline tour with Unearth and Lazarus A.D. (2009), Megadeth and Exodus (2010), Megadeth and Slayer (2010), Anthrax and Death Angel (2011 and 2012) and the once-in-a-lifetime gig with Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Anthrax and Overkill in San Bernardino in 2013 come to mind straightaway. Now, changing up their focus from presenting strong newer creations to delving into their earliest material, Testament are back on a North American headline tour to play their first two albums in their entirety plus some of the third album, along with fellow San Francisco Bay Area thrash veterans Exodus, and Texas six-piece metal band Shattered Sun in support. Following its first show in Testament and Exodus’ hometown, the tour rolled through Los Angeles for a sold-out gig at the House Of Blues Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. It was a story of a worthy opening band and two very contrasting performances from the main acts. Continue reading “Testament, Exodus & Shattered Sun Perform At House Of Blues Sunset Strip”

By Andrew Bansal

March 30th 2015, Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood CA: Los Angeles hard rock/heavy metal icons Van Halen announced a massive North American summer tour last week, along with their first ever U.S. television appearance featuring original singer David Lee Roth on the ABC late night talk show ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ The performance was held outdoors on Hollywood Boulevard on Monday March 30th, as the street was closed off between the intersections of Highland and Sycamore, with the television broadcast set to be distributed across two episodes of the show on the nights of March 30th and 31st. Free general admission tickets to the concert were released online last Wednesday night, and this event supposedly ended up with the highest number of ticket requests in the history of the show. A 5000-strong crowd lined up in the early afternoon, waiting to enter the concert premises. First-timers, like yours truly, were particularly excited at the prospect of seeing the band in such a unique setting. Unfortunately, aside from bragging rights and bucket list fulfilments, Van Halen’s performance and the event as a whole did not turn out to be worth anyone’s time and effort, and served as a negative advertisement for their upcoming tour. Most of you probably saw it on TV, but here’s more of a first-hand, behind-the-scenes perspective which includes aspects of the event not visible on TV. Continue reading “Van Halen On Jimmy Kimmel Live: A Bad Advert For Upcoming Tour”

By Andrew Bansal

March 29th 2015, The Viper Room, West Hollywood CA: Los Angeles-based rock ‘n roll outfit Beasto Blanco features Chuck Garric, bassist of Alice Cooper’s band, on vocals and guitar and the rock icon’s daughter Calico Cooper on vocals. Coming to the end of their most recent touring run, Beasto Blanco played a headline gig at the Viper Room in West Hollywood last Sunday March 29 2015, along with local opening acts Blackpool Republic and GayC/DC. Sunday nights are usually dead on the Sunset Strip, but this strong lineup of bands packed the venue and made it a worthwhile outing for one and all. Continue reading “Beasto Blanco, Blackpool Republic & GayC/DC Rock Viper Room”

By Andrew Bansal

March 28th 2015, Fern’s Cocktails, Long Beach CA: The ever-vibrant music scene in the city of Long Beach constantly offers up great gigs featuring acts local and from beyond, and last Saturday March 28, downtown Long Beach bar Fern’s Cocktails hosted an event enticing enough for several Los Angeles metalheads to make a trip down to the LBC. The show boasted the flawless three-pronged lineup of Venom tribute band Sons Of Satan, theatrical cosmic extreme metal outfit Morbid Eclipse, and old-school rock ‘n roll quartet Others, promising to serve attendees with an endless supply of neck-breaking heavy music. Continue reading “Sons Of Satan, Morbid Eclipse & Others Level Long Beach”

By Jason Williams

March 27th 2015, The Wiltern, Los Angeles CA: Over the course of our lives, a number of bands change the landscape forever in music. Throughout all genres, one influences another, so on and so forth, opening the Pandora’s Box to a wide variety of life-changing artists. Sweden’s At the Gates has done just that for melodic death metal, with not only changing our perception of the genre, but even including influencing other commercial forms of modern music today. Their legendary mark on the metal world started 25 years ago, and 7 years after their US tour, they’ve returned to the States alongside death/doomers Vallenfyre, rising band Pallbearer and long time hardcore punk/metal standouts Converge. This incredible evening could not have come sooner, and every moment leading to At the Gates was to be savored. Continue reading “At The Gates Dazzle The Wiltern”