Top Ten Albums of 2018 / Rob "The Metal Guy Awards"

If someone was to tell me that 2018 was a poor year for hard rock and heavy metal music I would consider tying them to one of Elon Musks' SpaceX rockets and sending them off into space. In reality 2018 was another strong year for rock and metal music with plenty of impressive sounding releases. I know that moron from Maroon 5 says rock is "nowhere" but then again, his music is equal to that of horse manure, so what does he really know. I was pleased with the albums that came out this year and I do not think rock and metal are going "nowhere." People just need to pull their heads out of their asses, or do more goddamn research before opening their douche crusted hipster mouths. Here are my top ten picks of 2018 from some exceptional artists in the rock and metal world...

10. Skeletal Remains - Devouring Mortality

Skeletal Remains is a death metal band that knows how to craft some bombastic sounding old school death metal music, while also providing some solid elements of technicality. I feel like, “Devouring Mortality,” was definitely a step into more of a technical world compared to their previous releases, and I think the musicianship is becoming really impressive. Skeletal Remains is a strong act with more left to offer, so I am looking forward to how they can top this album.

9. Exmortus - The Sound of Steel

The shredding assault of Exmortus is still going strong and their new album. “The Sound of Steel,” does not disappoint. Exmortus is a band full of talented musicians and the guitar playing always stands out on each release. Their mixture of neoclassical shredding with thrash and death metal make for some epic and exciting cuts of metal. Plus, I always enjoy hearing battle themed lyrics accompanied by blistering lead guitar playing.

8. Petrification - Hollow of the Void

Gruesome, terrifying and paying homage too old school death metal, Petrification delivered a sinister sounding release this year with “Hollow of the Void.” These Portland, Oregon death metal musicians are exceptional players and wrote some really vicious tracks. I think they are definitely one of the strongest up and coming death metal acts to come out within the last couple years and a force to be reckoned with in the future.

7. Summoning - With Doom We Come

One of the most important bands in the world of atmospheric black metal, Summoning, is such an iconic force that when news of their new album came out fans were highly anticipating this new album. The bands 1995 release, “Minus Morgul,” is quite possibly the blue-print for atmospheric black metal and is an album that has inspired so many current artists within the sub-genre. “With Doom We Come,” features long epic pieces with lyrical content inspired by the works of Tolkien that pulls you into a world of cinematic musical fantasy. I think fans will be pleased to hear the band maintain a very epic atmospheric black metal sound.

6. Vargrav - Netherstorm

When I first heard Vargrav I was quickly reminded of Emperor and all those black metal bands who are able to successfully incorporate keyboards into their black metal sound. “Netherstorm,” is stellar blizzard of raw black metal, yet has these moments of cosmic melodic atmosphere. You can’t write this band off as another typical black metal band, because the riffs and song structures are very well crafted. There are no recycled riffs, or poorly written compositions. Each song flows with great synergy on this album, so you never lose interest when listening to it.

5. Abstracter - Cinereous Incarnate 

Another band from the Sentient Ruin roster, Abstracter did a tremendous job creating what could possibly be the soundtrack for the apocalyptic demise of humanity. The music is unbelievably heavy to where seismic shocks are sent out each time a chord is struck, or a cymbal smashed. Overall, these musicians are a solid unit and keep offering some wicked sounding tunes of destructive blackened sludge. 

4. Barren Altar - Entrenched in the Faults of the Earth 

I have seen Barren Altar a fair amount of times over the last few years and have interviewed the band on a couple occasions. To finally hear this Sonoma County based band release a devastating full-length album really made 2018 a solid year for extreme music. The dynamics and unique blend of black metal, death metal and doom metal sends chills down your spine, while also obliterating your speakers. The vocals on this album present tales of pure agony and inner anguish, which compliments the abysmal sounding instrumental compositions. 

3. Atrament - Scum Sect 

One of the most brutal sounding releases to come out this year, Atrament’s “Scum Sect” is a pulverizing assault of blackened death crust spewing hatred from the dark depths of the Bay Area. I thought the songwriting on this album was extremely well done and there were no throw away tracks throughout the album. Plus the overall production quality added a malevolent punch of musical insanity to your ears. When pertaining to underground extreme music, Atrament is one of the top up and coming acts around.

2. Cauldron - New Gods

Cauldron’s last album, “In Ruin,” was an impressive release from top to bottom in my opinion. The production and songwriting was flawless, so I looked forward to what they would do on their next album. “New Gods,” definitely maintains that same essence which can be heard on “In Ruin,” while taking a more melodic hard rock/classic metal approach at times. There are plenty of catchy riffs on this album along with very melodic song structures. The lyrics are well written and can get stuck in your head for hours. What is it about Canada and great rock and metal power trios? They just seem to know how to make them. 

1. Old Tower - Stellary Wisdom 

Old Tower, “Stellary Wisdom,” was without a doubt one of the most fascinating and most brilliant sounding releases to come out this year, hence why I have it as my number one pick of 2018. The artist behind this project known only as, The Specter, continues to demonstrate amazing composition skills by taking dungeon synth music and creating worlds of tranquil sounding darkness. The overall atmosphere on, “Stellary Wisdom,” is truly phenomenal and the consideration to detail and recording quality is so well done. For those who are looking for a great dungeon synth release I can tell you “Stellary Wisdom” is the album you should be checking out. 

Rob “The Metal Guy” Awards :

Best EP of the Year: Mournful Cries “Vices” 

Best Split Release of the Year: Putrid and Pathetic “Devorando Carne Divina” 

Best Live Album: Night Demon “Live Darkness” 

Label of the Year: Sentient Ruin

Best Live Performance: Trecelence (March 23 at the Phoenix Theater / Opening for Act of Defiance)

Up and Coming Artist of the Year: Blood Star

Most Metal Movie of 2018: Terrifier (First premiered in 2016 but I saw it in 2018)

Most Metal WWE Wrestler: Becky Lynch 

Most Obnoxious Group of People on the Planet: ANTIFA (For cancelling the Taake tour. Hoping they don't cancel any shows or tours in 2019...fucking dicks)

Biggest Douche Award: The dumbass from Maroon 5 with Gene Simmons as runner up (Surprisingly Gene wasn't as big of a douche this year as the previous year.) 

Atrament "Scum Sect"

    Taking D-beat crust punk and adding a pulverizing helping of backend death brutality, Atrament summons forth an abysmal sounding world of eternal chaos. Each track on the Oakland, CA based band’s new album, “Scum Sect,” is a sinister attack of pure blackened hatred sure enough to drain the happiness right out of your inner soul.

    Their debut album, “Eternal Downfall,” was an impressive and utterly extreme sounding release and was one of my favorite releases for that year. Somehow the band takes the music into even more blasphemous and dark directions with their sophomore album, “Scum Sect,” by writing more down right unapologetic lyrics and unleashing some devastating riffs. Also, the overall musicianship on this new album is rather solid and as a whole the band is able to produce some strong tracks. Out of the ten songs on this release I don’t think you will find one track that does not fit, because the songwriting and musicianship is unbelievably consistent. Once the band hammers out the first offering of merciless sounding terror you can’t run away and are sucked into this endless nightmare of pure destruction.

    The song, “Plague Upheaval,” kicks off the album with a thunderous punch of distortion and malevolent sounding vocals. The drumming is crushing is overall sound and maintains a killer groove which you hear throughout the album. I felt like the sound engineer did an awesome job with the drum and guitar levels to where every extreme sound flows in perfect synergy. The next song, “Chains of Terror,” feverishly strikes away at a ghastly sounding blackened death riff while the drumming keeps the music moving forward in blistering fashion. Another area to point out is the vocals and Atrament’s singer provides one monstrous sounding vocal delivery on this album. Songs like, “Boiling Blood,” and “Spit on Mankind,” are given an extra boost of gruesome and harsh sounding attitude by the band’s lead singer.

    Other songs I want to mention are “Craven” and the last track on the album, “This Night Shall See No End.” Both tracks continue to display this bands vicious musical talents with even more sickening vocal lines and bombastic humanity destroying riff compositions. “This Night Shall See No End,” is probably my favorite song off the album, because I like how the band combined all the different elements of black metal, death metal and crust punk to create one massive sounding extreme assault on the ears.

    I think Atrament’s, “Scum Sect,” is yet another great release from this band and the album continues to build upon their vicious legacy as one of the Bay Area's strongest up and coming acts. Easily one of the most profound and intense sounding recordings to come this year in my opinion. If they sound this extreme and apocalyptic on their recordings, just imagine what these guys sound like live…the venue would probably collapse and a portal into a black and endless abyss would open up sucking everyone in, besides the promoter of course who would take all the money and get out of their faster than a blast beat.



Atrament "This Night Shall See No End"

Atrament Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/blackatrament/

Cauldron "New Gods"

   The evolution of Cauldron is quite fascinating and their new album, “New Gods,” is yet another strong effort from the Canadian power trio. From a young and hungry band offering blistering riffs of classic metal fury to a more melodic hard rock attitude, Cauldron is beginning to find the right blend of heaviness and melody to where the songs really standout.

   On their previous album, “In Ruin,” I definitely noticed the band focusing more on developing strong songs and the overall production of that album was simply amazing. The band's 2007 debut EP, “Into the Cauldron,” came out during a time when a lot of young metal bands were trying to emulate the classic acts by creating heavy riffs and throwing around lightening fast guitar parts. I am glad Cauldron never participated in the speed war by showing off how fast they could play and I think that the band’s focus on solid musicianship plus strong songwriting skills has led us to the current release, “New Gods.”

   As I said earlier, “In Ruin,” was exceptional in terms of production, so I was extremely impressed with how they carried that sound over onto the new album. The drums sounded great along with the guitar and bass sound which highlights the bands ability to craft some killer classic metal sounding music Also, I thought bassist and vocalist, Jason Decay, sounded great throughout the album and his vocal abilities do not disappoint.

   From the start of this album to the very end, Cauldron deals a strong selection of tracks. The album opens with the fierce hard rocking song, “Prisoner of the Past,” which I think sets the tone for the album by presenting a tight rhythm section and crushing main riff. Guitarist Ian Chains is an outstanding player who may not be the most flashy and overly technical guitarists around, but he gets the job done and knows how to construct heavy riffs that convey raw emotion. I thought the guitar solos on tracks like, “No Longer” and “Never Be Found,” were well executed and did not throw around random notes, or go off into pointless directions.

   Other tracks I wish to highlight are, “Save the Truth/Syracuse,” “Isolation” and “Together As None.” On, “Save the Truth/Syracuse,” the band hammers out a heavy dose of classic metal riffs and bold sounding drum parts. I feel like drummer, Myles Deck, provides a powerful punch on this song and throughout the album he is the beating pulse of this band when pertaining to rhythm. “Isolation,” is an instrumental composition stands out from the other tracks and in the end demonstrates the band’s musical creativity along with their ability to depart from what one would expect. Although I think the song on this album that vividly stood out for me was, “Together As None.” The song features a well built chorus section and the lyrics were extremely well written to compliment the instrumental composition. In this day and age I feel so many bands fail to capture the essence of their sound with solid lyrical content and this song was rather refreshing to hear.

   I believe Cauldron did a tremendous job on, “New Gods,” by conveying a classic metal sound, yet found a way to make the music sound distinct and strengthen their musical identity. Fans will enjoy the balance of classic metal riffs with a more melodic hard rock touch and compared to most of the music coming out, there is no real filler because each song is written with purpose and meaning. There is no slowing down for this band and I foresee them continuing to pour their die hard classic metal worshipping hearts and souls on future releases.

Review: Altars "Self-Titled EP"

    Drowning listeners in an endless black sea of hellish sounding death metal, the San Jose,CA based band known as, Altars, unleashes a merciless assault of extreme terror on their self-titled debut EP. 

    The band offers up four explosive tracks containing a sinister sound and attitude similar to that of classic death metal and grindcore bands that laid the foundation for extreme music. These musicians do not hesitate when pertaining to brutality and the music simply suffocates and possesses your overall senses. I also liked how the four tracks flowed and you get little to catch your breath on this EP. The opening track, “Unholy Retribution,” begins with a burst of distorted feedback to create an abysmal and very terrifying atmosphere, which eventually turns into a massive hurricane of vicious death metal. I thought the musicianship was rather impressive overall and the recording quality of each instrument is well captured throughout the release. 

    The second track on the album, “Conqueror,” is definitely more of a fast paced old school grindcore like piece and contains some extreme rapid fire drumming and riffs. I feel like the music comes and goes leaving behind a decimated wasteland of complete and utter carnage. The third song, “Ancient Plague,” I felt was a more dynamic sounding track compared to the first two. In the beginning on the song the band does an impressive job building up a very bleak and doom like sounding atmosphere before dragging listeners down into a swamp of distorted chaos. “Black Magic,” wraps up the EP with more bellicose sounding death metal riffs and demonic growls. The singer even lets out a blood curdling scream in the middle of the song which adds to the already horror like and fear inducing atmosphere.

    Overall, I think Altars presented some solid music with their debut EP and leaves me wanting more from this band. The musicianship did not disappoint along with the band’s ability to construct terrorizing atmospheres of brutal death metal. Also, Altars is yet another impressive act to have their music released on Sentient Ruin Laboratories, which is a label that continues to deliver some of the best up and coming extreme music acts around. In the end, there is some killer music being conjured up in San Jose, CA that I hope continues to strike fear in the hearts of priests and may one day awaken the destructive forces from starless voids beyond.


Altars "Conqueror" :

Altars Bandcamp:

altars666.bandcamp.com

Sentient Ruin Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/SentientRuin/

Mournful Cries Release New EP “Vices”

    They’re back! Mournful Cries keeps cranking out the demos and EPs with their third release to date, “Vices,” which is another strong invocation of pure doom. The Sonoma County Sabbath worshippers conjure up some wicked sounding riffs from cosmic worlds beyond and tell listeners some haunting tales of bone chilling terror.

    Ever since the band formed I have been tracking their progression and I can tell you that their sound keeps evolving with each new release. The first demo/EP  was definitely more raw and rough sounding, but demonstrated a talented trio that could write some crushing pieces of doom metal. Also, I need to point out how the band self-records their music and drummer Alex Hernandez who does the mixing and engineering on each release does a really solid job capturing the band’s sound. The drum, guitar and bass production on, “Vices,” really stands out and adds a deafening punch to each track. I even thought the vocals provided by singer and guitarist Luis Olguin vividly complimented the instrumental compositions.

    The two songs on this EP are both sinister cuts of doom and convey very dark heavily distorted atmospheres reminiscent to that of music by Saint Vitus and Pentagram. “Sinners Pyre,” is the opening track and slowly builds up into a blizzard of mind crushing doom. There is a catchy overall quality to the song, which is achieved by the song’s tight main rhythm. The other song on this EP, “Phantasmal Poisoning,” is another killer jam of heavy hitting doom with more dynamic compositions thrown into the mix. I thought the ending part of the song was without question the most captivating section. Bassist Matt Lasserre offers up some tasty bass lines and the music simply flows in perfect synergy until the end.

   There is much to be said about this young band’s progression from their first demo, however, in the end I shall sum it all up by saying Mournful Cries is moving in the right direction. A lot of young bands rush themselves by trying to get full-length album out right away and end up creating subpar recordings. I think Mournful Cries is smart for taking their time and slowly building up to their first full-length with these demos and EPs. You get a better sense for what this band can offer and how they are constantly working to improve their sound.

   So crank up the volume, turn out the lights, drink from the chalice and let “Vices” consume your soul...let the doom commence!

Mournful Cries bandcamp and FB:

https://mournfulcries.bandcamp.com/album/vices

https://www.facebook.com/MournfulCries/

Concert Review: Night Demon, Blood Star and Space Vacation at Thee Parkside (08/08/2018)

    If you think having a heavy metal show on a week night is a bad idea, well think again people! Given the right bands, the right venue and the right amount of headbanging fanatics, you might find yourself experiencing an all around great show. Such was the case this past Wednesday night in San Francisco at Thee Parkside where Night Demon along with Blood Star and Space Vacation, put on one monumental show for the ravenous Bay Area metal community.

    After being quite busy over in Europe since the release of their second full-length album, “Darkness Remains,” Night Demon finally was gearing up for a North America tour. The last time I saw the band perform live was around 2016 in Sacramento when they were touring with Ghoul, Crowbar and Carcass. Kicking off their North American tour in San Francisco seemed to be the most optimal place and the fans showed up in full metal force at Thee Parkside.

    Opening the show was Space Vacation, a local SF Bay Area band I had seen once before in Petaluma a few years back. These guys are all skilled musicians and they definitely know how to offer up that classic hard rock/NWOBHM sound with plenty of sweet sounding guitar riffs and bombastic ear pounding rhythms. Drummer Eli Lucas is a true maniac behind the kit and plays with great personality as he smashes his way around the cymbals and snares. Lead guitarist Kiyo Morgan shreds like a madman with true precision and is an amazing showman when executing his lead parts. Singer/guitarist Scott Shapiro has a strong voice which stands out especially during each song’s chorus section. Bassist Steve Hays handles the low end with crushing force and his ability to inject some extra force into each riff section does not go unnoticed. Fans seemed to be really digging their songs, so Space Vacation started night off right and was a solid choice as the opening act.

    After Space Vacation finished their set the next band, Blood Star, began setting up. I tried looking them up when Night Demon announced the tour and listed Blood Star as their main support. This band seems to be fairly new, however, I can honestly say that their stage presence and ability to perform did not seem that way. Their entire sound was tight and reminded me of that classic early eighties period in metal where the riffs are heavy yet the music is extremely catchy. Also, the band had these large black banners with their band logo and even had smoke machines, which I thought were great visuals to add to their performance. In the end, the singer really blew me away with her powerful voice and confident stage presence. I also thought the band’s sole guitarist offered up some tasty leads and hard hitting classic sounding metal riffs. I’m looking forward to hopefully an album from this band, because their live sound did not disappoint.

    As soon as Blood Star concluded their set to a thunderous applause, Night Demon started setting up the stage for their metal assault. Once the lights dimmed and the band took their positions waiting to break into the opening song, the entire audience was making noise and showing their support for the Venture, CA trio. The band opened their set with, “Welcome to the Night,” and set the tone for an overall thrilling performance by bringing tremendous amounts of energy. Singer and bassist Jarvis Leatherby displayed his exceptional skills as the band’s frontman by constantly giving one hundred percent during each song. Guitarist Armand John Anthony played with precision while cranking out some wicked sounding riffs and solos. Adding an extra boost of seismic force, drummer Dusty Squires was locked into each song and did not miss a single beat. All around, the musicianship just did not disappoint and all three musicians worked extremely well together to produce such a tight sound.

    The band’s set consisted of material from “Darkness Remains,”  “Curse of the Damned” which is the band’s first album and a few from the band’s debut self-titled EP. They also added a powerful and epic cover of, “In Trance,” by Scorpions. I was really excited to hear them perform songs like, “Save Me Now” and “Full Speed Ahead,” since those are two of my favorite songs off the first album. During the song, “The Chalice,” the band’s mascot Rocky appeared holding a goblet and received a major pop from the audience. They finished with their self-titled song and the place was still erupting even after a feverous set of songs.

    At the end of the night, all three bands put on one brilliant overall show, so everyone walked away satisfied and with their ears ringing. This is what heavy metal is all about and to see so many passionate metal fans show up is a testament to the longevity and loyalty within the heavy metal community. I think Night Demon is one of the most driven and hard working bands around. Their performance once again proved that they are true professionals that keep waving the flag for metal. Also, Space Vacation and Blood Star are two promising acts that I hope to see around more, because both bands know how to write some killer heavy metal jams. In conclusion, I am extremely optimistic about metal’s future as the fury just won’t die and we have plenty of bands and fans to keep the power and glory of metal moving forward.

New Cemetery Filth Song "Exhumed Visions"

    Cemetery Filth delivers that old school death metal filth and fury with their new track, “Exhumed Visions.” The Southeast USA based band offers up a gruesome sounding taste of what is to come and looks to be quite busy out on the road.

    Starting later this month Cemetery Filth is going to be touring with Church of Disgust around the eastern side of the United States. Also, the new demo song, “Exhumed Visions,” will be featured on a split tour promo tape that will be sold at the shows. With plans to release their debut full-length album in spring of 2019, the new song is an impressive preview of the ultimate brutality and casket crushing sound that this band can conjure up in the studio.

    I remember when I first heard them on the four band compilation album “Four Doors to Death” released through Unspeakable Axe Records, which was an all around exceptional release. After hearing Cemetery Filth’s two tracks on that album, I was instantly drawn to their sinister sounding style of old school death metal. The new track, “Exhumed Visions,” features some vicious old school sounding riffs along with some pulverizing drum parts. I find the songwriting and vocal delivery to be extremely well thought out and keeps you completely engaged from beginning to end. If this is just a small sample of what is to come, I cannot wait to hear what else the band has in store for fans when they drop their debut full-length album.

    With so many death metal bands putting together generic and sloppy sounding releases, Cemetery Filth brings old school death metal substance and the promise of a morbid sounding future of extreme musical terror. Definitely try to catch them on their upcoming tour with Church of Disgust as the shows shall be great gatherings of pure death metal insanity. In a world full of obnoxious and forgettable sounding music (Particularly that indie rock hipster bullshit that come from the Bay Area), we need Cemetery Filth to summon horrendous destruction and to open up the gateways of extreme sounding annihilation!


Check out the new song below!

Cemetery Filth Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/CemeteryFilth/

Abstracter "Cinereous Incarnate"

  Apocalyptic sounding destruction is what one shall imagine when listening to music from Bay Area based sludge metal juggernauts, Abstracter. Their sound is like a massive shockwave of extreme sounding terror rattling through the Earth and sending listeners into an abyss of endless distorted doom.

  Ever since I reviewed the bands first album, “Tomb of Feathers,” back in 2012 while writing for another website, I have always been mesmerized by the band’s striking dark sounding atmospheres of bombastic sounding sludge and doom. Also, there are a variety of elements incorporated into the band’s sound, so at times you will get some vicious blackened crust jams followed by a slower sludge riff section. This new album, "Cinereous Incarnate," which marks the third full-length album from these guys, is once again quite impressive in terms of sound and just all around extreme sounding devastation. The ambient touches on this album add to an already heavy sound by injecting more abysmal landscapes throughout each song.

  Containing six tracks, the album really does consume you as you listen by providing plenty of moments where you are focused on the sheer ferocity that Abstracter brings to the table. The opening song, “Nether,” contains some explosive sounding riffs and the song’s entire structure was very well pieced out. They are able to expand on basic heavy riffs while at the same time throwing in a few quick sections that reflect a more crust punk approach. The next track, “Cinereous,” is a short haunting ambient piece that is really intended to build up anticipation for, “Ashen Reign,” which hits with tremendous force. The drummer matches the burst of guitar feedback by pounding the utter crap out of his kit and making the music have a strong beating pulse.

  Track four, “Wings go Annihilation,” contains some dark sounding guitar sections and was probably my favorite song off the album. There is definitely more of a black metal side being presented and the diversity of compositions sounded great. Returning to a more ambient style, “Incarnate,” leaves you lost in a world of bleak sounding noises feeling as though you are gazing at the ruins of a fallen city of smoke and ash. Concluding the album, “Devouring Night,” happens to be the most suitable sounding conclusion for an already decimating release. The entire production sounds solid on this track, especially the vocals and how they are delivered by the band’s singer. You really have a hard time trying to find anything wrong with the band, because they all seem to be on the same page and their talents allow for the music to come across with such conviction on each track.

  I do believe Abstracter continues to thrive as they keep releasing new music and this new album is yet another heavy sounding release for fans to blast on their speakers. I need to see these guys live, because if they sound this heavy on their albums, seeing them live will blow me straight out of the venue. Extreme music is still thriving here in 2018 and Abstracter’s music is definitely helping the uncompromising brutality continue for us fans to enjoy.



Check out "Ashen Reign" below:

Co-released by the following labels:

- Sentient Ruin (LP/tape/digital - US/One of my favorite labels) - Vendetta Records (LP - EU)
- I, Voidhanger Records (CD)
- Tartarus Records (tape - EU)
- Daymare Recordings (CD - Japan)

Exmortus "The Sound of Steel"

   Exmortus is a band known for their ferocious technicality and strong heavy metal sound. Their music is what you would want playing as you ride through a bloody battlefield swinging your axe and chopping off some heads. The band’s new album, “The Sound of Steel,” is another  savage sounding release of shredding, headbanging and axe swinging metal music.

   “The Sound of Steel,” is the band’s fifth full-length album to date and is very much a continuation of what fans heard on, “Slave to the Sword,” and “Ride Forth,” which are the bands last two full-length releases. I honestly felt the band really started to establish themselves after the release of, “Slave to the Sword.” Around the time that album came out I saw them live and was blown away by their passion and musicianship. They have always been a hard working band and over the years they keep the pedal down by constantly touring. I think the new music is exactly what made me enjoy the previous releases and once again presents a heavy sound that features some brilliant musicianship.

   Singer/guitarist and founding member, Conan Gonzales is the only returning member on this album, so I was interested to hear how the band would sound after losing three out of the four members featured on the last two releases. I do believe Conan found some talented musicians to play on this new album and I hope they stick around for a bit. On bass Phillip Nunez does a solid job laying down some powerful bass lines, while Carlos Cruz is a monster behind the kit. Handling the second guitar duties, I think Chase Becker provides some exceptional guitar parts and adds to the band’s vicious thrash sound.

   In terms of songwriting, the band delivers plenty of battle themed hymns of heavy metal might. The opening song, “Make Haste,” is a fearsome strike of metal force to the ears with an intense thrash like composition. Conan’s vocals compliment the music quite well and the song’s overall production quality is rather impressive. I would say the song gets the job done as an opening track. Is this something new and ground breaking? Not really, however, Exmortus has found their niche and their sound and playing style is very consistent. The second track off the album, “Feast of Flesh,” really caught my attention, especially since the riffs and delivery of the music is extremely aggressive. Also, the lead guitar playing is exceptionally well done and does not go off into unnecessary directions by just shredding random notes without any thought.

   Other songs that stand out are, “Into the Maw of Hell,” “Strength and Honor,” and “Riders of Doom.” The music is extremely well written and you are able to hear the strong heavy metal talents each member possesses during these songs. The instrumental song on this album, “A Minor Instrumental,” is yet another phenomenal instrumental track by this band and probably my favorite song off the album. Exmortus is sort of known in the metal world for coming up with some amazing instrumental pieces and their cover of, “Moonlight Sonata (Act 3),” is one song that I still reference as a great heavy metal instrumental piece.

   In the end, I do believe fans of Exmortus will be pleased with how this album turned out. I do think the band’s lyrical content and themes are nothing new from what I have already heard on previous albums, but it happens to work well with their style of metal, so I can't complain too much. If you are looking for consistency, I do find Exmortus to be a band that shall deliver a solid shield smashing and skull crushing release from beginning to end. Plus, you can count on these guys to tour relentlessly when the new album drops. Just like barbarian hordes, Exmortus will ride forth from town to town unleashing heavy metal chaos leaving no hipsters alive…Okay, maybe that is a bit extreme, but this is heavy metal people!



Check out the video for "Feast of Flesh" below:

Woodswalk Release New Single “As You Sow, So Shall You Reap”

    After a few years of silence, Woodswalk emerges from the dark misty forests of Sonoma County with a blistering piece of raw black metal music. “As You Sow, So Shall You Reap,” is an offering of extreme music that takes you on a journey through pathways of infinite darkness and melancholy sounding atmospheres.

    Teaming up with Cosmic Pyre Productions, Woodswalk’s new single is what looks to be the start of more releases to come from this new and promising label. I am honestly extremely pleased with Woodswalk returning and putting out some new music. I remember when I first heard the band’s song, “Death of Tuireann,” which is definitely more ambient and atmospheric. With the new single the band sort of transitions into a very raw black metal sound with plenty of dynamic riff compositions and an overall harsh sounding traditional black metal tone. I thought the vocals were well recorded and did a great job complementing the instrumental arrangements. Also, the recording quality I think was another strong point and allowed the music to be presented in such a vivid and commanding fashion. You feel drawn into this blizzard of guitar distortion while also being bombarded by the vicious sound of the drums. Production wise, this track is everything you want in a black metal recording and definitely stacks up with some of the top black metal releases to come out in the last couple years.

    In the end, “As You Sow, So Shall You Reap,” is a track that makes me want more from Woodswalk. So many black metal bands focus on trying to be evil with their imagery first that the songwriting ends up being very lack luster. There is a certain energy, talent and attitude Woodswalk delivers that I believe separates them from most of the other black metal bands around right now. I am looking forward to hopefully hearing more music from Woodswalk in the coming months and appreciate that there is a black metal band willing to put thought into their music, while still conveying a very raw and grim sound.

Listen to the new single below:

Woodswalk Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/Woodswalk-1532721717010189/

Cosmic Pyre Productions Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/CosmicPyreProductions/

Concert Review: Cinco De Metal

  Cinco De Mayo was transformed into Cinco De Metal Saturday night at the House of Rock in Santa Rosa, CA. Four local bands unleashed their extreme music making talents for an audience that was hellbent on hearing some raw and heavy hitting metal music.

   This would mark my first time seeing a show at the House of Rock and for the local metal scene, I thought that this was a great opportunity to lobby for more shows at this venue. The four bands billed: Mournful Cries, Oneiric Eclipse, Ancestors Wrath and Electric Funeral, really turned out to be a solid line-up. Right away though, I need to point out how the venue is extremely professional and the layout is quite impressive. There were video monitors that would show different shots of the bands while they performed and the lighting setup was unbelievably well done. The service that this venue provided made all these bands feel like real rockstars. I bet there were bowls with only brown M&M’s in the back for the artists!

  Taking the stage first was the power trio of doom, Mournful Cries, a band that knows how to hammer out some Iommi like riffs and conjure up wicked sounding jams of authentic doom. I thought band played a crushing set and music sounded extremely tight. Drummer Alex Hernandez was keeping the rhythm section moving strong and threw in some brilliant drum fills at times. Also, bassist Matt Lasserre played an important part in maintaining a heavy rhythmic backbone by thunderously striking his bass like a God of Thunder. Guitarist and singer Luis Olguin put on a strong show too and his guitar tone sounded like something you would hear back in the Vol. 4 days of Sabbath. Songs like “Sinners Pyre” and “Phantasmic Poising,” are such heavy riffing pieces of doom that I can’t wait to hear what they will sound like on a full-length release. From what started out as just a two man project has now turned into a determined trio of musicians playing on stages with video monitors. I tell you, hard work pays off!

Mournful Cries 

  After Mournful Cries finished, Oneiric Eclipse began setting up the stage for their ritual of raw and merciless grim sounding black metal. They brought out some candles and skulls to create a dark atmosphere that would compliment their style of harsh black metal. Standing on the side closest to the bass player, I was able to hear where this band offers a bit more than just raw straightforward black metal. His style of bass playing is not so one dimensional and he has a great prowess for adding fills when needed to inject some technicality into the music. The guitarist and singer did a solid job establishing that bleak and abysmal sounding atmosphere, while the drummer seemed to be playing with precision and not missing a beat. For their first show I think the band sounded really good and unlike some black metal bands, they were able to play a show without Antifa protesting them.

Oneiric Eclipse

  Third up was Ancestors Wrath, a band I would be seeing live for the first time. They were definitely channelling that 80’s thrash metal vibe with a vicious two guitar attack and their music kept the crowd banging their heads throughout the entire set. I thought the singer had outstanding stage presence and did a great job interacting with the audience. He would stick the mic into the crowd and people would actually sing along without forgetting the words. Overall their sound was tight and the songs sounded well written. If you enjoy kickass thrash metal that hits you right in the gut, I definitely recommend checking these guys out.

Ancestors Wrath 

  The final act of the night was, Electric Funeral, a Black Sabbath cover band from the local area. The singer in Electric Funeral, Lance Oskitzo, I have seen before with his other band Skitzo, so I was interested in hearing him tackle all these Sabbath songs. I think for the most part the band executed the cover songs rather well. Of course I have my favorite Sabbath songs, so hearing “Snowblind” and “Children of the Grave,” stood out the most to me. Observing some of the other folks in the crowd, I noticed people singing along word for word. The musicians looked confident playing the material and probably grew up listening to Sabbath to where playing these songs was like taking a trip down memory lane. Their set seemed be well received by the audience and Electric Funeral did a smashing job closing out the night, especially Lance using an air raid siren for their rendition of, “War Pigs.”

Electric Funeral 

  Once again, Sonoma County proves to be a place full of passionate metal bands and fans all celebrating extreme heavy music together. Also, House of Rock is an exceptionally well run venue to host a show. I do wish more local acts get the chance to play this venue, as I feel the people will show up and enjoy their experience. All you need is four crushing acts like the ones who played and you will have one massive heavy metal celebration!

Petrification “Hollow of the Void”

    When creating terrifying brutal old school sounding death metal you want a band that is going to put in that extra effort to really grab your attention with some corpse ripping riffs and demonic growls that sound like they are coming from some blasphemous world from beyond. Well, the Portland, OR based band, Petrification, is a band that I believe knows how to raise the extreme music making bar and their new music definitely travels into some utterly extreme sounding realms.

    Petrification’s debut album, “Hollow of the Void,” is an offering of pulverizing old school sounding death metal that echoes through the catacombs with pure unapologetic force. When Sentient Ruin sent me a promo copy of their first EP, “Summon Horrendous Destruction,” I could not believe how raw and bombastic the band sounded on each of those four songs. I felt like it was a mix of Benediction, Bolt Thrower and Swedish bands like Entombed and Dismember. The riffs provide a decimating sound while the vocals are presented in a truly gruesome and bellicose manner. Each track is simply a cataclysmic impact of old school death metal that from start to finish is very solid and very engaging.

    The songs on this new album are produced in a style that I feel really represents what this band is all about, and that is to unleash an undeniable onslaught of monstrous old school death metal. Also, the musicianship is at a certain level to where I think the band as a whole is able to construct these powerful and complete pieces of extreme music. Unlike some bands who play death metal and sort of live off their names being brutal, Petrification’s sound is without question some of the heaviest and most bone crushing music you will find around.

    I like how the album starts out with what sounds like an army of hungry spiders devouring a corpse in some dark remote cave and then decides to burst into one of the most ferocious sounding jams imaginable. The song “Arachne Exsanguine,” is massive assault of brutal riffs that provide a devastating impact of chord crushing aggression. Petrification’s vocalist is an extremely solid singer and I think he has an amazing delivery. The next song, “Technological Assimilation,” is a well written track and contains some strong thought provoking lyrics. This vocalist really steps up his game with the song’s vocal parts and I also thought the lead guitar playing was perfectly executed and recorded. Probably one of the top songs off the album and the music video they did for the song is also really impressive.

    When I reviewed the EP, “Summon Horrendous Destruction,” I remember really taking a liking to the title track and I am glad that the band decided to add it to the new album. You are instantly drawn into a dynamic sinister sounding realm of old school death metal and become possessed by the gruesome sounding guitar tone. Another solid track is, “Hymn of Chaos,” where the band belts out more seismic instrumental compositions while the vocalist maintains his unforgiving brutal presence. Also, I want to point out, “Devouring Abysm,” which keeps a very death doom like tone throughout the song by slowly hacking away at a ghastly sounding main riff. The drummer also delivers a strong performance by leading music into that dark and hellish world off extreme musical insanity.

    Overall, I thought Petrification did a tremendous job with their debut album, “Hollow of the Void.” There is definitely room for the band to take the music into more extreme and creative directions, but this is a great starting point, especially how they sounded on this release. Easily one of the strongest sounding up and coming death metal bands I have heard as of recent. Hell, offer these guys a chance to write a horror film and I think they would be able to come up with a concept more horrifying than the garbage Hollywood is currently putting in theaters.



Check out Petrification's video for “Technological Assimilation” below:

Interview with Eric Lee from Hellbender

Hellbender is a Sonoma County based metal act that knows how to throw down some crushing riffs of nuclear sounding devastation. I have seen them live a few times and when writing concert reviews I always enjoyed describing their straight forward brand of hard hitting heavy metal. Finally the opportunity came up to interview a member from the band and talk all things Hellbender and learn a little more about the band. So here is an interview with their bass player Eric Lee...

     Hi Eric, thanks for taking the time to do this interview. After seeing Hellbender a few times over the last couple years and writing articles about some of those shows, it is great to talk with someone from the band. To begin I wanted to talk about the history of Hellbender. When did you guys first form? What sort of led to the formation of the band?         

Eric: Hey thanks for coming to our shows lol!! That was an awesome little intro there. Well, the band started to form back in 2011. My friend Clee, who plays guitar, and I have been friends since the 1970's back in 1st and 2nd grade at Grant elementary school in Petaluma. Over the years, we have played in many bands together such as Wingnut, Crimeseen and Porterhouse. We've been playing in the local music scene with those bands back to the late 1990's. So having done so many projects together we wanted to something new but heavier than anything we've done before. So myself on bass, Clee on guitar would jam in a little shack playing thrash metal with our first drummer Todd from the Heat Creeps. We played our first shows after we got Dollar Bill from Seeds of Hate, Indulgence, Bomb Squad! After a few jams Bill was sold and wanted in. We had our frontman!! He had an awesome resume of bands that he was in and myself and Clee had seen Bill perform before so we knew exactly what he was bringing to the table. We came up with the name Hellbender and played our first show at Spankys with The King Must Die at Quincys in Rohnert Park on Nov 1, 2011. We started playing shows around the North Bay as well as the rest of the Bay Area. We recorded and released our first demo Steel, Blood and Bone in March 2014. At that point, we really started to branch out with playing gigs down in LA. We got our second drummer, Matt McKill, to take over the drum throne around November 2014.  He would remain our drummer for the next 3 years, which he played on the Falling Down CD. Once our 2nd CD dropped, things really started to take off for us. We opened for Prong, one of my favorite bands.  We played more shows around the North Bay and the greater Bay Area. We were playing metal and people were digging it, so let's keep this going. We land a management deal with Distilled Entertainment, then WE GOT THE SUMMER TOUR WITH DESTRUCTION & WARBRINGER, HOOOOLLLLLY SHIIIIIIIITT!!! We learned a lot on that first tour and had a lot of fun, you know!! Made some great new connections with all those folks and really got out and played outside of California for the first time. I was a grown teenager living his dream playing metal on tour with a band I grew up listening to when I first started playing bass in 1982. Anyways, it was really a mind blown experience, I remember HUGGING Dollar bill in LA the last night on tour overlooking the SOLD OUT crowd, it was just surreal and inspirational as a lifelong musician. We ended last year, opening the Death Angel Christmas Show at Slims to finish the year off. All things aside, the new year brought change. So, low and behold,  we have changed drummers AGAIN.  We now have Tim Bailey on the kit. He used to play in Nuclear Rabbit for years and as well recently, Trinity Fallen. We wish Matt all the best but it was time to change. We found Tim luckily thru another mutual friend and we jumped at the chance to nail this guy as our drummer. We are very excited about what Tim brings to the table. We have several new songs in the works with him already. We played our first show with him a few weeks ago, in March at the Phoenix for Act of Defience. What a great first show it was super fun! Those guys shredded!!!

  Hellbender has been quite busy over the last few years and the band has played some killer shows and tours with acts like Death Angel and Destruction. Is there any show that stands out or any tour where you could not believe you were playing alongside a certain band?         

Eric: I actually just mentioned that, haha! But I'll go into more juicy details... the last show of the tour in LA, we played at the awesome Regent Theater. It was sold out! Line of kids down the block when we got there. By the time the doors opened, the theater started to fill up quick. We were the second band and when we hit the stage, we were playing in front of about 400+!!!People were headbanging, some even knew and were singing our songs!! Hell yes!! Everyone was pumped and it gave us an extra boost. And like I said before, at the end of the night, Bill and myself were standing up in the balcony watching Destruction overlooking the huge crowd of moshers, just going wild and I was just soaking it all in and loving every single moment of that night. Best Night of the Tour!!!! So cool.

  Now I wanted to discuss your album, “Falling Down,” which from my understanding is your most recent release. How do you feel about that release and what has the feedback been like? I really like the production of the songs and was wondering where you guys recorded the album? Also, how long did it take to record?                 

  Eric: Yes, it is our most recent release and we actually just put out a video of that song, directed by our good friend Mr. Mike Sloat. You can find it on our website “www.Hellbender707.com." Anyway, we recorded the drums at Zone Music with Nick Botelho in November 2015. In January and Feb. 2016 we did my bass tracks and Clee's guitars at our friend from Profits of Doom, Julian Kidd's home studio. Then, April and May 2016, Bill and I finished the main vocal and backing vocals, also with a little help on a few songs from Ken Calmer of Outrage. Nick then mixed it in June/July and we released that in August 2016, jeez... seems so long ago. Two songs were previously on our first CD, Steel, Blood & Bone, but we decided it was worth redoing. And there is a surprise song on there, if you didn't already know, haha since it's been out for 2 years. Yeah, we did Live Wire. So there's actually 8 songs, even though we list 7!  Marketing genius!!! Also, we didn't want to pay Motley Crue, they get enough royalties,  haha! We have been extremely excited about the overall outcome of the record. We spent a lot of time on that record. The production was amazing working with Nick and Julian was super fun. We wanted to take our time and make a record that people enjoyed and I think we achieved that. I was really excited about the drum, guitar and bass tones we got. Also, the vocal production was pretty fuckin' brutal as well, We were all very pleased with the overall production and sound that we got on this record. You put it on and it just slams you in the fuckin' face!! That's what we were going for, so yes we are extremely happy with the outcome of this record!

  Being involved in the Sonoma County Metal Community, what have you noticed over the last fews years? Are more young bands coming through and do you feel like the scene is beginning to really grow?

  Eric: Yeah, we definitely feel that the scene has been growing over the last few years. It's not like it was in the 1990's when you could pack the Phoenix on a weekend. BUT, it seems like people are coming out more and more to shows now. There's a lot of great local bands out there! Skitzo hello, been ruling the scene since the 1980's. Other bands like ourselves, The King Must Die, Trial by Combat and Profits of Doom (also, Oden's Sun) and Aberration have all been making noise around Sonoma County. Ernest who runs the Sonoma County Metal and Hardcore has been the one who gets the National acts to come play in our local venues and that's really been a game changer. Now, bands like Soulfly, Dying Fetus, Prong and  Black Dahlia Murder want to come play in our backyard. This also brings opportunity not only for ourselves but also for younger bands like Trecelence, Incredulous and some others to get out there and play in front of a crowd of friends. So, yes, the scene is growing and it's awesome. Keep going to local shows folks, it's better then sitting on the couch all night. haha! Get out and get your Metal!!

    So I wanted to maybe get a little more background info on how you became a metal maniac and was wondering what were some of the bands who influenced you growing up? Being a bass player who were some of your favorite bass players?     

  Eric: I was 13 and went to see my first metal show, which was Iron Maiden & Scorpions at the Oakland Arena. Holy crap, that opened my eyes, I was front row about 10 feet from Steve Harris playing his bass like a freakin' maniac, wow these guys are badass. So I went and bought my first bass in 1982. Then, my first thrash show was SLAYER and Death Angel at the Stone in 1983'sh. Death Angel came out and killed everyone, but Slayer was just awe-inspiring. At the time, growing up a teenager in this area, we started listening to the first demos from Death Angel, Exodus, Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer. It was a great time for metal, also European bands like Kreator, Destruction, Venom and Mercyful Fate were also huge in my listening collection in the early '80s. Some of my favorite players are too many to mention but the big ones for me would be, for sure Steve Harris, Gene Simmons, Tom Araya, Rex Brown, Les Claypool and of course the man, Geezer F'n Butler.

Eric Lee with Chris Broderick 

    I always like asking this question because some of the shows people come up with sound unbelievably awesome. If you could book a show with three bands along with your own, who would you like to see Hellbender share the stage with for one night?

  Eric: Damn bro, ok, great question there. Thousands of bands come to mind of course, but, if there's any chance to make it happen, this would be amazing. Because they are 2 newer bands compared to old school thrash bands. And they are 2 bands that are the next ones to take over the throne after Slayer leaves. Come to think of it they were the 2 bands that I saw open the Slayer on the Christ Illusion Tour.  That would be LAMB OF GOD & MASTODON. When we started this band, those were 2 bands that were very influential in our development of our sound. Not that we wanted to copy them, but we wanted something new and something we hadn't done before. And both bands we love!! That one show would have to be at Budokan, Japan to a sold out crowd, oh man that would be so fucking' epic!!! Maybe someday Hellbender will tour Japan, sky is the limit my friend, haha!!!

    What can we expect next from Hellbender and what are some goals you have for the band in these coming months? 

  Eric: Summer is here and the time is right, to play some killer shows baby!! We have the Cinco De Mayo Slayer-bration @Spanky's, paying tribute to one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Dollar Bill, Timmy and myself will be playing a few Slayer tunes that night along with some other local musicians. We also have some shows coming up with East Bay thrashers Hand of Fire and Cultural Warfare. Maybe play some Sacramento and San Francisco shows. There's also talk of doing some more LA/San Diego shows, anything is possible with us. Hellbender is always looking for new opportunities and markets to crack into, within reason of course. We are not looking to go on the road for 6 weeks or anything like that. That would be nice but it's not realistic for us. Since we have to work to make money, touring is not cheap or easy. It's hard to do, and costs a lot of money, A LOT!!! So, we just spreading our wings as much as we can, do interviews like this and just trying to get our name out to the Metal Community!! We know you are out there!! haha!! So, we are also write new tunes for what will become our 3rd record, which will hopefully come out by the end of the year?... But I'm not making any promises because there is still a lot of work to be had! Henceforth, we shall bestow upon thee most brutal and in your face metal that we can deliver!... Sorry, I sometimes bust out in Old English banter!! Anyways, we are really excited to be working with Timmy our new drummer who has a ton of experience. We set the bar high for ourselves with Falling Down and our plan is to crush that last record! Things are coming together for us, so we are excited about starting that process of recording when we are armed and ready for it!!

  Well Eric, once again thanks for taking the time to do this interview and look forward to seeing you guys live again down the road!

Eric: Yes, thanks again for this opportunity. Hellbender is excited for the new year and really wanting to get a new record out again because music makes the world go 'round! We will continue to play around Sonoma County as well as the greater Bay Area, so watch our facebook.com/Hellbender707 page for show announcements, live updates, videos, etc but also check out our website www.hellbender707.com... & Remember to kick back with some friends, crack a beers, spark up a fattie and crank some mother F'ing HELLBENDER!!!!!!! Rock On!!!!



Hellbender Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/hellbender707/

Concert Review: Act of Defiance, Trecelence, Hellbender, Trial by Combat and Secura

    The last time I attended a show at the Phoenix Theater in Petaluma, CA was about a year ago. For some people that may not be a long period of time, however, as someone who used to review concerts at the venue quite frequently, it seemed like an eternity. Lucky for me my return was greeted with an epic metal show featuring five brilliant head crushing bands.

  Act of Defiance, Trecelence, Hellbender, Trial by Combat and Secure was a line-up that brought out the die hard headbangers and once again proved why Sonoma County is a strong metal and hardcore scene that continues to gain more recognition. When I attended school at Sonoma State I was fortunate enough to get to know a decent amount of the local acts. Trecelence for example is one band that I interviewed during my radio show and became good friends with over the years. This show I felt meant a lot to the local musicians as it was an opportunity to share the stage with a well respected national touring act like Act of Defiance, and to showcase their extreme music making talents.

  Upon arriving at the historic music venue I noticed the metal fanatics were already waiting outside with great anticipation. After going around and seeing some old friends, I found myself gazing at that all familiar main stage where the first band was starting to get ready. Taking the stage first was, Secura, a new local act I would be seeing for the first time. I could tell playing this show meant a lot to them and for a young band they handled themselves fairly well. Their brand of thrash is rather unique and I would like to hear them push that progressive quality a bit more. The two guitar players seemed to work well together, so utilizing the dual guitar attack will hopefully yield more wicked sounding tracks in the future.

Secura

  The next band was honestly the band I was most eager to see, especially since the last time I saw Trecelence live was at their album release show. I have watched Trecelence over the years evolve and become one of Sonoma County’s most accomplished up and coming metal acts. Their hard work and dedication has produced phenomenal songs and given them the chance to open up for some iconic metal bands like Possessed and Death Angel. This show with Act of Defiance was yet another piece in the continuing legacy of the band and would mark the first show without bassist and vocalist Zane Covington. Guitarist Chris Olney Burnett would be taking over on bass and vocals leaving just Donnie Small to handle the guitar duties. I was interested in seeing how Trecelence would sound without their twin guitar act that made them such a force too be reckoned with musically.

Trecelence (Also in photo Elias Small of Scythe)

  As a trio I thought the band did an outstanding job and each member played with an amazing amount of enthusiasm and raw energy. Drummer Ilan Cabrera unleashed a merciless assault from behind his drum kit while Chris and Donnie shredded together in exquisite style. Chris especially stepped up to the plate by slapping his fretless bass with authority and singing with a certain profound confidence. During the first song Chris shouted into the microphone, “We are Trecelence and we’re not fucking going anywhere,” giving people a reassuring statement that the band had no plans stopping anytime soon. I personally felt like this was one of their best performances, mainly due to the three members playing with such ferocity and passion. Looking to the future I am really excited to see what they can create after watching them put on a stellar performance.

  The night’s third act, Trial By Combat, is a veteran band from Sonoma County that have seen live a few times live. They delivered a deafening blow to the audience of bombastic thrash metal music. Singer Dashiel McKenzie is a solid frontman and his brutal vocal style offers up some monstrous vocal parts to compliment the vicious instrumental compositions. Overall I have always enjoyed Trial by Combat’s sound and think that their presence in the scene is very important. Here is an act that has a strong sound and gets the job done when performing live. I hope to see them maybe channel that same aggressive live energy into a killer full-length album one day.

Trial by Combat 

  Taking the stage next was, Hellbender, yet another veteran metal act from the scene that I have had the opportunity of seeing live before. Their style is very straight forward hard hitting heavy metal where the riffs are simple yet provide a punch right to the gut. The singer seemed to be thrilled opening for Act of Defiance along with the other members who were all in good spirits throughout their performance. I also really liked during one of their songs when the bass player turned on a bass effect to make his bass tone vividly standout. Sometimes guitarists steal show with all their fancy effects pedals, so it was great to hear the bassist taking control.

Hellbender 

  When the show’s headliner, Act of Defiance, finally took the stage I was not surprised to hear such a loud response from the crowd for this out of town band. Even after four bands and plenty of headbanging, the audience was full engaged and ready for some more rancorous metal music. Act of Defiance guitarist Chris Broderick and drummer Shawn Drover both used to play together in Megadeth, while bassist Matt Bachard is known for his work with Shadows Fall. Singer Henry Derek is an accomplished vocalist who used to sing in Scar the Martyr and I thought sounded really good live. All four of these musicians are extremely talented and I think make a solid sounding overall band. Chris Broderick is without question a extremely talented guitarist who plays with precision and can construct some fluid lead parts. The band’s aggressive thrashing sound allowed for a fair amount of mosh pits to form along with some stage diving. I thought the band during their set played with a certain professional quality to where the audience was not losing interest and constantly banging their heads.

Act of Defiance 

  At the end of the night one could feel the positive vibes from the entire show and Act of Defiance even showed how they were a class act by sticking around and meeting with the fans. I was reminded why the Phoenix Theater is such an important venue and a sanctuary for metal music. Getting to see young up and coming talent mixed with veteran bands and a national touring act like Act of Defiance is a testament to the power of heavy metal. The scene continues to thrive thanks to these bands keeping the metal spirit alive. And remember metal never dies... because it is not FUCKING GOING ANYWHERE!


Video of Trecelence performing live at the show: