Coroner and Heathen - Live at The Ritz in San Jose, CA 2/9/2026

 

    Many people would not believe that a metal show on a Monday night would draw a large crowd, however, they might not realize how passionate Bay Area metal fans can be if given the opportunity to see some killer bands. With a line-up featuring Swiss tech thrashers Coroner who have not played the Bay Area in about three decades, along with the mighty Bay Area thrash warriors in Heathen, this was a show that people would drive hours through agonizing traffic and poorly maintained roads to see. Plus, the show was in downtown San Jose at the Ritz, so this was a night to remember! Well, let’s just say that a lot happened throughout the night, so I will always remember this show… 

    After putting a crushing comeback album last year, Coroner was finally making their way back to the US, so I definitely wanted to check them out. I have always appreciated this band’s blend of progressive rock influences with thrash metal, as they really do have some brilliant compositions featuring a refined edge of technically mixed with explosive aggression. Of course being from the Bay Area I was equally as excited to see Heathen, especially since not only are those first two full-length albums phenomenal and iconic thrash albums, but the band continues to put out solid recordings. Overall, this was a show that passionate metal fans are going to show-up no matter what day of the week it was booked. 

    The moment I entered the venue, I could already start to sense that people were really excited for this show. You had a good amount of people already staking their claim to the front of the stage with their battle vest covered in patches getting ready to bang their heads to some dynamically devastating riffs. Another point to bring up was that this was an all ages show, so you had metal fans of all ages in attendance, yet all of them connected through their enjoyment of metal music. Now, this being an all ages show will come up later as it did factor into a situation later in the night. More on that later....

    Heathen walked onto the stage to massive roar from the crowd and tore into their first song wasting little time getting the adrenaline flowing and heads violently banging. David White is a tremendously talented frontman and he was going around the stage during the first song fist bumping fans in the front row while delivering some epic high soaring vocals. The two guitar attack of Kragen Lum and Kyle Edissi was insanely vicious as both guitarists know how to hammer out some wicked riffs and scorching leads. Throughout the set bassist Jason Mirza and drummer Blake Anderson proved to be a strong rhythm section adding a mighty boost of juggernaut sized devastation. Actually, Jason was not only playing some killer bass riffs during their set, but he was maniacally running around the stage and seemed to be having a blast. I really liked getting to hear them perform, “Open the Grave,” because that song contains some HEAVY riffs to get the audience moving. Also, I must say that the band’s new song which they just released, “Never a God,” is sounds extremely solid and the fans seemed to be very receptive to the new music. After seeing Heathen perform I am looking forward to a new album from them, and I definitely would like to see them perform live again. 


HEATHEN

    Once Heathen exited the stage with devil horns raised high and the audience showing their appreciation for the band’s performance, the roadies in Coroner began setting up for the band’s set. When the members in Coroner stepped out from the side of the stage and took their positions, the metal maniacs went full flown savage and made enough noise to be heard all the way in Santa Cruz. The band’s bassist and singer Ron Royce had a big grin on his face as he stepped up to the mic and they launched into the first song. 

    Now, I did not notice it at first, but as the band kept playing something seemed a bit off in terms of the sound coming from a speaker/monitor to where I noticed a roadie kept flashing a light at it for the sound engineer to be made aware of. Shortly after this the statement most concert attendees and band members hate hearing was uttered as the sound engineer came up on the stage and told the crows that due to technical issues they had to restart the system. Little did the crowd know that this would take over an hour to finally resolved, during which time some people started to maybe drinking more than they should have. As someone who worked at a concert venue in college and experienced first hand an unruly audience waiting around for a performance due to a drunk country star deciding to show up late that night, I started to have concerns that the crowd would become restless and the situation might turn ugly. 

CORONER

    Luckily the people working the sound seemed to be more motived than workers at a record store, and they eventually solved the issue. Only problem was San Jose has an ordinance, to where minors cannot be out past 11:30pm, so since this was an all ages show the venue had to take this into account. At first I saw an employee tell people that they were shutting it down right after the sound guy seemed to solve the issue, but then Coroner came back on the stage and began playing. I guess you could say that for those who stuck around we were treated to a brief, yet still very killer performance from Coroner. For me, I was super stoked to hear the song “Serpent Moves” from the album Grin, which I think is a very underrated release and one of my favorites from them. Tommy Baron is an insanely talent guitarist who utilizes these mind altering chord progressions that hit you with such fearsome force. They also played “Masked Jackal” which the crowd was passionately getting into as that track is definitely one that seems to be timeless in terms of the song’s lyrical themes. Just as the band was unleashing a progressive flurry of technical metal wizardry, the sound was cut and that was the end of their set. I was disappointed as I would have liked to have heard more songs, but in the end I think the band being able to give the audience even that shortened performance after waiting around for over an hour, was still something you can walk away remembering. Coroner seems to be a very talented act and the album that they released last year seems to be proof that they still have some insanely brilliant musical ideas. 

    Instead of pointing fingers and focusing on the negatives, I am going to say that even with the technical issues and waiting around, the diehard metal fans still seemed to be in good spirits as there is strong appreciation for the music. In the end, people can only do so much in certain situations and I applaud Coroner for not throwing a tantrum and just leaving with an angry audience potentially turning into an angry mob like the villagers in a Frankenstein movie. Now, I know Coroner is playing in Berkeley as they had two shows scheduled in the Bay Area, so maybe they will be able to play a full set without issues. For me though, I am glad I went to this show and still feel like I was able to see two tremendously talented bands that have decades many years to providing metal fans with some great music. 

Hemotoxin “When Time Becomes Loss”

 

    Similar to most metal bands that have experienced triumphs, challenges and setbacks in their careers, Hemotoxin is an act that has been on a wild rollercoaster ride since the band’s formation back in 2010. From line-up changes to having their third full-length album come out right when the 2020 Pandemic was in full-swing and everyone was stuck at home due to lockdown orders, this Bay Area based band is no stranger when tasked with overcoming adversity. However, the band’s resilience and feverish work ethic, especially from that of founding member and primary driving force Michael Chavez, is why I would consider this newest release, “When Time Becomes Loss,” to be an extremely important album that fans have been highly anticipating.  

    “When Time Becomes Loss,” is the fourth full-length Hemotoxin studio album to date, and can really be described as solo endeavor for singer/guitarist Michael compared to the previous releases from the band. For this new album Michael enlisted the help of Scott Fuller (Annihilated, ex-Morbid Angel) to handle all the drum parts. I thought Scott did a tremendous job, because his style of drumming as well as his past experience, perfectly complimented the musical direction Michael was trying to accomplish with the new material. There are even a few guest solos featured on some of the songs with contributions from Tony Barhoum (Condition Critical), Andrew Lee (Ripped to Shreds) and Donnie Small (Laceration/Trecelence). 

    The album’s first song, “Morbid Reflection,” makes an impact right away by unleashing some hellacious guitar playing and ear-piecing harmonic sequels to usher forth one devastating composition. Everything sounds tight and on point in terms of the sound quality and the punishing rhythms coming from Scott Fuller from behind the kit. Also, I thought Michael’s vocals sounded utterly profound on the recording, which is also something that can be heard throughout the album. On the second track, you continue to hear this raw and bombastic energy being unleashed through the agonizing technical death/thrash riffs which Michael conjures up. The guest solo that Donnie Small from Laceration/Trecelence provides really adds to the song’s aggressive and dynamic sound, while even offering up some unbelievably ethereal sounding shredding. 

    On track number three, “Malediction,” I liked how the music at times took on a very old school thrash sound by relentlessly hammering out these chaotic sounding riffs that sort of reminded me of the early Hemotoxin releases. However, Michael proves to be a very omniscient extreme metal musician who experiments with a plethora of different tempos and time signatures, so there are these extremely clever transitions from raw intense sounding riffs to more mesmerizingly fluid technical solos. In all, the music features so many layers and on tracks like “Abstract Commands” and “Conscious Descent,” you find yourself becoming completely ensnared by the overpowering arrangements. On, “Conscious Descent,” Andrew Lee from Ripped to Shreds, a band that Michael also plays in, offers up a brilliant sounding solo which I thought really complimented Michael’s playing on the track as well, thus demonstrating the solid chemistry between these two players.  

    Lyrically, I have always felt that with each new Hemotoxin album the l songwriting has always evolved, and I can definitely hear that on this new album.  Michael's approach to writing lyrics reminds me a bit of how Chuck Schuldiner’s lyrics always seemed to dig deeper into more meaningful themes relating to human existence, unlike some bands that cannot seem to breakout of the whole, "Hail Satan and put Jesus in a blender," fixation. That is why without question I thought the best song off of this release was,“Reborn in Tragedy.” From the relatable lyrics that can resonate with so many listeners to the highly emotional driven guitar solo, this song was truly exceptional from start to finish. 

The final track on the album which happens to be the title track, “When Time Becomes Loss,” is another fearsome piece of death/thrash, yet also conveys a progressive sounding feel at times. To me this has always been one of Hemotoxin’s strengthens when comparing them to their peers, as the music always seems to reacher higher than just that of a straight forward dearth/thrash band. I really liked the lead guitar parts during this track as well as Tony Barhoum’s solo, which once again provided a nice transition from the heaviness of the main riff to a more calming progressive rock/metal section. 

    Overall, I cannot find much to complain about this album, as I strongly believe this is yet another step forward for Hemotoxin. Of course, I will admit that I do have some bias having watched this band over the years, but I will refrain from being like wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer and just blindly giving the album a seven star rating out of five stars. Hemotoxin’s “When Time Becomes Loss” may not be Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada at the Tokyo Dome, but in the end the album is an exceptional metal release that I was recorded by some extremely passionate and dedicated individuals. In my opinion, the songwriting and musicianship really stood out when listening to this album, and I think a lot of that can be attributed to the attention to detail from all those involved in the making of the album. My final thoughts are that this is an album that you need to check out if you are a fan of extreme metal music, as well as someone who appreciates dynamic musicianship from an act that continues to wave the flag for heavy metal music in the Bay Area/Contra Costa County. 

Check out the full album below via Pulverized Records Youtube Channel! 

Hemotoxin Bandcamp:

https://hemotoxin70.bandcamp.com/merch

Pulverized Records:

https://www.pulverised.net/

Concert Review: Bonded by Blood, Malpractice, Mortalis and Hemotoxin (3/16/2024)

 

    I think for those living in Contra Costa County, there has been a void ever since Red House in Walnut Creek closed down in 2016, especially when pertaining to all ages music venues. For years I have talked about how punk and metal bands have struggled to book shows in this region of the Bay Area and I even wrote an article about this topic a few years ago. So, when I heard that there was going to be an all ages metal show in Brentwood on March 16th featuring four killer bands, I definitely decided to make the trek out the Brentwood Emporium located in the city’s downtown to check it out. 

    The four bands billed for the show were : Bonded by Blood, Malpractice, Mortalis and Hemotoxin. This was definitely a special show for Hemotoxin, a band that I believe has been a flagship band amongst the Contra Costa County metal scene, as well as an act that has put out some exceptional releases over the years. Also, I think for a lot of people getting the chance to see a line-up featuring four such ravenous metal acts, helped draw out the metal maniacs for this show. I thought the turnout was solid as I pulled up to the venue and I also was extremely impressed by the venue’s layout. There was a strong vibe right from the get go as you had fans of all ages starting to come in and surround the stage located in the front of the venue. 

Hemotoxin

    Opening the show was Contra Costa County’s own progressive death/thrash titans, Hemotoxin, a band that I have been following and reviewing for well over ten years. The first time I saw Hemotoxin was when they opened up for Havok in Walnut at the Red House around 2013, and this band has continued to progress as musicians and songwriters. It was great to see bassist Nathan Fruth back in the band as he and guitarist/singer Michael Chavez play so well together and are at the core of Hemotoxin's heavy technical sound. Also, this would be the first show featuring new members Juan Carlos Garcia on guitar and drummer Aryan Pakkhoo, with both doing a tremendous job for their first performance with the band. As a four piece, Hemotoxin sounded better than ever and I do believe their performance started to really resonate with the feverish crowd. Since Covid struck when the band put out their third full-length release, “Restructure the Molded Mind,” I was excited to finally hear songs from that album live, especially “Automation,” which lyrically is very relatable to the world we are living in today with all the technological advancements that will impact human existence. For the encore, the band played “The Shadow Over Innsmouth,” a Lovecraft inspired song from their debut album that I was singing along to as Michael delivered the chorus section with such profound passion. I am excited for the band’s future as they have a new album in the works and based on the response from the audience during the band’s set, I see Hemotoxin building off this momentum and I wish to see them continue to get the credit they deserve for all their years of hard work. 

Mortalis

    After Hemotoxin left the stage to a thunderous roar from the crowd, the second band, Mortalis, started setting up for their thrash metal onslaught. Based out of Southern California, Mortalis, seemed like they were extremely enthusiastic to be playing up in the Bay Area and I was glad to see the band getting a loud response as they tore into their first song. I thought the singer/guitarist conveyed a lot of raw emotion as he played his flying v guitar and interacted with the audience. During their set I also noticed that the pit was starting to expand as the riffs became more intense. Mortalis had a solid sound that reminded me of early Metallica, Anthrax and Megadeth, along with some other metal influences sprinkled in the mix. I would definitely recommend checking them out and hope to see them come back to the Bay Area in the future. 

Malpractice

    The third band to perform was Malpractice, an up and coming group of young headbangers from the Bay Area that looked to add to the musical mayhem with their own brand of hellish sounding thrash. Right off the bat, I have to say that the band’s bassist is an extremely talented musician who added an extra boost of explosive low end brutality to the band’s overall sound. I thought the lead singer and guitarist really captured the rebellious essence of heavy metal as he shouted out the lyrics and hammered away at his guitar like a possessed lunatic. The band’s drummer made his presence known by playing with an utter astonishing amount intensity as he dealt out juggernaut sounding rhythms from behind the kit. My only complainant and maybe it is because I have become more cranky in my old age, is that some girl in front of the stage was taking a selfie video while the band was performing for an egregious amount of time. Luckily the pit started to move in her direction and I think she valued the life of her phone so she stopped, and the people behind her could finally enjoy Malpractice’s performance. Overall, I think Malpractice is a promising act that has something going for them, but of course my recommendation is to keep working hard at their craft and avoid ending up like those bloated bearded metal bands playing the same generic sounding recycled thrash riffs at some backyard outlaw mud show to an audience of tire iron wielding barefoot humanoids. 

Bonded by Blood

Once Malpractice finished their set and made their way off the stage, the headliner Bonded by Blood started getting ready for their set. This group from Southern California has been around for a while and I have heard some of their music over the years, but I had never had the opportunity see them live before, so I was definitely looking forward to hearing their set. The band blends thrash and hardcore together to create one momental sounding concoction of furious sounding riffs that can get a mosh pit going right away. I was impressed by the band’s singer who demonstrated tremendous skills as a frontman by delivering the lyrics with a pure unapologetic attitude. The twin guitar attack provided a lethal dose of headbanging thrash riffs, while the drummer and bassist provide a strong rhythmic foundation. Even after all the intense moshing around the audience was still going strong with a few exceptions, like the guy who tripped over the stanchion rope and took a bump similar to that of Shawn Michaels at SummerSlam 2005. As the band finished their set the audience howled for an encore, which the band obliged as they seemed to be fueled by the maniacal metal noise coming from the mass group of people in front of the stage. In the end, Bonded by Blood put on a crushing performance and I hope to hear them continue to perform as well as record new material. 

Overall, I think all the band’s deserve an enormous amount of credit for putting on some solid performances throughout the entire evening. Also, the turnout was very strong, which is great for the local metal scene in this area and will hopefully inspire more shows in the future. I would recommend checking out the Brentwood Emporium, as the venue itself was very impressive and has the potential to be a significant place for the Contra Costa County music scene given the fact that it hosts all ages shows. Once again, I look at bands like Hemotoxin who have continued to persevere over the years, which I would say is driven by the loyal fanbase that continues to show up in full force whenever the opportunity arises. So in conclusion, I look forward to the future of this area’s metal scene, as bands like ones that performed last night along with the people who showed up in attendance keep the headbanging spirit alive and strong. 

Clip of Hemotoxin performing "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" :

Link to the article I wrote about the Bay Area music scene and lack of venues in Tri-Valley if interested :

https://rockandmetaltemple.blogspot.com/2018/02/tri-valley-music-venues-tale-of.html

Apostasy "Death Return"

    Sadistic Chilean thrashers, Apostasy, have proven over the years to be an extremely fearsome force. The band’s third full-length album, “Death Return,” is yet another example of how this band continues to offer listeners utterly sinister thrash riffs, while also capturing that pure evil sounding 80s thrash sound. 

    “Death Return,” is actually the band’s first new full-length album in 35 years, which is why this album perfectly conveys that old school style of raw and merciless sounding thrash metal. If you are a thrash fanatic who desires some bone crushing riffs that conjure up hellish sounding atmospheres, then this album is going to hook you right away. Working with Sentient Ruin on the vinyl release of this album, Apostasy will once again inspire thrash fans across the globe to crank up the volume and begin ritualistically moshing to the band’s wicked sounding tracks. 

    From the ominous sounding introduction, to the face ripping guitar riffs, to the hellish vocals, this album is a true thrash metal beast. The opening song, “Death Return,” has that intense and aggressive sound which reminded me of Slayer, Kreator, Morbid Saint and early Sepultura. Apostasy really unleashes a flurry of adrenaline pumping rhythms and each composition delivers that relentless thrash metal attitude. Songs such as, “Son of Hate”  and “Deceased in Funeral,” contain some monstrous palm muted galloping riffs that sound like horses thunderously charging into battle.

    I think the band’s raw and very straightforward old school thrash sound is extremely well captured on this release. They do not go off course by trying to mess around with complex time signatures, nor do they incorporate jazz influences into their arrangements. For example, “The Great Apostasy - The Night,” is a brutal onslaught where the drums and guitar come bursting through the musical landscape unleashing unholy devastation. There is definitely no shortage when pertaining to the amount of headbanging riffs on this album, and thrash fans will be constantly moshing around when listening to these songs. Put on a song like, “Praise Darkness,” which is not a very long track, but the overall tone is truly diabolical sounding and perfectly sets up anticipation for the final song, “Obey the Antichrist.” Out of all the tracks off of the album, “Obey the Antichrist,” is my favorite with its menacing thrash metal energy as well as the song’s insidious chord progressions. 

    “Death Return,” is one agonizing assault of old school thrash metal worship and Apostasy is definitely a band that I would highly recommend checking out. With this album you know what you are getting, so do not worry about any experimental surprises coming from these musicians. Their passion for extreme music is undeniable along with their respect for the genre. Over the years some metal bands have fallen victim to horrible trends that have led to some extremely dismal sounding albums. Fortunately Apostasy has not been influenced by any of that nonsense, which is why I highly recommend giving this album a listen. 

Check out the full album below: 

Sentient Ruin Bandcamp:

https://sentientruin.bandcamp.com/album/death-return

Apostasty Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/apostasych/

Project Pain "Faster Disaster"

    Project Pain deals out a maniacal thrash metal onslaught with the release of their fourth full-length album, “Faster Disaster.” Hailing from the Netherlands, these metal musicians really capture the true unapologetic nature of 80’s thrash metal. 

    I have reviewed every single full-length album from Project Pain to date, so for me this fourth album was definitely something I wanted to listen to right away. Ever since their first album, "I Have Sinned," the band’s passion for thrash metal and extreme music has always stood out. Over the years the band continues to improve and refine their skills with each new release, and “Faster Disaster” is without question another step forwarded into a more aggressive and fearsome sounding direction. 

    The album starts out with an utterly intense shockwave of distorted destruction and aggressively pulls you into the band’s chaotic sounding world of extreme sounding punishment. On the first song, “Val Kapot,” the band unleashes a barbaric beatdown by hammering out some savage riffs which reminded me a lot of old school thrash bands like Exodus, Testament, Heathen and Vio-lence. The second track,”Mean Metal Machine,” is also very intense, but takes on more of a classic speed metal sound at times by coming up with some very catchy riffs. I think the start of this album is extremely impressive and hooks you right away. Tracks like, “Army From Hell” and “Submerged,” are pure hellacious pieces of thrash metal with massive amounts of brutal sounding energy. 

    One track that really stands out on this album is, “Presto vs Metal,” which is an instrumental track. The Neo-classical meets thrash metal style is amazing and the song features some exceptional guitar work. I really like the overall arrangement, especially how the music confidently flows from beginning to end. This is a song that I can see appealing to a wide range of metal fans, and the track really shows how talented these musicians are in terms of skill level. 

    After, “Presto vs Metal,” the band sort of plays it safe by sticking with their old school thrash approach. I would not say that the music becomes painfully repetitive, however, the band definitely does not stray away from the old school thrash metal formula very often. For me though, I still believe that the fierce guitar riffs and pulverizing drum parts do a great job injecting raw energy into the songs, thus you cannot simply ignore this band’s feverish thrash metal passion. For example, “Fields of Death,” is one track that I felt had some thunderous guitar riffs to grab your attention and whip you up into a constant headbanging frenzy. You can definitely count on this band to keep firing on all cylinders until the very end of the album. 

    In the end, I would say that Project Pain’s, “Faster Disaster,” is another step forward for this band in terms of sound quality and overall brutal aggression. The band is not trying to reinvent the heavy metal wheel and they tend to not experiment with the traditional thrash metal formula, so if you are looking for a band that honors and stays true to the thrash metal ethos, then this band is highly recommended for you. Honestly, as the world becomes one massive disaster of completely insanity, we’ll need band’s like Project Pain to help get us through all the chaos.

Check out the video for the song "Mean Metal Machine" below: 

Project Pain Bandcamp:

https://projectpain.bandcamp.com/album/faster-disaster

Sahmaataha "Harvesting Worlds (2022 Demo)"

    Pure cataclysmic sounding devastation is what Sahmaataha conjures up from the unholy depths with the release of their debut demo, “Harvesting Worlds.” These abhorrent extreme metal musicians do not hold anything back as they unleash an unbelievably barbaric extreme metal beatdown. 

    On each of the three tracks listeners will notice instantly that this band does not wish to reinvent the extreme music world, yet they also do not set out to write regurgitated and forgettable sounding riffs. The band’s sound is a morbidly sinister blend of bone crushing old school death metal, haunting black metal and merciless sounding thrash metal. In the end, these musicians are able to combine all their extreme metal skills in order to create one gruesome sounding assault. 

    The overall sound and production creates a very raw and abrasive environment, which I felt strengthened this band’s unforgiving creative musical vision. Take for example the opening track, “Absolute Enslavement,” where instead of giving listeners a chance to be prepared for the upcoming destruction, the band decides to instantly open up the apocalyptic gates by hammering out a fearsome sounding riff. Also, the drumming provided a monumental rush of hellish aggression to push the music into an even more terrifying direction. Adding to the overwhelming malevolent aural carnage, the band’s vocalist unleashes some profound demonic like growls to compliment the pulverizing riffs. 

    Whereas I felt the band did a great job balancing a variety of extreme metals elements on the first track, I noticed that on the second track, “That Which Once Was,” you could definitely hear more old school death metal influences during the song. Actually, I thought that during this song the band did a tremendous job capturing certain aspects of 90’s death metal, especially in terms of how they went about recording the instruments. I find that too many modern death metal bands sound down right atrocious due to the fact that the recording of the instruments ends up sounding completely cheap and lacks that vicious old school edge. The third track, “Harvesting Worlds,” is another nightmarish offering upon the extreme metal altar by throwing down more sickening riffs. During this track I felt that the guitar playing started to really catch my attention, and the lead parts were perfectly woven into the arrangements. 

    For only three tracks, “Harvesting Worlds,” is a very solid sounding demo release and Sahmaataha demonstrated that they are a band not trying to throw out generic sounding recordings. On future releases I definitely want to hear this band go furthering with their dynamic blend of extreme metal, while maintaining that insidious mindset which allows them to write such decimating pieces of music. I highly recommend people check out Sahmaataha and keep an eye out for what they having coming out in the future, because if this is just their demo, then I sure as hell cannot wait to hear what they will summon forth on their debut full-length. 

Check out the full demo below:

Sahmaataha Bandcamp:

https://sahmaataha.bandcamp.com/releases

Sahmaataha Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Sahmaataha

Apostasy "The Unknown Path"

   Sentient Ruin is on a role with new releases this year, and I am not complaining at all. Recently the band has put out a handful of cassette tapes and this EP from Apostasy is one of those new releases. Apostasy first released, “The Unknown Path,” back in 2020 and is teaming up with Sentient Ruin to put out the EP on a physical format for fans to purchase. Apostasy is a very talented extreme metal band that combines merciless sounding thrash metal with raw and primate black metal elements. 

   These Chilean thrash metal maniacs have been around since the late 80s, but eventually ended up taking a rather long break and did not put out new music until about 2018. Ever since their return the band looks to have been delivering some blistering releases, and I can tell you that, “The Unknown Path,” is one decimating release. If you are fan of ruthless thrash similar to that of Destruction, Morbid Saint and early Slayer, then this album is going to hook you in right away. 

   The tracks featured on the EP are extremely raw sounding and come roaring at you like fiendish hell hounds looking tear something apart limb from limb. “Defeating the Speed,” is a scorching piece of music that does not mess around and wastes little time conjuring up a chaotic sounding musical landscape. The vocals are what really caught my attention when I started listening to the track, especially how the vocalist is able to deliver the lyrics with such sinister aggression. 

   One can tell that this band does not look to break away from the old school thrash blueprint, which to some might seem a bit repetitive. However, I felt as though that even though the riffs on this album are not the most technically innovative sounding at times, the band did a really solid job creating songs that convey a fearsome old school extreme metal attitude. “Sign of Saturnus,” is one track that I found to be very haunting in terms of how the band went about crafting these haunting arrangements which ended up making for one evil sounding piece of music. The final song, “The Shining Light,” is another solid track and keeps the blasphemous energy flowing with more savage guitar work and ear shattering drum parts. Again, the music is nothing new to the world of metal, although the execution is a lot better than some of the new metal releases I have had sent to me. 

   Apostasy is a band that I highly recommend checking out if you are into old school sounding extreme thrash/black metal. “The Unknown Path,” is a great introduction if you have not heard of this band before, and the music will be sure to scare the people in the car next to you when driving around your city blasting this at full volume. I swear that there are enough sacrilegious chord progressions on this release to wake up the dead and start of demonic zombie uprising! 

Check out the full EP below : 

Sentient Ruin Bandcamp: 

https://sentientruin.bandcamp.com/album/the-unknown-path

Mentor "Wolves, Wraiths and Witches"

     You might consider the new release from the band Mentor to be the perfect soundtrack for Halloween, because based on the album’s title alone this is one horrifying extreme metal release. “Wolves, Wraiths and Witches,” is the band’s third full-length album to date and tells haunting crypt dwelling tales with a merciless blitzkrieg of brutality. 

    The Polish based band goes straight for the jugular on this release by throwing together some sinister sounding blackened thrash metal with a violent kick of old school hardcore punk. Out of the nine tracks off of this album I can tell you without hesitation that each piece of music comes charging at you like a machete wielding lunatic looking to unleash havoc. Probably what stood out the most on this release was the bombastic off the wall and into the bloody pit type of energy, which is captured extreme well throughout the release in terms of the recording quality. 

    

    Out of the nine face shredding tracks on this album, picking a favorite will be an extremely difficult task simply due to the fact that each song flows with a feverish sounding aura. From the opening song, “Equal in the Fire” to the final track, “Sealed in a Tomb,” the riffs coming violently blasting out of the speakers, while the band’s drummer unleashes an onslaught of rhythmic destruction. Also, the bass playing on this album is perfectly captured throughout the entire release and provides an extra boost of sickening devastation to the overall sound. Songs like, “Fed After Midnight” and “The Great Grave in the Sky,” are presented with a very old school hardcore/thrash mentality, which is always nice to hear when done right.  

    A significant amount of metal bands have explored this style of extreme metal before, and the bands that tend to excel are the ones that are able to make it their own. Mentor is not trying to reinvent the wheel by any means, but this group is definitely determined and has a strong passion for the music that they record. Songs like, “Creature Feature,” “Dance of the Dead,” and “A Night So Grim,” blend the worlds of horror and metal together for a slaughterhouse full of ear bursting insanity. Lyrically, I thought the band created some vivid sounding tales of terror to accompany the gruesome sounding instrumental compositions. 

    Mentor is a band that I believe can appeal to a fair amount of extreme metal fans, especially those who wish to throw on an album that conjures up a wicked and raw sound. “Wolves, Wraiths and Witches,” is a release that has very little flaws, mainly because this band has a confident and passionate drive from the start of the album until the very end. Overall, I would say this is an extremely solid release, which is highly worth checking out if you are into ghoulish lyrical themes and bone crushing arrangements of nightmarish proportions. 

Check of the track "Equal in the Fire" below: 

Mentor Bandcamp:

https://mentor3.bandcamp.com/

Archangel A.D. "Casus Belli"

    Up and coming thrash fanatics Archangel A.D. are preparing to unleash a fierce sounding heavy metal assault upon the metal world with the release of their new album, “Casus Belli.” Formed around 2015, this young group of passionate metal maniacs from Edinburg, Texas take their extreme music making talents to the next level and offer up an album full of blistering sounding thrash. 

    Now, I have come across this band before and I actually reviewed their debut EP back when it was first released. I remember hearing a group of young and hungry metal musicians who were trying to craft a merciless thrash metal sound. Also, I was really impressed by how this band took their time to write some clever compositions. On this new album Archangel A.D. has definitely become more polished in terms of songwriting, and the album’s overall production is very impressive. You hear the band add more dynamic compositions and throw in some different musical elements in attempt to show listeners how they are not just another one-dimensional worship thrash band. 

    The album contains nine tracks and I believe listeners will be able to take away a lot more than just simple repetitive palm muted riffs and generic thrash metal arrangements. For example, the band hits hard with the opening track, “Bet on Death,” which does a tremendous job getting the adrenaline flowing by throwing down a heavy dosage of headbanging riffs. On the second track, “Casus Belli,” the band starts to mess around with different tempos and I like how they transition between the different arrangements throughout the song. Also, the lead guitar playing is extremely fluid and gives the song an extra boost of vibrant sounding energy. 

    I have noticed over the years that a fair amount young thrash bands tend to get caught up in the speed war and end up writing very sloppy riffs. Archangel A.D. seems to be very aware of when to turn up the heat and when to lay down a slower sounding riff to complement the singer’s high energy vocal parts. Songs like, “Beacons” and “Celestion,” flow with a wicked sounding synergy that perfectly gets the job done. Even though this type of thrash metal sound has been hammered out quite often over the years by numerous bands, I like how Archangel A.D. injects such raw energy into their sound to give it that little extra something to help them stand out. 

    Songs that didn’t fit the typical thrash metal mold like, “Pluto-s Lament” and “Sangre de las Montañas,” were great additions and showed the creative mindset that seems to thrive within this band. The atmospheric sounding instrumental piece, “Pluto-s Lament,” was one of my favorite tracks and it allowed the bass player to have a certain amount of freedom to explore this vast musical landscape with plenty of free space to add some pleasant sounding bass riffs. 

    In the end, I was impressed by how much Archangel A.D. has grown as a band since their debut EP. This is a band that does not sit around and expected the metal world to just hand them everything because they play badass sounding thrash metal. These musicians are dedicated to their craft and “Casus Belli,” is a call to all metal fans around the world that Archangel A.D. is a band ready to make an impact. Honestly, it brings me great joy to see a band continue to triumph and improve with each new release. I hope Archangel A.D. continues to waive the thrash metal flag for many years to come! 

Check out the video for the band's 2019 single "Eventide" below (Also the new album drops July 23, 2021): 

Archangel A.D. Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/ArchangelA.D

Invincible Force "Decomposed Sacramentum"

    Adding to an already monumental year for the world of extreme music, Invincible Force unleashes a sadistic assault of ear shattering blast beats and skull splitting riffs. Their sophomore full-length release, “Decomposed Sacramentum,” is a cyclone of sinister creativity that conveys a vicious and destructive nature. 

    These Chilean extreme metal musicians definitely want to contribute their brand of savage sounding music to what has already been such a strong year for extreme metal music. Invincible Force released their debut full-length album, “Satan Rebellion Metal,” back in 2015 and now five years later are looking to continue their diabolical extreme metal conquest. The band’s name is taken from a Destruction song, so you definitely hear that raw thrash style in their music. However, what I find stands out the most about this album is the relentless old school death metal attitude that drives the music mercilessly forward. If you like the first two Morbid Angel albums along with any band that was putting out pulverizing extreme metal around the late 80’s/early 90’s, then you are really going to want to check this album out. 

    The album contains nine tracks of pure hellish sounding extreme metal, all of which somehow never lose that intense and ferocious metal mindset. “Doomed by the Vision,” opens the album with a haunting introduction section that instantly explodes into a bombastic slaughter fest of blast beats, demonic vocals and leviathan sized guitar riffs. Instead of trying to grab listeners with overly complex compositions, the band focuses on maintaining a certain of level of aggression that heightens the song’s overall apocalyptic theme. On the next track, “Perpetual Black Mass,” the band throws down an unholy attack of straight forward brutality and keeps you hooked until the final note. 

    Throughout the entire album Invincible Force demonstrates that they are determined to offer listeners solid recordings that present sacrilegious themes with enough unholy malice to scare your local priest. The production on each track perfectly captures the band’s raw and venomous sound, as well as the tight bond between these musicians who all sound like they are very proficient players. Songs like, “The Shadow Over Canaan,” “Illusion of Truth,” and “Abufihamat,” are unbelievably impactful in terms of instrumental creativity. The guitar parts create an atmosphere of ritualistic damnation and the vocals add to the already satanic landscape by echoing over the chaos with a profound presentation. 

    I think that the last song I want to mention is, “Hopeless Mortality,” which I thought contained some of the most tormenting sounding guitar parts on the entire release. The song was definitely the perfect choice to have as the final track off of the album and really encapsulated the band’s unforgiving extreme creative vision.

    In the end, Invincible Force does not disappoint with, “Decomposed Sacramentum,” especially if you are looking for a band that plays with a tremendous amount of raw old school extreme metal passion. A lot of bands will tell you that they are old school sounding thrash, black and death metal bands, however, most of those bands fail to capture the true essence and need to think more about how their music sounds rather than their promo descriptions. Invincible Force is definitely a force to be reckoned with in the metal world and one that will hopefully be leading the charge into the future with more devastating releases. 

Check out the song "Perpetual Black Mass" below (Album is out October 22, 2020 through Dark Descent Records):

Invincible Force Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/Invincible666Force/

Dark Descent Website:

https://www.darkdescentrecords.com/

Ripper "Sensory Stagnation"

    Scorching the metal world with a vicious strike of merciless metal, Ripper proves once again they are a band that does not mess around. This group of metal musicians from Chile demonstrates great technical ability and raw aggression on their new EP, “Sensory Stagnation.”

    After teaming up with Unspeakable Axe records for the release of their 2016 release, “Experiment of Existence,” Ripper has really grabbed the metal world’s attention. Their style of extreme thrash combines a variety of influences, yet is presented in a unique and confident manner. The EP once again captures the band’s exceptional thrash metal making abilities and helps them break away from the gimmicky thrash worship acts that think by having long hair and dressing like they're from the movie Wayne’s World it makes them a great thrash metal band.

    The EP opens with a short instrumental piece full of technically and ravenous sounding attitude. The bass and guitar playing is well executed, while the drumming provides a ferocious kick. For their second track, “The Unreal,” Ripper unleashes an all out blitzkrieg of destructive sounding thrash sure to conjure up devastating circle pits during live shows. Once again, the guitar and bass parts construct these bombastic sounding riff compositions that give the song a sinister edge.

    For the album’s title track, the band exhibits more wicked sounding arrangements which are accompanied by the singer’s hellish delivery. The next song, “Like a Sacrilege,” is a blasphemous offering of musical terror that will scare the crap out of those Jehovah’s Witnesses who go around from door to door pedaling nonsense. If those people come to your door, I recommend playing this song for them. After hearing it I guarantee they will stop coming to your house!

    The final song off the album, “Terror Streets,” is a blistering cut of music right from the very beginning with rapid drumming and vicious guitar work. Each musician contributes to the attack by playing with tremendous amounts of energy throughout the song by hammering out some savage compositions of music to keep listener’s continuously banging their heads.

    Ripper’s new EP is yet another example of how this band has become a formidable and impressive force within the metal community. Their dedication and drive has allowed them to write some strong material over the last few years. I think that if this EP is a glimpse into the future of what is to come, fans of high quality thrash metal music should be extremely pleased. If you have common sense when it comes to good music, well then Ripper is a band you should be listening to right now.


Ripper "The Unreal" :

Ripper Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/ripperchileoficial/

A New Release from Trecelence - "For I Am the Eyes"

   Sonoma County based technical thrash metal enthusiasts, Trecelence, demonstrate their passionate and uncompromising music making talents with the release of the band’s new EP, “For I Am the Eyes.” The three songs featured on the new EP convey an aggressive and fearsome style of thrash metal music that is sure enough to appease any headbanging maniac looking for blistering thrash metal experience.

   After a line-up change that led to guitarist Chris Olney Burnett taking over bass and vocal responsibilities, the band shows how they are confidently moving forward into the future by pushing themselves as musicians and songwriters. The addition of guitarist, Alex Miletich, helps maintain the band’s potent two guitar attack and his style of playing compliments that of fellow guitarist Donnie Small. I find the songs on the new EP to be a great glimpse into where the band is heading musically along with what they are capable of crafting on future releases.

   The EP opens with, “For I am the Eyes,” which features a ravenous sounding introduction riff accompanied by the ferocious yet precise drumming executed by the band’s drummer Ilan Cabrera. Compared to previous releases from Trecelence the music sounds extremely tight and the song flows with a mighty dose of abrasive attitude. The vocals in my opinion were what stood out the most and Chris delivers a strong performance by presenting the lyrics in such a vivid manner. Overall the music is more raw and the recording quality perfectly captures the band’s feverish thrash metal sound.

   The other two songs, “Divide to Conquer” and “Blood Moon,” are vicious pieces of thunderous riffs, fluid shredding and cranial crushing drum parts. I believe the track which steals the show on this EP is without a doubt, “Blood Moon.” I think the song is one of the most impressive recordings from the band to date and the entire composition is extremely well written. The song is dynamic and contains a variety of elements that all blend together into one monumental thrash metal recording. Songs like this are what I think the band needs to focus on more, because the overall level of musicianship and musical creativity was simply outstanding.

   Fans of thrash metal will definitely want to sink their teeth into this prime cut of metal music which Trecelence was able to offer up. Their dedication and passion for metal music is undeniable and as Chris once said during one of the band’s live performances, “We’re Trecelence and we’re not FUCKING going anywhere!” So, for all those wondering if the band plans to make more music in the future, I am confident that they will have something for us.



Listen to the EP below:

Trecelence bandcamp:
https://trecelence.bandcamp.com/

Archangel A.D. "Warband"

    Bursting out the abyss like an unstoppable demonic force without remorse, Archangel A.D. is group that is ready to strike. The Edinburg, Texas based band unleashes a fist full of thrash metal madness on their upcoming album, “Warband.”

    Taking the fierce and skull crushing spirit of 80’s thrash metal, Archangel A.D. constructs brutal headbanging riffs while composing some blitzkrieg like pieces of music. I hear a very classic thrash vibe in their songs and the songwriting is rather impressive for a young bunch of dudes. There are so many bands who try and look “thrash metal” to where the songs come out sounding incomplete, or are just poorly recycled riffs taken from Slayer songs. I think Archangel A.D. is going about writing their songs in the right manner to where they are not just hitting the repeat button on each track.

    The album opens with an explosive song called, “Unto the Evil,” containing a crushing main riff section. I thought the music was very reminiscent to that of early Testament and Megadeth where the riffs contain some strong and thoughtful chord progressions accompanied by catchy verse sections. The drumming is solid along with the overall guitar and bass work, but I felt like the vocal presentation during the song was where the band really excelled. The band’s singer delivers a strong performance and the recording quality of the vocals helped give the songs that extra emphasis of aggression. Track number two, “Blighting,” is yet another classic thrash worshipping slice of galloping fury. There is no hesitation as the band feverishly hammers out a blizzard of notes and sounds to construct a sinister song.

    The album’s title track, “Warband,” is strong piece of music and the musicianship from each member really stands out. Archangel A.D. does not settle for simplicity, however, they do not try and complicate their music with unnecessary technicality. That also goes for the instrumental track, “Enter the Temple,” which is a decent composition that is heavy and features some monstrous riffs. The final two tracks, “Evil Dreams” and “Metal Horde,” are dark pieces of music that both contain some haunting arrangements. I think the intro to, “Evil Dreams,” was down right terrifying and I really liked the bells ringing in the background. The band did a great job creating a very ominous and doom like atmosphere which was an enjoyable change of tempo.

    In a sea of countless thrash bands around the world, I think Archangel A.D. did a tremendous job showing what they are capable of doing on, “Warband.” I want to hear them continue to focus on coming up with dynamic song structures, because I think that is where they will excel the most and separate them from the usual suspects. Also, the recording quality of the songs on this release was fairly decent, so I hope they build off of how this album sounded and find ways to produce some impactful thrash records. Thrash is still alive and kicking, especially when you have young bands like Archangel A.D. showing they have the potential and talent to conjure up some wicked sounding tunes.


Archangel A.D. "Blighting"

Archangel A.D. Facebook Page:
 https://www.facebook.com/ArchangelA.D

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:

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/