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:

Trecelence Release Show (10/8/16)

Trecelence

    There is without question that Saturday, October 8th at the Arlene Francis Center was a monumental celebration for the Sonoma County Metal and Hardcore Community. For this was not just another show, but the release show for Trecelence’s debut full-length album, “Justified Atrocities.” These die-hard local thrashers have put in a great amount of work leading up to the release of this album and playing in front of their local metal community made the release of this album even more special. 

    Playing alongside Trecelence were five other talented metal acts. You had Hellbender, Trial by Combat, Stained Humanity, Sepulchre and Hemotoxin. It was great to have Hemotoxin come from up from the East Bay to play this show. After reviewing their most recent album, “Biological Enslavement,” I was eager to hear the new material live. I found when arriving to the venue everyone was in great spirits as the metal community seemed extremely proud of Trecelence for their accomplishment. Plus, the guys in Trecelence were overly excited to play and give people a chance to hear some music from their new album. One could say it felt like Christmas, besides the fact that inside the venue was hotter than hell and could melt a snowman faster than a grindcore song. 

    Kicking off the massive metal celebration was Stained Humanity. I saw these guys for their first show and was looking forward to hearing how they have progressed. Compared to their first show, one could tell the young dudes were becoming more conformable onstage. The band is starting to form a solid sound that will help them continue to improve and allow them to open up more creative possibilities. The lead guitar playing stood out more too this time around and I think that is going to be an area where they can really explore their technical writing potential. Just need to keep practicing and finding ways to develop a tight and unique sound. 

    Second up was the Pittsburg, CA based group Hemotoxin, who would be playing Santa Rosa for their first time. I think the local audience responded quite well to the technical thrash four piece. Hemotoxin is an extremely atypical thrash group, because you have elements of old school death metal and the band even displays some progressive elements in their music. If you have followed these guys then you cannot deny that, “Biological Enslavement,” is a release that simply raises the bar for this type of music. The technicality in the riffs is top notch and the fluidity of the lead guitar playing is astonishing at times. Towards the middle of their set the pit was furiously moving and the band kept on delivering plenty of crushing songs to bang your head. 

Hemotoxin

    After Hemotoxin was local veteran metal warriors, Trial by Combat. The band would be playing their first show with a new drummer and hopefully he would not combust onstage like the drummer in Spinal Tap. The band of course unleashed their brutal assault of distorted destruction on the crowd and got the people going crazy within seconds. The vocals that came from singer Dashiel McKenzie offered up great amounts of brutality while the riffs from Jesse Palmer and Aaron Dudley annihilated people’s ears. Towards the end they threw in a cover of Amon Amarth’s, “The Pursuit of Vikings,” which went over well with the crowd. 

    Fourth up after Trial By Combat was the three piece old school death metal worshipers, Sepulchre. These guys are very talented and their sound takes from a variety of influences, which I think allows them to separate themselves from the usual old school death metal worship type acts. Also to point out, Chris Olney Burnett would be playing in Trecelence a little later in the evening, so for him to be playing a set with Sepulchre showed how much this young man is dedicated to the music. I would have also liked to see him play a set with his other band Amnesia, but already playing two sets was probably quite a test already. Overall, Sepulchre put on a tremendous performance that in my opinion is their best performance to date since I have known these guys. The passion that Chris along with drummer Forest Giulietti and bassist Luis Olguin had during their set was unbelievable. The riffs conveyed this malevolent sound from abysses beyond and the vibe from the music sounded simply unforgiving at times. For their last song they cranked out a very old school grindcore type song where Chris decided to break his guitar strings and let the crowd partake in the execution of the strings. 

Sepulchre 

    After Sepulchre delivered their killer set, Hellbender went on next to play their style of skull crushing metal. The guys in Hellbender are decent musicians who know how to get the crowd going. I just think a lot of people were feeling the heat inside the venue area and needed a chance to cool off and get some water. Even though the crowd was having a tough time with the temperature, I think the band played a decent set that was well received. They did a solid cover of Mötley Crüe’s, “Live Wire,” to finish off their set with Miguel Martinez from Aftertayst getting up onstage to sing with them.  

    Finally, the band of the night who would be playing songs from their new album hit the stage with an atomic explosion of raw energy. Trecelence tore right into the first song of technical thrash insanity that conjured up a cyclone of moshing metal maniacs. “Into the Gateway,” sounded spectacular and for me it brought back memories when they were guests on my old radio show and we played the demo version of the song. Bassist Zane Covington put on yet another solid performance by offering constant energetic stage presence. Chris Olney Burnett and fellow guitarist Donnie Small shredded their way through scales with tremendous skill and hammered out endless amount of wicked headbanging riffs. Behind the kit Ilan Cabrera pounded his way through each song and provided a strong backbone. Hearing the new material live was a great introduction for the audience and who were hopefully able to pick up a copy of the new album after the set. Overall, Trecelence kept on rocking hard and the crowd kept moving around until the very end. 

    Wrapping up this review, I just want to say that Trecelence should feel really proud about what they accomplished. Also, all the bands deserve major respect for their contributions to this memorable show. Now, I want to point out that the release of this album is a stepping stone for Trecelence. As the band sets their sights on the global metal world, I do believe their dedication, hard work and passion for the music will help achieve more of their goals. To conclude, may Trecelence keep melting metal minds for many years to come and congratulations on the release of, “Justified Atrocities.” Get yourself a copy if you can!  

Concert Review: Soulfly, Thought Vomit, Trecelence, Trial by Combat and Vile Riot Villains

Soulfly

    One can almost not be able to describe in words how massive Friday night’s show at the Phoenix Theater was for the Sonoma County Metal community. Well, I shall try to fill you all in on the enormous metal party that took place at the historic venue in Petaluma, CA. 

    To begin, the promotion for this show was excellent, because there happened to be an outstanding turnout at the Phoenix. The place was unbelievably packed! Of course with a band like Soulfly playing, you were definitely going to draw a strong metal crowd. Also, one cannot ignore the four great local acts who played. Trecelence, Thought Vomit, Trial by Combat and Vile Riot Villains definitely kept the crowd energized and rocking out. 

    Kicking off the show at 7:30pm was Trecelence. Now, before I talk about the band’s set, I want to address the issue of the Phoenix’s house music. For a metal show they really put together a bizarre playlist. They played Bon Jovi and a few other bands who did not compliment the bands actually performing. This is a metal concert for crying out loud! Not an arena rock concert that features old dudes with plastic surgery who charge fans one hundred dollars per ticket! They played one Rush song though, so I am not completely disappointed.  

    Okay returning from my rant... Trecelence put on yet another behemoth headbanging performance of epic thrash. The songs all sound tight live and need to be recorded so people can hear this solid technical thrash band. Also, Bassist Zane Covington sounded in top form by unleashing some epic screams to go along with the thunderous guitar riffs. Donnie Small and Chris Olney Burnett shredded away and let their guitar work twist the minds of metalheads in the front row. Drummer Ilan Cabrera was working pretty damn hard behind the kit by maintaining a strong musical backbone. Overall, these guys just keep demonstrating how passionate they are about the music. The songs are really starting to take form to where metal fans who enjoy old school technical thrash will instantly be slapping Trecelence patches on their vests. 

Trecelence

    After Trecelence finished Trial by Combat began setting up. The last time I saw Trial by Combat back in July they unleashed a killer set of brutality. Continuing to fuel metal fans with loud aggressive metal music, they brought that same level of energy to the Phoenix. Singer Dashiel McKenzie is a brutal sounding frontman who has a solid extreme sounding vocal style. The band’s riff assault was in full operation while the drumming inflicted serious devastation. The song, “Theater of War,” was definitely a crowd favorite and happened to be the perfect song to play given the world’s chaotic state. 

    Third up was Vile Riot Villains who were playing their last show as a band. One could tell they were trying to go out with a major ass kicking set and I am sure the band was glad to be finishing their time together on one epic bill. They brought a more straightforward heavy metal/hard rock sound to the show. I really enjoyed their cover of Kiss’ “War Machine,” however, if Gene finds out don’t be surprised if he wants to collect a fee for playing the song. Once the band ended their set they thanked the audience for the support and received a loud farewell applause. 

    Now the fourth band of the night was definitely a band I knew had plans to turn the venue upside down and inspire massive mosh pits. Thought Vomit being the areas most electrifying and adrenaline pumping band was the most suitable choice to have on right before Soulfly. One could tell how thrilled Thought Vomit was to open up for Soulfly. I think the band put on one of their best sets yet and sounded good all around. Singer Spencer Clark was of course in the pit most of the time getting fans hyped up. Chris Meyer enthusiastically tore away on his guitar as Jordie Hilley and Clay Prieto held down the rhythm section. Towards the end of their set the band was joined on stage by former guitarist Tyler Cole who played some of the band’s old songs. No matter what song they played new or old, the crowd kept running around and shouting their heads off. 

    Once Thought Vomit ended their set in brutal fashion with Spencer actually singing in the crowd, everyone took a short breather to prepare for Soulfly. Then as the lights dimmed the crowd roared with tremendous force. Max Cavalera walked out on stage with his guitar in hand and instantly got the crowd shouting for metal madness. The venue was shaking at times from the crowd jumping up and down along with the titanic sized mosh pit. When they played certain songs like, “Prophecy,” or any of the Sepultura material such “Roots Bloody Roots” and “Refuse/Resist,” the people two streets over from the Phoenix could probably hear the noise. Another cool part of the set was when Max used a shaman stick to create some tribal rhythms that the crowd responded too quite positively. Also, I want to mention the other great musicians Max has in the band who really stood out. His son Zyon Cavalera who plays drums sounded like a juggernaut behind the kit and smashed his cymbals with authority. Lead guitarist Mark Rizzo melted peoples faces with wicked solos and hard hitting riffs. The band’s bassist Mike Leon is an extremely talented player and I remember seeing him when he was with Havok. The dude can play some brilliant bass lines and has great stage presence. Throughout the entire set Max and company never slowed down and gave people their heavy metal fix. 

    When Soulfly walked off the stage and the house music began playing Toto’s, “Africa,” I needed some time to reflect on how awesome this show had been. Some people looked as though they had run two miles because of all the moshing and headbanging. Sonoma County Metal and Hardcore did yet another great job setting up a colossal metal show at the Phoenix Theater. Judging from the turnout, I would hope more metal events like this keep coming around...Lastly, I hope the Phoenix plays more suitable house music...

Thought Vomit

Local Metal Show: Trial by Combat, Oden Sun, Lord Mountain, Condemned?

    With the cost of tickets being ridiculously expensive and most of your major metal shows usually being a hassle to get to since they are in the city, sometimes those local metal shows are just hard to pass up.
    The Sonoma County metal community was fortunate enough to have a solid four band show in Forestville, CA this past Saturday night. Not too far from Sonoma State where I am currently attending, Forestville is a small town that one might miss if driving through because it is so damn small. The venue was your typical dive bar with a decent stage area. Compared to some dive bar music clubs I have been to, this place had a decent floor space for the crowd and that would come in handy at this metal show.
    The first band of the night was Lord Mountain. This Santa Rosa, CA doom metal band really cranked up the volume. Their guitar section sounded massive with the two guitar attack. Also, they incorporated some killer harmonies into the dark heavily distorted doom jams. The only problem during their set, which was really not the band’s fault, was that the vocals were just not miked loud enough in my opinion. Compared to the guitar volume and drums, the vocals were getting drowned out. The singer’s voice sounded good too and complimented Lord Mountain’s classic Sabbath like doom sound. They were a strong opener and definitely got the metal crowd going crazy. I think the liquor was helping getting the crowd going crazy too and eventually some people were really having fun.
    After Lord Mountain was Oden Sun. By the name one could tell this band had a metal gimmick and during their set the singer would even take out a sword and start swinging it around. Before they even started, one of the guitar players was complaining about the lights. This guy thought he was Cher or something the way he kept complaining into the mic. Their singer lucky knew how to address the crowd and his stage presence was really good. Oden Sun’s rhythm section was solid and I felt the drummer and bass player helped to establish a heavy grooving sound. On the guitar side, it was really hit or miss. The diva guitar player who had complained about the lights seemed to get lost a couple times during his solos. The other guy seemed to know when and where to stop, but his style of soloing was nothing that you can’t hear when walking into a guitar center. Overall though, Oden Sun put on an entertaining set and the sword waving part was hilarious.
    The third act of the night was a band called, Condemned?. I think the question mark at the end of their name represented how this band can’t decide to be a punk band, a metal band, or a band capable of blending the two styles of music together. Their singer, who looked like Batista from the WWE, had vocals that seemed to be almost power metal like, but this style of their music had a metal/ punk tone to it. The guitarist was a madman and his solos were extremely chaotic. I will give him credit for showing great stage presence and really rocking out, however, his solos were just too overwhelming. The band’s songs also tended to drag out, so when I thought a song would be over the guys would start adding on some more verse riffs that sounded really unnecessary. About half way through their set I started looking around the venue at all the interesting concert attendees because I was so bored. Some fans were really digging Condemned?’s set and some of those fans looked stoned out of their minds. This one guy looked like Captain Caveman, or like he just crawled out of a cave!
    Finally, Santa Rosa’s Trial by Combat took to the stage. Even after rocking out to three bands, the crowd still had enough energy to go crazy during Trial by Combat’s set. If anything the crowd exerted the most energy during their set. The band opened up with a can of metal whoop ass and the aggressive death/thrash sound got the place raging. Compared to the other acts, during Trial by Combat’s set their was a little moshing going on and tons of front stage head banging. They really sounded tight and lead singer Dashiel Mckenzie had a powerful voice. Also, Birthday boy Jesse Palmer was constantly rocking out and with the aid of his wireless guitar, he was running all over the stage and even into the crowd. The riffs were constantly crushing and that double bass drum rhythm is still ringing in my ears. Without question Trial by Combat stole the show!
    For the cost and opportunity to support local metal music, this show was definitely worth attending. The small town of Forestville, CA was overrun with numerous head banging lunatics and guys that looked like Captain Caveman. If you ever have the chance to support local metal acts you should seriously do so, because you never know how enjoyable of a night you might have and who you might see...like Captain Caveman.