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X-Method
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Saturday night outside the Phoenix Theater may have been crappy with all the wind and rain, but inside the historic Petaluma venue was a joyous skull crushing metal show to celebrate the release of X-Method’s new album. The punk and metal maniacs who showed up proved that a little rain wasn’t going to prevent them from having a good time.
Release shows are always fun, especially for the band who is putting out their new album. Plus, you also have some solid supporting bands like the ones who opened for X-Method. The Publiquors, To Kill a MockingBird and Thought Vomit definitely added something extra to the release show by putting on strong performances. Walking into the venue you could feel the positive energy all around and once the first band turned on their amps, people made their way to the front of the stage with full enthusiasm.
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The Publiquors
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Opening the show was, The Publiquors, a punk rock trio from Sonoma County. Their songs definitely had that classic punk rock sound that captures the essence of punk from the seventies and early eighties. Also, the band had a tight sound and breezed through their songs without any problems. I could tell the crowd really appreciated the band’s music as people were jumping around and banging their heads. One song towards the end of their set called, “Army of Darkness,” contained a riff that sounded a bit similar to Metallica’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls.” Not saying there is anything wrong with that since it added something different, but Lars might throw a small tantrum over it. Don’t worry, just have his butler give him a glass of warm milk and cookies and he will calm down.
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To Kill a MockingBird
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After the Publiquors finished the second band began setting up to begin their set. Hailing from Modesto, CA, To Kill a MockingBird takes their name from that famous book that was made into a movie starring Gregory Peck and at the time a young Robert Duvall. Enough about the book and the movie, let us talk about the band and their performance. To Kill a MockingBird played a style of hard rock and metal that seemed to be very emotionally driven. I will be honest and say that the sound was not exactly something I tend to listen to very often, especially the type of riffs they were offering. However, I will give credit to the band for putting on what seemed like a solid set. The band’s singer really stole the show at times by having tremendous stage presence.
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Thought Vomit
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Following To KlIl a MockingBird was Thought Vomit, a group I am quite familiar with since I have been writing about these guys for about over a year now. Thought Vomit is one Sonoma County’s hardest working live bands and these guys know how to put on an exciting show. Since seeing them last for their album release show, I was anticipating another electrifying performance. The band definitely mixed up their set with some old material and then some songs from their most recent release, “Punks Brutal Retaliation/Sync the Skies.” It was great to hear my favorite song, “Glad to Lose,” and the bass parts during that song always seem to stand out the most. Guitarist Chris Meyer played some some wicked solos, while drummer Clay Prieto and bassist Jordie Hilley held down the rhythm section. Even though singer Spencer Clark claimed to be feeling like, “dog shit,” he put on a energetic performance and was running around the crowd screaming his head off. During their performance Abby from X-Method came out to sing, “Punks Brutal Retaliation,” which showed the strong friendship between the two bands.
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X-Method
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Once Thought Vomit finished and after people took a minute to catch their breath, X-Method started their massive sounding metal assault. I had reviewed the new X-Method album for this blog, so it was nice to hear how the songs sounded live. I will say this about X-Method, they have undeniable passion for metal music which you can hear and see when they play live. I also like how the band has songs where the crowd can sing along. For example, the song “Brutal as Fuck,” has a simple chorus that is easy to learn. You simply repeat the words, “Brutal as Fuck!” The band also played crushing Sepultura cover and I notice that is one group I hear often in X-Method’s sound. All around the band seemed to be playing at the top of their game and each member was on the same page. For their release show you could notice the excitement and enthusiasm from the band which of course resonated with the audience.
In the end, bad weather could not stop the metal mayhem from being unleashed at the Phoenix Theater. Another solid night of music from the punk and metal community. Congratulations to X-Method on the release of their new album and hope to see all these bands continue to destroy live in the future.
