Skogen “Svitjod”

    After being out of print for a long time, Skogen’s, “Svitjod,” is being rereleased through Nordvis Produktion and will be available on a variety of formats. This album really takes listeners across the Scandinavian landscapes by unleashing a brilliant atmospheric black metal sound. 

    The Swedish band's second album is considered to be one of the finest atmospheric black metal albums from the region and the band continues that tradition of Scandinavian black metal which goes all the way back to Bathory. When listening to, “Svitjod,” you will find yourself becoming immersed in the mix of atmospheric black metal and Scandinavian influenced metal. Similar to Bathory’s, “Nordland 1 and 2,” Skogen introduces listeners to more than just a style of music, but it is an homage to one’s culture. 

    The solemn intro riff on the first song, “Dighra dödh,” creates this ominous atmospheric tone and the harsh black metal vocals provide such a powerful sound. Eventually, the band develops the music into more of an epic sounding section with these great melodic touches. However, there is always this contrast between the black metal and more Scandinavian folk metal elements. Probably what makes this album’s atmosphere so mesmerizing is the contrast of styles. Track number two, “Häxsabbat (Crimen Laesae Divinae Maiestatis),” creates more of a grim atmosphere as if one were walking through a blizzard across a frozen tundra under a full moon on a pitch black night. The music expresses such raw emotion and the notes played on the guitar send chills down your spine. It is really great music to clear your mind and lose yourself in the dark yet pleasant atmosphere. 

    Another notable track is, “Vinterriket,” which is the album’s longest piece that goes for about elven plus minutes. The music journeys through a variety of transformations and features acoustic incorporation to offer that Scandinavian sounding theme. Overall, it is an amazing piece of music that demonstrates tremendous songwriting talent. “Storm,” is another dynamic and captivating song on the album. The brutal black metal vocal delivery is perfectly recorded over the guitar and drum parts to inject a more aggressive sounding tone. A great point to bring up about the album is that the recording for this release was extremely well executed. The recording of each instrument truly stands out and plays an important role in the overall structure. Also, the keyboard sections definitely deserve recognition for building a landscape in the background to contrast with the extreme sounding compositions. 

    A few final tracks I want to mention are, “Blodörnshämnd,” “Dauðaferð,” and “Svitjod.” These songs contain some great riffs and triumphant sounding pieces of atmospheric black metal. When you look at the album cover you could imagine yourself hiking through the forests of Sweden listening to this album. Although the Scandinavian themed atmospheric black metal style has been created numerous times before, Skogen does make it interesting and is able to find ways to make you become engaged in the music. 

    If you have heard this album before, or if this is your first time even hearing about the band Skogen, you still need to go and check out the rerelease Nordvis is putting out. I do believe they are already selling copies on their page, so go and grab a copy if you enjoy this type of music. As a fan of atmospheric black metal, I truly think this release stands out amongst the crowd and deserves high praise for its musical creativity. 

Skogen “Häxsabbat (Crimen Laesae Divinae Maiestatis)" : 

Skogen Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/skogensweden

Link to Label: 

https://skogensweden.bandcamp.com/album/svitjod

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!  

Kicker "Rendered Obsolete"

    The world is changing rapidly and seems to be getting crazier everyday. Instead of acknowledging the chaotic world around them, people are more interested with what celebrities have to say on Twitter, while also posting endless amounts of selfies. Luckily there is one thing that shall not change, and that is the rebellious nature of hardcore punk music that will always flip the bird at those who follow the system of mindless rodents. Kicker reminds us all that punk is eternal and no matter how old you get, one will never trade-in their punk attitude for some fancy pair of pants and membership to the local yacht club. 

    For their sophomore album appropriately titled, “Rendered Obsolete,” the Bay Area punk veterans in Kicker continue to crank out old school hardcore punk hit with each tune. Just like with their previous release, “Not You,” Kicker is speaking from the perspective of aging punk rockers who try and maintain their angry nonconforming spirit in this modern world. The new release is written to where I think the band connects with a variety of listeners who find themselves not being able to adapt to this evolving technology obsessed society. As someone who really enjoyed the band’s last album, “Not You,” and has seen them live a couple times, I find Kicker’s music to convey plenty of pissed off sounding attitude that allows listeners to forget everything around them and just unleash their inner punk. 

    The new album begins with a classic sounding kick ass punk song called, “You Can’t Take Me Anywhere.” I can relate to the song, especially when I am with my family and friends who must endure my sarcastic sense of humor. Kicker really crafted a solid piece with, “You Can’t Take Me Anywhere,” and it is a strong track to open the album. The next song, “Shit At Kicker,” deals with those who can’t play the table top soccer game and find themselves drinking in shame as their friends keep scoring the goals. Pete “The Roadie” demonstrates great personality when singing the lyrics and maintains his top notch punk vocal delivery. Track three, “Soggy Dad,” is a chord blitz of hardcore fury and the gritty vicious sounding punk guitar sound is achieved by one of the underground’s top players, Matt “Mauz” Parrillo. Also, Dave Ed provides plenty of impressive bass lines and drummer Toby Bitter lays down a furious drum sound. 

    All these guys are veterans and once you get to the middle of the album, you realize that there is not one dual moment. Take the title track for example, it begins with this passionate speech railing against the technology obsessed society while the riff slowly builds up in the background. The lyrics deal with someone who hates their soul sucking job and eventually gets terminated once their employers decide to use machines to handle all the work. A robotic sounding voice actually tells Pete during the song that he has been terminated since they now have new advanced robots to do the work. Luckily there is no software program that can replace Pete’s brilliant punk vocals...(Android Punks Coming to a Store Near You!)

    The song “Brown Bread,” takes a break from the high energy classic punk formula and has these unconventional chord progressions. Also, the bass lines create this unique sounding atmosphere which sounds hypnotic at times. Pete seems to be loosing his mind and humorously babbles about dying and then going to a big bar in the sky. The following song, “Full English,” returns to the fast paced pissed off punk sound that has grown to become unmistakable when listening to Kicker. “You Suck” and “Timeless Cliches,” are a couple enjoyable tracks that feature more angry sounding jams and memorable lyrical moments. The backing vocals stood out more on this album compared to the band’s previous release, which I think added something extra to certain songs like the verse and chorus parts on, “Timeless Cliches.” 

    The final song, “Plastic Button,” was sort of bitter sweet. I enjoyed the old school punk attitude and sound of it, but I felt like there should have been more tracks to follow. Compared to their first album, this release seemed shorter in length. However, even though there are less songs than the previous release, each song on “Rendered Obsolete,” is memorable and you won’t be disappointed if looking for a solid punk release. So turn up the volume, grab yourself some lager and chips, and enjoy this new release by Kicker. Seriously, get a copy now! They have a vinyl format colored the same as Dave Ed’s hair! 

Kicker "Rendered Obsolete": 

Kicker Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/kickerpunks/?fref=ts

Concert Review: Nebulous, Eye for I, Scrape the Earth and More

Nebulous

    Sonoma County is full of extremely talented metal and hardcore bands, with new bands debuting at almost every other show it seems. Such was the case for Saturday night’s show at the Phoenix Theater with a list of solid up and coming talent looking to make their presence known. 

    Besides Scrape the Earth who I have seen before live, the rest of the bill featured acts who I would be seeing for my first time. Correction, I actually saw Ashes Ashes last year, but they went by another name. Another interesting point to bring up about this show is that besides ONI, the rest of the bands who played were from the local area. I do believe this made for a strong local gathering and the turnout definitely reflected that in the end. 

    Starting the show off was locals Ashes Ashes who should not be confused with the David Bowie cover band, “Ashes to Ashes.” I saw this group about a year ago at the Phoenix and they were going by a different name. Anyway, there set was decent for a young up and coming band. They seemed more comfortable onstage this time so maybe the name change helped. Their drummer really pounded the crap out of his kit and the overall drum sounded good during their set. The riffs are not horrible by any means, but I would like to see more dynamics in the riffs and maybe add another guitarist to fill out the sound. The band’s singer did a decent job and will grow into a stronger performer with more live shows. For an opener they did the job you could say and I am sure will improve as they get more live practice under their belt. 

    Next up was Nebulous, who would be playing live for the first time. Well, I do think they picked an optimal night to play live for the first time in front of an audience such as this one. Their sound is definitely more my cup of tea with a very raw old school nineties death metal vibe that at times attempts to break into the progressive death metal world. I could hear influences like Death, Nocturnus and Obituary along with some thrash at times. At first you could tell the band was trying to find their comfort zone onstage with the first song, but once they were locked in the young musicians delivered without fear. The band’s singer had a strong old school style death growl that really impressed me when unleashing the band’s brutal lyrics. I swear you cannot find too many good death metal singers these days who can truly capture that old school nature, so I think that is something going for them. Also, the guitar section of the band had quite a few very traditional sinister style riffs along with moments of top notch guitar shredding. Drumming was also quite solid, especially for this style of music and I feel that in time the drummer has the potential to really convey that technical presence behind the kit. Overall, for a young band playing their first show, you could not ask for anything more. Welcome to community guys and keep cranking out those riffs of cyclopean terror from realms of beyond. 

    After Nebulous finished, the next band started getting ready for their set. Infex is a group of older rock and metal dudes who have that true passion for metal. They actually sent me a CD when I was doing my radio show and I even think I put one of their stickers up on the Ksun door. Speaking of their set, the band delivered a crushing performance that featured some wicked riffs and even started a few pits. Singer and guitarist Jack Childs was really performing with great levels of ferocity and knew how to interact with the ravenous headbangers. My favorite song during their set was without question, “Killing For Jesus.” It has that mean sounding classic thrash vibe that reminds me of bands like Slayer, Exodus, Sacred Reich and EvilDead. Infex did not disappoint and I hope to see them more often live. 

    Fourth up was Nuclear Tempest who from what I gathered was reuniting after taking a break. Well, they seemed to be shaking off the cobwebs and their set was fairly decent. I was not digging the sound at times and the cliché breakdown riffs just sounded dull and uncreative. Plus, when I see people trying to do the karate in the pit type stuff I just cover my head in disappointment. I will say the band could jam out some strong riff sections at times and the guitarist and vocalist who did the clean vocals had an impressive clean vocal delivery. I commend them for getting back together and returning to the stage, but it was just not my type of music. 

    Out of all the bands, ONI, happened to be the only group not from around the Sonoma County. They were from the Cayman Islands and decided to make the long journey out. Also, I hear they are playing Knotfest this year and will be opening for Children of Bodom, Exmortus and Abbath on an upcoming tour. I was intrigued to hear how they would sound, especially if they would be opening up for one of my favorite metal musicians...the mighty Abbath...who I actually saw perform in April of this year. Well, ONI right away had me scratching my head when I saw the band bring out a xylophone. From what I read they played “progressive metal” and having a xylophone was without question something I have yet to come across in the metal world. To be honest, the riffs were not band, but nothing I haven’t heard before. I think the vocals would have been better if they did not keep changing from growl vocals to clean vocals. The clean vocals sounded whinny at times and just did not fit in my opinion. They are a decent band that can definitely appeal to a certain type of metal fan, however, I was not really digging it. 

ONI

    Exiting the stage faster than a millionaire moving to the Cayman Islands to avoid taxes, ONI dispersed and Scrape the Earth started their set of metal mayhem. I think this is the fourth time I have seen Scrape the Earth and I always find myself saying that the band keeps raising the bar. Drummer Nick Pater is the member who seriously plays his heart out behind the kit and is one of the areas top drummers. Also, bassist Matt Lasserre and guitarist Forrest Dang play with great passion and have good stage presence. The songs sounded very tight during their set and I can hear improvement as they keep playing. I still want to hear more leads thrown into the mix, but the riffs are without question unleashing brutal punch after brutal punch. 

    The final act of the night would be, Eye for I, who happened to be releasing their demo that night. To my surprise people were not just sticking around for this local act, but you had people showing up right before their set to support them. Damn! I have been to shows where the headliner unfortunately lost part of the crowd due to the bill being too long, or the people left after seeing their friends play. Good thing to know that there are people in the community who display such loyalty and are not like those opinionated black metal elitists. Speaking of music style, Eye for I was quite a pleasant surprise and really the wild card band that night. The entire band was full of highly talented musicians who knew how to play their instruments. Plus, this is what I call true progressive hard rock/metal and not that metalcore rubbish that masquerades itself around claiming to be progressive. The band’s singer/guitarist I must point out has an amazing vocal delivery and could really inject emotion into the music. It was nice to hear a band that had some thought out arrangements and creative songwriting skills. I was impressed and some of the people around me were also giving their nods of approval, so we can all agree Eye for I did a good job closing out the night. 

    I think this show was good for two reasons: 1. Some of the young local talent was able to showcase what they have to offer, 2. There was a decent amount of people who came out in support of their friends. I like seeing shows like this and believe giving the young bands more opportunities to play is needed to keep the scene growing. Also, diversity is important to have on a bill. For example, Nebulous and Eye for I are different in style, but both have promising futures and are young passionate acts looking to spread their music to more potential listeners. Seeing bands like them on a bill is something that I hope to see more of in the future. There you have it folks, another night of metal recapped at the Phoenix Theater...and to think, no black metal elitists will be complaining after I publish this review...You have to appreciate those little things in life I tell you...

Thought Vomit "Punks Brutal Retaliation/Sync the Skies"

    In this crazy world of sensational journalism, mass produced musical acts and a society that has become mindless slaves to technology, you really come to appreciate a band like Thought Vomit for the music they write and their uncompromising rebellious nature. The Sonoma County based band’s new album, “Punks Brutal Retaliation/Sync the Skies,” is a great example of a local act pouring every announce of energy into their music and fearlessly charging forward into the global punk and metal arena. 

    I am quite familiar with Thought Vomit, so already we can throw out that there might be some bias when writing this review, but then again, all journalists are somewhat biased and the ones who claim not to be are the biggest liars on this planet. Now, it has been about over a year since the first time I saw Thought Vomit perform live, which was at the Phoenix Theater in Petaluma, CA. Since then I have watched them perform live numerous times around Sonoma County. Simply put, Thought Vomit does not disappoint once they hit the stage. I have always felt like their two previous recordings never really captured the passion and raw power that these guys have to offer. In my opinion, this new release is a testament to their DIY work ethic that is constantly propelling them forward.  

    To begin, Thought Vomit self-recorded this release as with their previous album, "Can't Understand Normal Thinking." Already, I can say there are differences between the two albums and the new tracks not only sound solid this go around, but the songwriting as a whole has been raised to a new level. Whether it be the brutality on, “Pelican Witch” and “War,” or the clever social commentary on, “Affluenza America,” or even the hardcore punk aggression on, “This is Your God,” the group writes with an undeniable drive and a bold unforgiving expression of musical attitude. The opening song, “Glass Jaw,” starts the album off with an epic instrumental jam that sets up the next track, “Affluenza America.” Singer Spencer Clark takes listeners right into the chaotic sounding world while unapologetically presenting the lyrics with his vicious hardcore growl. Guitarist Chris Meyer and bassist Jordie Hilley tear away like maniacs on riffs with earsplitting metallic qualities. Drummer Clay Prieto holds down the rhythm behind the kit by pounding the sheer crap out of his drums and adding to the music’s bold attitude. 

    After the first couple tracks, the band unleashes a blizzard of wicked tunes like, “Steel Toe Tap,” “Glad to Lose,” and “This is Your God.” Personally, “Glad to Lose,” is my favorite of the bunch and one of the top tracks on the album. Jordie’s bass playing really stands out during the song and that main riff is simple yet very catchy. Track number five, “This is Your God,” is a song that I have heard live for awhile now and the brief hardcore energy is monumental with regards to the music's unapologetic artistic expression.   

    The last two tracks that I want to mention happen to be songs that sort of took me by surprise, because you can hear Thought Vomit taking their music into new territories. “Flame in the Rain,” is the second to last song on the release and has an overall mellow tone. It is a departure from the more punk metal mayhem and the piece is very well written. Also, the song features Kat Young who provides a soothing sounding vocal delivery that compliments the song’s calm atmosphere. The final song on the album, “Sync the Skies,” is without doubt my favorite piece from the entire release. Thought Vomit digs deep into a very progressive and hypnotic riff style world that I think vividly stands out compared to their other recordings. Just in this one song the band displays tremendous dynamic songwriting skills. I honestly hope to hear more songs written in this same vein on future Thought Vomit releases. 

    After constantly playing live shows with relentless passion, the punk/metal quartet in Thought Vomit has really put together a top notch release with, “Punks Brutal Retaliation/Sync the Skies.” I have come to know these guys over the last year and have truly enjoyed being able to see such growth from a talented group of musicians. Still, the live experience of Thought Vomit is hard to beat, so if you have a chance to go see them live do not hesitate. Yes, you can get the album once it is released in October and have a grand old time banging your head and moshing around your room. However, seeing them live reminds you what this type of music is all about...Raising hell and not giving a damn about what the elitist authoritarian society thinks is proper music.  

Thought Vomit Facebook Page: 

https://www.facebook.com/thoughtvomit/

Thought Vomit "Pelican Witch" : 

X-Method "Sex, Alcohol, Rebel Music"

    The title of this album, "Sex, Alcohol, Rebel Music," sort of gives you an idea about what X-Method's music is all about. Hearing an X-Method song for the first time is like getting a stone cold stunner from Steve Austin with JR in the background screaming, “Oh My God!” X-Method does not mess around and their style of hard rock/heavy metal gets right down to business. Also, these guys can throw a curve ball once in blue moon and they know how to write very powerful mellow sounding songs. Plus, there are sixteen songs on this full-length release, so you have plenty of opportunities to bang your head, drink a few beers and raise some hell. 

    Now, this is not my first encounter with the Bay Area based band. I saw them perform last year at a show alongside some local Sonoma County acts. X-Method really took me by surprise during their set and the passion that comes from these dudes is unbelievable. The band’s lead singer Abby is a solid frontman that knows how to deliver some crushing lyrics while being a true bad ass onstage. I think the entire band sounds tight which makes for some great music overall. 

    To begin, some of the songs on this release I have heard before when I saw them live and then there are a fair amount I first heard when doing this review. You have a lot to choose from, which I will say sort of happens when you have an album with so much material. Unfortunately, there are certain tracks I tend to glance over, because the ones that standout just seem capture my attention more. As I eluded to earlier, you can’t just simply call X-Method a hard rock or heavy metal. These guys blend hard rock and metal elements into their music, however, they never venture into territories where you would be taken by complete surprise. “Denied What’s Ours,” begins with an epic acoustic riff that morphs into an avalanche of chaotic guitar riff fury. The drumming kicks into high gear and the band puts their foot on the gas pedal. It is one of the more thrash like songs on the album and Abby’s vocals really inject an extra bite of raw aggression into the music. 

    Following the intensity of the first track, the album’s second song, “Brutal As Fuck,” kind of gives you an idea of how that song sounds. It is Brutal as Fuck! (I bet you are all thinking, thank you captain obvious...) Anyway, the track right after, “When Darkness Falls,” is one of those curve balls. The guitars create a more melodic vibe and the vocals mellow out for a bit. This is just a really well written song that uses a simple verse riff to lead up to a very soothing chorus. Another mellow song that can get pretty heavy at times was, “Waiting For the Rain.” The vocal performance matched with the acoustic arrangement is brilliantly executed. I especially liked the guitar solo which perfectly compliments the song’s deep emotional tone. 

    Other songs that I liked which I thought fit well with album’s title were “Southern Comfort” and “Fuck Sobriety.” I thought the punk vibe that, “Fuck Sobriety,” offered up was really adrenaline pumping. I can just see them playing that song live with a gigantic pit forming full of headbangers and punks going bat shit crazy. Lastly, they have a song on here called, "No Tey Vayas," which is sung in Spanish I believe. X-Method is kind of big down in Peru and the Latin America region, so I thought that was very cool. 

    In the end, X-Method gives listeners so much to take away from their album, “Sex, Alcohol, Rebel Music.” Even if one track really does not grab you, there are so many songs on this album that are simply well written to where you will find something that fits your hard rock and metal mood. I commend X-Method for their hard work and know they will relentlessly tour and raise hell once the album is released...It comes out in a couple days... so VERY soon! 

Preview a song from X-Method below:

X-Method Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/xmethod1/?fref=ts

Concert Review: Metaluma 2016

Trecelence

    After many years of heavy metal history where bands like Metallica back in the day would play to young ravenous crowds, the Phoenix Theater hosted a festival that happened to be appropriately titled. “Metaluma 2016,” featured four tremendous metal bands from San Francisco and the local area. You had hard rockers Sweet Addiction from Santa Rosa, Sonoma County die hard thrash warriors Trecelence, Space Vacation from hailing from SF, and headlining the show was classic metal worshippers Hell Fire from SF. Plus, that disco roller skating dude who wears the unitard showed up and made his presence known. Yes my readers, this is a festival to talk about for many years...or, until next years Metaluma Fest when the spandex saxophone dude who plays, “Careless Whisper,” shows up...

    Upon arriving at the historic venue, I was glad to see the metal maniacs hanging around the venue looking determined to get inside and bang their heads to the four metal acts who were billed for the evening. This was a very solid line-up and I think having a metal fest/show at the Phoenix Theater is always a good idea. I must say that seeing the wall of Marshall amplifiers already on the stage was a positive selling point for a metal show. Hell, I bet people could hear the music from about a block away! 

    Opening the show with lights flashing and guitars blasting out massive amounts of distortion was Sweet Addiction. These guys came ready to rock and roll in arena rock like style. I thought they had a very impressive stage production going on, but the band seemed to be mixed too loud in my opinion and the riffs at times were muffled. They seem to have very catchy hard rock sounding songs, which went over well with the audience. Their singer reminded me of a young Axl Rose with the scarf hanging over his mic stand and he was also a solid frontman overall. At least unlike Axl, this guy showed up on time and he never threw a tantrum onstage. The band added in a decent cover of Black Sabbath’s, “Paranoid,” towards the end of their set and the crowd was wildly singing along. I thought they did a solid job opening the show and deserved to open some beers after they finished their set. 

Sweet Addiction 

    Second up and representing the Sonoma County Metal Community with youthful passion and impressive instrumental skills was Trecelence. Last time I saw these guys was back in February, so I was interested in hearing some of the new songs that will be featured on their debut full-length album that comes out in the fall (totally not a plug...). They also had played the previous night, which I think shows their passion for the music and hard work ethic when it comes to playing live. Tonight the band put on an overall kick ass set with a few moments where I could not hear certain members due to slight monitor and sound issues. Also, drummer Ilan Cabrera had one of those attack of the drum kit moments, but rebounded with great precision and determination when playing through the rest of the songs. The guitar playing from both Chris Olney Burnett and Donnie Small was nothing short of insane and brilliant at times. I seriously don’t know how they can rip through scales while banging their heads and then suddenly transitioning to skull crushing riffs of thunderous chord striking madness. Bassist and vocalist Zane Covington as always sings with great energy and plays his bass like a savage nordic barbarian warrior. I am really digging the new material and can’t wait to hear this new album after hearing the songs live. 

Trecelence

    Well, once Trecelence finished the third band, Space Vacation, started getting ready for their offering of metal music for the audience. These guys had a classic metal sound that was very melodic at times. Their twin guitar attack did less technical shredding and focused more on coming up with catchy melodic guitar parts. The band’s lead guitarist could really shred when needed, but always maintained a solid guitar sound. Disco roller dude was really getting into the band’s music and decided to go onstage and film the band. If he were to do that at the concert venue I work at, we would be dragging him right out the venue. Space Vacation did not mind the unique character onstage and in all played some awesome tunes during their set. Ending in true rock and roll fashion the band’s lead guitarist took off his belt and hit his guitar without any remorse. Definitely an exciting and entertaining way to finish a set. 

Space Vacation 

    Finally, the evening's headliner, Hell Fire, took to the stage and received a loud response from the metal fans. Even after the three previous highly energetic bands, the crowd was till yelling and moving around. This would be my third time seeing Hell Fire and I was trying to figure out how they would top the time I saw them play with Night Demon and NWOBHM icons Satan. Hell Fire has that classic NWOBHM sound and reminds me a lot of Maiden at times with their fast tempo riffs and epic melodic lead guitar parts. It is definitely music to bang you head to and throw up the devil horns. Jake Nunn is a strong singer and knows how to get the crowd going crazy. The two guitar attack was in full metal force during their set with Tony Campos and Jon Mendle trading off some killer riffs and leads. I do believe the show stealer at times was bassist Herman Bandala. He could really thrown in some wicked fills and during certain songs added so much extra emphasis behind the riffs. Drummer Arturo Rios was also bringing a lot to the table by pounding on his kit with great passion. These guys were the perfect choice to end the night and have a lot going for them if they keep putting in the hard work. 

Hell Fire

    Wrapping up this review I feel Metaluma 2016 was a great event to hold at the Phoenix Theater and all the bands delivered until the very end of the night. Some might say, only four bands does not really seem like a festival...well, those particular whinny people can shove it, because I think the billing without question worked out in the end and made for one awesome show. Also, just like most music festivals there was an interesting character who shall be remembered by everyone in attendance. Metal music and roller disco dudes, that is what will make Petaluma great again...