Aftershock 2022 was a fantastic memory that will be hungered to repeat next year. Allowing over 40,000+ people each day to chill during a sweltering 99 degrees (Fahrenheit) with large mist blowers and delicious (health or comfort) eats choices were plentiful. The stage layouts were designed with both mainstages almost back to back with alternating performances with viewing screens of each other’s performance. Then the 3 smaller stages rotated with incredible talent that are under the mass media radar. As with all great experiences, I will always be missing something; thus, I did miss the first day of all my personal favorite bands. In addition, I am sure I missed out on others on the days I attended. Yet, the ones mentioned were phenomenal, and hope to see comments on your experiences. Continue reading “Show Review: Aftershock Festival 2022”
Tag: metal
Show Review: Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy, At The Gates, Grand Magus at The Hollywood Palladium 10/26/2019
“It’s a regular fucking Swedish invasion, huh?”
Metal. Metal. Metal. I spent 8 hours refabricating metal at work, so why not end the day at The Hollywood Palladium for a night of epic metal, fantasy metal, and melodic death metal? Thank you Sweden. We don’t deserve you.
Show Review: GWAR, Sacred Reich, Toxic Holocaust, Against The Grain at The Belasco Theater 10/24/2019
“GWAR LIVES!”
I have a death wish. A metal death wish. So it was clear that I had to work 9 hours and high tail it straight to Downtown Los Angeles for a night of total fucking metal at The Belasco Theater. The occasion? GWAR. Need I say more?
Show Review: Ministry and Carpenter Brut at The Fonda, 12/20/18
“This is The Twilight Zone!”
It seems I’m developing a bit of a reputation for my love of metal music. Sure enough, most of my tastes gravitate in a heavy, guitar crunching, angry spitting, violent dancing, political attack that much of metal shares with the world. This is why it should come as no surprise that I leapt for the chance to see Ministry at the Fonda Theatre one Thursday afternoon. However, this was no ordinary metal show, for Al Jourgenson and his cohorts were sharing the stage with 80s horror synth revivalist Carpenter Brut – whom I’ve also become deeply enamored with over the past year since Leather Teeth was released – and newcomers Alien Weaponry from New Zealand.
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Show Review: Dead Cross, Qui, Secret Chiefs 3 at El Rey, 8.21-22.17
“Nothing stops this tour!”
Since supergroups seem to be the big deal right now, it’s hard to recognize any band who comes together in collaboration as anything but. However, it becomes crystal clear, when the band performs live, that “supergroup” is not as appropriate of a term. When talking about Dead Cross it is completely fair to say that this is a band, not another one-off album release. The self-titled album, recently released on Ipecac Records, is a blistering hardcore punk set that injects a new vitality into the genre.
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Show Review: Boris w/Earth @ The Fillmore 8/25/16
To say that Boris’ performance at the Fillmore was good is an understatement of the highest degree. Though they are Japanese, they came to San Francisco like Romans. They saw, and they conquered. Playing the Japanese track list release of their seminal 2006 album ‘Pink’ they completely owned the stage. Woe to she/he who was not wearing ear plugs because this band plays LOUD.
First of all: Anyone who says women can’t play guitar can get back on the Misogyny Train with a one way ticket to “Fuckoff Town,” because Wata destroys the guitar. Does she explode around the stage like your most punk/metal/rock/insertsomethingovercompensatingHERE person? No. But that couldn’t possibly matter because her absolute control over her instrument and her ability with it shine spectacularly.
But let’s backtrack a little bit. Tour mate’s and opening act, Earth, got the crowd started with their unique western styled sludge metal. They played 5 songs in their 45 minute set, all of which drew in attention like the white flash of a nuclear blast. Clad in white cowboy hats, the guitar players clearly needed no bass (especially with a beautiful moog pedal to replace it) and were in their grandest element before a packed house. I kept seeing images from Sergio Leone westerns over their music which was, in my mind, a worthy replacement of the already wonderful Ennio Morricone scores.
If you think playing the drums FAST is hard. Imagine playing them slowly. There is nothing harder than to play slowly (as far as I am concerned) but Adrienne Davis is 100% unperturbed by downbeat half-time tempos and wrecks on the drums in a way that is utterly fascinating to watch.
Throughout the night, all I could say was “What a fucking show.” That is what was delivered. Whether you like their music or not, you got a memorable performance. One for the books; not to be forgotten, etc. etc. etc. Between Takeshi’s masterful double neck Bass/Guitar (just look at the god damn pictures), Wata’s shredding leads, and Atsuo, the hype master’s, precision drumming (complete with gong bashing insanity), you could not ask for a better show.
And just when I thought, “How can they top anything that I just saw?” Instead of an encore set of anything recent, they brought Earth back on stage (completely) and played an epic sludgey jam to close the night. How often do you get to see 2 drummers and 4 guitarists (one who can switch from bass to guitar at will) just rock the fuck out together for 8 minutes? The answer is not very often. If only you could have been there!
They’ll be in Los Angeles tonight and continuing the rest of their US tour throughout the next month or so and they are NOT to be missed.
Earth Setlist: Introduction/Coda Maestoso in F (Flat) Minor | Even Hell Has Its Heroes | The Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull | Torn by the Fox of the Crescent Moon | Old Black | High Command.
http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/earth/2016/the-fillmore-san-francisco-ca-33fc1415.html
Boris Setlist: Blackout | Pink | Woman on the Screen | Nothing Special | N.F. Sorrow | Pseudo-Bread | Afternburner | Six, Three Times | Talisman | Are You Ready | Electric | My Machine | Just Abandoned Myself | Farewell | (Encore) Ouroboros Is Broken (Earth cover w/Earth)
Setlist based on Previous and Following concerts dates where the setlist was identical.
*More photos will be added at a later date.
Show Review: Ume with Kitten at Bottom Of The Hill, 6/13/12
My editor in chief and I had an interesting conversation by text specifically about my musical tastes. I confessed that it seems that the older I get, the more I like louder, faster, more aggressive music, and this seems to be counter the normal musical evolution. He made note that loud, fast music isn’t really fashionable right now, and that the main reason I relate to it is because I feel the need to counter mainstream musical taste. There’s a chance that he’s right. There is a better chance that the rest of the world is simply missing the glory of a dynamic performance by a ferocious rock band. And, on a beautiful Summer’s night in Potrero Hill, we were treated to an amazing evening of all that is loud and fast.
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