Sun 7 Aug – Exhumed, Cephalic Carnage, Macabre, Withered

This show was to be my first at the Key Club, one of many venues on the Sunset Strip. I was happy to see that it's a small venue with no barricade in front of the stage. A local band, Enthraller, was setting up when I came in. They were about what you would expect from a local band. Afterward came Withered, a band I've heard about quite a bit, but never taken the time to listen to. I was very impressed with their performance and I think I'm going to…

Sat 4 Jun – Cattle Decapitation, Bedlam of Cacophony, Sacrificial Slaughter, enRot, All Gods Kill

Currently, Cattle Decapitation is taking time off from touring to write their follow up to 2009's The Harvest Floor, but they have scheduled a few local shows throughout the coming months. I was very please to hear that they would be making the drive up here from San Diego for a show only a short distance from my house. The venue for the night was Chain Reaction, a small hole in the wall club in Anaheim that has been around since the mid '90s.

The…

Fri 20 May – North American Reckoning 2011

This is a show I've been really looking forward to since the tour was announced, since Destruction is my favorite thrash band. I bought my tickets from Mike (Gravehill vocalist) a few months back, so when I got to the venue I was going to walk in, but the doorman said those who are under 21 must purchase $5 drink tickets (good for two water bottles). I knew the venue did this, but I figured since I bought tickets beforehand it wouldn't matter. I had to go back to the box office…

Mon 28 Mar – Rotting Christ, Abigail Williams, Melechesh, Hate, Lecherous Nocturne

I geared up for this show knowing it was going to be an interesting night, but it ended up being a bit more than I expected. I arrived at the venue a little after Lecherous Nocturne had started. I saw them last year and did not like them, but they put on a solid performance. I still don’t really like the vocalist, but the rest of the band is good. I don’t know what they played. After them was Abigail Williams, who I also saw last year.…

Sat 5 Mar – Scion Rock Fest

Well this was an incredible day to say the least. I'd really like to thank Scion for putting this all on for us!

My friend and I arrived a bit before 3 and waited for Wormrot at tent #1. The street had been blocked off and there was a lot of rent-a-cops around, as well as a couple actual ones. There were also a few food trucks there. A lot of people were already lining up to get into the Glasshouse, while others were getting their wristbands at the will call tent. Needless…

Wed 9 Feb – The Finnish Metal Tour 2011

Last year I was very disappointed to have missed Finntroll, but I fortunately I made up for it this year. The lineup for last year's tour was great, but they were somehow able to top it this time around. I was genuinely excited to see all of the bands on the tour, which doesn't happen for me that often.

I arrived early and waited for the first local band, Deception. For some reason the show was set to start at 8 o'clock, versus the typical 7:30 time for the venue.…

Sat 30 Oct – The Decibel Defiance Tour 2010

As I expected, this ended up being a pretty awesome show. I arrived around 4 to see some of the local bands opening the show. Unfortunately, I didn't know who all of the bands were beforehand. As I walked in the second band was setting up. I read their name on the lineup at the box office and knew this was going to be a disaster. I Hear They Burn for Murder had the absolute worst guitar tone I've ever heard. Their vocalist did mostly pig squeals with some high pitched…

Fri 15 Oct – Immolation, Vader, Abigail Williams, Pathology, Lecherous Nocturne, Gravehill, Crepitus

I arrived about an hour before the show was supposed to start, so I went and sat at one of the tables and ordered some mozzarella sticks, which were pretty damn good. After a bit of a delay, the first local band, Crepitus, came on. They're a decent band, but their sound was pretty muddy. I would say it was probably due to having three guitarists. After their set the place filled up quickly and the mighty Gravehill was setting up. I was surprised, because last…

Sun 19 Sep – Honda Civic Tour

I thought it was kind of ironic the last date of the tour would be at the Honda Center. I still know it as The Pond, though. We arrived a bit before Kadawatha finished up their set. I can't really say anything about them since I only heard one song. After they finished, Eric and I went to find our wonderfully far away terrace section seats. Being the fat and lazy people we are, we decided to talk the elevator. When the doors opened we were stunned by the aroma of second hand…

Sat 11 Sep – March of Brutality Tour

I walked into the venue just after the first band, Dyer, started their set. They were typical for a local band. There wasn't anything that made them stand out. After them, Scarred began to set up. This was another band I hadn't heard of before but I stayed at the rail and decided to give them a chance. I was glad I did. They were progressive/power metal and they were incredible. They didn't re-invent the genre or anything like that, but they had great songs with a structure that flowed perfectly.…