The event was hosted all day, starting at 3pm. The first band to play, Velosity ripped up the outside stage and pumped up the crowd for what was to come. I’ve seen this band many times live and they never seem to disappoint. Their neoclassical solos and killer bass riffs always capture everyone’s attention. This Saturday afternoon was well over 90 degrees, and in the blistering hot sun they managed to keep a crowd going on the outside stage.

In between alternating stages, the Annialation Production stage located indoors showcased Modrost as the second band of the day. It was my first time seeing them live. They brought an 80’s feel  with the belching high pitch notes and the fast speed metal riffs. During their set, I noticed the sound wasn’t the best. They seemed to be having shortages in some of the cables. This problem continued throughout the entire event on both stages.

Many local bands hit the Poor Kids Stage with their best material and the crowd favorites. Infinite Death, Sakrificer, and Speedwolf shared the outside stage. Speedwolf’s set was one not to miss. Even though the sound issues persisted, their generosity had everyone in awe. They played half a set and allowed local band Witchaven to finish their remaining time. Everyone rushed to the stage and automatically started a massive pit. This is where the first crowd surfer emerged. It was nice to see how a band like Speedwolf cut their set short in order to allow an up-and-coming band to share the stage.

[Show as slideshow]

12345►

Indoors, Xpulsion, and Mantic Ritual played, while Paralyzer was a no-show. The indoor stage was sticking to their schedule and just left a buffer period instead of having the next band play earlier. Most of those who attended where awaiting Morbid Saint and MOD, so I thought it was a great thing that they did not decide to push ahead of time because there were many who were rushing to beat the LA rush hour traffic.

After seeing Nunslaughter plenty of times, these guys never seem to disappoint. Their killer stage presence never seems to fail. Also, they always play crowd favorites which are very pleasing. Fueled by Fire, as one of the original bands playing the first Thrasho sure did face a certain challenge of expectations to be met. The guys played a killer set and played a new song for us in anticipation to their new album that will be release this year. Much greatness is expected to come from them, and they’ve yet to disappoint.

I was awaiting the mighty Ghoul all night. Once they hit the stage many crazed fans were already pushing into the flimsy built stage outdoors. I thought all of the stage divers were going to break the stage and lighting that was being used. Their set contained many fun songs such as Gutbucket, Splatterthrash, and Rise, Killbot, Rise! The sound did them no justice. They had no feedback and the sound was very terrible. This did not seem to stop the demented fans from revolting in the pit and nearly killing each other when the ghouls tossed one of their skateboard decks into the crowd.

Once they wrapped up with the outside stage, everyone squeezed back indoors. This is where the sound issues improved drastically. In my opinion, Morbid Saint had the cleanest sound and riled up the crowd the most. The biggest crowd response was from them and had The Vex spinning in a mosh. By the time MOD hit the stage, the crowd seemed pretty dead and tired. They still had a pretty good response and most people were stoked to see them live.

Overall, the show was a success.  A few things could have been tweaked but there is plenty of room for improvement. I’d like to thank Annialation Productions, Poor Kids Radio and everyone else who was a part of making this event happen. The two crews really worked their asses off for all of us and will continue working hard to bring us plenty of amazing events. Hope to see you at the next Thrasho! 

The post Live Review | THRASHO DE MAYO!!! appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.

Slayer is devastated to inform that their bandmate and brother, Jeff Hanneman, passed away at about 11AM this morning near his Southern California home. Hanneman was in an area hospital when he suffered liver failure. He is survived by his wife Kathy, his sister Kathy and his brothers Michael and Larry, and will be sorely missed. Our Brother Jeff Hanneman, May He Rest In Peace (1964 – 2013)

From Show No Mercy to World Painted Blood, his music will persist to live on in our hearts. May he shred in peace. 

The post News | Jeff Hanneman dies at 49 – THE ANGEL OF DEATH LIVES ON appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.

Upon arriving to the show, I was only really excited to see Absu perform, but as soon as Highland hit the stage they caught my attention. As a local Los Angeles band, they sure stood out as an opening act. They steer away from the same repetitive riffs and are more complex than the hundreds of local act I have seen yet. I can’t wait to see how they grow as a band.

[Show as slideshow]

Photos by Lili.Scarlet Photography

The immortal sorcery of Absu was casted upon us as soon as they hit the stage. They came back with a vengeance after nearly four years of not playing a show in Los Angeles. Prior to their set, the mighty Proscriptor, Ezezu, and Vis Crom answered many questions from diehard fans and were very open to taking photos as a souvenir of such a killer night. Their set consisted of many old tracks of The Sun of Tiphareth to their most recent album Abzu. Some of my favorite songs of the night consisted of; “Swords and Leather”, “Amy” and “Never Blow Out the Eastern Candle”.

This was truly the best treat we could all ask for

The true highlight of the night hands down was the “Stone of Destiny”. I was confused at why they were changing out the snare drum during the set, when he clearly didn’t damage it in any way or didn’t need a different one for a certain song.  It turns out he didn’t need it at all! This was a surprise to all of us, Proscriptor jumps off his kit and belches out his killer vocals for the “Stone of Destiny”. You would not assume he has such a great stage presence moving from one end of the stage to the other, being that he’s always in the same spot while playing the drums. This was truly the best treat we could all ask for. After nearly an hour and a half, I could not begin to think that their set was coming to an end. I will hold them to their word and hope to see them soon again! 

The post Live Review | Absu Conquers LA! appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.

Upon arriving to the venue, a sea of thrashers looked for scalpers to find a way into the venue. No one wanted to miss this show; indeed it was a show not worth missing. 

Even though the show started fairly early, many like myself rushed from work to make it on time. Holy Grail’s set could not be missed! As a local band, they had much pressure to showcase their true talent of a great Los Angeles Heavy Metal band. This band was a perfect opening band, getting straight into the crowd favorites and hyping everyone up. James-Paul Luna always surprises the crowd with his killer vocals. The harmonizing sweep arpeggios of Eli Santana and Alex Lee gets the pit in a twirl. This up-and-coming band will definitely continue to surprise us. 

The next band needs no introduction. Seriously, if you have not yet seen the new Vans 2013 Brand “Anthem” Parade commercial, you have been sleeping under a rock. “Municipal Waste is gonna fuck you up” and they sure did. As soon as they hit the stage, crowd surfer flew over the barracks. They played many favorites and left the crowd wanting more. The confetti canon made an appearance during their set, and even though I have seen them use it before, it still seems to leave me in complete awe. “Beer pressure”, “Unleash the Bastards” and “The Art of Partying” were some of the highlighted songs of their set.

This tour had such a great thrash lineup, but I was excited to see High on Fire on the bill. Matt, Jeff and Des make a great trio. Their set was killer, but they had a few technical difficulties due to them not having time for a sound check prior to the show starting. The Los Angeles thrashers didn’t seem to understand their music much. The crowd had died down during their set. I was a tad bit disappointed because they did such a good job and they played some of my favorites; “Rumors of War” and “Snakes for the Divine”. Nevertheless, they did expose themselves to a new crowd, and many went home with a new appreciation of High on Fire!

[Show as slideshow]

123►

The beast hit the stage next. Exodus, always brings the love of old school back to life! They rolled out many classics from the Bonded by Blood album such as; “A Lesson in Violence“, “Strike of the Beast” and “Piranha“. One of my favorites had to be “Toxic Waltz“. I could not contain my energy and ran straight into the moshpit to join all the other crazed fans. Exodus will forever be one of my all-time favorite Bay area thrash bands. They never cease to disappoint and always deliver the best and most energetic performance they can give.

As soon as Exodus walked off the stage, a sense of excitement and sadness hit. I was excited to watch Anthrax perform, but I knew the show was coming to an end. I was aware of Among the Living being played in its entirety, but was not expecting the many surprises we had during their entire set. The Los Angeles crowd surely did get a better treat than most destinations on the tour. The biggest surprise for me was when Chuck D of Public Enemy joined them on stage for “Bring the Noise”.  Chuck D was not the only guest that shared the stage with Anthrax, the legendary Slash of Guns N’ Roses also made an appearance during their AC/DC cover of “TNT”. This was a show that will forever be embedded into my memories. With such a killer lineup this year, I wonder what next year will look like, and if Metal Alliance can even be topped off…

The post Live Review | Metal Alliance 2013 – ANTHRAX, EXODUS, HIGH ON FIRE, MUNICIPAL WASTE, HOLY GRAIL…Seriously?! appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.