Asesino and locals rock Bonds - y tu mama tambien - to the core

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Asesino and locals rock Bonds - y tu mama tambien - to the core

For those who may have ventured upstairs inside Bonds Rock Bar a couple of Sundays ago unfamiliar with the headlining band on stage, the first question likely to come to mind might have been: Who are those masked men?

And there may have been a decent chance that any stragglers on this night would have been familiar with at least two-thirds of Spanish-singing Asesino via their unmasked, more well-known, bands. But in truth, the dedicated crowd of roughly 75 moshers and onlookers at the veteran downtown establishment knew who they came to see June 26.

Fronted by Tony Campos — bassist of Static-X, Ministry, Prong and Fear Factory among others — and led on guitar by Fear Factory co-founder Dino Cazares, Asesino blitzed through 20 songs en Espanol after locals Flesh Hoarder, Semper Acerbus and Outlook Grim warmed things up with a mostly metalcore style of heavy metal.

Cazares is known as Asesino’s namesake, which translates as “murderer.” Campos, who goes by Maldito X, gets to flaunt his sense of humor as frontman and take part in a band where he not only provides all vocals but does so in his native language. The trio is rounded out by drummer Emilio Marquez, who goes by Sadistico.

Although their masks made them look more like bank robbers than intimidating killers (maybe that’s a good thing given the state of the world today), Asesino brought the heaviness on several offerings including “Cyko Maton” and “La Ejecucion.”

Shortly after ripping through “Padre Pedofilio” (Pedophile Father), “Puta Con Pito” (various translations involving a whore are possible) and “Y Tu Mama Tambien” (And Your Mother As Well) — each of which can be viewed via ATM footage below — the trio went from would-be bank thieves to autograph signers and photograph subjects with their fans (see 37-photo slideshow including setlist below).

The trifecta of San Antonio artists setting the stage for Asesino brought it as well.

Flesh Hoarder features Flying-V lead guitarist Mike DeLeon, who provided the Pantera leads last Nov. 12 at Vibes Event Center as Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals performed “A Vulgar Night of Pantera.” Watch them in action on this night via ATM’s Facebook Live footage of “Tortured Beyond the Grave” and “Necrotic Slut Chunks.”

Semper Acerbus can be viewed in similar fashion on “Daymare.” Ditto for openers Outlook Grim on “Power.”

The identities of the masked marauders with loaded musical pedigrees may not have been as mysterious, after all, as the identity of Cazares’ new vocalist in Fear Factory, which he has still not revealed following the late 2020 departure of his long-time friend Burton C. Bell. But as Asesino continued to parade through Texas and Mexico on this rarest of live occasions for the band, those on hand could appreciate the presence of established national musicians making themselves at home in the cozy downtown San Antonio rock bar owned by the Eguia family.

Score one for the underground scene — y tu mama tambien.

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Cavalera brothers revisit their roots times two

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Cavalera brothers revisit their roots times two

Max and Igor Cavalera have been coming to San Antonio and South Texas basically since the beginning of their seminal band Sepultura. In other words, longer than they once went without speaking to one another. And that was for a full decade.

The brothers who make up the first family of Brazilian heavy metal carved separate paths during those tumultuous years. Singer and rhythm guitarist Max, of course, went on to other bands and projects such as Cavalera Conspiracy, Soulfly, Nailbomb and Killer Be Killed. Igor remained in Sepultura through 2006 before departing. And as Max revealed here exclusively to Alamo True Metal six years ago during Soulfly’s United States tour kickoff at The Korova, the tragedy that struck the Abbott brothers of Pantera influenced him to bury the hatchet with his own sibling.

Nowadays, Max and Igor are using their pent-up energy more constructively — by making music together once again. But in 2022, they’ve gone back to their roots, as was the case last Thursday as Cavalera Conspiracy performed Sepultura’s 1989 and 1991 albums Beneath the Remains and Arise, respectively, to an enthusiastic and appreciative crowd of 700 reported as sold out at the Rock Box.

From the moment Max Cavalera bellowed, “We’re going old school on your ass,” the heads began banging and the bodies started surfing across the barrier following warmup acts Cephalic Carnage from Denver, Healing Magic of Phoenix and local thrashers Metalriser (see 53-photo slideshow and ATM video footage of each artist below).

Venue security was quickly put to work with every word of encouragement uttered by Max Cavalera, particularly when he ordered the crowd to “Destroy this fucking place!” Metalheads didn’t need to be told twice as the pits swirled virtually throughout the entirety of both albums. Watch bonus ATM Facebook Live footage of “Sarcastic Existence” and “Slaves of Pain” from the former record and “Arise” and “Dead Embryonic Cells” from the latter.

With former Havok bassist Mike Leon (who’s also in Soulfly) and lead guitarist Daniel Gonzalez providing the riffage, Cavalera Conspiracy / classic Sepultura, if you will, took names, took notice and conquered the Rock Box as expected. Following “Orgasmatron,” they even broke into a snippet of Slayer’s “Raining Blood” (ATM footage below). At one point, Max Cavalera couldn’t resist offering a bit of “Territory” from one of Sepultura’s albums not scheduled to be played — Chaos A.D. — though that seemed to make the complete exclusion of Sepultura’s most popular song “Roots Bloody Roots” that much more conspicuous by its absence.

The opening acts provided their own brand of metal. Whether it was everyone’s cup of tea would’ve been in the eyes and ears of the beholders.

Cephalic Carnage is a veteran group that has been around nearly as long (1992) as Sepultura. Fronted by lone remaining original member Lenzig Leal, who’s a grindcore version mostly in look and somewhat in sound of AC/DC’s Brian Johnson, the quintet displayed its humor among the distortion and carnage of its style by dedicating a song to masturbaters in the audience and having the crowd chant “Weed” and “Beer.” Metalcore and grindcore don’t do much for this writer, but Cephalic Carnage did win points by paying homage on “Sleeprace” (ATM footage below) to San Antonio’s own S.A. Slayer (for those reading this outside the Alamo City and Texas, Google ‘em). You can also watch them on “Piecemaker” and below after donning a few silly masks on finale “Black Metal Sabbath.”

Healing Magic, a singer/guitarist and drummer duo from Arizona, headbanged its way through a noisy yet appreciative and energetic set that included “Solar Valley” and “Leaving Ashes” (ATM footage below)

But it was veteran (yet still young) local thrashers Metalriser that stole the show among the three openers. Continuing to be led by founder, singer and rhythm guitarist Joel Estrada, Metalriser is always a treat to see in action not only because they’re one of the heaviest bands on the local scene, but because they bring the angst and energy every time out. Case in point is provided on "Hell’s Gates” and below on finale “D.I.Y.” Bassist Nick Gamboa has provided a shot in the arm to Estrada’s somewhat frequent lineup changes for the past three-plus years, while guitarist Mario Prz Jr. and new drummer Brandon Mascheo helped amp up the level of thrash more intensely than most openers do, but one that was worthy of setting the stage for the Cavaleras.

All in all, seeing the Cavaleras in action together never gets old and only reinforces their influence on many of metal’s bands from across the globe. To say that the crowd went home happy, sweaty and some maybe even a bit battered and bruised would be to underscore just how good of a time was had by all. Max Cavalera would likely be the first to tell you that’s what heavy metal is all about.

Well done, first family of Brazilian heavy metal.

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Hardworking men The Heroine celebrate new album with pair of novice brethren

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Hardworking men The Heroine celebrate new album with pair of novice brethren

For more than 15 years, The Heroine have been treading along the San Antonio music scene, aiming to garner recognition locally and nationally as one of the hardest working bands in this city.

The core of the group — vocalist Lynnwood King, bassist Wes “Guhly” Vargulish and drummer Johnny Lightning — made it to the final six out of thousands of national entries into a Guitar Center contest in 2008 to see which band would open the inaugural Cruefest, earning the right to strut their stuff in the finals before Motley Crue’s four revered members at The Whisky in Hollywood, California, before losing out to The Last Vegas.

The Heroine is also the only band — again, local or national — to play every single River City Rockfest in its hometown from 2013-18 before the festival’s eventual demise. During that time, The Heroine released Playing For Keeps in 2015 and toured relentlessly for years behind that record.

So excuse the core trio, along with guitarists David Arias and Joey Villalobos, if they were just a tad relieved, excited and grateful to finally see the fruits of the follow-up record, Out For Blood, come to life May 21 during a CD release show at 502 Bar. Fittingly, as frontrunners of the local scene, The Heroine brought along a pair of artists playing their debut gig that hope to achieve the career duration, and follow the roads paved by, The Heroine in Westcreek and Poets Of Propaganda.

According to King, there were a variety of factors in why seven years elapsed between albums. But that rough road made it all the more special on this night as The Heroine played eight of the new record’s 11 tracks, including opening intro “Let’s Go” and “Mamacita Por Vida” (ATM Facebook Live footage here). The group added older single “Who Do You Love” and 2015 track “Hardworking Man” (ATM footage of the latter below; see setlist in 34-photo slideshow).

“I think it’s more “Thank God,” you know,” King told ATM after the show about Out For Blood finally seeing the light of day. “It’s more relief because we’ve had so many obstacles we’ve had to overcome as a band. We had our super highs when we were signed to Universal, and then that whole deal broke us. Coming back and regrouping, and writing, we spent all of 2020 and ‘21 writing. We started recording about eight of the tracks that are on there with this lineup.”

For King, the CD release gig, and any other future performances, nearly didn’t come to fruition due to the global pandemic.

“Jay, I’m serious, I thought we were gonna break up. It just nailed us,” King said. “I was out for 10 days. The band didn’t really get a chance to talk. We knew we were finishing the record. But we didn’t hang out, we didn’t rehearse, we didn’t see each other for almost six months. And then we got together and played our first show together (since then), and it was like we didn’t miss a beat.”

With King slinging his mic stand in his patented way, Vargulish laying down the low end, Lightning pounding the drums with backup vocals, and Arias and Villalobos providing the licks, The Heroine gave newcomers to their live shows in attendance, and those who’ve been watching them perform for 15 years, a taste of what the band is all about on stage.

In addition to the high energy The Heroine is known for, King and Co. scaled back on the Christianity aspects that often dotted their gigs in the past, at times in favor of more humor. Case in point: King at one point joked that Vargulish was “single and ready to mingle,” adding, “Ladies, he has a 789 credit score!”

Meanwhile, Westcreek and Poets Of Propaganda were on the opposite end of the spectrum from The Heroine. Each band was making its live-performance debut and came through having gotten the first one out of the way.

Westcreek had to endure roughly 30 extra minutes of sound issues prior to eventually taking the stage but certainly didn’t lack for support from friends and family, particularly in the form of one female who pierced nearby ears with frequent screams of, “Wooo! Let’s go Westcreek” while the band was attempting to sort out the issues causing the delay.

Finally, Westcreek — which will play its second gig ever Saturday, June 25, at Bonds Rock Bar with Meridian, Skum and a few others ($10 cover) — got the music rolling and was the heaviest band of the three on the bill. Vocalist/guitarist Daniel Bas, guitarist John McKinnis, bassist Eddie Nava and drummer Rocko Cortez can be seen in action on “Take Control” via ATM footage here) and below on “This Life.”

Poets Of Propaganda, featuring vocalist Christopher DeLallo, King’s cousin on guitar Chris Gamez, bassist Terry Sleaze and drummer Dom Galindo, had the simultaneous honor yet nervous energetic task of kicking off the night for their inaugural gig in front of their respective friends and family. They settled in as a unit after a couple of songs and can be seen in action here and below on “Tread Depth.”

While those two bands will likely never forget their first, the evening was another notch in the roller coaster career of The Heroine as the group was able to unveil at last a new rocking album with short, hard-hitting songs that can finally accompany the tunes they’ve been playing live for years.

It also allowed King, at least after the gig, to reflect on how far his band has come — and what may lie ahead.

“I think that 2008 was a validation for the band,” King said of The Cruefest contest. “It validated that the band was good and had the potential to do whatever it wanted to. We were able to pick up endorsements and have some good brands that are still part of our lives. Gibson and Ernie Ball Strings, they give us guitars, they put us on winter and summer NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants).”

But with the steps forward come steps backward sometimes as well.

“It’s a struggle,” King said. “It takes a lot of faith, belief in yourself. We had a tour planned with Voivod in June that our agent submitted. And it just didn’t work out. That was supposed to be our CD release tour. We thought we had it, and it turned out it didn’t work out the way we thought. Stuff like that. Being in a band, there’s highs and lows. You get so stoked, then so down, it’s just one of those things. You have to stay positive.”

While the plan is to tour as much as possible behind the new record, which may feel like a rebirth of sorts thanks to the time off from Covid-19, King isn’t expecting more success to happen overnight.

“I think it’s going to be a struggle all the time,” he said. “It’s always been a battle, especially as you get older. There’s responsibilities and families. But I think that struggle gives us that edge, it makes us more passionate.”

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Rock Box becomes Appreciation Society for Fozzy, John 5 and upstart bands

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Rock Box becomes Appreciation Society for Fozzy, John 5 and upstart bands

The Jericho Appreciation Society was out in force last Saturday night at the Rock Box. And much like those who keep up with the current All Elite Wrestling weekly storyline and faction involving eccentric Fozzy frontman Chris Jericho, local patrons sang along to the group’s smash title track to 2017’s Judas (ATM footage below).

Unlike those who may strictly know of Jericho from his adventures inside the squared circle, however, San Antonians didn’t just appreciate one Fozzy song. Heck, they didn’t just show their approval of the headliners given that John 5 and The Creatures was also on the bill.

Support acts GFM, Krashkarma and The Nocturnal Affair weren’t exactly slouches either. In fact, other than Fozzy’s contagious energy and John 5’s wizardry on guitar, it was the Hollywood-based duo of Krashkarma — by way of New Jersey and Germany — that stole the show; something no band billed second out of five has any business of doing.

But more on that later.

Backed by longtime guitarists Rich Ward (ATM interview here) and Billy Grey, Jericho was also joined by bassist P.J. Farley of Trixter fame and new drummer Grant Brooks. The show took place six days prior to the newly released Boombox, but that didn’t stop Fozzy from playing four of the album’s singles including opening the show with “Sane.” Jericho & Crew also offered up “I Still Burn,” “Purifier” (ATM footage below), “Nowhere to Run” and a fifth album track in their cover of Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s “Relax.”

Fozzy has supported Saxon and Sevendust previously in the Alamo City, with one of those shows featuring a post-performance interview with Jericho in which he spoke about how the idea of forming Fozzy originated in San Antonio (watch here). The band has now been coming here for nine years and finds itself in headline mode, with Jericho intertwining tour dates with his ongoing AEW involvement throughout the country.

One thing the singer, wrestler, podcaster, author and Rock N’ Wrestling cruise voyage architect has always been gifted at is working up a crowd, and Saturday was no exception. At one point, Jericho told the Rock Box’s incessant chanters of “Fozzy, Fozzy” that they were the “craziest of the tour thus far.” Unlike every singer who says that to his or her audience, however, Jericho quickly invited fans to look up YouTube footage of Fozzy’s previous performance to prove he doesn’t say that at every gig before adding, “No, I’m serious, you guys are the craziest so far!”

Fozzy’s 75-minute showing also included older tracks “Do You Wanna Start A War,” “Lights Go Out” and “Sin and Bones” (ATM Facebook Live clip here) and an extended guitar jam during “Enemy” (ATM footage below). Whereas previous visits included their cover of Abba’s “S.O.S.,” this show ended with Fozzy’s version of AC/DC’s “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.” With Ward and Grey commanding the stage from one side to the other and Jericho doing his usual thing, the Rock Box didn’t take long to “become, become, becoming” the place to rock.

Fans could also be grateful for the fact John 5 was back on stage because that nearly didn’t happen. Having postponed three shows the previous week due to a Covid-19 presence within the group, only to resume two days earlier with a headlining show in Austin, bassist Ian Ross fell ill, dropping The Creatures to just John 5 and drummer Alex Mercado. An announcement was made serving as a prelude to loud and encouraging applause since “the show must go on.”

A crew member took to the dark stage in a humongous John 5 head (see 111-photo slideshow below). Then the established solo guitarist and Rob Zombie axeman followed suit as a young girl at the front of the barrier repeatedly screamed, “Oh my God! It’s John 5!”

Concentrating on instrumentals from latest album Sinner and the records that recently preceded it, John 5 didn’t speak until he had performed seven tunes (ATM Facebook LIve footage of three tracks here), a bit of a solo and wowed the crowd with a portion of “The Star Spangled Banner” courtesy of his tongue.

“Good evening, motherfuckers,” was John 5’s greeting before he added, “Well, it won’t take long to introduce the band. Our only Creature, give it up for Alex on the drums. . . . I don’t know if it’s stupidity or ballsy to come up here with only guitar and drums, but I wouldn’t cancel on you guys. I love you too much!”

Though John 5 followed his printed setlist (see slideshow), he had to omit “The Black Grass Plague” saying that he was being cut short. In truth, he was allotted a 50-minute set in support of Fozzy and performed 52 minutes, making time for his patented medley of cover-song riffs (ATM footage below). Listen here to our prior interview in which John 5 addressed the inspiration for his instrumental titles, the album he made with David Lee Roth that still hasn’t been released and other topics.

The three bands setting the stage for the famous acts didn’t disappoint.

GFM (Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh) dub themselves “Beautycore.” The trio of ladies from Jacksonville, Florida, took to the stage with one of the members’ mother tossing out mini-gifts to the crowd. The band wore cheerleader outfits, provided a mix of melodic vocals with death-metal growls and proclaimed its love for Jesus. Watch ATM Facebook Live footage of “Taking Over” plus video below of their final two tracks as GFM prepares to release two-song EP Framing My Perception on May 27.

But it was the duo of Krashkarma that made the most impressive impression.

Comprised of Germany’s Ralf Dietel on lead vocals and guitar and New Jersey resident and band founder Niki Skistimas on drums and vocals, Krashkarma signaled right away that their performance would not be typical.

Skistimas and Dietel made their entrance from behind the crowd, with the former playing a marching-band style of snare and Dietel utilizing a bullhorn. Upon taking the stage, Skistimas’ kit was set up with a side view a la Robert Sweet of Stryper, but at the forefront of the stage. Dietel, sometimes utilizing a bow on his guitar as did John 5, informed the audience upon introducing “9Lives: 1, 2 Die” that his guitar was capable of playing bass as well, emphasizing that there were “no tricks” (ATM footage below).

Skistimas, who also played in The Blue Bonnets which included Kathy Valentine of The Go-Go’s, shared with ATM after her set that Krashkarma was originally a quartet and that she met Dietel several years ago at NAMM, the annual National Association of Music Merchants gathering in Anaheim, California. Skistimas and Dietel definitely kept the crowd’s attention throughout their set. As if their unique entrance and setup wasn’t enough, they played dueling harmonicas with each member taking turns standing atop the drums to give the fans a better look and to encourage participation. Skistimas even brought out a mallet as a prop on “Girl With A Hammer” prior to “Tears of Gasoline” (ATM Facebook Live footage here).

The Nocturnal Affair from Las Vegas kicked off the night with its five members stretched along the width of the stage in single file. Singer/keyboardist Brendan Shane was far stage right with the drums stage left. The group released debut full-length (Meta)morphosis on March 28, which was produced by Austin resident and Disturbed bassist John Moyer. Watch ATM footage of new single “Down” and below of “Ghosts on the Horizon.”

The mixture and variety of unfamiliar bands that rocked and proved to be unique in their own way, combined with the veteran musicianship of John 5 and Fozzy, made for a stellar and entertaining night of Rock N’ Roll. And it would be remiss not to say that a large reason for this was the tireless work of venue owners Micaela and Steve Rodriguez, their security and bar staff and Twin Productions Promotions.

Not only was that good news for the ultimate sports entertainer who sings heavy metal songs on a mic. But also for those on hand reaping some favorite bands while discovering a few new ones.

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Generations of classic power metal reign thanks to Riot and friends

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Generations of classic power metal reign thanks to Riot and friends

The greats of power metal from yesteryear joined forces Friday night at the Rock Box with South Texas legions of the early 2000s and the future of Alamo City metal to form a conglomeration of rock that many concert billings would be tough to match.

Led by Riot once again playing the hometown of bassist Don Van Stavern, but this time doing so 45 years after 1977 debut Rock City, the program also featured Austin’s Ignitor plus classic locals Byfist and the youth of Jessikill.

Playing their first show since late 2019 in Europe, Riot stormed out of the gates with an 18-song, 95-minute set covering a bulk of its career with some newly played tunes. With Hall informing Alamo True Metal that he landed in town from Michigan the day before, Riot held a two-hour rehearsal Thursday, according to a source. Then with Jessikill vocalist Jessica Alejo and guitarist Jyro Alejo donning Riot’s seal-head mascot masks preceding the group’s entrance, Riot treated dedicated South Texas fans — and even visitors from Virginia and Pennsylvania — to another reliably riveting set (setlists in 82-photo slideshow below).

Opening with “Victory” from 2018 and latest album Armor of Light, Riot unleashed a slew of tracks from 1988 powerhouse Thundersteel including second song “Flight of the Warrior.” Thundersteel is arguably Riot’s signature album, though you can’t go wrong with 1981’s Fire Down Under claiming such a moniker either, and you can watch ATM’s Facebook Live footage of more Thundersteel classics “Sign of the Crimson Storm” and “Johnny’s Back” sandwiched by “49er” here.

No one remains in Riot from the debut-album days, as Van Stavern is the longest reigning member, having joined for the 1988 Thundersteel era. He was followed the next year by current lead guitarist Mike Flyntz. Hall etched his place in Riot vocalist lore in 2013 joining drummer Frank Gilchriest, but Friday’s show — coming a day before Riot’s participation in the Hell’s Heroes Fest in Houston — included a new second guitarist, at least for these Texas shows.

Lance Barnewold exhibited his skills with Riot for the first time in the Alamo City, bringing a unique background. Barnewold is not only the drummer in the solo band of Manowar co-founder and former guitarist Ross “The Boss” Friedman but his nephew as well. Friedman played a guest solo on “Warning Fire” on Jack Starr’s Burning Starr’s 2011 powerhouse of an album Land of the Dead, a band fronted at the time by Hall.

For those unfamiliar with Hall’s background as a heavy metal singer in his current and former bands, as well the group Reverence once upon a time, they may likely recognize him from television. Hall was a contestant in early 2020 on “The Voice,” wowing mainstream fans and viewers with his rendition of Foreigner’s “Juke Box Hero,” which we discussed a year ago to the day of Friday’s show via Zoom (watch here). Hall also released solo effort Sonic Healing at the time of the interview in the vein of classic rock tunes after teaming with Metal Church guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof on the album.

On a night Alice In Chains guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell was playing the Aztec Theatre, Riot continued with the good vibes inside the Rock Box on other classics such as “Outlaw” and “On Your Knees.” Watch more ATM Facebook Live footage of “Altar of the King,” “Angel’s Thunder, Devil’s Reign” and “Road Racin’ “ and ATM videos below of six additional tracks.

Van Stavern and Flyntz took swigs of their patented tequila bottle while dedicating multiple moments to the late guitarist Mark Reale, who’s buried here in San Antonio, plus vocalists Guy Speranza and Rhett Forrester, rhythm guitarist Louie L.A. Kouvaris and famed local DJ Joe “The Godfather” Anthony. The band added a nice touch by inserting the Forrester-sung title track to Restless Breed (watch below), though Van Stavern inexplicably left Armor of Light track “San Antonio” off the set in the one city that deserved to hear his written homage to his hometown. But there was another hometown reference when it was revealed Gilchriest was playing the drum kit of former Riot backstopper and San Antonio’s own Bobby Jarzombek, incidentally with his guitarist brother Ron Jarzombek in attendance.

Ignitor provided direct support to Riot, and that meant the powerful demonic vocals of South Texas Music Walk of Fame star, Corpus Christi native and longtime Austin resident Jason McMaster. Ignitor guitarist Stuart Laurence remains the lone original member of the band that formed in 2003 and once had two women in the group, on vocals and guitar.

Backed by rhythm guitarist Robert Williams, bassist Billy Dansfiell and drummer Pat Doyle, you can watch them perform “Heavy Metal Holocaust” plus footage below of “Secrets of the Ram” and the title track to 2017’s Haunted By Rock N’ Roll.

McMaster has placed his stamp on a variety of original bands including Watchtower, Evil United, Broken Teeth and the group that introduced him to an MTV generation, Dangerous Toys. McMaster has even had Van Stavern as a guest on the podcast he conducts with a former colleague of yours truly, “Metal” Dave Glessner. So when’s the musical collaboration, boys?

Byfist continued its run of local shows since dropping In the End in September 2020. With original rhythm guitarist Nacho Vara once again accompanied by bassist Stony Grantham and drummer Scott Palmer, like Riot the group unveiled a new guitarist stage left.

Manny Santos made his live debut with Byfist on this night having replaced Ernie B. Fans may recognize Santos from Zero The Hero, but he’s also played the axe for 40 years, according to the band’s socials, which included being a 3-peat winner of San Antonio Guitar Wars. Watch Santos and his bandmates in action below on “Mary Celeste” and on finale “In the End.” You don’t even have to be a “worthless scum” to enjoy it.

Jessikill kicked off the night as a prelude to what figures to be the most important and rewarding stretch of its young career. The band embarks on a national tour supporting Yngwie Malmsteen starting this Sunday in Hartford, Connecticut, (ATM details here) But the first order of business was opening for Riot.

Taking the stage to latest video single “Lightning,” the Alejos joined bassist Arturo Knight and drummer Marcel Biel in giving a taste of what national fans about to watch them live for the first time can expect over the next six weeks. Witnessing Alejo on guitar never gets old, but it’s also a pleasant sight seeing the band grow and mature with every new song and performance. Watch them on “Save Me” and below on “Midnight Rush.”

If the presence, and performance, of Riot, Ignitor, Byfist and Jessikill indicated anything, it’s that South Texas heavy metal is in good hands and not going anywhere anytime soon. How lucky do you get to be living here when it comes to the heavy metal scene, San Antonians?

True, there could always have been a larger turnout. But for those who understood the special significance of it all, the Rock Box was the place to be Friday night.

And we could all share a toast of tequila to that.

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Arch Enemy, Behemoth bestow metal madness upon Aztec's patrons and heathens

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Arch Enemy, Behemoth bestow metal madness upon Aztec's patrons and heathens

During his band’s co-headlining performance Monday at the Aztec Theatre, Behemoth frontman Adam “Nergal” Darski instructed the locals not to take their freedom for granted while dedicating “Conquer All” to the people of Ukraine. Then as the group wound down “Chant For Ezkaton,” Nergal stated it was an honor to play for the crowd, urging fans to stay safe.

Those couldn’t possibly be the actions of a musician who had been banned from playing his native Poland once upon a time after tearing up a Bible on stage, could it?

Then the face-painted vocalist/guitarist bellowed two words that took the energy to a whole nother level (Alamo True Metal footage below) and indicated that this show with nightly alternating co-headliners Arch Enemy plus Napalm Death and Unto Others was unlike 99.9 percent of the concerts that come to the Aztec:

“Hail Satan!”

As the jam-packed lower level and half-filled balcony roared their approval, memories harkened back to why Nergal has often been regarded as one of metal’s most controversial figures.

But along with his emphatic religious statements, Nergal has persevered through personal adversity after having been diagnosed with leukemia and undergoing a bone marrow transplant. Those long-ago life-changing moments made the second night of this tour possible in the first place for Behemoth and its San Antonio fans.

Additional tracks such as “Bartzabel,” “Slaves Shall Serve” (ATM footage of both below), “Evoe” and the heartwarming “Christians to the Lions” (ATM Facebook Live clip here) cemented why it was good to see and hear Behemoth back on the scene post-pandemic and back in the States. And the group’s punishing and darkened hour-long showing set the stage for Arch Enemy to top with its own hour-long set.

Between all four bands, it was refreshing to see a concert devoid of exaggerated echoed vocals or longer-than-necessary “delay throws” meant for effect that instead served as a distraction by giving the impression backing tracks were used to assist actual singing efforts. Rather, this night was filled with pure molten metal singing and instrumentation that not only encouraged patrons to chant along but to keep up with the pros who led the way on stage.

Then it was Arch Enemy’s turn. Commence sore throats.

After kicking off two nights earlier in Tempe, Arizona, Arch Enemy unleashed its own brand of metal behind the sinister vocals of Alissa White-Gluz, dual shredding riffs of founder/songwriter Michael Amott and former Nevermore and Sanctuary guitarist Jeff Loomis, thumping bass of Sharlee D’Angelo and pounding drums of Daniel Erlandsson.

Whereas Behemoth’s anti-Christian dominated songs call for dark imagery throughout the stage show, Arch Enemy is a photographer’s delight by employing some of the best lighting in the business, as exemplified in the 145-photo slideshow below. The lavish scenery often belies the brutality of the band’s music, but it’s far better than the abhorred red and blue light most bands relegate themselves to.

You mean the audience can actually see the band play? What a concept!

Set to unleash new album Deceivers on July 29 via Century Media Records, Arch Enemy devoted one-fourth of its 12-song performance to the three singles that have been released: “House of Mirrors” (ATM Facebook Live clip here along with “My Apocalypse,”), “Handshake With Hell” (ATM footage below) and “Deceiver Deceiver.” Of course, the quintet didn’t forget their older tunes originally sung by Angela Gossow, who continues to be the group’s manager, such as “Dead Bury Their Dead” and “Nemesis” (ATM footage below; full setlist in slideshow). To tide fans over till then, Arch Enemy is releasing a fourth single, “Sunset Over the Empire,” on May 20 via 7-inch vinyl.

“I am thrilled that we are releasing our next single 'Sunset over the Empire' not only digitally everywhere as usual, but also as a physical 7-inch vinyl record,” Amott said in a press release. “I'm a big fan of the vinyl format myself, and I think this killer looking 7-inch will be a nice collector's item as it's a limited run. The B-side is an instrumental we've never released before on a record, and the A-side is one of my fave tracks off our new upcoming album Deceivers.”

As with any band that has replaced singers along the way, Arch Enemy was taking a big risk eight years ago when White-Gluz took over for Gossow. Unlike many that have failed doing so, however, Arch Enemy has continued to flourish if not expand on its horizons, in large part to the leadership of Amott and D’Angelo. One of those favorite personal moments in the band’s latter-era history came aboard the 70000 Tons of Metal cruise in 2017 when the group held a press conference to select media in world premiering the “As the Stages Burn” live at Wacken Open Air DVD. Watch ATM’s footage of that entire news gathering here and here.

Deceivers will mark the third album with White-Gluz on vocals, and with the band’s overall star continuing to rise and shine, it’s only a matter of time before Arch Enemy graduates from mid-level theaters and branches out into larger American venues. If any melodic death metal band is going to lead the way into such a scenario, it figures to be this metallic melting pot comprised of Swedes, Canadians and Americans.

Yet another part of the world was represented at the Aztec in the form of England’s Napalm Death. Visiting the Alamo City for the first time since supporting Slayer on their final tour in 2018 at the Freeman Coliseum (coverage here), the veteran outfit full of self-described “noise” unleashed a carnage of distortion and rage espousing socialism, pro-choice and other topics not for the faint of heart.

With longtime vocalist Mark “Barney” Greenway declaring his band’s hometown a “luxurious shithole,” Napalm Death provided the 30-second “The Kill” and backdrop of a Texas woman being arrested for attempted murder by virtue of an abortion on “Suffer the Children” (ATM footage of both below) as a small taste of its history. Minus the suit and tie, Greenway is reminiscent of Angus Young in his relentlessly bounding energy as he runs a marathon back and forth across the stage, a testament to his lanky English frame. Napalm Death performed tracks as far back as 1987, but you can also watch them via 2020 and 2021 offerings “Invigorating Clutch” and “Narcissus,” respectively, here.

The night began with the debut Alamo City showing of Portland, Oregon, natives Unto Others. Formerly known as Idle Hands, the group released Strength last September, its initial effort via Roadrunner Records, featuring video and Monday’s opening track “Heroin.”

On the one hand, vocalist/guitarist Gabriel Franco pulls you in with his eerily calm yet haunting vocals that made one wonder who the familiar sound resembled, only to revisit an earlier received press release that referred to The Cure’s Robert Smith, resulting in a “a-ha!” moment. And the next, Franco sucks you in with “Heroin’s” most telling line, the chilling “I swear to Godddd!”

Along with bassist Brandon Hill, guitarist Sebastian Silva and drummer Colin Vranizan — none of whom had any room whatsoever to maneuver around the stage amidst the gear and props of the forthcoming bands — Unto Others’ 30-minute set was built around the premise of turning fans onto its newest material. Watch them in action via ATM Facebook Live footage of “Nightfall” and below on closer “When Will God’s Work Be Done.” Unto Others is definitely a band that will hook listeners in the first time and, more importantly, keep them hooked and looking forward to future music and visits.

Arch Enemy, Behemoth, Napalm Death and Unto Others didn’t just kick the two-year Covid-19 layoff in the ass at long last. All four bands provided a much-needed respite from hell on earth due to the pandemic and daily grind we all go through, giving ticket-holders plenty of reason to cheer, sing and thrust their horns skyward.

The way metal was meant to be. Whether Satan was lurking or not.

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Oyster Bake returns with rockin' good time on a stick

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Oyster Bake returns with rockin' good time on a stick

After a two-year hiatus due to Covid-19, the Fiesta Oyster Bake returned last Saturday for the 106th rendition at St. Mary’s University and brought out all of its customary characteristics to first timers and festival veterans alike.

Rock music, country stylings, Tejano offerings, classic rock, R&B/rap and cover bands. Oyster shots, chicken and steak on a stick, chocolate covered strawberries, roasted corn, chalupas, burgers, $20 turkey legs.

There was no end in sight to the culinary and musical madness. And that’s just how everyone preferred it.

A perfectly sunny and comfortable day blanketed the campus throughout the 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday night festivities accompanied by death-defying carnival rides that could only be washed down by fried twinkies and alcoholic suds (see 110-photo slideshow below).

On a night the Oyster Bake was also competing with the 100th Valero Texas Open golf tournament in town, Wrestlemania 38 in Dallas and the NCAA Men’s Final Four basketball games on television, the rock music came courtesy of headliners Pop Evil, Hinder, Puddle Of Mudd, and the Brett Scallions Band. Austin natives Black Heart Saints and Groove Monkey performed for the early afternoon revelers as well.

While Pop Evil played a bevy of tunes in the 9:15-10:30 p.m. slot, it was Hinder’s variety-filled performance and the continued road along the path of sobriety of Puddle Of Mudd frontman Wes Scantlin that were the most noteworthy storylines emanating from the rock stage.

Hinder, a replacement for originally scheduled Saint Asonia, also played a slew of its hits to the delight of the largest portion of the thousands in attendance. Hinder took advantage of the Bake’s ideal 7:30-8:30 p.m. time slot, which benefits bands even more than the headliner slot in terms of attendance due to the fact many families head home with their kiddos’ bedtime approaching as the final band is about to go on.

Hinder jacked up the energy, brought out the acoustic guitar and saw bassist Mike Rodden on several occasions jumping down from the stage to give fans a closeup look at his musicianship, including one jaw-dropping female who couldn’t believe she was inches from a rock star (see slideshow). Watch ATM footage below of the band performing “King of the Letdown.”

Scantlin, the only remaining original member of Puddle Of Mudd, has had his share of well-documented issues throughout the years. Arrests, alcoholism, bantering with fans on stage . . . you name it, Scantlin has probably done it. He has earned a reputation for often being a ticking time bomb waiting to happen to the point that if he makes it through an entire show without something going wrong, some may actually be disappointed by that.

Truth be told, with all the musicians we have lost in recent years — especially those who have purposely taken their own lives — music fans should be applauding Scantlin for the road to recovery he has taken. Scantlin and his band sounded great when they performed here in 2019 at the Aztec Theatre, and they continued again at the Bake. Scantlin brought the energy, the positive vibes and told the audience how much he loved them and San Antonio so often, you would’ve thought his life depended on it.

Perhaps it did. The fact that Scantlin is still performing “Control,” “Blurry,” “She Hates Me,” “Away From Me” and the group’s other hits rather than joining the suicidal or drug-riddled deaths that befell Chester Bennington, Chris Cornell, Scott Weiland, Mike Howe and, more recently, Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins is a victory for Scantlin more than anyone, of course. But it’s a triumph that should be celebrated by everyone who enjoys rock music in general and/or Puddle Of Mudd’s contributions to the scene. Watch ATM footage below of “Spaceship.”

It’s hard to believe Pop Evil opened for Judas Priest and Whitesnake on July 25, 2009, at Freeman Coliseum and has been making music since 2008. Truth be told, vocalist Leigh Kakaty founded the band in Michigan in 2001, so it’s even more mind blowing to realize Pop Evil is celebrating more than 20 years.

The group, like many others, has persevered through several lineup changes and had another temporary one at the Bake. England-based drummer Hayley Cramer was experiencing visa issues and could not make the trip to S.A., Kakaty told the crowd. Blake Allison of the group Egypt Central “learned the set in 24 hours,” Kakaty said.

Kakaty also shared a story of how he ventured to North Star Mall shortly after landing in town and came across a little girl who asked if he was the vocalist of Pop Evil. After confirming, she evidently requested to hear “Inferno.” Kakaty, admitting that he was in “dad mode,” told her, “I’m sorry, but we’re not playing that tonight.” So of course, while sharing that anecdote, the band performed it. Kakaty then dedicated the ironically titled “Monster You Made” to “that sweet little angel.”

Watch ATM footage below of “100 In A 55” and the festival’s final two tracks “Trenches” and “Waking Lions.” This writer would’ve loved to hear the always uplifting “Last Man Standing” as well, but Pop Evil put that tune aside on this night (see setlist in slideshow).

The eponymous Brett Scallions Band featured three former members of Fuel in singer/guitarist Scallions, guitarist Jason Womack and drummer Shannon Boone. They performed a slew of hits from that group including “Shimmer” and “Hemorrhage (In My Hands).” Watch ATM Facebook Live footage of “Innocent” and “Falls On Me” plus video below of “Sunburn,” and see setlist in the slideshow.

While the Oyster Bake often recycles the same style of rock bands each year due to it being sponsored by 99.5-KISS FM, this year’s version was a welcome sight back no matter who was on stage. With several of these artists making their first appearance at the Bake, it only made it that much more of a good time on a (drum) stick. And music to everyone’s ears thanks in large part to St. Mary’s, its staff and volunteers.

The way festivals should be.

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Metal gods Judas Priest deliver the goods on 50th anniversary tour

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Metal gods Judas Priest deliver the goods on 50th anniversary tour

It was last Monday night at Freeman Coliseum, and the Priest came back!

This time, the metal gods Judas Priest were celebrating their 50th anniversary of making molten metal for the masses with a mostly career-spanning setlist and Queensryche in tow as the opening act. Performing for an hour and 52 minutes, vocalist Rob Halford, bassist Ian Hill, drummer Scott Travis and guitarists Richie Faulkner and Andy Sneap reminded roughly 5,000-6,000 fans at the Coliseum why they’ll always be considered one of metal’s all-time influential artists (see 109-photo slideshow below; no professional video was allowed).

Not that San Antonians needed a reminder. After all, this is the city in which the late disc jockey Joe “The Godfather” Anthony gave Judas Priest and so many other artists their first taste of American radio airplay. That fact has never been lost on Priest, as Halford indicated by referencing Anthony prior to introducing arguably the night’s best stretch of music: a rare performance of the title track to Priest’s 1974 debut Rocka Rolla, which led into one writer’s favorite Priest jam “Victim of Changes,” into 1981 rocker “Desert Plains” and the ebbs and flows of 1988’s “Blood Red Skies.”

Each time Judas Priest visits, you have to wonder if it will be the group’s final San Antonio appearance. The same thing occurred May 1, 2018, the band’s previous stop at Freeman Coliseum with Saxon and Black Star Riders (coverage here). That night, much like this gig, guitarist and producer Andy Sneap filled in for original guitarist Glenn Tipton after the latter was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Tipton made an appearance for three British Steel encores four years ago, and San Antonians could count their lucky stars he was well enough to appear again in 2022 for “Metal Gods,” “Breaking the Law” and “Living After Midnight” for a couple of reasons.

Not only has Tipton’s health held up enough in those four years, but he’s not appearing in every city on this tour. Four nights earlier in Portland, Oregon, Tipton did not come out on stage. At that show, however, Priest played “Invader” from 1978’s Stained Class in lieu of “Metal Gods.” Although it would’ve been nice to hear any track from Stained Class, let alone a song that had never been played live prior to this tour, San Antonio won that trade-off.

The special occasion of Priest’s golden anniversary brought out the stars of the Alamo City as well. Mayor Ron Nirenberg was on hand, posing for pictures with several residents. John Araya, the brother of Slayer vocalist Tom Araya, rocked out in the front row. And of course, San Antonio musicians in Riot bassist Don Van Stavern as well as Bobby Jarzombek, the drummer for all of Halford’s solo-band studio and live albums, weren’t about to miss this show either.

Opening with a track that is making its debut on this trek, “One Shot At Glory” from 1990’s Painkiller, Judas Priest delivered the goods in music and elaborate stage setup that included a monstrous replica of the Painkiller symbol that virtually covered the width of the stage as it lay parallel to the ground prior to the band’s arrival.

The 70-year-old Halford, sporting a thick gray beard and four to five different black leather metal jackets throughout the evening, dripped with sweat as he belted out his signature vocals as live as could be. There were occasional echoes for effect, but otherwise, Halford demonstrated once again why he’s the metal god, particularly on “Freewheel Burning,” Diamonds and Rust,” and the aforementioned “Victim of Changes” (setlist below)

Initial reaction to some of the tracks was that Judas Priest should give “Turbo Lover” a rest in favor of something else from that album such as “Locked In,” “Rock You All Around the World” or “Reckless.” As enjoyable as it is to hear and see the musicianship on the seven-minute plus “Blood Red Skies,” that track along with “A Touch of Evil” and “Hell Patrol” has been heard before, so it would’ve been more special to hear other offerings from those respective albums.

Nevertheless, considering Halford was parading around the stage with the aid of a cane eight years ago, and taking into account the adversity within the band Judas Priest has faced prior to this tour, let’s just stress that any form of Judas Priest material emanating from the band live and in the flesh in 2022 is more than a sight to behold and music to these ears.

And what about those atypical situations?

First was the mere appearance of Faulkner.

Despite being the youngest member of the band who was credited with injecting energy into Judas Priest when he joined in 2011, Faulkner suffered a shocking ruptured aorta at the Louder Than Life festival last September in Louisville, Kentucky. While Faulkner was undergoing a 10-hour open heart surgery, many fans across social media clamored for the return of K.K. Downing.

For heaven’s sake, people, THE MAN NEARLY DIED!

So the fact Faulkner recovered fully and resumed playing guitar saved Judas Priest’s existence in another fashion and made last week’s show, which had already been rescheduled twice due to Covid-19 and Faulkner’s harrowing experience, possible in the first place.

Then there was the pre-tour controversy regarding Sneap’s appearance. Or not.

Judas Priest announced they would be undertaking this tour as a quartet with Faulkner as the lone full-time guitarist — an unimaginable scenario for a band that has prided itself on the twin-dual guitar attack over its five decades. Luckily, this was one instance in which fan backlash was put to good use, and the members of Judas Priest listened and invited Sneap to rejoin the group. Sneap, mostly known for his album production work with various artists, fortunately agreed — another turn of events that may not have made this show possible had he not said yes.

Imagine JP playing “The Sentinel” without Halford having two guitarists to turn his attention to during the alternating eight-sided solo. Why, that would make as much sense as the overabundance of backing tracks.

While Halford belted out his signature vocals for nearly two full hours at an age most people spend in retirement, Queensryche’s Todd La Torre frequently used the help of his pre-recorded voice.

It’s hard to believe La Torre is in his 10th year as the replacment for the original voice of Queensryche, Geoff Tate. La Torre, 48, is a talented singer, more than capable and good enough on his own vocally without needing assistance unless he’s under the weather.

But as Queensryche dedicated its set to classics from 1983-90, including the first four tracks of “Queen of the Reich,” “Warning,” “En Force” and “NM 156” (setlist below), La Torre could often be seen pulling the microphone away from his mouth and, in a couple of other instances, walking to the other side of the stage with his mic down while his voice reverberated throughout the venue.

More bands these days are utilizing backing tracks, but that doesn’t make it any more enjoyable by any stretch for fans who paid to hear their favorite vocalists do what they’re supposed to do best. It also detracts from the performance because for those observant enough to notice such a calamity, the show begins to become secondary in favor of watching to see how often — and how blatant — the act occurs.

As one could enjoy the variety of other classics Queensryche performed such as “The Needle Lies,” “Operation: Mindcrime” and “The Whisper,” the tunes became a sideshow of looking out for just how much of those songs La Torre was singing completely.

Along with original guitarist Michael Wilton, original bassist Eddie Jackson, guitarist Mike Stone and Kamelot drummer Casey Grillo, La Torre and Queensryche realized their place as an opening act on this tour by foregoing any material from the three albums La Torre has made with them. For the diehards, it would’ve been nice to hear one or two of those tracks. Still, one could respect Queensryche for knowing how their bread is buttered while serving as a warmup act to an iconic band. If anything, Queensryche should be applauded not only for leaving “SIlent Lucidity” at home and, somewhat surprisingly, “Jet City Woman,” but also for delivering their own goods for 39 years — even if it still sucks that there’s two versions of an incredible rock band.

But the alternative, of course, would be to have zero versions of Judas Priest or Queensryche, either due to a global pandemic that has lasted for 2 1/2 years or issues or health complications within the groups. And that again made Tipton’s appearance all the more satisfying.

Coming out with some assistance from Halford, the guitarist acknowledged the cheers from the Freeman faithful and added his stamp to three of British Steel’s staples. It left this writer in a satisfied and grateful state of mind, albeit with a suddenly sore throat that was more than worth it, and with the feeling that this indeed would mark Judas Priest’s final visit.

Until, of course, Priest unveiled their patented “The Priest Will Be Back” banner on the big screen as the guys handed out picks, tossed out drum sticks and waved goodbye — at least for now.

And just like that, another Judas Priest night had been etched into San Antonio lore. Maybe, just maybe, the Alamo City will have another Priest sighting comin’.

JUDAS PRIEST setlist: One Shot At Glory, Lightning Strike, You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’, Freewheel Burning, Turbo Lover, Hell Patrol, The Sentinel, A Touch of Evil, Rocka Rolla, Victim of Changes, Desert Plains, Blood Red Skies, Diamonds and Rust, Painkiller. Encores: Hellion/Electric Eye, Hell Bent For Leather; (Glenn Tipton joins band): Metal Gods, Breaking the Law, Living After Midnight

QUEENSRYCHE setlist: Queen of the Reich, Warning, En Force, NM 156, Empire, Walk In the Shadows, The Whisper, Operation: Mindcrime, The Needle Lies, Take Hold of the Flame, Screaming In Digital, Eyes of a Stranger

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Donella Drive heading to Hollywood after winning Wacken Metal Battle state final

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Donella Drive heading to Hollywood after winning Wacken Metal Battle state final

AUSTIN — Throughout their musical career and, presumably, their lives, Aidan Escalante and Andrew Salazar haven’t been unlike most brothers in that they have their share of disagreements. But there’s no arguing one simple fact: all the infighting they’ve done over their band Donella Drive is now worth it.

The San Antonio duo, along with new drummer Landis Chisenhall, are headed to The Viper Room on Hollywood’s famed Sunset Strip on Saturday, May 7, for the Wacken Metal Battle National Final after defeating nine other bands to win the Texas state final last Sunday at Come And Take It Live (watch Alamo True Metal’s Facebook Live footage of the winning announcement here). The winning artist at the nationals will represent the United States at the world’s most renowned heavy metal festival, the three-day Wacken Open Air before roughly 85,000 fans in August in Germany.

“We argue, we get in fights about the music, but we try to make the best music possible, and now it’s finally starting to pay off,” Salazar, the bassist and backup vocalist, told ATM in the euphoria of victory. “We’re very driven people. Me and my brother, we work our asses off. And we’re just gonna keep rehearsing. keep practicing and keep getting better. That’s all we can do.”

For emphasis, Escalante chimed in: “A lot of arguing.”

Each band throughout the Wacken regionals, state and national finals is allotted 15 minutes. The artists perform alphabetically (see 64-photo slideshow and ATM videos below). And that just happened to indicate Donella Drive would go on first at 5:30 p.m. With apologies to the winners, ATM arrived right after their performance of “Ozell,” “Golden” and “Keep You Waiting” / “Uncertainty Of Now” despite leaving San Antonio 2 1/2 hours before showtime with a quick bite to eat. So, of course, it stood to reason the only band missed would be revealed as the state champion five hours later.

“Keep You Waiting,” incidentally, recently peaked at No. 24 on The Billboard Rock Indicator Chart and No. 10 on The Foundations Chart.

But not even Chisenhall was around for the winning announcement. Salazar said Chisenhall, who joined Donella Drive two days after Steven Rodriguez quit in October and was only playing his sixth gig as a member Sunday, barely made it in time either.

“He was actually on tour with another project he was in, and he was coming in from Dallas when we were loading in,” Salazar said. “By the time we were done, he hung out for a bit and was dead tired. I just sent him a text that said, “Pack your bags, ‘cause we are going to L.A.”

Enjoying their 10th year as a band, Escalante and Salazar have persevered through ups and downs. Once having employed a female singer, Escalante ended up shifting to lead vocals along with guitar. The stepbrothers are the backbone of the band, original members and main songwriters. But their dream could’ve ended five months ago with the drummer switch.

“We had no idea what we were going to do,” Salazar said. “We just asked around, found Landis, and he’s in. And now look what’s happening.”

While Donella Drive’s devotion to its music is paying off, one need look no further than the other nine artists on the bill to see dedication exemplified. Not every state in the country held a Wacken regional, so bands in such a predicament had to travel to another state to begin their road to Wacken.

Among the bands advancing to Austin were two non-Texas groups: Eye from Albuquerque (ATM Facebook Live footage here plus video below) and Immortal Synn from Denver (watch here and below) — just to strut their stuff for 15 minutes. There was also intense Spanglish trio Psycho Pact from Houston with their bloody war paint and bongo drum, thrashers Sadistic Force from Austin, young thrashers Toxic Priest driving 9 1/2 hours from El Paso, metalcore act Trench Rat out of Amarillo and heavy rockers Wellborn Road also from Houston. Sadistic Force, incidentally, will be headlining Paper Tiger’s side room tonight (tickets here).

A pair of area bands that also took part had peculiar situations and circumstances surrounding their sets.

First, melodic rockers Hanna Barakat, performing on their home turf, were easily the sentimental favorites for a pair of reasons. The quartet won the 2020 Wacken Metal Battle at Come And Take It Live, only to have their trip to the nationals in Hollywood snatched away by the following week’s nationwide Covid-19 shutdown. On Sunday, the band’s namesake sang on one leg due to complications that arise periodically from a fracture she sustained at a gig seven years ago in Houston when a brick fell on her toe.

From the 2020 to 2022 event, Barakat enlisted a new bassist and lead guitarist. With her former bassist on hand to show support, as well as Disturbed bassist John Moyer — who produced the band’s 2019 album Siren — Hanna Barakat performed “In the Night” (ATM footage below), “Wanting to Go Home” and “Dangerous Game.” Hanna Barakat will headline Fitzgerald’s on Saturday, April 23 (tickets here).

Meanwhile, San Antonio’s other state-finals entrant Jessikill had a bit of a conundrum. In between the regional and state competitions, the band landed a monster national tour in the spring opening for Yngwie Malmsteen (details here). The trek conflicts with the May 7 nationals, as Jessikill is scheduled to support Malmsteen that night on the other side of the country at the famed Gramercy Theatre in New York. Jessikill bassist Arturo Knight told ATM prior to Sunday’s performance that should his band have emerged victorious in Austin, he and his mates would’ve tried to award the nationals berth to the runner-up.

While most of Sunday’s groups squeezed in three tunes, with a couple able to play four, Jessikill was the only one of the 10 to only play two. Watch them below on “Lightning” before they followed up with “Metal Knights.”

Some artists enter the Wacken Metal Battle without an emphasis on winning it. They may simply be trying to spread the word of their music, gain new fans and sell some merch along the way. Others are genuinely disappointed they didn’t make it all the way. And some, like Denver’s Immortal Synn, are good sports and come up to the winners with congratulations while graciously joking, “We shared the stage with Donella Drive!”

Alas, the night belonged to a set of brothers from San Antonio and their new drummer. Donella Drive will now follow in the footsteps of 2019 Texas state final winners Nahaya in representing the Alamo City at nationals. Nahaya lost out to San Diego, California, band Monarch for the right to play at Wacken during the inaugural battle.

“We’re always challenging ourselves,” Salazar concluded in exultation. “We don’t try and repeat the same things. We love all kinds of music. We love taking it all in in our filters and our minds. I can’t believe I’m here!”

And now Donella Drive will have the opportunity to write a Hollywood ending . . . with German subtitles.

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Immolation and friends provide unholy soundtrack to death metal

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Immolation and friends provide unholy soundtrack to death metal

From the moment a single foot was set inside Come And Take It Live in Austin on the night of Feb. 26, it was clear your standard heavy metal show was not about to unfold. That was confirmed from the first strains of the bands on the bill.

Immolation, Imperial Triumphant and Mortiferum made a packed venue feel like it had entered the bowels of hell via their respective soundtracks of death metal. But that wasn’t exactly a bad thing. As long as this version of hell included a few drinks and mosh pits accompanying the darkest sounds of death, ticket buyers in the house certainly didn’t mind.

Touring in support of the Feb. 18 release of Acts of God, Immolation brought three decades of death metal to downtown Austin and brutalized the cozy yet intimate venue with a mix of tunes from throughout its career. Led by original vocalist/ bassist Ross Dolan and original guitarist Bob Vigna, the New York band that often convenes for rehearsals at the Cleveland home of drummer Steve Shalaty had a tough act (of God, if you will) to follow after Imperial Triumphant and Mortiferum stoked the fires of hell in their own unique way (see 33-photo slideshow below).

Watch ATM’s Facebook Live footage of Immolation beginning its set here, then click ATM’s four videos below that included two songs from 1991 debut Dawn of Possession, the title track to 2013’s Kingdom of Conspiracy and “Rise the Heretics” from 2017’s Atonement. See an exclusive interview with Shalaty previewing the tour, discussing the latest album and other topics via the video box below.

Fellow New Yorkers Imperial Triumphant were easily the most unorthodox band on stage but certainly had its share of fans who came to see them most. Adorned in gold facemasks and black cloaks, vocalist / guitarist Zachary Ezrin, bassist / vocalist Steven Blanco and drummer Kenny Grohowski methodically made their way onstage before spending a large portion of their set prancing and dancing to fast and complicated, technical and abnormal bass-thumping and riffage not heard — or experienced — on a normal day. Ezrin at one point broke out a champagne bottle, using it on his instrument before popping it open and offering it up to the willing and waiting mouths of anyone who wanted a taste. Watch Imperial Triumphant begin their set via ATM’s Facebook Live footage here.

The night got off to a darkened, yet enlightening, start from Mortiferum. The band out of the Pacific Northwest set the tone with its intense brand of music, opening the fiery gateways to the abyss of the evening’s soundtrack. Mortiferum demonstrated it is a band on the rise within all subgenres of metal, and it would be nice to bring them to the Alamo City sometime in the near future.

After all, hell should be vast enough to cover Interstate-35 from one South Texas city to another.

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Sevendust honors 'Animosity'; Tetrarch makes its mark at Aztec

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Sevendust honors 'Animosity'; Tetrarch makes its mark at Aztec

Throughout their various visits to San Antonio over the years, Sevendust has delivered the goods as one of rock and metal’s most consistent live acts. Last Monday’s visit to the Aztec Theatre was similar . . . and different.

Similar in that Sevendust once again put on its stellar rockin’ show to an appreciative crowd. Slightly different in that this time, the Atlanta natives played an album in its entirety and brought along another Atlanta band that arguably stole the show.

Sevendust marched through 2001 album Animosity, playing it in full while changing the order of the songs a bit. Lajon Witherspoon belted out his stellar vocals, guitarists John Connolly and Clint Lowery provided the riffage, bassist Vince Hornsby handed out picks as if they were going out of style, and drummer Morgan Rose brought the intensity particularly on tracks such as “T.O.A.B. (Tits on a Boar),” “Praise” and “Crucified.”

No professional or Facebook Live video from professional photographers was allowed during the headliners’ set, but you can still access a taste of the bands, which also featured openers Dead Poet Society, in action via the 44-photo slideshow below.

Surprisingly, Sevendust appeared to utilize more recorded backing tracks for its vocals than ever before, particularly for Rose’s contributions. That was especially evident during the three encores of non-Animosity tracks “Bitch,” “Blood From a Stone” and traditional closer “Face to Face.” The latter is largely defined by Rose’s voice, particularly on the angst-ridden line “Fuck me for the last time!” But on this night, a crew member was adjusting Rose’s headset during the song, yet the drummer’s voice still boomed throughout the Aztec.

Nevertheless, Sevendust’s highlights included Witherspoon’s interactions with the crowd. No surprise given that the singer has been known to get emotional with a San Antonio audience. It was at the 2015 Fiesta Oyster Bake where he announced that after a 3-year attempt to become a parent, his wife had texted him prior to the show that she was pregnant, saying “I just felt I had to share that” before smiling and joking with the crowd, “Don’t tell nobody.”

At this show, Witherspoon was close to turning on the waterworks again while describing how fortunate he and the band felt playing a 20-year album in its entirety before a crowd that cared enough to hear it, especially after a global pandemic. The next moment, he turned serious when dedicating “Angel’s Son” to “all the beautiful people of Ukraine.”

Later, Witherspoon garnered a few laughs when he brought up Sevendust’s history with the Alamo City.

“Was there a place called the White Rabbit?” Witherspoon asked. Then, holding his fingers a couple inches apart, he said, “It was like, this big, and there was a Mexican restaurant across the street. The promoter was a bit shady, but he was cool. We have a lot of great memories, San Antonio!”

But not as many fans heard the banter as would normally have been the case for a Sevendust show. A portion of the Aztec’s first-level railing areas were not completely filled, and the balcony was roughly 50 percent empty for a couple of reasons:

  • Monday nights are the worst day for a concert

  • San Antonians had grown accustomed to the Aztec Theatre requiring proof of Covid-19 vaccination. Although that ended up being rescinded on this night with the virus situation improving everywhere, fans wouldn’t have known that would be the case until they were about to have their tickets scanned. Of course, they would’ve had to show up in the first place for that to happen

No matter what part of the venue from which fans may have been watching, those who showed up early enough were rewarded by Tetrarch, easily the most energetic and passionately fueled band on the bill. Playing with a chip on his shoulder, vocalist / rhythm guitarist Josh Fore fired up the Aztec by encouraging fans to live out their dreams no matter what type of negativity they encounter. As an example, Fore told a “true story” about how Tetrarch had played at the Rock Box on its previous San Antonio visit “to one person in the crowd.” He also recounted how his band was often told it wasn’t heavy enough.

Tetarch has taken those attempted roadblocks and had the last laugh. Finally able to release debut full-length Unstable last year, Tetrarch has seen single I’m Not Right” crack the Mediabase Active Rock Top 30 as one of the record’s three Top 40 Active Rock Radio hits. Watch ATM’s footage of “You Never Listen” and “Unstable” below plus Facebook Live footage of finale “Oddity,” during which Fore encouraged fans to tell any of their friends who may have planned to only arrive in time for Sevendust what they missed out on.

In addition to bassist Ryan Lerner and drummer Ruban Limas, Tetrarch is proud of the fact, and rightfully so, that Diamond Lowe is the first African-American female lead guitarist to be featured in major magazine publications. So proud, in fact, Tetrarch sold a T-shirt solely dedicated to her that said as much on the back of it.

Now she and her band can add Alamo True Metal to that list. And Tetrarch is sure to see much more than one singular fan on the rest of its subsequent visits to the Alamo City.

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Speedemon locals X.I.L. unleash debut album with breakneck fury

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Speedemon locals X.I.L. unleash debut album with breakneck fury

Local thrash band X.I.L. released its debut six-song EP Massacre in September 2018. Yet the uncertainty of the 3 1/2 years that has followed, global pandemic and all, would’ve been enough to kill most bands’ dreams.

But if anything, X.I.L. (pronounced Exile) went the opposite route.

Vocalist / bassist Austin James, lead guitarist Joseph Aguilar and drummer Jordan L. Hoffart poured their heart and soul into recording full-length debut album Rip and Tear. While other local outfits’ careers may have been claimed by Covid-19 either affecting them personally or internally, or simply because 20 months of the virus stymied the live concert scene and suspended many bands’ desire to continue making music, X.I.L. carried on while making a smaller adjustment.

X.I.L. was a four-piece, but former guitarist Quinten Serna quit the group to “pursue other forms of music,” as he told ATM while still in attendance supporting his former bandmates last Saturday night at The Mix. James, Aguilar and Hoffart have continued as a trio and bore the fruits of their labor by playing their new recording effort in its entirety following its Feb. 25 release. Watch ATM’s Facebook Live footage of the title track opener and “Speedemons”, “Motorcharge” and the clip below of “Gone Again” and “Moonlight Mass.”

James acknowledged at one point that his voice was parched, but that didn’t slow down the pits, an instance of which nearly blew out ligaments in the knee of yours truly when a burly male and his female friend decided to make The Mix’s floor their own personal thrash zone with no regard for photographers in the house.

James long ago shared with ATM that his band was moving in a more mature form of thrash direction with its music after the EP’s full-bore tunes such as “Full Throttle Ass Kickin’. " Whereas X.I.L.’s 2018 music may have harkened back to when Metallica and Slayer were a similar age to what X.I.L.’s members are today, Rip and Tear, James had said, was going to be more diverse along the lines of Motorhead with a nod to Black Sabbath and Judas Priest.

No matter.

X.I.L. still raged, simply adding an all-out assault with the opening title-track instrumental, the moody “Moonlight Mass” and vintage X.I.L. on “Speedemons” and “Breakneck.” They then capped the eight-song album performance with “Equinox,” after which James punctuated the night by declaring, “Buy our fucking CD” as Aguilar thrust his Flying V high into the air (see 21-photo slideshow below).

X.I.L. will undoubtedly continue pushing its album on the local scene throughout the year, so stay tuned to ATM’s Concert Listings page to find out details of future gigs.

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Cherry Bombs, Them Evils light up Rock Box with fiery tales of metal

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Cherry Bombs, Them Evils light up Rock Box with fiery tales of metal

It’s not often the featured act at the Rock Box can capture the audience’s attention without playing any instruments or singing a single song. But who needs that stuff when you’ve got aerial dance acts, fire and sex appeal playing out to a backdrop of heavy metal tunes?

So goes the uniqueness of the Cherry Bombs dance troupe.

Founded and directed by Alicia Taylor, a former Atlanta Falcons cheerleader and the wife of Slipknot and Stone Sour vocalist Corey Taylor, the Cherry Bombs made their third visit to the Rock Box / Vibes Event Center on Tuesday, March 1. Unlike the previous two stops in 2017 and 2021 when they opened for Stone Sour and Corey Taylor’s solo band, respectively (coverage here), the women — and yes, one male performer — of Cherry Bombs enjoyed their first headlining trip to San Antonio as part of their Macabaret tour.

Orange County, California, natives Them Evils were in the opening slot this time and did all they could to wake up the Tuesday night crowd that struggled to reach triple digits in number. Vocalist / guitarist Jordan Griffin on three occasions challenged those lounging in the back of the venue to come up to the front, going so far as to say he would buy shots for everyone who made the leap, adding that he was serious. For the record, he didn’t, and only a few fans took up his invitation.

Those who preferred the up-close view were treated to a kick-ass rock performance by the quartet. Watch ATM’s Facebook Live footage of latest single “Burner” plus the group’s final two songs, “Got Me Rockin’ “ and “Where Ya Gonna Crash Tonight” via the video box below.

But the night belonged to Cherry Bombs.

Taking the stage to a brief introductory video in which an attractive blonde narrator invited the crowd to drink throughout the show anytime they heard her say “whoa-oh”, or some variation thereof, the ladies and gent began their act that was intended to tell the story of hitchhikers and the adventures and trouble they run into along their journey.

Where exactly they were going was anyone’s guess. But since their fictitious trek involved several costume changes, masked performers dancing around a harness and a cube suspended in the air (ATM footage here and below), sparklers in suggestive places and — something the Rock Box doesn’t get with metal bands: fire twirling — no one was left upset that some of the story’s details remained unclear. Consider it Cherry Bombs’ choice to leave it up to each individual’s imagination. Besides, since attractiveness is a huge part of the Bombs’ act, one could be excused if he/she was a tad distracted by the sexual overtones and . . . did we mention there was fire onstage inside a bar?

The metal soundtrack to the Bombs’ performance provided several headbanging opportunities with the likes of Rob Zombie’s “More Human Than Human,” Metallica’s “Wherever I May Roam” and Rammstein’s “Du Hast,” which is when the fire came out. And lest anyone think Taylor’s husband’s music wouldn’t be featured, well, you’d be crazy. But it only made two brief appearances in a portion of Corey Taylor’s solo track “Hwy 666” and Slipknot’s “Spiders.”

During the 2017 visit, Alicia Taylor played a bit of guitar during Cherry Bombs’ set, which she spoke about last month exclusively with yours truly in the video chat below previewing this show. This time, she went the complete opposite route, adding a ravishing-in-red solo flamenco dance skit to the sparklers, group fire kumbaya and overall variety (see 43-photo slideshow below).

Cherry Bombs may have been fighting an uphill battle for attention on this night given that it was a Tuesday and they aren’t your standard rock or metal act that normally sells tickets to an Alamo City concert venue. But for those who showed up for the curiosity factor, or because they remembered the troupe’s two prior visits or simply by accident because they were looking for something to do on the first of the month, well, they were rewarded with a performance you don’t see every day.

And if that’s all Cherry Bombs wanted to achieve while making their living with an ambitious tour across the Lone Star State, entertaining an audience and themselves along the way, then mission accomplished. And hey: maybe that’s what the hitchhikers were supposed to do all along. Yeah, let’s go with that.

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Into the Pit: Cherry Bombs founder Alicia Taylor

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Into the Pit: Cherry Bombs founder Alicia Taylor

As founder of a heavy metal dance troupe that incorporates fire, aerials and storytelling into its eyebrow raising, action-packed, entertaining act, Cherry Bombs director Alicia Taylor has realized her vision of bringing theatrical dance to a new, explosive level.

Along the way, Taylor expanded on her days as an NFL cheerleader for the Atlanta Falcons and landed opening tour slots with Buckcherry, Black Stone Cherry and Stone Sour. She then took her love life to another level as well by marrying Stone Sour and Slipknot vocalist Corey Taylor. Cherry Bombs tours hit San Antonio’s Vibes Event Center indoors in 2017 with Stone Sour and last May outside the Vibes supporting Corey Taylor’s solo band (coverage here).

Alicia Taylor now gets the chance to hit the road on her own as Cherry Bombs will headline the Rock Box, the room adjacent to the Vibes Event Center, on Tuesday, March 1, as part of their Macabaret tour with Them Evils (tickets here). But that’s not all. Cherry Bombs will host a two-hour workshop from 7-9 p.m. on Thursday, March 3, during which would-be dancers can learn choreographic moves and ask questions of Taylor and her crew at Countdown Studio (9023 Huebner Rd., Ste 103). Tickets to the workshop cost $40, but if you bring your ticket stub from the show, you’ll get $10 off (buy here; see details here).

Alicia Taylor graciously went “Into the Pit” with ATM on Monday to discuss the troupe, the tour, the “Girl Gang” documentary (watch Episode 1 below), her recently penned tribute in Revolver Magazine to one of her favorite bands (click here), her famous rock-star husband and more.

Click the video box below to watch our entire conversation.

Cherry Bombs Macabarét Tour with Them Evils

February 25- Albuquerque, NM - The Launchpad - 618 Central Ave SW

21+ Doors 8 p.m. - Tickets $15 advance/$20 door

February 27 - Dallas, TX - Trees - 2709 Elm Street

All Ages - Doors 7 p.m. - Tickets $15 advance/$20 door

March 1 - San Antonio, TX - Rock Box - 1223 E Houston Street

All Ages - Doors 7 p.m. - Tickets $16 advance/$20 door

March 2 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall - 2915 N Main Street

All Ages - Doors 8 p.m. - Tickets $20

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Jessikill lands national tour opening for Yngwie Malmsteen

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Jessikill lands national tour opening for Yngwie Malmsteen

Considering they have yet to scratch the surface of their 30s, it may be hard to believe that Jessikill’s core unit of diversified lead vocalist Jessica Espinoza Alejo, shrewd shredding guitarist Jyro Alejo and bassist / vocalist / business entrepreneur Arturo Knight are entering their 10th year as a band. Considering their list of accomplishments, litany of metal mainstays for which they’ve opened, and festivals they’ve played, today’s official announcement may arguably be their greatest achievement.

Jessikill has landed a national spring tour opening for Swedish guitar maestro Yngwie J. Malmsteen. Due to Malmsteen having headlined the Tobin Center last Aug. 1 (coverage here), there are no Texas dates scheduled this time around. Nevertheless, the all-theatre 21-show trek that runs from May 1 through June 4 (see all dates below) marks an incredible moment that, Covid-19 pandemic notwithstanding, will forever be etched in Jessikill’s annals individually and collectively.

“It’s going to be totally badass,” Knight told Alamo True Metal this week. “Even though this is the biggest thing that has ever happened for Jessikill, I could see this also not being the biggest thing happening in the future. Because the tour hasn’t even started yet, but we’re already getting some PR people and some booking managers contacting us. It’s kind of like going from zero to a hundred.”

Kurt Deimer, who opened for former Queensryche vocalist Geoff Tate on Nov. 5 at the Aztec Theatre (coverage here), will also be on the full tour, while Culprit will appear on about half of the dates. But it’s Jessikill’s inclusion that’s sure to blow away fans in the tour’s cities who may not have ever seen the group perform live. Of course, an added interesting twist is that the Alejos and Knight also take part in Sacred Star, a tribute act dedicated to Malmsteen and Ronnie James Dio that includes the former’s classic songs “Rising Force,” “I’ll See the Light Tonight” and “I Am A Viking.”

Knight, who handles Jessikill’s business affairs and made the connections with Malmsteen’s manager to help land the tour, acknowledges that Sacred Star is “literally the only tribute band that exists in the entire world (to Malmsteen). No one can play like Yngwie except for Jyro.”

But is Malmsteen, who’s painfully protective of his unique style of guitar playing, aware the musicians he’s about to take on tour have a spinoff tribute band partially dedicated to him?

“I’m not sure how Yngwie is going to take it,” Knight said. “I’m sure we’ll find out. Jyro learned everything he knows on guitar by being inspired by Yngwie. Our styles are similar, but a lot of people have never seen Jyro play on a national stage.”

Jessikill has opened for countless national and international acts throughout Texas over the years. The group served as the backing band in 2016 for former Judas Priest, Iced Earth and one-time Malmsteen vocalist Tim “Ripper” Owens (see 34-photo slideshow below) and played Rocklahoma on a pair of occasions. Naturally, they’ve played San Antonio festivals such as Fiesta Oyster Bake and Siesta Fest. The upcoming tour, however, may outrank them all when it’s said and done.

But that’s not the only thing Jessikill has going on.

The band competed last Friday for the first time in the third Wacken Metal Battle San Antonio Regional, attempting to be the singular artist from the United States that will go on to play the prestigious three-day German festival this summer. Jessikill and Donella Drive advanced to the state final Sunday, March 20, at Come And Take It Live in Austin. They will compete against defending 2020 state champion Hanna Barakat, fellow Austin Regional winner Sadistic Force and victors from the Lubbock, Corpus Christi, Houston and Dallas regionals.

“The show was really amazing,” Knight said. “The reason we didn’t do the battles last time was we thought it was sketchy with the promoters behind the scenes. We decided to do it this time because we got the offer, and for the publicity of it, and to get more fans.”

Although Hanna Barakat won the State Battle at Come And Take It Live on March 14, 2020 (coverage here), the Austin band was shut out of the national final that May in Los Angeles due to the Covid shutdown that ensued the following week throughout the country. The 2021 Wacken Open Air festival was canceled, so there were no battles last year. Now, in 2022, a slew of bands will take another crack at it.

But next month’s state final may be a moot point for Jessikill. Should they win and go on to represent Texas bands in Los Angeles for the right to play at Wacken, that West Coast event scheduled for May 7 would conflict with the Malmsteen tour. That night, Jessikill is scheduled to play clear across the country at the legendary Gramercy Theater in New York. The following day, Jessikill and Malmsteen take part in the annual M3 Festival outside of Baltimore.

Whichever road Jessikill travels, Knight and the Alejos will be accompanied by often fill-in drummer Marcel Biel. Full-time Jessikill drummer Jordan Ames recently had a baby, so Biel — who rounds out the Sacred Star tribute band anyway — performed at the Wacken Regional last week. Knight said Biel is slated to do the Malmsteen tour too.

Knight acknowledged Jessikill will have a hometown headlining date during an off night from the tour Memorial Day weekend Sunday, May 29, with several local openers at a venue to be announced. But there’ll be another hometown show two weeks prior to the trek when Jessikill, along with Byfist, supports Riot and Ignitor.

Jessikill has jammed with Riot bassist and San Antonio’s own Don Van Stavern on several occasions and often plays Riot’s “Sign of the Crimson Storm” during tribute or cover shows around town. But the concert scheduled for Friday, April 22, at Vibes Event Center (tickets here) figures to be extra special with Jessikill supporting Riot.

“We’ve been looking forward to that one for many years,” Knight said. “It’s been a good five years that we haven’t played with them. But of course we’re really good friends with Donnie, so we’d always see him. We’ve been talking about Jessikill with Riot, so now that we’re on the bill, it’s going to be a really kickass show.”

As if all that isn’t enough, Jessikill continues to work on the follow-up to Another World. The band released the video for “Lightning” last November (watch it below), and it was one of the songs Jessikill performed at last week’s Wacken Regional to impress the panel of judges.

“We have at least 10-plus songs in our database that we prepare and write beforehand,” Knight said. “We’re going to release something before the Yngwie tour so we can take something with us on tour. Depending on our schedules, we might be able to release a (full-length) album, ‘cause we’re really fast in the studio. But we also want to make sure the music is really, really perfect. It might be an EP or it might be an album. The new music’s definitely different but not too different. We’re definitely trying different styles of music so we’re not playing the same thing.”

Another song Jessikill performed at the Wacken regional was “The Beast,” the lone Jessikill tune that features Knight on lead vocals for the first verse.

“I wrote it when I was, like, 15 years old, and I’m 28,” Knight said. “Honestly, every single time we play it, sometimes I still mess up. It still feels brand new. Jessikill rehearses a lot. Basically, we’re playing like KISS — we’re playing the same set. But sometimes you still mess up. It’s because our music is really, really technical. It also depends on our physical abilities, how much we rehearse. It’s much more than just playing the song. The song is really old, but we try to add new stuff to it too.”

In addition to his duties on stage, Knight is in charge of the group’s business activities. It’s a gig within the gig, so to speak, that he relishes.

“Oh yeah, I really love the business part of it,” he said. “That was one of my dreams growing up. When I was in one of my younger bands, I had to choose. Do you want to be in extracurricular activities or be in music? It just so happens that music and business are together in this, so I’m doing what I love while also on the business part of it I’m able to grow the band and the brand. The fact that we’re able to make money doing it is just icing on the top.

“For me, doing business and being able to book, I love to always accomplish stuff. Jessica and Jyro, they promote like hell. They’re out there doing their thing, doing the ground work. When someone does come up to them and says, ‘Hey, I wanna talk to someone to get this done,’ Jessica and Jyro both bring them to me. I make sure things are closed, and I also don’t like to take B.S. A lot of times, people like to take advantage of local bands. We don’t take that.”

And speaking of Jessica and Jyro . . . what’s the secret to the trio’s relationship and friendship flourishing after all these years — even before Jessikill existed? It goes beyond the stage, whether it’s in Jessikill, Sacred Star or other tribute acts such as Iron Maiden’s Seventh Son or Dokken’s Dokkit.

“I’ve known Jessica for many, many years, since I was, like, 9 years old,” said Knight, who performed with RockStar Riot opening for Loudness in 2008 at Randy’s Ballroom at age 15 (see slideshow). “When I was 8, 9, 10, when I first got on stage, one of the very first people I met performing, which was at Fiesta, was Jessica and her sister. And her dad, who did sound for us. Me and Jessica have been friends for a long time. And Jessikill has been around since 2012.

“We’re really just friends having a good time. We don’t really take things too serious, which might be a bad thing. But we truly enjoy what we’re doing. We’ve experienced some of the biggest points in our lives with each other, next to each other. And on top of that, we do get in fights. We do argue. We’re like brothers and sisters, which I think is a big thing that every band has to have if you want to be comfortable with each other.

“A lot of bands work very professionally where all you know is their first name, last name and how many kids they have. But it’s not really, really true chemistry that you’re able to build like a brother or sister where, even if you get in a fight, you know they’re still your brother or sister. Within the band, with me, Jessica and Jyro, we never worry about one another doing anything that will hurt us. Because we have full trust in each other and loyalty. Jessica has turned down record labels and other bands and tours just to play with us. Same here. Me and Jyro have turned down things just because we really only want to focus on Jessikill. We’re really loyal to the band. We are together every single day, but we give each other our space.”

It’s all led to a tour that’s certain to be memorable for three “kids” from San Antonio who are in the prime of their musical careers. But will Malmsteen, who’s often regarded as a musician who doesn’t pay much mind to those supporting him on tour, take notice?

“Out of 30 days,” Knight said, “we’re bound to have one date where we talk with him!”

It’s also bound to be part of a whirlwind next four months in the life of Jessikill. So excuse Knight if he lost track of the fact the band has existed for a decade.

“You’re right,” he said. “I didn’t even think about that!”

YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, KURT DEIMER, JESSIKILL TOUR DATES

  • 05.01.22 HARTFORD, CT INFINITY HARTFORD

  • 05.03.22 PATCHOGUE, NY PATCHOGUE THEATER

  • 05.04.22 LEESBURG, VA TALLY HO THEATER

  • 05.06.22 NORWALK, CT WALL ST THEATER

  • 05.07.22 NEW YORK, NY GRAMERCY THEATER

  • 05.08.22 COLUMBIA, MD M3 FESTIVAL

  • 05.09.22 CHESTER, NY SUGAR LOAF PERFORMING ARTS

  • 05.11.22 TOLEDO, OH STRANAHAN THEATER

  • 05.12.22 ST. CHARLES, IL ARCADIA THEATER

  • 05.13.22 HOBART, IN HOBART ART THEATER

  • 05.14.22 CLEVELAND, OH THE ODEON

  • 05.16.22 DENVER, CO ORIENTAL THEATER

  • 05.18.22 RENO, NV VIRGINIA ST. BREWHOUSE

  • 05.19.22 AGOURA HILLS, CA CANYON AGOURA

  • 05.20.22 MONTCLAIR, CA CANYON MONTCLAIR

  • 05.21.22 FRESNO, CA TOWER THEATER

  • 05.22.22 SANTA CLARITA, CA CANYON SANTA CLARITA

  • 05.24.22 TEMPE, AZ THE MARQUEE

  • 05.25.22 TUCSON, AZ RIALTO THEATER

  • 06.03.22 ORLANDO, FL PLAZA LIVE

  • 06.04.22 FT. LAUDERDALE, FL PARKER PLAYHOUSE

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Into the Pit: Immolation drummer Steve Shalaty

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Into the Pit: Immolation drummer Steve Shalaty

As the man behind the death-metal drum kit since 2003 for New York-based band Immolation, Ohio native Steve Shalaty has seen his fair share of trends within the industry, progression in the extreme metal subgenre of heavy metal — and shown the type of perseverance that enabled him to only miss one show after breaking his leg.

Now locked, loaded and rarin’ to go during a pandemic era that has stymied the majority of bands’ ability to tour and changed the way they make their albums to a certain degree, Shalaty and Immolation will drop 11th record Acts of God on Feb. 18 via Nuclear Blast Records. They’ll headline Come And Take It Live in Austin on Sat. Feb. 26 with guests Imperial Triumphant and Mortiferum (tickets here).

Co-founded by singer/bassist Ross Dolan and guitarist/video mastermind Bob Vigna, the group debuted with 1991’s Dawn of Possession and hasn’t looked back. Each Immolation album Shalaty has played on has included the production expertise of Paul Orofino, known for working with classic-rock bands such as Blue Oyster Cult and Golden Earring but who has also purified the sound for which Immolation is known. Acts of God, which also features the addition of guitarist Alex Bouks, who joined in 2016, marks the group’s first recording effort since 2017’s Atonement.

Shalaty graciously went “Into the Pit” today to discuss a variety of topics in addition to the forthcoming album and tour. Click the videos below to watch new singles “The Age of No Light” and “Apostle,” then watch our entire conversation (cover photo courtesy: Nuclear Blast Records).

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Red Rocker makes Aztec's devoted Texas fans part of his musical Circle

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Red Rocker makes Aztec's devoted Texas fans part of his musical Circle

The latest version of a Sammy Hagar-fronted band is called The Circle, but Saturday night at the Aztec Theatre, it could have been referred to by a number of other names: Sammy Hagar & The Signatures. Sammy Hagar & The Autographs. Or by the essence of its nature, something along the lines of Sammy Hagar and the Just Know How To Have Funs.

During Sammy Hagar & The Circle’s four-date December trek strictly devoted to Texas, a packed Aztec repeatedly returned the loyalty and approval for Hagar, bassist Michael Anthony, guitarist Vic Johnson and drummer Jason Bonham. So Hagar took it upon himself to give his John Hancock to whatever was thrust upon him on stage including hats, shirts, banners and towels, never losing a beat as he vocalized 17 songs dominated by his stints in Montrose, a storied solo career and that little era in Van Halen (see setlist in 32-photo slideshow below).

Sammy Hagar & The Sharpies? OK, maybe not.

In their return to the Alamo City following performances in 2019 and 2020 at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo (coverage here), the famed quartet went on shortly after 8 p.m., with a significant contingent of fans still getting their tickets scanned outside during second song “Rock Candy.”

The Aztec and/or Live Nation would be wise to swallow their pride and abandon, or at least alter, their policy of not releasing set times and simply stating that the ticket time (7 p.m. in this case) reflects when the doors open. Moreover, the Aztec’s Facebook page didn’t even make reference to the show on the day of, so those believing they were showing up during the opening act may have been surprised to find there wasn’t one.

The show ended at about 9:50 p.m., begging the question: when’s the last time a concert ended prior to 10 p.m., particularly on a Saturday? Hagar and Co. were mindful of the fact its fanbase is comprised of an older generation that doesn’t want to stay out past midnight watching a gig. Hagar and his crew undoubtedly count themselves, too, as performers who don’t want to be on stage around that time.

But don’t mistake those vignettes as a sign the 74-year-old “Red Rocker” is going to be rocking out of a rocker anytime soon. On the contrary. Maybe it’s Hagar’s penchant for always seeing the positive out of life. Perhaps it’s all those trips to Cabo Wabo. Or maybe it’s just that he’s naturally wired by “Mas Tequila” (ATM Facebook Live footage here).

Sammy Hagar & The Circle certainly had their share of competition throughout San Antonio on this night. Right around the corner performing at the Majestic Theatre was comedian George Lopez. There were also other rock and metal shows such as a rescheduled August Burns Red metalcore gig at Vibes Event Center and Dallas natives To Whom It May headlining Fitzgerald’s. But the Aztec was the place to hear classic party anthems and even a few jokes and anecdotes from Hagar, Anthony and Bonham — the unassuming Johnson notwithstanding — for roughly 90 minutes.

And The Circle didn’t disappoint.

Seven of the 17 tracks were of the Van Halen variety, including “Right Now" and “Why Can’t This Be Love” before The Circle devoted the lone Led Zeppelin tune to Bonham — the son of the late Zeppelin drummer John Bonham — “Rock ‘N’ Roll” (ATM Facebook Live footage of all three here). Anthony dedicated “Right Now” to Eddie Van Halen, but surprisingly, that appeared to be the only time the late iconic guitarist was mentioned by name.

Van Halen died Oct. 6, 2020, of a stroke at a time he and Hagar remained mostly on non-speaking terms, though the frontman of Montrose, Sammy Hagar & The Waboritas, Chickenfoot and the era often referred by others — affectionately or not — as Van Hagar had frequently stated he would be open to returning to Van Halen with Anthony.

The Circle also gave the Aztec patrons what they came for with “Three Lock Box,” “There’s Only One Way to Rock,” “Heavy Metal” and “I Can’t Drive 55” (ATM footage below) and more Van Halen tunes such as “Top of the World,” “Best of Both Worlds” and “Finish What Ya Started,” the latter featuring Hagar’s patented cry of “I need some PUSSY!” (see slideshow).

Johnson, one of Hagar’s cohorts with The Waboritas, may not play the Van Halen solos the way the namesake of that band did, nor may he make anyone forget about EVH. But that’s not even close to being the goal with The Circle, and if you show up to a Circle show expecting as much, well, you’ve likely had too much Beach Rum or tequila.

The band ended the night with an a cappella version of Van Halen’s “Dreams” that included Bonham filming live to his Instagram page, along with the lone Circle offering of the evening “Affirmation” and Van Halen closer “When It’s Love” (ATM footage of all three below).

Whether he’s on stage living out his dream and spanning his career, celebrating a birthday at his nightclub in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, or jamming with and interviewing musicians on “Rock & Roll Road Trip With Sammy Hagar” via Mark Cuban’s AXS TV network, Hagar only knows one way to live and rock. That refreshing outlook may be as influential as anything he has sung the past five decades.

The Circle’s first rodeo two years ago at the AT&T Center may have been a rockin’ good evening. But its post-pandemic toast to Texas in 2021 could not have been any brighter or come at a better time.

Hello, Baaaaby, indeed.

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'Hurricane' Nita shreds through obstacles & 'Dead Inside' crowd at Rock Box

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'Hurricane' Nita shreds through obstacles & 'Dead Inside' crowd at Rock Box

Unless your name is Steve Vai or Joe Satriani, the stars need to align just right if you’re going to play to a packed house as an all-instrumental guitarist. Even if that house is a bar.

John 5 has gone through sparse crowds on solo instrumentalist tours when he’s not performing with Rob Zombie, including at the Rock Box. UFO guitarist Vinnie Moore has done the same as a headliner at the Rock Box. Nita Strauss blew through the same downtown San Antonio concert bar Saturday night as a solo artist for the second time in three years after rocking the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park on Oct. 19 as part of Alice Cooper’s band.

Strauss receives her share of larger audiences playing with the original master of shock rock. So more intimate crowds whether the result of a pandemic, low ticket sales, a lack of promotion or all of the above that might normally affect some artists fail to fluster someone who goes by the nickname of “Hurricane.” Coupled with the fact Strauss is one of the most humble artists you’ll ever meet, it’s easy to see how and why she and her band thrived not only in front of an audience that struggled to meet triple digits but also showed a sense of humor during various technical difficulties. That included three attempts to take the stage for a unique and unpredictable opening track — the Power Rangers’ theme song — before the third time was the charm.

Yes, a hurricane was in full effect. And it came with a monster five-piece of a band (see 65-photo slideshow below).

Supported by Black Satellite, teenage vocalist/bassist Abby K and locals Wulfholt (apologies to the latter that ATM could not make it in time for their set), Strauss is touring behind her November 2018 instrumental full-length debut Controlled Chaos as she did June 2019 at the Rock Box, a show that also included Wulfholt (coverage here). This time, Strauss brought her first No. 1 song “Dead Inside” that co-stars Disturbed singer David Draiman. Saturday’s performance of the killer track featured Draiman’s vocals piped in and can be viewed below as part of ATM’s footage.

Strauss’ resume speaks for itself. In addition to playing with Cooper and her own band, she was the in-house guitarist for the Los Angeles Kiss of the Arena Football League, the team owned by KISS’ Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons in 2014. That occurred around the time she earned the gig with Cooper, both of which Strauss spoke about with ATM here.

Strauss also played the entrance theme for World Wrestling Entertainment superstar Shinsuke Nakamura at Wrestlemania 34 in New Orleans, and her Controlled Chaos song “Mariana Trench” was chosen as the official theme to NXT’s War Games pay-per-view event.

Along with her boyfriend and drummer Josh Villalta, Strauss and her band also delivered the goods on “The Stillness At the End,” “The Quest” and “Our Most Desperate Hour” (ATM footage below). She unveiled “Summer Storm” as an instrumental that was “a song that you definitely didn’t know” and segued into “a song that you definitely do know” — Cooper’s “Feed My Frankenstein.” Strauss enlisted the help of Black Satellite singer Larissa Vale for the latter, but Vale’s deep and raspy vocals didn’t exactly elicit memories of the 1991 studio version with Cooper (ATM Facebook Live footage here).

Strauss also shredded and headbanged her way through the first song she ever released as a solo artist, “Pandemonium 2.0” (anyone else hear the riff to Journey’s “Who’s Crying Now” toward the end?). Strauss and her band then gave the non-masses something to eat up — her traditional Texas performance of Pantera’s “Domination” (footage of both songs below), this rendition coming a mere 24 hours after Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals did the honors inside the room next door, the Vibes Event Center (coverage here).

Black Satellite, meanwhile, was an anomaly on the bill. The New York City goth band is actually known as a duo featuring Vale’s vocals and guitarist Kyle Hawken but enlisted a bassist and drummer to round out the live show. They didn’t generate a whole lot of enthusiasm following Abby K. and Wulfholt, but not through a lack of effort. Watch them in action on “Void.”

Abby K. and her trio, however, were a different story. Strauss said Abby K has opened at least one show on each of her prior solo tours and that this time she’s performing on the entire trek, “and I couldn’t be more proud.” The teenage vocalist/bassist showed she was more than comfortable making her San Antonio debut, warming things up in a rocking way on “Dirty Love” and “Rock the Rock” and closer “Dodging A Bullet (I Swear)” which can be viewed below.

Despite the technical obstacles that threatened to overshadow Strauss’ set but failed to do so, the headliner was just as impressive regarding her attitude toward the inconveniences as were her skills on the axe. Strauss repeatedly smiled and told those who bothered to show up that “any day on stage with these guys is better” than the previous 18 months or so we’ve all gone through. She even took time out to thank the Rock Box for having her — not many artists have been known to do that.

Yes, this was one instance in which a hurricane wasn’t so bad. In fact, it was downright rockin’ and bitchin’ by the first female signature artist to be endorsed by Ibanez guitars. Maybe next time she’s in San Antonio, there will be more on hand who will welcome being blown away by this talented and accomplished guitarist who’s more than just a pretty face on stage.

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Phil Anselmo's celebration of Pantera era bittersweet hit with sold-out Vibes

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Phil Anselmo's celebration of Pantera era bittersweet hit with sold-out Vibes

The more things change . . . you know the rest. The more heavy metal vocalists who see their band break up, necessitating they carve their own path, the more public demand insists those singers forgo solo material and bring back their good ol’ days.

We saw it last week with Geoff Tate performing Queensryche albums Rage For Order and Empire at the Aztec Theatre. We’ve seen it the last three years with Sebastian Bach dedicating his last two tours to his first two records with Skid Row. We’ve even witnessed Udo Dirkschneider continuing to play Accept songs after he had stated that his prior tour would be the last to include such material. Dirkschneider now sings a different tune, reportedly saying he wants to “give the people what they want.”

Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals could be viewed as a case of “last but not least” if not for one major difference: Anselmo’s celebration of his era fronting Pantera will always be split into two camps: those who’ve been clamoring for years for Anselmo to dust off those iconic songs again vs. those who blame the vocalist for the band’s breakup that led to the onstage murder of guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott by a deranged fan during a Damageplan concert in December 2004 in Ohio.

Anselmo spent part of 2019 playing Pantera tracks as a support act on Slayer’s farewell tour and was supposed to do the same Sept. 5 in Corpus Christi with Anthrax, Drowning Pool and Crobot before that show was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. So his return Friday night to what was declared a sold-out Vibes Event Center, which holds approximately 1,200 fans, was music to the ears of the first side of the ledger — while the second side may have chosen to stay home.

With locals Life Cycles and X.I.L. also on the bill (apologies to the latter since a date with paying the bills necessitated an arrival after their set), Anselmo dedicated on a pair of occasions various Pantera songs to Dimebag and his late brother, drummer Vinnie Paul. Anselmo and Paul never buried the hatchet following Dime’s murder, so it was slightly curious that Anselmo never mentioned the only other member of Pantera who’s still alive, bassist Rex Brown.

Anselmo’s set was a short, yet anything but sweet, 75-80 headlining minutes that only included 12 songs. Billed as “A Vulgar Display of Pantera,” half of the performance was comprised of 1992’s Vulgar Display of Power including all of Side 1 such as Friday’s opener “A New Level” and “Mouth For War” (see setlist in 29-photo slideshow below). With the refreshing sight of body surfers serving as a backdrop, Anselmo and his latest version of The Illegals also ripped into “Strength Beyond Strength,” a portion of “Goddamn Electric,” “Becoming,” “This Love” and “I’m Broken” with a dash of Judas Priest’s “Victim of Changes” before Anselmo smartened up and let the Vibes faithful do their own Rob Halford impersonation on the song’s highest note (ATM Facebook Live footage here).

Guitarist Mike DeLeon of Flesh Hoarder, which headlines Bonds Rock Bar this Saturday, joined Scour bassist Derek Engemann and a pair of Anselmo’s former mates in Superjoint — guitarist Stephen Taylor and drummer Jose Manuel Gonzalez also of Warbeast — in celebrating Pantera’s music with the Vibes masses. DeLeon, of course, will undoubtedly be subjected to backlash he didn’t ask for from the second side of the ledger simply by stepping into Dimebag’s place on stage as long as Anselmo continues to play these songs. But for those in attendance, the first side of the ledger, hearing these tracks again live with the original voice would not be possible if a complete band didn’t round things out.

So the hits kept coming at Vibes, including “Fucking Hostile” when Anselmo promptly forgot a portion of the lyrics moments after he told the crowd that would likely occur (ATM footage below). And while “Cemetery Gates” and “Cowboys From Hell” were conspicuous by their absence, Anselmo delivered the goods on encores “Walk,” “Domination/Hollow” and surprising closer “Sandblasted Skin” (see below).

The printed setlist had three more songs written in smaller print, suggesting they might be performed if there was more time or indicating they may have been slated to be played during soundcheck: “Suicide Note: Pt. 2,” “We’ll Grind That Axe For A Long Time” and “Hellbound.” Alas, neither was heard even though Anselmo ended at approximately 11:15 p.m. on a Friday night.

Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals’ showing accomplished a couple of things. It gave those yearning for the great era of Pantera fulfillment in hearing those songs again, thereby preventing another painful version of “what if” — as in, what if they were never played again even while the voice behind them was still alive and had the chance to do so? It also gave fans of all ages a healthy outlet to unleash their pent-up pandemic fury to the tune of some of the greatest metal tracks to ever grace their ears.

That alone was cause for celebration — while never forgetting that half of the men behind the sound of Pantera will forever be missed. And that they can never be replaced.

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Kingdom Collapse sets stage for putting S.A. on map with riveting hometown show

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Kingdom Collapse sets stage for putting S.A. on map with riveting hometown show

As several San Antonio metal bands can attest, it’s extremely difficult to “make it” in their hometown, let alone nationally or abroad.

Upon A Burning Body and Nothing More are two of the recent few who have toured overseas. Others have worked tirelessly to land similar ventures, with The Heroine existing for approximately 15 years and Jessikill having played Rocklahoma on more than one occasion, including last month.

Kingdom Collapse appears to be the next Alamo City outfit poised to accept the challenge. The local quartet of vocalist Jonathan Norris, guitarist David Work, bassist Aaron Smith and drummer Elijah Santucci will be spending Veterans Day weekend this Saturday performing at the four-day Welcome To Rockville festival at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL. Their set will be livestreamed on Sirius Octane at 3:25 p.m. EST as they’ll be the lone San Antonio artist among the likes of Metallica, Disturbed, Slipknot, Rob Zombie, the reunited Mudvayne and many more (side note: Stone Temple Pilots pulled out today due to positive Covid-19 tests within their “organization”).

But first, Kingdom Collapse had more than a warmup show. The group finally was able to return to the stage in this pandemic era by headlining Fitzgerald’s last Saturday night along with area and local bands Broken Color, Blood Moon, Surge and Waves (see 38-photo slideshow below).

Despite taking the stage at approximately 15 minutes after midnight, Kingdom Collapse came out firing on all cylinders. Their energy and short-but-sweet heavy songs were the perfect combination for a scene that welcomed a kick in the ass as live gigs strive to become the norm again. Watch the group in action on their first three songs “Uprise,” “Staring Into Nothing” and “Bring Me Down” via ATM’s Facebook Live footage as well as two-song finale “Falling Beneath” and “Suffer” below. The latter marked the band’s first single and has amassed more than 5 million views on YouTube, while “Uprise” was Octane’s Most Played Song for two consecutive weeks in 2020.

Kingdom Collapse, a proud-to-be independent artist that signed this past May with booking agency Dynamic Talent International, sports a pair of members fans may recognize from another San Antonio band. Norris and Work were guitarists in The Taking, with Norris now taking the reins as the primary songwriter in Kingdom Collapse.

Broken Color, serving as direct support to Kingdom Collapse, was a uniquely different vocalist/drummer duo combining metal, rap and emo that humorously warned the audience, “We’re not like the other bands on this bill. Let’s just address the elephant in the room.” Curiously, the changeover between predecessor Blood Moon and Broken Color pushed things back about an extra 30 minutes for Kingdom Collapse’s set due to extended soundchecking for the guitar and bass only to have Broken Color bring out their two friends to play only one song — a cover of Audioslave’s “Like A Stone” (ATM Facebook Live footage here).

As energetic as Kingdom Collapse’s set was, Blood Moon proved to be the heaviest and hardest group on the bill. The San Antonio quartet, which just formed under the Blood Moon moniker in 2020, demonstrated it will be a force to be reckoned with the more exposure it gets by virtue of the more gigs the guys play. Check out ATM’s Facebook Live footage of them in action on “Totality” and “Psycho” here as well as on “Here to Stay” below.

Vocalist/bassist Michael Canales, lead and rhythm guitarist Nicholas Ramos, lead guitarist Mike Dean and drummer Joel Valdez have all carved their niche in various original bands and tribute acts such as Maiden Killers, Brave New World, Lamb Of God tribute Laid To Rest and cover outfit Chill Factor.

Surge, out of Uvalde, Texas, and fronted by Kat Jacksin, rocked hard on a few originals and a cover of Krokus’ “Eat the Rich” (ATM Facebook Live footage here). Along with guitarist Dan Martini, bassist Erikk Lee and drummer Guss Locke, Surge is ready to unleash its debut album sometime next year. In the meantime, their Sunset Strip look and sound got things cooking on this night and, like Blood Moon, their energetic set was kind of like Frito Lay’s — you can’t have just one. So here’s hoping they’ll get to return to town soon and turn their music on to even more fans whether it’s at Fitzgerald’s or somewhere else.

The evening kicked off with teenage band Waves out of New Braunfels playing a mix of originals and covers. A.O. River, which was supposed to take the stage at 1 a.m. as a post-headliner act, did not make it to the bar after being involved in a car accident but was reportedly doing fine.

Kingdom Collapse’s ability to shine this weekend in the Sunshine State should go a long way toward returning the Alamo City to the national metal map as well as doing wonders and paving the way for further opportunities for the band. Already endorsed by Sirius Octane, Jose Mangin and its Kingdom Collapse Army on social media, the sky’s the limit for a group whose kingdom appears to be doing everything but collapsing. And whose outlook is “Unbreakable.”

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