Military City home of the brave for Flaw's latest release

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Military City home of the brave for Flaw's latest release

Like most bands that endure through personal strife, lineup changes and even years of inactivity before reforming, Flaw is not without its, well, flaws. The ups and downs, however, arguably have made this particular quartet from Louisville, Kentucky, stronger. Which can lead to reaping its own rewards. Last Friday at the Rock Box signified one of those ups the band doesn’t figure to forget anytime soon.

Flaw’s headlining tour ventured to the Alamo City on the night it dropped Vol. 4: Because of the Brave. The group’s follow-up to 2016’s Divided We Fall is actually only its second effort since 2004’s Endangered Species, which came after 2001 non-independent debut Through The Eyes.

Vocalist Christopher Volz remains the backbone of an ever-changing band. And though he was touting the group’s newest piece of work, Volz didn’t exactly forget what San Antonians wanted to hear.

Bands tend to love CD release shows more than their fans because it culminates their latest recording efforts into its first live setting. However, the intelligent artists also know release shows mean fans have zero time to learn new material. Which means old-school is the way to cater to their longtime faithful. So Volz and his mates only unveiled one new track, the closest-they-may-get-to-a-ballad “Conquer This Climb” after the rest of the members jammed out when Tommy Gibbons set aside his bass and did a guitar battle with Rob Buttorff (watch ATM’s Facebook Live footage here). You can also watch ATM footage of debut single “Payback” below, which was planned on being the finale, only to have Volz throw the crowd a curveball by adding “Medicate” to the printed setlist as a special treat (see 60-photo slideshow below).

Sons Of Texas provided direct support and came out with guns blazing for their Lone Star family. Vocalist Mark Morales miraculously didn’t have a coronary given as much energy, headbanging and passionate vocals he exhibited in just the first two songs. Eventually, Morales got up close and personal with the crowd, saw his bandmates break out a “Master of Puppets” riff and segued a segment of ZZ Top’s “Sharp Dressed Man” into another blistering track, debut album opener “Never Bury the Hatchet” (ATM Facebook Live footage here).

It shouldn’t be long before Sons Of Texas provides some new material if it’s going to continue its two-year pattern of releases following 2015 debut Baptized in the Rio Grande and 2017’s Forged By Fortitude, for which the band is still touring.

Guitarist Jes De Hoyos, who spoke with yours truly in 2016 (listen here), and his crew had the distinction of being the first band to ever set foot on stage at the annual River City Rockfest, opening the inaugural festival in 2013 outside the AT&T Center seemingly so long ago, the band was only called Texas then. Two albums and one brand of hot sauce (that admittedly is not so hot) later, Sons Of Texas easily made its mark as the heaviest artist playing on the Rock Box stage while a slew of Texas bands were also playing in the venue’s new Vibes Underground basement.

September Mourning began the national-act trifecta behind the striking white-and-gray hair and wardrobe of vocalist Emily “September” Lazar. Though it’s been a couple of years since the quartet released Volume II, it dropped new single “Unholy” this past Thursday. Lazar shared with ATM during the 2016 Houston Open Air — which eventually canceled the group’s performance due to the threat of bad weather — the impetus behind her transmedia group that tells the story of September, a “human/reaper hybrid with no memory of her past empowered with supernatural gifts (who) is driven to protect humanity from Fate and his Reapers” (watch here).

“Children of Fate,” “Skin and Bones” and “20 Below” (ATM footage below) were some of the Volume II tracks performed. Volume I is an EP influenced by September’s brand of comic books that tell the story of her on-stage character and those of her bandmate “reapers” known as Riven, Wraith and drummer Stitch. Footage of the comic book coming to life accompanied the band on stage with other tracks such as “Glass Animals” (ATM Facebook Live clip here).

Local band Relent was a late announcement to the bill. Catch them in action on “Addicted” here.

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Original local heaviness on display as bands 'Rise' above norm

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Original local heaviness on display as bands 'Rise' above norm

In a city, and scene, often overrun by bands playing the songs of the famous groups they idolized, a trifecta hit Fitzgeralds’ stage Saturday night that dared to be different. Even if the musicians weren’t necessarily trying to do so.

Sure, the occasion may have been meant to celebrate headliner Aeternal Requiem’s release of new album Rise — an effort that came to the Alamo City by way of being recorded in Finland. But in the process, the night proved to be a show that was the exception over the rule around these parts.

Supported by young thrashers Metalriser and X.I.L. (Exile), Aeternal Requiem and Co. provided a rare all-local and all-original-music night of metal.

No supporting of national acts. No cover songs. No tribute acts waxing poetic of hits that wore out radio and MTV long ago (see 43-photo slideshow and ATM’s video footage below).

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Copy acts have their time and place. Look no further than two of the men on stage at Fitzgerald’s. New Metalriser bassist Nick Gamboa manages local Megadeth tribute Rust In Peace. And the brainchild of Aeternal Requiem, singer/guitarist Austin Zettner, has played more than a few riffs in Iron Maiden homage group Seventh Son.

In fact, that might be the reason a fan approached the barrier during a short break in Aeternal Requiem’s live re-enactment of its entire eight-song album and requested “Wasted Years” in broken English. Perhaps he recognized Zettner from his tribute act. Or perhaps the man simply wanted to hear that song. But after Zettner politely bent down and told the man without the aid of a microphone he was only playing original songs on this night, fellow guitarist John Catts bellowed, “We are not a cover band!”

The message was delivered long before that, however. X.I.L.’s quartet of singer/bassist Austin James, guitarist/singer Joseph Aguilar, guitarist Quinten Serna and drummer Jordan Hoffart thrashed about on “Full Throttle Ass Kicking,” “The Witching Hour” and “This Means War,” among others (watch ATM’s Facebook Live footage of the latter here), as they’ve been known to do opening for the likes of Overkill and Metal Church.

While all three bands were slated to play 45 minutes apiece, middle artist Metalriser shortened itself to 26 minutes. Aeternal Requiem drummer David Sanchez Jr. was pulling back-to-back double duty but is still in the process of learning Metalriser’s catalog. So original singer/guitarist Joel Estrada, who like Zettner is the lone remaining member of the group he founded, and his new mates gave it their all on “Demise” (ATM Facebook Live footage here), “Hell’s Gate” (watch below) and a couple other heavy hitters. A longer set figures to be in store Aug. 2 at the Rock Box when Metalriser joins local brethren Nahaya and Buried Alike in supporting national 20-somethings Light This City.

Speaking of Nahaya, that band’s bassist Semir Ozerkan has helped Zettner round out the newer quartet version of Aeternal Requiem that was once a trio. But Ozerkan was MIA at Fitzgerald’s, and fill-in bassist Joe Muniz, as Zettner proudly told the crowd, learned 92 pages of music in 2 1/2 weeks. See them play instrumental “Day of Reckoning” and watch album and show finale “So Far” below.

The tunes of our youth may help pack them into, and drive the businesses of, bars and mid-sized venues around town. But it’s going to be an increase in all-original local packages, with metalheads coming out in a solidified show of support, that’s going to make the scene thrive once more, so long as its citizens harbor hopes of rekindling the Heavy Metal Capital’s heyday in becoming the rule, not the exception, yet again.

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Homegrown legends rekindle spark of scene that used to be

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Homegrown legends rekindle spark of scene that used to be

The Alamo City’s storied heavy metal scene, which once turned local and national bands’ careers on its collective heads resulting in the moniker Heavy Metal Capital, is so rich that rare is the night a bulk of it joins forces under one roof at the same time. But that’s what took place last Saturday when a contingent of San Antonio’s “Homegrown Heavy Metal Legends” descended on Fitzgerald’s for a collection of metal talent, knowledge, stories and history.

Some were on stage for roughly 7 1/2 hours of music, including the 30-year reunion show of Nutron, veteran classic Texas metallers Syrus, 32nd anniversary celebrators Byfist, 40th anniversary mainstays Seance, plus Zero The Hero and Baad Newz. And some of the oft-labeled royalty around these parts were on hand to sign classic autographs of themselves as unveiled in Juan Herrera’s book “As Viewed From the Pit: Photos of the South Texas Metal Scene 1978-89” including Fates Warning and Sebastian Bach drummer Bobby Jarzombek, Watchtower guitarist Ron Jarzombek, Militia vocalist Mike Soliz, Riot V bassist Don Van Stavern and vocalist Buster Grant (see 90-photo slideshow below).

The latest chapter that added to the San Antonio scene’s own voluminous book won’t soon be forgotten. Emilio Ledezma, who these days makes his mark in Ledezma Lethal Legends which will perform at 10 p.m. tonight at Fitzgerald’s, resurrected his former band Nutron with Danny Trejo of Trejo on vocals and the double-neck guitar. They were preceded by Syrus, whose revolving door of singers has currently landed on Alfred Pena. The group formed by guitarists John Castilleja and Al Berlanga unveiled forthcoming track “Last Warrior” (ATM footage below) among its Tales of War classics, although time constraints forced them to cut out a pair of other new tunes (setlist in slideshow).

Byfist, led by original rhythm guitarist Nacho Vara, had a telling set for a couple of reasons. First, it paid homage to another local outfit by playing Juggernaut’s “All Hallows Eve” before vocalist Raul Garcia called up Helstar veteran James Rivera to take his place and join Byfist’s instrumentalists on Helstar’s 1984 track “Burning Star” (ATM Facebook Live footage here).

Then an emotional Vara could barely get through his introduction of “Mary Celeste” given that it was the first song he wrote for Byfist with the late vocalist Vikk Real. Vara at one point turned away from the crowd and walked toward the drum set before he was comforted by bassist Stony Grantham. Vara, who also pulled double duty in Seance — giving him approximately 70 years of music between both artists — then summoned the strength not only to get through the song, but to put his foot down and play the entire tune front and center under the main spotlight, away from his usual dimly lit spot stage left, as Garcia wrapped his arm around him in smile and song. Watch the band culminate its set with “In the End” below.

With longtime local disc jockey Brian Kendall spinning tracks between bands, it was no rest for the weary as far as Vara was concerned as Seance preceded Byfist. “Woman,” “Should’ve Known” and “Heavy Metal” (below) highlighted the band’s set as vocalist Danny Fonseca, founder and lead guitarist Robert Perez, bassist Ruben Hernandez and young pup drummer Octavio de la Pena joined Vara in providing its usual fun and energetic set.

Zero The Hero and local trio Baad Newz got things warmed up prior to the bar filling at its peak. Watch Zero The Hero in action below on “You Bring Hate” and on “Valley of the Bones.”

Another book of the local metal scene could very well begin with what went down at Fitzgerald’s: the drinks were cold, the metal flowed, and the stories and history were told. All in a night’s work when it comes to San Antonio heavy metal. But even this evening was a bit more special than most.

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Static-X & friends' homage behind masked Xer0 rates No. 1 with fans

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Static-X & friends' homage behind masked Xer0 rates No. 1 with fans

The decision for bands to carry on, hang it up or split into various factions after their singer has passed on to the afterlife is a fragile one unique to each artist. Whatever the verdict, it’s often met with scorn, hesitation and critics volunteering their opinions to the nth degree.

There are the bands whose frontmen were so iconic that carrying on would have been sacrilegious. Think Nirvana and Motorhead. There are those who took several years to mourn, decide and eventually return as respectfully as possible such as Alice In Chains. Others enlisted guests vocalists to honor and memorialize their fallen leader such as Dio Disciples singers Tim “Ripper” Owens and Oni Logan, occasionally aided by Mark Boals and Toby Jepson, ensuring that the music of Ronnie James Dio lives on.

The most famous gamble of all also became the most historic, as AC/DC’s replacement of Brian Johnson for the late Bon Scott carried the band into another stratosphere of success it already enjoyed with Scott.

Then there’s the unprecedented method employed by Static-X. Honoring the legacy that ended in 2014 with the death of singer/guitarist Wayne Static, original members Tony Campos (bass), Koichi Fukuda (guitars) and Ken Jay (drums) resurrected the band this year to honor Static and celebrate 20 years of first album Wisconsin Death Trip. The catch is that not only has the touring vocalist remained unidentified, he is wearing a mask of Static’s facial likeness and patented spiked hair.

Static-X’s choice of how to proceed beyond Static has been much-maligned within the metal industry. But not on Sunday, June 23, at the Aztec Theatre. A nearly sold-out theatre jumped, pumped and rocked to the album’s complete performance plus songs from second effort Machine in welcoming the new masked vocalist/guitarist with open arms and loud crowd participation (see 107-photo slideshow and ATM video footage below). As Campos introduced the band, he labeled masked wonder Xer0 as hailing “from parts unknown.” What’s mainly a mystery, however, is whether the persistent rumors that Xer0 is Dope singer Edsel Dope are accurate.

It would make sense. Taking care to cover his likely tattooed arms with full-length sleeves, Xer0 could very well be Edsel Dope for a pair of reasons: both singers have similar tall, lanky frames. And Dope is already one of the four support acts on the bill, carefully placed in the middle of the program perhaps to allow DevilDriver’s 50-minute set after Dope and prior to Static-X ample time for Dope’s namesake to rest between double duty each night. And if those two reasons aren’t convincing enough, Edsel Dope cited multiple tours his band went on with Static-X, and how he considered Wayne Static a close friend, as Dope’s band celebrated 20 years too.

So while Xer0 and the rest of the original Static-X lineup partied like it was 1999 and 2001 to the Aztec’s content, Devildriver also hit hard as only frontman Dez Fafara can. Defending Static-X’s decision, Fafara shared that Back in Black is his favorite album front to back of all-time and that it wouldn’t have been possible if AC/DC had quit after Scott’s death. Fafara, whose band also includes one-time Static-X bassist Diego Ibarra, delivered hard-hitting tracks “I Could Care Less,” “Ruthless,” “Cry for Me Sky,” “Sail” and “Before the Hangman’s Noose” (ATM footage of the latter two below). The frontman then broke out a pair of tracks from his Coal Chamber days with “Loco” and “Fiend” (videos below).

Opening acts Wednesday 13 and Raven Black brought the theatrics to the Aztec in their own way. Wednesday 13 in particular had a variety of costume changes during a 30-minute set that featured “What the Night Brings” and closer “Keep Watching the Skies” (footage below). Watch ATM’s 2017 interview with frontman Joseph Poole and his San Antonio bandmates Roman Surman and Troy Doebbler here.

Static-X announced prior to the tour they’d have a new album this year called Project Regeneration that features the final recordings of Wayne Static. Fans can pre-order the album and get their name in the liner notes here. What’s unclear is whether Xer0 will carry on the legacy, whether he was merely a memorial touring replacement, or whether Static-X will enlist a completely new singer — masked with hair spiked from here to the gone or to be his own persona — to evil disco the group into a new era.

Either way, the band’s decision is sure to create a wave of controversy, bringing its share of critics, supporters and rockers. Which is to say Campos, Fukuda and Jay likely wouldn’t have it any other way.

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Nita Strauss, Kore Rozzik & locals deliver controlled chaos

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Nita Strauss, Kore Rozzik & locals deliver controlled chaos

Instrumental, theatrical and even some playful X-rated chaos were on the same stage Friday night as a guitar hurricane swept through the Rock Box. “Hurricane” Nita Strauss, one of Alice Cooper’s guitarists who also spent time in global all-female Iron Maiden tribute band The Iron Maidens and the all-female modern-day version of ‘80s rockers Femme Fatale, made her San Antonio solo-band all-instrumental debut in support of Controlled Chaos.

New York rocker Kore Rozzik and his band, who like Strauss released their debut full-length album in 2018, also played the Alamo City for the first time and arguably stole the show with their energy, delivery, ability to entertain, quality of originals and even choice and delivery of covers. And in the end, they got punked by Strauss and her bandmates for their efforts in an affectionate farewell between the two national acts on the final night of their tour as Kore Rozzik attempted to close with “Spellbound” (ATM footage below).

A trifecta of locals warmed things up led by the Pup Zenabi Instrumental Project along with The Steel Soldiers and openers Wulfholt (see 76-photo slideshow below).

Strauss’ quintet dazzled with their own energy, headbanging and hair-whipping. While Jennifer Lopez was shaking her booty at the AT&T Center, the blonde guitarist struck a few sultry poses of her own and shred many more electrical riffs. Offering up “Alegria,” “The Stillness at the End,” “Lion Among Wolves” and “Mariana Trench” from her solo effort (setlist in slideshow), Strauss brought Rozzik on stage to sing Cooper’s classic “Eighteen.” She then went into an instrumental version of “Aces High,” consenting to the crowd afterwards, “I’d be lying to you guys if I said I didn’t miss playing Iron Maiden songs every night.” From there, Strauss returned to her solo record with “The Quest” (ATM Facebook Live footage here).

Strauss stuck to her planned ending of solo tracks “The Show Must Go On” and “Our Most Desperate Hour,” but that wasn’t good enough to conclude the tour in Texas. By default. Strauss took to the mic and reminded all in attendance that the following day marked the 1-year anniversary of the death of Vinnie Paul, as her band broke into some heartfelt Pantera riffage on “Domination” (ATM footage below).

Rozzik, meanwhile, captivated the onlookers in a variety of ways. The self-proclaimed “Bastard child of New York City” unveiled concept album Vengeance Overdrive last summer, a record that speaks to those who put him and his dreams down, and how he responds in kind. The hard-hitting record ratcheted up on stage as Kore Rozzik blazed through the title track, immediately showcasing an energetic difference in intensity between what it takes to land a national tour versus the three local predecessors continuing to hone their skills, chase their dreams and/or be content with playing for their friends and family.

Kore Rozzik’s album contains all-original material, but there’s an interlude on there where the frontman says, “I’m not like everybody else.” He proved as much, along with guitarists Andrei, Lynxx and drummer Louie — and no bass player — by raising eyebrows not only with a second-song cover, but the choice of cover. Backed by a TV screen set up next to Louie’s drum kit, Kore Rozzik used his Cooper influence while touring with Cooper’s guitarist to shock and awe his own way by performing Rockwell’s 1984 pop smash “Somebody’s Watchin’ Me,” as the video for the song that featured Michael and Jermaine Jackson played.

While the venue was cool and mostly comfortable for the patrons, it was anything but on stage for those working the hardest. Each of the five acts made some sort of reference to the lack of cool air flowing in their direction, which also was devoid of fans on a typical muggy June night. While Strauss doused herself with water, Rozzik took a more humorous approach: “This is probably the only time you wouldn’t want to get in my pants,” Rozzik said. “Man, it’s sweaty down there. . . . We have this thing in New York. It’s called air conditioning. You guys should try it.”

Kore Rozzik also delivered the goods on arguably the album’s best tunes “Bitter Rat” and “Mistress” (ATM footage of the latter below), then played a more conventional cover. He dedicated “Hangar 18” to Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine’s announcement earlier this week that he’s battling throat cancer, and the band shined on its version as the video played. But Rozzik received his vengeance comeuppance on finale “Spellbound” as Strauss’ band took over the stage and ended both groups’ touring partnership in style before they each met with fans and posed for photos. Strauss will return to the area when Cooper headlines the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park on Monday, July 29, with Halestorm and Motionless In White (tickets here).

Pup Zenabi Instrumental Project fit right in to Strauss’ non-vocal theme on the local front. Guitarist and band leader Tony Astarita, as is his custom, took to the stage and joked, “If you know the words, sing along,” as he, bassist James Graham, guitarist Andrew Goodline and drummer Kris Ardolino performed tracks such as opener “Trip Wire” and finale “Slaying the Dragon.” They also debuted forthcoming track “Swept Away” (ATM Facebook Live clip here). The band gets tighter with every appearance, and Pup Zenabi will be returning to the Rock Box on Saturday, Sept. 14, opening for L.A. Guns in a show that should be officially announced in the coming days.

The Steel Soldiers, a more rock-oriented band, made a rare appearance at the Rock Box as the second artist on the program. Vocalist Supe Steele frequently made his way into the crowd to spice things up as the quintet played the likes of “You’re Not Foolin’ Anyone” and “Starburn” (ATM Facebook Live footage here) off their EP Starburn Chronicles; Vol. 1.

Wulfholt, which opened for Sacred Reich on the same stage May 25 when it debuted new bassist Elijah Raein, kicked things off with the likes of “Shattered Crown” and “Truth Shrouded” in a short but heavy-hitting set.

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Into the Pit: Upon A Burning Body shows a little Southern hostility

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Into the Pit: Upon A Burning Body shows a little Southern hostility

No matter the look, no matter the message, no matter the venue, a hometown show for Upon A Burning Body never gets old. For the band or its fans. The latest injection of metalcore infection came Saturday night at Paper Tiger when the boys who never bypass an opportunity to bleed San Antonio metal celebrated Friday’s release of Southern Hostility.

Upon A Burning Body’s fifth full-length album charges out of the gate with first single “King of Diamonds,” (watch ATM’s footage below), which ended up being the second song offered live after another new blistering track “All Pride No Pain.”

Prior to headlining the dingy, sweaty, storied venue formerly known as the White Rabbit, original vocalist Danny Leal and original guitarist Ruben Alvarez graciously went “Into the Pit” for an all-encompassing interview ranging from the new album, their collaboration with Ice-T, appearing on an episode of “Hardcore Pawn,” the much-maligned staged kidnapping of Leal to promote the release of 2014’s The World Is My Enemy Now, their groundbreaking 2014 Knotfest performance (coverage here) and other topics (watch below).

So after fellow local hardcore acts Ammo For My Arsenal, Coldcasket — fronted by Alvarez’s younger brother Thomas — Memories In Broken Glass, Donella Drive, and A Tragic Setback plus UABB labelmates Uncured warmed things up, UABB’s close friend Jose Mangin took to the mic to introduce the featured attraction. Prior to that, the host of Sirius XM’s Liquid Metal and Octane satellite radio programs spoke with ATM via Facebook Live about his second trip to the Alamo City (watch here). Mangin and Leal conceded to ATM that the radio host, who was a guest vocalist on “Till the Break of Dawn” on previous album Straight From the Barrio, would likely jam with the band in some capacity. Considering those facts and how far Mangin traveled, it was a stunner that no such collaboration materialized after all. Instead, Thomas Alvarez joined the group for a song.

But one expected aspect of a UABB concert didn’t disappoint. Following pit-stirring renditions of “The Champ is Coming,” “Already Broken,” “Remenissions” and “Sin City,” Leal, Alvarez, drummer Tito Felix and bassist Joe Antonellis ended with the mandatory “Texas Blood Money” (watch below). As the crowd sang “The stars at night are big and bright” in unison, members of UABB’s label and marketing company who also flew in for the show couldn’t help but get goose bumps to go with their sweat-infused foreheads in the sauna of the Paper Tiger.

Upon A Burning Body may have stopped wearing high-class suits on stage circa 2015 — a wise move considering the conditions of a typical humid June night in their hometown. But they still looked — and sounded — as sharp as a little Southern Hostility can come across when unifying a band and its dedicated fandom.

(Camera: Bonnie Archer)

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Return of Sacred Reich hits home for purveyors of S.A. Slayer

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Return of Sacred Reich hits home for purveyors of S.A. Slayer

When the discussion of thrash metal circulates at concerts, your local venue or maybe even around the barbecue pit, the usual suspects come to mind even beyond The BIg 4. Sacred Reich, however, often doesn’t even fall on the radar. Some of that may be due to its inactivity from 2000-06. But considering the band formed in the mid-’80s out of Arizona during arguably the peak of the metal scene, the biggest reason for Sacred Reich’s relative obscurity may remain the biggest mystery as well..

But it’s no time like the present for original vocalist/bassist Phil Rind to round up the gang again. And with a couple of twists. It was all on display last Saturday night at the Rock Box as Sacred Reich reminded an intimate crowd of maybe a couple hundred just how underrated it is. Get a taste by watching ATM’s footage of three songs below.

Even more relevant to many than the band’s return was who was playing the drums. Former S.A. Slayer — and, oh by the way, Machine Head — sticksman Dave McClain enjoyed a homecoming of sorts, returning to Sacred Reich last year for his second stint with the group. San Antonians, of course, remember McClain largely for his involvement with S.A. Slayer, which is widely known for the one “Slayer vs. Slayer” show in history it played on the same bill as The Big 4 version Nov. 30, 1984, at The Villa Fontana. McClain certainly didn’t forget, performing Saturday night in a Slayer — yes, his version — T-shirt. His former bassmate, Donnie Van Stavern of Riot V and S.A. Slayer, was on hand as well.

While McClain returned to Sacred Reich in 2018, rhythm guitarist Joey Radziwill is even newer — and much younger. Sacred Reich’s unique timeline as a band couldn’t have been put in much more perspective than when Rind announced the 22-year-old Radziwill hadn’t been born the last time they made an album — 1996’s Heal. But that’s about to change as Sacred Reich will release Awakening on Aug. 23. They unveiled the title track among other older favorites such as “Surf Nicaragua,” “Free” and “Ignorance” (watch ATM’s Facebook Live footage here; setlist in 45-photo slideshow below).

Sworn Enemy, out of New York, was the only other national act on the bill, and they hit hard. Touring in support of Gamechanger, released six weeks ago, Sworn Enemy can be seen in action here before ending its set with “We Hate” below.

Wulfholt and Beyond Black delivered the goods from a local standpoint. Wulfholt, which competed in March during the regional portion of the 2019 Wacken Metal Battle competition, will return to the Rock Box on Friday, June 21, opening for Nita Strauss and Kore Rozzik (tickets here). In the meantime, watch them perform “Truth Shrouded” here.

Beyond Black certainly didn’t mess around with easing into its set to kickstart the evening. Not when you only have 30 minutes to set the table for the featured acts. As an added bonus for Alamo True Metal, which was privileged to be the only publication on hand covering the show, Beyond Black performed in surprisingly bright lighting, mostly nixing the dreaded red display that virtually all opening acts — and even some recent headliners such as Hatebreed and Godsmack — utilize. Bassist Steve Pena acknowledged the group is working on new material, which they revealed here. You can also watch them close out with “Deviant Saint” below and check out their ReverbNation page here.

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Hatebreed's 25th anniversary package puts the heavy in hardcore

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Hatebreed's 25th anniversary package puts the heavy in hardcore

Hatebreed may only have been trying to celebrate its 25th anniversary when it destroyed everything Friday night at Vibes Event Center. But it ended up proving a couple of things in the process.

  • One: it only appears to be getting started as a band

  • Two: it doesn’t mess around when it comes to compiling a bill of no-nonsense, throw-it-down hardcore acts

Supported by Obituary, Agnostic Front, Prong and Skeletal Remains, the veterans from Connecticut returned to the Alamo City for yet another performance at a different San Antonio locale. Vocalist Jamey Jasta gave shout-outs to Sunset Station, Sunken Gardens and the White Rabbit — the latter once including a gig in which Hatebreed recruited a drummer the day of the show who learned the setlist during soundcheck — as Hatebreed tore through its career in as friendly of a volatile set as one can get.

Jasta could’ve also mentioned Vans Warped Tour and River City Rockfest visits at the AT&T Center (watch ATM’s 2016 chat from the latter with drummer Matt Byrne and bassist Chris Beattie here). But this initial performance at the Vibes hit hard as Hatebreed delivered the goods on “To the Threshold,” “A.D.,” “Looking Down the Barrel of Today,” “Doomsayer,” “Perseverance,” “Destroy Everything” and finale “I Will Be Heard,” among others (setlist in 55-photo slideshow below). Watch ATM Facebook Live footage of “Tear it Down” and “As Diehard As They Come” here (professional footage of Hatebreed was not allowed).

Jasta brought up the “eight or nine albums, covers album, 7-inches and all that shit” the group has put out during its array of Texas visits, which made one think of the fact Hatebreed has never put out a live record — 2008 DVD “Live Dominance” notwithstanding. That alone makes it all the more impactful upon metalheads and listeners in general to catch Hatebreed live whenever the chance presents itself.

Despite the celebratory mode of the occasion, arguably the biggest story of the night was one that purposely went under the radar. Obituary, direct support to Hatebreed, continued on without bassist Terry Butler — or any bass player — following the death of his daughter in a car accident on the first night of this leg of the tour. Butler’s two grandsons survived the accident, and he and his wife are reportedly taking care of them, forcing him to miss the tour. A GoFundMe page has raised just shy of its $30,000 goal. You can contribute here.

As for the show, the rest of Obituary carried on. It heavily succeeded, in more ways than one, in maintaining a business-as-usual mentality to the tune of “Slowly We Rot,” “I’m in Pain” (ATM footage below) and others.

Agnostic Front, the purveyors of hardcore and punk from New York since 1980, incited the biggest pits of the night despite mic issues plaguing vocalist Roger Miret for the first couple of songs. And that was before original rhythm guitarist Vinnie Stigma parked himself in the middle of the venue surrounded by a wave of South Texas maniacs (ATM footage below). MIret also shone the spotlight on 6-year-old Lucy, who was watching the bands from atop her father’s shoulders until they both were called up on stage. You can see the group, and Lucy, in action via ATM’s Facebook Live footage here.

Another longtime New York staple, Prong, brought its “Ultimate Authority” back to the area as frontman Tommy Victor, bassist Jason Christopher and relatively new drummer Aaron Rossi snapped a few fingers and necks along the way. Having most recently co-headlined with Helmet last year at Paper Tiger, Prong went on second out of the five bands in another example of just how strong this lineup was. See them play “Broken Peace” below.

Skeletal Remains, out of the Los Angeles area, kicked things off on the all-national-band program with a 6:30 p.m. start to its San Antonio death metal debut. Talk about getting your senses whacked into reality after a long work week segued into a metal concert. Watch ATM Facebook Live footage of them here.

Vibes Event Center, meanwhile, continues to evolve as it has added a third stage area within its spacious venue. Along with the regular Rock Box stage and the larger Vibes platform, Vibes Underground now has an intimate “smaller-show” corner along with two more bars and more than 10 private bathrooms. The basement portion has begun taking on acts that were originally scheduled for the recently shut down Jack’s Patio Bar — which, ironically, was where Agnostic Front’s previous San Antonio gig took place in 2015 — thanks to the tireless work of Micaela and Steve Rodriguez and their staff.

Jasta, meanwhile, promised a new Hatebreed album and return visit in the not-too-distant future. Sounds like an excellent occasion for Hatebreed to consider recording its first official live release in the Alamo City. Just a thought from a city that’s always persevered and treated them so well.

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Triple anniversary visit from Uli Jon Roth electrifies The Rock Box

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Triple anniversary visit from Uli Jon Roth electrifies The Rock Box

Although he has made visits to San Antonio every 2-3 years in recent memory, Uli Jon Roth’s latest return was nearly a full year in the making. But the original Scorpions guitarist’s better-late-than-never performance Friday night at the Rock Box remained what it was supposed to be last June — a thrice-as-nice celebration of a heavily influential career.

Celebrating 30 years of his post-Scorpions band Electric Sun, 40 years of the Scorpions’ inaugural recorded live effort Tokyo Tapes and half a century since his first concert in 1968, Roth again amazed guitar aficionados, longtime fans and casual observers alike in a nearly three-hour performance.

Covering Roth never gets old, whether it was on the 70000 Tons of Metal cruises in 2011 and 2017 (latter here), at the Rock Box or now-defunct Korova (interview here) or in concert form, a VIP meet-and-greet setting or at one of his insightful instructional clinics. But Roth’s 2019 return to the Box, after Visa issues derailed his scheduled 2018 tour, showed a rarely played side of the legendary German.

Once again backed by stellar vocalist/guitarist Niklas Turmann, southpaw guitarist David Klosinski and keyboardist Corvin Bahn, Roth was also joined by bassist Nico Deppisch and England native Richard Kirk on drums (see 34-photo slideshow including setlist below). This time, Roth’s two-part set featured Electric Sun material, his post Scorpions ‘80s band that released three albums, and songs that could be classified as “etcetera.” But those tunes should not be considered afterthoughts.

One such track was Roth’s ode to his brother Zeno Roth, who died Feb. 5, 2018, after a lengthy illness. Roth credited his brother’s songwriting ability and gave the audience a taste of it, while Zeno’s face appeared on the video screen, with “Don’t Tell the Wind” (ATM Facebook LIve footage here). Roth also showcased other Electric Sun songs such as “Why,” “Icebreaker” and “I’ll Be There” (ATM footage below).

After a 15-minute break, Roth returned with the anticipation of his yet-to-be-played Scorpions material lingering. But first, Roth took to the stage by his lonesome for a unique request of his own. Prior to playing “Passage to India,” the guitarist asked for silence of the crowd. “I don’t mind if you talk during the heavy stuff,” Roth said, adding that the acoustic tune was on the quieter side and would not go over well if he had to play above noise. Following that soothing piece, Roth offered up a cover of The Shadows’ “Apache” while breaking out a humorous take about the guitar he would use to play it before declaring, “Time to do some Scorpions” as the band launched into “We’ll Burn the Sky” (watch both songs below).

Roth’s hits from the original Tokyo Tapes and his modern-era Tokyo Tapes Revisited kept coming with “Pictured Life” and “Catch Your Train” (ATM Facebook Live footage of both here) plus “In Trance.” Although the tour press release said Roth would offer hits such as “Fly to the Rainbow,” he left that epic song off the menu. His only deviation from the printed setlist, too, was to omit his own vocally led “Dark Lady,” though Roth did sing other tracks on the night.

Roth was the second guitar guru to play the Rock Box/Vibes Event Center in 12 days following the appearance of Swedish maestro Yngwie Malmsteen (coverage here). While some might say Roth’s and Malmsteen’s personalities are like night and day, it’s not very debatable to say they electrify in their own way. For the German Scorpion, the final Texas stop on his triple anniversary tour was one to remember as a trifecta of guitar milestones.

And it left no wonder Roth invented the Sky guitar. Because the sky has always been the limit for a musician blessed to grace the music landscape with five decades worth of guitar wizardry and knowledge.

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Malmsteen the mesmerizer shreds through career with precision of blue lightning

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Malmsteen the mesmerizer shreds through career with precision of blue lightning

The maestro of metal guitar rode into the Alamo City last Sunday night for the first time in five years and owned the stage like few who’ve played the Vibes Event Center. So it’s only fitting Yngwie Malmsteen was touring in support of a work entitled Blue Lightning. The Swedish sultan of the guitar, who unleashes ferocity on the Fender with jaw-dropping skill and ease despite varying degrees of difficulty, demonstrated that his speed and precision can sometimes feel as if they strike like lightning (watch ATM Facebook Live footage of “Far Beyond the Sun”).

Blue Lightning won’t go down as one of Malmsteen’s best albums if for no other reason than it’s mostly a covers album — his interpretations of Deep Purple, Jimi Hendrix and ZZ Top tunes, to name a few, with a dash of originals he sings tossed in. Not when weighing this offering against Marching Out, Trilogy, Odyssey, Fire and Ice, Facing the Animal, Alchemy, Unleash the Fury, Relentless . . . the list goes on.

Alas, fans don’t come to hear Malmsteen’s voice. So on a night Robin Trower was laying down melodic licks at the Aztec Theater, We Came As Romans and Crown the Empire were catering to the younger crowd at the Paper Tiger and Sacred Star — yes, a local tribute to Malmsteen — were also performing, the Vibes’ general-admission floor was half closed and virtually half full to those who chose the magician. While Malmsteen sang his new title track, it felt as if he was allowed to have his one vocal moment in the sun. But of course, it was his finger work on the Stratocasters that mesmerized as only he can.

New York trio Sunlord provided direct support in the vein of Motorhead. Springfield, Missouri, quartet Paralandra was fronted by the powerful larynx and stylings of singer/guitarist Casandra Carson, and Byfist had the honor of being the lone locals on the bill (see 71-photo slideshow below). They all warmed things up for Malmsteen, who wisely continued to open his show with the only true tune that should begin all of his electric conciertos — “Rising Force.”

This time, however, the man who has dedicated his life to reinventing the art of guitar playing downplayed the use of vocals overall. In addition to “Rising Force,” “Seventh Sign,” “Like an Angel (for April)” and “You Don’t Remember, I’ll Never Forget” (ATM footage below) were relegated to one or two verses being sung rather than entirely played. Of course, a Malmsteen show is more a showcase of The Man rather than of a band, which is why Malmsteen perused 95 percent of the stage while vocalist/keyboardist Nick Marino, plus Malmsteen’s bassist and drummer, were relegated to a corner. The bassist may as well have been Ian Hill of Judas Priest given that while he was the only one of the other three capable of moving, he was clamped to one place for the nearly two-hour set. At least Hill chooses to play that way.

Some in the industry would say Malmsteen is all about himself, possessing an ego even higher than his stack of Marshall amps. The fact he was selling “Blue Lightning” tour T-shirts for $45 and a $435 meet-and-greet package — but hey, it included “free T-shirt and signing” — would lend further credence to those who hold that belief. Others might say Malmsteen has earned the right to throw such mountainous cash grabs at his fans after stamping himself as the king of the metal and neoclassical mountain.

So Malmsteen kicked his leg. He hurled his guitars overhead for his tour manager to catch and change out. And on at least one occasion, he motioned to his drummer to keep his eyes on him. Ever the showman, Malmsteen looked twice at his watch while holding the signature note on the first encore, 1984 instrumental “Black Star.” It’s all a part of his schtick almost as much as is Malmsteen’s numerous Ferraris and artistry on the axe. Judge for yourself with ATM’s footage below of a solo that incorporated “Trilogy Suite: Opus 5” and “Blue.”

Paralandra, making its San Antonio debut, provided a pleasant shade of fresh air and no-holds-barred rock. Guitarist Paul Carson, bassist Sawyer Rikard and drummer Nick Gray took the stage simultaneously, jamming for a couple of minutes before Paul’s daughter Casandra and her red high heels raised a few eyebrows and put the audience on notice it was in for an ear-piercing ride.

Casandra Carson tore into the band’s Ascension EP, released last summer, with an inkling of yes, Lzzy Hale’s vocals. Carson also fashioned herself after the Halestorm frontwoman, who has endorsed the band and publicly given Casandra happy birthday wishes, in vocals, wardrobe, and one other key aspect. During a 30-minute performance highlighted by “Never Without Me” and a no fanfare, no-introduction-necessary cover of Queensryche’s “I Don’t Believe In Love,” Carson informed the fans her band is all about believing in itself despite the naysayers or critics one runs into in life while holding true to themselves.

A viable fit for the genre indeed.

Byfist, meanwhile, kicked things off on a stage where it feels at home, even after a 6 1/2-hour soundcheck by Malmsteen forced fans to be let in late and the opening acts to cut into their stage time with soundchecks completed in the blink of an eye by comparison. Leading off with “Universal Metal,” the guitar solo to which by Ernie B. in part hearkens the riff to Dokken’s “Tooth and Nail,” Byfist delivered the local goods in fine fashion along with “Guaranteed Death,” “Scattered Wits” and “In the End.”

The concert options may have been aplenty. But there’s only one Malmsteen. As such, narrowing the choices became simple to those in attendance. Sunlord, Paralandra and Byfist made the rest of the showcase gravy on a night when the menu’s main course spritzed the Vibes Event Center with scintillating guitar licks like wine that only gets better with age.

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Congregation of metalheads heeds gospel of Metal Church & friends

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Congregation of metalheads heeds gospel of Metal Church & friends

It may not have been a Sunday, but church was in session last Friday night at the Rock Box. Metal Church once again preached the gospel of heavy music with the help of Phoenix natives Images of Eden, Atlanta rockers Halcyon Way, local veterans Isolaydead and San Antonio thrashers X.I.L. to a packed Box.

While the “Reverend” David Wayne has passed on as Metal Church’s original vocalist, his 1989 replacement Mike Howe returned to the Rock Box for the second time since undertaking his second stint in 2015 with the band led by guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof. Along with guitarist Rick Van Zandt, bassist Steve Unger and new drummer Stet Howland, Metal Church continues to forge on with Damned If You Do, another collection of heavy yet catchy tunes in the vein of XI, the album that signified Howe’s comeback.

Unilke Metal Church’s previous two visits — when Howe and Vanderhoof spoke with ATM, respectively, here and here — this time elicited a nearly sold out Rock Box. Not only were the Metal Church supporters out in full force, but so were musicians of various local bands such as Las Cruces and Metalriser in support of warmup acts Isolaydead and X.I.L. (see 71-photo slideshow below).

The latter’s lead guitarist, Joseph Aguilar, provided arguably the most metal occurrence of the evening when multiple strings broke during finale cover “The Witching Hour,” shortly after performing “Full Throttle Ass Kicking.” Aguilar persevered with “the show must go on” mentality before tossing his axe aside in disgust at set’s end. Catch them in action with ATM’s Facebook Live footage of “Speed Demons.”

Isolaydead kept the local flavor going after X.I.L. to the tunes of “Indignation,” “Life Feeds On Life” and “Obscene Deviation.” Singer/bassist Rick Vela and his trio also paid homage to Sepultura with “Attitude” before culminating with “Evil Wings,” all the while showing gratitude and appreciation for his peers who came out to support the support.

The national acts followed next with Halcyon Way vocalist Steve Braun doing something small yet very meaningful that most national acts don’t take the time to do. Prior to “Ten Thousand Ways,” Braun gave props to the bill’s local acts (and actually pronounced their names correctly) and encouraged its adopted-for-a-night “nailheads’ to do the same. He then explained how fill-in drummer Luka learned the band’s setlist in two days while undertaking only his fourth show with the group after Aaron Baumoel injured his arm and neck (ATM Facebook Live footage here).

Mohawked and sunglasses-wearing lead guitarist Jon Bodan provided his usual enthusiastic energy and death-metal backup vocals to Braun’s melodic harmonies, as he did when Halcyon Way opened for Sevendust in 2013 in the parking lot next door at the now-defunct Backstage Live/Alamo City Music Hall. The Georgia rockers performed five of their six songs from latest album Bloody But Unbowed, opening with the title track and adding intense offering “Blame” plus “The Church of Me” — told ya church was in session — and ending with the album’s closer “Desolate.”

Arizona natives Images Of Eden were making their San Antonio live debut but had to shorten their seven-song set by a couple of tunes. As the fourth warmup act on the bill and with things slightly behind schedule, Metal Church’s appearance was becoming overdue. But first, Images Of Eden offered up “Harvest Day,” “Godless” and “Shield Me.” Similar in style to their predecessors on stage, Images Of Eden made a more than respectful showing, as evidenced on “Twice Upon a Time.”

Alas, it would not have been fruitful to keep the night’s higher power waiting much longer. Metal Church came out strong with the title track to Damned If You Do, followed up with the only XI tune of the evening “Needle and Suture,” and harkened back to Howe’s debut Blessing In Disguise with MTV hit “Badlands.” Vanderhoof recounted how his 2017 visit resulted in a struggle with the flu but that he was much healthier this go-round. As such, Metal Church went back to The Dark with the likes of “Start the Fire” and “Watch the Children Pray,” the latter meshing with killer new track “The Black Things.” (ATM footage below).

Surprisingly, and a bit unfortunate for those who caught Metal Church’s previous two performances here, the night’s track listing was a virtual carbon copy of the show two years ago save for the new songs. Metal Church missed a golden opportunity to grace the diehards with Wayne favorites “Metal Church,” “Gods of Wrath” and “Ton of Bricks” along with Howe staples “Rest In Pieces (April 15, 1912)” — its ode to The Titanic’s demise — or “The Spell Can’t Be Broken.” At the expense of those, Metal Church unnecessarily repeated the lesser-known and average “Gods of Second Chance” and “No Friend Of Mine,” both from Hanging in the Balance. They did go back to the first album, however, with cult classic “Beyond the Black,” even though a backing track for Howe was evident. And “Start the Fire” satiated the appetite for awhile, leaving some of us wanting more.

Metal Church’s lone deviation from the printed setlist was flipping encores “In Mourning” and “Fake Healer” — which they remade with Queensryche vocalist Todd La Torre — choosing the latter as the finale. Two years ago, both of those songs opened the show.

One major difference for Metal Church this time was the appearance of drummer Stet Howland, who joined the group shortly after the 2017 Rock Box show. Howland not only has his stamp across several W.A.S.P. albums but also took part in Killing Machine with Helstar vocalist James Rivera and his one-time W.A.S.P. bassmate Johnny Rod. As such, Howland enjoyed his return to the Alamo City, happily fist-bumping fans, along with Howe, Vanderhoof, Unger and Van Zandt and meeting with many of them afterwards (see slideshow).

Considering Metal Church’s future looked bleak a decade ago after Vanderhoof announced the band was done, and Howe was practically in solitary confinement from making music, any return of the heavy gospel to San Antonio is a welcome sight and music to many ears. And while it’s a given with Vanderhoof at the helm that the Wayne era and Howe’s early material will always be an impetus for Metal Church’s persevering existence, hopefully they’ll dig deeper into their old stuff and, with the exception of must-haves such as “Watch the Children Pray,” pull out a new batch of classics on their biannual rotation of tour stops. That would certainly answer some prayers meant not just for the children, but those who spent a bulk of their adolescence listening to Metal Church’s wide array of timeless and influential metal.

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Into the Pit: Bobby Jarzombek (Arch/Matheos - Part 2)

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Into the Pit: Bobby Jarzombek (Arch/Matheos - Part 2)

As the most dedicated members of San Antonio’s and South Texas’ metal community are undoubtedly aware, one of their own is the drummer for several acts. Bobby Jarzombek has put his stamp on Fates Warning, the solo bands of former Skid Row vocalist Sebastian Bach and Judas Priest singer Rob Halford and is a former member of Riot and Spastic Ink. Just to name a few.

Mostly splitting time nowadays between Fates Warning and Bach’s group, Jarzombek also more than dabbles in the Fates Warning spinoff side project Arch/Matheos, the duo featuring Fates Warning founder and guitarist Jim Matheos and original vocalist John Arch. Jarzombek played on the project’s entire six-song, 55-minute progressive metal masterpiece Sympathetic Resonance in 2011. While Fates Warning toured behind 2013’s Darkness in a Different Light and just ended another tour in support of 2015’s Theories of Flight, this time opening for Queensryche including a March 22 stop at the Aztec Theatre (coverage here), Arch/Matheos consequently was put on the back burner.

Until now.

Arch/Matheos will release Winter Ethereal on May 10 via Metal Blade Records. This time, Arch and Matheos employed the services of various former and present Fates Warning musicians and a couple of guests, as Arch discussed among several topics with Alamo True Metal on Monday during Part 1 of the Arch/Matheos breakdown (listen here).

Jarzombek, who plays on first single and video “Straight and Narrow” (watch below) and “Wrath of the Universe” on the nine-song offering, again was asked to drum on the entire album. In essence, his answer paved the way to the variety of musicians that appear on it.

“The reason it was done that way, originally — and this is an important fact — what happened was Jim approached me about playing on the whole thing like when we did Symphathetic Resonance,” Jarzombek told ATM moments after the Arch interview. “And I said, ‘Man, I don’t have time to play on the whole thing. I really don’t. You know, learning the songs, tracking, editing and all that stuff myself. And so I said, ‘I don’t have time for it, but I’ll help you look for a drummer.’ I started sending him video clips of guys and recommending guys. He was at the same time sending me videos of guys: ‘what do you think of this guy?’ ”

The splitting of duties allowed each guest drummer, which included Thomas Lang and former Fates Warning backstopper Mark Zonder and bassist — current Fates Warning member Joey Vera, former member Joe DiBiase and current Testament bassist Steve DiGiorgio — to add their own style to the record, giving it a different flavor and feel compared to Sympathetic Resonance.

“And it ended up being that a couple of guys could only do a portion of the record,” Jarzombek said. “And (Matheos) said, “The thing is, that might be kind of cool, get a couple guys to play on different songs. It’s not really a band, it’s a project, and people know it’s a project.” And I said, ‘Well, if you can get some guys to play on a song or two, I’ll play on a song. Then I go, ‘Well, I’ll play on two songs.’ And it turned into this weird sort of a bunch of different guys.” Then Jim was like, ‘Well, since you’re the veteran of this thing, you can pick the songs you want to play on. And I picked ‘Wrath of the Universe,’ and he goes, ‘I got this other one that I haven’t written yet. But I kind of have an intro and this and that, and that ended up being ‘Straight and Narrow.’ That was the last song he wrote. He said, ‘I think that’ll be good for you because it’s heavy and has double bass.’ That song sort of suited me well. That’s how it all came to be.”

The video shoot for “Straight and Narrow,” which Arch also spoke about in Part 1, presented its own challenges for the other members given that Fates Warning was on tour at the time.

“We had a headlining show on the Queensryche tour in Fayetteville, and Jim said, ‘It’s close enough to John, and we’ll do it in the morning and have the crew set up everything early,’ “ Jarzombek said. “We shot it before Fates Warning did our soundcheck. Oh, what a day!”

In addition to Jarzombek, Fates Warning of course has other San Antonio ties given that vocalist Ray Alder, who replaced Arch with the 1988 album No Exit, is from here and continues to have family in the Alamo City though he spent many years living in California and now does so overseas. Jarzombek and Matheos are the only members of Fates Warning and Arch/Matheos who steadily work with both vocalists, giving Jarzombek a unique perspective on both. Not only from his point of view in general but also of his interpretation of the dynamic between both vocalists.

“It’s weird because I sort of grew up with the band as a fan or listener with the John Arch stuff, the first three records, that era,” Jarzombek said. “That’s what I knew what Fates was. But I never got to play with them at that point. When Ray came out with Parallels and all that, obviously that was the most successful time of the band. And then when I joined the band, Ray was in the band obviously, in 2007. And I knew Ray from San Antonio and that whole thing. Me and Ray are good friends, we’re close on the road. I would say Ray is the guy I hang out with more than anyone in the band.”

Jarzombek had not met Arch until it was time to do the Sympathetic Resonance album. But it didn’t take long to draw a parallel, if you will, between the two singers from a drumming perspective.

“Singing wise, I don’t look at it really any different, you know, as far as who the singer is,” Jarzombek said. “I started learning some of the songs without vocals on Sympathetic Resonance. And then when John came in and sang the parts, sections were longer, something else thrown in, a few little bars. Some kind of ascending or descending pattern coming up or down. He kind of changes stuff when he goes in the studio or when he starts writing lyrics in kind of how he wants to fit things in.

“So that sort of was different for me than Ray where sometimes, when Jim sends me a song and there’s no vocals yet, it stays pretty much to the structure of the song. Even songs like ‘Firefly,’ I kind of had something when I worked that out. And it made sense to me. But then when the vocal came out, and the way Ray sang that song, I started changing the dynamics of my playing. Like how open my hi-hat is, whether I’m playing crash right. It changes with Ray more so because with the way he sings, there’s a little bit more emotion or something in it that makes me play a little different hearing his vocal. Which is kind of a cool thing. I think more so with John, I’m sticking a little closer to the parts that I had, but the sections do change. That’s only one example I can think of. Those things stick out to me.”

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Into the Pit: John Arch (Arch/Matheos - Part 1)

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Into the Pit: John Arch (Arch/Matheos - Part 1)

As the original voice of Fates Warning, John Arch’s signature high-pitched style is uniquely synonymous with the progressive metal veterans’ first three albums in the 1980s. But after the most well-known of that trifecta, 1986’s Awaken the Guardian, the vocalist parted ways with the band.

The end of Arch’s tenure became significant in two facets:

  1. He was replaced on 1988’s No Exit by San Antonio native Ray Balderrama, known in metal circles as Ray Alder, who continues to front the band today and most recently visited his hometown when Fates Warning opened for Queensryche on March 22 at the Aztec Theatre (coverage here)

  2. Arch would go on to basically disappear from the music scene for 17 years

After recording a solo EP in 2003 in which he reunited with Fates Warning founder and guitarist Jim Matheos, Arch and Matheos created a side project simply called Arch/Matheos that debuted with 2011’s Sympathetic Resonance that featured San Antonio native and current Fates Warning drummer Bobby Jarzombek behind the kit for each of the album’s six songs that totaled 55 minutes.

At long last, in between Fates Warning’s two most recent albums, Arch/Matheos returns May 10 with Winter Ethereal on Metal Blade Records. Unlike its predecessor eight years ago, Matheos and Arch enlisted various players to perform on the album’s nine songs that include their staple of lengthy lyrical story telling, complicated time changes, and heavy riffs dabbed with the slightest touches of tranquility.

"This stems from both of us trying to step out of our comfort zones a bit, sometimes voluntarily, sometimes being pushed," Matheos said in a press release. "Having worked together so many times, it would be easy to fall into the same way of doing things, and I think we were both interested in exploring some new areas."

This time, Jarzombek plays on two tracks including first single and video “Straight and Narrow” (below). Former Fates Warning drummer Mark Zonder and guest drummer Thomas Lang also perform on the record. Bass players include former Fates member Joe DiBiase, current Fates and Armored Saint member Joey Vera and a guest appearance from Testament, Charred Walls of the Damned and Spirits Of Fire bassist Steve DiGiorgio.

Arch graciously went “Into the Pit” with Alamo True Metal on Monday to discuss the making of the new album and video versus the Arch/Matheos debut. He also delves into the dynamic with his Fates Warning replacement Alder plus the reasons touring isn’t made for him as much as recording music in the studio and how that affects any thought of Arch/Matheos eventually supporting Fates Warning on the road.

So kick back, grab a cold one, put on the headphones, and listen to our entire conversation below. Then click here for Part 2 of “Into the Pit” with Arch/Matheos to read Jarzombek’s take on the project.

The original voice of Fates Warning and one-half of the Arch/Matheos side project offshoot of Fates Warning with guitarist Jim Matheos goes "Into the Pit" to discuss the upcoming May 10 release of "Winter Ethereal," his career in Fates, his dynamic today with current Fates singer and San Antonio native Ray Alder and much more (photo courtesy Freeman Promotions: April 2019)

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Love for Whitesnake no stranger to veteran rockers in Alamo City

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Love for Whitesnake no stranger to veteran rockers in Alamo City

If ever there was a band that rarely strays from the theme of its songs, Whitesnake might be near the top of the list. For nearly four decades, original vocalist David Coverdale has crooned one tune after another about sex, love and . . . well, that pretty much covers it.

No political agendas. No earth-shattering religious messages. No pleas to save the environment. Just good old-fashioned Rock N’ Roll that speaks to various forms of those two main topics — or shall we call them 1A and 1B — while doing so in an entertaining way.

The latest example for the Alamo City came last Wednesday as Whitesnake brought its “Flesh & Blood” tour in support of the forthcoming May 10 album to the Aztec Theatre. While the musicians backing up Coverdale have changed over the years, the current lineup was also on stage during the band’s two previous visits to the Majestic Theatre in 2016 (coverage here) and supporting Coverdale’s remake of classics from his Deep Purple era in 2015 (coverage here).

Veteran guitarists Reb Beach (Winger, Dokken) and Joel Hoekstra (Night Ranger) again joined all-world drummer Tommy Aldridge, bassist Michael Devin and keyboardist Michele “The Italian Stallion” Luppi in playing approximately 90 minutes of classics and new material after The Black Moods trio warmed things up with bluesy rockin’ music and bell-bottoms easily influenced by Led Zeppelin (see 46-photo slideshow including setlists below).

Aldridge, the longest-tenured Snake save for Coverdale after joining the band on the 1987 smash self-titled album, continues to amaze with his intense drum solo highlighted by fists of fury that have been his staple dating to his days with Ozzy Osbourne and the late Randy Rhoads. Meanwhile, Coverdale’s voice continues to hold up while he clearly does less talking to the crowd to save it for the songs, except for introducing his bandmates during new track “Get Up” and classic ballad “Is This Love” on the back end of Aldridge’s solo (ATM footage of all below).

Even more surprising than Whitesnake unveiling a whopping five songs from an album that was still more than three weeks away from being released — “Get Up,” “Hey You (You Make Me Rock),” “Gonna Be Alright” and new singles “Trouble Is Your Middle Name” and “Shut Up and Kiss Me” (ATM Facebook Live footage here) — was Coverdale’s complete omission of fan favorite and highly successful 1989 album Slip of the Tongue. While the title track’s duration of high-octane vocals might put a little too much strain on Coverdale’s throat these days, “Judgment Day” and “The Deeper The Love” snuck into the set on recent visits. This time, however, the record was completely and inexplicably ignored with only Flesh & Blood, the self-titled effort and 1984’s Slide It In being represented among Whitesnake’s 13-album arsenal.

Nevertheless, Whitesnake has always been about putting fun into the sex and Rock N’ Roll. From the strains of “Here I Go Again” to “Love Ain’t No Stranger” and “Slow N’ Easy” that left out the sultry introductory portion, the lit-up smiles and dance moves of those especially attractive in the crowd again indicated Coverdale’s powerful hold among the female species.

Consider it straightforward mission accomplished again. In the stylings of the Snake. And in the still of the night.

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Rock veterans of Oyster Bake treat thousands to shell of a fun time

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Rock veterans of Oyster Bake treat thousands to shell of a fun time

For more than a century, the Fiesta Oyster Bake has been bringing musical entertainment of various genres, dizzying carnival rides and games, wine tasting and copious amounts of food to a two-day festival as a scholarship fund-raiser for St. Mary’s University and the official kickoff to the city’s annual 11-day Fiesta extravaganza.

This year, Fiesta morphed into 18 days due to today’s Easter Sunday falling in the middle of the party.

In the past half decade, gradual signs of Oyster Bake traditions trimming down or being cut out entirely have reared their head. Wine tasting went by the wayside on Friday nights. Places where stages once existed are now fenced off. Then there was the unthinkable that occurred last weekend: the disappearance of shelled oysters (thereby relegating the lone presence of oysters at the Oyster Bake coming in the form of shots).

But one thing’s for certain. The rock music will never die at the Bake. And while the heavy bands that perform at the Bake are predominantly in the style of those repeatedly played on 99.5-KISS FM, with a few coming back every other year, the Oyster Bake’s tradition continues to draw thousands from around the country partaking in a festival that many other cities wish they could revel in (see 62-photo slideshow below).

Headlined by Seether and preceded by 10 Years, Red Sun Rising, Dirty Honey and for the first time, local rockers Jessikill, this year’s rock stage again accomplished what it always sets out to do — rock people’s asses off in a family-oriented atmosphere.

Backed by a virtually cloudless day in the mid-70s that saw temperatures quickly drop to a windy 50s prior to the headliners taking the stage, this year’s collection of bands delivered the goods in fine fashion. Puddle Of Mudd, a band often filled with drama causing show cancellations or walk-offs as usually centered around frontman Wes Scantlin, was supposed to play the Bake for the first time since 2010. But alas, a cancellation of a different kind — the band being unable to fly out of snowy Sioux City, Iowa, the night before — altered the set times of the early bands and made for longer intermission periods until Red Sun Rising came on 90 minutes later than scheduled at Puddle Of Mudd’s original time of 5:30 p.m.

With two albums and an EP behind them, Red Sun Rising made its first visit since the 2017 Oyster Bake. They dominated their set, wisely so, with the brilliance of debut album Polyester Zeal on tracks such as opener “Imitation,” “The Otherside,” “Emotionless,” “Amnesia” and “Push.”

If you were to determine the bands that typically play San Antonio more frequently than any others, they’d likely be Saxon, Chevelle and 10 Years. Not necessarily in that order.

Not only did 10 Years return following Oyster Bake visits in 2014 and 2016, they were at the Rock Box two months ago celebrating a decade of Division. This time, a mixed set delighted the crowd that was either there to rock or mingle and drink with friends as thousands explored the grounds that also included Tejano, R&B and country music stages one night after Starship headlined the ‘80s era evening.

10 Years stole the show in terms of enthusiasm and playing to the fans as vocalist Jesse Hasek bodysurfed his way into the throng on three different songs. More than any musician, Hasek put the men in blue — which unlike recent Bakes comprised most of the law enforcement presence rather than county sheriffs that have been known to not take kindly to moshers and body surfers — to work as they quickly approached the barrier each time and ensured everyone’s safety.

“San Antonio, you have something really special here,” Hasek said when he was back to standing upright on stage. “We will gladly do this again and again and again.” Truer words may never have been spoken.

Seether, meanwhile, had the honor of being the featured attraction but the unlucky fate of seeing temperatures rattle many in attendance due to a brisk night wind by the time they hit at 9:15 p.m. Nevertheless, “Stoke the Fire” opened the set and was soon accompanied by fan favorites “Gasoline,” “Rise Above This,” “Broken,” “Fine Again,” “Words as Weapons” and the tune whose video was filmed in nearby Boerne — “Country Song.”

Often alternating between the trio of frontman Shaun Morgan, bassist Dale Stewart — both of South Africa — and drummer and Oklahoma native John Humphrey — and a quartet, Seether recently added Corey Lowery on guitar. Lowery, formerly of Seether touring partners Saint Asonia, is the brother of Sevendust guitarist Clint Lowery. Watch my 2015 chat with Lowery and Saint Asonia vocalist Adam Gontier for AXS.com here, plus conversations with Stewart and Humphrey.

Whether the Oyster Bake continues to recycle some of its rock acts or do away with some traditions in the future is secondary compared to the festival existing at all in grand form. While we may not be around for another 103 years to appreciate that many subsequent ones, you can’t beat the enjoyment of roasted corn, burgers, chalupas, chicken on a stick or chocolate-covered strawberries in one hand while holding high your horns with the other as long as you still can.

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Scars embraced, Godsmacked and stitched up while raising rockin' awareness

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Scars embraced, Godsmacked and stitched up while raising rockin' awareness

No matter the music genre, there are concert acts that focus on having nothing but fun. Others emphasize political or religious agendas whether you the paying customer like it or not. But in 2019, the hard rock and metal landscape is trending toward having a rockin’ good time while shedding light on vital components of life.

And that’s not exactly a bad thing.

The latest instance came last Tuesday at Freeman Coliseum when Godsmack played the second night of its U.S. tour with Stitched Up Heart before an estimated 3,500 fans at Freeman Coliseum. For all of Godsmack’s heavy older tunes and its newer tracks that tip the scale toward the commercial hard rock side, it was a piano offering that yielded the most important part of the evening.

Announcing his new Scars Foundation, Godsmack vocalist/guitarist/drum battler/pianist (is there anything he can’t do?) and leader Sully Erna introduced new track “Under Your Scars” by revealing an organization focused on something much more useful than preaching — raising awareness of mental health issues such as depression, suicide prevention, post traumatic stress disorder and bullying (more details here). The song is also arguably the most meaningful one on latest album When Legends Rise, for which Godsmack was making its latest San Antonio visit nearly a year to the day of the record’s release that coincided with serving as the theme song to World Wrestling Entertainment’s “Greatest Royal Rumble” pay-per-view event last April 27 in Saudi Arabia (ATM footage and 50-photo slideshow below).

But the serious tone of Godsmack’s ballad didn’t mean the group had lost its touch on rocking out or Erna forgetting how to be silly. When he wasn’t bragging about his hair gel, Erna was encouraging the guys in the crowd to place their significant others atop their shoulders for 1000hp track “Something Different.” Without losing stride, Erna added to his various forms of talent by declaring “I see boobies” when the more daring females decided to flash him.

During previous area visits such as the 2014 Uproar Festival in Corpus Christi, Godsmack had a frustrating knack for opening with mellow tracks such as “Generation Day” (coverage here). Ironically, while touring in support of its mellowest album, Godsmack got the memo to come out with fists pumping on the title tracks to When Legends Rise and 1000hp. The latter is normally accompanied by bursts of flames when Erna bellows “Turn. That. Shit. Up. Louder.” Alas, unlike its neighboring AT&T Center, the Freeman doesn’t allow for pyrotechnics. Those songs were followed by the Erna-penned tune widely believed to be about Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx in “Cryin’ Like a Bitch.”

While Godsmack’s set was fairly similar to its 2017 River City Rockfest visit save for the new tunes (coverage here), such as including mainstays “Straight Out of Line,” “Voodoo,” “The Enemy” and traditional closer “I Stand Alone” (setlist below), they did shake things up a bit. Longtime fans’ knowledge was tested when the band segeued first-album classic “Keep Away” into an instrumental jam of the last half of the debut album’s opening number “Moon Baby.”

But of course, the favorite part of any Godsmack concert continues to be Erna’s drum battle with Shannon Larkin better known as “Batalla de los Tambores.” With Larkin’s drum kit coming to the forefront of the stage, Erna’s own kit appeared from behind a curtain and perched itself next to Larkin’s as the duo matched one another with various beats and riffs including Rush’s “Tom Sawyer,” Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” and Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” as joined by lead guitarist Tony Rombola and bassist Robbie Merrill (ATM footage below). As is also Godsmack’s tradition, the batalla gave way to a very extended version of “Whatever” as Erna kept up his custom of motivating the fans by telling them if they were loud enough to his liking, he would go to the next city of Beaumont and tell them “they are a bunch of goddamn pussies” compared to San Antonio. Of course, Erna likely said the same thing about the Alamo City during the tour kickoff in Arizona. But who’s keeping score?

Support act Stitched Up Heart wasn’t immune from displaying its importance either. Living the dream by opening for Godsmack, frontwoman Alecia “Mixi” Demner — who used to deliver pizzas before rocking out in arenas — guitarist Merritt Goodwin, bassist Randy Mathias and drummer James Decker mixed tracks from 2016 debut Never Alone with those scheduled to appear on this fall’s sophomore effort (ATM Facebook Live footage here).

The day after the concert, Stitched Up Heart released “Lost” as a new single featuring Erna helping out on vocals (listen here). While it would’ve been a special treat to see the two team up live, that didn’t happen. Nevertheless, the track is Stitched Up Heart’s version of inspiring those who struggle with mental issues.

“ ‘Lost’ is about being trapped inside your mind and struggling against yourself to see the light,” Demner says in a press release. “Sully and I had been trying to work on something together for awhile, and I’m so grateful that we were able to collaborate on this. It turned out even better than I imagined, and I’m so excited to share it as the first taste of our new music.”

With a little bit of luck and plenty of fortitude, perhaps other metal bands will follow Godsmack’s and Stitched Up Heart’s lead by using their platform to let their fans new and old know how they can improve the lives of their own friends, family members and themselves amidst their personal difficulties. Rocking out to a slew of songs for three hours in addition to that would merely be the icing on the cake.

GODSMACK SETLIST: When Legends Rise, 1000hp, Cryin’ Like a Bitch, Say My Name, Straight Out of Line, Awake, Unforgettable, Something Different, Keep Away (segueing into last half of "Moon Baby”), The Enemy, Voodoo, Batalla de los Tambores (drum battle), Whatever, Under Your Scars, Bulletproof, Come Together, I Stand Alone

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Pranks galore hit to the core as tour ends for hometown boys Nothing More

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Pranks galore hit to the core as tour ends for hometown boys Nothing More

Dinosaur costumes. Guitarists wrapped in Saran wrap. How about a mariachi band introduced for the grand finale just for kicks?

It was all in the “Truth” tour conclusion’s sold-out night of work Saturday at the Aztec Theatre as hometown grown Nothing More culminated a six-week run of fun in humorous fashion with grindcore act Of Mice & Men and young rockers Badflower and Palisades.

For a band that graduated from Sam’s Burger Joint and Sunken Garden Theater to touring Europe with Five Finger Death Punch and playing California festivals such as Aftershock and Knotfest (ATM coverage of the latter here and interview here), Nothing More demonstrated several facets to its always lively and entertaining show:

  • It hasn’t forgotten where it came from

  • While many artists ending a tour talk about how they can’t wait to get home to their families and into their beds for the first time in a long time, Nothing More played and spoke as if it didn’t want this tour to end

  • It has a sense of humor on stage to go with its deep lyrical content

  • It has no love lost for a certain local rock radio station

Nothing More also graduated to selling out the Aztec for the first time, a step up from its 2015 visit (coverage here) as vocalist Jonny Hawkins, guitarist Mark Vollelunga, bassist Daniel Oliver and Arizona native and drummer Ben Anderson dominated its set with songs from 2017 and latest effort The Stories We Tell Ourselves. With band members silhouetted behind a curtain underneath the word “truth” spelled upside down, the barefoot and shirtless Hawkins climbed the group’s 14-foot-tall scorpion tail contraption as the cloth fell to the floor and the audience roared.

New tracks including opener “Let ‘em Burn,” “Funny Little Creatures,” “Go to War” and “Do You Really Want It” (ATM Facebook Live footage here) meshed with previous album offerings “Mr. MTV” and “Christ Copyright.”

After members of Nothing More and Of Mice & Men pranked support acts Badflower and Palisades by tightening up guitarists in Saran wrap during the former’s final song “Animal” (ATM footage below) and the latter by laying on stage in baby pools, the more no-nonsense tone of Of Mice & Men took to the stage. All levels of the Aztec took the positive reaction up a notch as the heaviness intensified, as evidenced by ATM’s footage of “O.G. Loko” below.

But even Of Mice & Men was not immune to the pranking, as two guys in dinosaur outfits pranced around the stage (see 70-photo slideshow below) before their jurassic asses were shot down by water guns. The band’s guitarists even mimicked their dead bodies while shredding away.

Ironically, a more serious re-enactment of a shooting scenario dotted the theme of Nothing More’s “Truth” tour as depicted on an autographed poster at the merch booth (see slideshow). Amidst the fun and humor, Nothing More’s Hawkins spoke of two organizations with whom the band teamed in its constant lyrical call to attention to suicides, mass shootings, depression and mental health issues in general (watch ATM footage of “Jenny” and “Tunnels” below). Every ticket sold also contributed $1 to those causes.

Although Nothing More has done away with its swiveling “Bassanator,” the unique setup that was a staple of its early years and allowed Hawkins, Vollelunga and Oliver to tap on the instrument simultaneously, the group still featured those three pounding on various drums scattered on the stage. And yet that wasn’t even the best part of the show’s finale.

Prior to traditional closer “Salem,” Nothing More’s pranks came back to bite them when Palisades, Badflower and Of Mice & Men hilariously brought out a mariachi band, giving Nothing More an extra taste of being back home. Hawkins conceded that the gesture won the prank of the night before he launched into genuine appreciation for virtually everyone except local rock station 99.5-FM KISS, for which he saved some scathing commentary (ATM footage below).

From gimmicks to raising awareness of serious issues to straight ahead Rock N’ Roll to shunning a source a band thought it could count on for local support, Nothing More and its opening acts proved something else: that the ending of their “Truth” tour was a story they could tell not only themselves, but also their kids and friends, for years to come.

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Queensryche's verdict: progressing into new era with Fates Warning unconditionally human

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Queensryche's verdict: progressing into new era with Fates Warning unconditionally human

For the 3 1/2 decades Queensryche and Fates Warning have been playing in the Alamo City, one thing has remained constant perhaps more than any other: San Antonians don’t care as much about personnel changes as they do having a rockin’ good time hearing classic favorites.

And while Queensryche delivered a fair share of those songs once again while headlining the Aztec Theatre on Friday night with Fates Warning and local openers Gandhi’s Gun, it delved deeper into its six-year run with vocalist Todd La Torre than it ever had live in the city in which it played its third show as a band in 1983. On the strength of The Verdict, which dropped March 1, Queensryche provided a healthy mix of new and old tunes, no longer relying mostly on Operation: Mindcrime and Empire favorites to carry its performance. And for a rare change, San Antonio reacted favorably to a change in what its ears were hearing (setlist in 48-photo slideshow below).

Not only did Queensryche show plenty of confidence in opening with new rocker “Blood of the Levant” and including The Verdict’s “Man the Machine,” “Light Years'“ and “Propaganda Fashion,” but it played the closing tracks from its 2013 self-titled debut with La Torre in “Open Road” (ATM Facebook Live footage here) and the title track to 2015 follow-up Condition Human (ATM footage below). Unlike the 30th anniversary show Sept. 20, 2011, at the Majestic Theatre in which Queensryche opened with a then-new track from the forgettable Dedicated to Chaos, then played 15 consecutive classics before a second new track yet still had a fan yell out his objection to hearing something fresh, the nearly sold-out throng at the Aztec took in this version of Queensryche’s foray into a new time with open-minded optimism.

With bassist Eddie Jackson and guitarist Michael Wilton, who spoke with ATM for AXS during the 2015 visit (watch here), as the lone remaining original members joined by guitarist Parker Lundgren and touring drummer Casey Grillo, the Seattle rockers now fronted by a Floridian who reportedly also played drums on The Verdict delivered the goods once again. Although second tune “I Am I’ from 1994’s Promised Land came off as a bit forced to quickly include an older song, Queensryche did a respectable job using the extra time allotted as a 90-minute headliner when compared to half that time frame opening for Scorpions last Sept. 7 at Freeman Coliseum (coverage here). La Torre banged on a miniature drum kit perfectly in sync with Grillo at times. His vocals were top notch and, though he nor anyone else probably wants to hear it, showed remarkable resemblance to original singer and predecessor Geoff Tate on occasion, particularly on “Screaming in Digital” (ATM footage below). And that’s not a bad thing, though La Torre certainly carries his own style more often than not.

If you had come into the evening taking the over on an over of 1 regarding the number of Operation: Mindcrime tunes Queensryche would play as a headliner, that would’ve been a sure bet on paper. Surprise! Queensryche only offered up “Eyes of a Stranger” and is to be commended for doing so even though that album will always be regarded as the group’s best by this and many other minds. The fact that “Queen of the Reich,” “Take Hold of the Flame” and the usual Empire favorites were included were apparently enough to make the fans not mind that, for the second consecutive visit, original drummer Scott Rockenfield was missing in action, reportedly on an indefinite hiatus.

Fates Warning had no such issues. The latest homecoming show for 12-year Fates drummer Bobby Jarzombek and native vocalist son Ray Alder, who currently lives in Spain, saw the progressive metal veterans in the same direct support chair Queensryche was in six months ago. As such, Fates Warning continues to tour on 2016 release Theories of Flight, a record the two San Antonians discussed with ATM for AXS just prior to its release (watch here). With original guitarist Jim Matheos, longtime bassist Joey Vera and guitarist Mike Abdow lending their talents to usual mainstays “A Pleasant Shade of Gray” and more recent tunes “The Light and Shade of Things” and “Seven Stars,” Alder and Co. delighted an always welcoming audience for a band that helped open the gates of progressive metal to the likes of Dream Theater in the early to mid ‘80s. Watch ATM footage of 2013’s “Firefly” below.

Along with Saxon, the two bands most San Antonians would see live if they were here 365 days a year arguably would be Queensryche and Fates Warning. Their influence on the local scene, in large part to the disc jockeying days of the late Joe Anthony, is virtually immeasurable. It was good to see fans’ former reluctance of their favorite bands’ changing of the guard both musically and personnel wise turn into acceptance. Such reaction reflects well on the scene and helps ensure these artists continue to progress with newer music.

In turn, that gives them extra incentive to keep returning. Perhaps till they can’t scream in digital anymore.

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Into the Pit: L.A. Guns singer Phil Lewis

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Into the Pit: L.A. Guns singer Phil Lewis

As the vocalist of one of Los Angeles’ sleaziest bands from the debut self-titled album in 1988 through today, Phil Lewis has seen just about everything involving L.A. Guns. But while many fans and media members may focus on L.A. Guns formation’s connection with Guns N’ Roses back in the day, Lewis’ story is unique from a different perspective.

The voice behind hair metal classics “Sex Action,” “Electric Gypsy,” “Never Enough,” “One More Reason,” “Bitch is Back,” “Rip and Tear” and “The Ballad of Jayne,” Lewis started in a band called Girl, whose guitarist was Phil Collen of Def Leppard. After enjoying popularity with L.A. Guns during the MTV and Sunset Strip heyday, the band broke into two halves, with Lewis and drummer Steve Riley going one way and guitarist Tracii Guns utilizing various singers for his rendition.

But in 2017, Lewis and Guns found themselves working and playing live together on the strength of stellar album The Missing Peace, which included a December 2017 performance at Vibes Event Center as part of the “Hair Metal Holiday” that featured headliner Ace Frehley, L.A. Guns, Dokken, Graham Bonnet Band and Enuff Z’Nuff (coverage here).

Refusing to rest on their laurels, L.A. Guns on Friday will release 12th album The Devil You Know via Frontiers Records. Buoyed by opening track and latest single “Rage,” the sleaze L.A. Guns is known for is apparent along with some punk influences that weren’t on the previous album.

A candid and no-holds-barred Lewis discussed these topics and more while going Into the Pit with ATM on Thursday. Click below to hear our entire conversation.

(Editor’s note: On Saturday, two days after this interview, L.A. Guns released a statement that drummer Shane Fitzgibbon, who played on the forthcoming album, has quit the band and is being replaced by Ace Frehley and Lita Ford drummer Scot Coogan).

The vocalist of L.A. Guns goes "Into the Pit" and gets very candid while discussing the band's career, his involvement with both factions of the group, his first band Girl, an interesting tidbit about one of the group's videos that hits home with him, how long he went without talking to guitarist Tracii Guns before reuniting with him, the early days, new album "The Devil You Know" that comes out March 29 and more (ATM photo by Jay Nanda: December 2017).

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Jake E. Lee leaves significant chunk of career off Red Dragon Cartel's return

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Jake E. Lee leaves significant chunk of career off Red Dragon Cartel's return

Considering he's a famed 62-year-old guitarist who stepped out of the metal scene for more than a dozen years between his time in Badlands and the 2014 self-titled debut of new band Red Dragon Cartel, you couldn't blame fans for salivating at the return to the Alamo City of Jake E. Lee on Friday night. 

Lee, who oh by the way replaced the late Randy Rhoads in Ozzy Osbourne's band on iconic releases Bark at the Moon in 1983 and The Ultimate Sin in 1986, co-writing several non-credited songs along the way, is the feature component of Red Dragon Cartel. Along with oft-maligned vocalist Darren James Smith, drummer Phil Varone and the bassist on Lynch Mob's inaugural and best album Wicked Sensation in 1990, Anthony Esposito, Lee's visit had the potential to be shattering in terms of volume and entertainment value. At least on paper. 

But it was another piece of paper where Red Dragon Cartel came up short. The choice of songs. 

Touring in support of sophomore release Patina, a more bluesy record than the first RDC album, Lee understandably set out to promote the latest effort. Unfortunately, he did so at the expense of the majority of his Badlands years, shunning his Osbourne material almost entirely and scaling back on Red Dragon Cartel's heavy debut.

Playing a 13-song set, Lee opted to perform 80 percent of his new album -- eight of its 10 tracks -- out of those 13 offerings. Lee waited too long to throw the audience a Badlands bone, saved his shockingly lone Osbourne offering for a Bark at the Moon 2002 re-issue bonus track that was truly just for the diehards in "Spiders" (ATM footage below), didn't realize that some fans departed following the fourth, fifth and sixth songs after hearing nothing but Red Dragon Cartel material and, in letting only his stellar guitar skills do the talking, said nary a word to the crowd. Other than a pair of male fans jumping up and down repeatedly, the audience spent more time wondering when a recognizable Osbourne or Badlands track was coming and filming with their phones instead of pumping fists or tossing up horns.

That Lee didn’t speak was perfectly fine. His absence from the metal scene rekindled desires to hear him play, not chat. And shred he did. But even that came with a caveat, as the somewhat reclusive axeman spent 99 percent of the 75-minute performance on the left side of the stage. Lee ventured just once to the right half to tell Esposito something before playing in the middle solely on finale "Feeder," one of only two tracks from the self-titled record. Even when Lee kept to his comfortable stage left, he often turned to the side, facing one or two crew members standing there, and the wall, rather than the people who paid to see him amaze them with his skills.

The formation of Red Dragon Cartel got off to an inauspicious start in 2013, and Smith will always be measured against that, as unfair as it may seem as time passes. During Red Dragon Cartel's inaugural concert at the Whisky a Go Go in Hollywood, an inebriated Smith jumbled lyrics to Osbourne songs in a less-than-solid performance. After Lee and Smith were said to have ironed out some issues, the guitarist took what many may have seen as a gamble by bringing Smith back for Patina. To his credit, Smith is more than credible on the album and carried it over to the Rock Box, though he admitted when the group finally got around to playing "3-Day Funk" by Badlands: “This song might truly kill me!” (ATM Facebook Live footage here; setlist in 57-photo slideshow below). 

While some may point out Red Dragon Cartel played the Rock Box on Nov. 18, 2014 (with a different bassist and drummer) and offered up some Osbourne tracks that night, the fact remains Lee's career, which also involved playing in Rough Cutt, is mostly known for being one of the madman's guitar sidekicks. Lee also would've been better served by keeping in mind that because of his lengthy sabbatical, Friday's concert was witnessed not only by those who brought his classic records to the meet-and-greet that he graciously autographed, but by many seeing him live for the first time. Even Michael Jordan played meaningless NBA preseason games that took place in cities without professional franchises because he was mindful many at those exhibitions were watching him play for the first, and perhaps only, time in their lives. 

Ironically, Lee’s bassmate on The Ultimate Sin, Phil Soussan, was scheduled to play the same stage three weeks earlier on Valentine's Day with Last In Line only to see that gig canceled, presumably due to low ticket sales. While Lee had no such issues, the approximately 150 fans who showed up, though paltry by "Heavy Metal Capital" standards, deserved to hear a couple of tracks from that classic record. Or at least more than a show dominated by Patina. Playing a set vastly different from his previous visit and dominating it with new material would’ve been fine if that previous visit occurred within the past two years rather than a 4 1/2-year gap.

That said, the only other Badlands offering was arguably the highlight of the night as Smith gutted out "High Wire" for the first of two encores after admitting he was “scared” to attempt the high-pitched sound of the late Ray Gillen (ATM Facebook Live footage here). Badlands' biggest hit "Dreams in the Dark" was performed in 2014 but not on this night. Nor were other favorites “Winter's Call," "Hard Driver" or "Rumblin' Train." It would've been nice to hear the band try.

It also was odd that in a group where a legendary guitarist is the featured member, the only solo belonged to Varone on drums. The fact that tracks from The Ultimate Sin such as the title track, "Killer of Giants," "Secret Loser" or even MTV smash "Shot in the Dark" were ignored and that Lee's mesmerizing ending to "Bark at the Moon" was omitted meant most fans did not get what they expected to see and hear. 

Five or six songs from Patina would have served Lee's purpose of promoting his new album and still satiated the crowd’s appetite. Eight new tunes at the expense of his more well-known eras, however, was like eating the Caesar salad only to find out the restaurant would have to close prior to receiving that fat juicy steak you looked forward to before leaving the house.

Hopefully one of rock and metal’s best guitarists ever will keep that in mind while remembering the Alamo City would love to see him return. With a better choice of his great music expressed for all to experience.

Click the links for ATM Facebook Live footage of local openers Wall Of Soul, Eden Burning and Dallas-based Rendered Heartless, and see them in action in the slideshow below.

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