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San Antonio

'Bastard Child of NYC' casts spell on Alamo City with help from local Killswitch supergroup

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'Bastard Child of NYC' casts spell on Alamo City with help from local Killswitch supergroup

When Kore Rozzik led his band into the Alamo City for the first time in June, he came bearing an energetic, theatrical and entertaining show as a support act for Alice Cooper guitarist Nita Strauss’ mostly instrumental headlining set. Four and a half months later, “The Bastard Child of New York City” descended upon Fitzgerald’s Bar on Thursday night as a headlining act himself and demonstrated why this band should be trending upward nationally.

Still riding the wave of 2018 debut concept album Vengeance Overdrive, a record Rozzik shared with Alamo True Metal afterwards is “more of a New York record” compared to what he intends the follow-up to be, the quartet of Rozzik, guitarists Alex Gil and Andrei Patorski and Louie on drums played to a somewhat typical intimate mid-week bar crowd. Backed by local supergroup Killswitch Incorporated and War On Sunday — a last-minute replacement for originally scheduled locals Pup Zenabi Instrumental Project and Bridge 13 — Kore Rozzik delivered the goods again.

Although Rozzik acknowledged to ATM after the gig “we were on fire that night; last night of the tour” in reference to the Strauss gig at the Rock Box (coverage here), his group made the most of an opportunity to shine as the featured act despite the sparse attendance. Like the Strauss gig, Rozzik opened with the album’s title track before launching into a cover of Rockwell’s ‘80s pop hit that featured Michael Jackson on the chorus, “Somebody’s Watching Me,” with the original video playing on a monitor next to Louie’s drums (footage with 52-photo slideshow below). Unlike the former performance, when Rozzik also played Megadeth’s “Hangar 18,” his second cover choice this time was Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” with Marilyn Manson’s version playing on the monitor.

But as should be the case, it was the original tunes that struck a chord thanks to a strong debut concept record Rozzik told ATM is approximately 50 percent personal experience regarding those in New York who tried to slander him. In addition to the blistering title track, Rozzik and his mates, who don’t utilize a bassist on stage, rocked out on “Bitter Rat,” “Can’t Stop Won’t Stop,” “Mistress” (watch below) and finale “Spellbound.” Strauss and her band punked Rozzik during the previous performance of “Spellbound” (ATM footage contained within the aforementioned coverage link), but Rozzik came through unscathed this time.

Killswitch Inc., founded in 1997, consists of members of local groups Even In Death and Minister Fiend. Fronted by the former’s Sean Nations and featuring the latter’s David Arriola on guitars along with fellow guitarist and 46th birthday boy Johnny Quattlebaum, bassist Anthony Aleman and drummer George Hamilton, the group made a rare appearance and didn’t disappoint. Watch ATM Facebook Live footage of “Such a God” and see below for “Suckpump,” which Nations introduced by thanking War On Sunday for filling in as openers by saying, “It’s good to deal with some professionals.”

With Even In Death at a bit of a crossroads, Nations has been singing more often with ‘80s cover band Big Bang, which could pave the way for more Killswitch Inc. shows as well depending on the rest of the members’ schedules with their respective groups.

As for Kore Rozzik, they left San Antonio and drove straight to their home state, reaching the next gig in Rochester, New York, in 33 hours and 11 minutes. For those who missed both of their initial two visits, they’d be wise to make the third time the charm — and let Rozzik cast his spell upon thee whenever that may be.

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Allure of Tool mystifies, opens eyes, satisfies

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Allure of Tool mystifies, opens eyes, satisfies

Virtually everything about Tool suggests how not to have a successful career: taking 13 years between albums. Stationing its singer at the back of the stage throughout performances. Video imagery of human/alien hybrids and insects accompanied by lyrics often left open to interpretation, which can be risky when dealing with socially conscious issues and the state of the world. Not to mention, in this day and age, mostly forbidding your fans from capturing memories with their hand-held devices.

Not only does Tool have more than a knack for making it all work. But the spell by which the Los Angeles band binds its audience is more than welcome by the masses, which included last Friday’s sold-out 19,000-plus throng at the AT&T Center.

With veteran English supporters Killing Joke in tow, Tool returned to town on the strength of Aug. 30 release Fear Inoculum, its first album since 2006 and fifth overall spanning a 29-year career (see 48-photo slideshow below).

And things would be much different than most gigs before the first note was even played.

Patrons were advised a “no-camera” policy would be in full effect and violators would be expelled from the venue with no refund. Surprisingly, most everyone conformed, Refreshingly, when was the last time you attended a concert without someone blocking your view with their phone raised high — your childhood? Sadly, it had to be specially requested by the artist in the first place. Happily, the fans’ acceptance netted a reward at show’s end (more on that later).

And with that, a chime-like curtain with threaded openings surrounded the stage as drummer Danny Carey took his spot behind the kit sporting a Spurs uniform. The loud seal of approval came with fans not knowing, or caring, that an AT&T Center staff member had been summoned to grab a uniform from the gift shop, or that Carey has demonstrated the same fan-friendly gesture in other NBA cities on the tour. Moments later, guitarist Adam Jones and bassist Justin Chancellor began the first strums of the nearly 10 1/2-minute “Fear Inoculum.”

A spike Mohawked, leather jacket and plaid pants wearing vocalist Maynard James Keenan soon joined the fray, completing the band’s heavily regarded quartet as the arena erupted. Following the new title track, Keenan simply stated, “Texas,” and the crowd answered. Keenan followed up with, “That sounded more like Oklahoma. . . Texas!” The simplicity in crowd management combined with the complexity of his music captivated an audience glad to be swept under the hypnotic trance of the singer who also fronts A Perfect Circle and side project Puscifer.

Mixing in other new lengthy tracks “Pneuma” and “Invincible” with crowd favorites “Aenema,” “Schism” and “Intolerance,” Tool didn’t take nearly as long as the duration of its songs to cement its welcomed return to San Antonio. While Carey, Jones and Chancellor expertly kept things flowing with mesmerizing instrumental stretches during most tunes, Keenan would spend three or four songs at a time on one side of the stage across from Carey’s kit before making a slow, methodical walk to the other mic to benefit that side of the arena. The only time Keenan stepped down to the forefront was to playfully take a back-and-forth joyride on one of the equipment cases.

The big screen lit up the arena with Tool’s patented yet often impossible to explain video visuals, which properly served as a backdrop to the musicians more than as a distraction. A little more than two-thirds of the way through the show, rather than halfway, Tool went on a 12-minute intermission, communicated simply by way of a large countdown clock rather than by Keenan. Afterwards, Carey emerged in his Spurs uniform and banged a gong while embarking on his new instrumental “Chocolate Chip Trip.”

That paved the way for another new tune, “Invincible,” which left the standing crowd in anticipation of how the night would end. Keenan chose that moment to speak for only the second time of the two-hour, seven-minute performance: “Always a pleasure, Texas. Because you’ve been very good, you may now take out your phones. Check your email, Twitter, take photos. You kids and your phones.”

And with that, Tool unleashed classic “Stinkfist,” the AT&T Center lighting up in phone cameras and onlookers enraptured by the musical and visual exhibition. Again, the crowd roared as Tool’s members concluded their spectacle. Keenan matter-of-factly waved and departed by himself, but not before giving his bassist a slap on his rump.

As Chancellor,Jones and Carey tossed out picks and sticks, no one cared that Tool omitted its two biggest hits “Sober” and “Prison Sex,” or arguably the best song on the new album “7empest.” No one seemed to mind the test of how long they could go without using their phones. Instead, a crowd that was larger than even Iron Maiden’s “Legacy of the Beast” tour at the same venue exactly one month earlier could all agree: when it comes to Tool and its mystifying methods, the pieces fit.

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Youth of yester decades goes wild with original Skid Row frontman

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Youth of yester decades goes wild with original Skid Row frontman

The majority of approximately 400 fans comprising the lower levels of the Aztec Theatre last Wednesday night were either in the midst of, or fresh out of, their high school years in 1989. As for what Sebastian Bach was doing back then?

The original voice of Skid Row unleashed a breakthrough self-titled debut album with his band discovered and taken out on the road by Bon Jovi. One of those first shows, a gig at the Rosemont Horizon in suburban Chicago, yielded a rebellious Bach telling the crowd “critics claim my mouth is corrupting the youth of America.”

Now a svelte 51 years old, Bach demonstrated he hasn’t changed much while celebrating the entirety of that album with his solo band, which has featured San Antonio’s Bobby Jarzombek on drums ever since Bach’s first solo album Angel Down dropped in 2007 (see 36-photo slideshow below):

  • Bach referred to fans who got in a fight as “assholes” and made sure security showed them the door (though he missed a gold opportunity to perform “Get the Fuck Out”)

  • He repeatedly engaged the portion of the crowd that wasn’t taking “Youth Gone Wild” too literally

  • He coughed Nikki Sixx’s name while going on a brief rant about musicians who forget that “Rock N’ Roll is supposed to be fun,” unaware perhaps that moments later, a photo from his yesteryears showed Bach and the Motley Crue bassist side by side

  • He reminded fans that he played Jesus Christ Superstar at the Majestic Theatre as part of his stint on Broadway

  • He brought out a turntable after accepting an album cover from a fan of the debut record

  • He found time to wax poetic on the theme song to “WKRP in Cincinnati,” again appealing to the crowd’s adolescent period

  • He demonstrated his humor while turning the hometown spotlight over to Jarzombek, telling the crowd the San Antonian is the drummer for Judas Priest’s “Metal God, which means he’s the drummer for the greatest singer of all time . . . and Rob Halford”

  • More importantly, Bach showed he’s still got it as a vocalist. And he didn’t shy away from his pride, telling the audience that his vocal range was “not a problem”

So Wednesday’s retrospective concert, unlike most of that variety, was not meant to be a stroll down Memory Lane as much as it was a celebration of fun, hard-hitting songs that started it all for Bach. And though he now has spent much longer as a solo artist than making three albums with Skid Row, Bach gave the filled lower level and the ghosts of the historic venue’s closed-off balcony what they came to hear with “Big Guns,” “Piece of Me,” and even the song Bach often put down during the group’s heyday, “Can’t Stand the Heartache” — a tune Jarzombek needed to familiarize himself with from scratch at the tour’s start due to it not being one of Skid Row’s major hits.

But the hits kept coming with “I Remember You” (ATM Facebook Live footage here), “Midnight/Tornado” and bonus tracks from the heavier sophomore effort with “Slave to the Grind,” Psycho Love” and “In a Darkened Room.”

While Jarzombek was a stick-twirling dervish frequently bashing the cymbals behind his head, Brent Woods handled all the guitar duties. Kevin Chown, meanwhile, was recruited on bass for the tour while regular bassist Rob De Luca continues to tour with UFO, which played the same stage nine days earlier. Chown used to back former Nightwish vocalist Tarja Turunen.

Calgary, Alberta, natives Kobra And The Lotus had the distinct honor of being the only support act on the bill. Led by founder and lone remaining original member in singer Kobra Paige, who was barely an infant when Skid Row hit the scene, the group’s hard rock style on “Burn,” “Velvet Roses” and “Liar” kicked into gear on finale “Get the Fuck Out Of Here” (not to be confused with Skid Row’s aforementioned “anthem”).

Unlike many ‘80s bands whose second albums didn’t stray too far from the sound of their successful debuts, Skid Row turned it up several notches on the lengthier Slave to the Grind — which featured Wednesday’s closer “Monkey Business,” preceded by Jarzombek introducing “Sebastian fucking Bach!” (watch here).

So if Bach and Jarzombek return to play that masterpiece all the way through in two years, the question won’t be whether Park Avenue will still lead to Skid Row. It’ll be, will Bach be just as intensely entertaining then as he was in 1989 — and 2019? Don’t bet against it.

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Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy spearhead Swedish invasion of Aztec

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Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy spearhead Swedish invasion of Aztec

Of all the sub-genres that seem to grow by the day, the one that seems the most fictitious and improbable of all would arguably be Viking metal. Because after all, what exactly is Viking metal?

Songs strictly about vikings? Imagery on stage of vikings? Sure, that might all accompany a mostly viking-themed performance. But what does Viking metal sound like? In that sense, a more apropos label, if those even matter in heavy metal, might be Swedish metal. At least for one particular tour that made its mark last Sunday night at the Aztec Theatre.

Playing drums aboard oversized viking horns, drinking alcohol (presumably) out of viking horns, performing at times amidst two sword-dueling vikings and backed by a creature with green eyes that, you guessed it, was viking-like in stature, Amon Amarth brought its Berserker tour and three bands from its native homeland as part of a Swedish invasion including Arch Enemy, At The Gates and Grand Magus (132-photo slideshow with setlists & videos below).

Led as always by vocalist Johan Hegg, Amon Amarth had no problems ensuring its Texas faithful indeed went berserk. They mixed three new tracks, including “Fafner’s Gold” and “Crack the Sky” (ATM Facebook Live footage here) with the anthemic “Shield Wall” and a slew of old favorites such as “Deceiver of the Gods,” and finale “Twilight of the Thunder God” in which the album cover’s dragon came to life (ATM Facebook Live footage here).

Headliners in their own right more often than not, Arch Enemy intensely shook the Aztec to its core behind the growling vocals of Alissa White-Gluz, band leaders in guitarist MIchael Amott and bassist Sharlee D’Angelo, Seattle native and former Nevermore and Sanctuary guitarist Jeff Loomis and drummer Daniel Erlandsson. Unfortunately, Arch Enemy was limited to approximately 45 minutes but made the most of it on “My Apocalypse,” “First Day in Hell” (ATM Facebook Live footage here) and “As the Pages Burn” and “Nemesis” (videos below).

Arch Enemy, whose members discussed with a small handful of reporters including ATM the world premiere of their LIve at Wacken DVD “As the Stages Burn” aboard the 70000 Tons of Metal cruise in 2017 (coverage here and here), even showcased their generosity in multiple ways. Not only did White-Gluz find time to literally reach out to a young female fan in the front row while in the midst of her searing vocals, but Erlandsson allowed At The Gates to utilize his drum kit for their set, which included “Cold” (ATM Facebook Live clip here).

The international flair and flavor of the four Swedish acts proved to be more than an entertaining night of hearing non-English, non-Espanol accents speak to an Aztec Theatre crowd for a rare occasion. It even resulted in more than a glimpse into viking lore. More importantly, it yielded an evening of metal that was brutal in both heaviness and bang for the buck. By viking, Swedish or any other moniker you choose to label it.

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Victorious Sky tour features a bit of honey, trains & plenty of rock

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Victorious Sky tour features a bit of honey, trains & plenty of rock

When Skillet and Alter Bridge announced a co-headlining tour in June, the Alamo City was on the docket to receive a power-packed duo. Both bands have played the Fiesta Oyster Bake (with Skillet headlining it in 2017; coverage here). Both have made their mark over the years on the rock charts. And both know how to deliver the goods on stage.

Armed with a band headed in the same direction in its own right, Dirty Honey, the Victorious Sky tour made its way to the Vibes Event Center parking lot last Saturday night. Named as such as a combination of album titles for Skillet’s 10th release Victorious that dropped Aug. 2 and Alter Bridge’s Walk the Sky that came out the day before the show, each artist played 75 minutes with Skillet going on last. The length of time proved to be the only aspect that linked both bands as co-headliners.

Not used to playing as early as 7:50-9 p.m., Alter Bridge put on a methodical (for them) performance. They had lighting that was more befitting of an opening act than a band of their stature, zero production and played with less energy and fire than these eyes and ears are accustomed to seeing and hearing from them. Walk the Sky is not nearly as strong an album top to bottom as predecessor The Last Hero, starting with opening track “Wouldn’t You Rather.” That was one of three songs performed from the new album (setlist and 88-photo slideshow below), though Alter Bridge’s energy did pick up on older tracks “Come to Life,” “Metalingus” and “Rise Today.”

While supporting an album that was only 24 hours old in the public eye, vocalist/guitarist Myles Kennedy, guitarist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips left tracks from The Last Hero off the menu. Had they gone on last or been the true headliner, that likely would not have been the case.

By contrast, Skillet came out blazing, had its full use of production and lit up the night’s victorious sky with bright lights and its patented risers utilized by rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Korey Cooper, lead guitarist Seth Morrison and unofficial fifth member, cellist Jonathan Chu. But it was singer/bassist John Cooper who made the biggest impression.

John Cooper, spouse of Korey, was a man possessed from the get-go, headbanging and powerfully singing on opener “Feel Invincible.” Cooper’s mojo never let up as he donned a smoke-blowing contraption on new track “You Ain’t Ready.” He gave his patented description of Texas having way better Mexican food than California, saying the latter “pretends” to have a good palate while jokingly asking the crowd not to put his comments on YouTube. He also waxed poetic, as is his custom, about the Lone Star being his favorite state to play but this time left his impression of former Britny Fox vocalist “Dizzy” Dean Davidson screeching “Fun in Texas” at home. Or maybe on the tour bus.

Even when Cooper mellowed for just a bit, he did so with passion. Cooper dedicated the title track to Victorious to the late Chester Bennington of Linkin Park, saying in part: “He wasn’t a friend. I never met him, unfortunately. But that’s what his music and lyrics did for me. So I’d like to dedicate this song to Chester and to anyone struggling with depression and suicide.”

With Korey Cooper demonstrating her own spark and energy on guitar and keys, drummer Jen Ledger, who is embarking on a solo side project, also made her mark behind the kit and with her backup vocals as Skillet shined on “Hero,” “Undefeated” and crowd favorite “Monster.” Another new track, “Legendary,” is currently lighting up the WWE Universe as the theme song to World Wrestling Entertainment’s “Monday Night Raw.”

Skillet’s energetic performance, however, was missed by a quarter to one-third of the amount of people who came strictly to see Alter Bridge, according to two sources. The downsizing proved to be the loss of those who left early and didn’t get their full money’s worth. But that didn’t include the train conductors.

That’s right. Train conductors.

The Vibes parking lot sits adjacent to railroad tracks, an all-too-familiar fact for Kennedy, who tried to joke about it during Alter Bridge’s set. After giving props to Dirty Honey and the actual headliners, Kennedy said, “Speaking of friends . . . was anyone here the last time we played here? I think we were doing a sensitive ballad or something. Woo hoo . . . honk, honk,” he said of the trains’ frequent presence. “Anyways, it’s back. Great,” he added sarcastically. Perhaps unbeknownst to Alter Bridge, this concert came five years and one day to the day of Kennedy’s referenced Fall Ball festival, which he discussed exclusively with me in November 2017 here. Drummer Scott Phillips also engaged ATM in conversation shortly after the 2016 Houston Open Air (listen here).

John Cooper got into the railway act as well when he told fans, “I’ve never played a concert with a train going by. My ADD is kicking in. All I can think about is songs with ‘train’ in them.” He then began to sing Blackfoot’s “Train, Train,” which was also covered by Warrant on its Cherry Pie album, before asking, “You remember that one? No? Oh well.”

Not to be outdone was Los Angeles blues quartet Dirty Honey. Armed with the task of warming things up for Skillet and Alter Bridge, Dirty Honey didn’t lack for bravado or confidence on stage. And with good reason.

Dirty Honey is the first band in the history of mainstream rock charts to have a No. 1 song — “When I’m Gone” — without being signed to a label. They already had familiarity with Kennedy, having opened for Slash, as well as supporting some band called The Who plus Guns N’Roses on the final two dates of the “Not In This Lifetime Tour” in Las Vegas.

For those locally who debated whether Alter Bridge should’ve been the true headliner, the bottom line was that you couldn’t go wrong with either band. Skillet has four consecutive albums that have reached gold or platinum-plus status, no small feat in this day and age. Alter Bridge’s resume speaks for itself, with Kennedy holding down the fort as the frontman for Slash while Tremonti leads his own Tremonti Project — not to mention the Creed trifecta of Tremonti, Phillips and Marshall. But yes, it would’ve been nice if both groups had equal headlining characteristics and gave performances worthy of such rather than simply sharing the amount of time they were on stage.

But again, Alter Bridge was playing one day after its new album dropped. This was Skillet’s time. You can bet your bottom dollar, or at least your train train, that AB will be back before the touring cycle is done. And hopefully then, media video footage will be allowed to present to you all.

SKILLET SETLIST: Feel Invincible, Not Gonna Die, You Ain’t Ready, Whispers in the Dark, Legendary, Awake & Alive, Back From the Dead, Save Me, Hero, Undefeated, Victorious, Comatose, Monster, The Resistance

ALTER BRIDGE SETLIST: Wouldn’t You Rather, Isolation, Come to Life, Pay No Mind, Rise Today, Addicted to Pain, Waters Rising, Take the Crown, Cry of Achilles, Blackbird, Metalingus, Open Your Eyes

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UFO, Last In Line exhibit how rock should thrive & revive

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UFO, Last In Line exhibit how rock should thrive & revive

If this truly is the way Phil Mogg plans on going out as the original frontman of UFO celebrating five decades, he did so Thursday night at the Aztec Theatre with a bang. In various ways.

His style. His effervescent English humor that makes him arguably the funniest frontman in hard rock and metal. And of course that smooth, classic voice. Mogg, 71, and his original cohort, drummer Andy Parker, brought their timeless band to downtown San Antonio for what’s supposed to be one last time with the soon-to-be-retiring Mogg, if not for the final visit altogether. And UFO may have saved its best Alamo City performance for last (36-photo slideshow with setlist & videos below).

Along with Last In Line, comprised of half of the original members of Dio in guitarist Vivian Campbell and drummer Vinny Appice, the old-school vibes and energetic presentation flowed freely inside an appreciative Aztec. Considering UFO’s tour was in peril six months ago, it was definitely one for the memory banks.

Mogg, Parker and longtime guitarist Vinnie Moore and bassist Rob De Luca endured the death of veteran rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Paul Raymond to a heart attack in April. He was 73. His passing came just after the band had completed the first leg of its tour in the UK. They decided to carry on in the form of Neil Carter, a much more lively version of the reserved Raymond, with Carter — who played on four UFO albums from 1981-83 — patrolling his side of the stage while often encouraging interaction from the crowd.

Shockingly, nary a mention of, or tribute to Raymond, came. Perhaps UFO wanted to keep things lighthearted and not be Debbie Downers, and maybe band members felt it was addressed enough on their website where Parker wrote in April in part:

“I am still trying to come to terms with the fact that I will never again share a stage with him. I have known Paul for a good many years and it would be fair to say that over that time we have had our differences. But even if we didn’t see eye to eye, we still remained good friends. He was always one to make his opinions known and could be very stubborn at times, but that was only because he was so passionate about his craft. Even in recent years, while suffering from the ailments that come to us all with age, he never let them compromise his performance. . . . Rest in peace my friend, you have earned it.”

By contrast, Last In Line, of course, exists due to Campbell and Appice honoring the legacy of, and the music they made with, the late Ronnie James Dio. Campbell, also still in Def Leppard for many years, has caught a lot of flak since forming Last In Line in 2012 and been referred to as a “money grabber” given that Dio fired him in 1986. But along with bassist Jimmy Bain, Campbell and Appice carried on to commemorate the first three albums they made with Dio — 1983’s Holy Diver, 1984’s The Last in Line and 1985’s Sacred Heart. After Bain died aboard one of Def Leppard’s cruise excursions, Campbell and Appice recruited Phil Soussan, who made his mark on Ozzy Osbourne’s 1986 commercially successful The Ultimate Sin.

Armed with vocalist Andrew Freeman, the group shined at the Aztec playing a mix of Dio classics such as “Holy Diver,” “The Last in Line” and “Rainbow in the Dark” with Last In Line tunes “Devil in Me” and Soussan’s tribute to Bain with “Starmaker” (ATM footage below) from Heavy Crown and II. Freeman brings his own style and sound to Last In Line as the band looks to move into the future with a modern rock sound while never forgetting its past. Watch ATM Facebook Live footage of closer “We Rock.”

UFO also mixed in the tunes they’re known for with a dab here and there from their more recent albums such as “Run Boy Run” and “Burn Your House Down.” They never show a trace of tiring from playing mainstays such as “Only You Can Rock Me” (footage below), “Lights Out,” “Love to Love” and “Too Hot to Handle.”

Mogg’s uncanny ability to entertain between songs complements the music. In 2011 at the South Texas Rock Fest at Sunken Garden Theatre, he introduced “Rock Bottom” by saying UFO enjoyed the other bands on the bill “as I’m going to enjoy my ‘Hustler’ magazine later” (ATM footage here).

On Thursday, with Moore poised to continue the group’s long-standing tradition of an extended version of that song, Mogg presented this disclaimer: “If anyone needs to pee, Vinnie’s going to be doing a solo in a while. The solo’s so long, you could take a holiday or have a baby, meet the parents, do Christmas. It’s a long solo.” At least Moore can take solace in the fact some San Antonians also appreciated his guitar work 13 months earlier when he headlined an instrumental set at the Rock Box with former Osbourne guitarist Gus G. (coverage here). And even after the trifecta of “Rock Bottom,” “Fighting Man” and “Doctor Doctor,” UFO added another tradition to end the night that surprisingly wasn’t on the printed setlist: “Shoot Shoot” (watch below).

Although UFO hasn’t 100 percent committed to adding its name to the list of bands that have made their final visits within the past four years — Motley Crue, Slayer, KISS — Thursday did appear to be the swan song for Mogg in San Antonio even if there was no formal mention of “farewell” or “goodbye.” So, that door may remain slightly ajar, even if it would seem unfathomable to watch UFO on stage without the only vocalist it has had since 1969. Either way, the night’s performance of both bands aptly described their genre.

Classic, hard and rockin’.

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Concept of celebrating 'Operation: Mindcrime' still resonates with Geoff Tate & S.A.

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Concept of celebrating 'Operation: Mindcrime' still resonates with Geoff Tate & S.A.

When it comes to history’s most iconic albums, Queensryche’s Operation: Mindcrime has reigned supreme in the hard rock/heavy metal conscience for 31 years. It’s gotten to the point where both existing factions of the band — Queensryche featuring replacement vocalist Todd La Torre and Geoff Tate’s Operation: Mindcrime — could play it in its entirety whenever they visit San Antonio, and no one would cry themselves a river.

The original voice on that concept album, Tate returned to the Rock Box last Sunday night and played it all the way through for the fourth time since 2013, and second time in 14 months (last year’s coverage here). And while the performance was similar every time, save for a couple of rare instances on this night where Tate may not have sounded as clean as in previous performances (but is still better than 90 percent of the vocalists out there), the method to the madness was different.

Last weekend was supposed to see the seventh annual River City Rockfest turning the Alamo City and AT&T Center grounds into the mecca of metal for two days. Instead, the festival was canceled in early summer, of which Tate was supposed to be a part playing an approximately 45-minute set. That meant he wouldn’t have had time to play Mindcrime in its entirety. But when the festival got axed, and Tate was offered a chance to return on his own, he swept up the opportunity with Irish guitarist/singer Mark Daly and locals Gandhi’s Gun, Hellgrimm and The Steel Soldiers providing support (see 37-photo slideshow of the three main acts below).

In 2014, Tate told ATM “the past is over” and that he was “definitely ready to move on from” Mindcrime. But he also conceded Mindcrime is what promoters buy and, in perhaps the understatement of 2014 that still applies in 2019, “Mindcrime is a very successful tour” (watch below).

Once again, Tate was backed by Canadian guitarist Scott Moughton, Scottish guitarist Kieran Robertson — who’s also the boyfriend of Tate’s daughter Emily Tate, who fronts Till Death Do Us Part with Robertson on guitar — and bassist “Smilin’ “ Jack Ross while being joined for the first time by Brendan Bell on drums. Tate even had longtime guitarist Kelly Gray in the house watching as a fan. Tate whipped through Side 1 of the album before offering his patented, “Shall we continue” prior to “The Needle Lies,” “Breaking the Silence” and the rest of the record (ATM footage below).

Perhaps because it was a Sunday night, Tate limited his encore to just “Silent Lucidity.” But while he visits San Antonio on an annual basis and even sometimes multiple times in one year, a return next spring might be even more exciting given that Tate will be playing all of 1986’s Rage For Order and 1990’s Empire each evening. For the first time in ages, Tate will be performing tunes such as “Gonna Get Close to You,” “I Will Remember,” “Hand On Heart” and “Anybody Listening?”

Daly, a southpaw acoustic guitarist, and his band made their first visit from Ireland to a crowd that was on the verge of becoming restless after three local openers in waiting for Tate. But with the exception of a couple of sarcastic apples in the crowd, Daly seemed to please if not impress the majority of the roughly 500 in attendance with his brand of rock.

Gandhi’s Gun, meanwhile, has opened for Tate and the other version of Queensryche on multiple occasions. That included Saturday night’s show with Queensryche in Cedar Park six days after warming things up for Tate. These eyes and ears have seen and listened to Gandhi’s Gun play in front of 10 people on a Sunday night at Boozehounds and open for Tate at the Aztec Theatre, and of course Sunday at the Rock Box. They’ve also made San Antonio proud by playing the Whisky on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip and filming a video there, and the band lived up to its energy again (watch “Broken” below).

The night concluded a back-to-back exhibition of Rockfest spillovers, with Jinjer having headlined the Rock Box’s Vibes Event Center the night before (coverage here). The shows bookended a long and tiring, but fruitful, weekend for Rock Box owners Micaela and Steve Rodriguez and their staff, not only making sure things ran smoothly for both shows, but simply getting the venue ready for Tate after Jinjer and its support acts nearly sold out the Vibes.

It may not have been the weekend that could have been. But for new-schoolers and old-schoolers alike, it delivered what fans came to hear.

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International flair of females brings roaring Vibes to Alamo City

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International flair of females brings roaring Vibes to Alamo City

The seventh annual River City Rockfest was all set to feature one of the most sought-after and intriguing bands to hit the scene recently for the first two-day Rockfest in San Antonio history last weekend. Except for one problem.

The Rockfest was canceled. Which led to the search and effort by Din Productions to atone for the cancellation by bringing some of those scheduled bands here on their own tours.

Jinjer was happy to oblige.

The quartet from the Ukraine, led by the mesmerizing vocal style of Tatiana Shmailyuk, swept into town, and demand was palpable. In what may have been the first metal show designed to be on the Rock Box stage of the Rock Box building, only to be moved to the larger Vibes Event Center within the facility, roughly 1,100 fans turned out last Saturday to hear and witness the Ukranian wonders.

Kansas City natives The Browning provided direct support in a shroud of darkness (watch ATM footage of “Awaken the Omega below), but it was Toronto quintet Sumo Cyco that had the crowd jumping early. Fronted by Catwoman-suit wearing Skye “Sever” Sweetnam, who body surfed her way into the audience on more than one occasion (see 80-photo slideshow below), Sumo Cyco increased the energy after locals Wulfholt and Desolate A.D. warmed things up. Watch Sumo Cyco perform “Move the Mountains” below and click here for Facebook Live footage of “Run With the Giants.”

While Sumo Cyco easily won over new fans with their energetic performance and meet-and-greet afterwards, it was Jinjer that most came to see. Set to release Macro on Oct. 25, Shmailyuk lured listeners in with her girl-next-door pink jumpsuit, white sneakers and sweetened clean vocals before unleashing her patented roars that would shame many death-metal male vocalists on tracks such as “Ape,” new single “Judgement & Punishment” and finale “Pisces.” Judge for yourself on ATM Facebook Live footage of “Dreadful Moments” and see the setlist in the slideshow below.

Guitarist Roman Ibramkhalilov, bassist Eugene Abdukhanov and drummer Vladislav Ulasevish brought their own sense of metal fury as Shmailyuk roared to her heart’s content in a nearly two-hour set. While many bands these days incorporate two singers splitting the clean and metalcore styles, Shmailyuk’s ability to handle both distinctively with ease by herself is a large part of the lure for Jinjer fans, making the band different than most.

Wulfholt and Desolate A.D. brought riffs, drums and heavy vocals to the local portion of the night, with the former band generating a slew of flying panties that made their way into the photo pit (see slideshow). Watch both bands in action, respectively, via ATM Facebook Live footage of “Volatility Quotient” and “Fight For Another Day.”

While the first of back-to-back Rockfest spillover shows delighted a near sold-out crowd that flowed into a room not originally anticipated, the entire weekend would not have been possible without the tireless work of Rock Box owners Micaela & Steve Rodriguez and their staff. In addition to making adjustments on the fly within the facility and ensuring admission was run as smoothly as possible, they had to turn things over immediately after the Jinjer show cleared out for Sunday night’s second spillover appearance of Geoff Tate’s Operation: Mindcrime.

Stay tuned for coverage of that show. And keep in mind that with a little more demand from the fans, those two acts won’t be the only Rockfest 2019 alums to actually appear on stage rather than just on paper.

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Zakk Wylde showcases wizardry of bloody Sabbath riffs

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Zakk Wylde showcases wizardry of bloody Sabbath riffs

From the precocious 19-year-old introduced to the world on a “Headbanger’s Ball” episode in 1988 as Ozzy Osbourne’s new guitarist, to a long-bearded, kilt-wearing, chest-pounding, six-string slinging maniac, Zakk Wylde has grown before our very eyes.

Wylde has played with The Ozzman Cometh for 20-plus years while fronting his own Black Label Society. Last Wednesday, however, he brought another faction to the Aztec Theatre — his tribute to Osbourne’s Black Sabbath days in the form of trio Zakk Sabbath.

Introduced by “That Metal Show” co-host Don Jamieson after part of the comedian’s opening monologue included the fact that Wylde once went 77 consecutive days without showering, the beast behind the axe took to the stage with his BLS bassist John “J.D.” DeServio and energetic drummer Joey C. In addition to the 2-hour plus performance of Sabbath tracks from the first four Osbourne-sung albums, Wylde gave fans a treat by including several rarities on the setlist while omitting entirely, or merely including a portion of riffs, of the likes of “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath,” “Black Sabbath,” “The Wizard,” “Symptom of the Universe” and “Sweet Leaf” — the latter revealed by Jamieson as his favorite Sabbath tune.

Opening with “Supernaut” (setlist in 30-photo slideshow below), Wylde often turned the Sabbath songs into his signature long but entertaining guitar jams and solos. Unlike with BLS, though, the more informal occasion of paying tribute to another band yielded the green kilt-wearing Wylde the freedom to play among the fans. And he liked it so much, he did it twice.

Wylde first went into the back of the general admission area during “Into the Void” and shredded away while fans encircled him while filming every note with their phones. As he walked back to the stage, Wylde played his axe behind his head the entire way. No professional media footage was allowed of the concert. But after rare track “Wicked World” and crowd favorite “Fairies Wear Boots” (ATM Facebook Live footage here), Wylde, who was often pegged as the favorite to replace the late “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott if Pantera had ever reunited, broke into a riff of “I’m Broken.” It was his only deviation from Sabbath material all night in a virtually non-stop exhibition of pure guitar madness.

DeServio, who was celebrating his birthday, became the recipient of a cake from Jamieson and crew members as he blew out the candles on stage. DeServio and Joey C., a wildman in his own right on the drums, were particularly impressive during finale “War Pigs.” That’s when Wylde left the stage again, this time using a security escort to visit the upper level of the Aztec, delighting fans up there. Wylde stood in the middle of the deck and riffed to his heart’s content before walking along the balcony railing and visiting those fans, security staff in hot pursuit. As Wylde eventually made his way out of the upper level, yours truly was the first to greet him in the hallway and received a sweaty fist-bump. Security continued to earn their keep as Wylde once again visited the center of the general-admission universe.

All told, the 15 to 20-minute solo had everyone fixated on Wylde to the point that some in attendance may not have realized DeServio and Joey C. never stopped playing throughout.

And with that, the Aztec Theatre was officially added to Zakk Sabbath’s San Antonio metal brotherhood chapter. And it was time for everyone to head home and hit the showers. Optional, however, for the man of the hour.

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Oft-maligned frontman leads charge as Muddfest brings back metal of 2000s

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Oft-maligned frontman leads charge as Muddfest brings back metal of 2000s

Perhaps more than any other act within the metal scene, it can be said that a Puddle Of Mudd concert can be intriguing as much for what could happen as for what actually does. That’s what comes with the track record of enigmatic singer, guitarist and band founder Wes Scantlin.

A frontman who has had more than his share of ups and downs, including bouts with the law and canceled shows, Scantlin has persevered through personal hard times and several lineup changes. He’s vowed that he has plenty more Rock N’ Roll to unleash, and the latest example will be the Friday the 13th release this month of Welcome to Galvania. But first, Puddle Of Mudd hosted its Muddfest last Tuesday night at the Aztec Theatre with Trapt, Saliva, Rehab and Tantric (see 45-photo slideshow below).

All eyes and ears were on Scantlin and his reputation for potentially being a ticking time bomb. For the most part, he passed with flying colors. Early on, Scantlin’s conversation with the venue that was more than two-thirds full on all levels seemed odd. At one point, he said San Antonio reminded him of Amsterdam and went on a brief diatribe while sticking out his blue tongue about how much he liked the latter city. That caused his bassist to give a look of bewilderment as he kept walking further back from his own mic until Scantlin was ready to begin the next song.

Other than that, Scantlin showed moments of gratitude and reflection. Oddly, during opening track and Puddle Of Mudd’s biggest hit “Control,” the band broke into Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” just prior to “Control’s” signature “I love the way you smack my ass” part. The choice and timing — barely two minutes into the show — of Scantlin already deviating from his own song was cause to think, “Oh, boy, here he goes again.” But alas, it merely served as a detour from the rest of “Control’s” rock and angst that helped make it a No. 1 tune on MTV and the charts in 2001. Ironically, as Puddle Of Mudd’s set began with a trace of Black Sabbath, Zakk Wydle’s Zakk Sabbath ended their electric performance with a 15-plus-minute version of the same Sabbath track the following night on the same stage.

Scantlin and his bandmates broke out other signature hits such as “She Fuckin’ Hates Me,” “Stoned” and “Livin’ On Borrowed Time” (ATM Facebook Live footage of both here) and the trio of “Bring Me Down,” “Psycho” and “Spaceship” (watch all below; setlist in slideshow).

Scantlin has had a love/hate relationship with San Antonio over the years. He played a solid gig during the 2010 Fiesta Oyster Bake but canceled a headlining 2013 Siesta Fest performance the night before when his rebellious nature got the best of him in another city. Puddle Of Mudd was supposed to take part in this year’s Oyster Bake as well, but the band could not get out of snowy Iowa in time and never made it to San Antonio. That one was out of Scantlin’s “control.”

But they made it up to the Alamo City at Muddfest. Through it all, Scantlin endured needless heckling from rotten apples in the crowd, one of which along the barrier yelled “You’re a dick” while another in the middle of the Aztec called him a drunk. Whether Scantlin chose to ignore them or heard them at all is something only he knows for certain. But for the most part, Scantlin delivered the goods on additional tracks such as new single “Uh-Oh” (which was on the setlist third-to-last but was performed second overall after “Control), “Away From Me” and smash hit finale “Blurry.”

The bill as a whole consisted largely of bands that had their heyday in the 1990s and early 2000s, perhaps best exemplified by Trapt, Saliva and Tantric. Trapt vocalist Chris Taylor Brown attempted to make a dramatic entrance from an opening underground, but it didn’t have the desired effect on the performance or crowd reaction, and he merely launched into “Still Frame” just as he could’ve done walking onto the stage.

Although those bands mostly had one or two hits that made them famous, they deserve credit for continuing to put out new music. However, they do mostly live off their past live. Although Trapt has been around for 20-plus years, they still felt the need to do a cover in Audioslave’s “Like a Stone.”

Saliva, however, was arguably the best band on the program and without a doubt the most energetic. Vocalist Bobby Amaru was fired up throughout the set and took it upon himself to bring a young child on stage for their biggest hit “Click Click Boom.” The same child, incidentally, was also brought on stage earlier this year by Hatebreed at Vibes Event Center. Saliva could very well have headlined a five-band mini-fest, yet still only played six tracks this night, including “Always” and traditional opener “Ladies & Gentlemen.” Afterwards, drummer Paul Crosby was out and about meeting with city insiders about potentially returning later this year or next year at a new venue to be determined.

The funky rap/metal of Rehab preceded Savlia, while Tantric and lone remaining original member Hugo Ferreira kicked things off at 6:25 p.m. The bill was similar to the Make America Rock Again tour of 2016 at the Rock Box that included Trapt, Tantric, Alien Ant Farm, Saliva and Crazy Town.

But Muddfest was all about Scantlin. With cell phones at the ready among an audience set to pounce and film any erratic action, Scantlin more than got the last laugh. He even made the crowd feel as if it was coming along for the ride in his own special spaceship.

“A lot of these songs that we’re playing for you guys were (ones that) big record executives (thought) they were fucking shitty,” Scantlin says in ATM’s clip below. “Until they went No. 1 a bunch of times. Thanks to you guys.”

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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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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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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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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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Into the Pit: Megadeth's David Ellefson

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Into the Pit: Megadeth's David Ellefson

The last place you might expect a member of the Big 4 of thrash metal to appear on tour could be a bar hidden in the corner of a small plaza off San Pedro Ave. But original Megadeth bassist David Ellefson didn't earn a reputation for being arguably the nicest guy in heavy metal purely based on playing stadiums the world over.

While Megadeth works on the follow-up to 2016's Dystopia, Ellefson is taking his signature basses across the country for a three-month "Basstory" trek, incorporating stories behind his riffs and classic songs into jam sessions on stage. The Alamo City was lucky enough to be one of those stops Friday night when Fitzgerald's hosted the man who's much more than Dave Mustaine's sidekick.

But it wasn't just Ellefson and a bass on stage.

Ellefson more than acknowledged local Megadeth tribute band Rust In Peace. He made the dreams of singer/guitarist Ozzy Espinoza, guitarist Mario Prz Jr. and drummer Miguel Morales come true by spending nearly 90 minutes on stage thrashing out to a medley of riffs and vocals such as "Tornado of Souls," "Five Magics" and "Rust in Peace . . . Polaris." The “band” even pulled out "The Conjuring," a tune Megadeth doesn't play live anymore due to Mustaine's born-again Christian status and his no longer being in tune with its lyrics.

Prior to jamming with Rust In Peace, Ellefson began his set in solo fashion, dusting off "Killing is My Business . . . And Business is Good" and "Hook in Mouth" (watch ATM Facebook Live footage of the latter here). Later, he was joined by Helstar vocalist James Rivera for several tracks, including “Loup Garou” and “Fatal Chances,” both performed for the first time ever off their 2006 Killing Machine record Metalmorphosis (see setlist in slideshow below).

Although Ellefson was booked inside Fitzgerald's while an American Warrior Fest celebration with acoustic country music was taking place in The Yard, many of those military folks came in to watch Megadeth’s bass rattlehead discuss his instrumental knowledge and showcase his skills. See some of what they saw by watching ATM’s footage of snippets of “Countdown to Extinction” and “Dawn Patrol” here.

Watch more of Ellefson in action with ATM's footage of "Wake Up Dead" and "The Conjuring" here. Afterwards, Ellefson met with fans, even saying goodbye to a pair of his signature basses (see slideshow). Then he acknowledged his support for the troops, explained the impetus behind Basstory, spoke about his autobiography "My Life With Deth: Discovering Meaning in a Life of Rock & Roll" and more in a chat with ATM upstairs in Fitzgerald's loft while local acts played below. Watch our conversation by clicking the video box.

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Thrash titans Slayer take tour mates and S.A. to hell one last time

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Thrash titans Slayer take tour mates and S.A. to hell one last time

The kings of thrash metal took their South Texas fans on one allegedly final speed-of-light ride into hell. And they brought along a few friends capable of assuming the role atop the throne. 

Having announced a farewell tour eight months ago, Slayer finally made it back to the Alamo City on Wednesday night, unleashing a 90-minute sayonara to an estimated 3,000 fans at Freeman Coliseum. Spreading hate worldwide, condemning religion and musically commentating on topics such as terrorism from the perpetrators' perspective since 1983, Slayer has been responsible for breaking necks along its 35-year path of destruction -- even causing its singer/bassist, Texas resident Tom Araya, to cease headbanging several years ago.

But that didn't stop a swell of moshers, stationary-yet-appreciative onlookers and those witnessing the hellacious thrashers for the first (and final) time from being a part of history. 

Not to be outdone were Lamb Of God, Anthrax, Testament and the only non-American band on the bill Napalm Death from Birmingham, England. But as Lamb Of God frontman D. Randall Blythe appropriately announced, the reason everyone was there was Slaaaaaayer!

Playing nine years and a day to their Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival performance next door at the AT&T Center, Araya and his original remaining cohort, guitarist Kerry King, were again accompanied by longtime Slayer drummer Paul Bostaph and veteran shredder Gary Holt. With an inferno being lit even prior to the curtain dropping, Slayer burst onstage with the title track to its latest and final album, 2015's Repentless, as it has been doing since its release. 

Araya was adorned in a "Slayer vs. Slayer" shirt from the infamous Nov. 30, 1984, show here at The Villa Fontana. That evening marked the only time Slayer and San Antonio's version -- which included Riot bassist Don Van Stavern, guitarist Art Villareal and Machine Head drummer Dave McClain and was named S.A. Slayer -- shared a stage, when the "real" Slayer was touring in support of debut EP Haunting the Chapel.

Along with the usual staples "South of Heaven," "Chemical Warfare," "Disciple" and "Dead Skin Mask" (see setlist and 191-photo slideshow below), Slayer dusted off a pair of tracks it hadn't played in several years: "Payback" and "Dittohead." As one who goes nuts for rarely played tracks from an artist witnessed live many times, those two were arguably the highlights of the night.

While Araya's screams throughout several classics are bone-chilling, his barking of "Payback's a bitch . . . motherfucker!" is just as menacing. Especially considering the track closes God Hates Us All, which was released the morning of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, something ATM spoke about with Bostaph as Holt listened during the 2015 Mayhem Fest (watch here).

"Dittohead," meanwhile, was effectively the track that began Slayer's less-popular mid-'90s era, though it's just as punishing. Lasting less than two minutes with Araya tearing through King's lyrics such as "This fucking country's lost its grip, sub-conscious hold begins to slip, the scales of justice tend to tip," it's no wonder Slayer does thrash like no other. Even the lines, "Here in 1994, things no different than before, violence is what we adore" can hardly be argued are as relevant today, if not moreso.

Slayer has never compromised its sound or style, or catered to the critics -- reasons just as viable for its devoted following worldwide as for the music. Wednesday's show was another example, as the band eschewed the common encore and simply tore all the way through its 19-song performance that included flames shooting out in tune to the riffs, such as on "War Ensemble" (ATM footage below).

Perhaps a harbinger of things to come in all genres of music, two sign-language interpreters have been present throughout the tour. Perched atop their own mini-stage, they mouthed lyrics and expressed their air guitar, drums, and even cello intro on Anthrax's "Be All End All." Lindsay Richards-Cross could be seen screaming out to one of Araya's patented chills, the ending to "Mandatory Suicide," as flames burst around the band (see slideshow).

But it was Blythe who acknowledged the interpreters better, and more, than any other artist. Not only was he the only one to do so, the Lamb Of God frontman dedicated "Walk With Me in Hell" to them, pointing to Richards-Cross and saying, "This one's for you, sister!" Blythe added: "They made 'Good Morning America' the last time we did this shit," referring to a viral video from the tour's June 20 stop at the Austin 360 Amphitheater. Toward the song's end, the dreadlocked Blythe leaped off the stage and ran to the interpreters' set-up, joining his female friend in rocking out, her face lighting up in smiles as they did so.

Along with guitarists Willie Adler and Mark Morton and bassist John Campbell, Lamb Of God again was supporting Slayer at the Coliseum as it did in 2006. This time, they were joined on drums by Art Cruz, who's filling in for Chris Adler on this leg. Cruz was here in the spring behind the kit when Prong co-headlined Paper Tiger with Helmet (coverage here). The VIP section of fans flashed their horns at Willie Adler on occasion (see slideshow) as they rocked to brooding opener "Omerta" plus "Now You've Got Something to Die For" and "512."

Blythe wrote "512" about "a little shitty place I spent some time in" as he said on the band's live version of the track from Bonnaroo in reference to his Czech Republic jail sentence in 2013 for a manslaughter case stemming from a 2010 concert there. He dedicated it Wednesday to Anthrax, as Blythe was also the only frontman on the bill to ask for applause for each of the other openers (ATM footage here). Lamb Of God also dedicated closer "Redneck" to the late drummer Vinnie Paul of Pantera and Hellyeah because "he loved this song."

Speaking of Anthrax . . .

Vocalist Joey Belladonna, lead guitarist Jon Donais, rhythm guitarist Scott Ian and bassist Frank Bello were accompanied by their own fill-in drummer in Testament's Gene Hoglan, who pulled back-to-back double duty. Hoglan presumably was filling in for Charlie Benante due to his bouts with Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, which Benante addressed with ATM during the 2015 River City Rockfest (watch here). He also spoke with ATM for AXS.com during last year's 70000 Tons of Metal cruise (watch here) prior to coverage of the bands' two sets (here).

Though Anthrax was the middle band on this bill, it would've been nice to see them break out a different song or two. While "Caught in a Mosh" and "Indians" (ATM footage here) are mandatory at every gig, it's perfectly OK if they give covers "Got the Time" and "Antisocial" a rest for good in favor of others from its vast catalog, especially when they only have time for seven tunes. Anthrax, too, gave an ode to Paul and his late brother "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott by opening and ending the show with the "Cowboys From Hell" riff. No words were necessary. The riff spoke volumes.

But it would be nice if Ian stopped asking the crowd if it likes or loves thrash metal, given that he's been asking that for the better part of the past five years. Less talking more stomping from the band's co-founding rhythm guitarist would suffice. Regardless, Anthrax is always a treat to see live. Let's just hope they mix up the setlist next go-round (watch ATM's 2017 interview with Belladonna and Donais here and listen to a 2016 chat with Bello here).

Testament, the second band on the bill, had the largest mosh pits (see slideshow) thanks to staples "Practice What You Preach" and "The New Order." Like Anthrax, they performed seven songs, but Testament found time to dust one off like Anthrax should have, as Testament brought back 1994's "Dog-faced Gods." Vocalist Chuck Billy, guitarists Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson, bassist Steve DiGiorgio and Hoglan always deliver no matter how much time they're allotted. Skolnick, in fact, will be delivering again in a different fashion when he brings his jazz fusion outfit, the Alex Skolnick Trio, to Fitzgerald's Bar on Thursday, Oct. 18 (tickets here). Peterson, meanwhile, is getting set for a Sept. 21 release of Dominion from his death-metal band Dragonlord.

Though Napalm Death had the unenviable task of a 4:30 set in the middle of the week, those who didn't have to work or simply blew it off caught the England deathcore band in fine form. Playing tracks such as "Standardization" and ending with an 80-second cover by The Dead Kennedys, Napalm Death picked up where Behemoth had left off on the first leg of this tour.

But in the end, it was all about Slayer's finality.

Though there was no mention, and none was expected, of original drummer Dave Lombardo -- who had several contentious back-and-forth dealings in his various stints but was no less of a contributor -- San Antonians will get their chance to see him with Suicidal Tendencies at the sixth annual River City Rockfest on Saturday, Sept. 22, outside the AT&T Center (tickets here). Original guitarist and chief songwriter Jeff Hanneman, however, received his tribute on closer "Angel of Death" with his name and "1964-2013" emblazoned on the logo in the shape of his favorite beer Heineken.

"Thank you. Thank you very much. We're going to miss you guys," Araya closed somewhat emotionally as he quickly walked off the stage. King took the opposite approach, triumphantly raising his arms and howling like a bear as Holt and Bostaph continued to toss out souvenirs. 

Considering Slayer's merch didn't make reference to this being a farewell tour, there's always hope for another visit. Or, more likely, some will end up joining the thrashiest band alive in the mosh pits of the abyss one day. Such folks can only hope they crank up the music down there, too.

SLAYER SETLIST: Repentless, Blood Red, Disciple, Mandatory Suicide, Hate Worldwide, War Ensemble, Jihad, When the Stillness Comes, Postmortem, Black Magic, Payback, Seasons in the Abyss, Dittohead, Dead Skin Mask, Hell Awaits, South of Heaven, Raining Blood, Chemical Warfare, Angel of Death

LAMB OF GOD SETLIST: Omerta, Ruin, Walk With Me In Hell, Now You've Got Something to Die For, 512, Engage the Fear Machine, Blacken the Cursed Sun, Laid to Rest, Redneck

ANTHRAX SETLIST: Cowboys From Hell riff/Caught in a Mosh, Got the Time, Madhouse, Be All End All, Evil Twin, Antisocial, Indians/Cowboys From Hell riff

TESTAMENT SETLIST: Brotherhood of the Snake, Rise Up, Dog-faced Gods, The Preacher, Practice What You Preach, The New Order, Over the Wall

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