Zakk Jones and Dave -
July 9, 2005PoundSF, San Francisco -- Below is Part One of our coverage of the Thrash Against Cancer benefit show in San Francisco. Part Two will be published later this week. Be sure to check our photo gallery for more pictures of this event.
July 9, 2005. San Francisco. The Pound.
No introduction necessary -- Steve "Zetro" Souza |
Testament. Hirax. Agent Steel. Laaz Rockit, and a slew of the Bay Area’s most promising local metal acts on a single 11-hour bill. This one may be in the books, but few shows will be as immortalized on as many t-shirts as Thrash Against Cancer, and the double-staged compound at 100 Cargo Way without a doubt has the scars to prove it.
Organized by Bay Area resident and unabashed thrasher Keith Regan, TAC was the culmination of his efforts to raise money for the families of cancer sufferers. Regan’s own son, Cole, was himself a cancer patient who passed away in July of last year.
Announcing the event for the day’s faithful was none other than Steve “Zetro” Souza, a Bay Area metal institution since the early 80s, probably best-known for his stint as the singer for thrash titans Exodus. After welcoming the early afternoon crowd to this soon-to-be historic occasion, he was quick to introduce the day’s first band, Mystic Rage.
The East Bay trio has been in this for the fun of it since the very beginning, it seems. That, or fame has eluded them for so long that they’ve come to grips with (perhaps eternally) slogging it as a local band. Cynical as that sounds, it’s tricky not to get a little caught up in Mystic Rage’s simple, if formulaic, punk-heavy sound. Most of the three-piece’s output is quite frankly identical, utilizing a simple combination of downtuned power chords, rudimentary drum patterns, and mostly barked vocals. The lone exception to the rule was “Sand and Mud,” which sounded strongly reminiscent of Prong circa the “Cleansing” era.
Gearing up next were Righteous Sire, a gaggle of old schoolers who appeared to be in their mid-30s at youngest. They still managed to rock out with more fervor than other bands half their age, projecting a raucous, hedonistic atmosphere with amusing song titles to match (let’s hear it for “Rat Poison Stew”). Though definitely metal enough to bang heads and pump fists to, it was initially difficult to find Righteous Sire’s place in this lineup, until their lead singer took pause to remember his sister, who had fallen ill and died of cancer. Given the theme of the day (which the subsequent bands would not let the audience forget), their inclusion in the lineup wasn’t so far-fetched after all.
The last song of Righteous Sire’s set cleared the way for the day’s first true thrash band, Anger As Art. Fronted by Steve Gaines (formerly of Abbatoir and Pagan War Machine, among others), this Southern California quartet has a transparent affinity for the thrash of old, breakneck tempos, staccato guitar work, warts and all. Indeed, the double kick rolls could be felt from the ground up. A touch of the melodic was also served up, well-placed guitar harmonies and solos seldom missing their mark. As the heaviest band thus far, Anger As Art were determined to leave a plus-sized boot print on the ass of the daytime crowd, which was still just getting warmed up as the day went on.
The female-fronted, decked-in-denim Dreams of
Dreams of Damnation's Loana dP Valencia and Jim Durkin |
Damnation (gotta love that alliteration) were opening their set just as Anger As Art were hitting the homestretch of their last song. This resulted in some minor schedule conflicts throughout the day and into the evening, but made sure that the show kept going full steam ahead. Death-influenced thrash was DoD’s specialty, which ought to surprise no one, considering the presence of ex-Death Angel guitarist Jim Durkin. The music itself is rooted in 80s thrash (surprise, surprise), owing quite a bit to its connection with the now-defunct LA unit. Vocalist Loana dP Valencia is a veritable monster at the mike, growling and screeching with the best of them while commanding a respectable stage presence.
Their pedigree in mind, Dreams of Damnation were one of the best surprises of the afternoon. Even if a lot of their output sounds recycled or refracted through old lenses, it’s still tight and heavy as hell, which earned the band the honor of inciting the show’s first real mosh pit.
Imagining this show happening without Kaos is to imagine a steak dinner without the A1 sauce. It just doesn’t happen. Kaos were built for these kinds of gigs, and they came ready. Having witnessed two well-oiled, straight-up thrash machines back to back by this time, the crowd was thoroughly pumped and ready to show its appreciation for the Bay Area vets.
Once again proving themselves one of the hardest working and most consistent bands in the scene, Kaos exploded onto the stage with the energy that’s become their hallmark. Lead vocalist Jason Darnell’s style is admittedly something of an acquired taste, but his charred wails of anger and torment find their place in the amalgam very quickly. The rest of the band remains in top form, executing wild tempo changes with ease and gusto to spare. Even after being in the game for nearly 20 years, Kaos can still blow younger bands right off the stage and back into their parents’ basements.
One of the day’s highlights came with Kaos’ cover of the Vio-lence classic “Kill On Command,” complemented sharply by Darnell’s spot-on imitation of Sean Killian, one of the most notoriously bizarre frontmen in the annals of Bay Area thrash. The crowd responded warmly by starting the biggest mosh pit of the day so far.
Neil Turbin and fellow Deathrider Kurt James |
Almost immediately after Kaos played their last note, Neil Turbin’s Deathriders kicked into their outdoor set. The leather-clad Turbin spent the first five minutes of the set trying to get a working microphone, and it was a surreal sight to see him belting out his vocals but not hearing a syllable. The original Anthrax frontman hadn’t been seen around these parts in some time, and the truly old school welcomed his return, which included tracks from his album Threatcon Delta, as well as a smattering of Anthrax classics like “Metal Thrashing Mad” and of course “Deathrider.”
Speaking of old school, around here they don’t come much more old school than Brocas Helm, a cult favorite with the Lucifer’s Hammer crowd and the butt of many a good-hearted joke, from Derek Smalls look-alike bassist Jim Schumacher to the band’s penchant for releasing seven-inch vinyl but no CDs. The band played 20 minutes of their classic fantasy metal, including “Defender of the Crown”, and the title track from their soon-to-be-rereleased “In the Battle” LP. If you want to see the living embodiment of every metal cliché ever, you’ve got to see Brocas Helm – since many of those clichés probably started with this long running act, who I’m told are quite big in Greece.
The ever-so-slightly younger Agent Steel headed up the main stage as Brocas Helm concluded. After gaining some prominence in the mid-to-late 80s as a not-quite-thrash, not-quite-traditional metal band, Agent Steel disbanded following the release of 1987's "Unstoppable Force," reportedly due to disputes involving singer John Cyriis. Resurfacing in 1999 and releasing two full-length albums since, the Los Angeles-based band looks to have made a successful return to active duty, based on the reaction they received Saturday afternoon.
The stand-out ingredient here is singer Bruce Hall, who is an effective frontman, but sometimes to a fault. Undoubtedly a master of the Heavy Metal Wail -- you know, “AaAaAaAaAaAaAaAH!” -- Hall unfortunately fancied the technique a little too much. As was obvious Saturday, he has much better, more controlled performances in him, and doesn’t need to use vocal tricks as a crutch just to achieve maximum effect.
Otherwise, Agent Steel were as airtight and technically sound as a group of metal warhorses of this caliber ought to be, given their experience. The riffs were heavy, the solos fast, and the heads banging, rightfully so.
Many of us decided to forsake the closing moments of Agent Steel’s set in order to get a good spot inside for the mighty Dekapitator, something that didn’t go unnoticed by vocalist/guitarist Matt
Dekapitator |
"Hellfiend" Harvey, who cracked wise about it before leading the band into “Haunted by Evil” and getting what may well have been the first truly rabid response of the day. Apocalyptic thrash will do that to a group of drunken metalheads; that and the fact that the band usually only comes out of hibernation for a few months out of the year, guaranteeing the preservation of their classic denim vests and old-school metal shirts. These four guys tore through a set that included tracks from their cult-classic, out-of-print “We Will Destroy . . . You Will Obey” album, and a smattering of new tracks they have been working on, like “Earth Scorcher,” “Screams From the Holocaust,” and “Toxic Sanctuary.” After closing the set, both band and fans alike made a hasty retreat, for history was about to take place on the outdoor stage.
Check in later this week for reports on Laaz Rockit, Mudface, Hangar 18, Imagika, Hirax and Testament! In the meantime, browse Powerslave's photo gallery to see more pictures from Thrash Against Cancer.
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