From: msisneros@pomona.claremont.edu
Subject: L.A. local action, a weekend of metal thrashing madness
Organization: Pomona College
Date: 8 Apr 92 23:43:59 PDT

Los Angeles has far the biggest music scene that I've seen in my whole
short lifetime.  Although much of it is a pile of crap, I have found
myself rather mesmerized by it, and has thus recently decided to hit a
few clubs to check out what it's really about.  If anyone is thinking of
coming to LA with their band, perhaps my blabbing will help you see what
sort of competition is out there.  At any rate, I love to see shows and
I love to muse over them after the fact.  You all in computerland are
the ears I have chosen grate upon on this merry occassion...

	Bananaz is a club in Santa Ana, a fairly new one at that, and a
great place to see a show.  It's small enough so that there is a certain
amount of intimacy between band and audience, but it's large enough to
draw major label bands in.  On this particular occassion, I had come to
see Armored Saint, a band I'd heard songs from several years ago
("Chemical Euphoria", "You Can Run but You Can't Hide"), but from whose
collection I didn't own anything.  Opening for Armored Saint was three
local bands, Chapter VII, Stranger, and Kill-era, which pretty much
seemed to represent the good, the bad, and the mediocre, respectively. 
Chapter VII was surprisingly good.  I'd heard of them, since they
originate in nearby Alta Loma, but I didn't hear any reviews of them. 
This band had their act together musically.  The singer, Jared Bishop,
reminded me of Eric A.K. of Flotsam and Jetsam, and the music backing
him had to have been inspired by the likes of Metallica, Testament, and
others which I refer to as "Mainstream Thrash" (sorry, CBLANC, but
that's my classification for it).  They didn't sound like a local band. 
Anyway, if anybody is interested in obtaining their demo, I have the
address to write to, just let me know (msisneros@pomona.claremont.edu)
if you're interested.  They're something worth checking out, and I would
definitely see them again.  Stranger was bad.  Musically they were
boring.  They were a little softer than the previous band, and maybe
they seemed worse because Chapter VII kicked some major ass.  The singer
had a good stage personality and tried to draw people into the band with
jokes and personal referrences, but the music lacked the real hook he
needed to spear the crowd.  The songs had a backbone of talent but
lacked the hook.  Now, I know I'm asking for trouble in this particular
newsgroup by saying that band should have some sort of hook to draw in
the crowd, but it's true.  Some bands have too big of a hook (too
commercial), but all bands need some sort of hook, or nobody would be
captured by their music and you'd have a music business made up
completely of Stranger-type bands.  They were really boring.  I mean, I
love shows, but I found myself wandering the club, checking out the male
population rather than watching the show.  Re-working could make them a
little better, because indeed the competance is there, but until then,
this band is certainly a thumbs down.  As for Kill-era, they were
generic thrash (my term for "thrash", which to me encompasses bands such
as Exodus, later Slayer, Heathen, etc.).  There was little that stood
out from them, except for the good-looking bass player.  They were
heavy, and had a small hook, But they were not original enough to
warrant any attention other than the blond bass player.  Needless to
say, Armored Saint kicked some major tail out the window.  I was wholly
impressed, so that now I have to fill my CD collection with their stuff. 
And the bass player had a lot of personality, laughing and joking about
with both the audience and his bandmates, as well as retreating to the
drum riser and absorbing himself in his own groove.  (sorry, partial to
bass players...)
	I was certainly out to see the shows last weekend, for the
following day, I caught a gig by LA's own Motorpsycho (for free) at a
Tower Records store in West Covina.  I didn't think that a store would
host a show, but lo and behold, a stage was set up, racks of CDs were
moved into some sort of chaos to clear a "floor" to support the populace
(and an unexpected by Tower mosh pit).  I'd heard "Thunderhead" from
them on the radio, and thought the song was okay, but nothing
remarkable.  However, hearing it performed with the rest of their songs,
and hearing it live, it took on a whole new feel.  I guess I can say I
"understand" what they're trying to do, having seen them live.  I was
impressed.  The show was not a major smoke-filled, hot colored light
production, but the energy and feel was there, despite Tower's records
to crush any audience enthusiasm.  Not bad for free, and i think I will
invest in Wrenched from that band as well.
	The same night I went to a club called Jezabel's in Anaheim (you
know, where Disneyland is located) because a band called Laaz Rockit,
whom I've been a fan of for a few years, was advertised to be playing. 
Laaz Rockit, Evil Dead, and Attaxe were on the bill, according to BAM
magazine, one of my major local scene sources (yes BAM in LA...).  Well,
much to my disappointment, Laaz Rockit didn't play.  Neither did Evil
Dead, and Attaxe made a valiant effort.  I dunno what happened to Laaz
Rockit or Evil Dead, but when I got to the club the bill consisted
solely of local bands (it was "speed metal night"), Corruption, Attaxe,
and Gadnium.  Corruption, sporting a generic speed metal name, also
played a generic show.  They played too fast to establish any sort of
hook or any sort of recognition of their songs.  Speed is great, but
faster than light so that it's unrecognizable, intangible is
destructive to what you're trying to do in the first place, which is to
make music.  Had they slowed down at least 10 bpm they could have
established something.  One song, which the tempo was slower,
was memorable, called "Not in Ink" but the rest of the set whizzed by in
an incoherent blurr.  Attaxe's show was memorable, even though they
played only one song.  I can't make judgements on their music by one
song, but their attempt was memorable.  The bass player/singer came out
in a jacket and tie, long black hair slicked back and tied into a pony
tail, eyes hidden by dark glasses, and he walked with an air of
confidence and indifference.  He stood on center stage, calmly,
placidly, and belted out aggressive vocals as he stiffly fingered that
bass.  His cohorts were your typical thrash/speed musicians, balls of
grunge and hair, thrashing about on stage like madmen, a contrast to
their joe cool singer.  Well, technical difficulties arose, and while
the rest of the band scurried about to fix them, that bassist/singer
just stood there, rooted, right in center stage, without an expression
on his face, saying not a word, but slowly moving his head back and
forth.  He looked like a statue up there.  The audience harried him, but
he kept it up, until the set started to come down, and then he
inconspicuously vanished into back stage never never land.  I thought
that was a cool thing to do.  I mean, even if they did not do their
entire set, they were still a success because they got at least somebody
to remember them.  I'd like to see them again just to see if the joe
cool image is a part of the performance or just on that occassion, and
of course to see what they really sound like.  Gadnium, compared to
Corruption, was much better.  They had a little more flavor, a little
more of a hook, shall I say, constantly referring to that ever important
hook that makes music accessible, even in a genre such as speed metal. 
The singer looked like the ultimate sleaze king thrasher, and had a
voice to match, which is good, and the bass player, who looked like a
punker dude with his shaved military haircut and camoflage pants,
sporting a brand new Charvel bass with an artery pattern on it that,
from a distance looked way cool (sorry, again, partial to bass players),
provided strong backing vocals as well as a strong bass line.  I don't
think they were the best speed band in the world, but they were good
compared to Corruption.  I would not mind seeing them again.  The last
song in their set was excellent, although I didn't catch the name of it.
	That's all for the news on the street.  If anyone has any
suggestions of L.A. local bands that i should see (some one else's band
or your own), do let me know.  I'm a sucker for a good violent metal
assault.  Also, if anyone knows why Laaz Rockit didn't play April 4th at
Jezabel's, could you let me know?  This is Mel from Hell signing off,
and going to bed!!

				luv, Mel
Newsgroups: alt.rock-n-roll.metal.heavy,alt.rock-n-roll.metal,alt.thrash