May 2008




The streets of Hollywood, California, are known as the most famous and most popular. Hundreds of famous celebrities have come and gone, even various musicians have step foot upon the many stages of the many known clubs located throughout Hollywoodland. But one club in particular will be destroyed by all others with a festival dedicated to the most brutal type of music known to mankind.... HEAVY METAL! The Church of 8th Day proudly presents The Los Angeles Murderfest Version 4.0. Returning for its fourth year with a line up you'll never forget. Three days of total chaos starting off April 18th at the Knitting Factory on Hollywood Blvd, the two stages were covered with from front to back with metal-heads of all ages.
Tearing up the night of night number one was "The Red Chord" playing a 30 minute set list getting the crowd pumped for the following days of the rest of the mayhem. The first night was a good jet start but the real fun was about to take place the next afternoon. As soon as the doors opened at 2PM April 19th the venue was packed with merchandise booths in every direction selling hundreds of CD's, T-Shirts, DVD's, etc. The two stages were the center of the action. The main highlights of the night were Los Angele's own "Letum Ascensus" playing a 25 minute set giving two special shout outs for be a returning band for the festival for three great years, and for the new release of their debut album "Reflections of Torment." Letumn Ascensus has tired their very hardest playing as many gigs as possible selling their merchandise and touring all over but all their hard work finally paid off fans went crazy getting thrown around in the pit picking fellow moshers up after falling down. But the whole room was enjoying the performance from start to finish.
One of the major highlights of the second night of metal force was "Vital Remains." Vital Remains took over the venue doing a 45 minute set list getting the venue in motion in every possible way. Fans came rushing in getting tossed around in the pit and shouting at the tops of their lungs until their faces turned red soaked in sweat. Vital Remains sang some of their best hits including "Icons of Evil," "Dechristianize," and "Born to Rape the World," just to name a few. The second night of Murderfest was a brutal match up to its opener Friday night but what will become of the last night?
The last night came and went arriving on April 20th, again the venue was packed with every possible metal head in the Los Angeles area. Dressed in their heavy metal attire bullet belts to metal T-Shirts the whole works. Some of the heaviest acts that grabbed the night were "Watch Me Burn", performing a set getting the crowd generated wanting more! Watch Me Burn have recently released their very own debut album this past September "At The Stake," and performed their smash hit "Mandrake."
The last night of Murderfest included a lot of famous headliners. "Cattle Decapitation" performed a 45 minute set as the front room erupted with screams and shouts from all angles people getting thrown around like rage dolls. Cattle Decapitation growled their way into some their famous tunes "To Serve Man," "Reduced to Paste," and "Testicular Manslaughter." Another famous headliner was "Napalm Death," also doing a 45 minute set with some of their most brutal hits. Everyone in town could hear these guys when they jumped on stage getting the whole venue shaking with twists and turns of head-bangers to the growling taunts of crazed fans. Napalm Death sang "Scum," "Greed Killing," "Silence Is Deafening," and "Suffer the Children." The last night was the one night of total mayhem but altogether the sights and sounds of this festival will not be the last.



I attended the fifth annual winter festival known as the "Taste of Chaos." The first time I went was back in 2005 when "My Chemical Romance/The Used" were the headliners and that was an awesome gig! But this year was totally different! Of course the tour took place at its annual spot the Long Beach Arena and hundreds of fans from across the Los Angeles Country came to witness the amazing line this years chaos had to offer!

The doors opened at 4:15PM and started off with "Local Battle of the Bands Winner's" "Plane's Crash" playing from 5:00 to 5:20PM getting the crowd hyped for the rest of the night! Next on the list were Japan rockers "D'espairsray" playing from 5:20 to 5:50PM. Next up "Idiot Pilot" playing from 5:50 to 6:15PM, then two more Japan rock stars "MUCC" who played from 6:15 to 6:45PM and then "The Underneath playing from 6:45 to7:15PM. After the opening acts all had their fame and shine from their beloved fans and new fans the main attractions were about to unfold.
U.K. thrashers "Bullet For My Valentine" rocked the arena from 7:15 to7:55PM with the following rock list from their smash albums "The Posion" (2005) and newest release 'Scream, Aim, and Fire" (2008).

Scream Aim Fire
Disappear
Four Words To Choke Upon
Tears Don't Fall
Suffocating Under Words of Sorrow
Say Goodnight
Eye of the Storm
Hand of Blood
Waking the Demon

Next was "Bless the Fall" rocking out from 7:55 to 8:25PM with their awesome set list of the following:

Guys Like You Make Us Look Bad
Higinia
His Last Walk
Rise Up

Then "ATREYU" rocked the party from 8:25 to 9:20PM with their amazing sing a long of tracks from their oldest to newest albums to date! The pits were crazy and the crowd surfing was intense but everyone had an amazing time either way! Their set was as follows:

Doomsday
Bleeding Mascara
Falling Down
Lose It
Right Side of the Bed
Blow
When two are one
The Crimson
Ex's and Oh's
Becoming the Bull
Lip Gloss and Black

Last but not least was Long Beach's very own "AVENGED SEVENFOLD" playing an amazing set from 9:45 to10:55PM and they totally went all the way with filing their LIVE DVD for a later release! The whole arena was smoking with flames and shouting from the bottom to the top! A7X will ever rock our world! Their set list was as follows:

Critical Acclaim
Second Heartbeat
Afterlife
Beast and the Harlot
Scream
Brompton Cocktail
Bat Country
Gunslinger
Seize the Day
Almost Easy
Unholy Confessions
A Little Piece of Heaven