At the start of the New Year that is currently 2025, Northern Californian’s Exodus would announce two California showcases for the late spring/early summer time frame. These shows taking place in Berkeley, California April 25th and Anaheim, California April 26th. These two special California shows would be in celebration of the 40th anniversary of their debut album “Bonded By Blood”, released back in 1984! But not only would these shows be in celebration of an anniversary of sorts but a birthday as well, celebrating the 65th birthday of the band’s original vocalist Paul Baloff, who had died of a stroke back in 2002. These set of shows being set around that singer’s birthday of April 25th, what a better way than to celebrate with some showcases, the Anaheim one would feature thrash iconics Death Angel, along with Hirax, and Nukem!
Grabbing tickets just in time, with an added VIP bonus, getting access to the balcony section of the Anaheim House Of Blues was sure a treat, with lots of tricks done by the bands tonight. Lines were forming around the outside of the venue, one for main entry, fast lane, and VIP lines were slowly forming every which way. VIP would be admitted, then all else, once inside, drinks and some food was available in one of the many rooms, with the main music hall being in the next room. After getting up to the second floor, passing through one of the former rooms, making way into the music hall, and getting seated was flawless.
Getting some grub and drinks, the show would start at 7PM, the opening band being thrash Californians Nukem, kicking off the night with such energy it made the crowd purely overjoyed. The slowly forming crowd, would gather around, headbanging, jumping, and running in the mosh pit, showing their love for this particular band. Their performance was captivating and highly entertaining, making their momentum being nothing but music! Even the vocalist said they were going to do nothing but play and not talk and that is how it turned out. The crowd has fun, and so did the band so both sides won.
NUKEM:
Next up would be thrashers Hirax, who rarely play shows as it is sadly. But once they hit the stage next roughly around 7:45PMish, things would go insane! Everyone on the floor would erupted with crowd surfing, stage diver, mosh pit craziness, and total chaos from all sorts. The crowd could not get enough of the angst and energy that came from these guys. Having a recent line-up change and new album release, Hirax threw together a show tonight that made everyone want so much more, but it could not happen sadly enough. But they did not disappoint, being the one’s that tore the place down, getting everybody upstairs and downstairs overly excited and never wanting it to end.
HIRAX:
Following would be thrash icons Death Angel, performing for an hour straight of nothing but headbanging goodness. Their set had the vocalist jumping up and down, to singing his lungs out, giving such a performance it was unbelievable. Such energy was floored literally upon the said floor by the crowd, so much mosh pit action taking place, the band gave it their all. Lots of fast paced momentum that it made their performance that more energetic. They brought a mix bag of material played, with everyone wanting so much more, it made the performance that much more fun.
DEATH ANGEL:
Ending off the evening would be thrashers Exodus, celebrating of course, that they would play working’s off their album “Bonded By Blood”, along with other hits, that again the whole room was into them. Such fierce energy was set off, even the band’s own beach ball’s were thrown into the crowd at the end, everyone being joyous about them, that they were tossed all over the place. So much circular mosh pit action was happening as well, it made their performance amazing to witness. This band was so enchanting that even their merchandise line was out the door. That is how much fun these guys tend to be with their thrashy goodness. It is also worth noting that one of their other vocalists that has filled in named Rob Dukes, made a comeback to take over once more. He didn’t expect it to happen yet hre is is back again and tonight he brought it. Such fierce high powerful angst of energy that it felt good seeing Exodus with him again, not seeing him play with the band since back in 2010.
EXODUS:
1. Bonded By Blood
2. Exodus
3. And Then There Were None
4. A Lesson in Violence
5. Metal Command
6. Pleasures of the Flesh
7. Brain Dead
8. Hell's Breath
9. Piranha
10. No Love
11. Deliver Us to Evil
12. He's a Women - She's a Man (Scorpions Cover with Death Angel Vocalist Mark Osegueda)
13. Impaler
14. Strike of the Beast
Post a Comment