Over 50 different types of bands to perform, over 50 different types, you give one a chance and if you dislike you have over 50 more to explore. This was the case in terms of the California Metal Fest which held its annual festival as it has done over the past three years with this year being its fourth installation and what of an event it turned out to be – for once California all untied as one!
Gathering in metal heads of all shapes and sizes and people of all ages everybody who was anybody had swamped the two location hot spots of where the festivities were about to be consumed, the Fox Theater as well as its partner the Glass House both were the two contributors when it come to the stage set-up located in Pomona, California. The Glass House had done its duties of being known as the “side stage” whereas the Fox Theater had taken its role as being the “main stage”.
With two stages and over 50 acts performing there was no telling as to where this would all end let alone even begin. But with every beginning there is always an ending so with that said, all of the fun and activities went down on the weekend of May 15-16. Day one had done the honorable mentions of hosting the heavier portions of the festival with such acts as… Arsis, Carnifex, Job for a Cowboy, Cattle Decapitation, Whitechapel, Dying Fetus, with headliners of that evening Fear Factory. Whlist the main stage was clearly being taken care of the side stage of the first day of festivities had done its job quite well in the long-run with such performers as Misery Index, Conducting from the Grave, Skinlab, and Gaza among others who gave it all they got when it came to performance technique.
One of the major highlights of the first day of activity was brought on by metalcore death metallers, Carnifex who brought on not just one but a total of three different mosh pits so to get a better idea of what that must have looked like just picture Mickey Mouse’s head and you should get an idea of what went down during their set-up. While each band was given only a 20 minute set each band managed to dish out quite a performance Carnifex being one to take care of that, as well as Arsis, who kept the crowd on their toes throughout their set. The aggressiveness continued with Misery Index and Skinlab as well as with Conducting from the Grave all of which presented themselves quite well delivering an intense but aggressive performance that kept the energy flowing long into the night.
But the night wasn’t quite over yet because with the helping hand of an act that has been around for some time there is not a lot to be said except two words, Fear Factory. While they are known to be quite the entertainers their get-up was well rounded off to be a set-list comprising of a lot of their older material to please the fans who had been there since the beginning – hence the birth of when Fear Factory had begun.
Though all of the fun was now said and done for day number one, what was to become of day number two? Well let’s say a not as heavy performance rooster but a rooster filled with the likes of people wanting to just bounce all day and all night. That’s what went down in this scenario – day number two of the California Metal Festival had gathered nothing but hardcore performers there were a handful of metal related performers within the gap but most of it was given to the hardcore round-up.
While this tended to be a downer at times it wasn’t as impressive as its counterpart – day number two did share its moments here and there with such performances Upon a Burning Body a metalcore act from Texas while the stage had been torn to pieces with the likes of Oceano – both of these bands alone tore everything up with their intensity of performance abilities it was intimidating. After their set-ups had been wiped clean the likes of other bands such as Stick to Your Guns, Born of Orsis, The Faceless, and headliners Bleeding Through, the Fox Theater was the place to be.
Whereas the glass house managed to keep its crowd of on-lookers at bay with such acts as First Blood and Earth Crisis it was clear as day/night as to which of the two stages had its share of viewers. Speaking of which, First Blood who come from up North (San Francisco) terrain had truly kept up the pace and energy throughout their given set time the glass house literally spilling everywhere in sight with fans pushing and tumbling onto one another one fan wanting to get into a fight with the security guards. It was a hell of a sight, as the night continued to roll on but was drawing to a close, Earth Crisis had closed the doors on the Glass House that night delivering an intense but an ever-lasting set that didn’t want to quit.
When their set was all said and done the Glass House had closed its doors and all that was remaining were the doors to the Fox Theater and everybody knew what was going down within its solid walls, the undertone of Bleeding Through! One of California’s finest – Bleeding Through delivered an hour long set exposing to their alluring fans the many hits that have made them who they are today. With the sights and the many sounds of the variety of bands that had been welcomed to play this honorable event it was a day and a night unlike anything you ever witnessed.
Literally showcasing that raw and emotional context of what being in a band is truly all about.
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