Subject: Metal and Hardcore

• The Devil Plays for Mater Dei

  Mater Dei High is a haven for cover-ups (see our Ex Cathedra archives), but none are lamer than the one attempted by head football coach Bruce Rollinson in today's typical OC Register Mater Dei blowjob. Register sports writer Carlos Arias (who is a great boxing writer--too bad nobody sees the sport anymore) begins the piece by telling readers the Monarchs' offensive line is known as the "War Pigs," then asks Rollinson where he got the nickname. "He doesn't remember where they got the name, but t

  October 12, 2006

• Slayered in Fullerton

  Slayer--of whom Oliver Hall, reviewing in the Weekly the '80s metal godheads' July 22 Long Beach Arena show, wrote: " It was SLAYER, DUDE!!! BRUTAL AS FUCK!!!"--is getting no love in Fullerton. Under the headline "No Slayer Bus Benches for the City of Fullerton, CA," Blabbermouth.net reports that the North County city has demanded that Slayer artwork promoting the new album Christ Illusion be removed immediately from 17 bus benches throughout the city. Blabbermouth claims city officials contacte

  August 3, 2006

• Hair Metal Makes Him Blush

  We told you about how American Hardcore--the documentary about hardcore punk rock that Orange County helped spawn--was the No. 1 film at Regal/Edwards University across from UCI the week it opened. That film was based on producer Steven Blush's book of the same title, as we mentioned in our chat with the former hardcore promoter. So what's Blush's page-turning encore? Why, American Hair Metal, of course. Now, before you get your Spandex all in a bunch, let Bluth's publisher, Feral House, expla

  October 17, 2006

• Beatallica: Because the Beatles & Metallica Need the Money

  Ever wonder what Beatles songs done in Metallica's heavy, hyper style would sound like? Me neither. But the clever buggers in Beatallica thought this would be a smashing concept; hence the forthcoming release of Sgt. Hetfield's Motorbreath Pub Band (out July 10 on Oglio Records). The group consist of Jaymz Lennfield, Grg Hammetson, Kliff McBurtney and Ringo Larz. They put the pun in punishment. As is the case with most of these novelty projects that aren't Spinal Tap, the song titles are the m

  June 18, 2007

• The 100 Most Important OC Musicians of All Time

  DJ Nobody: Twice as important as most OC musicians. Orange County has been a fertile breeding ground for musicians of many stripes since the beginning of electricity. We at Heard Mentality would like to ask you—the good-looking, intelligent readers of this blog—for your opinions on this important matter [see headline]. Let us know who you think deserves to be on this auspicious list; and if you wish to explain why they merit inclusion, by all means shout it out loud in the comments box. [

  September 11, 2007

• New Developments In Disney Censorship

  Anaheim’s House Of Blues cancellation of the Machine Head show earlier this month was just the beginning in Disney’s slow and steady elimination of all things metal. Immediately after the cancellation, Machine Head released a statement citing the venue’s reasons for canceling the show (with just a 48 hour notice) as “undesirable fans” and “offensive lyrics”. Within days, Orlando’s House Of Blues, also on Disney property, dropped the band’s Sept. 17 date. Rumors started to sw

  September 18, 2007

• HOB Cancels Shadows Fall Shows

  Shadows Fall: Tabooed off the stage by Disney. Two dates on Shadows Fall's upcoming Operation Annihilation tour with Static X have been canceled. Both were to occur at House of Blues venues located on property owned by the Walt Disney company. The Oct. 20 date scheduled at House of Blues in Orlando, FL has been canceled, and the Oct. 31 gig has moved from Anaheim's House of Blues to the Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana. Shadows Fall vocalist Brian Fair said in a statement: "We have been informed t

  October 1, 2007

• Super Secret Spectacular!

  October 26, 2007

• What you missed over the weekend: Part VI

  NAMM 2008 came and went, with fans and music celebs flooding the Anaheim Convention Center. Weekly web photographer Christopher Victorio dropped by the madhouse on Saturday and ran into folks from Slipknot, Megadeth, Queensryche, Motley Crue and even Playmate of the Year Sara Jean Underwood. Photos galore over here. After rubbing elbows (literally, the floor was packed!) with folks with bad hair at NAMM, Chris headed to the Jolly Roger next door for another gearhead tradition: Deke Dickerson's

  January 21, 2008

• Slayer Give Good Head... Protection

  Southern Cali thrash-metal legends Slayer are branching out into motorcycle-helmet designing. Working with O'Neal USA, the band known for classics like Reign in Blood and South of Heaven and being sampled by Public Enemy on "She Watch Channel Zero?!" lent their memorable artwork to the RockHard line of helmets, which go on sale Feb. 25. Remember, God Hates Us All, so best wear something that's gonna protect your noggin while riding your boss hog. You can read the full press release after the

  February 4, 2008

• LA Times: Galaxy Theatre to close

  The LA Times is reporting, via their Buzz Bands blog (monitored by the fabulous Mr. Kevin Bronson), that the Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana will shut it's doors forever in two weeks. Set to take its place, according to the LAT: a 25,000-square-foot club called RevolveR, which will "cater to upscale clubgoers, offering multiple rooms of entertainment, myriad VIP areas, fireplaces, indoor/outdoor seating and eight full-service bars. Additionally, plans call for RevolveR's design theme to change every

  February 7, 2008

• To Do This Weekend 4/4 - 4/6

  Bad Religion, April 4, 8 p.m. Often credited for leading the punk rock revival of the late '80s, LA based band Bad Religion, will be performing in OC before heading out to perform at four European festival appearances in May and June. House of Blues 1530 S. Disneyland Dr. Anaheim, CA 92802 714-778-2583 Bon Jovi, April 4 and 5, 7:30 p.m. Glam metal band, Bon Jovi will be cheesing it up Honda Center 2695 E. Katella Ave. Anaheim, CA 92806 714-704-2400 Colors of Light and Stone, Daily until J

  April 4, 2008

• Taste of Chaos Tour-Avenged Seven Fold and Atreyu at the Long Beach Arena

  It's funny how music styles always manage to come full circle, even the ones some would like to forget. Sure, people may have thrown their stretchy leotard pants and hairspray in the garbage a couple decades ago, but who says hair metal is dead? Definitely not anyone packed into the Long Beach arena last night at the Rockstar Energy Drink Taste of Chaos Tour. Riotous rock bands Bullet for My Valentine, Atreyu and Avenged Seven Fold took turns reviving the arena rock fantasy for thousands of fan

  April 11, 2008

• Last Night: Gigantour at the Long Beach Arena

  Better Than: Watching the American Idol Finals. Download: "Holy Wars...The Punishment Due" from Megadeth's Myspace page Shred is still alive and continues to thrive as the Megadeth curated band, Gigantour unleashed the demons of heavy metal at the storied Long Beach Arena. Megadeth is one of the original titans in speed metal and thrash. They headlined a night that included a copious amount of custom guitars and searing solos. First up, sludge-like guitar riffs emanated from Matt Pike (guitar

  May 22, 2008

• What You Missed Over The Weekend Part XXIII

  This weekend Gustavo Arellano sharpened his writing pen and wrote a post calling-out historian Chris Jepsen for not referencing his pieces on a historical blog. Alex Brant-Zawadzki reported (again) on the continuing construction cost climb on estimates for the 241 Toll Road through Tressles. Been on a meat eating binge? Edwin Goei's Monster Munching has the perfect solution for a detox, Souplantation's cookies. Apparently they're "buttery and not overly sweet." Mmm. Gustavo also caught The Re

  June 2, 2008

• Last Night: LiskFest @ Oak Canyon Ranch in Irvine

  Last Night: Liskfest at Oak Canyon Ranch in Irvine on October 11,2008 Better Than: seeing a festival in the middle of summer. Download: "Oi, To The World!" by the Vandals from their Myspace page Hope, change, and unity were used as themes in hardcore music long before the current political candidates incorporated these ideas into their campaigns. A sense of community united the Liskfest as it was snatched from the jaws of cancellation by some last minutes investors. It was a picture per

  October 12, 2008

• Top 10 Metal Albums of 2008

  In a year worthy of your rage, metal delivered in spades. What with the economy circling the drain and Sarah Palin coming down from the tundra and then refusing to go back, 2008's been the kind of year that really makes you want to smash your head into walls or punch random strangers in the face. Good thing there were so many awesome records available to serve as a soundtrack for exactly that kind of behavior. The ten discs below are just the tip of a very big, very heavy iceberg. Metal seems to

  December 26, 2008

• MUSINK Convention Returns to Costa Mesa

  Though the scheduled MUSINK tour became another casualty of the flagging economy, the three-day music and tattoo convention is still happening--February 20-22, again at the Orange County Fair & Exposition Center in Costa Mesa. But they're quick to point out that celebutant Kat Von D, of "LA Ink" fame (?), is not participating in this event; she was to be a co-promoter of the tour.Bands so far include, on Friday: Reverend Horton Heat, Nekromantix, Manic Hispanic; Saturday: Atreyu, Story of t

  December 29, 2008

• Opeth, The Kills, Coming to the Glass House

  Couple of new shows added to the Glass House's schedule, both on sale tomorrow at noon (Friday, for the time displaced).

  February 5, 2009

• Watch Ikey Owens (and the Rest of the Mars Volta) Win a Grammy

  The Mars Volta--featuring Long Beach's Ikey Owens, of Free Moral Agents and Look Daggers, on keyboards--won the "Best Hard Rock" Grammy last night for "Wax Simulacra." Since the Grammys only show a handful of the awards on the telecast (there are a lot of Grammys, like a lot) their award was accepted in front of a rather sparse crowd. But hey, it's a Grammy! And they beat Judas Priest and Motley Crue. That's right. Judas Priest and Motley Crue were up for the Best Hard Rock Grammy. In 2009. Yup.

  February 9, 2009

• Free Crap That Came In The Mail: Epic Overuse of the Word 'Epic'

  People are saying "epic" a lot these days. Way too much. And not just in reference to the Faith No More song or ancient longform poems like Beowulf, for pretty much anything. A sandwich can be epic, or an episode of "The New Adventures of Old Christine." It's a real problem, one that probably started with the "epic fail" Internet meme, and now its unfortunately seeped its way into music, infiltrating the already sticky territory of genre classification:

  February 18, 2009

• Slideshow: MUSINK Tattoo Convention and Music Festival

  Tattoos and music are pretty inextricably linked, for better or worse--your Travis Barkers, your Tommy Lees--so it makes sense that bands like Story of the Year (pictured), Atreyu, Throwdown and more would descend upon the Orange County Fairgrounds for the MUSINK Tattoo Convention and Music Festival. Andrew Youssef was there, and has images of tons of the acts here. Just don't look for Danzig, who didn't allow photographers. That guy.

  February 23, 2009

• Trying to Make Sense of the OC Music Awards Nominees

  Everyone I've talked to about the OC Music Awards nominee list, released yesterday, seems to have the same reaction: Huh? Why are young, unsigned bands like The Jakes competing against veteran, internationally known acts like The Offspring, who had Billboard's #1 Hot Modern Rock Track for 11 weeks last year?

  February 26, 2009

• Incoming: Metallica at the Honda Center

  Way back when, there was this radio station called KNAC. They were based out of Long Beach and played metal. I was in middle school, so needless to say, I loved it.Every freakin' night, KNAC had a program called Mandatory Metallica. It was hosted by Poundin' Pat and it had this killer intro that went something like this:KNAC guy: "KNAC. What do you want to hear?"Then they'd run through a bunch of clips of supposed callers yelling "Metallica" as wild and hession as possible. When you're 12, it's

  March 26, 2009

• Artfully Done

  February 19, 2009

• Richard Christy's new metal band

  No, that's new nu-metal, but new, as in not old. Anyway, Richard Christy, famed metal drummer and the dude who does all sorts of gay shit on the Howard Stern Show, has put together an all-star metal group. I'd tell you all about it, but just read this. "Metal Blade Records is proud to announce the signing of Richard Christy's new project, Charred Walls of the Damned! This newly formed outfit features some of the most talented musicians in metal. Their collective experience is colossal an

  May 18, 2009

• Valient Thorr, Black Tusk and Tweak Bird at Detroit Bar

  October 23, 2008

• Hurts So Good?

  May 29, 2008

• Bronze Metal

  April 10, 2008

• Full Metal Racket

  July 5, 2007

• This Week in Mexican Metal

  February 2, 2006

• Club of a Thousand Dances

  May 10, 2001

• TOMORROW: Earth Crisis at Chain Reaction

  Syracuse-based vegan straight edge band Earth Crisis is playing tomorrow night at Chain Reaction. The group was one of the biggest and most controversial hardcore acts of the 90s thanks to the EPs All Out War and Firestorm. The band followed those with the records Destroy the Machines and the follow-up, Gomorrah's Season Ends.Although I was straight edge until my 21st birthday (I sold out as quick as I could), I never really got into the whole metalcore thing. I dug Minor Threat, Gorilla Biscuit

  May 14, 2009

• On-Sale Saturday: Um, Not a Lot, Really.

  Yeah.We've got the Creed show at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine Ryan Ritchie told you about earlier in the week, and Sunny Day Real Estate at the House of Blues in Anaheim on Oct. 10, which the always-helpful RR also told you about earlier in the week. Children of Bodom at the Glass House, too.Anything new? Well, there's the Jakes headling a local show--the New Limb are also on the bill--at the House of Blues in Anaheim on July 24. $10, that goes on sale tomorrow at 10 a.m. Also long-ru

  June 26, 2009

• Incoming: D12, Jedi Mind Tricks, Children of Bodom at the Glass House--Plus Free Warped Tour Pre-Party Tonight!

  A lot of things have changed since that publicity photo of D12 was taken--most notably, the death of group member Proof in 2006, not long after finally hitting the mainstream with the goofy-fun video for "My Band." But the hip-hop crew consisting of Eminem and his long-time pals from Detroit--surviving MCs Bizarre, Kon Artis, Kuniva and Swifty--is nonetheless moving forward, despite Eminem's recently rejuvenated solo career. Eminem's talking about a new D12 album, and a late summer tour has just

  June 25, 2009

• Iron Butterfly

  July 2, 2009

• Skeletonwitch Thrash Across Metal's (Many) Subtle Sub-genres

  July 9, 2009

• WTF? Elton John to Appear on New Alice in Chains Album

  ​So, obviously, the fact that there even is a new Alice in Chains album is weird enough by itself. We all (probably) remember the rather disturbing details of Layne Staley's 2002 death--how he only weighed 86 pounds at the time he was discovered, which was two weeks after he actually died. (Yeesh.) But, even without their lead singer, the iconic grunge band still reformed in 2005, and are now ready to release their first album in 14 years, Black Gives Way to Blue, with new lead vocalist Willia

  August 11, 2009

• Warrant

  August 13, 2009

• The Jakes Announce Deal with Roadrunner Records

  ​It's been rumored around the local music scene for a while, but now it's official: Irvine/Newport Beach band the Jakes have signed a deal with Roadrunner Records. Yes, Roadrunner, the label best known for having acts like Slipknot and Nickelback on their roster. (It's right on their website title thingy: "Official home of Slipknot, Nickelback...)Given the smooth, melodic, pop-rock of the Jakes, it's clear that the label is diversifying. The seemingly weird fit, and departure of band membery E

  August 26, 2009

• Layne Staley...Back From the Dead?????

  There's a new Alice in Chains song floating around the Intranets. Depending on what sort of music fan you are, you either A. think it's awesome that new singer William DuVall sounds eerily similar to the late Layne Staley or B. you think it's never a good idea for bands to replace dead members with musicians who ape the original sound. Me? I couldn't care less. It ain't my band and the remaining members can do whatever they want with their music. Plus, as far as grunge is concerned, I always tho

  August 27, 2009

• Sublime Reunion Part Deux

  ​Bassist Eric Wilson and drummer Bud Gaugh are hitting the stage as Sublime, just like they did in February. But unlike the previous gig, held at some tiny Mexican restaurant in a Nevada town no one's ever heard of, this show is actually pretty big.It's part of Cypress Hill's Smokeout, a gathering of bands, booths and most importantly, weed. The Sublime reunion might get the most attention, but the lineup is actually pretty good. Scheduled to hit the stage on Oct. 23 and 24 is Slipknot (ok, no

  September 2, 2009

• Atreyu Announce Details for 'Congregation of the Damned'

  ​Wow. Congregation of the Damned. That's the kind of album title that makes album titles album titles, y'know?That's the name of the fifth studio full-length from Orange County metalcore band Atreyu, scheduled for release on October 27. The band also released the full track listing today.

  September 2, 2009

• TONIGHT: The Bangover at the Crosby

  ​OK, this is cool. We all know the usual DJ nights: crappy current hip-hop tunes, people you wouldn't normally want to be seen in public with grinding on the dance floor. Then came hipper, more "indie" DJ nights, where you'd be more liable to hear Justice or LCD Soundsystem. That's all well and good, but second Wednesdays at the Crosby in downtown Santa Ana are taking it to another, much harder, darker, eviler, and generally more badass level with "Bangover."It's pretty much how it sounds: Met

  September 9, 2009

• Eight Questions with Katon W. De Pena of Hirax

  Hirax with Katon De Pena, third from right.​Interviewing Hirax singer Katon W. De Pena is sort of a waste of time. You see, journalists (me) are supposed to find news and then announce said news to readers (you). But I shit you not when I say that everyone knows De Pena and De Pena knows everyone. This makes my job nearly impossible, as there's nothing I could ask him that someone who otherwise would read this blog couldn't just ask him directly. Seriously, the guy's that popular.For both of y

  September 30, 2009

• Incoming: Mickey Avalon, Soulfly at the Galaxy Theatre

  Keith May​The Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana hasn't slowed down since reopening a few months ago, adding a couple new shows of note to its schedule.

  September 10, 2009

• Slideshow: Epicenter and Pomona Fairplex, Musicians Swap Meet at Old World Village

  ​Do you like to rock? Yes? Well, if so, you probably already were at Saturday's Epicenter show at the Pomona Fairplex in (um, let me guess this one) Pomona. Artists included: Alice in Chains, Linkin Park, Tool, Atreyu, Wolfmother and heaps more. So you were probably totally there, rocking out. Oh, what's this? You didn't make it out? Oh. I see. Well, take a look at this slideshow by Chris Victorio, then. It's the next best thing!OK, OK, backs against the wall here, people. Sounds like you want

  August 24, 2009

• Tonight: Varukers, Reagan Youth and the Voids

  ​With a flyer as detailed as this one, I guess I don't really have much to say. But for those of you who don't know, UK-based Varukers formed in the very late '70s and are credited as one of the founders of D-beat, a style of punk that is a bit heavier than, say, the Sex Pistols. Basically, these bands really dig Motörhead and who can blame them for that?

  October 16, 2009

• On Sale Saturday: Slayer and Megadeth

  ​Get out those heavy coats cuz it'll definitely be reigning blood when Slayer, Megadeth and Testament hit the Long Beach Arena Jan. 22 as part of the American Carnage Tour.In my 30 years on this planet, I've been to my fair share of concerts, but never have I seen anything like what I saw the one Slayer show I attended. It was about four years ago -- ironically, at the Long Beach Arena -- and the group had an upside cross made of guitar amps hanging from each side of the stage. It was the most

  November 20, 2009