Concert Review: Anthrax, Testament & Death Angel at the Marquee Theatre on 1/24/12

Anthrax's Scott Ian performing at last year's Big 4 Festival in Indio, Calif.

If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you probably already know that I'm a huge mark for classic '80s thrash metal, so it will probably come as no surprise that, in this writer's opinion, last night's show at the Marquee Theatre was a resounding success. Anthrax, Testament and Death Angel -- three of thrash metal's longest-tenured acts, with more than 80 combined years of experience amongst them -- put on a helluva show in front of a capacity crowd that seemed to have no qualms with moshing the night away at a midweek show.

Concert Review: Kyuss Lives!, the Sword and MonstrO at Marquee Theatre 10/6/2011

John Garcia of Kyuss Lives! performing at the Marquee Theatre on 10/6/2011

Last night's Kyuss Lives! show in Tempe might not have been a sellout, but those who showed up were treated to a smorgasbord of stoner rock that showcased the resilient genre's past, present and future. The Marquee Theatre was only about half-full, but the relatively sparse crowd was enthusiastic and receptive. These folks were stoner rock die-hards. Case in point: about halfway through Kyuss's set, I leaned over to a chick standing near me and asked her what she thought so far. "My son's middle name is 'Kyuss,'" she shouted back, which simultaneously relayed both her enthusiasm for the show and her desire to not get hit on in the middle of it. Touché.

Concert Review: Hank3 at the Marquee Theatre, 9/19/2011

Hank3 performs live at Marquee Theatre on 9/19/2011

Seeing Hank3 live these days is like a test of endurance. At his show last night at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe, Hank3 took the stage at 8:30 p.m. to a near-capacity crowd and didn't finish up until nearly three and a half hours later, after roughly two-thirds of the audience had called it a night.

It's hard to fault anyone for leaving. It was a Monday night after all, with another long work week barely underway. But those who stuck around were treated to the full spectrum of what Hank3 has to offer -- from classic country to auctioneer-laced speed metal and everything in between.

Concert Review: BrokeNCYDE at Nile Theater

Shitty iPhone photo of BrokeNCYDE performing on 12/1/11 at the Nile Theater in Mesa.

Alright, the jig is up. For the past month, much to the concern and dismay of close friends and family, I've been singing the praises of BrokeNCYDE, both here on Tempe Carnivore and for the publication that actually pays me to write stuff. Unfortunately, after Wednesday night's show at the Nile Theater in Mesa, I just don't think my heart is in it anymore.

It all started innocently enough on Nov. 5, when BrokeNCYDE's publicist sent me a link to stream the band's new album, Will Never Die. Before that, my exposure to BrokeNCYDE was limited to a couple YouTube videos that had pretty much convinced me that they were not only the worst thing that had ever happened to music, but quite possibly a sign of the apocalypse. Of course, being the masochist that I am, I immediately clicked on the link and started typing a sarcastic review before I'd even finished that first listen.

Then, something funny happened.

Concert Review: Clutch (and Black Label Society) at Comerica Theatre

Okay, so maybe that headline is a little deceiving. Black Label Society were the headliners at Comerica Theatre last night, but the main reason I was there was to see veteran Maryland rockers Clutch. Surprisingly, based on the crowd reaction and a few conversations I had with other concertgoers, I was not alone in that regard.

Concert Review: Ryan Montbleau Band at Martini Ranch

It's become a bit of a music journalism cliché to say that a particular act "defies categorization," but when it comes to the Ryan Montbleau Band, it's an apt description. Unless you're the type of person who likes to employ five or six hyphens to string together a handful of disparate genres in an attempt to nail down someone's sound, you'd have a hard time pigeonholing Montbleau into any specific category of music. At their show last night at Martini Ranch in Scottsdale, Montbleau and his five bandmates veered seamlessly from folk to funk, from reggae to alt-country, from straightforward rock to jazz and even hints of zydeco.

Concert Review: Torche, Hellas Mounds and The Silence Within at Martini Ranch on 9/26/10

Much like their studio albums, Torche's concert last night at Martini Ranch in Scottsdale was energetic, rollicking, blissful... and frustratingly brief. In their penultimate headlining show before joining up with the High on Fire/Kylesa tour that kicks off this Wednesday, Sept. 29 in San Francisco, Torche played a roughly 30-minute set to a small but appreciative audience. Vocalist/guitarist Steve Brooks was clearly having a blast, grinning from ear to ear and even striking the occasional cock rock pose as the band steamrolled through a set of material old and new. Despite the show's brevity, Torche managed to pack a lot of music into the half-hour set, keeping the stage banter to a minimum and sticking mostly to their trademark two-minute "doom pop" staples.

Brooks' vocals were spot-on, and the band's sound was crisp and full as a three-piece, rarely missing the additional guitar work of departed guitarist Juan Montoya. The short set is probably due to their status as openers on the aforementioned HoF tour - this headlining run was only a five-date trek that took them across the southern half of the country, starting in New Orleans and wrapping up with tonight's show in Los Angeles. If Torche have any kinks to work out, they certainly weren't evident last night, whether the band was performing tracks from their latest EP, Songs for Singles, or closing the set with older tunes featuring the infamous "bomb string" that figured prominently in their early work.

Locals Hellas Mounds preceded Torche, playing a 20-minute set of ethereal, instrumental post-rock. With three guitarists, a keyboardist, bassist and drummer, Hellas Mounds created an impressive wall of sound that would sound right at home on Torche's label, Hydra Head Records (hell, perhaps moreso than Torche themselves, even).

Another local act, The Silence Within, kicked off the show with an energetic set of mainstream metal. Despite not sharing much in common with the two bands that followed, TSW overcame some early technical difficulties and played a strong 20-minute set that seemed to draw the biggest response from the under-21 section of the venue.

Overall, this was an excellent show, even if it ended too soon. As much as I'd have loved to see Brooks and company rock out for an hour or more, a half-hour of Torche is still better than a 90-minute show from damn near anyone else.

Click here for the full High on Fire/Kylesa/Torche itinerary and an interview with Brooks.