With the world forever changing at a fairly rapid pace for better or for worse, so is the Heavy Metal scene. On the better side, many bands are coming back from a temporary grave to reunite for some great shows. On the top of the radar this week, is Canadian thrash warriors 3 Inches Of Blood, who recently made their return to California for 2 special shows after a 12 year hiatus. As a fan of them before their comeback, this 2 show mini tour reunion was a special treat. They performed on January 24th at the Fonda theater in Los Angeles, and then the next night in San Francisco, celebrating their 20th anniversary Advance and Vanquish tour.
Despite the NAMM music convention being held the same weekend in Anaheim, CA, there was no shortage of attendees at the Los Angeles show. Also on this mini tour, was support by Toxic Holocaust, Haunt, and Intranced. Those who realized the show started at 8:30 had the pleasure of seeing Los Angeles-based band Intranced, which is a power metal band led by vocalist James Luna. This is a really energetic newer project for Luna who is also known for his powerful and chilling vocals in White Wizard and Holy Grail. Basically, if James Luna is on stage, it’s going to be a good time, and his bandmates in Intranced balance it all out in the best thrashed up power metal way.
Next up on the lineup is the NWOBHM-inspired band Haunt, who is based in Fresno, CA. This is a project that came from Trevor William Church, who is also heavily involved in the doom metal band Beastmaker. Can a doom metal guy also succeed at the NWOBHM sound? The answer is easily yes, as Haunt’s set was entertaining from start to finish. The vocals sold the story as it was meant to be written, and the guitar riffs, solos, and stage presence fired up the audience for the rest of the show. The specialty of Haunt, is that despite being among the younger generation writing classic heavy metal tunes, they manage to hone in on that old school sound while still having a fresh modern take. They included a great song called “Serenade” off their latest album Dreamers, released in 2024. As far as metal ballads with a little extra punch go, this was an winner performed live.
Next up was a really exciting set from Portland based crossover thrash band Toxic Holocaust. They have combined the best of punk, thrash, speedy riffs, and beats with some heavy-ass darkened subject matter. The moshpit was ablaze, and crowd surfing was had, as feet were soaring through the crowd hyped up on this great combo metal package. As they played their last song around 10:30 pm, the crowd seemed to be at the climax of their energy for the evening. The musical energy of Toxic Holocaust is quite impressive, while the unique style seals the deal. Their mix of that speedy punk style sautéed with the evil darkness and high volume thrash results in pure, dark, and unique entertainment for all fans of any of the bands on this line up. These four bands make a great lineup as they all serve up something musically interesting, yet have a few thrash attacked common threads.
For those who remember the moments that the magic of Cam Pipes as a specially ranged vocalist back in the day happened, fast forward to this evening when 3 Inches Of Blood raided the stage with their heavy as fuck thrash madness. Still vocalized by the one and only Cam Pipes, they really put on quite a heavy reunion show, that fans will not soon forget. As mentioned, he has one of the most amazing vocal ranges that can go to super high pitched in rapid time. Always fun, and always in key, the lengthy setlist was just as ferocious as it was 12 years ago, if not more so. If it wasn’t already apparent that age is mostly just a number, take a look around at all these old school rockers who are getting up there in years, who are performing as well as they did many, many years ago. Then add in the extra experience factor, and there is no excuse not to see these musical artists live today, tomorrow, and as long as the music fills their veins.
At this 3 Inches Of Blood reunion performance at the Fonda, the stage was set with candles, the classic drum solo band intro happened, the vocal octaves were higher than David Cloverdale, they could strongly compete with King Diamond, and they focused on songs from the anniversary album, such as “Premonition Of Pain” and “Revenge Is A Vulture.” They also covered some other hits to please the fans like “Fire Up The Blade,” etc. It was a great set that had only one unfortunate ending that consisted of the unquenchable stench of street hotdogs that is an LA metal show staple outside the venues after a show. However, if bacon wrapped hotdogs and vomit after midnight is your go to drug, then all was well. East Coasters, get ready for a bigger 3 Inches Of Blood tour coming later this year. That giant “3” on the backdrop will be a very welcoming site. Looking forward to more “fired-up zombie return from the grave” bands doing a fun reunion tour. The world needs all the heavy metal it can get!