All-star group celebrates Bay Area thrash-metal history at Great American
SAN FRANCISCO -- A host of local metal all-stars convene in San Francisco Saturday night as Bay Area Interthrashional delivers an epic tribute set of thrash classics at this sold-out Great American Music Hall show.
The project is the brainchild of talented guitar hero Craig Locicero, a founding member of second-wave thrash icons Forbidden Evil/Forbidden who has also played in Manmade God, Demonica, SpiralArms and is a current member of Dress the Dead and the Boneless Ones. He was approached several years ago by organizers of the Dynamo Metalfest in Holland to put together a group to pay homage to the many Bay Area thrash-metal bands that had played the festivals earlier iteration Dynamo Open Air starting in the mid-1980s.
While the plan would be waylaid by the COVID-19 pandemic, the seeds were planted and Bay Area Interthrashional would eventually emerge to make its debut this past summer. Locicero would put together a core group of musicians from his Forbidden bandmates -- bassist Matt Camacho, guitarist Steve Smyth (who also spent time in Vicious Rumors, Testament and Nevermore) and drummer Mark Hernandez (who also played in Vio-lence, Heathen and Defiance and is a member of Dress the Dead) -- as well as friends including bassist Harald Oimoen (D.R.I., Blind Illusion) and self-described "drum slut" Chris Kontos, who has provided propulsive beats for Attitude Adjustment, Machine Head, Death Angel, Verbal Abuse and many others and is currently Locicero's bandmate in the Boneless Ones.
Since they were playing a large European metal festival, the Bay Area Interthrashional collective knew they would be able to bring on a variety of performers as special guests between friends from other Bay Area bands and groups who were influenced by the classic thrash of Metallica, Exodus, Death Angel and Testament.
While Hirax singer Katon W. De Pena handled the bulk of the vocals, the group was joined by Dress the Dead/Witch Mountain singer Kayla Dixon, Lamb of God's Randy Blythe and Death Angel's Mark Osegueda for several tunes. However, in keeping with his one rule that participating musicians would not be allowed to perform their own songs, Osegueda sang a pair of Metallica tunes and even Locicero excused himself from the stage when the group played a pair of Forbidden tracks. Death Angel drummer Will Carroll, guitarists Mike Deleon (Philip H. Anselmo & the Illegals, MOD, Incite), Phil Demmel (Vio-lence, Machine Head) and Josh Christian (Toxik) and Lamb of God bassist John Campbell were among the other players to hit the stage.
After the rousing success of the Dynamo appearance, Bay Area Interthrashional finally gave local fans the news they wanted to hear last month when the group announced their one and only U.S. concert on October 29th at the Great American Music Hall. The band is promising a massive line-up of new and returning thrash metal players sharing the stage as they perform three sets of music (a rumored 36 songs) broken up into the categories of American, international and Bay Area Thrash. The long list of surprise guests will include unannounced members of Vio-lence, Machine Head, Forbidden, Death Angel, Warbringer, Defiance, Hellfire, Hatriot, Skinlab, Sacrilege and more.
The band also invited fans to submit videos of themselves singing the Metallica classic "Seek and Destroy" for a chance to win a pair of tickets and get to take the mic and front the band through a rendition of the tune Saturday night. Given that it's Halloween weekend, the event will also include a costume contest for attendees dressed as two fallen Bay Area thrash legends: Metallica bassist Cliff Burton and Exodus singer Paul Baloff. Doors will open early at 6 p.m. for what is sure to be local thrash metal equivalent of a high school reunion with DJ Bleeding Priest (aka Death Angel and Old Granddad drummer Will Carroll) spinning records leading up to the 8 p.m. show start..
Bay Area Interthrashional
Saturday, Oct. 29, 8 p.m. $40 (sold out)
Great American Music Hall
