Standing amongst the unwashed masses at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco Thursday evening, amidst Swedish occult-rock band Ghost B.C.‘s backdrop of stained glass cathedral windows featuring lewd imagery, one couldn’t help but wonder; “Am I about to take part in a Satanic ritual?”

Sweden’s melodic metal veteran’s In Flames played main support and seemed to have a little more fans present. The show kicked up a notch as the light show went into full effect and In Flames proceeded to do their thing.

Next up was hardcore mainstays Hatebreed who do exactly what you pay them for, kick ass. They sounded tight as Jami Jasta lead the chants to a greatest hits set. The good news is Hatebreed has announced a January 2013 release date for their upcoming album “The Divinity Of Purpose” their first in three years. I only saw one idiot hardcore dancing and he got smashed early in the set by Beetlejuice. Happy Halloween.

What kind of candy do they hand out on Halloween in Hollywood? The metal kind of course. At least for the three thousand that lined up outside the Palladium in Hollywood to see the long awaited return of Lamb of God Although I saw plenty of clowns only a few showed up in costume to do the demon dance with a bill also that included In Flames, Hatebreed, and Sylosis.

Photos of The Holdup at the Catalyst Club in Santa Cruz, CA. Show was sold out and the place was packed, which is probably why it was like a sauna in there. Enjoy!

From top to bottom, Killfest 2012 was one of the most enjoyable concerts I have ever experienced and each band seemed to build the momentum more and more until Overkill kicked ultimate ass and iced the proverbial cake.

‘The Tabernacle Tour 2012′ in support of new release “The Church of Rock n Roll” (2012 IRS Records) kicks off on March 24th in Allentown PA and trust me you do not want to miss this show.

From beginning to end Ghost’s “Opus Eponymous”, is heavy, yet extremely catchy, paying homage not only to the dark lord himself, but the great bands which paved the way for metal and rock in general.

Like its name implies, The Pink Floyd Experience is indeed a Pink Floyd experience and not just another ninety minutes of mediocre musicians playing some of your favorite songs at a mediocre level.

“Get on board, This train ain’t gonna stop. Where I’m going? I don’t know. Punch your ticket, it’s time to go” illy Corrigan crooned at Live 105′s Not So Silent Night. 11,000+ packed the shark tank in San Jose for an eclectic lineup featuring The Smashing Pumpkins, My Chemical Romance, Broken Bells, The Black Keys, Phoenix, and Finish Ticket