Band Details

From the Promoter

HIGH ON FIRE

HIGH ON FIRE was formed by guitarist Matt Pike in late summer 1998. Formed out of the need to simply play guitar again, Pike jammed with and settled on a line-up of powerhouse drummer Des Kensel and longtime guitarist friend George Rice, who made the switch to bass to round out the trio. They had scarcely been together for a few months before demo-ing three songs. That demo, featuring 'Master of Fists' and instant classics '10,000 Years' and 'Blood from Zion', became among the most sought-after tapes in recent hard rock history.

HIGH ON FIRE got straight to the point, bashing away with a Neanderthal sense of purpose and creating hypnotic, droning waves of powerful riffs and low-end thunder of the likes not heard before. Before the band had even made it's first live appearance, labels flocked to get a piece of the trio. In the end the band chose to record with the Mans Ruin label and the demo surfaced in the form of a mini-CD in early '99, while they continued writing for their debut full-length. That debut, The Art of Self Defense, was welcome respite from commercialized rap-metal and warmed-over stoner-rock cliches of the time. The Art of Self Defense served up a rock hard, unorthodox form of modern metal cloaked in strange religious theology and the trio's style was unique, distinct, and absolutely crushing. Accolades poured in the world over: Rolling Stone, Spin, GQ, Alternative Press, Magnet, Chicago Sun-Times, The Washington Post, Village Voice and dozens of others publications.

Almost overnight, HIGH ON FIRE were the unassuming heroes of the riff and the most celebrated metal band on the planet. On the waves of such massive exposure, HIGH ON FIRE hit the road. Europe was conquered with ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSY in tow and the U.S. was taken in two tours of duty. Summer 2001 saw Man's Ruin close up shop, leaving the band with no label and no distribution. Relapse offered, the trio accepted, and found themselves a new home and new full-length effort titled Surrounded By Thieves with gargantuan songs such as 'Hung, Drawn and Quartered', 'Nemesis', and 'Razorhoof'. Rarely has metal been as powerful and pure in its ability to translate primal fury and aggression.

Current lineup:-

Matt Pike - Guitars, Vocals
Des Kensel - Drums
Jeff Matz - Bass

Past members:-

George Rice - Bass (1998-2005)
Joe Preston - Bass (2005-2006)

TOXIC HOLOCAUST

Portland metal punk assailants, Toxic Holocaust, were formed by Joel Grind in 1999 to pay homage to the raw days of metal and punk. Influenced by bands like Discharge, Venom, Slayer and G.B.H. - Toxic Holocaust create the perfect marriage of punk angst and metal aggression.

Toxic Holocaust's first full-length album, 'Evil Never Dies,' was released in 2003, followed by 'Hell on Earth' two years later. Both records featured mainman Joel Grind writing all of the music and playing all of the instruments, performing with a band only during their raucous live assaults. After achieving a massive underground following thanks to embracing a DIY attitude and extensive self-booked tours in Australia, Japan, Europe, Brazil, Canada, and the US, Toxic Holocaust signed to Relapse Records. In 2008, Toxic Holocaust put out their Relapse debut, 'An Overdose of Death.' The album was recorded by Jack Endino (High on Fire, Zeke, Dwarves) at Soundhouse Recording and was the first record where Joel Grind opted to work with another musician - Donny Paycheck of Zeke. The album went on to receive numerous accolades including Revolver calling the album, "Equal parts nuclear reactive riffage and Repo Man punk attitude!"

At the end of 2010, Toxic Holocaust entered the studio again, this time at Dexters Lab. The band recorded with Toxic Holocaust/Kingdom of Sorrow drummer and engineer Nick Bellmore (Hatebreed, Phantoms, Full Blown Chaos). This album, titled 'Conjure and Command' was much darker than previous albums. "....sweetly redolent of thrash, d-beat, and raw sewage, the album simmers with tar-thick riffage, staggering breakdowns, and a corroded dose of self-loathing. If this is what Toxic Holocaust's next decade is going to look like, bring it on" opined The Onion's A.V. Club.

Following the devastating tsunami in Japan, Toxic Holocaust teamed up with Midnight for a benefit split 7".with the proceeds entirely going to the Red Cross relief efforts for victims of the tsunami disaster. Fast forward to 2013 and after almost 15 years in existence, Toxic Holocaust released a 22-track anthology that collected rarities and tracks from vinyl-only splits with the likes of Municipal Waste, Midnight, and others.

Now Toxic Holocaust's latest album, 'Chemistry of Consciousness,' will be released in October 2013. It was self-recorded by Joel Grind and Nick Bellmore, mixed with Kurt Ballou (Converge) at GodCity Studio and mastered by Brad Boatright (Sleep, From Ashes Rise, Nails) at Audiosiege Engineering. If there's one thing the punks and the metal heads could agree on in 2013, it's that Toxic Holocaust's Chemistry of Consciousness is a rager of a record destined to top any worthwhile best of 2013 list.

Toxic Holocaust continue to road-dog across the world, having toured with Municipal Waste, Napalm Death, At the Gates, Danzig, Satyricon, English Dogs, The Casualties, and Gwar, to name a few, followed up by an impending European tour that will run throughout June.

DOOMRIDERS

Doomriders is a Salem, Massachusetts-based metal/hardcore band.

Current Line-up:
Nate Newton - vocals, guitar
Chris Pupecki - guitar
Chris Johnson - bass
Q - drums

Past Members:
John-Robert Conners - drums
Chris Bevilacqua - drums
Jebb Riley - bass, vocals

DOPETHRONE

The heaviest D.I.Y. trio from Canada, Dopethrone, was born in 2008 in Hochelaga, Montreal’s trashiest Ghetto. They encompass the bleakness of black metal, the steadfastness of New Orleans-style sludge, and a heavier-than-thou doom mentality. The riffs are thick, punishing, suffocating and destructive. The Demonic vocals are harsh, visceral and animal-like. And the mood is heavy and oppresive.

Drums : Shawn Central
Guit -Vox : Vince Riffdealer
Bass : Vyk Riffbanger

BLACK WIZARD

Black Wizard is a heavy metal and hard rock band from Vancouver BC, formed in 2009 between high-school friends. Founding members Adam Grant and Eugene Parkomenko were both working less than desirable construction jobs at the time, cranking the likes of Thin Lizzy, Deep Purple, Witch, or Electric Wizard as loud as possible to get through the days on site. Heavily motivated by Vancouver’s thick and heavy scene, full of bands like Bison and 3 Inches of Blood ruling at the time, “The Wiz” was born. Having always followed a true DIY aesthetic, Black Wizard has independently released two full length LPs and a 7” single, selling over 5000 copies worldwide. In 2015, Black Wizard signed with Listenable Records (France) and released their third LP titled “New Waste”. In the last few years the band has toured extensively across North America and Europe. The past two years alone, Black Wizard has kept busy touring with Volbeat and Killswitch Engage; Brant Bjork and Royal Thunder and started off summer 2017 supporting Weedeater and Serial Hawk.

Through the course of seven years, The Wiz has shared a stage with the likes of Sleep, Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats, Red Fang, Corrosion of Conformity, The Shrine, Mos Generator, Kylesa, Weedeater, Witch, Black Mountain, Zeke, Black Breath, Yob, Pierced Arrows, Saviours and close friends in Anciients. With another album slated for Listenable release in early 2018, Black Wizard shows no signs of stopping.

SPIRIT ADRIFT

Phoenix-based doom outfit. Formed in 2016 as the one-man project of Nathan Garrett. Rounded out as a full live/touring act in 2017, featuring members of Gatecreeper and Goya.

HASHTEROID

Stoner rock from Vancouver, BC.