March 09, 2025
The Knockout, San Francisco
I hadn’t been to the Knockout in some time, but they were advertising a Sunday “Doom Metal” matinee show featuring 3 local acts including All to the Grave, a SF metal band I’m a fan of. Plus I had 2 friends who had just arrived from Greece, not metalheads (though Greece is well-known for metal fans) but guys who are always up for a “welcome to San Francisco” experience.
The Knockout is a small club on Mission St. where Valencia St. ends, they mostly have punk and alt rock bands, but it is a fun place to see a show. The bar is along one side of the place, and a small stage, DJ booth and some seating are on the other side, with a half-height wall separating them.
Plus it's on a pretty cool stretch of Mission Street, right next to the best of Taqueria Cancun’s 3 San Francisco locations, a whole bunch of other restaurants and bars, and 2 blocks away from SF punk headquarters Thrillhouse Records. The only issue with the Knockout is that they frequently have two events on slower days for some reason, so the early 6-9 show can wind down earlier than it feels like it should (more on that later).
First up was Deathwalker ( deathwalkerofficial.com, @deathwalkerofficial ), a metal band from Oakland, CA. Apparently they used to be called R.Y.N.O. (Rip You a New One), so the rebrand is probably good. I thought they were decent but was thrown off by the lack of a bass player in a 3 piece band, though the music with 2 guitarists seemed solid.
Second up was Way II Stoned from San Jose, CA (wayiistoned.com, @WAY2stoned). I wasn’t expecting much with a name like Way 2 Stoned, but these guys blew me away. “We’re Way Too Stoned from San Jose.,” the frontman led off with. “No such thing!” someone in the audience predictably shouted back. But there was some great musicianship on display and they really pulled the crowd in. The drummer and frontman / guitarist are brothers apparently, in the tradition of another great Mexican-American metal band, Armored Saint. I will definitely check these guys out again if I see them on a bill.
The band I had come to see was All to the Grave from San Francisco (@alltothegrave), a metal band with a unique sound that blends thrash and more punk / crossover influences. This is the second time I’ve seen them this year, and they don’t disappoint.
Many in the local SF metal scene know All to the Grave bass player / vocalist Lukas from his bartending at The Willows during the metal night that ran from October 2020 through early 2023, with @bleedingpriest and @theLastAngryManny DJing 4-6 hours of metal every Thursday. (One of the few things I miss about pandemic times!). Anyway, the set was solid but was cut a bit short by the sound guy just before 8:30 for some reason. I guess he wanted All to the Grave to get off stage to prep for some DJ coming in at 9 PM. Lame, the Knockout could be a good venue for smaller metal acts otherwise.
–hectic
