The DNA lounge was packed early on a Saturday night for a night of classic metal (or “Trad metal” as it seems to have been rebranded). By the time the opening band Devolution went on at 8:30, it was already “push your way through the crowd to get a beer” crowded, and people were ready for metal.
Devolution (@devolutionsfo) is a heavy band from San Francisco with a fairly unique sound. From clean, prog influenced guitar interludes to driving heavy metal shout along romps, Devolution mixes things up and keeps it interesting. Jonathan Fenno, who also plays Paul Stanley in the Kiss tribute band Destroyer, is an intense frontman on vocals / lead guitar. This was my third time seeing them live, and they are always a good time.
Hell Fire (@hellfiremetal, hellfiremetal.com) are a San Francisco band that takes Iron Maiden worship, combined with a dose of Bay Area thrash intensity, to a whole new level. Hell Fire pulls influences like the twin guitars and soaring vocals of New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement of the late 1970s combined with the speed and intensity of the early 1980s Thrash Metal Scene. I’ve seen them live a bunch of times, in various SF clubs, but not since 2021. They most recently got off their first European tour in the last half of 2024 and are working on a new album, apparently. Hell Fire really brought the energy and are a polished band with a high level of musicianship.
There was a high degree of anticipation for headliner Satan in the crowd, though they were a new band to me. Originally formed back in 1979 in the UK, Satan were a big part of the NWOBHM movement, though they took a 20 year break in the late 80s before reforming in 2011. They first played the Bay Area in 2014 at the Elbo Room on Valencia St. (RIP), their first time on the West Coast period, and clearly had a lot of fans since.
Satan (@officialsatanpage) was really on, with the speed of the guitar attack, and high screams of vocalist Brian Ross hitting all the right notes. They played a number of songs off their new album (embedded below), as well as several from the band's 1983 debut album Court in the Act. A lot of the tunes were faster and dare I say a bit more thrashy or speed metal than I expected. A great set overall.
Ross had some strange monologues / extended between song banter, including much that was lost on the audience (trying to get some young folks to stop moshing in the crowded small room might have been the right call, but was a losing battle for certain). A lot of what he said flew over the heads of an American audience (a rant against King Charles, and hurling British insults such as “wankers” against the disobedient moshers).
Ross did get the crowd back with some British culture that a bunch of San Francisco metalheads were very familiar with when he started talking Monty Python, and then Dr. Who – “I’m Dr. Who and I am going to take you all the way back to 1983 in my Tardis!” It was an impressive and long set, capped off by an unexpected 2 song encore quite late in the evening, when some of the crowd was headed out. A great performance all around, I will definitely see Satan again the next time they come through.
–Hectic
