The second edition of Gates of Metal Fest took place at the Ibiza Theater in Whittier. The venue was a bit out of the way, and their crappy policy of kicking out the underagers at 10PM did not help matters – but all who did make it out were treated to a wide array of bands ranging from mighty power metal to the most extreme of death and blackened metal. The event was promoted by Paul Shigo of the local metal band Resistance and, for the most part, everything ran smoothly – in spite of surprise band cancellations and the headliner taking forever to set up. I had been wanting to see Primal Fear again for a few years now, as their Milwaukee Metalfest show is still talked about to this day – so I would have waited all night to hear their set! Some of more inebriated in the crowd were less patient. But now, on to the details of the show.

Upon arrival, the first band I was able to see was Resistance. These guys have a long and colorful history within the LA music scene, and they still put out on a powerful show after all of these years. Resistance play Pure American Metal and mesmerized the early arrivers with their dynamic songs. On the verge of releasing a brand new album entitled Lies In Black, Resistance previewed several tracks for the crowd. The band also performed an inspired rendition of Iron Maiden’s classic The Trooper, which had everyone on their feet singing along.

On the second stage in a hot stuffy room, Watch Them Die from Oakland, CA sent the temperature into the triple digits with their fiery set of death and thrashcore. In your face and extremely brutal, the band terrorized the Gates Of Metal crowd, pulverizing them into oblivion with tunes from their self-titled Century Media release. Vocalist Pat Vigil is a truly terrifying presence, smiling maniacally while prowling across the stage in a wildly demented fashion. The best song was the mighty Resurrection, a definite stunner that ended their set on a thunderous note.

Vehemence from Phoenix, AZ played the main stage next. The band plays a powerful version of blackened death, weaving some fairly disturbing lyrics in for good measure. Performing songs from their just released Metal Blade album Helping The World To See, Vehemence are well on their way to conquering the planet with their ferocious stage show. Highlights included By Your Bedside, Trinity Broadcasting (Know Your Enemy), and We Are All Dying. And while Nathan Gearhart seems mild mannered between songs and when you speak to him, he becomes a man possessed by demons when bellowing out the lead vocals. These guys have grown tremendously as musicians, and are destined to become a world class, extreme metal act. Catch them in the smaller venues while you still can.

Another Metal Blade act followed on the side stage – our favorite vegans who go by the name of Cattle Decapitation. After nearly stealing the show at the Metal Blade Anniversary Party last year, this band remains out for blood, guts and glory! Showcasing songs from their soon to be released Humanure, the sick and twisted grindcore enveloped the Ibiza, causing the first true mosh pit of the day.