Metal Fest In A Field

By Fringe Staff

By Angel

Being a big supporter of local music, I take every chance I get to see the local bands perform.

I’ve attended shows at dozens of venues from local dive bars, to coffee shops, and everything in between. However, nothing is more awesome that experiencing a full night of local music outside in the fresh air.

In June, I had learned that one of my favorite local bands, Forktung, would be having an outdoor show with a few other bands. I had no idea where this show would be. Everyone kept referring to the location as “The Field”. Me and a few of my metal-loving friends went to that show and had such an amazing time, I was ecstatic when I found out Forktung had another show booked in the same place!

The show was on Saturday, July 28th, and the band line up was Church Burner, Omnidemic, Forktung, Skribble, Slaughterbox, and Awaiting The Apocalypse. When we pulled up to the show location, the first band was already playing. It felt great to get out of the car, feel the warm air, hear awesome music playing, and know that the rest of the evening would only get better. My friends and I were pleased to see some of our other friends arrive, as we had told them about the show and encouraged them to go.

After paying a small cover charge for the show, we entered the large grass area where there were quite a few people socializing and enjoying themselves as they waited for the next band to play. Some of the bands were in the back of their vans, getting their gear situated. The sun was about to set and there was a very enjoyable atmosphere there. The stage was at the far end of the field and the sound was amazing for an outdoor event.

Church Burner, a black/death metal band from Sacramento, had just finished playing so unfortunately, we only got to hear their music from where we parked our cars. They sounded good, so I will definitely have to find out when their upcoming shows are. Omnidemic, also from Sacramento, played second. They had a modern hardcore metal sound that appealed to me. There were a lot of people by the stage and it was awesome to see such support for local bands.

Forktung played next, and I was very excited to see them. They are going to be recording a fulllength CD this month and I can’t wait to hear it. We went up close to the stage to get the full experience and it was awesome! I can always expect a good show from that band. I managed to get myself another beverage before Skribble took the stage because I definitely didn’t want to miss them. Skribble is another Sacramento metal band I really enjoy seeing. I had seen them play before, but this evening, they seemed to sound much harder. The music was awesome. People were either relaxing and watching the show, or they were jumping around in a metal frenzy. Everyone seemed to really be having fun.

Slaughterbox played next. They are a death metal/grindcore band from Red Bluff that I had discovered them on the Internet and I was anxious to see them play live. They were quite brutal and also sounded great. Awaiting The Apocalypse played last. To my surprise, my friends informed me that the guitarist from Forktung would be playing guitar for Awaiting The Apocalypse for this show. I also heard someone say the vocalist for Omnidemic is also the vocalist for this band. Those two guys were definitely burning the midnight oil, but for a good cause!

Speaking of burning, once it became dark out, someone had started the bonfire. It was a huge one that has been set up and ready to go. Not only was it nice and warm, but it illuminated the bands as they played. Awaiting The Apocalypse sounded amazing and I could see that everyone there was just as satisfied as I was with all the good music and fun times. By the time the show was over, I was exhausted, but I was pleased that the evening exceeded my expectations. Music definitely can drive the human spirit, but wild spirits under a warm night sky is freedom.

For more information on these bands, including any future outdoor shows, visit www.fringemag. com for links.