Matt Tracy, drummer for San Jose post-hardcore band Roman Lions, admits his iTunes library looks like it belongs to an “insane person.”

“I kind of go all over the map,” Tracy says. “I still listen to tech and death metal stuff. I love the post-rock and shoegaze stuff pretty much equally. But I’ve been going through a lot of throwback stuff recently. I’ve been going back and listening to like Texas Is The Reason, like old-school emo stuff.”

It’s through this love of heavy music and older emo and screamo that Roman Lions was born. Tracy and his brother, Justin—both in their early 30s—grew up in Baltimore and were a part of the hardcore punk and metal scene there.

“For years, from my teens up into my late 20s, I was playing mostly aggressive metal stuff,” Tracy says.

When his brother started venturing into more singer-songwriter territory, the two grew apart musically for a time. But then, in 2010, life took the Tracy brothers from Baltimore to San Jose. It was here that their musical interests re-aligned, as they charted a path somewhere between shoegaze and hardcore.

The resulting fusion combines echoing leads and lush, reverb-soaked chord progressions, with throat-shredding screaming and pummeling drums.

The brothers first began writing songs as a duo, but quickly realized they would need a bassist and a drummer if they ever wanted to take their show on the road.

With the addition of John Ugalde—a killer bass player,” according to Tracy—and lead guitarist Robert Kinsella, the lineup was settled and the quartet wasted no time getting to work on their hard-hitting but melodic debut.

On Roman Lions’ three-song EP, The Lights Just Go Out, the band displays a command of music that is powerful, yet beautiful. Kinsella’s leads are bright and soaring, while Justin’s vocals are angry and tortured. Tracy’s raw drumming fuses with Ugalde’s bass lines to propel the band forward. Slow, driving tempos abound with slow-burning, melodic fury throughout.

The band’s influences—including the British post-metal group Rinoa, the Japanese post-hardcore outfit Envy, and older Hopesfall—can clearly be heard on The Lights, an album that also calls to mind the San Francisco-based Deafheaven or a slowed-down, less experimental version of Liturgy.

The brothers mostly composed the music on the three-song EP, which came out in 2013. But the band is fully collaborating on the music for an upcoming eight-song LP. With six songs in the bag, Tracy said the music is “more intense and more emotionally satisfying” than anything they’ve ever written before.

“The music we’re playing now is more in tune with how we feel about music and the emotional direction we want to push it,” he says.

Tracy says the band is very “deliberate” in their songwriting process. “Which means it takes us forever.” In fact, he notes, some have criticized the band for taking too long to write material.

“But we want to wind up with something that we’re happy with. We don’t want to just churn out a bunch of songs in order to give a full-length. We care very much about the songs.”

The band is also playing around with song structure, with some following a typical verse-chorus-verse format while others have no repeating parts.

Tracy says that his band will play some of their newer material at their upcoming Valentine’s Day show at the Caravan Lounge.

“It’s … an interesting date to have a show,” Tracy says. “Fortunately, all our girlfriends are very understanding. They know how serious and how passionate we are about playing. So they all gave us a hall pass for the show.”

It’s the band’s debut at Caravan and their first show in several months. As such, Tracy says he is excited to show off new material to a hometown crowd. There’s nothing better than seeing people connect with his band’s music for the first time, he says.

“The best part for me is playing a show, and even if there’s just one person in the room—having that one person lock on to the band and just kind of following the rhythm, just being in the moment with the band—that’s nothing short of magic.”

Roman Lions play Feb. 14 at 10pm at The Caravan Lounge. More info.

Local band Monstrauss has been an odd addition to the South Bay scene since its inception in late 2009. They mix elements of grunge, ska, funk-metal and prog-rock. While it might be confusing for some listeners to hear a song jump between ska and grunge, all that’s needed to fully understand Monstrauss, is that these guys love the music of the 90s—all of it. That includes Stone Temple Pilots, Primus, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and many of the other alternative rock bands that decade gave us.

What is fascinating about Monstrauss is how they authentically treat each and every musically element in their songs. They play grunge like kids who grew up listening to nothing but. The same goes for ska, prog-rock and funk-metal.

Unfortunately, this is the last chance to catch Monstrauss for a while. Guitarist Noaa Rienecker is moving to the East Coast to attend the Berkeley School of Music for at least a year, maybe longer. In the meantime, you can still catch other core member, Jason Hallyburton, in any of his several other bands: 8:19, No One is Joking, and Hereticus.

Monstrauss performs at the Art Boutiki on Saturday, August 4th. The show starts at 7pm. Tickets are $5.

This year’s Mayhem Festival was different. It felt different. Gone was the dread of attending a faceless, corporate-sponsored event. As soon as I entered, I felt at ease. Why? Because I didn’t feel like a chump. Let’s face it, most of the time, festivals like this leave you drowned in a sea of bands you couldn’t care less about. With a lineup that included true metal legends like Slayer, Motorhead and Anthrax, that wasn’t the case Sunday.

Overall, the biggest stroke of genius was the traveling keg. Amongst the crowd of concert goers were wheeled carts with a kegs in them, filled with ice. A tall flag with the type of beer they were serving stuck up out of the back of the carts, so all you had to do was look for the flag. It was like a beer beacon.

Musically, there were some parallels to last year’s Mayhem Fest. Instead of questioning why Testament wasn’t on the main stage, the question was why wasn’t Anthrax on the main stage? No matter, though. Anthrax came out with more energy than guys half their age.  Running amuck and sounding incredible, Anthrax’s showmanship was unmatched that evening.

As the sun set, Motorhead took the main stage. Subtle yet effective, Lemmy is the epitome of cool. He doesn’t even have to try. He just is. Dirty, gritty and louder than a 747, Lemmy made it clear that night: “We are Motorhead, and we play rock and roll!” Who are any of us to disagree?

The power of Satan took over as soon as Slayer took the stage. As Scott Ian put it: “Slayer is the music you’re going to hear when you go to Hell.” They had their Marshall stacks set up to look like two upside down crosses –-with fire shooting out of them. They set a standard that night, making me feel sorry for whoever had to follow them.

Which brings us to Slipknot.

I’ve always respected Mick Thomson’s guitar work. The guy shreds, plain and simple. There’s also no denying Slipknot’s influence and ability to get the crowd moving. But headlining? Over bands that have paved the way for them? I don’t get it. There’s no accounting for taste, so take their music with a grain of salt. But they never fail to put on a good show, whether you like their music or not.

At concerts like this, it’s always a t-shirt contest. Who has the most obscure shirt from a band you’ve never heard of? Well, I guarantee I had a shirt no one was wearing: Mr. Bungle. Last year I wore an Eyesores shirt. So, I’m still the undisputed Mayhem t-shirt champion, two years running. 

Matt Pike (right) of High on Fire has checked into rehab.

As part of Sleep, Pike set the bar for stoner rock with hallucinogenic doom metal so sludgy it sometimes out-Sabbathed Sabbath. After their break-up in the ’90s and throughout their sporadic reunions, they’ve become almost more a legend than a band. That legend continues to grow, thanks to war stories like the time in 1995 that record execs refused to release their third album, Dopesmoker, because it was one hour-long song. Under the pressure of endless label blowback, the band split into Om and High on Fire.

Just last week, Sleep headlined at the Scion A/V Rock Fest in Tampa, where cake was brought onstage at the end of the set to celebrate Pike’s birthday.

It’s now been 14 years since Pike formed High on Fire in Oakland. They just released their latest album, De Vermis Mysteriis, in spring. That it debuted at #61 on the Billboard charts despite the fact that HOF’s music is even harder than Sleep’s ever was is a testament to the fact that it is also hookier and simply undeniable. What Pike has created with the band represents nothing less than the future of metal.

The band’s other two members, drummer Des Kensel and bassist Jeff Matz, released a statement saying “High on Fire would like to thank everyone involved with the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival for the opportunity to be a part of this year’s tour. We regretfully will have to bow out as our friend and bandmate begins his recovery, but very much appreciate having been asked to be a part of this summer’s festival run.”

Beerijuana. Yes, you read that correctly, and if the name alone sent tingles down your spine that was the correct response. While some sources date the origins of the San Jose band to, “Before the dawn of time (Optimus Prime Voice),” a quick read through the Sumerian texts will reveal that boast as a possible fallacy. More accurately, the band started in 2007. Its four members are: Dr Crazyfingers, Paul the Prophet, Zack Hicks, and Frank Resina. Their music is a breed all its own. Sure, Death Metal, Crustpunk and Thrash come to mind; but, like most original bands, it’s tough to pin down the sound of Beerijuana.

It’s definitely not something you’d have playing in your car while on a blind date. By the same token, it’s probably something you’d enjoy blaring from your car speakers on your way home, or with good friends. That kind of intensity can be a dangerous thing to reveal to ones you don’t trust. The theme of “trust” seems to be a big focus for the band, and while countless artists croon about love and love lost, Beerijuana gets to the crux of human existence: trust, deceit, revenge and friendship.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Paul’s vocal delivery is sometimes hard to understand, bordering on cryptic.

“Language is loaded with meaning, and can sometimes be limiting,” says guitarist Dr. Crazyfingers. “The definitions of the lexicon are built by consensus and it hampers how much space you have to express with them. But a perceived wordless sound lets the listener’s mind assign the proper values to it. On our latest recording (EP out this spring), he is a bit more audible, by design. We also try to include a lyric sheet for those who wish to decipher the written meanings as well. The lyrics provide Paul the rhythmic and amplitude keys he performs to.”

So, while Paul is belting out inhuman vocals, Dr. Crazyfingers utilizes his neck-thru Kramer (drop-tuned to Bb of course) as a polyphonic back up. The guitar work is so fast Bach would flip his wig. If that wasn’t enough, Zach’s drums create a salvo of percussive tones reminiscent of WWI trench warfare, and Frank’s 300Watt GK rig can probably set off seismic sensors.

When asked about the more “caring” side of Beerijuana, Frank provided deep insight into what drives him as an artist. While seemingly intense and lewd, his answer can be interpolated via the use of editorial parentheses. In all fairness, the answer he provided was by email, but we can only assume the true meaning was:

“Soft, caring side? No! My interests are pussy (rescuing feral felines), weed (the eradication of intrusive species, which suffocate native plants), alcohol (denatured, for the specific use as an antiseptic in lower Saharan conflict zones), and motorcycles (electric and/or bio-diesel), not necessarily in that order.”

That exercise in editing is, most likely, something Beerijuana does not appreciate. That’s the beauty of this band. They’re all thoughtful human beings who pride themselves on crafting music, which is as honest as they can bring it, no editorial excuses necessary. Whether you like that honesty or not, it is meticulously crafted, and it is meant to incite powerful emotions.

Beerijuana plays the Blank Club, March 16^th.

By all accounts, Lemmy Kilmister should be dead. He drinks a fifth of Jack Daniel’s a day, been smoking since he was 11 and eats only meat and cheese. Anthrax’s Scott Ian put it best when he said Motorhead is one of those metal bands that’s cool for the punks to like. They’re fast, dirty, and louder than a 747. Lemmy, however, has always said Motorhead is not metal band, they’re a rock ‘n’ roll band. They’ll play Thursday at the San Jose State Event Center as part of Megadeth’s Gigantour.

With more than 30 years under their belt and over 20 albums, they show no signs of slowing down. After being fired from Hawkwind in 1975, for “doing the wrong drugs,” Lemmy formed Motorhead, a name derived from a slang term for speed freaks and a song he had written. Throughout their career, they’ve spawned numerous iconic songs, including “Bomber,” “Killed by Death,” “Overkill,” and, of course, their signature “Ace of Spades.”

Also performing at this Gigantour show is Megadeth, a band Dave Mustaine formed out of spite after being fired from Metallica. He wanted to be faster, heavier, and was out for their blood. Their second album, 1986’s Peace Sells…but Who’s Buying? is an essential thrash metal assault, and 1990’s Rust in Peace is the highlight of their career.

Danish rockers Volbeat and Italian gothic metal band Lacuna Coil start things off. – Beau Dowling

Metal bands can be ridiculous, self-absorbed and even downright outrageous. Sometimes, the genre needs to be reminded to have a sense of humor and not take itself so seriously. Sometimes, a band like San Jose’s Metallingus comes along and does just that.

Metallingus came about in 1991, when Rocci Cirone (who was in local punk band Nasal Sex at the time with his brother Joe) was drunk enough to talk to Chris Wilder about his idea for a band.

“I was glomming onto his back and saying, ‘You know, we gotta do a metal band to get all this metal out of our system,’” remembers Rocci. He said, ‘How about Metallica’s first album done by Spinal Tap?’”

Thus Metallingus was born, taking the absurdity, indulgence and decadence of metal and mixing it with thrash. But make no mistake, even with a sense of humor behind the music, they’re no slouches when it comes to playing. Guitarist Steve Corral owns 37 guitars and Wilder played with San Francisco hardcore punk band M.D.C. for 1991 to 1995, until he received an “honorable discharge.”

“There are three ways to leave M.D.C. – honorable discharge, dishonorable discharge, or you die,” Wilder says.

Reigning biggest metal tour the Rockstar Mayhem Festival has announced its line-up for this year, which features headliners Slipknot and Slayer, along with Anthrax, the Devil Wears Prada, As I Lay Dying, High on Fire and Whitechapel. The 26-date tour begins on June 30 and comes to Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View the next day, July 1.

Another as-yet-unrevealed band referred to so far only as a “major special guest” will be announced on March 5. Tickets go on sale April 6.

Slayer and Anthrax have joined up several times over the last couple of years for the historic “Big 4” shows that saw them touring with Metallica and Megadeth, uniting the top thrash bands for the first time. This tour will be different, as Slayer will be on the main stage, while Anthrax will be headlining the secondary Jagermeister stage, which is getting a huge upgrade.

Another interesting addition is High on Fire, the offshoot of legendary San Jose stoner-metal band Sleep. Their 2010 album Snakes for the Divine was the best record of frontman Matt Pike’s career, and may finally make him more famous for the albums he did finish than the ones he didn’t.

Megadeth has had a lot of ups and downs over the years, which is probably fitting for a band that started basically as a grudge after Dave Mustaine got thrown out of Metallica. It’s been one crazy story after the other, but the craziest yet may be that Megadeth is back in top form, a decade after Mustaine broke up the band to undergo a year of shock therapy and re-training on his arm for severe nerve damage that could have meant he’d never play again.

Instead, their latest, Thirteen, has been nominated for two Grammys and is easily their best album since 1990’s Rust in Peace. To support it, Mustaine is restarting his heavy metal festival Gigantour, with Motorhead, Volbeat and Lacuna Coil joining Megadeth for a tour that comes to the San Jose Event Center on Thursday, Feb. 23.

The first song off the latest record. “Sudden Death,” was released in 2010’s “Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock” game, and was nominated for a Best Metal Performance Grammy. Now the single “Public Enemy No. 1” (which features a pretty hilarious video starring an outlaw monkey) has been nominated in the category as well.

Tickets for the San Jose Event Center date are on sale now. The band is coming off its historic “Big 4” shows that saw the once bitter enemies Megadeth and Metallica joining up with Slayer and Anthrax, uniting the four biggest bands in thrash metal. Megadeth also toured with Slayer on the recent “Carnage” tours.

Click here to view the embedded video.