Bloody Crackdown/Blazoner/Create & Cremate/Uga Buga – Free Metal Friday at Another Round RVA, Richmond, VA, January 5, 2024

Free Metal Friday at Another Round in Richmond, Virginia is something that should be celebrated! Local and regional acts playing for free on a Friday night, all ages welcome, with money left over to buy band merch and tip the bartender. What a freaking killer way to spend a cold Friday night in the winter!

Uga Buga

https://ugabuga.bandcamp.com/

Band Members:

  • Calloway Jones – Vocals/Guitars
  • Niko Cvetanovich – Bass/Vocals
  • Jimmy Czywczynskii – Drums

Setlist:

  • Righteous Man
  • Rape of The Poor
  • BBB
  • Earth Sucker
  • Eye of the Storm
  • Change My Name
  • Year Of The Hog

Three musicians, two Vocalists, and one badass set. While talking to them before the show, I asked how they defined their sound, then told them I was going to listen to see if I agreed with their self-assessment. They talked it out and kind of shrugged and said stuff like Stoner/Doom, Sludge, maybe a little Thrash. They left out the Fuzz, Desert, and Power Metal (though I think the Power Metal is unintentional).

These guys got everything started and did a damn good job of setting the right tone for the night. They drove an hour over from Charlottesville, Virginia, and sacrificed room in the car for more gear and left their merchandise at home. Good thing I’m going to catch them at a hometown show next weekend so I can support them by getting their swag directly from them. These guys really did set the bar for the rest of the night. They played their collective hearts out and then stuck around to support the rest of the bands. Classy move and one of the reasons I’m driving two hours next Saturday to see them again.

Oh, and the music was killer, too. It had the tuning, tones, and tempos that covered more ground than just one single genre, so they had a great mix of sounds that is one of the best parts of Metal, the fusion of different styles in innovative and new ways. More on these guys in another week!

Create & Cremate

Band Members:

  • Casper – Vocals
  • Eric – Lead and Rhythm Guitars
  • Key – Lead and Rhythm Guitars
  • Ryan – Bass
  • Sam – Drums

Setlist:

  • Intro (Kraken)
  • Target
  • Skysplitter
  • Are You Scared?
  • The People’s War

Hailing from Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, Create & Cremate brought the Deathcore to the night. Straddling across Punk with some of their lyrics and attitude, they brought a heavier, guttural sound with a mix of clean and harsh vocals. The families were happy to see their kinfolk play live and supported them with cheers and whistles, though one mom did force some of them to listen to country music all the way to the show. It’s no wonder he was sounding so angst-ridden and irritated… LOL

Yeah, I just put LOL in a review of a Metal show, so what? The set was intense, fast, and a lot of fun. One girl there (I think she was eight), had more fun than anybody. She thrashed, headbanged, moshed, and got to ride on a relative’s shoulders. She also got to slam dance with the lead singer and got the bassist’s pick, so an all-around great night for her. I’m too old to mosh, but had a blast watching the next generation learn how to do it safely. Forget what Gene Simmons says… ROCK IS NOT DEAD!

It may have been a short set, but it left a killer impression!

Blazoner

https://blazoner.bandcamp.com/album/escape-to-electric-land

Band Members:

  • Stephen Sullivan – Guitar/Vocals
  • Brian Carnes – Bass/Vocals
  • Andy Murray – Drums/Vocals

Setlist:

  • Onyx Stone
  • Misfortune
  • Spyderbyte
  • Boom/The Servant
  • Ghost
  • Fallout
  • In The Beginning (Genesis cover)
  • RATZ

This is the band I went to see. Having recently reviewed their debut album, Escape To Electric Land, I knew this Fredericksburg, Virginia band was one I had to see live. I was not disappointed.

Holy shit these guys rock! As a three-piece band where they all provide vocals, they can do some seriously good stuff live. They brought some of their own lighting and fog, adding to the overall effect of the show. The above-mentioned thrasher girl spent some quality time dancing and playing in the laser lighting. She really had the best time of anyone when you get right down to it.

Back to the music. Steven and Brian had wild, double-decker pedal boards and used them to great effect. Their sound was fantastic. It was loud, beautifully balanced, and technically precise. Their three-part harmonies on “Ghost” were freaking excellent live. Every song from the album was recognizable and sounded as good live as I hoped. My favorites were “Onyx Stone” and “Ghost,” partly because of the way they harmonize the voices and trade off lead vocals on those particular tracks. “Ghost” has hints of King’s X, one of my favorite bands from the 80s.

Blazoner is also playing the show in Charlottesville next Saturday, so I get to hear those all over again and I freaking ready! These guys really blew my mind. It was one of the best sets I’ve seen in the last few years.

Bloody Crackdown

Band Members:

  • Johhny The Strange Man – Vocals
  • SGM Daniel Black – Guitars
  • Jersey Tommy – Bass
  • Dustin The Drummer – Drums

Setlist:

  • Intro
  • Killing Spree
  • Pissed Off
  • PTSD
  • Paid Salvation
  • Miss Take
  • V. R. Siege
  • Strange Man
  • Sinister Snipers
  • Fallujah BBQ

This band was a last-minute fill-in for the original headliner. Rumor has it the first band had some online drama and got dropped, but that is unconfirmed and doesn’t matter in the long run. Bloody Crackdown was the Punk band at the Metal show and they brought the house down with a combination of aggressive tunes and angsty lyrics. There was a minor technical issue with an amp or guitar cord that held the show up for a few minutes, but nobody seemed to care. We all just waited patiently. Once the issue was fixed, the show started back up and more fun ensued.

Due to a hard-set closing time, the show ended a few songs early, but that did not seem to matter in the long run. The show was chaotic, noisy, and fun as hell. Johhny and the SGM (Sergeant Major rank in the US Army for those who don’t know) split the vocal duties. It was a true Punk Rock show from start to finish. The technical precision of the previous bands was not as apparent, but again, nobody cared because these guys were just having all the fun and getting their points across; mostly, do not trust anything from the establishment. They are lying and you will get ripped off.

Patriotism, chaos, glorious noise, and a boatload of rebellion made this a great end to a killer night of music.