Concert Report: Arch Enemy/Kreator @ The Regency Ballroom

November 10th at the Regency Ballroom. Four metal bands out for some San Francisco blood.

Tonight we see America’s Starkill and Huntress opening for one of the godfathers of European thrash metal, Kreator, and finally melodic death metal in the form of Arch Enemy. It’s a lineup so metal your car gets stolen.

Seriously, someone stole my car.

America’s Starkill opened the night to a less-than-stellar crowd. Then again it’s only 630PM and a lot of people haven’t quite made it there after work. They’re a melodic death metal band with some thrash thrown in and a a penchant for the double-bass drum. Sometimes the drumming sounded endless as if it was a drum machine and not a man’s legs. Their newest album, “Virus of the Mind,” was released about a month ago. They’ve got some good stuff like “Breaking the Madness” which switches between those high-speed drums and some more melodic guitars. It’s a pity more people weren’t here to see them.

Did I mention I saw a blind guy waltz in, cane and all, ready to rock out?

Huntress was up next and they combine their brand of thrash with some female vocals. Frontwoman Jill Janus came out in high boots and long nails with a cape. Underlit lighting helped provide the mood and things wouldn’t be complete with a fan to help keep her locks airborne. Their style isn’t quite as fast as Starkill’s can be but they still had plenty of speed. Janus’ register isn’t quite as deep as Alissa or Angela can get but she’s a trained operatic singer. She uses a cleaner style but occasionally does go for the growls. The band has a kind of older sound to them mixed up with some new elements.

There were a lot more people for Huntress but this might also be in preparation for the first of the two headliners, Kreator. To go with the blind man earlier I also saw a lady in a wheelchair. Metal thrives tonight and no manner of physical challenge can hold back the fans.

Kreator hails from Germany and are one of the forerunners of German metal. Formed back in 1982 they have released over a dozen albums and are set to release a fourteenth sometime in 2015. Only one man has been with the band for its entire career and that is Mille Petrozza on vocals and guitar. Drummer Jurgen Reil comes close except for a small absence during the mid 90s.

The band included a lot of their classic songs (many of them album namesakes). They started with my favorite, “Violent Revolution,” and quickly transitioned to “Civilization Collapse” and “Extreme Aggression.” As is custom Mille shouted, “KREATOR HAS RETURNED!” much to the cheers of the crowd. San Francisco is the home of Metallica and therefor thrash metal. For Kreator I imagine it is a sort of pilgrimage and homecoming and they declared as such. Before breaking into the song “Enemies of God” noted how people around the globe are brought together by music. Different countries, different cultures, different languages. All can understand music and in this case, metal.

People who frequent metal shows have seen a lot of physical audience participation. One thing Kreator loves is the circle pit and if one is not started they will prod the crowd into starting one. That wasn’t needed tonight and there was a pit taking up half the hall. The only shelter from this swirling mass were the extremes of the room: front in the press of the crowd, the chilled-out back, and the sides.

Things got even more physical when Mille asked for the room to divide in two. Much like the parting of the Red Sea there was a great void running front to back. There was only one thing to come: the wall of death. “Ein, Zwei, DREI.” Bodies clashed as the two sides became one mass. Think of it as an advanced level pit creation.

They continued on with “Victory Will Come” and the title track from their latest album, “Phantom Antichrist.” The circle pit was still going strong as “Hordes of Chaos” filled the room. The very last song was the 1986 classic “Pleasure to Kill.”

Mille gave the crowd one last line: “THE KREATOR WILL RETURN!” Until then it’s time for some Arch Enemy.

Arch Enemy’s new frontwoman, Alissa White-Gluz, has some big boots to fill. Angela Gossow is one of the pioneering female vocalists when it comes to metal and she selected Alissa to follow her steps. Angela was a major part of Arch Enemy starting in 2001 and even now continues albeit in the back as the band’s manager. Understudy Alissa comes from the band The Agonist and made her debut on this year’s album “War Eternal.”

Founder Michael Amott, veterans Daniel Erlandsson on drums and bassist Sharlee D’Angelo, and relative newcomer Nick Cordle provide the instruments. (EDIT: Nick Cordle has just announced his departure and Jeff Loomis – ex-Nevermore – has joined up. Former guitarist Christopher Amott – Michael’s brother – will fill in for the rest of the US dates before handing it off to Loomis for the European leg).

The first three songs are a mix of new and old with “Enemy Within,” “War Eternal,” and “Ravenous.” The first and last are from Angela’s debut on the “Wages of Sin” album and “War Eternal” hails from the album of the same name. There are a few Arch Enemy songs that I consider essential and Alissa would be judged dearly on them. The first benchmark song is “Revolution Begins.” Alissa cannot reach quite as deep as Angela can but does provide a good showing.

The next benchmark came just a few songs later and was heralded by a full flagpole. “Under Black Flags We March” from the 2012 Khaos Legions album is another staple of the band and I’m glad to report that there were no problems.

The final essential song is Wages of Sin’s “We Will Rise.” This is a bass-heavy song, both guitar and drum, that speaks to that primal part of you. Again, Alissa did not skip a beat. Looks like she’s found her pace.

There was a good mix in the setlist featuring both the newest album “War Eternal” (as it should) and songs that helped build the band. There were no albums favorited; everything had its place. Interspersed with the three mainstays were songs like “You Will Know My Name” and “As the Pages Burn” which were written for Alissa. One song I did feel left out is War Eternal’s “Avalanche” which I believe is the stand-out song from the album (“War Eternal” coming second). I’d love to see it live some day.

Four bands, four killer sets, and all before midnight. Everyone leaves sweaty and fulfilled and all for the price of $27 at the door. That’s a bargain. It’s going to be a night for many to remember as being the first time they saw Alissa

I’m still mad about my car.

Kreator’s setlist (partial, by ear):

Violent revolution
Civilization collapse
Extreme aggression
Phobia
Enemies of God
Victory Will Come
Mars Mantra
Phantom Antichrist
Impossible Brutality
Hordes of Chaos
Pleasure to Kill

Arch Enemy’s setlist:

Album Breakdown:

Wages of Sin: 3
Anthems of Rebellion: 2
Doomsday Machine: 1
Rise of the Tyrant: 1
War Eternal: 3