DOWN THE METAL PIPELINE
My Longwinded “How Did I Get Here?” Story
NPZ #1 — NOVEMBER 2024 — PAGE 3-4
How the hell did I get here? To keep the early days backstory short, I’ve been aware of metal approx. 2016/8th grade when I got into METALLICA (classic 14y/o’s first metal band lol). But, I didn’t really explore the genre beyond that at the time, and steered more towards classic rock for a good few years.
I tuned back into metal in late 2022 because of…Stranger Things. BOO ME OR WHATEVER! If you don’t know: it’s a show set in the 80s, and featured a classic metalhead which got me revisiting my old playlist. DISCLAIMER: fuck the creators/particular genocidal state-supporting actors. No real hate to fans, and not gatekeeping if that’s how people got into the music! That being said—and this is a bit hypocritical—I stand by I was just a dormant metalhead in hibernation, and I have the middle school art to prove it (which I will not share to save some shred of dignity) ANYWAY…
So my love for the genre was RE-ignited (especially Metallica). My first real taste of a metal show was actually in Shanghai (there for ex-college), with my best friend Jaidyn, at a small, smoky rock bar called Specters. I regret not going there more; current me would’ve thrived in that place, but me back in May 2023 was intimidated by the crowd. The band there played a few covers, including Chop Suey by SOAD which was a vibe. Don’t remember the band’s name, sorry to those guys!
My RE-discovery of one of my fav bands growing up led to impulse purchasing Metallica weekend tix for LA in August 2023. I figured, hell they might stop touring after this, who knows? (hint, pg. 17) Nosebleed tix, $$$ merch, and losing my wallet chain to security: not as incredible. But the feeling of being in a stadium with 10s of thousands who share your love for this music, and seeing the guys whose music got you through some really hard fucking times? That was worth every dime. And trust it was a lot of dimes.
Following Metallica, I went to Aftershock 2023 with my friends in October! More on pg. 5, but fav highlights were MEGADETH and KORN! This is a Megadeth-fan tolerant space (Dave-tolerant is a different question…), but Metallica is still #1 for me, sorry!
Afterwards, I chilled out for a bit, but I think I had gotten my taste of the gateway drug. Especially at the Metallica show, I was so envious of the people in GA. At the same time, I was (and still am) pretty socially anxious, and physically uncomfortable with putting myself out there, and into the pit (more on pg. 16)
Late Oct 2023 I went to Austin, TX for a film fest. I stumbled into a bar called Valhalla on a suddenly freezing-cold evening, stuck around for the cheap drinks, and happened upon a metal/grindcore show. It took a couple drinks to beat my mild social anxiety, but I talked to a few people—including a guy with a RTL back patch on his vest—and even some of the band members. Shoutout to the cool people of IMMINENT END; if I’m ever back in Austin, I’ll have to link up with them again! Another milestone in my baby-steps into the scene: socialization (terrifying).
It took a while to figure out how to find these local shows without just walking into random bars and hoping for good luck. Thankfully, someone put me on the @sacramentopunkshows instagram, and a whole new door opened.
January 2024, I end up driving like an hour to Marysville after seeing the word “metal” on a flyer from the Sac shows account. Now it feels like a lifetime ago, but that show was really when shit got real. The place was packed, energy was fantastic, nice convos with strangers, the bands were great, and a “For Whom the Bell Tolls” cover to close out the night won me over. Woke up the next day sore, bruised, and neck cramped from headbanging. And I knew I had a new problem, because that’s when I started to chase that heavy metal high.
I won’t list every single show I’ve been to since, but some highlights:
BACK STABBATH (BLACK SABBATH TRIBUTE) at Old Ironsides (Sac), they asked a girl from the crowd to sing vocals for “War Pigs”, also unexpectedly comes up again (pg. 7)
Cafe Colonial (Sac) nights with as many friends as I could drag along (<3 Nico, Nae, Maya, Olivia, Jaidynnnnn); sweat-soaked stage, stinky crustpunk central, past-midnight post-show Denny’s, all irreplaceable memories
MY FIRST PIT and WALL OF DEATH at a Vacaville show w/ my friends Rob and Z! INVADER covered “Creeping Death”, so no hesitation getting into that circle pit but ran out of breath fast (pg. 16). Later I heard “WALL OF DEATH”…I looked at my friend Rob…“I’ll do it if you do it!” We held hands, and dove the fuck in. A core memory with a bro for life :)
WARBRINGER at Goldfield (Sac), Got my thumb fucked up, saw the funniest pit activities (ex. a bassist leading a circle like ducklings, scrawny teenagers bouncing off a unit of a dude, pit leapfrog), and got abducted into the “Remain Violent” circle pit, but no complaints here! Also got my first non-Metallica metal shirt lol
DAMAGE INC. (NORCAL METALLICA TRIBUTE) at Goldfield (Roseville), holy shiiiiiiitttttt!!!! Heaviest I’ve headbanged, got dogpiled in a wall of death, slipped on spilled drinks, nearly broke my glasses, sore ass neck, crazy bangover headache, lost my voice, the works. 10/10 experience. Also got the tix free from a giveaway, and the guitarist gave me and my friend Nico the set list and a free pick, hell yeah
This is where I’ll wrap things up for now, and not just cause the word count is getting crazy. But also because a couple big changes happened after the Damage Inc. show, and what a finale of this first season of my metal scene journey. One (mildly) big move from Sac to SF, and one big life-changing surgery later, holy shit am I excited for this next chapter. It’s just a matter of finding my people, which kind of brings me to the birth of this project: I know y’all are out there, and here’s my way of saying “SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT, SF/BAY AREA THRASHERS!!!"
Photos: (Top to bottom, left column) 1.5 YR VEST PROGRESS!, 上海！, “I YEARN FOR THE PIT”, LA, ATX + IMMINENT END STICKER, (right column) CLIFF TRIBUTE, FAVORITE NON-METALLICA SHIRT, “DEADLY FAME”, SPLIT SETLIST w/ NICO (pg. 6), THE SF SETUP
