If you you could have picked just one concert to hit up last weekend, you should have your way down to the Tankcrimes Takeover at the Oakland Metro on Saturday night.  For those that don't know, Tankcrimes is a locally based record label out of Oakland and probably better known for their infamous band, Ghoul.  This particular show pulled together a wide array of talent from the Bay Area and beyond and ended up being a ridiculously fun show from start to finish.   

When I arrived at the Oakland Metro, the line to gain entry to the show was super long (which was a true testament to the bands playing that evening).  Unfortunately for me, it took a while for that line to move and I only was able to catch the last song from Los Huaycos. Those I chatted with noted they started out the set pretty heavily and really got the crowd engaged for what was to come later on in the night. Next up on the main stage was the heavy hitting Oakland natives, Connoisseur. With the introduction of their newest bass player, Kunjan Joshi, they literally killed every song. The lead singer, Carlos, brought an exciting energy to the stage and connected well with the audience. Every song was banger after banger, and I think they did a great job keeping everyone dialed in on their performance.

Following Connoisseur was the most unexpected performance I think I had ever seen, DeathgraVe. What seemed like it was going to be a normal set turned into a really interesting one. The band had just brought on their new drummer, Clint Baechle, and it was his first performance with them. Andre Cornejo, the lead vocalist, actually goes into character when he performs, and it is very entertaining to watch. It is like he becomes a zombie and sings their songs. It was unlike anything I have ever seen and honestly, was well worth the experience. They did a great job carrying the set and their music was rock solid.

After DeathgraVe came Mortuous,  and let me tell you, they shut it down. The dynamic death metal group got the crowd going in circles. Every song was building on each other and there was no down time between songs. Mortuous kept it heavy hitting the whole time and gave the near-capacity crowd a rock-solid performance. As Mortuous was ending on the main stage, Kicker took over the side stage. Taking the crowd by storm, also Oakland natives packed the side stage room. You could tell their lead vocalist, Roadie, was there to have a good time. Running around on stage, drinking a beer, and yelling lyrics at the crowd was just the start of the performance. Each song was spectacular in delivery and definitely made for a good time to shoot.

Brainoil was up next and this Oakland trio brought the heat to main stage. Their vocalist/guitarist Nate had some of the best screams I heard all night, and was really impressed with their overall performance and the flow of each song throughout the set. Brainoil really set the tone for Necrot, and they came out with a fury and took the crazed crowd to a whole new level. At this point in the show, there were so many people in the venue that bodies were solid from the main stage all the way to the back wall, with multiple mosh pits going on simultaneously.  Needless to say, Necrot had a great set.

Last but not least, Ghoul made their grand entrance onto the Oakland Metro stage appearance and let fans know from the git go what they were in for on Saturday night.   The bag-headed thrash metal band from San Francisco was not your typical metal performance. I had never heard of Ghoul before the show and all I knew was that they had a tendency to get wild and messy. They started their set out with some very heavy riffs and transitioned into a voice-over and followed by people in costumes taking the stage. I was trying to follow the story line,  but all I gathered was something about Nazis, a lady with blonde hair, and a giant robot (none of which seemed to go together). Each character had a piece of it that came off when it got hit by another character.  Luckily, I saved my camera as the dismembered characters showered the pit with what appeared to be fake blood (and other bodily substances).  It think it was a really interesting way to develop a set, and was very impressed with all of the people on stage acting out the hilarity that was unfolding. I was surprised that the crowd has so much energy towards the end of the show (because of all the high-energy bands prior to Ghoul), but I think it ended on a fantastic note with a brilliant performance from San Francisco's very own.

Overall, the Tankcrimes Takeover show was well worth the price of admission (and then some).  Sure, it was a long show, but not long enough where one would lose interest along the way.  Energy levels rose with each passing set, and made for an amazing concert experience when all the dust finally settled.  Tankcrimes did a wonderful job putting together this show, and hats off to Scotty Heath for giving fans one heck of a concert.   Heck, maybe he'll take the Tankcrimes Takeover on the road in the near future.  I'd be down to see a lineup like this again and am sure many across the US would drop some dollars to see a killer show like this. 

As always, rock on my friends!