On September 10th, 2017, the Metal Alliance tour took over The Crofoot in Pontiac, Michigan for a night of heavy metal provided by several bands featuring Invidia, Black Fast, Havok, Crowbar and Overkill.
My day job kept me from getting there in time to see most of the bands. Which sucked because I have heard wonderful things about Black Fast and Invidia. I had covered a Havok show earlier this year, it would’ve been nice to have seen them again and photograph them under better lighting. But I got there in time to see Crowbar just hit the stage.
I had heard of Crowbar for years, I believe my introduction to them came from watching a Beavis andButt-Head episode. Crowbar has been rocking for nearly three decades, originating out of New Orleans, Louisiana, they are one of the originating bands who created the genre called sludge metal. I’m not a huge fan of sludge metal, but I must say, Crowbar has me liking it.
With lead singer and rhythm guitarist Kirk Windstein at the helm, he has this band trudging along with his brooding vocals yet inviting energy. With band mates, Tommy Buckley on drums, Matt Brunson on lead guitar and Todd Strange on bass, this group expertly grinds out that sludge metal sound the way it should be.
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Headlining the tour is Overkill, the longtime thrash metal band out of New Jersey who have been jamming since 1980. Don’t let the longevity fool you, they’ve been around a long time for a reason. Overkill simply does thrash metal and does thrash metal well, if not better than most. Still kicking and screeching, lead singer Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth is electric on vocals and stage presence. I was caught off guard a couple times while shooting photos in the photo pit suddenly feeling a gust of wind and seeing Blitz standing right in front of me when just mere seconds ago he was nowhere to be seen. Blitz is certainly a guy who has stayed in good shape and it shows in his performance.
With D.D. Verni on bass, Dave Linsk on lead guitar, Derek Tailer on rhythm guitar and Jason Bittner on drums these guys rumble and crush the sounds as Blitz screeches out that classic thrash metal vocal style that he does so well. Overkill is also touring in support of their latest album ‘The Grinding Wheel’,which was released this year.
The crowd was into the music as moshing was a constant happening in the middle of the floor and those up front pumped fist and devil horns into the air as they sang along. I had never seen Overkill and I was finding myself putting my camera down time to time to watch these guys rock. This was also my first seeing the upper balcony full of people all around the railing to watch the show from above. It made for some challenging angles to capture some photos but I like the effect the vertical bars on the railing gave on some pictures.
With so many bands on the bill, it’s hard to not have a rocking good time. The Metal Alliance tour continues throughout North America for the rest of September. Be sure to catch it should they be near you.