HEMLOCK with MASTIV, ANTI-TRUST. NEBULA X at BACKSTAGE BAR & BILLIARDS

Every band was unbelievable for the packed house at Triple B's - a homegrown show featuring local bands Hemlock, Mastiv, Anti-trust and Nebula X. Hemlock has been playing their brand of heavy metal around Vegas for 26 years, and is one of the best bands we have seen that have local roots. They have opened for a slew of metal acts including Lamb of God, Korn and quite frequently Slayer. The energy they bring is non-stop - each and every song they play is packed with just as much energy as the song before, and lead singer and bass player Chad Smith was a master at handling the crowd and interacting with them all night.

Hemlock is in the midst of a 50+ show tour run and had to hit the road after their set and drive to New Mexico - most bands would have played a typical 1 hour set, thanked the crowd and hit the road, but not Hemlock, who played around two hours and still wanted to play more! This was a show for the local fans who have supported them for decades, and I cannot say enough good things about this band. Congrats to hemlock for keeping it real and staying true to what they love.

Opening up the show was NEBULA X , whose vocalists Rix Cox and Javier Rojas sing most of its songs in Spanish. The band is like a long time marriage, they fight, break up, make up, go separate ways but somehow always seem to make up and get back on track. With the recent departure of their drummer and bass player, Nebula X used Nikki Rangel on bass and James Hoover on drums, who did double duty as they are members of Mastiv who also was on the bill. The band sounded just as good as always - as long as they have Cox and Rojas in the lineup, Nebula X will always kickass and have a sound like no other local band.

Another fav of ours, ANTI-TRUST is a hard rocking metal band based in Vegas and is led by the dynamic Path Juson on vocals. This young lady was so into it during their set that she actually fell off the stage! Luckily for her it was only about a 2ft high, and we did our best to grab her to make sure she did not get hurt. When Path performs she is non-stop moving and head banging, along with her fierce growls, makes her a force to be reckoned with as a female singer. Coming up in October they will be opening up for Kobra & the Lotus at the Bunkhouse.

The mighty MASTIV is one band I never get tired of seeing, a hard metalcore band who has been together now for 12 years and has a sound that is unique to just them. They had a surprise for us as they announced the addition of Jason Hughes on Lead Guitar and Melaina Noyes on Rhythm Guitar, and Mastiv sounded even better than ever - adding them to a band that already has Steve Thiriot on vocals and keys, Nikki Rangel on bass and James Hoover on drums. I doubt you will find another local band with this kind of talent! You can catch them next on October 9th at the Bunkhouse also opening up for Kobra & the Lotus along with Anti-Trust.