The criminally underrated and recently reformed 3 Inches of Blood played their first California show at The Fonda Theatre in a decade. For those who fell under the spell of their 2004 album Advance and Vanquish, it was a night 20 years in the making. That’s enough time to build impossible expectations, but 3 Inches of Blood shattered them like an orc’s helmet under a warhammer.
The evening was a summit of metalheads and metal bands with big ‘80s energy, both sonically and sartorially. Onstage and offstage, many rocked tight black jeans and bullet belts with white hightops and battle vests covered in classic metal patches. 3IOB selected openers as they might recruit armies to join a campaign. While each band brought their unique skills to the battle, all marched under the banner of classic metal.
First up was LA’s own Intranced, who hit the stage and our ears with slightly more ‘70s-tinged tales of heartbreak, longing, and triumph. Putting a Latino spin on the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM), Intranced often sounded like a bilingual version of Rainbow, early Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and even Aerosmith. Vocalist James Paul Luna channelled Ronnie James Dio while strutting in spiked rhinestone boots and a swirling silver cape. Guitarist Fili Bibiano played melodic riffs and shredded solos on a star-shaped guitar with his name on the headstock–who needs Jackson when you have Bibiano?
Formed just a couple years ago, Intranced is a new band comprised of metal veterans and is one you can take your non-metalhead girlfriend to see. Their first album, 2024’s Muerte y Metal, is the perfect place to start with this anthemic outfit.
Up next, Haunt expanded that early metal sound in a distinctly Ozzy Osbourne way. They combined the Prince-of-Fucking-Darkness’ effortlessly cool vocal delivery with riffs and pinch harmonic squeals worthy of his legendary axemen Randy Rhoads and Zakk Wylde. Fresh outta Fresno, Haunt was my favourite discovery of the night. I’d already fallen in love with their accessible yet intricate style on Spotify before the show, but I was still surprised. Decked out in the finest thrash threads of the night and sporting BC Rich guitars, Haunt got the audience moshing, pitting, and crowd surfing.
Like their heroes, Thin Lizzy, Haunt’s dual lead guitarists Trevor William Church and Joel Dominguez harmonized with each other and traded melodic solos standing atop risers with C02 blasting underneath them. With his wild-eyed sneer and mop of headbanging hair, lead vocalist and songwriter Church was just a red dye job away from being a dead ringer for Dave Mustaine. Fittingly, he had Megadeth’s mascot, Vic Rattlehead, tattooed on one shoulder, with The Misfits’ Crimson Ghost on the other.
Portland’s Toxic Holocaust threw accessibility out the window and desecrated its defenestrated corpse. Essentially a one-man band, Joel Grind sings and plays all the instruments on the record, recruiting touring members to bring his punishing creations to life on stage. Thrash, hardcore punk, and proto-death metal come together in short, brain-bursting compositions about an atomic apocalypse that absolutely dare fans to break their bodies to the beat. At one point in the photo pit, I felt a cool breeze on my bald head. I turned to see a crowd surfer’s boot sail a few inches from my face as he flew over the barrier. As their song New World Beyond warns, “Be! Aware! They come when you least expect it!” If you bring your gf to the Toxic Holocaust pit, she might need to be cut from Rhea Ripley’s cloth.
Our appetites whetted and our moshing vetted. It was time for Victoria, BC’s 3 Inches of Blood to take a stage whose Marshall amps were covered with lit candles. The eerie environs were shattered by Fear on the Bridge, the opening track from Advance and Vanquish. Some audience members had been waiting two decades for this moment, and 3IOB did not disappoint.
If anyone ever proved the theory of Nominative Determinism, it’s Cam Pipes, whose high-pitched falsetto recalls King Diamond and Rob Halford (both represented on his battle vest). Most vocalists lose upper range as they age, but there is zero rust on Cam’s pipes after 20 years.
Cam’s clean shrieks contrasted with guitarist Justin Hagberg’s screaming vocals, bringing more darkness and aggression to their classic metal sound. The end result is like Judas Priest infected with the rage virus from 28 Days Later. Their live sound with Nick Cates on bass, Shane Clark on lead guitar, and Ash Pearson on drums was everything I’d imagined over countless plays on early iPods and iPhones in the car and at the gym.
In the fantasy storytelling tradition of NWOBHM, 3 Inches of Blood unfolded melodic mantras of apocalyptic automatons (Wykydtron), flesh-eating frozen giants (God of the Cold White Silence), onerous orcs (Destroy the Orcs), vengeful vegetation (The Forest King), and all manner of Viking and barbarian warriors ready to eradicate the murderous monsters with Axes of Evil.
The real theme of 3IOB’s lyrics can be found in songs like Battles and Brotherhood–you can’t be expected to defend your homestead or headbang alone. All around me, I could hear familiar lyrics chanted by bass drum brothers and shred sisters.
As much as the openers incited circle pits and crowd surfers, it was nothing compared to the sustained madness of the 3IOB crowd, with stage divers jumping into the roiling human sea. From the balcony, I saw one shirtless fan circle in the pit before surfing over the crowd, tumbling over the barrier, caught and released by security, running the length of the stage, and merging right back into the pit without missing a single beat.
For me, the undeniable highlight of the night was Deadly Sinners, with Intranced’s James Paul Luna joining on guest vocals. The propulsive, melodic, and aggressive track remains 3IOB’s signature tune and 99% of people’s first exposure to the band. With no love from radio, the song’s placement in three of the most memorable games from the Playstation 3/Xbox 360 era, Tony Hawk’s Underground 2, Saints Row 2, and Brütal Legend, etched it into the souls of skaters, open-world criminals, and real-time strategy metalheads forever.
Members of the bands signed vinyl and posed for selfies at their merch tables, with Cam Pipes proving that old adage about ridiculously affable Canadians as he greeted adoring fans, including yours truly. An LA metal show would be incomplete without a Brian Posehn sighting, but fortunately, the 6’7” comedian was easy to pick out of the crowd and always up for chatting with his fellow metalheads.
The evening of retro thrills and moshpit solidarity was seriously enhanced by The Fonda Theatre, whose 1920s architectural splendour is outdone only by the friendly and professional staff. Overbearing security can kill the vibe of a great show. That the chill personnel of The Fonda could keep a crowd full of beer-swilling and stage-diving young metal maniacs safe without depriving them of their fun proves to me that the overly intimidating, LAPD-cosplaying staff at some other small venues is completely unnecessary and antithetical to the spirit of music.
Physically exhausted and spiritually invigorated, I left the 99-year-old venue confident in the state of metal today. While I can’t deny that the broad relevance of my favourite musical artform peaked in the ‘80s, metal culture is alive and well, providing the kind of analogue, meatspace thrills that no TikTok can capture. As always, it’s a brand new experience to finally see a beloved band live.
If listening to 3 Inches of Blood on your stereo at home is like watching the greatest documentary about bears on a 65” 4K TV, then going to a show is like having that same bear flip your air-conditioned Land Rover over and drag you out into the forest to hunt and kill until you forget you were ever trapped in a dehumanized world of screens and social media.
SETLIST
Tape Intro: AC/DC – If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)
Fear on the Bridge
Wykydtron
God of the Cold White Silence
Destroy the Orcs
Axes of Evil
Trial of Champions
Through the Horned Gate
Night Marauders
Premonition
Forest King
Revenge is a Vulture
Assassins of the Light
Rejoice in the Fires of Man’s Demise
Battles and Brotherhood
Encore:
Crazy Nights
Deadly Sinners
The Goatriders Horde
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