After a decade, the legendary heavy metal group, God Forbid, returned to the West Coast with a few California shows slated for mid-December in celebration of the 20th anniversary of their album, Gone Forever. On Friday the 13th, a killer lineup hits The Regent Theater in Downtown LA with support from local California crushers, Thrown Into Exile, Skinlab, Exmortus, and Burton C. Bell.
The audience was the perfect combination of thrashing metalheads and contemplative solitary goths blending together in the Regent’s beautiful historic venue.
It was an extra special treat to have Burton C. Bell (ex-Fear Factory) perform as part of his debut as a solo artist. Burton had his first solo show exactly six months ago on June 13th, 2024 at 1720 Warehouse and then performed at Brick by Brick in San Diego on December 12th, so we were among the first ever live audiences for his new music here at The Regent.
Burton’s set opened powerfully with his recently released single, “Anti-Droid”, his hard-hitting, ominous industrial track about technology-fueled dystopia and breaking free. I was on set for the music video production, but this was my first time seeing the song performed with a full backing band and live audience and feeling the full vibrance of Burton’s lyrical roars, “I’d rather be dead than a slave to the factory”. The set included new singles as a solo artist as well as some beloved pieces from all across Burton’s musical legacy which really hit home how much artistry Burton has provided to our heavy music and industrial landscape.
The audience pulsed with each track and shifting mood as the background screen changed between many different vibes including title cards with gears and electricity, the theme of red and blue, a sci-fi-looking glowing planet, and a darker, more ethereal banner of moon phases. The backgrounds were perfectly accentuated by Burton’s mesh skeleton shirt to provide an essence of death, doom and existential themes. The crowd was amped by each song that came on like a surprise, and Burton and his band gave a stellar performance full of endless energy and charisma. Burton, being the incredibly kind and personable guy he is, made sure to give all his front-row fans handshakes and high-fives upon completing his set.
In between sets, the theater donned a festive back wall screen that said, “Regent” in metal cursive with holiday colors and falling snowballs. Classical holiday music played as house music and then turned very dramatic for God Forbid’s stage entrance as the stage went dark and red and green spotlights fanned the crowd.
Vocalist, Byron Davis, greeted us before ripping abrasively into the opening screams of “Force-Fed”, the opening track to 2004 album Gone Forever (Century Media Records). The whole venue sang along to the lyrics and thrashed around in the pit. It was clear there was so much excitement for this band’s long-overdue return to California.
The set moved through the album pounding through songs such as “Better Days”, “Precious Life”, and “Allegiance” before hitting one of the all-time bangers, “Antihero”. The pit opened to complete animal fury with some men getting into fisticuffs on an extreme level. The vibe was terrifically raw and rowdy. The sinister blue and green lighting added to this sense. I loved the moving title card behind the band which consisted of the album cover image of a desolate deserted place with the crow from the cover and flocks of crows flying in and out, sometimes swooping down right behind the guitarists giving them wings.
The setlist continued through the album moving through “Washed Out World,” “Living Nightmare,” and “Soul Engraved,” before ending with “Gone Forever,” and “Judge the Blood.”
The audience was not ready for God Forbid to call it quits after waiting years for this show. The band happily obliged and came back out to bang through two more crowd favorites from their 2005 album, IV: Constitution Of Treason including “Chains of Humanity” and ending on a huge note with “The End of the World”.
Album celebration shows are always my favorite because it gives album fans a moment to see their favorite songs played live with a predetermined setlist, and hearing albums from start to finish is something special. After annihilating audiences in Downtown LA, God Forbid played at the Anaheim House of Blues the next night, December 14th. With only a few California shows on the agenda, West Coast God Forbid fans will be eagerly awaiting any announcements for 2025 dates.
Set List:
Force-Fed
Better Days
Precious Lie
Allegiance
Antihero
Washed Out World
Living Nightmare
Soul Engraved
Gone Forever
Judge the Blood
Encore:
Chains of Humanity
The End of the World
Buy God Forbid music and merch here:
https://linktr.ee/godforbidband
WORDS AND PHOTOS BY KIMBERLY MORAN
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