Making my way to Oakland via the BART, I was super excited to return to the Fox Theater for a night of metal. Heading out extra early, not wanting to miss any of the Bands, I met up with my bro and one of our best West Coast correspondence Pags ,I hadn’t seen in a year and a half in person, and I am so glad we got to reconnect and hang before the big night. Picking up our credentials was a breeze, and I’m always appreciative of the fantastic staff at The Fox.
After reacquainting myself with the venue and checking out the merch, we headed in to get a spot early to post up to see on Unearth. Easily one of my favorite bands from my time back living in Boston, the band is as good as ever live. They had their own fans in the house on this night, and you have to respect the consistency of a band that is almost 30 years old. It was good to see some early moshing and a lot of hardcore vibes. A great, great start to a big night of metal music!
INTERVIEW: Trevor Phipps of Unearth Breaks Down “The Wretched; The Ruinous” And 25 Years of Music
INTERVIEW: Andrea Ferro of Lacuna Coil Talks “Sleepless Empire” and A.I.
Lacuna Coil was next, and I was super stoked. I recently interviewed Andrea Ferro about their recent album Sleepless Empire, out now on Century Media Records. Among Andrea’s top-of-mind topics was that the band was looking forward to unleashing a very heavy set on this North American tour, understanding the assignment. I seem to remember Lacuna Coil opening for Machine Head on one of their first American tours, a fact they brought up with humility and appreciation. The vocal mix was not great to start the show, and I could barely hear Andrea, but the rest of the band sounded excellent. As usual, Cristina Scabbia hit her vocal marks impeccably. Once the sound got sorted out mid-set, they put on a short but spirited set that impressed a lot of fans, who probably were not super well-versed on the group from Milan before tonight. I especially liked that the band did not rely on some of their biggest hits, but again, instead channeled more aggro material, a throwback to their early days.
In Flames was up next, and it’s always a good time seeing them. I have been talking with some fans between sets, and some told me they had never seen the band, always missing them. Well, I promise they were in for a great set, and I was not wrong. The band played a setlist of classic bangers and more recent jams. Great to see this band also going on 30 years in 2025 still brings it live, playing songs from nine different albums! Tons of moshing and sing-along choruses! When people ask me for an example of a great and professional metal band, I say In Flames. My favorite songs of the night were classics like “Food for The Gods,” “Colony,” “Trigger,” and “Take This Life.” Looking forward to the next tour, headline set, or festival appearance from this essential band.
Finally, it was time for Machine Head. I liked that all the bands shared the same lighting rig the entire night, and even though the back lighting might have made it a little tough on the photographers, it did create a lot of drama. There were cool configurations for each band too. There were also some cool big ass video screens, but mainly that was for the heqadliner. You got to give some credit to the band who have been doing big ass production for almost a decade, which I don’t think a lot of people recognize. They really were trying to give us all a lot of bang for a buck on this tour, something you should know if you’re coming out for the rest of the dates. Smoke, dramatic lighting, videos highlighting albums and moments from their entire career.
Machine Head hit the stage with one of my favorite openers, “Imperium,” which always sets the tone for the entire night! Great to hear brand new songs from the upcoming UNATØNED (Nuclear Blast Records) album right alongside their classics. The crowd was pumped up for this sang along as loudly to the recent material as the old shit. Granted their last few albums have been very strong, including Ghost Cult’s Album of The Year for 2022.
Robb Flynn commands the crowd, and he surely loves riling us up and barking commands for a “circle pit” (no really, take a shot every time he says “circle pit” and you will be wrecked). This is one of the better lineups the band has had and it feels like they are gelling now that they’ve had some time together. Most recent edition Reece Scruggs (ex-Havoc) nailed his leads and complicated counterpoints to Robb’s riffs. Bassist Jared MacEachern is also an essential member, and he really is carrying a lot of weight vocally live and on record. Drummer Matt Alston is getting his shot at touring the whole world again, and truly shines on the kit.
Other highlights of the set included “Ten Ton Hammer,” “Old,” “Unbound,” “Locust,” “No Gods No Masters,” “Davidian” with former drummer Chris Kontos on backing vocals, and the epic closer, “Halo.”
This is about as stacked a lineup as you will see, and is affordably priced for true fans in a tough time. Do not miss this tour, or regret all your choices!
Machine Head setlist (from setlist.fm):
Imperium
Ten Ton Hammer
CHØKE ØN THE ASHES ØF YØUR HATE
Old
UNBØUND
Locust
NØ GØDS, NØ MASTERS
THESE SCARS WØN’T DEFINE US
SLAUGHTER THE MARTYR
Declaration
Bulldozer
From This Day
Davidian (with Chris Kontos)
Halo
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WORDS BY KEEFY
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PHOTOS BY ANTONIO PAGLIOSSOTTO