200 Stab Wounds Had us Slayed at Goldfield’s in Sacramento, CA
Last Saturday night I went to Goldfield's Trading Post in Midtown Sacramento to hear 200 STAB WOUNDS. Supported by Bastardane, Dead Heat, and No Cure, there was no lacking of energy and chaos in this stacked and packed show!
Now let me say this again for those in the back who may not have heard me: Goldfield Trading Post in Sacramento is too small for high energy bands! I know Goldfield’s is closing soon (I think at the end of this year) and I sincerely hope they actually find a bigger building to move into. I mean, for the last decade they have been the place to go for all genres of music. But I digress. When I say this show was stacked and packed, I am not playing. It was so crowded for all four performances. There was stage diving, equipment glitches and one photographer (ahem!) pushed onto the stage by a mosh pit that encompassed the entire floor!
And it was hot. Sweaty hot. People were literally passing out from the heat! Battle vests were being placed to the side. Shirts came off. Bands handed out waters to people. Chaos, kind chaos though, ensued.
First up was BASTARDANE (www.bastardane.com). Formed in 2019 in Savannah, Georgia this thrash, sludgy, hardrock band warmed up the already-sweaty crowd. This was my first time hearing this band so I didn't know what to expect. This impressive trio started the night throwing you right into thrashy punk alt rock goodness and by the time they got to their song "The New Sanity" I became a fan. Drummer Castor Hetfield and bassist Luca Badan pulled double duty and sang. Check out their music on their website (mentioned above). Totally worth it.
The band consists of:
Castor Hetfield (vocals/drums)
Ethan Sirotzki (guitar)
Luca Badan (bass)
Next up was Oxnard's insane DEAD HEAT, throwing that heat and melting faces since 2016. This band came out swinging, and they hit us all square in the jaw. The pit was the entire floor and with no photo pit for me, I, along with about 5 others, got pushed into/onto the stage. Sweat was flying, people were stage diving, and Dead Heat came out on top! The band is touring with 200 Stab Wounds AND they have a new album (released October 10, 2025) "Process of Elimination." I haven't reviewed the entire LP but their live performance will not be soon forgotten. Head over to Metal Blade and pick up your copy: https://www.metalblade.com/deadheat/
The band consists of:
Chris Ramos: Vocals
Justin Ton: Rhythm Guitar
Ricky Garcia: Lead Guitar
Vincent Amador: Bass/Rhythm Guitar
Lorence Chanch Meraz: Bass
Yogie Rodriguez: Drums
The band before 200 Stab Wounds, NO CURE, kept the party going. This heavy metal/death metal/Dark/Metallic Hardcore band, straight outta Birmingham, Alabama didn't stop to take a breath before launching a metal assault to our ears (in an unapologetically good way). The band and the fans had a type of synergy going where more sweat and more bodies flying were absolutely called for. The band's debut album "I Hope I Die Here" in 2023. Get it here: https://ihopeidiehere.com/
The Band consists of:
Blaythe Steuer: Vocals
Aesop Mongo: Guitar
Kyle Ray: Guitar
Jake Murname: Bass
Duncan Newey: Drums
The anticipation for headliners, 200 STAB WOUNDS, was palpable. I was in the front row to take pictures and several kids were overheating in their wonderfully crafted battle vests and the band made sure they got some water (gotta refill the sweat machines!) and, during soundcheck, turned their fans onto the audience to cool them off a bit. And that was good because we were all in for a relentless surge on our ears and testing the boundaries of 'personal space.' Old-School death metal filled the room. 12 songs of unrelenting heavy metal, the band played songs from their 2024 album, Manual Manic Procedures, like Gross Abuse and even gave us "Itty Bitty Pieces" from their 2021 album Slave To The Scalpel. Founded in 2019, the Cleveland, Ohio band released their last album, Manual Manic Procedures, in June of 2024 so we can only hope that means we will be seeing some new singles/LP/EPs soon!
The band consists of:
Steve Buhl: Vocals, Guitar
Lance Buckley: Guitar
Ezra Cook: Bass
Owen Pooley: Drums
