By Christopher Crone
Colfax got loud enough to wake the spirits of every long-gone VFW hall show from the early ’90s. Capital Chaos TV captured two nights of metal that felt like a mixtape made by your coolest friend in high school—the one who had bootlegs, band patches, and a permanent ringing in his ears.
Night One – November 21
The evening cracked open with Intellectual Decay, a black metal/death metal force local to the Nevada City/Grass Valley scene. They hit the stage like a foggy, frostbitten avalanche—blasting, snarling, and absolutely setting the tone.
Mercy Kill kept the chaos rolling. Self-labeled as “a 3-piece metal thrashing, obscenity screaming, sludge dooming band from Grass Valley, CA,” they delivered exactly that: raw, filthy, and loud enough to rattle the ceiling tiles.
Next up was Thrash Compactor, who proudly describe themselves as a thrash metal band from the Placerville area delivering “full face-smashing metal.” They lived up to every syllable—fast, gritty, and laser-focused on keeping heads banging.
Full Metal Hippies followed with their Sacramento-born heavy groove metal that they’ve been slinging since 2018. Their set felt like a groove train driven by a drummer with lightning for bones—heavy, fun, and undeniably infectious.
Then came Lucid, a rising powerhouse of four young shredders: Caleb Green, Nate Salado, Norse Hokanson, and Giovanni Taylor. They proclaim themselves a band on a mission to bring back metal with not just heaviness, but soul—fast, technical riffs, chest-pounding drums, and lyrics designed to hit you right in the mind and sternum. Their set felt like the spark of something big.
Closing the first night, Parabellum—“a fusion of classic sounds with new-age vigor set to ignite the modern thrash scene”—took command as headliner. Their mix of old-school attitude and fresh aggression wrapped the night up perfectly. A crowd full of families, long-timers, and first-timers soaked it in like a community homecoming—if your home happens to own a smoke machine.
Night Two – November 22
If night one was a warm-up, night two hit like a freight train.
Eternal Terror opened with pure old-school death metal—thick riffs, guttural roar, the whole glorious package.
Divine Defication followed with their brand of dirty death metal, serving up a set that felt like it crawled straight out of a muddy crypt and onto the stage.
Trencher hit next, bringing what they proudly bill as “Speed metal from the Trench.” They were fast, ferocious, and had the crowd whipped up—maybe a little too whipped up.
Mid-set, a crowd member got too close to Trencher’s bassist. When the bassist motioned for some space, the individual shoved him, knocking him down. The crowd surged in to protect the band, the aggressor bolted outside with another person, and the Placer County Sheriff was called. Staff asked everyone who ran outside to return so the show could continue safely.
The bassist’s instrument didn’t survive the encounter—there’s a photo of the broken bass in the gallery, a stark reminder that metal shows may be loud, but respect is louder.
After things settled, Parabellum came back with a second solid performance, anchoring the night with the same polished ferocity they’d shown before.
Finally, Lucid returned to close the entire two-night event as headliner. Their precision, energy, and musicianship unified the room again, giving everyone the ending the weekend deserved—triumphant, heavy, and full of heart.
Final Thoughts
Despite one chaotic moment, the weekend was a testament to why local metal scenes matter. These bands showed up. The fans showed up. Families, friends, and newcomers all packed the Colfax Community Center in a display of community and pure musical passion. Capital Chaos TV captured two nights that felt real, raw, and unforgettable—exactly the way metal should be.
Colfax will be feeling the aftershocks for weeks. The scene is alive, and after this weekend, it’s louder than ever.
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