Rustbelt Rock Review

By: Z.M. Delgado

Volume #259: Eyehategod, Bl’ast, Luicidal & Evil Army

October 12th, 2026

Grog Shop

Hello my friend and welcome back to the RbRR. I am happy to have you here with me as I again dive into my wonderful world of underground heaviness. This week I extended my weekend and decided to take in a Monday night show at The Grog Shop. On the bill was Eyehategod, Bl’ast, Luicidal & Evil Army. It was an all out onslaught of Metal madness. So at 6 O’clock I headed out, pointing my ride west and venturing toward The Heights. Once there I met up with a few friends, including my bro and Co-host of Heavy on Cleveland: Jimmy “The Dook” Fedor of Roxxxstarradio. Together we conducted some mind enhancement, before heading over to the club and lining up at the doors. Soon enough we were inside and anxiously awaiting the start of the show.

First up was Evil Army. This is a three piece band made up of Vocals/Guitar, Bass/Backing Vocals and Drums. If I had to classify them I would put them somewhere in the vicinity of Death Thrash. Their Vocals were harsh, nothing short of a straight up snarl. Their music was hard charging, driven by a calamitous Drum section. The Bass player Rocked hard, providing a solid low end along with strong backing Vocals. Most impressive was the Guitar work. The riffs were heavy to the bone with intricate solos to sweeten up the sauce. All in all Evil Army was powerful, aggressive and just plain nasty. The crowd dug it; Rocking out, headbanging and throwing up their horns in appreciation of the vile and vicious sounds Evil Army cranked out. I think they played a total of ten songs before calling it a set. The crowd cheered and applauded in approval, sending Evil Army off with much to be proud of. After the first set completed we headed outside to breathe in some of that fine October air and to refresh our minds and spirits in our accustomed fashion.

Up second was Luicidal. This act is a female fronted, four piece, made up of Vocals, Guitar, Bass and Drums. They are a cover band… sort of. Formed, in part, from former members of Suicidal Tendencies, Luicidal performs a blend of their own original material intermixed with classic S.T. jams. Keeping with Suicidal’s time tested sound, that high speed blend of Metal, Punk and Hardcore, Luicidal comes at you full force. With Clean Vocals pasted over ripping riffs and driving percussion, Luicidal was nothing if not energized. The crowd was into it immediately, headbanging, dancing and singing along. A couple guys even started up a small pit, a precursor of things to come. They served up originals like “Knife Fight” and dropped OG songs such as “War Inside My Head” and “Institutionalized.” I think they played a total of nine songs, bringing the crowd to a fist pumping, headbanging and moshing finale. The crowd roared, the band said goodnight and we headed back outside for another round of mental refreshment.

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Up third was Bl’ast. This is a four piece act made up of Vocals, Guitar, Bass and Drums. They opened up with a lot of noise and feedback. This went on for a while before the band suddenly erupted with sound and energy. Instantaneous aggression flooded the room. The Vocals had a shouted, ranting sort of quality that was terrifying and intense. The Guitar and Bass had a fuzzy feel that hummed along while the Drums absolutely thundered. Their song structures were loose, and flowing. I had a hard time telling where one song ended and the next began, or perhaps their initial songs were just really long… it’s hard to say. The music was heavy, raging and was nearly undefinable to me. It was wild and unhinged. While wikipedia defines the Bl’ast as simply a “Punk” band, I think that does them a huge disservice. They are so much more than that. If I had to classify them, which I hate to do, I would simply call them avant-garde. They had the pit churning, especially after their frontman jumped into the crowd and began to stir the bodies personally. The fans responded in kind and a furious explosion of violence ensued. Bl’ast kept up their raging sonic assault, pressing the Cleveland to keep pace. They closed out with a real crusher... a song called “It’s in my Blood.” That brought my track count, which is probably way off, to about 11 songs total. The fans cheered and applauded with pleasure, appreciative of Bl’ast and their killer sound. With our third act now done we returned to the sidewalk outside for another medicinal infusion. Then it was straight back into the club for the main event.

Then it was go time. The cause for why I was out late on a Monday. The reason I skipped the Guardians game. The catalyst for the entire evenings events. My friends, it was time for Eyehategod. This band, the godfathers of Louisiana Sludge, is nothing short of legendary. Made up of Vocals, Guitars, Bass and Drums. With the house lights set to an eerie green, the crowd was packed in and fired up. Eyehategod began their set with opening remarks from frontman Mike IX, before dropping into a wash of their trademark feedback. Then they did what they do best. Heavy, fuzzy, chugging riffs followed overlaid with the most intense and vile Vocals imaginable. The pit… exploded to life. It erupted. It absolutely burst under the pressure of Eyehategod’s sonic detonation. Bodies flew in every direction, the swirled and collided. They struck, collapsed only to rise again and carry on. The crowd banged their heads, threw their horns in glee, clapped their hands and screamed along to every word. On the stage the band got down! The boys moved and grooved to the slippery riffs. Meanwhile Mike yanked, thrust, and strangled his mic into submission as he raged his Vocals forward. If I had to guesstimate, I would say they played about 13 songs. The set included such bonebreakers as “High Risk Reward,” “Sisterfucker,” “Medicine Noose” and “New Orleans is the New Vietnam.” They eventually closed out with their existential nightmare track “Every Thing, Every Day” which brought the night to nihilistic conclusion. The crowd roared. I roared. We all roared together and said farewell to the kings of Sludge Metal.

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With the show now at it’s conclusion, The Dook and I made our way out of the club, down the street and into our respective vehicles. Then it was off into the night and homeward bound. What a show?! I mean, wow! The openers were great, and Eyehategod was phenomenal. As always The Grog Shop was an accommodating host, with great atmosphere, reasonable prices and excellent sound. The crowd was amped and the room was packed, which is something to say considering it was a Monday night. All in all it was one hell of and evening. So there you have it Cleveland. Another night at the club, another show under my belt. On that note I will wish you a fond fair well. Thanks reading, for rocking and for supporting heavy music. Remember to always raise you horns, bang you heads and wear your earplugs.

Until next time, Rock on, Rustbelt,

-Z.M. Delgado

Rustbelt Rock Review

Rustbeltrockreview.com

10/13/2026

Vol #259: Eyehategod, Bl’ast, Luicidal & Evil Army

Vol. #258: Bessemer Saints with The Road Warrior