Boomtown Brewery, in the heart of Los Angeles, recently played host to Go Ahead and Die, a supergroup which consists of Igor Amadeus Cavalera (from Healing Magic), Max Cavalera (Soulful, Sepultura), Johnny Valles (Healing Magic), and Jackie Cruz. Go Ahead and Die is a newer project that released their self-titled album in 2021 on Nuclear Blast Records.
Walking into Boomtown Brewery, I couldn’t help think to myself that there was no way Go Ahead and Die would actually playing here. It’s way too fancy, full of restaurant tables and pool tables. Well, I was partially right, as I happened to miss the actual venue entrance and accidentally walked into the bar portion of the venue and restaurant. The venue portion is actually a giant warehouse nextdoor, which was heavily reminiscent of those dark, sweaty thrash and punk nights I used to attend at random abandoned warehouses in DTLA. However, this venue wasn’t dingy or dirty, and for a cavernous warehouse the sound was on point. This was one of the venues you can see yourself getting up close and personal with your metal heroes.
A little after 9:30, it was time for GAAD to hit the stage, and while the place wasn’t packed, it was the perfect capacity for people to get up close with Max and Igor. GAAD wasted zero time getting right into it. From the very first note to the last note, it was that old-school thrash metal we’ve been waiting for. Even if GAAD favors that old school thrash metal sound, there are other elements of influence in the music like crust punk and a slight hint of a black metal. While it’s crazy to see Max step back from fronting a band, Igor holds it down like he’s been doing this just as long as Max. Both Igor and Max share vocal duties, and their voices work perfectly together.
The one thing that will always make me a fan of Max and now Igor is how humble they are, and how thankful they are to their fans. They were constantly thanking the fans throughout the night for coming out and supporting this new project. It’s those little things that keep fans coming back and creating these amazing memories connected to their music. This was a solid project from the start, and anyone who slept on this tour missed out heavily.
