Metal Allegiance Bring the Heavy for Anaheim Performance

Metal Allegiance, a rotating lineup of metal legends who debuted on Motorhead’s Motorboat Cruise last year, kicked off 2015 with a set in Anaheim, Calif. to coincide with the annual NAMM show. The set of covers, including many tunes that Metal Allegiance hasn’t played before, featured songs by everyone from Judas Priest to Black Sabbath to Van Halen.

Kicking off the night was a spoken-word set from Anthrax’s Scott Ian, who embarked on his first “Speaking Words” Tour last year. The crowd seemed to get a kick out of Ian’s stories, but it was obvious that everyone was there for the same reason -- Metal Allegiance’s jukebox of metal standards.

Mark Osegueda from Death Angel was a particular highlight of the night, as he did justice to such legendary voices as Ronnie James Dio, Rob Halford and Ozzy Osbourne. David Ellefson and ex-Megadeth guitarist Chris Broderick seemed to be on good terms, laughing with each other as the crowd broke into a “Megadeth” chant. Other players included The Winery Dogs’ Mike Portnoy, Pantera’s Rex Brown, Exodus’ Gary Holt, and Testament’s Chuck Billy.

While not a traditional band, Metal Allegiance is sure to please metalheads wherever they play. Their only currently-planned date is the ShipRocked Cruise next month, although hopefully there will be more shows announced soon.

Metal Allegiance Anaheim 2015 Setlist:

1. 'March of the S.O.D./Sargent D and the S.O.D.' (Stormtroopers of Death cover)
2. 'Freddy Krueger' (Stormtroopers of Death cover)
3. 'Rapid Fire' (Judas Priest cover)
4. 'Victim of Changes' (Judas Priest cover)
5. 'Fast as a Shark' (Accept cover)
6. 'Balls to the Wall' (Accept cover)
7. 'Into the Void' (Black Sabbath cover)
8. 'Heaven and Hell' (Black Sabbath cover)
9. 'Diary of a Madman' (Ozzy Osbourne cover)
10. 'Cold Sweat' (Thin Lizzy cover)
11. 'Lights Out' (UFO cover)
12. 'Stargazer' (Rainbow cover)
13. 'Kill the King' (Rainbow cover)
14. 'Piranha' (Exodus cover)
15. 'Attitude' (Metallica cover)
16. 'Refuse/Resist' (Sepultura cover)
17. 'Territory' (Sepultura cover)
18. 'Murders in the Rue Morgue' (Iron Maiden cover)
19. 'Revelations' (Iron Maiden cover)
20. 'Running with the Devil' (Van Halen cover)
21. 'Eruption' (Van Halen cover)
22. 'You Really Got Me' (Van Halen cover)
23. 'Atomic Punk' (Van Halen cover)
24. 'Cold Gin' (KISS cover)
25. 'I Love It Loud' (KISS cover)