While Nailbomb may be a heavy metal associated band due to vocalist Max Cavalera also being the original frontman of legendary Brazilian extreme metal band Sepultura, their unique signature blend of industrial, groove metal, and hardcore punk makes them an absolute anomaly in the genre; being equally as popular within industrial and hardcore punk circles as they are with the metalheads. Considering how widespread Nailbomb’s influence is across these different scenes, they couldn’t have picked a more appropriate lineup for their 1720 Warehouse performance on January 20, 2026; consisting of the Inland Empire’s biggest hardcore band Big Ass Truck I.E., the gruesome sounding death metal of San Fernando Valley’s Greenwitch, Arizona darkwave act Meldamor, and OC industrial punk group Purest Form. The selection of openers not only felt like a curation of artists that Nailbomb themselves are fond of, but a celebration of all of the different scenes that played a part in creating the band’s distinct sound.
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This was an exclusive one-off Los Angeles performance and only Nailbomb’s third US performance, which only made the night that much more unforgettable for anybody who was lucky enough to be there for this rare opportunity. The bizarre decision for this exclusive performance matches the elusiveness that Nailbomb has cultivated for themselves throughout their career, only releasing one studio album throughout their career and only playing one show ever in their original pre-reunion run. For the diehard metal heads who know their deep cuts in industrial and extreme metal, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity that couldn’t be missed under any circumstances.
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Purest Form is one of the most surprising groups to form out of Orange County in recent memory; taking on a much more industrial punk sound than the youth-crew hardcore, pop-punk, and ska music we typically receive from the area. Featuring Madison Woodword of Fury on guitars/electronics and Riley Joyner of Roman Candle on bass, Purest Form are still a hardcore band at their very core and it’s clear that they’re on a mission to shake up the monotony of the current scene. Vocalist Story Beeson screams through distorted megaphone-sounding effects very reminiscent of Atari Teenage Riot, but with more dancing than chaos as Madison’s guitar riffs have the sort of groovy immersive moments that you’d find hearing a song from The Prodigy in the middle of the dancefloor. There definitely has been a void of industrial-influenced music that has been left in the hardcore scene since Code Orange and Vein.fm both went on hiatus; while Purest Form has taken on the ambitious mission of filling that void in the hardcore scene, they have the rambunctious personality to fill the hardcore void that’s missing in the industrial scene as well.
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Even with how unexpected Purest Form’s industrial-influenced sound was for a “metal” show (again, Nailbomb really breaks all preconceived rules about the genre), the next act Meldamor from Arizona turned the gothic energy in 1720 all the way up to 11 with their synthesizer heavy brand of darkwave. Meldamor was dead set on making the dancefloor resemble an “Afters” party at a club more than any sort of metal or hardcore show; although vocalist Mel Parley looks like she’d front a power metal group opening for Iron Maiden, she actually sings in a much more brooding, tortured tone that you’d find in 1980’s deathrock bands. Her husband and former member of Prayers, Dave Porley, joins her on synthesizers and percussion, with his equipment set-up looking just as much like it could be found at an Iron Maiden show with how futuristic it all was. Meldamor were ironically the softest and mellowest band of the evening, focusing mainly on their atmospheric downbeat goth tones and providing a clublike atmosphere. This sort of gothic synth-heavy energy combined with their heavy metal aesthetics could not have been better suited to open for the hodgepodge of madness known as Nailbomb.
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San Fernando Valley’s Greenwitch is one of the most interesting metal bands playing in all of Los Angeles currently, and they’re one of the best live bands in any up-and-coming metal acts overall. They have an incredibly unique blend of the more grotesque sides of death metal, with hardcore breakdowns, and even incorporating more grandiose 80s thrash-influenced atmospheric guitar tones. Vocalist Galax sings with absolutely brutal troll-ish grunts that resemble the raw unfiltered aggression of the classic 90’s death metal wave with bands like Obituary, but they do an extremely efficient job at making their music sound much more epic and massive than most of the bands from that era ever did. Mainstream metal may be in a pretty bleak place with the more poppy direction of acts like Sleep Token or Bad Omens, but LA’s hardcore scene is always going to host the realest bands in the genre that are dedicated to kicking as much ass as possible; and I can’t think of a more prime example of our history in doing so than Greenwitch.
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Big Ass Truck I.E. probably needs no introduction to most Janky Smooth readers. The Inland Empire beatdown group has broken out of the hardcore scene like a massive wrecking ball in the past year or so; recently playing the Vans Warped Tour pop-up in Long Beach, touring with Chiodos, and appearing on nearly every metal festival’s lineup in 2025. The Inland Empire hardcore scene has always been an underrated piece of Southern California’s punk rock history and it’s amazing that the IE is finally getting the respect they deserve with bands like Big Ass Truck and Barrio Slam, but Big Ass Truck co-headlining a historical rare lineup like this is a next-level step for the rising group. The Inland Empire may have had its moments of fleeting fame with artists in the past, but showing true dedication to your scene and the art surrounding it is how you maintain that high-profile status; Big Ass Truck definitely understands the importance of this.
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Big Ass Truck I.E. did seem a bit out of place on the lineup, with their more goofy aesthetic and the silly mosh calls at moments like “GET FUCKED. BY A BIG. ASS. TRUCK”. However, their breakdowns are absolutely written with the same arm-swinging aggression that Cavalera’s music in Nailbomb and Sepultura was founded on. The darker and more emotional sides of Nailbomb had already been plenty represented with the other acts that night, so Big Ass Truck was there to get the spirits in the room lifted as high as possible in order to make sure Nailbomb had the most chaotic set possible for their rare appearance. With how much hype is surrounding Big Ass Truck I.E. currently and how ignorantly people start dancing once they hear their ridiculous mosh-calls, I don’t think there could have been a better artist to roll out the red carpet for the elusive Nailbomb. It was clear that Big Ass Truck I.E. were ecstatic about the opportunity to do so as well, absolutely giving their all and bringing as much fun, dumb chaos to the room as possible.
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While the rest of Nailbomb was setting up on stage, there was a roaring anticipation in the air as the audience waited for Max Cavalera to finally grace the room with his presence. Considering his history throughout all forms of extreme music from thrash metal to hardcore punk; Cavalera has a raw otherworldly mythos to him that even the biggest fan of Sepultura’s post-Cavalera music can’t deny. Everybody’s “best case scenario” was instantly confirmed as Nailbomb broke into the industrial dystopian noises of “Wasting Away” before Cavalera started whipping around his unhinged mane of hair as he played the rapid thrash metal riff that the song suddenly breaks into. Considering Nailbomb only has one studio album and they opened with the first track, it was clear that they were about to perform their 1994 Point Blank album start to finish. Full-album live performances always feel like an incredibly special occasion, but experiencing it during a band as rare as Nailbomb felt like seeing an endangered animal in the wild.
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Nailbomb absolutely hammered a perfect blend of punk rock and metal in their brand of thrash throughout the evening; the only time they ever stopped from the consistent adrenaline-pumping chugs of Cavalera’s riffs was in order to slow things down for an even more violent breakdown, or to raise everyone in the room’s cortisol levels with moments of shrieking and the sounds of industrial machinery. Their current touring drummer Adam Jarvis pummels his kit with the most intense aggresion. Every member in Nailbomb really goes out of their way to be as loud, intense, in-your-face, aggressive, and mean as possible in their performances. If you thought Cavalera’s vocals and guitars were heavy or intimidating in Sepultura, Nailbomb spikes that pure rage through the roof with how unconventionally abrasive their incorporation of industrial elements are.
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As Nailbomb’s performance was already about to reach an hour and the album was nearing its close, they threw everybody in attendance for a loop when they decided to break into a cover of “Police Truck” by Dead Kennedys. It might seem like a bit of a random choice, but original DK drummer D.H. Peligro had actually performed with Nailbomb in the past and Jello Biafra has collaborated with Sepultura multiple times as well. It was a ridiculously rowdy cover to experience live; even with the aggression turning down a bit from the heavier metal riffs, the circle pits were moving faster than they had all night long and it was clear that the room belonged just as much to the punks as it did the metalheads that night.
In reality: Nailbomb simultaneously belongs to every scene, but they belong to nobody at the same time. With how off-the-wall and unpredictable Cavalera’s influences are, especially in Nailbomb, I can’t imagine he would want things any other way. Hopefully Los Angeles’ punk, metal, and industrial scenes all get another opportunity to see Nailbomb in the future. However considering how unexpected this entire night was, this may have just been a bizarre metal dream that will forever be remembered by those lucky enough to be there.
Words by Danny Ryan
Photos by Evan Moses
