Blind Illusion wins Battle of the Bands at Lagunitas Trooper Fest
- Hectic
- 7 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Lagunitas Brewing Co.
Petaluma, CA
August 29, 2026
I hadn’t been to the Lagunitas Brewery and Taproom in over a decade, as it is a bit over an hour drive from San Francisco in southern Sonoma county. It is a magical compound on the outskirts of Petaluma, that still retains its attitude (and its fantastic IPAs) despite a decade of ownership by beer conglomerate Heineken.
They’d upgraded the place since I last got there, with a large open barn structure so you don’t have to drink beer in the hot sun. Plus all the staff were wearing Trooper t-shirts with Iron Maiden’s Eddie with the Lagunitas dog on a chain, because it was TROOPER FEST!
The all day celebration featured the new Lagunitas / Iron Maiden beer collaboration, Trooper, an excellent West Coast IPA with packaging that would make any metalhead smile. (Pick some up at your local liquor store or Trader Joes today).
In addition to the beer and lots of cool merch, Lagunitas had a battle of the bands going all afternoon. The first band we saw was Fiend from Above. They sounded decent, not loud enough, but we had just sat down and were focused on ordering some beers so I didn’t spend much time checking them out.
Up next was Ultimate Transmutation, a 2 person metal “band” with a woman with a fantastic low death metal growl and a guy playing guitar. They sounded pretty good, and would have been excellent if the drums were not being provided by machine. I know it is hard to find a good drummer, especially one with double bass skills, but it would really take the band to the next level.
Finally we had Blind Illusion in the “headlining” 5 PM slot. I don’t know what the rules of Battle of the Bands are typically, if it is mostly “amateur” bands or a mix of pros and newer bands. All is fair in battle I suppose.
Blind Illusion hit the stage with a different energy and force that caught people’s attention. Of course, a bunch of local fans had shown up at that point as well. In the words of lead guitarist Martin Lacour, “Anything Iron Maiden related I want to be a part of.” Plus there was a $1000 grand prize on the line.
After a tight 30 minute set, they were quickly crowned the winners, and victory poses ensued. We grabbed (yet) another IPA and toasted their victory.
–Hectic
