Slough Feg, Blind Illusion, Hands of Goro
- Bleeding Priest
- 23 hours ago
- 4 min read
The Knockout
San Francisco, CA
October 17, 2025
The final show in a week full of shows brought me to a place in SF I don’t frequent very often, The Knockout. Why do I not frequent this place? Bad experiences and worse sound.
In the past it almost seemed like The Knockout prided itself on having the biggest asshole bartenders in The Mission. The last time I DJ’d there (which was a Blind Illusion show oddly enough) I almost came to blows with the dickhead behind the bar.
Add the consistently horrific sound the place has to offer and it’s not a destination spot for me, ever! I’ve played this venue a handful of times as well and it was always an underwhelming experience. That all changed Friday night…
I got there late due to Death Angel rehearsal running a bit long. As a result I only caught the last couple of songs by opener Hands Of Goro. As soon as I walked in I was knocked back by how great the sound was. I mean there was actual low end coming from the stage. The kick drum(s) was prominent but blended well with the highs and the mids. I was shocked how good it sounded.
I’ve caught Hands Of Goro once before and they’re your standard old school Heavy Metal throwback band, done very well mind you. The band features guitar wizard Tom Draper (ex Carcass, ex Spirit Adrift) and honestly should feature him more. His guitar work is the band’s biggest strength.
I give them major props ending their set with the KISS classic “Strutter”. Which was appropriate being that Ace Frehley tragically passed away the day before. Brief KISS rant here: It’s funny how so many people point out Gene Simmons’ “musical shortcomings” but the funny thing is when bands cover a KISS tune the bassist never plays his bass lines correctly. Explain that one.
Up next was the band that it seemed most of the people were there to see, Blind Illusion. These guys have recently had a major overhaul with their lineup with the bulk of the previous lineup forming Nefarious with me. This new, current lineup absolutely slays all across the board.
For tonight’s gig they were doing their 1988 debut The Sane Asylum. In my opinion The Sane Asylum is THE most underrated Bay Area Thrash album of all time. The reason being, at least I think, is the poor production and overall sound of the record. It does a HUGE disservice to these brilliantly constructed and played songs.
I mean NOBODY sounds like Blind Illusion back then or now. Mark Biedermann’s forward thinking approach to song craft is next level and miles above many of his Thrash Metal peers. Hearing these songs with proper sound and volume was close to a religious experience. I’m not exaggerating here. Again, I was floored by how great every band sounded. I don’t know what The Knockout did to improve the audio quality of their system but someone deserves a raise.
It was great finally hearing these songs the way they should’ve sounded in the first place. It was also rad to finally hear these numbers played at the proper tempo. Over the years, with whatever lineup was playing them the songs gradually got slower and slower. That’s not how these songs are meant to be performed or heard. Mark actually told me after their set that I was the reason why they’re finally playing the tunes up to speed. I must’ve made a comment to someone at some point stating “they play the songs way too slow”. Me? Voice my opinion about music? NEVER!!!
Well, it’s true and now these songs have never sounded better. Mark wasn’t handling vocal duties tonight with Larry from Hellhunter doing the lion’s share. He explained why but I missed the reason. I know this gig was a warmup for the Frost & Fire festival in SoCal so perhaps he was saving his voice? I’m not sure.
Larry did a fine job but his voice sounds absolutely nothing like Mark’s so it was a tad weird at times. That was the only less than perfect thing about their set though. Quite simply they DOMINATED The Knockout tonight. All the players were smoking on their respective instruments. If this version of Blind Illusion can keep it together I predict great things to come…and deservedly so.
Lastly was Slough Feg. These guys are as ancient as their sound. I’ve been seeing them live pretty much since they moved here from Pennsylvania in the mid 90’s. In fact, back in the day my band Old Grandad would play with them semi often which really makes zero sense musically but back in the 90’s there was such a shortage of Metal bands in SF that there really was no other option.
They haven’t altered their sound in any way, shape or form since those days and I respect the hell out of them for it. You know what to expect with The Feg and they delivered. And the crowd ate up their trad/folk/celtic style of Metal onslaught. Always a great time seeing them live and it’s comforting to know they’re still around.
In closing it was a great night at The Knockout with tons of friends in attendance. It was pretty packed I must say AND the bartenders were not assholes. So it seems like The Knockout is on the upswing. With venues closing all around us this is great news.
–Bleeding Priest
