Sölicitör, Trencher, Phantasmal Abyss, Hellenistic, Hive Tyrant
- Bleeding Priest
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
March 12, 2026
Neck of the Woods
San Francisco, CA
Second show of the night and what a DRASTIC change of audience from one show to the other. At Vicious Rumors I was arguably the youngest male there. I would say I was the youngest person across the board but I knew a girl there who is definitely younger than me.
And at Trencher I was one of the oldest….one of. There were multiple bandmates of mine there who are at least 10 years older than me. But enough of this nonsense, let’s talk about the bands.
When I got to The Neck Of The Woods (first time in over 15 years) Trencher had just started. I was bummed I missed Phantasmal Abyss but I covered their show in Pacifica a few weeks ago so no biggie.
I would’ve liked to have caught Hellenistic being that I’ve yet to see them but there will be other opportunities I’m sure. I’ve heard nothing but great things about ‘em.
Trencher were nearing the end of a short West Coast tour with Seattle’s Sölicitör and I could tell they have been playing on the regular. In addition to sounding great and playing tight they had a heightened sense of aggression to their performance as did the audience. Everyone’s stage presence was on point.
As I said you could tell they’d been playing every night for the last week. These guys are on a roll and I foresee them going places. If you don’t believe me then see them live yourself…or better yet, buy their vinyl which you can do right here on this site.
The headliner was Sölicitör who I knew little about until recently. They had my full attention the second they started. Their lead singer is a POWERFUL (in stature and talent) woman who absolutely commanded the stage.
She gives the strong, imposing yet courageous vibe that tells you this is someone you don’t want to fuck with. Really, everything you’d want in a Heavy Metal front person. And what’s even better, she can sing her ass off as well. She sings in the trad-metal style yet a style all her own.
The band ripped as well with great leads and a solid rhythm section. The crowd ate them up to the point where they said “this is our last song” like three times! Aye, give the people what they want!
The combo of Sölicitör and Trencher made for a kick ass, high energy Metal shindig. Between seeing Vicious Rumors earlier at The DNA and this show at The Neck Of The Woods I got a full spectrum of awesome, inspiring Heavy Metal. The scene is alive and well in SF, you better believe it!
–Bleeding Priest
