The Best L.A. Metal Concerts to See in November

Von

On November 9 San Francisco's Von celebrates the release of their debut album Satanic Blood by headlining the Ritual of The Black Mass festival. The group was one of the earliest American bands to adopt a black metal sound in the early '90s. They broke up after recording only a couple of demos, but those demos would be enough to influence bands that would later go on to success, including black metal superstars Watain, who took their name from a Von song. After a reunion in 2010, Von are giving it another go for new audiences.

Enslaved knows exactly where they stand in the forest of metal

It's been nine months since auto maker Scion held one of their free metal shows in Hollywood, but they are returning with a bill that is worth the wait. Norwegian progressive death-metallers Enslaved have spent two decades fine-tuning their blend of brutality and ambitiousness, with their newest album RIITIIR being another great effort in an impressive catalogue. RSVP for free admission here.

In space, Municipal Waste can hear you scream

Two generations of relentless metal will collide on November 14. Virginia thrashers Municipal Waste may not be serious with the subject matter of their lyrics -- usually some combination of beer, zombies, or radioactive terror -- but they are serious about using their over-the-top riffage to make sure the pit never stops. Scene veterans/grindcore pioneers Napalm Death are twenty years older than the Waste crew, but their stage energy and frantic riffage shows no signs of slowing down.

Alestorm wants you to walk the plank with a bottle of rum and a Yo-Ho-Ho

Dutch symphonic-metal outfit Epica may be the headliner but for us, Scottish pirate-metal kings Alestorm are the real reason to leave the house.

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One of the most engaging live acts in metal today, Alestorm will have everyone in the room dancing a jig, swigging ale, and shouting along with pirate-themed thrashers like "Keelhauled" and "The Sunk'N Norwegian." And if you're lucky, band leader Christopher Bowes will serenade you with a keytar solo before he makes you walk the plank.