Nefarious, Defiance & Parabellum: Pure Bay Area Thrash Violence
The crowd at the Alpine, although sparse kept the energy up all night. Parabellum kicked off the night, setting a heavy, aggressive foundation that put the Reno crowd on notice. Defiance followed up after, cranking the velocity and delivering a relentless wave of old-school thrash momentum that kept the moving and the room dialed in.
By the time the stage cleared for the main event, the venue was primed for a clinic in pure, unadulterated metal.
Nefarious hit the stage with an awesome presence that left zero doubt about their veteran pedigree. Opening hard with "Day After" and the blistering title track "Addicted to Power," the band immediately established a crushing sonic wall.
Watching Rick Hunolt and Doug Piercy trade leads up close is as good as it gets. Hunolt was a complete force of nature on stage. Beyond his razor-sharp execution, his performance was elevated by the signature, intense "funny faces" he makes mid-shred—vividly capturing the raw passion and chaotic energy he pours into every single note.
Behind the twin-guitar attack, drummer Will Carroll was absolutely smashing the kit. He drove the relentless pacing of the set with punishing power, locking down the complex tempos and keeping the rhythm section sounding like a freight train.
There was crowd interaction from front to back, fueled by a band that clearly thrives in an intimate, high-octane club setting.
Nefarious pulled no punches with their pacing, seamlessly blending tracks from their own catalog with massive nods to their collective history:
Day After
Addicted to Power
Master Plan
Feeding On You
Together We Rise
Mirror Death
Goblins Blade (Classic Heathen cover—a massive moment for the old-school heads)
Snarler
Avatar of Chaos
One Nation Enslaved
Metal Command (Exodus cover—the ultimate high-energy closer)
This wasn't a lazy nostalgia trip. From the opening notes of Parabellum and Defiance to the final echoing chords of the Exodus anthem "Metal Command," the night was a relentless showcase of legendary talent delivering peak performance. If you want to see how real thrash metal is supposed to sound and feel live, this lineup is the blueprint.
