It’s NAMM weekend in Anaheim, CA, and that means musicians and bands are descending upon Southern California for unique festivities all around the area. A staple concert event during this weekend has been the annual Metal Allegiance performance, now celebrating 11 years of annual shows. This star-studded performance features some of the most beloved names in metal, as well as unique special guests, taking the stage for a one-of-a-kind performance that you may never get to experience again. Fans marched down the street from the Anaheim Convention Center to fill the House of Blues and rock out with some of their favorite musicians.

Opening the show was a band from New York known as Lost Legacy. These metalheads had opened for Metal Allegiance the year prior, so the fans who got there early knew just how good the opening to the show was going to be. Lost Legacy sounds like the lovechild of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, with vocalist David Franco’s screaming piercing the heavens. Guitarists Jorge Pulido and Joey Berkowitz create driving melodies that brandish the momentum of a march through the battlefield. Bassist Winston Meja and drummer AJH were locked in tandem, holding down the low end and providing heaviness to the music. Where I feel I got a taste of Lost Legacy at last year's show, this felt like I truly got to enjoy the performance they brought to Anaheim. Should Lost Legacy return for another year of Metal Allegiance, I look forward to experiencing them again.

Taking the stage next, making their way from Virginia, was Red Reign, bringing the sounds of 80’s hard rock back to the modern-day people of Anaheim. Fronted by singer and guitarist Carlton McMichael, his voice fit perfectly with the legends of Skid Row, Ratt, and Cinderella. Fellow guitarist Steie Shred would find the perfect moments to show off how he earned that name, sliding in mini solos between the verse changes and adding a bit of flair to the songs. Bassist Larry Moore was the most exuberant person on stage, often raising his bass high in the sky as he finger-picked away, screaming and gesturing at the crowd. Moore felt like the lifeline of the band, while drummer Sammy Lee held down a solid beat throughout the show that let the guys shred. Red Reign was the type of band you would slip into your skin-tight leather pants and custom-shredded top, hit the Sunset Strip, and rock out with till the sun comes up. They continue to keep that Sunset Strip sound alive.

It was then time for a new band with a sharp new sound, with Chained Saint hitting the House of Blues stage. These kids have been making waves on last year's festival circuit, and I was excited to see what they had to offer. Within moments, we were hit in the face by a sound that combined the energy of 80’s thrash metal with the tenacity of Rage Against the Machine. Lead singer Sean Sterling was thrashing about the stage or standing at the foot of it, screaming into the faces of the front row. Sterling felt like a powder keg ready to explode. Guitarist Ethan Kahn carried a Dave Mustaine energy with his long, curled hair. When he ripped into a solo, that’s when you could feel the energy of Mustaine flowing through his licks. Bassist Sebastian De Avila was more reserved on stage, instead letting his playing speak for him as he crafted driving bass lines that reverberated through your body. Drummer Cameron Cottrell was the beast contained only by his drum kit. Whipping his sticks around the kit, he could float between grooves, blast beats, and a hard-stomping rhythm that would get the mosh pit moving. Chained Saint is set to hit the road on their first headlining tour in summer, and any metalhead should take the time to see this pulse-pounding show.

It was then time for the reason people run to the House of Blues each year with bated anticipation: to see what combinations of superstars may take the stage together. Opening the set with “The Accuser,” the band featured the standard lineup of Mike Menghi on bass, Alex Skolnick (Testament) on guitar, Andreas Kisser (Sepultura) on guitar, Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater) on drums, and John Bush (Armored Saint) on vocals, as well as Doc Coyle (God Forbid) joining them to kick off the show.

Throughout the show, Metal Allegiance was joined by a bountiful lineup change that included David Ellefson (Megadeth), Chuck Billy (Testament), Phil Demmel (Vio-Lence), Jack Gibson (Exodus), Aliisa White-Gluz (ex-Arch Enemy), and Troy Sanders (Mastodon). Making their Metal Allegiance debut were Becky Baldwin (Mercyful Fate) and William DuVall (Alice in Chains).

Metal Allegiance put out their first new song in years with vocals by DuVall for a song called "Black Horizon,” which has a thrashy backbeat while flowing seamlessly into a softer grunge vibe that DuVall has become known for. What makes a Metal Allegiance show special is that even though the band has their own original songs, they always take time to perform covers of their members' bands' songs and other covers to delight the fans. Some covers included “Hanger 18” (Megadeth), “Last of My Kind” (Alice in Chains), “Roots Bloody Roots” (Sepultura), “Souls of Black” (Testament), “Purgatory” (Iron Maiden), “The Boys Are Back in Town” (Thin Lizzy), “The Day I Tried to Live” (Soundgarden), “Whiplash” (Metallica), and “Shock Me” (KISS). For all of these songs, band members were constantly switching in and out, allowing us to hear them with a new perspective, from the vocal performance to even the guitar lines having a bit more edge.

For the encore, Metal Allegiance wanted to give a tribute to the biggest inspiration that we all lost last year, Ozzy Osbourne. As William DuVall stepped back on stage, the band went into a deep-cut cover of Black Sabbath’s “Fairies Wear Boots.” But the ultimate crowd-pleaser was when every musician came on stage for the true final song and tribute to Ozzy with “Crazy Train.” It was the perfect tribute to the ultimate legend in metal and the end to a magnificent show.

While every member got to shuffle in and out of the stage, the true star of the night to me was Mike Portnoy behind the drums, as he was back there for the entire 2 ½-hour set.

Metal Allegiance is a NAMM tradition that many fans of the weekend look forward to every year. You can tell that everyone on stage is there to just have fun and jam with their friends, and we, the audience, get the honor to see this spectacle of a show. If you’ve ever thought about traveling to California for NAMM weekend, you can't go wrong grabbing tickets for this show next year. I know I’m already excited to see what potential rockstars may take the Metal Allegiance stage in 2027.