Crashing beats. Roaring vocals. Rushing melodies. People often group heavy metal music into a mixed heap of fast, thundering music. But if you listen to the five bands playing on Feb. 6 at Silver Moon Brewing, you will hear distinct styles and sub-genres, blending inspirations from hip-hop to death metal. Spina, Nerve Damage, Weapon World, Damage Overdose, and Gathering have joined forces to create a spotlight concert for local heavy bands. “When you start delving into heavy music, there’s a lot of excellent musicians playing, and a lot of technical ability of folks,” says Seth Ganzhorn.
Diving a bit deeper into the first band: Spina formed in 2023, with Ganzhorn on bass, Buck Bales on rhythm guitar, Tyler Miller on lead guitar, and Ryan LeBlanc joining them on drums. The first three have played together for over 25 years now, having started in a punk cover band together. They then started experimenting on the heavier side, with the dark moods and thick tones of sludge metal. Now, they are hoping to take their show on the road with an out-of-town tour in May. And after getting into the studio for the first time last year, they are excited to release their first EP on the same day as the Silver Moon concert. “We plan on playing a mix of old hits for people to hear, the EP, and throw in a brand new one we’ve been working on,” says Ganzhorn.
A band that emphasizes extreme music mixed with personal authenticity, Weapon World, mixes a wide variety of musical inspirations. “We love all music, we gain inspiration from not just heavy music, but hip-hop, jazz, oldies…” emphasizes Jasper Lacoste. And their fusion is built on getting faster and heavier as they make new music. For this close group of friends, Cody, Tomas, Ernesto, and Jasper, the band is a love project, where they get to play with like-minded musicians. “It’s supposed to be more of a spiritual thing than a fulfillment of greed or a popularity concert,” reflects Lacoste. They are looking forward to jamming alongside the other bands, while also bringing out many new tracks.
Nerve Damage, having formed 13 years ago before going on a six-year hiatus, reformed four years ago, looking to expand the band’s reach. Chris Woody, Jonathan Wade, and Travis Sears have created a unique blend of metal and punk influences, showcased through their new album Leviathan that released a few months ago. And while they hope to go on to bigger shows and festivals, they continue to enjoy the local scene. “The biggest thing is to just get out there and support your local musicians… get up front and have some fun,” says Woody. They will be performing a mix of old tunes and new tracks from their album at Silver Moon.
What started as Chuck Hudson and his brother in their mom’s living room has grown, with Robert Johnson and Tom Fields joining the “brutal rez” band. Coming from Warm Springs, Damage Overdose brings tribal beats into death metal as a native band. “It’s not all super-fast, because it gives it that tribal essence in our music that people can relate to in hearing it,” says Hudson. At Silver Moon, they will play a collection of songs from the last few years. And looking into the future, they have two songs they hope to perform at future shows. Hudson adds that, “We’re looking forward to young people getting into us and the other bands… It’s really for all ages.”
The final band to complete this concert, Gathering, reformed in 2023 as one of the few black metal bands in Central Oregon. “Some of us have experience playing in death metal bands, so we bring a little bit harsher metal. We try to play music that’s very heavy and technical, but also has a lot of emotion and atmosphere,” explains Forest Baer. Baer, alongside bassist Nick, Matt the drummer, and John on lead guitar, mingled the experiences from touring and playing with many other bands. And with a lot of material ready to record, they hope to keep cranking out new tracks and EPs, taking the new music to festivals in the future.
As each of these bands sets off on their own musical journeys, they are all excited to bring new music to the stage on Feb. 6. And even though their music is described with adjectives like “doom” and “power violence,” this performance is nothing to be afraid of. As Baer puts it, “we’re all just a big community of loosely organized friends who play each other’s shows, hang out, and party.”
Heavy Metal Show
Friday, Feb. 6, 6:30-10pm
Silver Moon Brewing
24 Northwest Greenwood Ave, Bend
bendticket.com/events/nerve-damage-gathering-damage-overdose-spina
$17.59
This article appears in the Source January 29, 2026.
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