The short bio on El Guapo’s Facebook page goes a long way toward explaining the band’s aesthetic: “We were sent here by the gods of rock to destroy cities and melt faces.” Indeed. Formerly known as The Red Phantom, this San Jose experimental metal outfit deals out spastic bursts of heavy guitars and lively drums, bringing the heat on their monstrous 2015 album, Whips Chains Whistles Yo-yo’s, Dracula Riding Around on a Tricycle Giving me the Finger—which thrashes and bashes its way through nine Tera Melos-esque instrumental assaults, all punctuated by horror flick audio samples. Watsonville jazz-punk duo aurora beam open the show.
El Guapo
Sat, 9pm, Free
BackBar SoFa, San Jose
