Tag: Blood 4 Blood

Michale Graves at Bam Bam’s in Daytona Beach, FL on 5/10/26 Words by Jesse Striewski/Photos by Brooke Striewski

As alluded to in my previous article, last week was a whirlwind filled with shows and live music, all taking place in Daytona Beach. It all started with the combo concert/fight that was Blood 4 Blood, featuring the likes of Black Label Society and Crowbar on Wednesday, 5/6, one of Rewind It Magazine‘s “official” covered shows of the year.

Then beginning the very next day it was the massive annual outdoor festival Welcome to Rockville, which the family and I have been attending nearly every year since 2021, though this year I only made it out to the first two days. (Though my son did stick with it for all four.) In that time span I was able to finally catch the likes of several extreme/death metal acts – many of which that had long since eluded me – in the form of Carcass, Cradle of Filth, Death Angel, Kreator, and Deicide, as well as several more contemporary bands such as Ice Nine Kills, Dethklok, and Atreyu. (Guns N’ Roses were also the headliners that first night, and their quality has long since gone downhill since the last time I caught them back in 2006, even with the current “reunion” of the band intact.)

But between the large crowds, excessive heat and all-around terrible weather (we actually left early on the second night due to the show being postponed by a thunderstorm), and overall lack of interest in the bands scheduled on the last two nights, there was very little reason to get me to go back and endure two more full days of it.

Yet this all turned out to be a blessing in disguise that would free us up to once again to catch up with former Misfits frontman Michale Graves at Bam Bam’s in Daytona, another show confirmed for Rewind It just days prior, and our second time covering him live and acoustic since 2021.

I’ve seen Graves onstage many times over the years going as far back as 1999 – both as a member of the Misfits, and as a solo artist – and he never disappoints. These days, his shows are the only place to go for those wanting to still hear ’90s-era Misfits live (And if you were a card-carrying member of the Fiend Club back in the day such as myself, its certainly worth it.)

The atmosphere was completely palpable by the time Graves took the stage, and he no doubt had the crowd in the palm of his hands as he launched into “The Best of Me, quickly followed by “Wanderer,” and “I Believe.” A couple of Misfits cuts in the form of “Descending Angel” and “Shining” had the crowd singing along, before Graves unleashed the fan-requested Web of Dharma track, “Ophelia.” (A personal favorite of mine as well – nice touch!)

Michale Graves performing at Bam Bam’s in Daytona Beach, FL on Sunday, 5/10/26. (Photo by Brooke Striewski.)

“Nobody Thinks About Me” and “Almost Home” followed before launching into the track that more or less put him on the map, “Dig Up Her Bones.” “All the Troubles” lead to another Misfits classic in the form of “Saturday Night,” while part of Nirvana’s “Come As You Are” would segway into “Fiend Club.” Emotions ran high for “American Prayer,” “Boxcar Headed East,” and even “Dawn of the Dead,” which all lead up to closer “New Song.”

It’s a shame so many contemporaries out there refuse to even give Graves the time of day, simply because he hasn’t fallen in line with the status quo the way they have. (How very “punk rock” of them.) Graves is a sincere, humble musician AND human being that I have no doubt more would be able to see if they’d only open their minds up a bit more. In fact, I felt so inspired after his set this time, I even had him sign my right arm for a potential future tattoo. (Which still remains to be seen if I do indeed make permanent).

And what did Graves do? He not only graciously signed it, but also showed signs of legit concern for me actually going through the procedure of getting another tattoo, knowing at this point that I was only about half a year removed/in remission from a nasty bone disease after our brief conversation beforehand. I have no doubt this is the exact same type of humility Graves displays for fans across the board, and is indeed the type of person I think of whenever I think of Michale Graves.

Black Label Society, Malevolence, Crowbar, and Slaughter to Prevail at Blood 4 Blood at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, FL on 5/6/26 Words and Photos By Jesse Striewski

I had known for months leading up to this past week that I would be heading to Welcome to Rockville with the family again for the fifth (?) consecutive year in a row (at least “partially” attending anyway), but I had no idea that Rewind It Magazine would get approved the week prior for the Rockville “pregame” hybrid show/fight, aptly titled Blood 4 Blood, at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach with Black Label Society, Malevolence, Crowbar, and Slaughter to Prevail all in tow.

I also hadn’t expected to be directly in the photo pit tackling the photography duties (usually its either my wife Brooke or son Jacob handling that aspect, but the approval this time was only for one), but there I was for the first time in I have no idea how many years taking on the task myself. (And I’m pretty sure I was the only one doing so that night with a walking boot on at that!)

And speaking of Rockville, I had caught openers Slaughter to Prevail at one of them in the past before, though must admit I don’t know much when it comes to their music. Still, their frenzied live set and masked band members no doubt created enough energy to prime the stage for the rest of the acts of the evening. (Frontman Alex Terrible was also one of the headlining fighters on the bill for the night.)

Slaughter to Prevail’s Alex Terrible primes the Ocean Center crowd last Wednesday, 5/6. (Photo by Jesse Striewski.)

Mighty sludge metal titans Crowbar were next up, and were one of the acts I was looking most forward to seeing to say the least. Although only a casual fan, they’ve been one of those acts over the years worth revisiting every now and then, and hearing tracks like “Repulsive in its Splendid Beauty,” “To Build a Mountain,” and “Planets Collide” was a thrill nonetheless. (Having Saint Vitus/Down bassist Pat Bruders back in the lineup was an added area of interest for me personally as well.)

Crowbar performing at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, FL on 5/6/26. (Photo by Jesse Striewski.)

Hardcore veterans Malevolence were up next, and while I recognize they were able to give the audience a surge of adrenaline, their sound has never really been my style. (Nor has the main attraction of bare-knuckle fighting for that matter – I’m more of a WWE kind of guy.) Still, the momentum was indeed there by the time Zakk Wylde and company took the stage.

I had seen Wylde perform live once before, though it would be with Pantera (once again, at Welcome to Rockville) rather than when I saw Ozzy Osbourne back in the ’90s (Oddly enough, both bands were touring together at that time, though Wylde was replaced by former Lizzy Borden guitarist Joe Holmes by then. Even stranger now, Wylde has another Borden-alumni in the current incarnation of BLS, guitarist Dario Lorina.)

But I digress – seeing Wylde in such a setting where he’s afforded more creative ability rather than simply playing a paint-by-numbers set was a sight to behold indeed. “Suicide Messiah” and “Stillborn” were of course some of the highlights, while even just a snip-it of the classic track “Black Sabbath” from Zakk’s guitar was enough to invoke a roar out of the crowd. Definitely an evening full of some of metal’s finest, and some memories I’ll no doubt treasure for many years to come.

Former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde lead the charge on stage in Daytona this past Wednesday, 5/6 (Photo by Jesse Striewski.)

As far as the fighting itself goes? Well, to each their own. (More photos from this event to come soon).