Angrier, noisier form of metal

Not all metal fans can be satisfied by the usual hard-rock sources. Van Halen? Too slow. Black Sabbath? Not dark enough. Queens of the Stone Age? Weird.

The extremely hard rock these fans seek has been the specialty of Metal Blade Records, which launched the careers of the influential speed-metal acts Slayer and Metallica, both of which have demonstrated far more staying power than the pop-coated metal of many of their ‘80s contemporaries.

The L.A. label celebrated its 20th anniversary with a five-hour concert Wednesday at the Palace, where heads were banging and devil’s horns were held high.

The mosh pit fully erupted only with the appearance of Cannibal Corpse, which earned its greatest mainstream fame when then-Sen. Bob Dole denounced it a decade ago as a threat to society--the kind of career boost any metal band would kill for.

Cannibal Corpse had taken death-metal a few too many notches past Slayer in speed and aggression, and little has changed since then. George Fisher sang with a stormy voice as the band played jagged, repetitive riffs.

The crowd also perked up for Armored Saint, a twitchy, grinding quintet that’s been with the label since 1983. Earlier, Lizzy Borden played riffs that were rudimentary and intense, as singer and band namesake Borden vamped across the stage in shiny vinyl pants and a long coat. “Hello suckers!” he shouted. “Lemme hear some noise!” The band closed the set with a Munsters-style “Born to Be Wild.”

The fans’ T-shirts pledged allegiance to nothing but the hardest rock: Ozzy Osbourne, Hatebreed, Testament, Black Flag. The crowd, a mix of graying listeners and younger fans, pressed excitedly against the stage. It’s an audience forever targeted by Metal Blade, which recently released a 10-disc boxed set about the label’s history.

“The underground has always been really strong,” said label founder Brian Slagel. “There’s always going to be young kids. And they’re probably going to be angry and into this sort of thing.”