Metal Allegiance took over Anaheim, CA on the opening night of NAMM 2025, making the House of Blues a stage for metal legends, and a home for the metal community. An enthralling range of covers, the presence of well-loved Metal Allegiance tracks, powerful support, and an array of surprise guests made for an unforgettable night. This year’s show was sponsored by Jackson, EVH, Charvel, and IK Multimedia.

Lost Legacy was the first to hit the stage, paving the way with their heavy East Coast sound. 

New York’s Wicked made their second West Coast appearance in a row for the week, following a dynamite two-song performance at the Metal Hall of Fame with a longer set to open Metal Allegiance. During their interview on the Metal Hall of Fame Red Carpet, Wicked said that they have a new album on the way, and it will be great to see more from this band bringing their vibrant and vigorous brand of “High Energy Rock N’ Roll” to the stage and studio. 

OTTTO was next up to bring their heavy touch and solid setlist to the stage. OTTTO features bassist Tye Trujillo, son of Metallica’s Robert Trujillo, a foreshadowing of his father’s surprise guest appearance for the Metal Allegiance finale. 

The “Pledge of Allegiance” to Metal is an essential first track to open the show, a staple of the Metal Allegiance set, this time with the lineup of John Bush, Alex Skolnick, Andreas Kisser, David Ellefson, Mark Menghi and Mike Portnoy. 

The iconic Mike Portnoy never left his spot behind the kit for the whole night, holding it down for the entire duration of a 2+ hour show with an outstanding performance through all different styles and genres of rock and metal covers alongside Metal Allegiance originals with a constant rotating lineup. Completing the “Core 4”, Alex Skolnick, David Ellefson, and Mark Menghi effortlessly proved why they hold that title, upholding metal legacies and showing their versatility amidst action-packed jams and surprise guest appearances. 

Photo by Alissa

Andreas Kisser shredded a great deal of the show before swapping his guitar spot with Doc Coyle, until the two shared the stage later on. Naturally, Kisser had to return to the stage for Derrick Green’s arrival to claim Sepultura’s own “Territory”. John Bush also made a killer return for Anthrax’s “Hy Pro Glo” – following Metal Allegiance originals “The Accuser” and “Bound By Silence” – with a special guest vocal appearance from Frank Bello, alongside guitarists Jeff Loomis and Jack Gibson. 

Mark Tornillo ripped through the vocals of “Fast As A Shark”, “Terminal Illusion”, and “Light Up The Sky” – an unexpected Van Halen cover. 

Troy Sanders took to the stage next, starting with his two well-known Metal Allegiance feature tracks, “Liars & Thieves” and “Let Darkness Fall”, before throwing in another unexpected cover with “Parasite” by Kiss. Sanders wasn’t quite done showcasing his heavy-melodic vocals just yet, as he wrapped up his set with Metallica’s “Disposable Heroes”.

David Sanchez of Havok was the next surprise guest to arrive, giving “A Lesson In Violence” along with Exodus’ own Gary Holt and Jack Gibson, Mark Menghi, and the first appearance of Brandon Ellis for this show.

(Photos by Alissa)

Bobby Blitz brought out his bold and unmistakable vocals for three tracks in a row: “Mother of Sin”, his original song with Metal Allegiance from their 2018 album; Overkill’s iconic “Elimination”; and a Ted Nugent cover of “Wang Dang Sweet Poontang”. 

Though Chuck Billy was on the bill, he did not make an appearance at this show, but there were still plenty of special guests, including Alissa White-Gluz, who surprised the audience when she took to the stage for a performance of “Symphony of Destruction”, joined by Jeff Loomis, Angel Vivaldi, David Ellefson, and Alyssa Day.

Marty Friedman – whose NAMM Guitar Jam was set to take place the next evening alongside John 5 and Nita Strauss at The Observatory OC – also arrived as a rare guest to join Metal Allegiance for the tracks “Dissident Aggressor” and “Killers”, bringing back Mark Tornillo and John Bush, respectively. 

One more surprise guest – though, again, somewhat foreshadowed by OTTTO’s presence earlier in the night – stunned the crowd when Robert Trujillo showed up unannounced for a cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs”. This track had every instrument but drums doubled, with Mark Menghi and Robert Trujillo sharing the bass spot, Alex Skolnick and Andreas Kisser on guitars, and Mark Tornillo and Bobby Blitz trading vocals. Finally, this illustrious night of metal came to a close – not that anyone truly wanted it to – with a performance of Motörhead’s “Iron Fist”, featuring the full cast of characters that made up the Metal Allegiance lineup of NAMM 2025. 

It’s always great to see the exciting show and group of legends that Metal Allegiance assembles around NAMM time. Keep an eye out for news and tour updates via: https://www.metalallegiance.com.

Special thanks to Metal Magnitude Media Assistant Alissa for photo contributions!

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