Lizzy Borden and Red Devil Vortex – American Metal Invades the City of Sin!

Lizzy Borden played Count’s Vamp’d on Saturday, October 19, 2021, with support act Red Devil Vortex.

Venturing out to Count’s Vamp’d for rock and roll is a weekly ritual for me. Sometimes a twice-a-week ritual. And once in a very great while, a three-times-a-week ritual. It’s my favorite place on the place for all things rock and metal. From local favorites to national and international headliners, there’s no better spot in Sin City to rock out. And upon hearing that, after a long absence from stages in Las Vegas, Lizzy Borden would be bringing their theatrical brand of American metal back to Vamp’d, I knew I’d be there.

Half the fun of the gigs at Vamp’d is the support acts; I’ve been introduced by many bands I’ve fallen in love with over the years thanks to them supporting Vamp’d headliners. Opening the gig at this show was Red Devil Vortex, a band formed bassist/vocalist Gabriel Connor and guitarist Luis Kalil in Los Angeles who’ve been making a name for themselves in recent years. I’d never heard of the band and had no idea what to expect, but it didn’t take this threesome long to win me over. Complete with lighted V signs on either side of the stage, they clearly wanted to go all out with as much production as possible. While only a three-piece band, they sound far louder and have clearly harnessed their sound to be as hard and heavy as possible. The drummer’s bass drumming was amongst the loudest and most aggressive I’ve ever experienced at a rock show. Definitely featuring more of a modern hard rock sound, I was thoroughly impressed (and thoroughly rocked!) by what this trio had to offer. I’ll certainly be keeping my eye on them in the coming years!

And then we move on to the headliner…

Lizzy Borden’s combination of theatrics and a powerful heavy metal sound made the band a force to be reckoned with back in the day, and their eponymous frontman has been making a powerful comeback in recent years. Although there have always been lineup changes, the group has also always featured Lizzy’s brother Joey Scott behind the drum stool. First releasing a song on the fourth volume of the METAL MASSACRE various artists compilation series, the group was signed by Brian Slagel’s Metal Blade Records back in the day, and has long remained one of the most popular artists on the label. The band is perhaps best remembered for the anthem “Me Against the World,” taken from their Max Norman-produced third album, 1987’s VISUAL LIES, as well as an appearance in the classic metal documentary film, THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION PART II: THE METAL YEARS. The most recent full-length album from Lizzy Borden was 2018’s MY MIDNIGHT THINGS, but a new album is on the way as well.

I was chatting with some friends before the show who’d never seen Lizzy Borden before. The way I could best describe a Lizzy show to them is that it’s essentially, like an Alice Cooper show but with a far lower budget, yet still manages to be majorly epic and theatrical. The last time I caught Lizzy Borden at Vamp’d was way back in 2011, not long after the venue had taken on the Vamp’d moniker. I fondly remember standing in the front row and being drenched with fake blood (and somewhere over at my parents’ house, I’ve still got the bloody T-shirt from that evening!) As I now wear battle jackets that I put a lot of work and money into and I didn’t want to get one of those ruined by bloodstains of any kind, I ultimately opted to keep my distance from the front of the stage this time.

The house was packed for Lizzy and company, with many audience members even wearing costumes as sort of a pre-Halloween ritual. Metal Blade founder Brian Slagel was among those who ventured to Vegas’ number one house of rock, with fans packed wall-to-wall to catch a glimpse of one of heavy metal’s most theatrical frontmen doing his thing.

He didn’t disappoint.

This was the single best rock show I’ve seen in 2024. Period. And in the two months this year has left, I highly doubt anyone will top what the Brothers Harges and company brought to the stage.

The moment Lizzy himself to the stage, you could tell he was out for blood. In every sense of the words. Entering the stage with a grotesque outfit that gave him devil horns and three faces, the guy’s look was even more shocking than the hard and heavy riffs. Between nearly every song, he made costume changes to suit the subject matter of the songs at hand. This included some bizarre lighted glasses, an executioner’s outfit, pale face paint, and even an American flag. At one point, a beautiful woman took the stage, only to be grabbed and executed by the frontman, who sank his teeth into her neck, causing blood to splatted everywhere. And it wasn’t long before another man in a mask brought up a bucket of blood, smearing and splattering it over the lucky (or is it unlucky?) souls in the front row. Never once was this show dragging or boring. It was epic and intense, backed by superb heavy metal.

The setlist itself was equally impressive, with classic cuts like “Me Against the World,” “American Metal,” “Red Rum,” and for the moments involving fake blood, the appropriately-titled “There Will Be Blood Tonight.” To close out the night there was even a cover of the Ramones’ classic “Pet Sematary.” I’m sure the most die-hard of fans could nitpick over an omitted track here and there, but I found this to be a balanced setlist of old and new deep cuts and hits alike, and no one in the audience was disappointed in what they saw. This fan included.

When it comes to heavy metal, no matter how big or small the stage, no one delivers like Lizzy Borden. The theatrics are top-notch, and the sound of the guitars, drums, and vocals are as strong as ever. The support set from Red Devil Vortex was a damn good one too, introducing me to a great new and heavy band I look forward to hearing more from. Lizzy Borden gave this Vegas crowd and overdue dose of American Metal, and for me, it was the best show of the year.

If you have a chance to see Lizzy Borden live, don’t pass it up.