Shot with Fuji X-T4
While booking a hotel before coming to Bangkok, I immediately noticed that there's a "Rock Pub" just across the street. In my mind I was like "noice" thinking it might be a chill pub where we could listen to live music while having drinks.
Upon arriving to Bangkok, we didn't really think about exploring what's nearby as we always just chill at Cocowalk or go ride BTS (train). Unexpectedly, 
As you know, the rock genre is pretty broad. I was expecting they'd play something like Guns N Roses, ACDC, or some shit (which they do btw) so it's something I might like but not really enough to make me feel excited. When I looked in their page, a poster came up announcing they'd play Metal on a Friday. And it's not just metal (it's still pretty broad genre), specifically thrash metal, heavy metal, metalcore, death metal - and I was like "holy shit that's my jam!". To be more specific, they're gonna play cover songs from Metallica, Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Bring Me The Horizon, Bullet For My Valentine, Suicide Silence, and the likes...
Munson band
The night came and when I went inside, they were already playing Megadeth's 'Symphony Of Destruction' and holy shit the place was packed. I didn't have a seat and I stood there for a while and I already felt illegal to just stand there without ordering something hahah.
Then I noticed how well the band played. Like, seriously, I wasn't expecting them to be this good since most cover bands I've seen playing Metallica or Megadeth are just 'ok' but this one really blew my mind.
There were a few jamming to the song tho but most people in the audience just bang their heads very slightly. Come oooonn don't just stare there DO SOMETHING.
It was different when they started playing Metallica's 'Master Of Puppets' tho. OMGGGG the guitars were really good. The people in the crowd were yelling "Master! Master!" and I was happy to see that. :D I wish I could've participated to hype everyone up but I didn't know anyone in there and I was too shy lol.
There were many times when the vocalist asked the crowd what to play next and they would yell "Slayerrrrr!!!!!" but it seems the band didn't know how to play it yet.
I also started noticing the deathcore and emo kidz coming in (based on their clothing) and I realized *ok they are definitely here for the next band. When this band was done, a lot of the Metal crowd left so I was able to sit on the bar counter.
This event's theme is "Three Shades of Metal" so I get why this is attracting different crowds. A bit of history: Some "OG Metal fans" don't really like the other metal subgenres formed like nu metal, deathcore, death metal, etc because they claim they're "not real metal". The Metallica crowd were mostly oldies haha but luckily for me I didn't have the gatekeeping attitude anymore, so I enjoy a broader genre of metal now. :>
OUTRO band
Ok so the next band plays my jams: deathcore, death metal, and nu metal. I already adjusted my expectations based on the previous band so I was like Okay here we go!!.
When they started playing, I was immediately blown like holy shiiiit????? lol. They opened it with Korn's 'Blind' and I wasn't really expecting how good they are. It was a totally different crowd and energy from the previous band.
Dude this was just the first song and they're already doing this??? I could see that the vocalist is really good with his stage presence and energy that you can see the crowd is enjoying it a lot.
Then they started playing Slipknot's 'Psychosocial' and I was like OOMGGGGGGG I love that songggg!! Crowd went crazy as well, moshing and shit.
They also played Bring Me The Horizon's 'Shadow Moses' which is one of my favorites from BMTH and I was crying internally. I was yelling "THIS IS SEMPITERNAL!!!!!" the moment the vocalist pointed his mic at the crowd and there was only 3 of us who yelled it hahaha.
I feel kinda lame or whatever cos I was just sitting there at the bar counter headbanging and singing at the same time as well when I could have just went to the pit along with others but I can't do that since I have a camera and I wasn't drunk lol.
The guitars and drums were really really good. The back vocals were really good as well omggg their attention to details are awesome.
There was this one time the vocalist was saying something in Thai mentioning Bring Me The Horizon and "Kingslayer", just talking to the crowd which I don't understand tbh. I've been to their show two weeks after and they did the same thing and I just realized they were actually inviting someone from the crowd to sing the Babymetal parts in the song 'Kingslayer'. On the second time we were there (this time with Acid), there was a girl on stage who sang the parts and it's so fucking cool!!! The level of engagement is insane and I'm so happy to have witnessed it.
They also played System Of A Down, Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, Lamb Of God, and Avenged Sevenfold.
I don't know but I felt they will play Suicide Silence's 'You Only Live Once' at some point and I was right. They played it at the end of the jam. I was soooo happy they did. Suicide Silence is one of the bands that actually got me through depression when I was a teenager not really knowing where my anger comes from. I didn't know I had PTSD and I was diagnosed only later when I was 19 years old.
I also often use the name "Mitch" when I didn't wanna say my real name. It's after the late vocalist of SS Mitch Lucker who died of accident back in 2012 which broke my heart.
What I realized
When I got back at the hotel, I realized what's been missing in my life. As mentioned in this post, I stopped listening to rock songs and since 2020 or some shit, and I was listening to a lot of pop songs. Which was nothing wrong btw, but rock music has always been my way to release my anger, sadness, and emptiness - something pop music can't do. Since then, I noticed my mental health declining and I thought I was just "too happy" and "comfortable" that I became burned out and not wanting to do anything.
Metalcore, death core, death metal, and nu metal had been my jam since I was a teenager when I started to show signs of PTSD as most songs in that genre talks about something I relate heavily to.
After the show, it was cathartic for me. I felt better and motivated overall. Most especially seeing and being with people with the same interest as me... I felt accepted and belong there. Back home, there's not really much people interested in the same thing as I am. There were a few band shows in the city every now and then but they were mostly performing underground music - I feel the community was gatekeeping as well so I didn't bother.
With the people at the Rock Pub, everyone was moshing with each other, making cheers, smiling at you even though you literally don't know each other. Aside from the really good performance they have there, this was the first time I felt like I belong somewhere with the awesome community and I wish we have that here as well.
Most goers are locals and I have noticed they are actually regulars, so it is pretty easy to make friends there. Bangkok's music scene in general is fucking good, which is a reason a lot of band shirts they sell here in the Philippines are imported from Thailand haha.
Anyway, this realization is like a slap in the face for me. I felt bad for forgetting what actually got me through high school and college. I felt bad for throwing my band shirts a few years ago. XD
If you're in Bangkok and want to experience the same thing, I highly suggest The Rock Pub: Bangkok's House of Rock on your next visit. They also play different genres depending on the day, like alternative rock, 80s and 90s, etc. just check the schedule on their page. :D
