As “G.I. Bro” rushed out into the wrestling ring, it was clear that it was going to be an unusual night at Oakland’s Metro Opera House on March 6, 2015. The first collaboration between Austria-Californian rockers Arnocorps and Hoodslam, the Bay Area’s most prominent professional wrestling league, had a packed house drawing audiences from both the punk and wrestling word. Wasting little time, G.I. Bro, a muscled-up fratboy with a bedazzled hat hyped the crowd by getting them to chant Arnocorps’ name all while pouring shots of booze down the throats of attendees.
Arnocrops took the stage, each in camos, each wearing aviators, and each smoking a stogie. Frontman Holzfeuer leaped into the wreslting ring, delivered a short sermon about the bands background (they are fighting against “Austro-ploitation by playing heavy metal songs about ancient Austrian legends), and then the band ripped into a three song set. Arnocorps’ recordings are pretty wild, what with their tales of fighting Predators and Terminators and warlords, but their live show is on another level. Holzfeuer climbed in and out of the ring, up on the ropes, and shouted out battle cries as the band kicked out tunes equally influenced by thrash metal and NWOBH. Frankly, the music combined with visuals combined with the songs about killing aliens really is something to behold.