THE NIGHT OF April 19 was bittersweet for fans of Vio-Lence. San Francisco's thrash metal veterans announced Easter weekend that their recent resurrection would be short-lived and pivotal player Phil Demmel would soon be taking his guitar elsewhere and joining former Vio-Lence guitarist Robb Flynn in Machine Head. "It has been my pride to play in this band for the past 18 years," Demmel declared during the band's hour-and-a-half set at the Pound S.F.

It was a night of freewheeling dedications and send-ups to band members and their friends, including a brief round of "Kumbaya" led by bassist Deen Dell in honor of Demmel. The band's shenanigans prompted sporadic apologies throughout the night from Vio-Lence members, with declarations like "This has got to be the ugliest you people have seen us."

But family reunions are not always pretty, and this was definitely a Vio-Lence reunion. Flynn joined the gang on guitar for the first time since his 1992 departure to form Machine Head. Troy Fua, who had replaced Flynn when he first departed, also stepped in. Ironically, it was Flynn who replaced Fua in an earlier incarnation of the band.

The rest of the band was from the original lineup – Dell, vocalist Sean Killian, and drummer Perry Strickland. Killian broke the news first. "This is our last show tonight. I got other shit to do than to make you guys happy," he shouted to the crowd, a mix of barely twentysomethings and old-time fans who traversed bridges and tunnels from Bay Area suburbs for the event. Many of the long-time fans donned old Sepultura and Pantera T-shirts, an homage to thrash metal's 1980s glory days.

Never quite equaling the success of Bay Area metal peers like Testament, Metallica, and Death Angel, Vio-Lence gained a reputation for their pummeling live gigs. The band, which disintegrated soon after recording the 1993 album Nothing to Gain, only to re-form a couple of years ago, have earned respect from old and new metalheads alike by staying true to their visceral thrash roots rather than commercializing their sound in the vein of Metallica or Megadeth. For one final time, the band put on a show to remember – if not for its technical savvy then for its entertainment value.

Several hundred fans withstood a typical San Francisco deep freeze, some huddled under heat lamps in front of the stage erected outside the club just for this event. There was plenty of elbow room for the small group of moshers up front. The band ripped through its entire 1988 debut, Eternal Nightmare, including the crowd-rousing "Serial Killer," during which Killian attempted his best Gene Simmons tongue gymnastics.

The boys also dug into their second release, 1990's Oppressing the Masses, with tracks like "World in a World" and the show-opening "Liquid Courage." This was not a night for the politically correct, as the band hawked its "Fuck Peace" T-shirts and dedicated the track "Gutterslut" to "your girlfriend, wife, your mom ... there are no boundaries."

Despite the rough edges, Vio-Lence proved they still have their chops and even aired out some new tracks, such as "The Literal Dissection of Christ," during the encore. Aside from a new album, Vio-Lence announced a forthcoming DVD of the band's performance last December at Slim's, a live album, and the reissue of the long out-of-print Eternal Nightmare.

For a finale, the group invited fans onstage during "T.D.S. Take It As You Will," and a small rush ensued, including one groupie who showed 'em her tits without much prompting.

Vio-Lence were Saturday's main draw, but overall it was just one segment of the 420 Musik Conspiracy festival. Vendors were all 420-friendly, including Skanky Danky, which sold 420-celebratory T-shirts, and Chronic Candy Corp., which provided pot-flavored lollipops. The weekend celebration of local thrash and alternative music scenes featured about 50 bands and started with a Friday night pre-party. Saturday was devoted mostly to metal, thrash, and hardcore – a testosterone-injected bonanza that included local acts 40 Grit and the Sick. Hard-edged punk bands like Angry Amputees performed on the indoor stage. Alternative as well as stoner rock bands such as Planting Seeds, who were more in line with your typical 420 vibe, played outdoors. Sunday's crowd did not nearly equal Saturday's, partly due to the Easter holiday, so sadly few were left to witness the Dickies' prop-filled, energized stage show.

The irony of the event was best summed up Sunday by Angry Amputees' fingerless and legless bassist, Dalty. He started the show with a salutary, "Happy 420-Hitler's birthday-Columbine anniversary-Easter party."