Over the past few months of connecting with creatives in the Spokane music scene, one theme consistently comes through: community.
Regardless of genre, popularity, or event size, there’s a powerful undercurrent in the Inland Northwest that makes performing and listening feel like something bigger than just music.
In fact, this exact force is a driving factor in Northwest Noise’s mission each day. Yes, it's about music, but the music is what brings people together, gives us hope, and challenges us to be a better version of ourselves. The music makes space for things you might never have known or done otherwise.
We had the opportunity to talk with Kyle of metal band Fate Defined, whose band is on a mission not just to reinforce this theme, but bring it to life: in the form of Metal Mayhem.
Now entering its third year, Metal Mayhem is more than just a few hours of rich music and headbanging fun. It’s a show dedicated to opportunity and community. Hosted by Spokane locals Fate Defined, the event is built with purpose. It exists not only to showcase great music, but to create opportunity by giving bands the kind of stage, visibility, and professionalism usually reserved for touring acts at the Knitting Factory.
This year, Metal Mayhem will feature hosts Fate Defined, along with Enemy Mine, Avoid Dead, and White Trash Romeo.
Kyle, Fate Defined’s vocalist and longtime supporter of the Spokane music community, grew his love for music going to shows as a kid and eventually touring over the years. After years of playing, touring, and returning to the local scene, he recognized a gap: talented bands were stuck in a loop of small venues with limited reach, and bigger opportunities like the Knitting Factory felt far out of reach. So, he and his band took initiative.
Metal Mayhem was created as a showcase for local talent looking for that chance to get on the big stage. The team works hard behind the scenes to produce an event that embraces the community and brings more audience to the talent growing right here in Spokane. Last year’s show brought in over 500 fans, and this year they’re aiming even higher.
The vision extends beyond the stage. Metal Mayhem is designed to be inclusive and accessible. Taking advantage of what the Knitting Factory has to offer creates an open and inviting space for crowds of all kinds. From all-ages admission to fair ticket pricing and supportive security, the team is focused on creating a space where both fans and performers feel welcome and respected. It’s an effort with wide reach, built from the belief that Spokane has the talent, it just needs the platform.
Metal Mayhem can be summed up as: 4 local bands trying to go as hard as they can.
While the event focuses on metal and hard rock acts, the stage knows no bounds. Part of Kyle and Fate Defined’s larger goals for the event is to start getting the younger crowd involved and on stage. Like many of the bars and venues in Spokane, the common 21+ ticketing leaves out the high school audience. Looking to the future, Kyle hopes to bring this platform to that younger crowd to not just give them the experience of a lifetime, but make it a moment their friends and family in the crowd can be a part of too, and expirience why so many of us call music our home.
For anyone looking to get into the scene, or even those who’ve been around and need a fresh spark, the message behind Metal Mayhem is clear: authenticity, persistence, and community matter. If you're looking to burst out of the local scene, have dreams of touring the world, or just hoping to get your name out there, Fate Defined and the larger Spokane music collective are proving that by working together, local artists can thrive, and the scene as a whole can rise.
