Judgement Day looks to rock a new Salinas venue with their unique metal.

Brothers Anton and Lewis Patzner take the stage looking like they just finished orchestra practice. As soon as they plug in their respective violin and cello, though, all similarities with other classical music forms cease to exist: They plunge into a hard-charging instrumental original that sounds like the San Francisco Symphony met Mars Volta in a dark, post-apocalyptic alley and had a love child.

Both musicians play with a speed and precision that leaves their audience wondering how their instruments do not splinter apart or burst into flames. Anton, pounding his foot on the stage, coerces the violin into sounding more like a guitar, but better. Lewis stares intensely down at his cello, sawing with the strength and intensity of a lumberjack trying to fell a sequoia with a dull blade. 

Judgement Day started their budding music careers on Berkeley street corners; Friday, they bring their unique style of music to a new venue in Salinas, Giovane’s Restaurant, where the business’ leadership is trying to do something atypical of its own.

“We needed to bring music back to Salinas,” says Meana Sanchez, who books the bands at Giovane’s. “We wanted to show that there could be so much more to the scene here.”

With a 200-plus-capacity restaurant with a stage and space for dancing at her disposal, Sanchez aims to attract local and touring bands for both 18+ and 21+ shows. Judgement Day definitely falls into a category of band Sanchez wants to draw– different, and with a local following.

With classical musicians as parents, Anton and Lewis started playing music at a young age. In 2002, they started playing and writing songs on the streets of Berkeley and soon recruited their friend, Jon Bush, to play drums.

“At first we wrote dark, fast songs but when we added drums it sounded more metal… we realized we were a metal band and started writing those type of songs,” Anton says. “That’s just what happens when you try to make loud aggressive music with a violin, cello and drums.”

They have come a long way from acoustically entertaining crowds on the street. Since then they have toured extensively and released a seven-song acoustic EP, a full-length release entitled Dark Opus and their most recent, Opus 3: Acoustic.

Fresh off a Northeastern tour, Judgement Day is heading in somewhat of a new direction with the album they are currently mixing. “Half of it is more metal than anything we have ever done,” Anton says, “and the other half is less metal than anything we have ever done.

“We were influenced more by Led Zeppelin than, say, Metallica.”

He adds that he and his brother are glad to be back in the area and looking forward to the upcoming show at Giovane’s. “The kids out in this area [Salinas] are more appreciative than in bigger cities,” Anton says, “maybe they don’t get as many cool shows.”

If everything goes as planned at Giovane’s, that may change soon.

JUDGEMENT DAY plays 8:30pm Friday, Aug. 29, at Giovane’s, 348 San Juan Grade Road, Salinas. $6. 444-6717.