Less than a year ago, all Greta Van Fleet had was a four-song EP called Black Smoke Rising, and on that alone had they managed not only a single which was closing in on one million views on YouTube, but a nationwide tour that was selling out venue after venue. Fast forward to present day, a mere eight months later, and that debut single, “Highway Tune,” is at 15 million views, having spent five straight weeks at the top of the Mainstream Rock radio chart, and the band is at it again. Not only has their newest tour sold out date after date, but additional tickets were then released and they sold out once more. This was very much the case for last Wednesday’s raucous evening at Baltimore’s Rams Head Live, where children and parents alike were found mesmerized by the spectacle upon the stage. Click here for the full photo gallery! Dorothy, the L.A. band owing its namesake to singer Dorothy Martin, greeted an audience of bell-bottomed fans in a flowing silk robe. With the bass in the pocket and guitars packing crunching riffs, Dorothy set off to impress. Within the first three songs, she had jumped down onto the barricade, hugging a handful of fans before jumping back onstage to release one wail after the next. Halfway through the set, a technical malfunction took the lead guitar out of commission, but the show went on and as they repaired the amplifier towards the end of the tune, the venue erupted in a flurry of notes flying off the fretboard. Her album, rockisdead, is surely meant in jest, or else she missed the memo. Greta Van Fleet, the Michigan-born foursome, have raised such a stir that I’ve never seen this venue more packed. Vocalist Josh Kiszka arrived bearing a bouquet of roses, and threw them individually as he made his way across the stage. For a band of young men, these gentlemen channeled the vibes of decades gone by. One man in attendance turned to me and said, “I’ve been waiting for years for a band to come along and rock like this.” Upon further investigation, he had just arrived from Austin, TX, where he had seen Van Fleet play less than a week prior. “I’m sure this’ll be just as great, or better,” he added. Though they only have a double EP to their name, they put on quite a lengthy show. In addition to material off of From The Fires, which adds 4 songs to the previous EP, Black Smoke Rising, there was a whole slew of as-of-yet-unreleased material being played. And if that weren’t enough, the band appear to be no stranger to extensive jams; one of the members taking the helm while the rest provide a rhythmic safety net to catch them as they come down from what quite often turned into a transcendental experience. Thus, we were honored with guitar jams courtesy of Jake Kiszka, bass and organ jams thanks to Sam Kiszka, and a truly intense drum solo by way of Danny Wagner. Jake, particularly, had a way of getting entranced, unleashing sounds that traded precision for passion in all the right ways. These are things that are sure to stretch a smile from cheek to cheek, and as they travel from one sold out show to the next, it’s a recipe that hasn’t failed yet.
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After the immense high of seeing Judas Priest in concert, and with news of an impending snow storm coming the following day, I was excited to chill out for one more great concert with Iced Earth at Baltimore Soundstage on March 19, 2018. What’s more, they were bringing Sanctuary with them, a great metal band who recently had experienced turmoil, but were persevering to bring their music to the masses. Opening for these two respected metal acts were Kill Ritual, and a particular delight to me, MindMaze, a group I’ve had the pleasure of seeing several times before. Click here for the full photo gallery! Pennsylvania-based MindMaze is a talented foursome, featuring siblings Sarah (vox) and Jeff Teets (guitars), bassist Rich Pasqualone, and drummer Mark Bennett. Having seen them open for Udo Dirkschneider (ex-Accept), as well as attending a headlining show of theirs, I’m familiar with their intricate, melodic brand of heavy metal. Opening for Iced Earth was a great chance for them to showcase this to a new audience, and their six-song set brought a huge response from the crowd. Bennett’s monumental beats crashing down supported the meanderings of Jeff and Rich as they attempted not to get their fingers tied in knots wandering their fretboards. Sarah’s banshee wail closed out the final notes of “This Holy War,” widening eyes and ushering applause from the audience. Next up were West Coast metallers, Kill Ritual, supporting their newest album, All Men Shall Fall. Though only four of the quintet were present (bassist Jim Pegram being on tour with Mudface, so guitarist Chris Lotesto took up bass duties), they put on a solid set. They were very relaxed, feeling at home on stage and off! In fact, during the third song of their set, vocalist David Reed Watson disappeared and suddenly showed up in the photo pit with us. Soon he was standing on the barricade, screaming into the crowd, while Lotesto and guitarist Steven Rice commanded the stage alongside drummer Seamus Gleason. Sanctuary has had a rough time in recent memory. In December 2017, frontman Warrel Dane (ex-Nevermore) passed away. However, with the tour already in place, the band decided to continue, dedicating these performances as both a tribute to Dane’s life and as a farewell tour for the band. Joined by Witherfall vocalist, Joseph Michael, they put on one Hell of a show for Baltimore, drawing on equal amounts of material from their three studio albums, Refuge Denied, Into The Mirror Black, and the most recent release, The Year The Sun Died. The songs were nailed down tight, and Michael hit high note after high note, while guitarists Lenny Rutledge and Joey Concepcion (Armageddon) seared through dual guitar solos. All in all, it was a wonderful send-off for the band and I wish them all the best of luck on their next endeavors. Iced Earth, on a world tour in support of their album, Incorruptible, took the stage to a roaring crowd. The setlist was a mix of extremely early and extremely recent material: while the plurality of songs came from Incorruptible, the majority of tracks came from 90s releases, with the focus on the band’s sophomore album, Night Of The Stormrider. But early or old, the crowd was ecstatic to be in attendance. Every hand in the audience was thrown up, pounding forth to the rhythm of the music in the form of a clenched fist or horns. “Do we still have energy out there?!” vocalist Stu Block screamed to the crowd, who cheered back a forceful wall of affirmation. “Good, that’s the key,” he responded, before going into The Dark Saga tune, “Vengeance Is Mine.” Soundstage was suddenly filled with chants of “Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!" Something unexpected and truly special for fans occurred during the encore. As the group tore into the heavier portion of “Watching Over Me,” former vocalist Matthew Barlow emerged onstage and joined in. Hitting the highs of the chorus while Block took the lows, they sang shoulder to shoulder, then let the music drop off suddenly, allowing the audience to continue the chorus A Capella. The night closed out, all members, including Barlow, bowing to that same roar of the crowd which had greeted them when they first took the stage. On Sunday, March 18, thousands of concert-goers packed The Anthem, ready to catch Judas Priest in their sold out show. After grabbing some much needed grub, several other photographers and myself grabbed our photo passes and slid up to the guardrail of this new 6,000-person capacity, Washington D.C. venue. With both general admission standing room, as well as balcony seating overlooking the stage, everyone was in a prime position to see the legendary Priest, along with other rock n’ roll acts, such as fellow England resident, Saxon, and the Black Star Riders. Click here for the full photo gallery! Formed in 2012 from by four members of Thin Lizzy, the Black Star Riders are a true hard rock force. They’re currently three albums into their new namesake, which continues in the Lizzy tradition, the latest being 2017’s Heavy Fire. A high energy band, helped in part by their newest addition of Chad Szeliga (ex-Breaking Benjamin) on drums, the crowd was quickly behind them. This was particularly true upon hearing “Jailbreak” from their former band’s album of the same name, which resulted in an eruption of applause. The Irish hard rock spirit still resounds in these older souls, now in a newer package. While their tenure hasn’t been quite as lengthy as that of Judas Priest, Saxon’s history has shown them as an undoubtedly influential and popular metal act. And that was quite apparent by the magnitude of the reaction with which they were received. Their no-nonsense approach to rocking brought chants from all in attendance, and even material from their newest album, Thunderbolt, barely a month old, elicited cheers. And boy, did it sound great! The new songs were as strong as the classic tunes, and if I had not heard the band prior to that moment, I would not have been able to tell you which were which. The crowd was certainly excited, regardless of what was played. But, with every setlist, particular cuts will rise above others. The most notable point would have to have been when vocalist Biff Byford commandeered a battle vest from the front of the venue before tearing into “Denim And Leather.” The amount of headbanging and moshing the 5’0″ woman in front of me was getting into within a circle of her own design was all I needed to understand the magic this band’s music has had on fans over time, and the power it still possesses. That lady would have destroyed some people. It’s not possible to overestimate the impact Judas Priest has had on the rock and metal world. Having operated in one form or another since 1969, the group has endured line-up changes and diseases, releasing their 18th album, Firepower, less than two weeks before this concert. But it certainly packs a punch, and songs like “Evil Never Dies” came across remarkable heavy on stage. One notable difference to this tour was the absence of guitarist Glenn Tipton, bowing out due to Parkinson’s Disease. Filling in on this tour was co-producer for the new album, Andy Sneap (Sabbat), who, together with Richie Faulkner, made up the dual six-string attack with a style that didn’t disappoint. The rock and foundation of the band, bassist Ian Hill and drummer Scott Travis, were on point the whole evening. Travis, in particular, was a menace on the kit, and revved up the crowd by swearing he’d told the rest of the band that D.C. would be the loudest audience of the whole tour. Shucks, Scott, I bet you say that to all the fans! The Metal God himself, Rob Halford, decked out in studded outfits, hit remarkably high notes throughout the night, and rode a motorcycle onto stage later in the evening for “Hell Bent For Leather,” while fans in the balcony were on the edge of their seats throwing horns. But the highlight for many was the on-screen tribute to Glenn Tipton during the solo for “Painkiller,” showing him play along while Faulkner ripped on guitar. I think, perhaps, the biggest sign that Priest is doing something right is taking a look at the demographics of who was going at the show. While there were plenty of veteran fans there, there was a remarkable amount of young blood there, including one mother holding her young child up to watch the band (complete with huge, over-ear protection). Priest has a back catalog full of fantastic material, and they’re still drawing in new audiences, and those new audiences helped make sure this was a sold out show. Be sure to get your tickets now. You don’t want to miss these great performances. On a Wednesday night, on the outskirts of Washington D.C., a flood of people packed into The Fillmore Silver Spring for a night of metal mayhem. Camo pants were being sported by a great many, and I even noted one individual wearing a pauldron. Everyone was fully prepared to rock out this Wednesday evening, March 7, 2018, and rock they did to sounds from European soils: Cyhra, Kreator, and Sabaton. Click here for the full photo gallery! The opening act was one I had only begun to hear about: the part Swedish, part Finnish, part German conglomerate known as Cyhra. Formed of former members of In Flames, Amaranthe, Shining, and Annihilator (as well as a concurrent member of Luca Turilli’s Rhapsody), the mere thought of this band peaks the interest before any music hits your ears. Described by vocalist, Jake E, as “really catchy metal,” you can totally understand what he says from the opening notes of their debut, Letters To Myself. After listening to this release, which truly doesn’t copy any of their previous acts, I was surprised, wondering how they could possibly pull off this material in concert without losing some aspect of the studio magic. But you know, they made it work surprisingly well! In fact, the band was extremely animated and had the audience in the palm of their hands. “Pretend you’re at a 70s Scorpions concert!” Jake E shouted, answered by the glow of hundreds of cellphones waving in the air, screens ablaze. For whatever reason, bassist Peter Iwers couldn’t make the North American tour. Regardless of this unfortunate occurrence, the veteran foursome who were present put on one hell of a performance, and fans were saddened when they had reached the end of their set. I heard at least one person who hadn’t heard them prior to this proclaim, “I’ve got to get a copy of this album” after the music had ceased. The thrash legends, Kreator, were up next. Personally, I thought this would be a jarring change from the melody-driven music of the opener, and I wasn’t wrong! The night took a left turn from its existing direction and entered a world claimed by the Flag Of Hate. This world was full of staccato stage lighting (not recommended for those with epileptic episodes), circle pits, crowd surfing, and headbangers in the rafters. Frontman Mille Petrozza pronounced “We heard Maryland is known for one thing…its moshpits!” much to the chagrin of the security in the room. Not less than a few times were myself and other photographers moved aside to catch impending crowdsurfers. The German metallers pulled out songs from nine albums of their catalog, going all the way back to their 1985 debut, Endless Pain, though the majority of tracks came from their two most recent albums, Phantom Antichrist and Gods Of Violence. Needless to say, fans were overjoyed. Sabaton, I am sad to say, is another failure on my part of not being familiar with them sooner. The name has rung a bell for years, but I had never sat down and listened to their material. I was surprised to find myself in the realm of anthemic, military heavy metal. Caught between dueling guitars, war helmet mic stands, and goofing off…I was caught filled with joy. This is what I imagine happens when every member of the band is an extrovert. I swear, every word of every song was sung by the audience, mirroring Joakim Brodén’s lead vocals, to the point where it was difficult to differentiate who I was actually hearing. Every so often the crowd would be moved to the point of leaping in unison, and I felt the building trembling by the combined force of their return to Earth alongside the reverberating speakers. But I think the point where I really realized this band is truly amazing was when, mid-verse, guitarist Tommy Johansson came over to Joakim, who was kneeling down, and literally knocked him over. “What the—?!“ sputtered the frontman, before Johansson sat on him, all while continuing to play guitar and Brodén struggled to get up. After a couple of seconds the guitarist ceased his assault, and Joakim returned to his feet, singing while attempting not to laugh, and throwing the bird at Johansson. The crowd ate it up, and so did I. In the words of Frank Zappa, “shall we take ourselves seriously?” The answer, my friends, is clearly no. With each brief intermission the band took, whether to get a drink of water or to change guitars, chants of “SA-BA-TON!” echoed through the venue. From my vantage point, I could see the band members laughing each time it occurred, because it arrived so quickly after they ceased playing! “We should tour here more often,” Brodén stated, “because you all, on a WEDNESDAY, are a more lively audience than some places we’ve played on the weekend.” And it’s true. I’m not sure I’ve ever witnessed a more energetic crowd, here or at any other venue. There was a remarkable electricity running through the building, and it was one I was sad to see come to an end. And while the North American tour has come to an end as well, you should do your darndest to catch any of these bands in concert, wherever you might find them. You will not find disappointment. “40 years ago…” was a recurring measure, issuing forth from the mouth of German guitar legend, Michael Schenker, as hundreds stood at his beck and call in The Fillmore in Silver Spring, MD on March 6, 2018. These past four decades have been marked by an illustrious career, housing notable acts such as M.S.G., UFO, and Scorpions. And with such a long, rich history, Schenker has had the opportunity to play with some fantastic groups of people. On this tour, we are being given the honor of meeting quite a few of those musicians! With a rock solid backing line-up of Ted McKenna (drums), Chris Glen (bass), and Steve Mann (guitars / keyboards), Michael is once again paired with vocalists spanning his career: Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet, Robin McAuley, and Doogie White. In a night that traversed decades, the audience was kept captivated with over 2 hours of hits. Though there was one Scorpions’ Lovedrive excursion, with the instrumental “Coast To Coast,” and a handful of UFO tracks which closed out the night, the vast majority were from M.S.G. (both the Michael Schenker Group and the McAuley Schenker Group). And with the recent release of Michael Schenker Fest’s Resurrection, which also saw these four vocalists singing separately and together, we were witness to a tag team match of musical proportions. Beginning with Gary Barden and progressing in the aforementioned order, the band tore through one crowd-pleaser after the next, with the proceeding vocalist appearing following instrumental segues. There were even times when several of these vocalists would appear at once, performing backup harmonies, and at the end of the show the entire stage was filled by all four frontmen. Anyone in fear that the Mad Axeman won’t deliver should wipe such ill-conceived notions from their mind. Standing at the rear of the venue with Josh Schwartz, the guitarist for the sole opener for that evening, A Sound Of Thunder, he remarked how big of a fan of Schenker’s he was. He commented, awestruck, at the amazing abilities of the Blonde Bomber’s vibrato technique, and how difficult it is to pull off to the degree being exhibited. After the stunning performance A Sound Of Thunder put on, and in particular Schwartz’s obvious talent on the six-string, long-time fans and guitar-playing enthusiasts alike should enjoy the show just as much as we did. Do yourselves a favor and catch this class act as they continue their North American trek. Click here to view tour dates and buy tickets. Click here for the full photo gallery! “Rock ‘N Roll never felt so good.” When we last left our musically-inclined heroes, Dead Empires, they were releasing their sophomore album, Secret Snakes / Silent Serpent. Since that time, they’ve done something rather unusual: this instrumental band has adopted a vocalist! The New York trio has brought in a new member, Jason Sherman of Torrential Downpour, who has taken all those unusual song titles I spoke about in the past, and he’s put poetry on paper. And as grandiose as the display upon Liberty Island in 1983, when David Copperfield caused the Statue of Liberty to vanish before the eyes of onlookers, so is Dead Empire’s new album Designed To Disappear. Now, my friends, I must eat my words, for in my review of that previous album I said, “Vocals? They don’t need no stinkin’ vocals!” And while the band might not need vocals, per se, they certainly work them into what they’re doing quite well! But Sherman brings more than just that to this ensemble, for he is adept at noise manipulation. Armed with a slew of digital deviations, he adds to the already monumental sonic acid trips regularly embarked upon by the remainder of the band. This is readily apparent in tracks like “The Form,” in which the foursome take the listener upon a journey through digitized vocals, static ether, and a nebula of changing rhythmic patterns. One can experience that for themselves in an exclusive by Invisible Oranges, though I must warn those prone to epileptic episodes to stick strictly to the audio. I’ve been listening to this band since Monuments debuted, and I’ll admit that I was skeptical when I heard of the altered line-up, fearing Dead Empires might opt for a more straightforward approach to songwriting. But Designed to Disappear is 8 tracks which cover a plethora of styles, both vocal and musical. From the instrumental opener entitled “Spectacular Ruin,” we’re greeted with an auditory vision of a crash landing, causing us to roll and tumble our way into this forthcoming endeavor. “A Summertime Song,” midway through, slow things down a bit; arpeggiated chords expanding the atmosphere of the experience, while the low-end digs a trench between the notes over which clean vocals soar. There are plenty of other adventures to be had, all the way to the final, 12+ minute title track, where organs blare as we catapult through wormholes of space and time, the bass keeping us afloat in a cosmic sea, and the guitar dancing like starlight, while the percussion washes over us like pulses from far off supernovas; we are in no danger of the mundane here. One moment we are in the ether, transcending mind and body, and the next we’re in a punk rock mosh pit, alive and well. John Bryan, Phil Bartsch, DJ Scully, and Jason Sherman are not ordinary men, nor is Dead Empires an ordinary band. Each album they release forms less of a tracklisting, and more of a painter’s palette, blending aural colors for the delight of all those who enjoy partaking in riptides of riffing and guttural screams, with the occasional clean vocal. And one more thing I should note about Sherman’s lyrical contributions: they’re beautiful. As harsh as he can be, and listening to the first single, “Slay Rider,” will certainly confirm he can be, the lyrics are poetic, thoughtful, and full of hope. So many of these tracks conclude with a smile across my face, and that’s welcome indeed. Designed To Disappear is not only a great Dead Empires album, but it might be my favorite yet. Pre-order Designed To Disappear (23 FEB) on CD/Digital/Cassette: Here Pre-order the limited edition vinyl: Here For more on Dead Empires, visit: Official Website YouTube Lions, and tigers, and poozers, oh my! The first time I was given the honor of photographing a show, from the pit, with a legitimate photo pass, was last September at The Fillmore Silver Spring for the co-headlining duo of the Devin Townsend Project (DTP) and Between The Buried And Me. So when I heard that DTP would be coming to Baltimore Soundstage on November 30, I immediately felt drawn to document this show. Delivering a smattering of offerings covering the newest release, Transcendence, all the way back to Ocean Machine: Biomech, fans were fed treat after treat. Devin’s ability to skate across the spectrum of heavy to light, all with a healthy dose of self-deprecation, led to a wonderful night of heavy metal comradery. Here are our shots of that evening. Click here for the full photo gallery! Canada’s thrash mastermind, Jeff Waters, is back again with Annihilator’s 16th studio album, For The Demented. Without attempting to imitate past work, but with a desire to recapture the “thrash-meets-melody” aspect that die-hard Annihilator fans love, Waters brought bassist Rich Hinks to the writing table. Hinks, a long-time Annihilator fan himself, was able to weigh in on riffs and song ideas, helping Jeff discard those that just didn’t belong. This resulted in 10 tracks, focused around the theme of the human mind and “all of its glory, complexity, diversity, weaknesses and insanity!” Following up their last studio album, 2015’s Suicide Society, the new album continues the trend of Waters role as vocalist, which began on that previous album following the departure of long-time singer, Dave Padden. However, unlike the last LP, Waters has made an effort to avoid letting too much of his metal fandom show through in his vocals, noting in interviews that Suicide Society saw him displaying quite a few Hetfield- and Mustaine-isms. The new album, he says, harkens back to the 1995 release, King Of The Kill (which saw him as lead vocalist), as he once again tries to bring his own voice to the music. I suppose your enjoyment of this release (and the last one), will largely depend on whether you like his voice. While certainly not possessing a range akin to a Halford or a Dickinson, Waters carries himself admirably, with the ability to handle the spectrum of soft to aggressive, as well as Annihilator’s tendency to fluctuate from serious to silly, without missing a beat. I mean, it’s not often you hear a song about cannibalism which provides you condiment recommendations. You may also be interested in my 2015 interview with Jeff Waters. While one of the key selling points on any album is the vocal performance, I find most fans are more concerned with what’s going on musically. In this case: “Is it thrash?” After all, the trailer that came out for the album in late September had that word plastered all over it. And the answer to that is by and large, yes. Tracks like, “Twisted Lobotomy,” with its rapid fire riffs; “One To Kill,” which has a pace greatly reminiscent of “King Of The Kill”; and “For The Demented,” a mid-tempo rallying cry for metalhead culture, are great examples of what people can expect from this album – though by no means an exhaustive list. “Pieces Of You,” the cannibal’s ballad; “The Way,” a thrash-punk-12-bar-blues amalgamation; and the bi-polar thrash-funk closer, “Not All There,” show Annihilator going out on a limb. But I feel this plays excellently with the theme of the album, the human mind in all of its diversity and insanity, and the fact that this group of individuals are talented enough to pull each of these added styles off so convincingly is a testament to the band. I was reading a fan review of a separate Annihilator release not too long ago, and he pointed out that you either love their music, or you don’t. With 16 studio albums under their belt, unless you’re only just discovering them, you’ve probably already made up your mind whether this album is worth your time or not. So this review is really for those who are just now discovering the band. If you like thrash metal, and you can appreciate a little diversity thrown into an otherwise hard-hitting release, you should absolutely pick up this album. I really loved Suicide Society, and I believe I love For The Demented even more. In the words of the title track: “highly recommended.” Purchase For The Demented. For more on Annihilator, visit: Official Website YouTube When I heard that Portnoy, Sherinian, Sheehan, Soto, and Thal were coming together to present us Sons Of Apollo, this is not what I expected. This is far from a disparaging comment. It’s simply that, after having experienced a number of these talented individuals’ recent super group collaborations, such as The Winery Dogs and Art Of Anarchy, I envisioned another unique permutation of hard rock. Even when considering the shared prog rock background of Portnoy and Sherinian, I wasn’t aware of anyone else here exploring that road before. But ultimately, it wasn’t the style which surprised me, which I always imagined could (and does) contain elements of both; rather, I wasn’t prepared for how ambitious Psychotic Symphony, out October 20, would turn out to be. This debut LP is book-ended by two immense tracks, both clocking in at 10+ minutes long. It was evident to me immediately, upon seeing this, that I was about to descend into a garden of ear-ly delights. Opening with “God Of The Sun,” largely written by Sherinian, we traverse a multi-part epic which skirts Eastern Mediterranean motifs, slamming us with meaty riffs, lifting us to the sky with heavenly synths, and gliding us along on the wings of Soto’s vocal melodies. Moving on to the second track: “Coming Home” is a truly rockin’ number with great vocal harmonies and basslines that carve out valleys wherever they travel, courtesy Sheehan’s double neck Yamaha. It also features a bridge section which feels like it’s taking a number right out of The Who’s playbook. By the time we arrive at track three, “Sign Of The Times,” you might feel like you need to catch your breath, yet it features the heaviest riffs I’ve ever heard come out of Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal’s guitar, and a solo segment that serves as one of the only moments where I might confuse this band for Portnoy and Sherinian’s old stomping grounds, Dream Theater. Frankly, the difficulty in reviewing this album stems from my inability to skip any tune without feeling I’ve done it a disservice. Even harder to stop here, considering that the next track, “Labyrinth,” is a nine-minute behemoth, and one of my favorites. No one doubts the virtuosity of these five men. But to take five seasoned music veterans and put them together, expecting a synergistic surprise, may simply result in disappointment for the listener. In this case, however, I’m extremely happy to say that these fellas have truly produced greater than the sum of their parts. And that is the ambition I mentioned earlier. One need only listen to Psychotic Symphony to realize it is a truly unique and provocative experience, created with such thought and care that it’s obvious all involved consider Sons Of Apollo to be more than simply a pit-stop on the road of their musical careers. This is a band, and I can only hope it chooses to stick around long enough to grace us with another release. Order Psychotic Symphony. For more on Sons Of Apollo, visit: Official Website | Facebook | Twitter The last time I had the pleasure of seeing Fozzy in concert was nearly five years ago. That seemed like far too long to go without seeing this incredibly entertaining collection of musicians, so I headed out on October 6, grabbing my camera and a roll of $1’s to sate all the tolls on the way to The Queen in Wilmington, DE. And what a venue it is! Originally built in the early 1800s as a hotel, later becoming a theater, then turned into a concert hall, its balcony seating and antiqued molding served as a grand stage for the evening’s hard rock festivities. Click here for the full photo gallery! After experiencing some delays in my arrival, I relaxed knowing that I’d reached the venue with ten minutes to spare before the first band took stage. Or, so I thought. As I walked through the doors, I heard applause closing out a song which I had mistaken for one being played through the house speakers. Rushing in towards the photo pit to make up for lost time, I was greeted by a set of curly lockes which would receive Marty Friedman’s seal of approval, attacking the guitar strings to produce a truly heavy sound. Under those curls was guitarist and vocalist, Andrew Evans, part of the three-piece known as The Stir. The rest of this collection included bassist, Tanner Hendon, and touring drummer Cheney Brannon (ex-Gary Allan, Collective Soul). While I wasn’t familiar with their music, they were extremely enthusiastic, and performed a killer version of Soundgarden’s “Outshined,” which got the whole crowd moving. While The Stir were new on my radar, I’d heard of Gemini Syndrome previously, though I’d never had the pleasure of seeing them perform live. Guitarists that leap onto guardrails, basslines and tats that won’t quit, and an unrelenting percussionist with high-flying drum sticks. The Queen is lucky that it has such a high ceiling, else I’m sure there would have been some busted lights. The group’s combination of meaty riffs and soaring melodic choruses, in conjunction with their other antics, resulted in an easily captivated audience, myself included. Following their performance, drummer Brian Steele Medina came down into the photo pit with a stamp and proceeded to mark the arms of fans that so desired to wear the band’s logo, much to the delight of all in the front row. I’m sure it must have seemed odd to some, as the between-band song which came through the loudspeakers was the Bee Gees hit, “Stayin’ Alive,” but it certainly sat well with a great number of concert goers that night, and I joined in the lip sync sing-along that resulted. Soon, however, the song faded and a modified version of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” poured over the audience, signaling the arrival of the headlining act. While Fozzy may have begun as a Spinal Tap-inspired platform for cover songs, most notable due to professional wrestler Chris Jericho’s frontman role, it has evolved over the years to a legitimate hard rock band that goes all out to entertain. Jericho’s flair for bravado assures that no one attending is ever bored, while the comradery and motion the rest of the band brings emits a glow of warmth from each song. Light up jackets, a smoke cannon, and mid-song breaks to celebrate fan’s birthdays are just a few of the moments that made the evening memorable (Happy Birthday Momma Foz!). And I’d be remiss to forget the battles that guitarist, Rich Ward, braved that night, winning out over a theremin, but nearly losing to a microphone. We’ll call the latter a tie! There are other portions of the evening that made this night special to me personally, but I won’t bore you with all that. The important things are this: don’t miss Fozzy if you love entertainment, as their tour will continue later this month in support of the October 13 release of their new album Judas. The other is, can someone please get a “Moongoose!” chant going? I couldn’t convince the people at my show. |
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