Thursday, February 25, 2016
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Killing Grace CD Release Party
I remember when I first saw Killing Grace. They were in the lineup for a show in late September at Open Chord. I had never heard of them nor their music. For a band to be a stranger in a town, never having been to a certain venue, not knowing anyone or how the audience is going to respond, if they're going to want them to come back, can be a little unsettling.
It took only one night, only one show, to become a fan, to support this band, so much so I wanted them back soon. To read my review of that show, here is the link http://allthingshardrock.blogspot.com/2015/09/transparent-soul-belfast-six-pack.html
They have since released their CD and are currently on a CD release tour. There were many places in this region they could have chosen; Knoxville, TN, was one of their first. I could not wait to see them. In that way, I could once again capture the energy coming from this band.
To get things started was Victims of Euphoria. They say it's never too late to start anything. Well, the same is true about never starting too early. Victims of Euphoria is a five-piece band, and to my knowledge, some, if not all, of the members are not any older than 21. Not only that, but the lead vocalist (Adara Draven), the lead guitarist (Jasper Haze), and the bass player (Xandra Haze) are all females.
I remember casually seeing them almost two years ago at a benefit concert. It was after their set someone told me about their young age. I was floored. I was even more so when I saw them on Friday night. Adara Draven has a broad range of vocals appropriate for metal that is very well-trained. Though the band doesn't play the genre, she is capable of singing lead in a symphonic metal band. It was music to my own ears to alternately hear a more operatic tone and screaming coming from her.
The passion and chemistry were both palpable coming from the band. Draven said her favorite song they played was "You Fall." And I have a favorite: "My People"-because Victims of Euphoria has become that to me.
Next up: Killing Grace. Like the first time I saw them, they kept me guessing about what their show was going to be like. I knew it was going to be a great one. Being fired up about a "brand-spankin' new" CD will do that. This show was even better than the first. What made the difference? Fog, the lights....and a lot of killer songs, not the least of which is "Sin Again Sunday" to kick off their set, "Revolution," and "Nobody's Hero." No Killing Grace set during this tour would be complete without ""17 Scars"," and without lead singer Matt Edmonson telling at least some part of the story of how that one song made their success skyrocket.
Over the past few years, I have been to a lot of shows, sometimes within a short time of each other. Somewhere in all this time, I may have seen Divided We Stand. If I had to guess the show, it was the Gig It Fest, August 2014, in Morristown, TN. And I remember liking them. However, after that, I never saw them or heard their music, only saw their name in passing. A few days prior to the show, I listened to their music on Reverbnation. One of the songs that got my attention-I cued it up twice for good measure-was "Saboteur". While everyone was banging their head or raising their hands in a "horns-up" to all of these bands' music, including Divided We Stand, it seemed to be even more so during this one song. From there on out, it got the audience's attention.
It took only one night, only one show, to become a fan, to support this band, so much so I wanted them back soon. To read my review of that show, here is the link http://allthingshardrock.blogspot.com/2015/09/transparent-soul-belfast-six-pack.html
They have since released their CD and are currently on a CD release tour. There were many places in this region they could have chosen; Knoxville, TN, was one of their first. I could not wait to see them. In that way, I could once again capture the energy coming from this band.
To get things started was Victims of Euphoria. They say it's never too late to start anything. Well, the same is true about never starting too early. Victims of Euphoria is a five-piece band, and to my knowledge, some, if not all, of the members are not any older than 21. Not only that, but the lead vocalist (Adara Draven), the lead guitarist (Jasper Haze), and the bass player (Xandra Haze) are all females.
I remember casually seeing them almost two years ago at a benefit concert. It was after their set someone told me about their young age. I was floored. I was even more so when I saw them on Friday night. Adara Draven has a broad range of vocals appropriate for metal that is very well-trained. Though the band doesn't play the genre, she is capable of singing lead in a symphonic metal band. It was music to my own ears to alternately hear a more operatic tone and screaming coming from her.
The passion and chemistry were both palpable coming from the band. Draven said her favorite song they played was "You Fall." And I have a favorite: "My People"-because Victims of Euphoria has become that to me.
Next up: Killing Grace. Like the first time I saw them, they kept me guessing about what their show was going to be like. I knew it was going to be a great one. Being fired up about a "brand-spankin' new" CD will do that. This show was even better than the first. What made the difference? Fog, the lights....and a lot of killer songs, not the least of which is "Sin Again Sunday" to kick off their set, "Revolution," and "Nobody's Hero." No Killing Grace set during this tour would be complete without ""17 Scars"," and without lead singer Matt Edmonson telling at least some part of the story of how that one song made their success skyrocket.
Over the past few years, I have been to a lot of shows, sometimes within a short time of each other. Somewhere in all this time, I may have seen Divided We Stand. If I had to guess the show, it was the Gig It Fest, August 2014, in Morristown, TN. And I remember liking them. However, after that, I never saw them or heard their music, only saw their name in passing. A few days prior to the show, I listened to their music on Reverbnation. One of the songs that got my attention-I cued it up twice for good measure-was "Saboteur". While everyone was banging their head or raising their hands in a "horns-up" to all of these bands' music, including Divided We Stand, it seemed to be even more so during this one song. From there on out, it got the audience's attention.
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Afterlife-All for None and None for All
If you wait for perfect conditions, they'll never come.
That must have been what Afterlife-Andrew Staley, lead vocals; Rob Ruddick, guitar; Sam Keys, bass; and Scott Fugate, drums-thought when they made All for None and None for All.
There's nothing like starting off the first song on a CD with the words, "I didn't mean to crash your party just before it started," as heard in "Out of Place." I dare say Billy Joel's opening line of "You May Be Right" paled in comparison. There might even me an underlying dry sense of humor in it.
In all seriousness, Staley's vocals are phenomenal at setting the tone to every song. And every one of them has a different tone and theme. For example, in finding out about this CD, I heard "What if You Were Like Me?" and learned about the story behind it. It is an autobiographical song about a disabled child of one of the band members.
Conversely, there are some one here that are so hard, dark, and cryptic you may need to listen to them with the lights on, including but not limited to "Wake Up Screaming," "My Nine," and "Forever Night". My favorite one on there is "Wake Up Screaming." I believe this will define the new Afterlife. Screaming? I was salivating, mesmerized at Robert's guitar intro. I may sound selfish when I say this, but I wish it had been longer, just for the sake of continuity, and to add some suspense to the song. If knowledge serves me correctly, Ruddick doesn't play on all of these tracks. In "Wake Up Screaming," he really reveals his talent. Last but not least, another notable opening line: "You wake up in a sweat."
So, I hope you, yourself, are in a salivating sweat listening to All for None and None for All.
That must have been what Afterlife-Andrew Staley, lead vocals; Rob Ruddick, guitar; Sam Keys, bass; and Scott Fugate, drums-thought when they made All for None and None for All.
 |
| Andrew Staley, lead vocals; Sam Keys, bass; Rob Ruddick; and Scott Fugate, drums |
There's nothing like starting off the first song on a CD with the words, "I didn't mean to crash your party just before it started," as heard in "Out of Place." I dare say Billy Joel's opening line of "You May Be Right" paled in comparison. There might even me an underlying dry sense of humor in it.
In all seriousness, Staley's vocals are phenomenal at setting the tone to every song. And every one of them has a different tone and theme. For example, in finding out about this CD, I heard "What if You Were Like Me?" and learned about the story behind it. It is an autobiographical song about a disabled child of one of the band members.
Conversely, there are some one here that are so hard, dark, and cryptic you may need to listen to them with the lights on, including but not limited to "Wake Up Screaming," "My Nine," and "Forever Night". My favorite one on there is "Wake Up Screaming." I believe this will define the new Afterlife. Screaming? I was salivating, mesmerized at Robert's guitar intro. I may sound selfish when I say this, but I wish it had been longer, just for the sake of continuity, and to add some suspense to the song. If knowledge serves me correctly, Ruddick doesn't play on all of these tracks. In "Wake Up Screaming," he really reveals his talent. Last but not least, another notable opening line: "You wake up in a sweat."
So, I hope you, yourself, are in a salivating sweat listening to All for None and None for All.
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