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.
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