Rock In Review

No mosh pits were to be found as Metal hit Charlotte, NC on a Friday night…

Friday, March 2, 2008 was a fairly calm night as far as crowds go during the Symphony X, Epica, and Into Eternity show at the Tremont Music Hall in Charlotte, NC. There was plenty of energy being emitted, don’t get me wrong, but I believe this was the first Metal show I’ve EVER been to with absolutely NO moshing! There was even moshing when I saw Black Label Society (which is weird all in its own), but it’s understandable that there was none because of the styles of Metal being portrayed. Either way, this show was awesome!

The first band to play was the one I was most excited about, Into Eternity! Hailing from Canada, these guys are an incredibly talented group of guys who know how to put on a great show. Everyone in the band was pretty on point during their set, but the best was their vocalist Stu Block. Honestly, he is my favorite vocalist ever and this performance put him WAY over the bar! Hearing him go from one of the craziest growls I’ve heard to some of the highest sung notes I’ve ever heard and back again was an experience I’ll never forget. The three songs I recognized out of the six song set they played were “Timeless Winter”, “Surrounded by Night”, and “Severe Emotional Distress”, which are three of my favorite songs off of their album The Scattering of Ashes. Honestly, the only other thing I could have asked for was for them to play “Pain Through Breathing” so I could hear Stu’s incredible air raid siren technique. Overall, these guys truly amazed me and I can’t wait to have the opportunity to see them live again!

The second band to play was Epica from the Netherlands (and Belgium). I had never really heard to much of this band’s material before the show, but definitely put on a great show despite the absence of their lead vocalist Simone Simons. The stand-in vocalist Amanda Somerville (vocals for the North American tour), however, did a great job along with support from guitarist Mark Jansen with his “death growls”. With influences from bands such as Opeth and Kamelot, Epica definitely showed their talents in songs lasting anywhere from 5 minutes or so to 10 minutes and possibly more! Overall, Epica’s set was great and Mark was a really cool guy to talk to and interview after their set. They definitely got a new fan in me and I can’t wait to see these guys again either.

The moment arrived at last for Symphony X to play! I think I missed the very beginning of their set while I was interviewing Mark Jansen from Epica on their tour bus, but I was able to catch the most of their set which blew me away! I had listened to a bit of Symphony X’s material on their Myspace page previous to the concert date, but to see them live blows that out of the water. The only way I can really explain their sound and some of their look is to say that they were like Fireball Ministry meets Pantera, throw in a keyboardist, amp up the double bass by the drummer, add a bit more speed to some of the songs, put in massive amounts of sweep picking by the guitarist, their bassist looks like Geezer Butler from Black Sabbath/Heaven and Hell from back in the 1970s, and their vocalist had some Rob Halford style vocals goin’ on. I was seriously diggin’ this band during their set! I honestly can’t tell you a single song title of the stuff they played, but I don’t care because I was so overtaken by their abilities and sound that takes old school Metal and mashes it together with new school Metal. Overall, awesome band!

All in all, this was an amazing show to attend and i was super impressed with everybody who played! Skill wise, this show was totally on point and I would love to see it over and over again if possible! Great way to spend a Friday night if I may say so myself!

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