Torch Entertainment was presenting a show at the Curtain Club in Dallas this night, and I almost didn’t go to it. The reason being it was billed as a metal show, and any casual reader should know by now I’m not a real metal fan.

There are a few metal acts I enjoy, such as Dallas area based, Light the Fire, who was actually the catalyst for me wanting to go to this show, after they were added on semi last minute. I then gave a quick listen to the headlining band, Affiance, who proved to be a different type of metal than what I had expected. There was legitimate singing on their songs, unlike the throaty screaming that plagues the metal industry these days. I was thoroughly impressed after listening to their recorded stuff, and knew I had to be at the show to witness what they were like in the live environment.

First up this night was the Denton based metal act, Wake the Dreamless. With their first song, they proved to be better than I expected. They were a definite metal band, but vocalist, Joe Bustnaji, did equal amounts of singing in both a “clean” and “dirty” style, which kept my interest. They, or rather guitarist, Alex Reuda, had some slight technical difficulties after that song, but fixed it soon enough. “This next song’s called Polarized.” Said Joe, as Alex and fellow guitarist, Cameron Grantham, bassist, Josh Manalo, drummer, Neil Geisel, and keyboard player, David Kang, started the lengthy intro of the song. It was borderline epic, spanning over six minutes, and had a nice flow to it. The issues with Alex’s guitar still persisted at this point, causing the band to put things on hold while he fixed it. At one point he turned his amp back on, thinking the problem had been taking care of, only to have the venue filled with a barrage of ear piercing sounds before he quickly turned it off. Joe managed to use that as banter, though. “That’s our new wave of death metal. It’s just noise…” he said. Once that was fully resolved, they got their next song going, which was heavier than the previous two, and that only progressed with the next and final song of their 23-minute long set.

They were offered a chance to do one more, as they had some time leftover, but apparently those four songs were all they had planned for on this night, and had nothing else ready to pull out.

They were good. You could tell they were a newish band (according to their Facebook page they formed almost two years ago), and they never seemed like a truly cohesive unit, rather five guys who were all doing their own thing. The skill is there, though, they just need to bring it all together. I also found it an interesting choice that they had a keyboard player, since it doesn’t necessarily fit with the genre of music they play, and while I did find the guitars, bass and drums often overpowered the keys, when you could hear them, they added a nice layer to the music.

You can get a free download of their single, “Polarized”, by going HERE, and in the near future they will be releasing their newest EP.

After them was Light the Fire, who can often be seen headlining the Curtain Club, or at least acting as the main support band, but not this night.

I was, shall I say, intrigued to see them this night. Very recently, their original singer, Jamie Glasgow, decide to leave the band, who rather quickly found a replacement. This was only going to be their second show with the new frontman, though, and I was curious to see what Light the Fire version 2.0 was like.

Their set started in the routine, yet original way, as a rap song began to blare. When the curtain finally opened on them, guitarists, Ryan Dickinson and Felix Lopez, were both sporting some sunglasses, bobbing their heads to the music. Bassist, Andrew Penland, was doing the same, just sans the glasses. Once that sample track began to fade out, Blake Hein led them into the first song with some heavy drum beats, while Jeff Gunter raced onto the stage. “How are we doing Dallas!?…” he asked, leaving little time for a response as he began screaming the opening line of “Don’t Fail Me Now”. The “moment of truth” came rather swiftly, and I realized I had nothing to fear, as he kept the singing pretty true to form to what it had been. “This next song can be found on our EP.” He said hastily, while Felix and Ryan let loose the triumphant notes of the title track from their EP, “Note To Self”. There weren’t a ton of people there this early on, but the ones who were and were up front watching helped them out here, chanting, “HEY!”, right along with Andrew and Jeff on the songs bridge. They powered through this 24-minute long set, and Blake wasted no time, counting them right into their next tune. “This is a brand new song, Dallas.” Jeff said, “It’s called Thunder Cunt.” I still believe this is the heaviest song the band has played to date, and while I liked it the first time I heard it, I thought it sounded even better now. Though I’m not sure if it’s due to them simply having played it live a little more or if it was because of Jeff. When they were about halfway through it, they took a musical break, which Jeff used to introduce his band mates. “Do you know what, Dallas?” he asked after naming everyone, “I never felt so good in my life!” he screamed, resuming the song. It was directly followed by “Under My Skin”, which worked incredible well, since it’s another brutal number, in all the right ways. “Thoughts” came next, and Jeff successfully got some of the fans to jump up and down and just have a good time at the start of it. That brought them to their final song of the night, which was another new one from their upcoming EP, and as they tore into it, Ryan and Felix each hopped onto a box on their respective side of the stage, churning out the notes on another pretty killer song.

It may have been a (slightly) abridged set, but they still managed to pack it full of rock. In fact, I think there was a higher than normal quantity of it this night, even by Light the Fire standards.

They were just on fire this night (no pun intended). Andrew and Blake created the perfect rhythm section this night, especially during “Not to Self”, where Andrew was pounding out the bass lines and reacting in perfect synch with every thundering beat. It was true musicianship through and through, and not just from them but the whole outfit.

That leads us to Jeff. It would be accurate to say I hate when any band gets a new singer, simply because it changes any bands overall sound so much. Sometimes that’s for the better, but there have also been a few acts that have lost me as a fan due to replacements like that.

Luckily, Jeff doesn’t alter the band’s sound that much, though. He definitely has his own voice, which lacks the higher tone that was normal for Jamie, but I look at that as a good thing. It allows Jeff to make the songs his own in a way, while some of his stage mannerisms are similar enough to their former frontman’s that it’s not going to be a drastic change from the live show the fans were used to seeing.

Very solid, especially considering Jeff had only been with the band for three weeks at this point, and had only performed once with them in the live setting.

It’s too early to say if Light the Fire will be even better now than they were before, but they are every bit as great as they’ve always been, and with a new EP/DVD set to be released in June, I’d say the future looks pretty bright for them.

If you haven’t already, check out their debut EP, “Note to Self”, and if you can, go to one of their upcoming shows. They’ll be rocking Click’s Live in Tyler on March 9th, then the Abbey Underground in Denton on the 10th. March 23rd will find them at Hartline’s in Greenville, and they again be rocking the town on April 20th, this time at The Hanger. They even have some dates booked in May, so to see the full listing, visit their REVERBNATION PAGE, where you can also get a free download of their title track.

The third act of the night also happened to be the first of two female fronted bands on this bill, and that was Solice.

This just so happened to be the bands one year anniversary of performing, having done their first live show almost a year to the day of this one, which also took place at the Curtain.

I don’t remember exactly how I came across them, but I had been wanting to see one of their shows for at least the last six months, and was excited that I was finally getting the opportunity.

Once the curtain opened, frontwomen, Xtina, made her way on stage and dropped the band’s name for anyone who didn’t know, along with asking how everyone was doing. She finished with, “…”This is a brand new song. It’s called Not Giving Up.” Rob was the one who started the song, with some very thick bass notes. It was a great and slightly more unique way to open it up, but the song didn’t spring to life until guitarist, Juan, and drummer, Ryan, joined the mix, and that was when you knew it was on. After their second song, Xtina had, had enough of the large empty spaces in front of the stage, and she asked everyone to come and join them, and some of the people who were standing further off did just that. They cranked out a couple more songs before Juan started them on one from their first EP, “Break Free”. It was very fast paced and driven, which subsequently made it engaging to the audience and was easy to rock out to. And as if it weren’t heavy enough with thunderous rhythm section of drummer, Ryan, and Rob, the backing vocals (or rather screams) that Juan threw in really set it off as a hard rock song. “We’ve got a couple more for you.” Said Xtin, announcing their next tune was called “Trapt”. It got off to a slower start. So slow that actually she and Juan took a seat on the drum riser, while Rob sit back on his amp. The tranquil sounds didn’t last long, though, as the song soon roared to life, and the three of them jumped back into action. That brought them to the final song of their 32-minute long set, which was another staple of theirs, “The Mask”. Xtina had used her keyboard that was setup at center stage briefly earlier in the night, but it really got put to use know as she used it through part of the first verse, giving the song a beautiful texture. “The outer world puts on a face. Halloween is every day. How you acts not how you feel, no one knows the you that’s real…”She sang, with it making the transition to a full-blown rock song at that point.

It was a pretty high energy show they put on, and they were every bit as good as I had hoped they’d be. They play a nice blend of hard rock tinged with metal, with the metal sound definitely coming from Juan’s guitar work, and even slightly via Rob and his bass. That’s balanced out by Xtina, who has a powerhouse of a voice, and while she sounds great on their recordings, they in no way capture how incredible she sounds in the live setting.

If you haven’t seen them already, they are definitely an act to check out, and one I hope to see a little more often now.

They have several shows coming up, beginning with March 13th, when they will be performing on the Back Porch stage at Six Flags in Arlington. On March 15th they’ll be at Tomcats West over in Fort Worth, while on the 30th they’ll be down in Houston at Walters. They also have a gig lined up for April 13th at Treff’s in Waco. Lastly, if you head over to their REVERBNATION PAGE, you can get a free download of “Break Free”, as well as purchase the other three songs that comprise their EP.

Cull the Heard was next, who was yet another act I had never heard of prior to this, and didn’t know what to expect from them.

“Take Me” kicked off their 28-minute set, with vocalist, Davon Says, singing the first few lines in, of all styles, acappella. “You can’t take my life from me. I’m too strong for it, you see?…” he sang, demonstrating he had quite the voice on him, with his pitch being perfect as he hit each note. The metal part of their music soon began, though, with some fast paced guitar notes from Eric Dando and deafening beats Jim Stephenson was pounding out. That was when Davon began shouting out the lyrics in a more throaty voice, and while I usually dislike vocal styles like that, this turned out to be an exception. Actually, it still sounded good, and the anger it evoked fit with what the song was about. And it only helped that they already had me fully captivated with their energetic performance. After it, they did one titled “Lead Me Home”, and before the following song, Davon offered a brief explanation of what it was about. “…It’s about chasing your dreams…”, adding you just need to do what you enjoy. It was aptly called, “I Want More”, and got off to a softer start, before it swelled to a point it could give any metal song a run for its money. They followed it with “Pieces”, which Davon said was about “…Putting the pieces of your life back together. ‘Cause no one else is going to do it for you…”, and upon finishing it they did “Dim”. Davon used a cordless mic, and right as the song started he leapt off stage into the crowd, before making his way through everyone and eventually walking out the door, presumably out onto the patio. I can honestly say that out of the nearly one hundred shows I’ve seen here at the Curtain, I’ve never seen anyone do that before. That left Eric, Jim and their bassist alone on the stage, but they were more than capable of putting on a show that held your attention until Davon rejoined stormed back in and rejoined them. “Part of It” was another aggressive number and one you could really head bang to, and that left them with only one more song, during which Eric shredded on his guitar for a killer solo.

I liked these guys a whole lot more than I thought I would. Scratch that, I think love is a more fitting word over “like”, and out of the local openers, they ended up being my second favorite.

The stage show was excellent, with Davon exerting most of the energy, at least in terms of being the most active, constantly roaming about and really engaging the crowd. He’s about as solid a frontman as you could find and a real beast, while Jim, Eric and the groups bassist all appeared to be masters of their craft as well.

Impeccable. That’s a good word to sum up their show this night, and I will definitely be attending more in the future.

They’ll be playing at Tomcats West in Fort Worth on March 22nd and May 5th, the latter of those dates being another Torch Entertainment show. They’ll also return to Dallas in between those gigs, again rocking the Curtain Club on April 12th.

The last of the local openers was the Fort Worth based, Deaf Angel.

It had been some time since the last time I had seen them (about eight months), during which time they’ve made some changes. One of those changes is the acquisition (or re- acquisition) of Duston Daulton, who is now the rhythm guitarist. They’ve also written a lot of new music for their upcoming LP, which made up the bulk of their 26-minute long set this night.

Their opener was one of those new tunes they unleashed on the audience, and I don’t think there’s any arguing that it’s one of the best things the band has done thus far. Lead guitarist, Lee Daniels, and Dustin cranked out some great riffs on it, even having nice lull that gave the impression it was over, before the group exploded back into it. Vocalist, Tina Downs, added some keys to the next song at the start of their next song, “Goodbye”, which was one of only two songs they did from their “We Will Rise” EP. That didn’t last long though, as she soon left the keyboard, which was set up by the drum kit, getting back to the forefront of the stage to rock out. It’s a very rhythm heavy song, with some killer drum work from Scott Van Slyke, which made it easy for bassist, Kelly Robinson, to thrash around. I also want to say I like the way Scott sits up his kit, which is to the side rather than facing the audience, allowing everyone to better see the skills he posses. “Judge” was another new song they did, and afterwards, Tina asked everyone a question. “Does anybody know who we are?!” The audience cheered, prompting her to ask, “Who are we?!” The fans shouted back at her, “DEAF ANGEL!”, which went on a few times. It’s also worth noting that out of all the opening bands, more eyes were on them than anybody else. That led them to their other song off their most current EP, “Rise Up”, which was just one of many this night that had Scott adding some backing vocals, which really metaled up their sound. Following it was “Face”, and after learning they had enough time for one more, Tina said, “…Let’s get crazy…”, stating that “Crazy” was the song title, and was a good one to conclude their show with.

I’ve only seen them a handful of times, but this was the best Deaf Angel show I’ve caught. I thought that they brought it even more than they usually do. Part of that was probably from Dustin, who I think helped broaden their sound and kick it up a notch, both in terms of the sound and their live show. He wasn’t all of it, though. Kelly put on a show by himself and it was evident he was feeling it for every single second they were on stage. I’ve said this many times in the past, but I find it hard to always pay attention to the drummers of any band when there are three to four other band members constantly moving around, making it hard to see them, but Scott was impressive enough I made a point to give him my full attention. While Tinas’ voice, which is powerful and attention grabbing, was just as big of a focal point.

Later in the year they’ll be releasing their new full-length record, “Brutally Beautiful”, but in the meantime, check out the singles they have available on ITUNES.

They served as an excellent final warm-up, but now it was finally time to see what Affiance was all about…

They launched right into their 47-minute set, which began with “You Will be Replaced”. The commanded a small crowd, at least at first, but most everyone who surrounded the stage were fans through and through, singing along to every word, like the songs chorus, “We’re fighting as hard as we can to not be forgotten. We’re running as fast as we can. To the front lines we live on forever.” It didn’t even take that full song to have me completely engrossed with the band, more like the first minute of it, and it was already obvious this was going to be quite the spectacle. Material from their newest album was the main focus point this night, though they did a couple from their 2010 debut, “No Secret Revealed”, such as their second song, which singer, Dennis Tvrdik, quickly mentioned was called “Nostra Culpa”. Thus far they had been pretty music oriented, but during the little break they started letting their personalities come out, subsequently building a bit of a rapport with the ever growing audience. Dennis said he eaten too much food at one of their gas station stops, which was now causing him to belch. He apologized to everyone, though I never heard any of it being picked up by the mic, then stated their next song was “Righteous Kill”. About halfway through the song, drummer, Patrick Galante, showed off just what kind of skill he has, tossing his drum sticks in the air one at a time, always knocking out some beats with the one that was currently in his hand, making it look incredible effortless. Also, when he wasn’t singing on that one, Dennis was often surveying the crowd and bore a very determined look with a fiery passion in his eyes. It made it crystal clear that he, along with the rest of the band, took this seriously and were going to leave it all on the stage. A sample track played before their next song, as guitarists, Brett Wondrak and Dominic Dickinson, as well as bassist, Cameron Keeter, geared up to start their next song, the lead track from “The Campaign” album, “Kings of Deceit”. “Are you awake, Dallas?!” asked Dennis once the song was finished, which caused everyone to roar back at him, showing they were still very much alive. While that was going on, Deaf Angel’s, Tina Downs made her way on stage, as the band started “Bohemian”. She added some backing vocals on parts of the chorus, and I believe it was the start of the second verse where she briefly took over the lead. That earned Deaf Angel a shout out, and Dennis mentioned how much they liked the band, and that they had shared the stage with them a few times in the past. Topic of conversation then turned to the bands home state of Ohio (they hail from Cleveland). One of the fans shouted something about how great Ohio was, but Dennis quickly responded with, “…Now parts of Ohio suck…”, saying that there were a few not so great parts of it. Things then circled back to an earlier topic, as Dennis said he was still feeling “gassy”, to the point he thought he might puke. A fan asked if maybe it instead stemmed from having too much to drink, and surprisingly, he answered by saying he doesn’t drink before shows. “…That’ll fuck you up…” he said, meaning it ruin your voice when you need it most. He went on to say he had only thrown up once before during a show and it was because he had too big a meal, and luckily tonight did not make for a second time. They then moved on, firing up “The Cynic”, and while Dominic, Brett, Cameron and Patrick raced through the intro, Dennis outstretched one arm, acting as if he were holding a shotgun, then “firing” it in synch with one of the drumbeats, right before he started singing. “We the Machines” followed that, but first Dennis asked everyone to headbang to what was about to ensue, saying he wanted to see some “…deep headbanging, all in unison…” Nearly everyone obliged. The banter continued afterwards, when Dennis said, “…As you may know, people from Cleveland are kind of Dallas Mavericks fans, because y’all kicked Lebron James’s ass a couple of years ago…” I believe he even referred to the NBA star as a “piece of shit”. “Peace of Mind” was the next song they did, and it was the only song of their set that didn’t go over smoothly. A song or two before, Dominic had switched to another guitar, and while shredding away on this tune one of the strings broke. His band mates noticed it, but didn’t pay it much attention, acting like professionals as they powered through it, still giving it their all. “I’m sorry, guys. My string broke.” Dominic said when the song concluded, seeming pretty sincere with his apology. They stated they only had a couple left at this point, and Dennis asked for everyone who was a warrior to move up front, causing everybody to pack in tightly. With his choice of words, I expected a different song, but instead they performed the title track from their 2012 record, “The Campaign”. I’d say it was good way to start winding things down, but I don’t know how much winding down was actually done, because everyone still appeared heavily invested in the show. They had saved the best for last, and to ease them into their final song, the track “Mad as Hell” began to play. For those who don’t know, it’s a speech by the character, Howard Beale, taken from the ’76 film, Network. “I don’t have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad. It’s a depression. Everybody’s out of work or scared of losing their job…” it started, during which time Cameron put his bass down, resting it against the drum riser. He neared the edge of the stage, pacing back and forth from one side to the other, inciting the crowd by trying to get them to make some noise, and could often be seen lip-synching to the speech. “…”I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” By that time, Cameron had his bass back on, as Dennis yelled the opening line of “Call to the Warrior”, “Get up off the ground!”.

I half expected an encore, but no, that really was it. Not that I was disappointed by any means, it’s just that they were so damn good I would have loved to have heard more.

Now Affiance is a true metal band whose music I can really get behind. Like I said earlier, it’s the constant screaming that really turns me off of most metal music, but that’s kept to a minimum in Affiance’s music. When Dennis does scream, it more just adds a nice effect to the music, while is actual singing voice is nothing short of phenomenal and gripping. He sounds every bit as good live as he does on their albums, probably even better. Both Brett and Dominic came off as being masters of the axe, shredding almost nonstop, while Cameron could command the audience every bit as good as Dennis did, and Patrick was a true machine on the drums.

It was really an off the wall show they put on, and in terms of energy and showmanship, there’s no reason they couldn’t or shouldn’t be headlining much bigger venues in Dallas and elsewhere. Of course they might not have the necessary fan base for that yet, but they’ll get there. After all, this was (surprisingly) their first ever headlining tour, and for a Thursday night, I’d say their Dallas stop turned out to be a monumental success. And whenever they come back through, I know I’ll make a point to attend the show, and you would be wise to do the same.

At this point, their tour is almost over, with the remaining dates being March 6th at Live 59 in Plainfield, Illinois and the 7th at The Machine Shop in Flint, Michigan. That’s not all their shows, though. They have a few in later March in the states of New York and New Jersey. They’ll also be on the road for a lot of April, hitting cities in Virgina, New York, Ohio, Kentucky and Missouri. For full details on when and where they’ll be, go HERE. Also, check out both of their full-length records, plus their cover of “The Final Countdown”, in ITUNES.

Congrats to Torch for putting on such a successful show. It was definitely one for the books, and I feel there’s a pretty good chance this will be one of the best shows I see all year.

All photos were taking by Danny Motta of Danny Mota Photography. All rights belong exclusively to him. Visit his OFFICIAL WEBSITE and to see all of the pictures from this show, go HERE.

Wake the Dreamless

Light the Fire

Solice

Cull the Heard

Deaf Angel

Affiance

There was a bit of a heavier line-up of bands at The Curtain Club this night, and while I didd’t know most of the bands, that didn’t matter, because I knew Light the Fire would be more than worth it. Plus this was the bands final Dallas show for anywhere from three to four months, making it even more of a must see.

When I arrived the first band, Allison Red, was up on stage, probably about halfway through their set. I had listened to them online a few months back, and didn’t much care for them, but the live product was much better. The main thing I wasn’t sure about on their recording was the voice of David McClanahan, which sounded much better live, and the rest of the band put on a decent, enjoyable live show. I wish I had seen more of them, but oh well, some other time.

Second up was a band called The 8th Digit, who had the biggest crowd of the night. That meant one of two things to me, either they were really good or they had a lot of friends. It was probably a little bit of both, but more of the former than the latter.

Before the curtain even opened you heard the groups singer, Kenny Poovey, let out a deep, ear piercing  scream, asking, “ARE YOU READY?!” Judging from that scream, I didn’t think I was anywhere near ready, and that they would be much heavier than what I like. That deafening scream was misleading, though, and while they did have a harder rock sound, Kenny at least actually sang. By the time they were maybe halfway through their second song, I was well passed being impressed. They then somewhat slowed things down with “Prayers”, though drummer, Adrian Barajas, and bassist, Dave Garred, still gave it a pretty heavy sound. Things picked back up with “The Seeker”, which they said they were currently recording and would be their second single. A pretty killer cover of Chevelle’s, “The Red”, followed, and after original of theirs, they took things down several notches. Okay, I know every band has the one slow song they do, so it shouldn’t be too surprising that The 8th Digit has one, but still, I like how they show off a different side of the band, and these guys were able to pull it off rather well. They had enough time left in their 41 minute set to do four more songs, and that was that.

To still be as new as they evidently are, they didn’t act it on stage. They all seemed pretty cohesive and had good stage presence and energy. Go see for yourself, as they have a couple shows coming up. One on July 14th at Andy’s in Denton, and the other is August 18th at The Hanger in Greenville, TX.

Last Day Living was next. I caught them a few different times last year, during which time they changed out their singer, and as the curtain revealed them tonight, they had gone through another line-up change. Now, they are just a four-piece, with one of the bands guitarists, Shawn, taking over on the vocals.

In the past, he added some backing vocals to the songs, though they were more screams, so upon seeing him at center stage, I wondered how their set was going to be. As they started their first song, it sounded as if Shawn had worked on his voice, and was much better than the backing vocals he used to do. “…This is a brand new one… It’s called The Vision” he said, after their first tune. Out of their entire 37 minute set, I liked that one the best, as it had a very good sound. Drummer, Josh, started them off on the next song, “Bleeding Me Dry”, and after another, they did one off their only CD, “Repent”. “This one’s for our friend “Dimebag”…” Shawn said, as lead guitarist, Paris Pipkin, started picking away at the song. Next up was one that carried a little more emotion than most of their stuff, as they said it was about any soldiers who were fighting for America, or had giving their lives for the country, with one of the lines being something like (and I want to acknowledge that I am paraphrasing this, and probably poorly at that.) “…Will this be the last goodbye?…” It was a fantastic song, telling a story I’m sure a lot of people can relate to. After another newer one, “Disease”, they did a tune that Shawn said was about a girl who decided to take her own life, called “Twisted Smile”, and then ended with he said was their anthem, and anyone who knew anything about them and probably heard the song before. I’ve never cared much for “Wake the Dead”, which has parts that sound like hip-hop, but tonight, I found myself enjoying it. And yes, I would credit that to the new(ish) vocals they have going on.

It was a good set they did, though, something seemed be missing from it. I think that was a “true” frontman who was free roam about the stage, as I just felt that they were a bit confined this night. They all rocked it, including bassist, “Irish”, but they all stayed on respective sides of the stage, and while it may have been a good set, I never felt it fully take off, either.

Their next show is slated to go down at The Hanger in Greenville, TX on August 4th. Also, you can find their album, “Dead on Arrival”, in iTunes.

Finally, it was time for Light the Fire. Their intro music, which is some hip-hop song, started to play, and as the curtain opened on them, guitarist, Ryan Dickinson, stood on one of their boxes on stage right, wearing a pair of sunglasses, and he and the rest of the band just had some fun with the song before they got their stuff going, which didn’t take long. Their fill-in drummer launched them into their first song, “Don’t Fail Me Now”, as bassist, Andrew Penland, Ryan, and fellow guitarist, Felix Lopez, began rocking out and thrashing around to the more metal sounding song. The first several times I listened to that song I wasn’t too keen on the screams that make up a majority of the song, though they have grown on me a lot. And as Jamie Glasgow belted out the first line of the song, which I think is, “Now’s our time to step onto the plank…”, in his deep, throaty scream, it sounded incredible. The songs a great way to set the tone of their set, as it’s very raw and shows you what the band is all about, and that is putting on a fun, unadulterated rock show. They didn’t give themselves much downtime in between songs, as Ryan started them into the title track of their EP, “Note To Self”, while Jamie worked the crowd to build the energy. As they finished the second chorus, “…We are the proud, we are the strong, and we’ll carry on.”, Andrew darted from center stage back to his mic stand on stage left, and began to repeatedly shout “HEY!” for the songs bridge. They took things down with “Save Me”, during which Jamie held the microphone out to some fans, letting them sing part of the second verse, “…A new day, same old fight. Still I see no end in sight.” Once it was over, he said something like, “We’re gonna pick this fucking thing back up now!” as they went almost straight into one of their newer songs. I didn’t catch the title of it, though it was one of the best of their set, and if you go and listen to “Don’t Fail Me Now”, I’d say this new one mines a vein similar to it. “Next song is our bounce song.” stated Jamie, asking everyone to jump up and down to the intro of “Thoughts”. Jumping wasn’t the only thing the crowd did, though, as a mosh pit of a handful of people also broke out. One last song from their EP, “Under My Skin”, was next, while they capped off their 30 minute set with another new one they’ve worked up, which had a nice little guitar solo from Ryan.

They may have had the shortest set of any band this night, but in the seven songs they have and the 30 minutes it took to play them, they put on the most amazing performance of the night. The other two shows I’ve seen I’ve thought have been great, but I’ve heard otherwise from the band, due either to technical difficulties or Jamies’ voice not being at its peak ability. I thought they were just being humble by saying that, which they probably were. But this night, when everything fell into the exact working order that it should, these guys transformed into a whole new beast of a band than what I had seen before. They were impeccable this night, and served as the perfect example of what a band should be like when they are spot on, both as a working unit and as the individual components that comprise the band.

As I mentioned earlier, this was their final performance in Dallas until the fall. The reason being they are going to Massachusetts in September to record their next album. They do have a few shows left on tap, though. They will be in Lawton, Oklahoma on July 14th at the Railhead Saloon. July 26th will find them at Tomcats West in Fort Worth, and finally, on August 11th, they will be at Hartline’s Texas Beach Club in Greenville, TX. So, go see one of those shows if possible, snag a free download of their title track from their REVERBNATION PAGE, and purchase the “Note to Self” EP in iTunes.

Slow to the Cause was the final band of the night. Their singer’s voice was the main thing I disliked about them, but, like most bands, I had to give them a chance. The first song they did didn’t do much for me, but I hoped it would get better. It didn’t, and after the second song I headed out.

It was a fantastic night of music, and leave it to The Curtain Club to host such a night. I want to again thank the great guys of Light the Fire for hooking me up with a ticket to the show. Not only are they an amazing band, but are incredible people, and if you like their music, do support them in every way possible (i.e. buy their CD, go to a show, etc.).

Tonight, Torch Entertainment was presenting a show at Tomcats West with a couple of national touring acts and some killer local openers. The problem with Tomcats West is it’s in Fort Worth, and nowhere near convenient for me to get to. And Brian “Torch” had demanded that I be there to review it for him.

So, to make sure I was there to see it (because I did really want to see the show in the first place) I ended up meeting up with Torch and hitched a ride with him over to Fort Worth. That meant getting to the venue very early (at least for me) to be there while the bands were loading their gear in, and I got to see an interesting side of this business that up to this point I was unfamiliar with.

The good thing was the time passed pretty quickly, and before I knew it, it was 8 o’clock, which was when the first band was supposed to start.

Swallow the Hook opened the show, and sans a couple of their songs, musically, I didn’t much care for them. They were just a little too hardrock for my tastes and vocalist, Austin Smith, did more screaming than my ears can handle. However, I believe it was the second song they did that I rather enjoyed. And regardless of what I thought about their music, I have to say, their stage show was pretty great, with guitarists, Eric Gonzalez and Mike Mowery, and bassist, Chris Peyton, being pretty high-energy and really rocked out.

They mentioned they’re working on their debut CD at the moment, and it should be ready in the near future, so check ‘em out, and if you do like their music, you have that to look forward to.

Second up was Secret of Boris, doing a currently rare live performance, since they are busy recording a new EP, but were lured out the studio to do this show.

They gradually built up to their first song. I thought I knew what it was going to be, and sure enough, drummer, Ryan Scherschell, finally added the beats to it, as vocalist, Cameron Taylor, began to sing, “The road is so cold, but every night you walk alone…” “Desert Blood” was absent from the last SOB show I saw, but it’s always a highlight for me when they play it, and when they choose to open with it like they did this night, it just sets the perfect mood for their set and serves as a wonderful demonstration of what is in-store for you. They blended that song into their next, “What Have You Done?”, as Ryan’s drumming patched the two together, while guitarist, Taylor Walding, and bassist, Ryan Ragus, briefly toned things down before the song takes off.  They followed it one of their catchiest new tunes, “How Do You Feel?”, and on the other side of it had a cover waiting. “I have one question for you, Tomcats. Are you ready to push it!?” shouted Cameron. As he did that, Ragus stood on their boxes in front of the drum kit, ready to leap off, as he, Taylor and Ryan were obviously about to tear into the song. “Wait…” Cameron said, adding, and speaking to the crowd, “…You can do better than that!”. The audience again shouted, this time a little louder, as they guys again got ready to bust into the song… And again they were stopped. It was laughable at this point (in a good way) as Cameron looked back at his band mates, and they were all laughing. “I’m gonna hear about this later.” he remarked, and, for the last time, asked the fans to make some noise, and this time they did finally rip into their rendition of “Push It”. They got back to their own material with “Virus”, which before starting, Cameron offered his vague description of, “This is about a girl I know in Dallas.” but this time added, “I hope she’s not here.” Around the first chorus of the song, Taylor pushed his way through the people that stood at the front of the stage and left, going I don’t know where all in the club, before finally re-joining them on stage towards the end. They cranked out another one of their new songs they’ve been hard at work on, and while it seemed like they had only just begun their set, it was already almost over, and they capped off their 28 minute long set with “Retro”.

To have been as short as it was, it was an astounding set, with a great mix of what I guess are becoming oldies, new stuff, and of course, a cover that has long been a staple of their live shows. They currently have no shows booked, and most likely won’t be playing again for a little while as they finish the EP, “Truce”. So in the meantime, pick up their last record, “Your Ghost” and their old record from the bands previous name “Nothing Ever Works”. As for “Truce”, it should be out sooner than later (this is purely my speculation, but maybe August to September).

The four-piece, hardrock band, Deaf Angel, was next up, and after seeing the tail end of one of their shows a few months before, I had been wanting to see the whole thing, and was looking forward to finally seeing what a full set was like.

The song that began their 29 minute long set had a line, “…Do you remember…”, and at one point after singing it, vocalist, Tina Downs, asked everyone, “Do you remember…?”, which drew a nice reaction from the crowd. She approached the keyboard for the next song, “Goodbye”, but only played it briefly at the start. It was a more integral part of their next song, though, as Tina said it was an older one that any longtime fans of the band might now, called “On the Inside”. That was when drummer, Scott Van Slyke, joked that it used to be called “Deep Anal”. “It was never called Deep Anal.” Tina said, in between laughing. They did another, I suppose newer song, simply titled, “Nothing”, which was followed by one more off their “We Will Rise” EP, “Abandon Me”. They next did a song called “Run to Me”, before ending things with “Heart of Darkness”, which saw Tina return to the keyboard and near the end of the song added a famous song lyric, “…I’ve had the time of my life…”, into it.

Their performance was incredible, and both guitarist, Lee Daniels, and bassist, Kelly Robinson, are a large part of making that happen, as they each have a dominating stage presence and thrashed around and rocked out relentlessly. That’s not to dismiss Scott, who can drum with the best of them, and the way his kit is set up, where you see him from the side, I think shows off his skills even further. And the screams that he occasionally adds to some of the songs adds a nice dynamic to the deeper, powerful voice that Tina has.

The band has a few more shows lined up; June 22nd at Reno’s Chop Shop in Dallas, and June 30th back at Tomcats West in Fort Worth. They’ll be back at Renos on August 10th , and then, at the end of August, they will embark on a tour. The dates are as follows: August 31st at Tomcats West in Fort Worth. September 1st at The Railhead Saloon in Lawton, Oklahoma. September 3rd at Ole Memorial Lounge in Tulsa, Oklahoma. September 4th at the Boobie Trap Bar in Topeka, Kansas. September 5th at RC McGraw’s in Manhattan, Kansas. September 6th at The Riot Room in Kansas City, Missouri. September 8th at the Riverside Warehouse in Shreveport, Louisiana. They also have dates around Texas from late September and then October, so visit their website to find out where and when.

Light The Fire was the final local act of the show, and after getting a taste of their live show a few weeks prior, I had hoped to catch one of their next few shows before they take a little hiatus from the live performance side of things.

Vocalist, Jamie Glasgow, started getting the crowd pumped up for what was about to transpire, and as he did drummer, Paul Brown, and the rest of the band tore into their first song, “Don’t Fail Me Now”. As soon as Jamie began screaming away with the first verse, you could feel and see the crowd’s energy change, as many started banging their heads to the music, while a few others got a small, controlled mosh-pit going. For the next tune, they fired up their catchy sing-along, “Note To Self”, which I believe was one where Jamie occasionally held the mic towards the crowd and even certain individuals, letting them sing for a moment, and afterwards they slowed things down. A sample track of an acoustic guitar played, beginning “Save Me”, but the scaled back sound didn’t last long, with guitarists, Ryan Dickinson and Felix Lopez, bassist, Andrew Penland, and Paul entering into the song after the line, “..Broken down and I live in spite, and I see no end in sight…”. This is really the only slow song of theirs that they play live, but it’s one of my favorites, not only the song itself, but just in how it shows a different, more relaxed side of the band. That side didn’t last long, though, as once it was done Jamie said something about bringing it back up, and they did just that with one of their newer songs, which may well be the hardest song they done thus far, and it sounded spectacular. Their 25 minute set was getting close to being over, and after cranking out “Under My Skin”, Jamie said that their final song was their bouncy one. “…I want to see some people jumping…” he shouted, which most of the people did once “Thoughts” got underway. The song also featured some great backing vocals from Andrew on the chorus, who, in a somewhat shrill and gravelly voice, screamed, “…Kill my pain…”.

I thought it was a really great set, despite later hearing from the band that they had some technical, on-stage difficulties, which went unnoticed by me. I guess I was more caught up in the high-energy performance they put on, and how enjoyable their shows are, are easily one of if not the best thing about them. They just cut loose and have fun while they’re on stage, which makes it pretty easy for their fans to do more or less the same thing.

Their live shows are dwindling at the moment, with only three booked at the moment I post this. The next is June 23rd at the Curtain Club in Dallas, which will be the bands final Dallas show until after recording their next album. After that, you can catch them in Greenville at Hartline’s Texas Beach Club on August 11th. All of those shows are crucial for the band, as they are trying to raise money to aid them in their September trip to Massachusetts to record their next record. So check at least one of them out, and while you await the recording and release of this next record, be sure to purchase their debut EP, “Note to Self”.

After that performance, I really had my doubts of the remaining bands even coming close to rivaling it, but then Blameshift got up on stage…

I had heard that the New York based band was known for their high-energy stage show, but wasn’t expecting it to the extent that it was. As soon as the music started, guitarist, Tim Barbour, and bassist, Vince Monticciolo, started throwing down, shredding on their respective instruments, jumping onto and off of their boxes (the one on stage right said “Blame”, while the one on stage left read, “Shift”) and just covering practically every square inch of the stage. I’m pretty certain the first two songs they did were some newer ones, which sounded most excellent. But after those, vocalist, Jenny Mann, announced their next song was “Ghost”, as Tim started it. At this point, they were quickly making an impression on the audience, and their show only got better as they launched into a song co-sung between Tim and Jenny, “The Sirens Are Set”, which further got the adrenaline flowing. Next, they did a partial cover, and while I was unfamiliar with it, I was told it was “Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails. They did a few minutes of it, and then brought it into what I think was another new song, and followed it with one more new one. I was a bit disappointed when Jenny said their next song was the last one they had, simple because I was enjoying it so much I was hoping for another 10 minutes or so. Alas, it was not meant to be, as drummer, Nathan Saake, began the final song of their 31 minute long set, “Figure Out a Way”.

Wow… The show they put on was nothing short of breathtaking. It was thoroughly entertaining and highly enjoyable, so basically everything a band needs to be. Nathan killed it back there on the drum kit, demanding attention, while Vince and Tim were the most active of the group, and even though Jenny stayed at center stage for the majority of their set, she still had a presence, that, along with her voice, commanded the crowds’ attention. This was just one of those shows that you had to witness firsthand to understand how great it was.

As for their shows, the final date of the Never Sleep Again Tour with Straight Line Stitch will be on June 20th at the Whiskey A Go Go in West Hollywood, CA. They have several dates after that, from late June to mid-July, including performing at Rock’n the Valley in Pecatonica, Illinois, and you can find all of their dates HERE. Their two records, “The Black Rose” and “Blameshift” can be found on iTunes, while they are currently working on their next EP and this current U.S. of theirs will last an indefinite amount of time. So that means at some point they will most likely be in a town near you… That also hopefully means that they will return to the Dallas/Fort Worth area while the tour is still going on.

Straight Line Stitch was the final act of the night, filing on stage at the precise minute their set was supposed to start, seeming like a truly professional touring band. From what I listened to, I was pretty sure I wouldn’t like them, but I still had to give them a chance.

It’s not like I knew any of their songs, but I think they opened with “Conversion”. Sure enough, once singer, Alexis Brown, began screaming, it went against what I find appealing in music. They did another tune that I had the same feelings for, and the same went for “Laughing In the Rearview”. However, when Alexis said they were going to slow things down with “What You Do to Me”, I wondered what their interpretation of the word “slow” meant. It was still just as hard rocking music wise, though Alexis did more of what I consider to be legitimate singing, which sounded fantastic and made this my favorite song of their 42 minute long set. “Ashes In the Wind” was another great sounding song, but as they picked things back up with “Sound of Silence”, my attention to them started to wane. They did another number, and afterwards Alexis asked a simple question, “…Do you all want to hear more or not?…” She said they had no plans of doing an encore, but they had two more they could do if people wanted to hear them, which of course they did. Those two were “Bar Room Brawl” and “Black Veil”, both of which seemed to get people pretty excited.

No, I can’t say I really enjoyed it, but still, credit must be given where it is due, and they are great performers, with bassist, Jason White, guitarist, Kris Hawkins, drummer, Ian Shuirr, and Alexis rocking out harder than most. And for the type of music they play, they are some of the best I’ve heard (although that is a small handful, since I do tend to stay away from such genres.)

They have dates from now through September, and to see them all, go HERE. You can also find all their records in iTunes.

At this point, after the last band played, is usually when I take my leave, but since I had hitched a ride with Torch, that obviously wasn’t an option, which was fine. I even got be his cameraman while he did interviews with SLS and Blameshift (note to everyone: only ask me to be your cameraman if I am the only person available, my hands are shaky and at one point I dropped the Flip.  So it’s evidently not my calling. Haha.)

It was a fun day, night, and even early morning, though, with some great music. Thanks again, Torch, for wanting me there to review it and giving me a lift to Fort Worth.

The Boiler Room was hosting a night of pretty hard rock music, and while some of the bands were pushing it sound wise for me, others I was a fan of and looked very forward to seeing.

Murderers/Thieves was the first band of the night and was mostly done by the time I got there at nearly 9 o’clock. They were not my type of music, as their singer did more throaty screaming than anything. I know some people like that, and that’s fine, but through years of occasionally seeing bands like that, it still fails to personally appeal to me.

Second up was Black Tie Vendetta. I was looking real forward to seeing these guys, not just because they rock, but because their live shows are few and far between these days. They got off to loud start, as Johnny Sillers beat out some beats on the drums, while Dustin Morrison and Dustin Baugh layered some guitar notes/feedback over it all, with Joe Bandy doing the same thing on his bass. It was a killer intro, and soon enough they ripped into their first song, a new one, as vocalist, Brandon Callies, began to get into the music as he made his way to the front of the stage. It was a helluva way to get things going, as it was really attention grabbing. Before the show I said hey to Brandon, who told me, “Be kind…”, saying he was having some allergy trouble and his voice wasn’t at its best. It sounded much better than what I think he thought it did, but during their next song, “Into The Current”, it did fluctuate a bit. Nothing bad, and while it was noticeable, this was the only song were I heard anything of the like happen. Dustin M. got the next song, “Carries Me Away”, going with a hypnotic riff, and afterwards they cranked out another new song. Brandon looked at the setlist to see what was coming next, and seemed excited when he saw what it was. Then again, I was excited too when he said the song was called “Armed and Ready”. There’s no doubt that this is the bands most explosive song, especially on the chorus, while Brandon sings, “By the fear in my heart, the light in my eye I’ll carry on. The rain overhead, the thorn in my side I’ll carry on…” They followed it with what Brandon said was a “…Dime tribute song…”, “Watch It Go”, and as the final drum beats rang out, Dustin M. ripped into the next tune, mixing it perfectly into “Things You Hold”. They then had one final song left of their 30 minute set, closing it with another new one. And while I said that about how fantastic “Armed and Ready” is, this song they ended with could really give it a run for its money, as it was a pure adrenaline rush of rock.

It was a nice little set, with both of their EPs being well represented, with a right amount of new material tossed in, too. And they know how to put on an entertaining stage show, with Brandon and Dustin B. being the most intense of the performers, while Joe, Johnny and Dustin M. still rock out, focusing more on their skills at their respective instruments. And while they do rock out, they still make it fun and enjoyable, not only for the fans, but you can also tell they are having a blast.

Their shows are very sparse these days, since Brandon now lives in Austin, but I’m just glad they are still together. Better yet, they are even working on a new album, and they even have a show coming up on July 14th at The Hanger in Greenville, Texas.

American High was up next, and they were ready to get the crowd pumped up. A percussion heavy sample track kicked in as vocalist, Seth Davis, threw his fist in the air, pumping it to the beat and saying something like, “Let me see your hands!” No sooner had he said that though, then the track abruptly quit, leaving the band in dismay. For a few minutes, they didn’t know what to do, even questioning if they should attempt that intro again, and, at the urging of their fans, they did, this time without a hitch. Performance wise these guys were great, musically it was very enjoyable, but when it came to the singing, I was a bit on the fence. Overall, I did like it, but there were some songs where there was enough screaming that it pushed what I like in music.

I’d promote their stuff, but there’s no way to buy their CD online that I can find, nor do I see any upcoming shows, but do go give them a listen.

Light the Fire was next, and it was pretty obvious that the majority of the people here this night were there to see these guys. Making it a special show for them was that this was the final show they were doing for their live DVD shoot. I was looking forward to this, and had for awhile. I’d heard of the band before, but never listened to them until a few months ago when their bassist, Andrew, emailed me and asked if I’d write a review of their EP. I gladly did, and became a real fan in the process. And now I was going to see what a live performance was like.

It took awhile to set up, not only their gear but also all the cameras. Once they were ready vocalist, Jamie Glasgow, leaned out towards the crowd and you could feel everyone’s pent up energy start to culminate, just waiting to spill out. He introduced who the band was for anyone who might not have known, and as he did so an intro track of sorts played in the background. It was a hip-hop song of all things, and added a fun little vibe to it all, then announced the first song of their 30 minute set, “Don’t Fail Me Now”. The intro to this song is awesome on the recording, but seeing it play out live is something else completely. Paul Brown has some serious skills on the drums, as he let loose an array of beats on the entire kit, making it look easy. Soon, Jamie began screaming into the faces of the crowd, and the moshing started. That one is one of the most intense songs LTF has, and the way it starts off you’d never guess what an amazing singing voice Jamie has, as at the chorus it switches from a beastly scream to true singing on the line “So don’t fail me now, this dream is mine. And our time is now…”, before going back to that intoxicating scream. They followed it with the title track of their EP, “Note to Self”, as Ryan Dickinson got most of the spotlight at first with his guitar solo/intro. That’s actually something a lot of their songs feature, guitar solos, with this one having a true, blistering solo at the end. After that more encouraging song about chasing your dreams and not letting anything stop you, they slowed things down a bit one of my favorites, “Save Me”. Compared to their other material, it’s a pretty slow song, but I think it’s nice to see a different side of band (this one especially) and I love the first verse, “Miles away from who I am. The mirrors reflect what I can’t stand. Broken down, I live in spite. I see no end in sight…” Jamie was ready to bring things back up, though, and made a remark to that effect. So what they did was a new song of theirs, which if I read their setlist correctly was called “Lies”. It was a killer song, and shows that they have no intentions of letting up. In fact, I think it was even grittier and more in-your-face than what was on their first record. Two more heavy songs followed, first with “Under My Skin”, and then the epic, “Thoughts”. They had one song left, but before it Jamie took a moment to thank everyone, not just for coming out to this specific show, but those who came out to every show and make it possible for them to continue doing what they love. “…And it’s because of you we are going to go to Massachusetts to record our next record…” Even better news is they are going to record at Zing Studios (used by Killswitch Engage, All That Remains and others) with producer, Eric Arena. So to wrap up their set they did another new song that will probably wind up, and while I don’t think I heard Jamie correctly as he named the song, I at least heard the title as, “My Death, Your Perception”. Since I was at the Boiler Room last, they have added something to extend the stage a bit, and during that final song, Ryan walked back out on it to shred, and bassist, Andrew Penland, did the same, really rocking out from the glimpses I caught of him.

That was the only bad thing I can find with this show, which was from where I stood towards the side of the stage to avoid the mosh pit, my view was limited, and I couldn’t see Andrew or the other guitarist, Felix Lopez, too much. But really, when my view of the band is the worst thing I can say about their set, that’s pretty good. So all that aside, the live show phenomenal, and the energy they pack into it is infectious. Jamie was constantly trying to get the fans as engaged as possible, rather it be singing along, to pumping their fists in the air, and even on one song, jumping. Now, I’m not a “jumper”, and I’ve seen many bands who have asked that of the crowd and I personally ignored it, but there was something about this that was different, and I found myself jumping up and down along with everyone else. All of that helped make it a fun show, and on that note, you can tell just by watching them perform they are having a blast being on stage and doing what they are doing. And when I see a band like that, that is noticeable having fun, it makes me enjoy it all the more.

Light the Fire will be recording their next record more towards the fall, so they need all the support they can get at their next shows. They have one in Lawton, Oklahoma on June 1st. They will also be back there at the Railhead on July 14th. On June 7th they will be at Tomcats West in Fort Worth for a show presented by Torch Entertainment, where, along with some other local bands, they will be opening for a couple of national touring acts. June 23rd will see them at the Curtain Club in Dallas for their final Dallas show until they finish recording the album. Also, on August 11th they will be at Hartline’s Texas Beach Club in Greenville, Texas.

Do check out one of those shows if at all possible, and also purchase their “Note to Self” EP on iTunes and get a free download of the title track from their REVERBNATION PAGE.

Last up was Onward We March. I had listened to their stuff online and was immediately turned off of their music due to all the screaming, but still, I figured I’d give them a chance. Four songs was what I stuck around for, which was two more than what I had told myself I’d stick around for. I was on the fence about them, because after all the screaming that was done, their vocalist would turn it around, actually singing… Quite well, I might add. Still, it wasn’t enough to balance it all out for me, and as they began their fifth song I headed towards the door.

If heavy progressive metal is your thing though, check ‘em out. You can get a couple songs for free download from their REVERBNATION PAGE and purchase their EP, “The Golden Vine”, on iTunes.

There may have only been two bands I was avidly into this night, but it was still an all around great show. And I can at least respect those other bands for what they are, even if it doesn’t fit my personal music tastes. Oh, and I want to give one last word of thanks to Andrew of Light the Fire for hooking me up with a couple tickets. Thank you, sir!

______________________________________________________________

NOTE: Some amazingly talented individuals and myself have partnered up to create RYA Entertainment. We give you all the benefits of working with a major label (booking and promotional experience, industry connections, strength in numbers) without the hassles and cost associated with signing to a label. If your band would be interested in working with us in any of those aspects or performing at a future show of ours, contact me at: TheRealMusicEnthusiast@GMAIL.COM

______________________________________________________________

A note to whom it may interest: I’m wanting to get advertisers on my blog. If you are a band, music venue, or have any type of product or business whatsoever you want to promote, e-mail me at: TheRealMusicEnthusiast@gmail.com for full info. I will tell you now though, I get good traffic on my site and my prices will be VERY, VERY affordable to even the most broke bands/people. So please, allow me to help promote YOUR product constantly, and not just when I do a show review. Venues, I can list all your upcoming shows as I do for the Granada Theater. Bands, I can put up an image of your album cover and link that to iTunes, etc. Let me know if you would be interested in getting in on this exciting opportunity!

EPs have their drawbacks. Aside from being short (depending on how many songs are on them) you typically only see one side of the band. Actually, that’s not necessarily just true for EPs, but also full-length records. Sure, bands typically do one or two slow songs, but for the most part, they all tend to be pretty straightforward and stick with what is comfortable to them.

The Greenville and Dallas, Texas based band, Light the Fire, decided to break that trend with their debut release, “Note to Self”. There may only be six songs on this EP, but in the twenty-two plus minutes it takes this record to play out, you also find out how versatile they are. In all, there are three different, distinct styles of rock you will hear. All of which the band pulls off as feeling right at home while playing them.

The first three songs mine more of a typical rock genre, with a bit of a harder edge at times, and beginning this EP is “Note to Self”. The instrumental lead in to this song is about as epic as the song itself, beginning with what to me sounds reminiscent of an older rock style, with the crashing of the cymbals finding their way in at just the right moments, before the drums pick up the pace as the remaining instruments then fire up. The song has more of a radio friendly sound to it, with both the music and vocalist Jamie Glasgow’s voice being similar to what you hear in mainstream music. I do think this has a little more depth and makes a better connection with the listeners than most of what you hear in mainstream, though. The chorus even has a slight pop feel to it, as Jamie sings, “We are the proud, we are the strong, and although we fall we’ll carry on…”. However, there are moments in which you catch their harder side, which really comes out on the bridge/outro. The song takes a sudden turn into being more metal, with the rhythm section rising up as Jamie sings the next few lines in a deep, throaty scream. Personally, I’m not a real fan of screaming like that, but in moderation it is certainly tolerable, and here it serves to add a great effect to the song. One last thing worth noting about this one is the guitar solo towards the end, which is just flat out shredding and sounds astounding.

“Thoughts” is next, and for the first thirty or so seconds it has you thinking you are going to hear the bands softer side, as there is a gentle plucking of the guitar strings creating a tranquil mood, further aided by what sounds to be a violin. The drums soon change all that, and after a brief guitar solo, the tune starts walking a fine line between being hard rock and metal. This is, especially lyrically, my favorite song on “Note to Self”, as Jamie begins it, “The hate’s taking you over, the nightmares will never subside, and here I stand in the shadows.” before belting out in a scream, “Kill the monster inside!” He then returns to his singing voice, “And I’ll be there through your sorrow, and I’ll be there through your pain. You are the victim.” then screams once more, “This will not happen again!” The chorus is the catchiest part of the song, just in the way the lyrics flow perfectly with the beats, while some brutal screams are included at various points throughout it. Like the first song, this too, has a bridge that, momentarily, turns it into a full-blown metal song.

With the next song, “Save Me”, you finally get a taste of what a slightly toned down Light the Fire sounds like. It begins more acoustic based, as Jamie croons, “Miles away from who I am. These mirrors reflect what I can’t stand…”. The calmness doesn’t last, though, as it ramps up by the first chorus, “Save me now, ‘cause I am lost. Guide me through these empty thoughts…” and the blistering little guitar riff that starts in the second half of each chorus is mesmerizing. This song definitely lacks the harder edge the past couple of tracks have, but that’s a good thing. Like I mentioned at the start of this, they show their versatility and that there isn’t just one certain style of music that they stick to. This is further shown with the next songs, and the several seconds of silence at the end of “Save Me” seems to serve as the “calm before the storm”, so to speak.

Things get very hardcore with “Don’t Fail Me Now”, during which Jamie unleashes his primal scream, showing the listener just what he’s capable of. This one does push the boundaries of my personal music tastes, but while I’m not crazy about, I can’t say I dislike it, either. The range that he has is also quite impressive. When singing, he has an amazing voice, but then he can switch gears at the turn of a dime. I find the best thing about this song to be its raw and unbridled sound, as you can tell that there are no holds barred on this one.

The same can pretty much be said for the next song, “Under My Skin”, though it does seem to have a few more singing parts than the prior track. It’s just a metal song the way metal should be played, where even if there is a lot of screaming involved, it can still be enjoyable.

“Your Song” ends the record, as the band does strip their sound down for a song that is a little more heartfelt. This one is purely acoustic guitars and vocals, making it the most breathtaking song on the record and the lyrics are the most amazing part of this song. “As I look back, as I recall, I can’t believe it’s been so long. It all seems like just yesterday we were kids, how I miss those days… And even though I’m far away, you’re in my heart everyday…” begins Jamie, sounding a bit sentimental, which comes across in his delivery of those words. Another great line comes in the bridge, “…This life is a gift, a delicate gift, and I will always love you…”.

The song is a fitting an end to a remarkable EP. Light the Fire does walk a fine line between hard rock and metal, but they have one thing a lot of hard rock and metal bands don’t these days don’t have; A singer who can legitimately sing. I’ve never been a fan of those styles of music because of what they are now, but after listening to some older hard rock and metal bands, I discovered what the genres have degraded into. I don’t like how a band can get up on stage and have their “singer” scream forty plus minutes of songs, with all of what he’s screaming being totally unintelligible, and then that’s called music.

Sure, Light the Fire’s music involves screaming, but they don’t solely rely on it, and once again, if it’s to add an effect to the song, I’m totally down with it.

I feel like with “Note to Self”, Light the Fire is trying to return those genres to the greatness that they should be, while still holding on to a little bit of what makes them modern. I don’t know if they are purposely going for that or not, but regardless, they do a damn good job of it.

Purchase “Note to Self” on: iTunes

Get a FREE download of: “Note to Self - Single”.

Find Light the Fire on:
Facebook
Reverbnation

Light the Fire is:
Jamie Glasgow- Vocals
Ryan Dickinson- Guitar
Felix Lopez- Guitar
Andrew Penland- Bass
Paul Brown- Drums

As of this posting, Light the Fire as the following shows:

May 19th - The Boiler Room in Dallas, Texas

May 26th - Side Pocket Lounge in Kilgore, Texas

June 7th - Tomcat’s West in Fort Worth, Texas