Wednesday 18/10/06 Mushroomhead, SOil, Brand New Sin, e(v)olocity @ The Rialto Theater, Tucson Arizona

It’s a night of hard rock and metal at the Rialto. We run into the renowned concert photographer Mark Martinez who gives us precious pointers. So why is he here? Mushroomhead is going to introduce their new set making this a secret special event. It’s going to be a good night.

The alternative rock of e(v)olocity is addicting. ‘Dark’ comes in slow, hard and divinely heavy. This band can jam. Melon gets down on the base like no other, random cheers erupt from the crowd whilst he stomps and does a vicious solo during ‘Cockeyed.’  Someone shouts “Damn that dude is good!”  He is one of the reasons why their self titled album is amongst the best this year. ‘Duh Wayne’ certainly gets people rocking. During ‘Crutch’ Aaron’s vox is perfect, Jazz does a sweet lick and the band gets a well deserved applause. They start the night off right.

We must admit our weakness for the biting combo of southern rock and metal, Brand New Sin fits the bill nicely. They charge head long into blazing licks and riffs, freight train drums and Joe Altier’s biker mean vocals. The pounding instrumentals in ‘Motormeth’ sound like thunder rumbling down a mountain pass and create an instant mosh. It’s a straightforward performance that has an old school feel and gets the audience fully pumped.

A frantic slamming beat heralds the arrival of ‘Pick Me Up’ and brings in the raw, vicious vox of Adam Zadel. SOil’s brand of hard rock and metal gets under our skin and a mosh pit rises whilst the band head bangs away. Adam steps out onto the rail during ‘Give It Up’ and powers out this melodic piece surrounded by fists beating in the air. They play a new song ‘The Last Chance,’ an awesome work that highlights Adam’s skilled vocal expression. He subtlety cries out in anguish, pleads then transforms into simmering, growling fury whilst he moves like a thick python…slow, deliberate and deadly. They finish us off with ‘Halo’ and the audience cheers.

Ambient and industrial, the alternative metal band Mushroomhead gives new meaning to the word ‘wicked.’ Their set is a nightmare wasteland, the players wear masks, grim makeup, horror inspired clothing and serve up a raucous evil performance. Water filled drums thunder on both sides of the stage whilst brilliant lighting and smoke create an underworld mood. I don’t know how they do it but Nothing and Waylon seem to come truly from beyond the grave projecting the dark mood of hunters searching for souls. They play ‘Almost Gone’ then travel into the broken realm of the ‘Sun Doesn’t Rise’ and take possession of the crowd.

Harsh flashing lights, confusion and intensity hallmark the killer performance of ‘Erase The Doubt.’ Deep and provoking Waylon and Nothing deliver its compelling words with a bitter edge and deathly passion. ‘Never Let It Go’ sets off strobes that hit us like lightening, colors get caught up in the glitter that suddenly fills the air and the devoted horde becomes jumping hysteria. The singers stand side by side and deliver the fuel to the masses like gasoline on a flame. The audience draws in closer, ‘12 Hundred’ sends the mosh flying then Shmotz and Skinny stage dive onto the fans. The drums explode and “43” arrives with a vengeance to beating fists and a screaming mob. Mushroomhead owns the place. They are more than music…they are an unearthly experience.