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Rock On 2003
(Flyer)
Gig Review written by Talon & Kaze
As we slowly closed in on Woodlands CC I felt like a vampire walking under the blazing sun in need to get out of that huge ball of fire. But the walk was worth it as we finally reached the CC. This is Rock On 2003!! The time when bands gather to play and for us to come together and appreciate the bands that has rocked our very souls with their music.
When I got the first look at the hall, I was very impressed by the way the amps where placed. Everything looked damned professional so I expected the sound to be up to standard without any disappointment. Only thing that I thought was a bit of a let down was that the lights weren’t dimmed on the audience side and the glass panels were covered with white paper instead of black. But that wasn’t a reason to let down the hearts of you metal maniacs out there was it? And I could only think of one reason that night... course this gig totally friggin rocked the house!!!
Our appetizer came in the form of Karras, a five piece band playing 70s rock and they started off the gig with Born to be Wild. You know I agreed with you guys, the singer really looked like he was Stone Cold. But he had a sense of humor though when he pulled out that straw hat. For those who missed the gig, imagine Stone Cold on a Hawaiian vacation. And I gotta say that his voice was a powerhouse. I also gotta give the lead guitarist 2 thumbs up. He was damn good. And then I heard a drum solo, which to me jump started the gig into the next level. One of the best drum solos I’ve heard and this gig wasn’t even half way through!
After Karras left, I was expecting for the gig to tone down a bit but boy was I wrong and we were glad that I was wrong cause the next band was Metalheadz!!!! The crowd gathered to the stage from outside and in. And Creeping Death gripped their heads as they banged them, followed by Blackened, Master of Puppets, Damage Inc and Battery. A new drummer was on stage and we were curious to find out how he handled the beat. The ecstasy which followed was like getting high on drugs although this still wasn’t their best performance compared to their previous gigs. No worries though, cos we’re sure that their next performance is gonna blow you people to kingdom come. It was too bad that only most of the audience went up and not ALL of them. These guys are the embodiment of Metallica. I don’t know about the rest of you but to me the very look on the lead singer when he performs, are the same as the ones on Kurt.
7 Pound Vein then took over the stage and their entrance was a bang! At first after seeing their intro, we were appalled to see that not many people supported this band as they seemed to be promising. Within seconds we found out why. What they were doing here was different from their usual style and it definitely did not suit the rock theme. Though their music arrangement was ok and their on stage performance was very well coordinated, I bet you rockers wanted some REAL music to chew on. However, they did do a good job by not compromising the quality of their music for their showmanship. Hopefully they are gonna revert back to their old style.
The disappeared audience started to materialize again at the front as a spell was weaved and they were Spellbound! No heads near the stage were seen to be left not banging as they played songs from Helloween, Rusty Blade and one of my personal favorite songs by Iron Maiden, Powerslave. Even an old school rocker went up to support them.
Urban Karma did a cover on Slayer, Deep Purple’s Stormbringer and some of their originals. They also had a Congo player amongst their numbers which is unique among the bands on this gig and they did well in incorporating 2 drums into their songs. Though they are a renowned band not many people went to support them and before long most that did were sitting down. They were good but like Seven Pound Vein, they made the same mistake of picking the wrong list of songs.
There was a short break before the final band came on stage and during this time anyone were invited to have a jamming session. I decided to chill outside for awhile before the gig, sadly, had to end after the final act. Then I heard the familiar sounds of the guitar and thinking that the break was over, came back in. Lo and behold cause Metalheadz took the stage for the jamming session! And they rocked the stage even during a jamming session. As you can see if you missed this gig then you just missed a major event. And if you ain’t banging that head of yours at this gig then you just missed a major part of your life!
Malex was the last band to perform that night and after they were through with the gig I think the stage had just blown apart. It was night, thankfully, they had shut down the lights and only left the stage lights on. The metal maniacs gathered one last time for the day to put their heads into overdrive. Heads rolled and bodies surfed!!!! When Malex played Rising Force and other pieces, from Malmsteen I totally lost my mind. Malex are a totally awesome band and to play songs from Malmsteen you would need and equally awesome guitarist. Yes this guy was scaling so fast that no demon in hell could catch up. The whole hall started to explode in fires of passion (except for the spoilers who were sitting down).
The gig then ended with a grand finale where different members from all the performing bands combine to perform a few songs including some from Rusty Blade. I’d say that this gig was something you wouldn’t want to have missed due to the kick ass performance by the bands. It was a huge success and I only wished that the audience would have joined the guys in front. You people don’t know what you’ve just missed so.... give yourselves a kick in the ass.
Seriously guys for a gig to be a success, both the bands AND the audience have to perform. So from both my partner Kaze and me, Get off your butts and bang some heads!!! |
