LIVE SHOW REVIEWS

• MAELSTROM/ JOE STUMP/ ALTERED EGO-Monday, March 19, 2001 @ Top Cat's, Cincinnati, OH-Metal descended upon Top Cat's on a Monday for what turned out to be a killer show. Local band ALTERED EGO opened the evening with their brand of classic metal that reminded me of SINERGY or maybe a female fronted JUDAS PRIEST. This was the first time I had seen them live after hearing alot about them and I must say I was highly impressed. They rocked through each song like pros, even throwing in a cover of JUDAS PRIEST'S 'Green Manalishi'. I look forward to seeing these guys again and getting a copy of their upcoming CD. Leviathan recording artist JOE STUMP followed the ALTERED EGO set with an unbelievably blistering set that had musicians with their jaws dropped in awe and everyone else cheering after every song, realizing they are witnessing one of today's forerunners of the technical guitar playing scene. Joe and his band, drummer Matt Scurfield and bassist Jay Rigney, played their brand of neo-classical instrumental metal as good as anything I have ever heard in that genre. This is a mandatory band to see for fans of guitar metal. Following the killer set of Stump songs they finished with a rendition of RAINBOW's rendition of the YARDBIRD's 'Still I'm Sad', adding their own twist to the already great RAINBOW version. Headlining the evening was Cincinnati's own thrash kings MAELSTROM. Combine, TESTAMENT, PANTERA, and 80s METALLICA and you get an idea of what MAELSTROM sound like. MAELSTROM hit the stage and immediately hammered the crowd with their brand of thrash, playing numerous songs from their debut CD *Dangerously Agitated*[see CD REVIEWS section] as well as showcasing some new material that completely rocked. MAELSTROM's Todd Brower burned up and down the fretboard keeping the majestic guitar solo theme of the evening alive to the end. All and all, this was one of the best shows I have been to this year and I look forward to seeing all three bands perform live again.-Chris Lee
• ROCK FOR CANCER-Saturday, March 31, 2001 @ Bobby's Sports Bar, Houston, TX-Dear God, the 80s were back in spandex on this night, as several local 80s metal loving bands came together to raise money for Cancer research. Walking into the club, it was like a hair-raising time warp from hell, big hair, spandex, latex mini skirts and lots and lots of baldness and bleach. Half the women looked like they were strippers -- the other half looked like they were strippers 15 years ago and forgot that time is sometimes not kind.... We felt so out of place at this bar, and I stood uncomfortably on the side most of the night. We came in on the tail end of the Z-LOT-Z set, and from what I saw, the still have a lot of passion and drive from years back. Next up was MIDNIGHT CIRCUS, yet another 80s metal outfit still hanging on. METAL GODS, a JUDAS PRIEST cover band featuring James Rivera of HELSTAR and DESTINY'S END fame was the headlining act. I was nver a big JUDAS PRIEST fan, so a lot of the songs were lost on me. The only one I can recollect is 'You've Got Another Thing Coming'. James has an amazing vocal range, and I was pretty impressed by it, but his on stage Rock God prancing was a bit much for me. The shocker of the night was when Bruce Kulick, and MOTORHEAD's Lemmyand Mickey Dee came on stage to perform a song. MOTORHEAD was in Houston for the April 1st Wrestlemania show, and decided to drop on by. Lemmy did not seem like he wanted to be on stage, and when the guys tried to get them to do 'Hell Bent For Leather' with them, they declined. We walked out soon after, and passed the MOTORHEAD boys' limo. I was told the club raised almost 5,000 for Cancer research, and while this was not my type of show, I was happy to attend and be a part of such a great cause.-Caroline Gonzalez
• DISTURBED- Monday, March 19, 2001 @ the International Ballroom in Houston, TX-With guest lists you can never tell if your name will really be there or not, but this time I was prepared with my cell phone and the Road manager's cell number just in case, and I am happy about that, as they could not find my envelope, so I had to go outside, make the call (with no answer) then look for a security guard to page the manager. Instead, I was sent to the back where a really cool as hell security guard escorted me to the backstage area. On the way to the dressing room area, I met Dave Draiman, vocalist for DISTURBED. We went into the back area where I was given my photo pass. We went to the center of the club and waited for the band to go on stage. I was instructed to go meet the security guard by the barricade so the bouncers would let me into the barricade. Little did I know that I would be the only photographer / person besides the bouncers allowed in this area, so I was nervous yet excited that I would be allowed in an off limits area. In the middle of the stage was a huge box with a cover over it. The cover was taken off, and there was Dave. The band is tremendous live, the power that exuded from the stage would have blown even the strongest away. The band is so tight and loud live, most studio albums from famous bands don't sound that good. Each member has a great stage presence, they jumped and thrashed their way all over the stage. I didn't think that the band could hold on to the raw yet tight sound of their CD, but even songs like 'Down With The Sickness', which to me sounds like a song that would be difficult to perform right live rocked. Dave even threw in a lot of theatrics, hitting his head with his hand as he screamed into the mic. The man can also move his body that would make a lot of aerobic instructors jealous. The band ended their set with 'Stupify', and the only problem we had with the whole set is that it ended way too soon. After the show we went outside in the freezing cold and talked to the band and took some shots. Dave was the only one missing in action, as he went to the bus and stayed on, but the other three were cool as hell. Even one of their roadies (whose name I don't remember but was supposed to be in Australia now) and their manager talked to us and just hung out.-Caroline Gonzalez
• POUNDHOUND-Thursday, April 5, 2001 @ Side Car Pub-Houston TX-POUNDHOUND, Doug Pinnick of KING'S X's side band, kicked off a two month long tour here in their hometown of Houston, TX to a full crowd in the small and hard to find SideCar Pub. We got lost a few times getting there, and walked in just as their tour opener GEEK was finishing their set. This band features the son of KING'S X member Jerry Gaskill, and none of the members seem to be older than 18 or so. The crowd was a trip -- a mixture of teen and middle age, and not too many in the middle like myself and the group I was with. The band plays a harder edged and punk influenced type of rock / metal and seem to be a band that may end up going places. POUNDHOUND came on soon after, and with little technical glitches aside, performed a heavy and strong set, but then again, anything with vocals by Doug is going to end up being strong. They ran through the songs from their Metal Blade debut, and also showcased a couple songs from their forthcoming album *Pineapple Skink* which will be released in June. While this band does not hold the magic to me that KING'S X does, it does hold a lot of promise in the talented and more than experienced band members. I cannot wait to hear the new album, and KING'S X fans don't fear -- the band is also in the studio working on a new album. This tour runs through CA, NM, MO, IA, IL, NY, NJ, PA, VA, NC, SC, AR, GA, OH, MI, and Canada -- so check them out if you can! email me for a complete list of dates.-Caroline Gonzalez