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Death By Stereo, None More Black, Better Off Dead, The Wake
The Annex, Madison, WI
6/11/2003
Reviewer: Andrew
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Okay, so, I've been to a few shows since the last review I've written, a couple of which were those wonderful hardcore festivals. But, I figured that if the "shows" section is going to continue to show, I should throw some content in it. And, considering that not everyone who is involved in the hardcore, punk, or metal scenes may understand how good of a studio and live band Death By Stereo is, I feel a bit obligated to write about their performance and my experience. Let me start by saying that Madison, WI, isn't exactly home to a thriving music scene. There are some decent hardcore and metalcore bands from the area that I'm aware of, but when Death By Stereo comes to town during the summer, I'd at least hope for a few more kids (well, adults, the show was 18 and over) to show up than there were. A minor complaint, though, as there was enough onlookers, including a few drunken annoyances that stood front and center for the last two bands, with their fists in the air, attempting to sing lyrics they obviously didn't know. So, let's run through some of the performers.
The Wake were up first, we probably caught a little more than half of their set. Actually, I can't really remember, because their set dragged on. They weren't bad, I guess, but it's hard for me to get into the whole street-influenced, hardcore punk when the vocalist isn't that great. Their singer seemed tired a lot, perhaps sick, and not that into his singing. A little nervous, too. Who knows, they might have been a new band. In any case, they didn't do much for me.
Better Off Dead followed, and helped turn the low-key mood of the club around. Definitely a more seasoned live band, they ripped through some hardcore-laced punk rock tunes, packed with infectious energy and solid breakdowns. The band's drummer had one of those headsets, allowing him to contribute some backing screams, which actually came out as tasteful additions to the music. I'd watch out for this band, they may become more well-known in the future.
None More Black, featuring the one and only Jason Shevchuk of Kid Dynamite fame on vocals, brought some solid, feel-good rock songs to the table. Like I've heard from the band itself, they sound like a more toned-down, rock influenced Kid Dynamite. Jason's vocals still have that distinguishable, raspy quality that seperate these guys from the crowd, but the music is usually mid-paced, simplistic but entertaining, and punchy. They put on a good show, were annoyed by the drunks, and definitely got some of the crowd warmed up for the night's headliners. I felt bad, because None More Black is good band, but by the end of their set, all I was thinking was "bring on Death By Stereo."
Not long after None More Black left the stage, Death By Stereo took over the club with their furious brand of hardcore. I caught Death By Stereo at the 2002 Warped Tour, and was baffled by the genuine fun that the band was having, all while bouncing off the walls in front of a mildly-violent group of kids singing every last word to every song. Death By Stereo had quite a few kids up front, shouting their lungs out, as well as the typical circle-pitting going through every one of their songs. The band ripped through an excellent mixture of old and new tunes, and being that "Into The Valley Of Death" was released just a couple of months prior to the show, the band played a good portion of the new album. "Unstoppable" was even more impressive live, "Wasted Words," "Let Down And Alone," and "These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things" were definite crowd pleasers thanks to healthy dosages of breakdowns, and excitement filled the club when the band broke out material from "If Looks Could Kill, I'd Watch You Die." "Desperation Train" sounded really great live, and really showed that the band had their act together, musically and performance-wise. The two guitarists showed off with some great solo action, vocalism Efrem appeared to have a great time during and between songs, and the band played "Emo Holocaust." Rock. Death By Stereo is an awesome band, and put on an awesome show. Go see them if you get the chance.
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