Canal Club Show Review by Bridget Taylor

The Canal Club

Bands:
Threat of Scarlet: 7/10

Nemesis 10/10
Nemesis

Unheard Concept 9.5/10

Silk Attraction 9.5/10
Silk Attraction

A review by rokbonka aka Bridget Taylor

February 2nd was the day of two shows: The mighty Killswitch Engage at Toad’s Place and Unheard Concept with special guests at The Canal Club. I decided to ditch the Killswitch Engage show in order to hear music I haven’t experienced yet… And I was a little too late on buying a ticket. Anyway.

Would these four bands make up for a nationally recognized band?

The first band that kicked it off was Threat of Scarlet. Hailing from Richmond, these guys probably had the least show experience, so to speak. They started with an instrumental track before the lead singer took the stage. Their songs were interesting, but lacking in a bit in the variations. After growling out the performance, the vocalist thanked everyone and the band left the stage.

Nemesis was next. These guys, from Virginia Beach, epitomized the core definition of a metal show. Not only was this their first time at the Canal Club, it was also the last show of their bassist, Bruce. Not that any of that stopped them from putting on a hell raising show. The vocalist involved the crowd by getting them to yell out phrases, such as “Something Evil”, “Social!”, and. During the song “Everyone”, the band threw jumping in with their headbanging, causing a guitar peg (which holds the strap) to break off solidly. During the last song, the crowd paid tribute to Bruce leaving by giving him the bird, the only fitting way to say goodbye.

So how do you follow up that? You bring out Unheard Concept, of course. This was the mark of their 1st anniversary together, as well as their guitarist (Mike)’s 21st birthday. These guys have bonded with Nemesis (seeing as both bands are from Virginia Beach), and have another show with them March 1st; the singer came out sporting a “Nemesis” shirt as well. Throughout playing their set, free “Silk Attraction” shirts were thrown into the crowd to hype up for the next band. Not only did they rock out their songs, but also added a cover of “Ice, Ice Baby” to the mix. The only problem they had of the night (and it only occurred to them) was momentary feedback of the mic. That didn’t bother anyone, and the show carried on with more headbanging, jumping, and craziness. During the last song, all the bands and a few others were onstage, rocking out to the tune.

The final band of the night was Silk Attraction. It’s been a while since the Richmond-based band has played, and they have a busy schedule coming up (their album is due to release, and they plan to tour over the summer). They also gave out shirts as well as copies of their CD through the course of the show. Singer Jenna belted out the words with a sultry voice, accompanied by the hard riffs of guitar and bass and the steady bang of the drum. The songs were not only rock, they were also surprisingly danceable. “Poison” got the crowd to move, while “Blood” pumped fists and raised horns everywhere.

So, back to my original question: Were these bands really as cracked up as a national act? I think so. You can find all these bands on Myspace to find out what they’re doing next and listen to their hits. I highly recommend at least one show with each band – you won’t regret it.

ROCKIT.

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