DEMIRICOUS AND OTHERS (Live)

Of Love And Lunacy Tour

Heavy Metal in America is not dead; it has just gone to the underground … again. With severe lack of radio play in the United States, one has to really search for good concerts and good bands. On Saturday March 25th, 2006, Metal was found lurking at Stage 83 in beautiful Lemont, Illinois, USA. On this day, 6 Hardcore bands got together for a show that could have easily gotten twice the admission price of $10 in advance and $12 at the door … if only more people were aware of it.

The Venue

Stage 83 is a small, approximately 400 person club that caters to headbangers of all ages. There are actually 2 indoor stages, one small one up front and the larger one in the back by the bar. There are also 2 sand volleyball courts outside, along with what appears to be a 3rd stage. The bar area is separated from the main, “younger” crowd by a metal, “crowd control” railing. This is where beer and other good stuff is served. The youngsters can get their fill of energy drinks and soft drinks elsewhere throughout the bar. There is a constant light show going, which makes for great visuals, but poor picture taking. The atmosphere is friendly and surprisingly widely varied in age. There are some parents and even grandparents in attendance, to cheer on their kids/grandkids.

The Crowd

The crowd was small, but very into the music. Mostly teen and pre-teen, but interspersed with older lovers of the Hardcore genre. The band members and representatives of the bands have booths set up where they are selling their latest CDs, T-Shirts, etc.

The Bands

The first band was a local group named Mercy’s Rule, made up of high school kids — the oldest member being 18 (according to the bass player’s mother). Although the lead singer had the face of a kid brother, he had the voice of a demon …which of course is a good thing. They did a nice job of warming up the crowd.

The second band was another local band named Bloodstream Parade. Obviously more mature than the first band, they rocked the crowd with shorter, to-the-point Punk-ish Hardcore tunes in the vein of Static X. They had a good stage presence, and you can expect to hear good things from, and about them, in the future.

Demiricous, the featured band of this review, came out and slammed the crowd with their intense, raw brand of Metal. Imagine three long-haired rockers in constant motion up front, a gonzo drummer’s feet pounding behind them, and nothing but blurs and hair flying. The band’s own primal, vicious headbanging caused a crowd reaction, in which moshing broke out no fewer than 4 times in their short, 5 song set. Even after attempts by security to break up the pit, it seemed to keep reforming. One slam dancer ended up with his nose broken open, but he was butterfly bandaged and soon on the floor again.

The band played selections from their debut album, One, and opened up with “Repentagram,” a tune that flies at the speed of light and has some complex elements thrown into the mix, as do all of their songs. “Vagrant Idol,” which has a video that has aired not once, but twice on MTV2’s Headbanger’s Ball, followed next, which also caused the first mosh pit to break out.

The group showed no signs of letting up and went into “Beyond Obscene.” It was easy to see that the crowd was having difficulty in trying to refrain from the mosh mode, but thanks to the steely-eyed stares of Stage 83 security, they did … temporarily. When Demiricous sailed directly into “Matador,” the crowd intensity continued to build into another slamfest. By the time they reached the final number, “To Serve Is To Destroy,” it appeared that security might just lose the battle as moshing broke out twice more. Then, suddenly, the song ended as quickly as the first one began, and the band was done for the day. Several groans could be heard as audience participants wanted to hear more.

Demiricous is a high energy, take no prisoners type of band that ignites a spark of aggression in all who can appreciate from where they’re coming. If you’re looking to take out some aggression, hurt someone, or be hurt yourself, go see Demiricous when they come to a town near you.

Next up was If Hope Dies. They’re a Hardcore band that also had the crowd rocking, and another spontaneous moshing in a no mosh zone. At this point, security had to make an announcement saying that the show would stop if the moshing didn’t.

Unfortunately for Nodes of Ranvier and their fans, the band had continual sound problems throughout their set. The lead vocalist couldn’t hear himself through the monitors and the bass guitar and bass drums were almost absent in the sound mix. It’s a shame since they sound so good on myspace.com.

Headlining the show was Still Remains — a somewhat more Melodic Hardcore band that really rocked the house (sure it was a small house, but they rocked it nonetheless). The name of the tour is the Of Love and Lunacy tour supporting their CD of the same name. If the tour consisting of Demiricous, If Hope Dies, Nodes of Ranvier, and Still Remains show up anywhere near you, go see it … you won’t be disappointed.