November 10, 2005 @ Junktion 7
I think Saggy Pants should maybe just get a key to Junktion 7, this is the third night in a row we have been here and to be honest my home is starting to get jealous. Tonight we are here to witness the mighty End Reason with support from El Cielo, Kudza and to start with Zero2Seven, who are playing their first gig tonight. With funky deep basslines and driving drumbeats, Zero2Seven kick in their poweful mix of moving grunge and heavier dark metal. The tight drummer impresses us with some very diverse and clever fills mixing complex and simple beats to good affect. The dark and powerful riffs interchanged with the brooding basslines giving them a dark and infectious sound, not to dis-similar to QOTSA or Smashing Pumpkins but with a simpler punky influence that kept the melodies catchy. Using simple, but affective dynamics and good tempo changes, Zero2Seven created a good energy and built atmosphere well and with subtle, yet powerful vocals the songs moved well and were full of emotion even though some backing vocals might have added something to their sound. This was a very good first effort, even though they lacked stage presence at times but once they gain more experience, they showed the potential to evolve into a very good band.
Next we are hit by pure noise, the manic, fast and interchanging riffs of Kudzu fly in and by mixing the dynamics and tempo changes, they have a experimental feel. This is guitar based rock with punk and metal influences. Based round the messy, interlocking guitar riffs and fast, finger tapping and atmospheric lead breaks, Kudzu build atmosphere well. The bass holds the songs together with its deep, pushing thump and combines with the tight crashing drums which flow nicely using nice changes to create the background for the guitars to express themselves well. Both the vocal hooks and riffs are catchy and slowly build, soaring up to atmospheric heights. The vocals however, aren’t always powerful enough and get drowned out by the huge guitars. This is quite an original sound mixing trippy and flowing jam metal with more melodic catchy punk, it’s well performed but the weak vocals let it down at times. Quite random and different, certainly worth checking out.
Third on tonight’s bill are El Cielo who we have seen several times before. Everytime we see El Cielo they seem to have a different sound and tonight is no exception, the guitars are more powerful than the last time we saw them and with the heavy, deep basslines giving them a darker edge, their sound is really pounding tonight. The songs are structured around diverse and ever changing guitar riffs, which mix funky breakdowns and solos with melodic and powerful riffs. The bass holds the songs down and pushes them forward whilst the drummer mixes random fills with strong and driving beats. The whole sound is quite unpredictable and inventive, at times it sounds almost improvised. The breaks on this random, run away train are put on by the vocalist, who gives the them a catchy feel and adds stablility to their songs. The vocals mix throaty screams with soft melodies well, but with the crashing and random guitar and drumming turned up to full tonight, it becomes hard to make out the lyrics. Even though they write clever and original riffs with some really interesting and imaginative dynamic, El Cielo seem to lack real conviction at times and we have yet to see them really capture their recorded sound live. A great band but live it always seems hard to get into their songs, and we just don’t quite know why.
Finally tonight we are exposed to the pure power of End Reason. Starting with huge, deep, throaty screams and massive, heavy guitar riffs, End Reason blow away the cobwebs, in fact they just about blow away your whole head. The riffs are consistantly changing and by mixing up the tempo and the power of their sound it is a monster of noise that provides the background for the vocals to work over. It’s all held together so tightly by the crushing basslines which interchange and link well with the guitar riffs. The structures to their songs are very complex but still mix some catchy melodies with their stampeding riffs. Tonight, End Reason had a stand in drummer but he was outstanding, with fast, tight and emotional changes that helped to build the atmosphere. The diversity of the music is built on even more by the energetic frontman who prowls the room like a tiger waiting to pounce. His vocal patterns are really clever and add catchiness to this complex metal. End Reason are brutal, complex and atmospheric heavy rock but their diverse and interesting music is wrapped in an infectious and impressively powerful shell, this is simply awesome.
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Review – Gaz Photos – Smat
Photos ~ Smat
