by Joel Naugle
Hanks Pub – Josh Deeter’s B-day Party 1.24.14
Close The Hatch – Really enjoying hearing these guys play! They are an experimental metal band blending a lot of different styles into their sound. They have a lot of progressive metal as well: forging new ways of playing, having new ideas on what Metal should be, and taking it to the next level. At first it sounds soft, and then the voice comes at you like a battering ram, letting you know it’s DEFinitely NOT soft. It reminds me also of other melodic metal, creating a picture or a work of art within the music. Their music sounds surreal when they slow down the tempo and it features the great bass lines. Guitar solos that light up the atmosphere, and the drums are dynamic.
Band Members: 2 Shauns, 1 Steve, a Rohr , and a Josh kill it when they hit the stage.
IMBROGLIO – This is Josh Deeter, the birthday boy’s, band! These guys started out with a quiet energy, but then they quickly came with the hard brutal reality of what this band really is. They went off the deep-end of heaviness, playing some pretty hard riffs and screaming into the hearts and deep down into the soul of the crowd. They blended hardcore/grind core into twisted explosions of deadly ferocity. There was a lot of experimentation going on here, from the insane guitar work, to the bass thundering on the airwaves, and brutal drumming.
Band Members: D.J. Gilbert- Vocals, & Guitar. Josh Deeter- Vocals, & Bass. Bret Newland -Vocals, & Drums
DeadFaceDown – These guys braved all the snow and ice from West Virginia, just to come and play, and they did NOT disappoint! They totally showed us all in Ohio that Charleston throws down the metal with blatant aggression! From crazy blast beats and thunderous vocals to impressive guitar and bass work, their music made you want to slam your head into the wall over and over, knowing that pain is only the beginning! Using hardcore thrash metal with unrelenting aggression in everything they did, they impressed me with their solos and their seamless style of playing! They have a way of making you really get into the music.
Band Members: Iann Brown: Vox; Jason Bays: Guitar; Chad Fisher: Guitar; Steve Carpenter: Drums; Nick “Nacho” Pauley: Bass
The Reefer Hut – These Piqua Metal icons came down to headline the show! Adam does such a great job getting the whole bar into the show; everybody was head banging like crazy and throwing horns to the air. Harris is a madman on drums, playing with unmistakable style. Neilson grinding on the guitar was in the middle of it all with hardcore riffs of mayhem! Helman laid down some killer solos and Eric went crazy on the bass! With new title songs like “Moving Forward”, you know this band is thinking of the future, taking all they’ve learned, and putting it all together to create a metal masterpiece!
Band Members: Adam Baumann: Vocals; Eric Baumann: Bass Guitar; Neilson Hixson: Guitar; Jason Helmann: Guitar; Brian Harris: Drums
Marc Godsey (Forces of Nature) was on sound and made everybody sound amazing!
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Club Panama 2.22.14
From Silence to Violence – This is a great local band out of Troy that I’ve had the pleasure of writing about previously. They’ve had some lineup changes since then, so it was cool to see them again and know they are still blowing everybody away! Soon they’ll be opening for Insane Crown Posse for the SOLD OUT Aaron Spencer Benefit Show right here in Dayton at Rockstar Pro Arena this Saturday! Phillip used his vocal abilities to the fullest, going down to a deep soul shattering roar. Jake Reynolds making the drums his own with earth shattering hostility and epic breakdowns! Tom Collins & Shawn Graham played like crazy men, bouncing solos and rhythms off each other with ease. Kyle Cruea on bass brought it all together and assailed us with true metal grindcore!
Band Members: Phil Rindler: Vocals; Shawn Graham: Guitar; Tom “Vietnam Tom” Collins: Guitar; Kyle Cruea: Bassist; Jake Reynolds: Drums
Soul Shadow– This group tore the place down! A father and son partnership in Kyle & Tyler Mayes make up one half of this band as the lead vocalist/guitar player and the drummer. The other guitar player and the bassist, Shad & Justin Ankeney, anchor the other half in another father and son duo and help mix different styles of metal into a fan fare of aggression. The drumming was great, and the bassist had crazy energy. Both guitarists ripped it up and played very well off each other. I can’t wait to see them play again!
Band Members: Kyle Mays: Vocals/Guitar; Shad Ankeney: Guitar; Justin ankeney: Bass/Vocals; Aaron Tyler Mayes: Drums
Dying Mans Breath – This band plays a crunchy heavy/punkish style of metal with vocalist, Scott Wilson, going from deep guttural to singing and back again while playing lead and rhythm guitar. Bass lines from Zac Carter brew the music into a mass onslaught of pure metal. Mena Pop, the keyboardist, makes the transitions between songs, making you think you’re on another plane of existence, but the same time, she’s aggressive enough to make the songs blend seamlessly. Keith Long plays the drums like crazy and fills of precise blast beats.
Band Members: Scott Wilson: Vocals; Zac Carter: Bass; Mena Pop: Keyboards; Keith Long: Drums
Slaves Among Death- This band has been a work in progress. Over the past year, they have grown from having no drums or singer to having both, and it was very worth the wait! Randall Davis has been working on this project and making great strides to find players that can keep up with his and Matt Stewart’s extremely aggressive playing style. New addition, Keith Haney, takes the drumming to a brutal place, breaking down hardcore beats! Ike Ington takes the vocals to a deep underground hardcore/screaming-your-head-off style. I was very pleased to see how far they have come. If you get the chance, go and see them play! You won’t be disappointed!
Band Members: Ike Ington: Vocals; Randall Davis: Guitars; Matt Stewart: Guitars; Keith Haney: Drums
Dug Brown (Spike Opera) on sound made everybody awesome!
Music Connection Dayton 