The scene at soma last Friday night was a little sparse, but it was enthusiastic. Under the Stone opened up to a less than sell-out crowd, but they instantly got the audience hyped. The band proved itself early with some serious rock heavy riffs. These lead heavy riffs were sped along by the bands drummer, who perfectly entwined his rhythms with the down and dirty guitar. Under the Stone also laid down some very sweet clean guitar solos that were backed up by stellar drumming and head splitting vocals. The groovy, heavy metal soaked guitar and the intense drumming made for a great opening to the show. Every one knew what the night had in store: Serious head bangin’ shit.

     Next up was Mother Mae I. They came onstage with an eerie sound and vibe that gave way to deep bass and cutting riffs. The song “Remember Me Dead” started off with deep, groovy guitar and then immediately catapulted the audience head on into some turbo head banging. They followed with “Toys” which was nothing less than a hardcore full frontal assault. All of a sudden the smoke cleared and the lead singer Travis went seamlessly into a clean interlude. Then, BAM, you’re right back into the hardcore assault that never really left in the first place. In the band’s next song I may have seen a metal core band with a heart. It cannot be! Travis has an incredible vocal range and can do so many things with it. He can blend clean melodies and screaming almost simultaneously to give the band a cool layered approach and feel. Next, Mother Mae I came through with a gnarly instrumental that could rip a hole right through you. That is, of course, if you’re into that kind of thing and I assume that, well, most people are. There wasn’t a single person in the crowd who was not banging their head. In fact, even my Grandma’s neck hurt the next day. In “Faded” the lead singer further proved himself by holding notes out that seemed like forever right into an eerie interlude during which the band built up the tension in the crowd until it damn near exploded into moshing frenzy. The crowd had definitely thickened up by that time and they were going nuts. Check this band out!

     Broken Foundation was up next. The band came out with some great guitar topped with some good ol’ fashioned screaming, just like mother used to make. The band boasts a great bassist, blistering guitar solos and some great head nodding riffs, with some clean guitar to make a good blend. The singer has a lot of intensity and plays extremely well to the crowd. The guitarist is no slouch himself, with insane guitar riffs that go great with the lead singer’s hardcore style. In the song “Fallen Empire” I felt like I was in the ruins of some great fallen empire and the band was doing the hardcore funeral dirge. The guitarist really got the crowd going with his clean riffs and it made you want to put your lighter in the air, or ride your trusty steed into battle for that matter. Finally, the song “Perseverance” was simply good down home metal for all.

     Next was the band Downspell. This band had two singers who sang/screamed simultaneously and it gave the band a cool unique feel. Together they teamed up to produce vocals that were not only inventive but fun to listen to. The singers almost seemed to battle each other onstage until they were split by amazing guitar solos. The band’s back and forth gives them a unique duality. On some songs the singers echo each other and it produces some very cool effects. Not to mention that both singers have a growl that may have originated in hell itself. Over all, the band was a hard hitting, bone crunching “50 Caliber Face-Lift.”

     Last up was Warface. As you can tell by the name, the band is no walk in the park. This band is about as hardcore as it gets. The guitarist (who is female, proving once again that chicks do rock) wailed insanely on her axe. She was constantly laying down awesome licks on the guitar, while the drummer banged hardcore rhythms and the lead singer raged from, I could swear, beyond the grave. This band’s gut wrenching style is not for the faint of heart but if you have a death metal stomach you will love the blatant disregard for taste and decency. The band has a great timing and whipped up the crowd in a heart beat. To get a little insight into the band’s mentality I quote the lead singer: “I don’t want to see anyone smiling out there! This is Death Metal! No one should be having fun!” Well dammit, I had fun anyway.

Check out Bandvibe's photo coverage of this show at:
http://www.bandvibe.com/abdpicturegallery.asp?cityid=4&eventid=310&city=San%20Diego