Wrath
El Diablo
2-West
Heartbreakers Gentlemen's Club, West Allis, WI
June 23, 2007
Wrath is a good old fashioned thrash band. You might remember I reviewed them last fall. I go a long way back in life with these guys, and I still rate them as one of the premier thrash bands in the Midwest. Some of their hair is shorter. They have a few years on them, but they still sound amazing. The new vocalist (well it's been almost a year; I spose I can stop calling him new) John is really finding his spot in the band. The nerves are gone. His vocals merge the newer metal sounds with the glorious old skool thrash I grew up on and still adore to this day. Oh yeah, and another slappy bass boy. Love it. There is just something so very different in the sound between the fingers and the pick. The sound is so much more pure with the fingers. From the clean solo work on “Closed Doors� and “Nothing Yet� to the blast beat on classic song “Panic Control,� this is a band that still to this day stays true to their roots and their sound. They shot a live video of show and you can expect to see it on their myspace page. Plus ya just gotta love when the bands give us props from the stage. Thankfully, John did remember ALL the words this time to “Ace of Spades.� It is good being the queen.
El Diablo is a Chicago 5 piece band that turns samples and keyboards into a slightly hardcore sound. A little angrier than the other bands, with a slight hard core edge. OHHH guess what, another bassist who eschews the picks. LOVE IT! They have a very evil disco feel. The segues between songs are smooth, and flawless transitions make the show move at an insane pace. I really liked the angry vocals much more than the soft ones. N, their vocalist, was a trooper; with a freshly broken arm and a pocket full of vics, he hung in there for the full set. Their set was insanely short, even though they had a full set of songs. Short sweet and to the point. And their Journey cover of “Small Town Girl� made the song far cooler than the Sopranos did. “Idiot,� with its warning to men to watch for the gold-diggers, and “Evil American� were highlights.
With a slightly abbreviated set due to the entire night being slightly behind schedule because of the late arrival of the sound guy, 2-west still had a fabulous outing. Eric, the vocalist, was in prime form to lead the way with their personal salute to sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. Tonight “Decay� is dedicated to Dime. They debuted the new song “Scorned.� And all was fun and games until someone left the back door to the club open. 2-West is apparently just WAY too heavy for the sleepy city of West Allis. The show had to shut down early, much to the dismay of the crowd and 2-West. But the West Allis Police cannot be swayed.