 Crossfade |
 Helmet |
 Chevelle |
Story and photos by Matt Schwenke
With a gusto and rage that matched the mood of the music without overdoing it, the headliners of the Winterfresh SnoCore Tour displayed that there is still hope for the heavier side of rock music. The main attractions at the Rave-- Crossfade, Helmet, and Chevelle-- never let the fans down by going into some sort of pop-rock malaise, and by the end of the night, left a delicious aftertaste of metal in one's mouth.
Crossfade, a four-piece from South Carolina, were the first in line for the night after the side-stage music had stopped. Setting them apart from the other sounds of the evening, Tony Byroads added a modern Dj sound in "The Disco" that neared the realm of Linkin Park's electronica. Fearing hearing a wanna-be Fred Durst, when Byroads took the mic it was a style all his own and a good contrast to the vocals provided by frontman Ed Sloan and bassist Mitch James. and were unique in their own right by singing heavy harmonies with great control as in the song "Cold." Crossfade's set was too short to tell for sure if they could remain interesting for a 2-hour or more headlining gig, but the potential is surely there with songs like "Off The Deep End" that explore a more technical approach in songwriting.Helmet took the stage next and immediately put the crowd into a bounce that is all their own. These rockers, who disappeared for a while after a string of disappointing albums, bang their heads to a different drummer-- only frontman Paige Hamilton remains from the original Helmet. However, between frontman Page Hamilton and ex-Rob Zombie drummer John Stanier, Helmet still have that characteristic pulse in their music that is hard not to move to. Newer material like "Throwing Punches" from Size Matters and older material such as "In The Meantime" and "Unsung" off of the band's break-out album In The Meantime represented the best songs in the set. Always having mature and introspective lyrics, Hamilton played and sang with an unassuming confidence in his craft. Ex-Anthrax bassist Frank Bello played with a fiery passion, but it seems as thought they still need a little time to get comfortable in their new roles. A good set from this rock band that has come back from the dead, but their short set also leaves question of how good of a headlining act they could be.
Then came Chevelle, who seemed to have a mix of the best stuff from both of the opening acts. This band, which is composed of three brothers from Chicago, walked a fine line of being considered catchy before dropping a heavy load of metal on the listener. A crowd-inspired verision of "The Red" from Wonder What's Next was a prime example of the way the band could shift the mood of a song with ease. There were some decent harmonies between frontman Pete Loeffler and bassist Joe Loeffler and the band had a distinct style of interesting songwriting, as in "Send The Pain Below" from their first release and "The Clincher" off of their latest release This Type Of Thinking (Could Do Us IN) . Worthy of the headlining spot, Chevelle has the talent and creativity to become a great band.
Chevelle
Crossfade
Helmet
Chevelle
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