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Review by Max Jensen
Photos by Dave Vacula
Shinedown has seemed to find that secret recipe for success. Brent Smith (vocals), Barry Kerch (drums), Eric Bass (bass) and Zack Myers (guitar) have had a vision all along for their heavy-handed and passionate music. On Friday evening at The Rave they certainly cooked up a new level of madness while always keeping their eyes and ears on their own pulse rather than the flavor of the day. Smith and company maintain a tight, but chaotic stage presence and they are truly one cog culling their raw energy off of each other.
Right out of the gates came a flood of crushing and fierce musical assault rife with wild chord progressions, intense lyrical substance capped by Smith's fevered singing style. Kerch and Bass built a backboard of sound that filled one's body with a jello like abandon. Smith's extraordinary vocal range made his melodic messages seem even grander and more poignant while the rest of the band knew exactly where their piece fit into the puzzle. Shinedown built the muscular groove with heavy hitters "Sound of Madness," "Devour," "Cry For Help," "Fly From the Inside" and "Stranger Inside" (which seemed to be the hands-down crowd favorite). For the lucky ones in attendance on this night, they got the chance to ride Shinedown's bus of another musical color while never giving the pedal a chance to let up. |
