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Heavy sounds filled the air

Taste of Chaos
(Deftones, Thrice, Story of the Year)

Eagles Ballroom
Milwaukee, WI
Mar. 18, 2006
Story of The Year
Story of The Year
Deftones
Deftones

Story and Photos by Matt Schwenke

Taking over the entire Rave complex with buckets of bands and merch, the second annual Taste of Chaos tour brought the latest in screaming rock with an unusual performance from the headliner that went back to their roots.
With Story of the Year starting my evening's coverage of the main stage acts, the technical assault of guitar and drums were a warm welcome-- the ballroom already had a haze of moisture from all the sweaty bodies packed in around the stage. With a voice that brings to mind Phil Anselmo, frontman Dan Marsala was energizing with his delivery on "Take Me Back," and in "Our Time Is Now," where the rest of the band, with undeniable energy, did their best to illicit thoughts of Pantera (R.I.P. Dimebag) while adding vocal harmonies and catchy choruses to the mix. Asking for a pit at the end of the show, Marsala got what he wanted as kids shot up into the air like trout swimming upstream to the band's powerful sound.
DeftonesAfter a quick shuffling of fans and stage equipment alike, Thrice took the stage and poured out similar energy but in more of a moody blend-- as in "Image of the Invisible" off of their new release Vheissu. Going back to earlier albums and a much more direct sound, "Deadbolt" and "The Artists In The Ambulance" were thrash-heavy and pounding but ultimately were a wash of screaming when compared with the newer material. "Silhouette" stood out amongst the older tunes with frontman Dustin Kensrue's raw vocal energy, but the disjointed turns from full-out metal to melodic wanderings let some of the energy out of the charged room.
With the crowd swelling to its largest and sweatiest mass of the evening, the Deftones took to the stage with the crowd astir, and noticeably-buzzed frontman Chino Moreno led the band with his haunting vocals on "Feiticeira" from White Pony. As technical problems plagued guitarist Stef Carpenter early on, the band didn't quite make it through "My Own Summer (Shove It)," and to cover, Moreno, who had already broken a mic or two, laid down a rap over an incredibly funky beat from drummer Abe Cunningham before deciding to go "take a piss" while the bugs were worked out. As the crowd grew restless and the security antsy with no sounds and no Moreno on stage, the rest of the band calmly waited and looked around with beer in hand. But as from chaos comes clarity, the Deftones returned full-speed a few minutes later with Moreno running around smiling while he talked to the band. With Carpenter's axe coming through loud and clear, the Deftones, almost as if it were planned, played spotless versions of every song off of their first release Adrenaline. From "Bored" all the way to "Fireal," the Deftones went back to their roots and took the crowd on a wild ride. "Root" and "7 Words" were especially strong with bassist Chi Cheng pushing the rhythm and Moreno a ball of energy, respectively. Exiting and then returning quickly, the Deftones stirred up the eerie winds of "Change (In The House of Flies)" leaving their unique sound ringing in the ears and swirling in the mind for hours after the show.

Deftones
Deftones
Story of The Year
Story of The Year
Thrice
Thrice
Story of The Year
Story of The Year
Thrice
Thrice

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